Chapter 22
Daoist priests often carried dusters as their magical tools.
Xiaoyaozi was no exception. He flicked his white duster, his gaze fixed on the barrier around Heng Yu’s courtyard. The barrier glowed faintly with a golden light, appearing peaceful when not under attack.
But as Xiaoyaozi examined it carefully, he sensed a hidden danger beneath the peaceful facade.
Heng Yu smiled faintly, patiently waiting for his next move.
“Who are you?”
Finally, Xiaoyaozi remembered to ask her name.
Daoist cultivators wore Daoist robes and tied their hair in topknots. This woman wore a green Daoist robe, but her long hair was loose, not tied up. She wasn’t a Daoist cultivator.
Her beauty was rare in this world, but what was truly unforgettable was her aura — unrestrained and uninhibited.
This aura came from her confidence.
Someone timid or insecure couldn’t possess such captivating charm.
Moreover, Xiaoyaozi observed her carefully and realized that she wasn’t just young in appearance; she was truly young.
With such an aura, such a young age, and such cultivation, she was likely an inner disciple, or even a core disciple, of one of the eight major righteous sects or five major demonic sects!
What had his disciple Fan Changping done to offend such a person!
Heng Yu smiled softly. She could sense Xiaoyaozi’s killing intent falter. It seemed he had realized her identity wasn’t ordinary.
She bowed slightly and calmly revealed her identity. “Luo Heng Yu of the Hehuan Sect.”
The Hehuan Sect?
Why would a Hehuan Sect disciple appear in the Undying Sect’s territory, thousands of miles away?
Suspicious, Xiaoyaozi frowned slightly. “May I ask why this young friend killed my disciple?”
“Fan Changping was corrupted by demonic Qi and deserved to die!” Heng Yu’s voice was firm and resolute.
Xiaoyaozi’s eyes widened in disbelief, like a furious lion ready to pounce. “Absurd! How could my disciple be corrupted by demonic Qi? Daoist disciples have strong willpower and firm Dao hearts, not comparable to seductive cultivators like you who rely on dual cultivation for advancement.”
The implication was that even she, a Hehuan Sect disciple, hadn’t been corrupted by demonic Qi, so how could his disciple have fallen into the demonic path?
Heng Yu raised an eyebrow: He was resorting to personal attacks now.
Since she was still a young master of the Hehuan Sect, Heng Yu couldn’t just stand by and let him tarnish the sect’s reputation.
She gripped her sword hilt, slowly drawing her sword, and sneered. “Outsiders need not worry about the willpower of Hehuan Sect disciples. If Senior has the time, you should reflect on how you choose and teach your disciples. How could a Daoist disciple, who should be focused on cultivating the mind, spout nonsense about the cultivation world only valuing strength, kill indiscriminately, and be corrupted by demonic Qi?”
Xiaoyaozi’s short temper was well-known in the Void Alliance. Precisely because Fan Changping’s temperament was similar to his own, and because Fan Changping treated him like a father, Xiaoyaozi had invested countless resources and time in him after taking him as a disciple, allowing Fan Changping, whose aptitude was only average, to reach Foundation Establishment before thirty.
He had no children or family, so he treated Fan Changping like his own son, placing a soul curse on him and coming all the way from the Void Alliance after his death.
Hearing Heng Yu’s words, he flew into a rage, disregarding her identity.
“You’re too arrogant for a junior in front of me.”
Xiaoyaozi channeled his spiritual energy, and the duster in his hand rapidly expanded.
He swung the duster, and it slammed against the barrier with a loud clang.
Heng Yu cast a spell with her left hand, reinforcing the barrier.
She looked at Xiaoyaozi, a smile on her lips. “Are you sure you want to attack me because of a disciple who has become a demon? Senior, you still have a chance to stop. Otherwise, I’m afraid your Dao heart will be damaged!”
“Are you threatening me?”
A cold glint flashed in Xiaoyaozi’s eyes, and he channeled his spiritual energy again, fiercely.
The duster slammed against the barrier, the sound piercing.
“Just a warning,” Heng Yu said.
She was genuinely advising him.
Daoist cultivators focused on cultivating their minds, and their requirements for character were extremely high. With Xiaoyaozi’s biased mindset, even if he wasn’t corrupted by demonic Qi, it would be difficult for him to progress further on the path of immortality.
But Xiaoyaozi was consumed by his emotions, feeling that Heng Yu, a junior, was mocking him because of her status.
He didn’t reply, simply changing his tactics and continuing to attack the barrier.
Since he refused to listen, Heng Yu didn’t say anything more. She sheathed her sword, returned to her study, and finished practicing calligraphy amidst the noise.
After finishing, bored, Heng Yu went to the back door of her courtyard and, seizing the moment between Xiaoyaozi’s attacks, opened the barrier and slipped out, leaving him to attack the empty barrier.
“Now that I’m out, where should I go?”
Heng Yu held her plain oil-paper umbrella and strolled slowly through the streets, pondering.
“I’ll go find Liaowu, settle the score with him, and complain a little. Someone like me, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, should be protected by a Nascent Soul Buddha-son. After all, I only provoked that short-tempered Daoist cultivator to help the Buddha-son solve the case.”
Heng Yu convinced herself with her own logic and walked cheerfully towards Qingyun Temple on the mountain.
Usually, Heng Yu would see two young novices standing at the temple gate.
But today, no one was there.
She entered the temple but didn’t see any monks.
“Could it be because of the heavy rain, everyone is resting inside?”
After a moment of thought, Heng Yu continued walking.
The temple was still open, and she saw a few worshippers walking around, offering incense.
Passing by the Scripture Pavilion, Heng Yu heard a familiar, clear voice from inside, chanting Sanskrit scriptures in a hypnotic tone. After finishing a passage, he switched to the common language to explain its meaning.
Was Liaowu giving a lecture inside?
Heng Yu walked to the corridor and closed her umbrella.
She shook off the water and walked around the corridor to the front of the Scripture Pavilion.
The closer she got, the clearer Liaowu’s voice became.
Perhaps it was a natural reaction, but hearing the chanting, Heng Yu couldn’t help but yawn.
She raised her hand and wiped the tears from her eyes.
Stepping over the high threshold, Heng Yu entered the solemn and majestic pavilion.
A large open space in front of the pavilion was filled with dozens of monks sitting cross-legged, listening attentively to the Buddha-son’s lecture.
A dozen or so worshippers stood respectfully by the side, their hands joined together, listening devoutly.
Heng Yu looked around, then her gaze settled on the empty space opposite Liaowu.
She walked over, took out a meditation mat from her storage ring, placed it on the ground, and sat down cross-legged.
She joined her hands together in a listening posture, closed her eyes… leaned against a sturdy wooden pillar behind her, and quickly fell asleep.
Liaowu had noticed Heng Yu when she entered the Scripture Pavilion. During a pause in his lecture, he glanced in her direction.
She seemed to have fallen asleep. Her posture was relaxed, her hands no longer joined together but resting on her lap.
Liaowu’s hand, which was turning the pages of a scripture, paused slightly: Was she… asleep?
Sitting wasn’t as comfortable as lying down. Although Liaowu’s voice was hypnotic, Heng Yu woke up groggily after about half an hour.
As she regained consciousness, she heard Liaowu’s calm voice: “That concludes today’s lecture. Everyone, please return for evening prayers.”
The monks stood up and thanked Liaowu with their hands joined together.
The worshippers also filed out of the Scripture Pavilion.
Heng Yu went against the flow of people and walked quickly to Liaowu’s side.
He wore a moon-white robe today, his usual aloofness softened, replaced by a gentle, moonlit aura.
He was truly handsome.
With such good looks, it was no wonder a demonic woman like Mu Huan was interested in him.
Seeing him organizing the scriptures, Heng Yu joined her hands together, imitating the monks, and praised devoutly, “Just now, listening to Senior Brother Liaowu’s lecture, I felt the profoundness and mystery of Buddhism. I’ve gained much insight.”
Who didn’t like such flattery?
To pursue the Buddha-son, she didn’t mind pretending to be interested in Buddhist teachings.
Liaowu: “…”
Liaowu had finished organizing the scriptures.
He picked them up and looked at Heng Yu, saying sincerely, “Lord Luo has indeed gained much insight. Haven’t you been resting well these past two days? I saw you sleeping soundly just now.”
The young monk Liaonian, also holding scriptures, almost burst out laughing.
Senior Brother was awesome!
He was so happy to see this demonic woman speechless!
But Heng Yu was thick-skinned.
Even after being exposed, she still smiled calmly. “Actually, it’s like this. Today, a Nascent Soul cultivator was making noise outside my courtyard, and I couldn’t sleep well, so I came to find you.”
She winked at Liaowu. “You know, I feel very safe sleeping near you, a Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Liaowu focused on the first part of her sentence.
He paused slightly. “A Nascent Soul cultivator appeared in Hua City?”
After a moment of thought, he immediately guessed the person’s identity. “Is it that Xiaoyaozi?”
Heng Yu nodded.
Liaowu frowned, stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion, picked up his oil-paper umbrella, and walked into the rain.
Heng Yu, without even looking at her own umbrella, quickly followed him, sharing his umbrella.
Their eyes met, and Liaowu glanced at her.
Heng Yu explained, “I didn’t bring an umbrella.”
Two umbrellas leaned against the wall beside the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.
One was Liaonian’s.
Liaonian picked up his umbrella, heard Heng Yu’s words, and his eyes widened, glaring at her abandoned umbrella.
“Senior Brother—” Liaonian started.
“Liaonian, bring Lord Luo her umbrella.”
Liaowu interrupted him, giving a direct order.
He had tacitly agreed to share his umbrella with Heng Yu.
“Senior Brother…” Liaonian scratched his head.
Staring at their retreating figures, the young monk sighed and resignedly opened his umbrella. Before stepping into the rain, he angrily grabbed Heng Yu’s umbrella and quickly followed.
The oil-paper umbrella wasn’t large, so the space beneath it was limited.
Liaowu kept a distance from Heng Yu.
To prevent her from getting wet, he tilted most of the umbrella towards her, leaving most of his own body exposed to the rain.
This way of holding the umbrella was pointless.
Heng Yu stopped teasing him and pushed the umbrella back over his head. She casually cast a drying spell on him, and his robes became dry again.
“Why are you so difficult to deal with?” Heng Yu laughed.
She cast a barrier around herself, blocking the rain.
They were walking through the ginkgo forest, its leaves turning yellow.
Heng Yu’s smile was bright and unrestrained, her lively aura seemingly illuminating the twilight-shrouded forest.
Liaowu joined his hands together. “This poor monk doesn’t know.”
This answer rendered Heng Yu speechless.
She stopped talking, walked back a few steps, took her umbrella from Liaonian, and opened it.
After all, maintaining a barrier to block the rain consumed a lot of spiritual energy. It was better to use an umbrella.
Liaowu returned to the topic of Xiaoyaozi. “Is Xiaoyaozi here to avenge Fan Changping?”
“Probably.”
“Does he know that Fan Changping was corrupted by demonic Qi?”
Seeing Heng Yu nod, Liaowu’s expression remained calm. “Then this poor monk and Lord Luo will go and meet this Xiaoyaozi.”
Rumbling sounds still came from Heng Yu’s courtyard.
Apparently, Xiaoyaozi was persistent, still trying to break through her barrier.
“Stop it,” Heng Yu shouted from afar.
Xiaoyaozi turned abruptly.
Seeing Heng Yu, he was first stunned, then his face gradually turned red with anger as he realized what had happened.
“You weren’t in the courtyard just now!?”
“Senior, you jest. I have no interest in waiting inside for you to break my barrier.”
Xiaoyaozi was about to retort angrily when he saw Liaowu walking behind Heng Yu. The anger on his face froze, then gradually disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, he returned to his initial polite and aloof demeanor.
“Is this someone from the Undying Sect?”
Liaowu joined his hands together. “This poor monk’s Dharma name is Liaowu.”
The relationship between Daoism and Buddhism wasn’t harmonious.
The Void Alliance, in particular, held a deep hatred for Buddhist cultivators.
Now, seeing Liaowu, Xiaoyaozi’s hostility towards Heng Yu shifted completely towards him.
Xiaoyaozi raised his duster, his gaze fixed on Liaowu. “So this is the Light of Buddhism.”
“Buddhism and Daoism cannot coexist. This poor Daoist has long wanted to discuss the Dao with a Buddha-son of the Undying Sect, to see which path is superior. There’s no time like the present. Can the Buddha-son spare some time today for a discussion?”
Heng Yu: “…”
Unexpectedly, this aloof Buddha-son was also a magnet for hatred.
As soon as he appeared, Xiaoyaozi forgot his original purpose of avenging his disciple.
“Amitabha,” Liaowu said calmly. “This poor monk doesn’t understand why Buddhism and Daoism cannot coexist. The three thousand paths of the Great Dao can coexist, let alone two branches within it?”
“What Xiaoyaozi just said is like saying that if the sea diverges into two parallel streams, they will inevitably compete. But in reality, these two streams not only won’t compete but will also flow to distant lands, benefiting all.”
Their brief exchange revealed the difference in their understanding of the Dao.
Was there conflict between Buddhism and Daoism?
There shouldn’t be.
It was simply Xiaoyaozi who insisted on a competition.
Xiaoyaozi, a man several hundred years old, was rendered speechless by a junior’s words. “You… you…”
Heng Yu looked at Liaowu and smiled softly: The Light of Buddhism was truly impressive.
He always praised her eloquence, but his own eloquence was also quite remarkable.
Xiaoyaozi gritted his teeth. “As expected of the Undying Sect’s Buddha-son, the legendary innate Buddha bones!”
Hearing this, Heng Yu looked at Xiaoyaozi, her eyebrows raised slightly.
—Did Xiaoyaozi know the secret behind “innate Buddha bones”?
Her gaze flickered, but her expression remained unchanged.
Liaowu turned his prayer beads, not answering Xiaoyaozi’s words.
Xiaoyaozi sneered. “What, are you only good with words?”
Liaowu pursed his lips, not wanting to argue.
But retreating now would seem like he was intimidated by Xiaoyaozi’s aggression.
At this moment, Liaowu remembered Heng Yu’s words from earlier.
—Sometimes the wrathful Vajra, sometimes the compassionate Bodhisattva.
Was it right to always be tolerant in the face of such harsh words and aggression?
Just as Liaowu was about to look at Heng Yu, he received her voice transmission.
Heng Yu said, “In the face of such harsh words, why not learn from the wrathful Vajra?”
“He insists on a competition, so let’s show him clearly who’s superior.”
Liaowu sighed softly and looked at Xiaoyaozi. “What do you want?”
Having achieved his goal, Xiaoyaozi sneered. “You said Buddhism and Daoism don’t compete, but today, I insist on competing with you. Let’s compare our methods of preaching and see who’s more effective.”
Leave a Reply