Chapter 29:
Zhou Chuang found that the promotional effect of the Buddhist side was far better than he had anticipated. Even if not all the common people currently surrounding the Buddhist Son Liaowu would convert to Buddhism, even a tenth or two would be enough to surpass him. His brows furrowed tightly as he pondered countermeasures. Zhou Chuang attached great importance to this wager; he was determined to outdo the Buddhists. After all, he loathed both the Buddhists and that demoness Luo Hengyu.
While Zhou Chuang was lost in thought, Dao Zhuo stepped forward and saluted Hengyu with a Daoist hand gesture: “Fellow Cultivator Luo.” He wore a Daoist robe and had his hair styled in a Daoist topknot, a tall crown atop his head. His whole being exuded an otherworldly, unrestrained elegance. Hengyu returned the salute.
Just as Dao Zhuo was about to speak, the Daoist compass in his hand suddenly emitted a beam of light. The light pointed directly southeast, too dazzling to ignore. “That demoness is using spiritual power,” Dao Zhuo frowned. “Fellow Cultivator Luo, I must take my leave. I’ll continue to track the demoness’s whereabouts.” With a brief farewell, Dao Zhuo pursued the southeast direction.
Zhou Chuang, responsible for assisting Dao Zhuo, saw him leave and, forgetting the wager, followed him. Mu Huan muttered, “I haven’t had time to greet Senior Brother Liaowu,” and also hurried after the two.
When Liaowu was less busy, Hengyu approached him and recounted the events. Liaowu said, “Then we should also be more vigilant recently.” Hengyu nodded. She and Liaowu would help track the demoness when needed, but for now, their primary focus remained on the wager.
Dao Zhuo’s pursuit yielded no results. Hengyu wasn’t surprised. If the demoness were easy to deal with, Dao Zhuo and his companions wouldn’t have chased her all the way from the Daoist sect’s territory to Pingcheng.
Over the next few days, Hengyu and Liaowu continued to spread Buddhist teachings. Buddhism emphasized universal salvation and was adept at soothing the pain in people’s hearts. Coupled with Liaowu offering free medical treatment, answering questions, and listening attentively, the spread of Buddhism became increasingly successful.
Soon, only one day remained before the seven-day wager. That evening, Xiaoyaozi personally came to the inn to find Liaowu. Standing at the entrance, he bowed to Liaowu, who was returning in the setting sun: “Tomorrow is the day of the sermon. How are the Buddhist Son’s preparations?”
Liaowu calmly replied, “Amitabha, the preparations are complete.” Xiaoyaozi laughed heartily, “That’s good. Then I won’t disturb the Buddhist Son any longer.” With that, he flicked his sleeves and departed.
After Xiaoyaozi left, Hengyu and Liaowu entered the inn and dined on the first floor. Picking up a piece of tofu, Hengyu sighed inwardly. Everything else was fine with Liaowu, but having to eat vegetarian meals every time was truly difficult for her.
“May I order some sweet and sour pork ribs for Fellow Cultivator Luo?” Liaowu suddenly put down his chopsticks and said softly. Hengyu was slightly taken aback. Had her aversion to vegetarian dishes been so obvious that Liaowu had noticed?
Liaowu said, “Fellow Cultivator Luo isn’t accustomed to vegetarian food; there’s no need to change your habits for me and my junior brother.” Coarse tea and simple meals, a solitary lamp and ancient Buddha – these were his choices, his cultivation. These matters had nothing to do with her; she didn’t need to be so restrained in front of him.
Hengyu put the tofu in her mouth, swallowed, and then replied, “But I feel that not ordering meat dishes when dining with you and Liaonian is a form of respect for you both.”
Respect? Her reasoning made Liaowu pause. He quickly recovered and chuckled, “I have already felt Fellow Cultivator Luo’s respect. Now, allow me to show respect to Fellow Cultivator Luo.” With that, he turned to call the waiter and instructed, “Please add a dish of sweet and sour pork ribs for this female benefactor.”
His actions were swift, so fast that Hengyu couldn’t refuse. By the time she reacted, the waiter had already gone to the kitchen to place the order, and Hengyu had to accept it.
“Now I also feel Senior Brother Liaowu’s respect,” Hengyu said, resting her chin on her hand and smiling brightly at him. Liaowu sensed her genuine joy.
It was dinner time, and all the tables on the first floor were occupied; the inn was quite busy. However, the food was served quickly, and the sweet and sour pork ribs Liaowu had ordered for Hengyu arrived. Amidst the table full of vegetarian dishes, the colorful and fragrant sweet and sour pork ribs appeared particularly striking.
Hengyu reached out with her chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce to taste it, and her eyebrows raised slightly – the dish tasted even better than she had imagined.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Hengyu winked at Liaowu.
Liaowu nodded, “As it should be. Fellow Cultivator Luo shouldn’t be polite in this matter.”
Hengyu laughed and didn’t say anything more. She picked up a rib and put it in her mouth, feeling completely rejuvenated. Since arriving in Pingcheng, she hadn’t had a single bite of meat; she had been enduring quite a lot! Liaowu was truly an adorable Buddhist Son!
In the end, Hengyu finished the entire plate of sweet and sour pork ribs by herself. After eating, she went upstairs. Just as Hengyu removed her long sword and placed it on the table, she heard a knock on her door.
Opening the door, she found Liaowu standing outside, holding a cup of steaming tea. Clearly, the tea had just been brewed. “Tea can help with digestion, Fellow Cultivator Luo. Have some.” Liaowu handed her the tea.
Hengyu took it and looked up at him. The warm glow of candlelight filled the corridor outside her door, dappling his face. His usual coldness had completely melted away, replaced by an air of gentleness that made her heart flutter. If he weren’t a Buddhist Son dedicated to a life of Buddhism, Hengyu felt she might have succumbed to temptation. Tsk.
The next morning, Xiaoyaozi came to the inn again to inform them of the rules for the competition.
“The morning will be used to notify followers. The location for our sermons will be in the open space in the city center, adjacent to each other. What do you think?” Xiaoyaozi pointed at a map and asked.
Liaowu looked at the map for a moment and then nodded, indicating he had no objections. “What time will the sermon begin?”
“A quarter past noon.”
“Very well.”
After the two sides had agreed, they acted accordingly. Liaowu and Liaonian went to the north of the city to mobilize the people who had become Buddhist followers to attend his sermon. Hengyu was responsible for mobilizing the people in other areas—their promotional efforts in recent days had focused on the north of the city, but they had also reached out to areas like the east and west of the city.
At noon, the three met again and went to the designated area in the city center. As they approached, Hengyu saw two platforms erected there, one east and one west, facing each other at a certain distance. Xiaoyaozi and his disciples were standing on the western platform. Seeing Liaowu and his companions, Xiaoyaozi waved his dust whisk and performed a Daoist salute. Liaowu returned the salute and went directly to the eastern platform, sitting cross-legged and waiting patiently.
Bored, Hengyu casually surveyed the surroundings and suddenly noticed that Xiaoyaozi’s eldest disciple, Zhou Chuang, was absent. He still hadn’t appeared at this late hour? Was he still trying to gather followers?
She suppressed her doubts and sat cross-legged beside Liaowu. Today, Hengyu wore a red dress with a black cloak. As she sat, the red and black fabric spread around her, strikingly vibrant.
From noon until a quarter past, the crowd gradually grew around both platforms. Those who arrived early sat on cushions. The number of people at the eastern platform kept increasing, and when the cushions ran out, the rest stood patiently behind, showing no signs of impatience. In contrast, the cushions on the western platform weren’t even full. Which side had the advantage was clear.
Xiaoyaozi’s face darkened, and he looked at his second disciple: “Why hasn’t your senior brother returned yet? The sermon will begin in a quarter of an hour.”
The second disciple replied, “I just sent a message to Senior Brother. I believe he will come as soon as he receives it.”
Xiaoyaozi took a deep breath, his tone impatient: “Send him another message and urge him to hurry!”
The second disciple knew he was in a bad mood and didn’t dare to provoke him further, so he quickly nodded in agreement and retreated to send another message to Zhou Chuang.
A little later, Dao Zhuo and Mu Huan also arrived to watch the spectacle. Dao Zhuo went to Xiaoyaozi’s side, while Mu Huan went straight to Liaowu. Seeing Liaowu sitting cross-legged, Mu Huan performed a Daoist salute, her voice full of praise: “Senior Brother Liaowu’s Buddhist Dharma is profound. You will surely prevail in this wager against Xiaoyaozi.”
Hengyu chuckled softly behind her, “Isn’t the outcome already obvious?”
Out of Liaowu’s sight, Mu Huan turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Hengyu.
“Have you found any trace of that demoness?” Hengyu changed the subject.
“Not yet,” Mu Huan shook her head. “That demoness is truly cunning. And during the investigation, I discovered that she was originally at the Core Formation stage.”
“Originally?” Hengyu caught the keyword.
“Yes, her current realm has fallen to the peak of Foundation Establishment. I suspect this is one of the reasons why she is frantically practicing the dual cultivation technique to absorb yang energy.”
Hengyu frowned. Suddenly, she remembered something and looked in the direction of Xiaoyaozi and his group – Zhou Chuang, Xiaoyaozi’s eldest disciple, was still nowhere to be seen!
But before Hengyu could ponder further, the appointed time arrived, and Liaowu, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. Hengyu didn’t disturb him and pulled Mu Huan off the platform.
“Have you heard? The Buddhist Son of the Wuding Sect is going to have a sermon competition with Xiaoyaozi of the Void Alliance in the city center,” a Foundation Establishment cultivator mentioned to his companion as they walked through the market.
“I heard it’s related to the Buddhist-Daoist debate?” his companion asked.
“Xiaoyaozi proposed the competition indeed because of the Buddhist-Daoist debate, but the Buddhist Son of Wuding Sect said that the Buddhist-Daoist debate is not a dispute, it’s just Xiaoyaozi’s own inner demons wanting to determine superiority. However, since Xiaoyaozi wants to compete, he is happy to oblige.”
“It seems that the Buddhist Son of Wuding Sect has a higher state of mind,” the companion sighed.
Behind these two cultivators, a monk wearing a bamboo hat, a kashaya robe, and holding a nine-ringed tin staff followed. The hat was pulled low, but upon closer inspection, one could vaguely see a black rune tattooed on the monk’s right cheek – the mark of a Wuding Sect outcast.
Hearing the conversation of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, the monk, who had been anxiously searching for something, paused. He struck his tin staff on the ground and closed his eyes, trying to sense a familiar spiritual power.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find the person he was looking for. It made sense; that person had been avoiding him. He had been staying in Pingcheng for several days, yet he still hadn’t found anything.
The monk sighed softly – if it weren’t for that accident years ago, perhaps he would have had the chance to become the sect’s Buddhist Son. Unfortunately, fate had played a cruel trick on him.
After standing in place for a while, the monk decided to follow his heart and head towards the city center. He wanted to see what kind of demeanor the Buddhist Son of Wuding Sect possessed. He took a casual step, and his figure reappeared dozens of meters away. This level of power clearly indicated that he had reached the late Core Formation stage, just a step away from Nascent Soul.
It didn’t take long for the monk to reach the platforms in the city center. He glanced around, his gaze finally settling on Liaowu.
Liaowu sat cross-legged on the platform, softly explaining Buddhist doctrines. His expression was gentle as water, his demeanor calm and compassionate, his voice warm and clear. Coupled with the cinnabar mark between his eyebrows, he truly resembled a divine Buddha sitting there preaching. Profound Buddhist teachings flowed from him effortlessly, explained in simple terms.
The monk listened patiently to these teachings, feeling his mind gradually calm down. He placed his right palm upright in front of him and chanted, “Amitabha.”
When the monk looked up again, he saw Hengyu and Mu Huan standing not far from Liaowu. While Hengyu might not have been as obvious, Mu Huan’s attire screamed “Hehuan Sect female cultivator.”
At this moment, the monk seemed to recall many past events, and his previously peaceful mind was stirred. He felt his blood turn icy cold.
The monk staggered backward, his nine-ringed tin staff clinking.
Hengyu noticed the commotion and glanced over. Upon seeing the monk clearly, Hengyu was slightly taken aback. She suddenly recalled the rainy night a few days ago when she had glimpsed a monk in a kashaya robe flitting past her window. Could it be this person?
“What are you looking at?” Mu Huan asked her.
Hengyu shook her head and looked back in the same direction, but the monk had disappeared.
After about half an hour, Liaowu finished explaining some classic passages from the Buddhist scriptures. He put his palms together and asked, “Do any benefactors have any questions about this explanation? Please feel free to ask, and I will do my best to answer.”
Many followers raised their hands. Liaowu answered their questions one by one. By the time the Buddhist sermon was over, the sky had darkened.
The crowd dispersed, heading home in the fading sunlight. Liaowu stepped down from the platform and approached Hengyu and Liaonian.
Hengyu smiled, “Let’s go find Xiaoyaozi. The result of this competition should be beyond doubt.”
Liaowu smiled slightly and nodded.
They walked to the western platform. At this time, Xiaoyaozi had just finished his Daoist sermon. The outcome of the competition was clear, but as a Daoist, Xiaoyaozi couldn’t just abandon the hundreds of followers who had come specifically to listen to him, so he had temporarily put aside the competition and focused on explaining the Daoist teachings.
Stepping down from the platform, Xiaoyaozi met Liaowu’s gaze. He sighed heavily and performed a Daoist salute, “I concede defeat. I lost this time.” He paused and added stubbornly, “But my being inferior to the Buddhist Son doesn’t mean that Daoism is inferior to Buddhism.”
Liaowu put his palms together and replied, “The status of Daoism and Buddhism won’t be determined by a single competition. Senior Xiaoyaozi needn’t dwell on the result.”
As the winner, Liaowu could be magnanimous and detached, but Xiaoyaozi, as the loser, couldn’t be as composed. He was still feeling quite frustrated.
Before Xiaoyaozi could speak again, his anxious second disciple finally couldn’t hold back and hurried to his side: “Master, I still haven’t been able to contact Senior Brother.”
“What are you saying!” Xiaoyaozi exclaimed. “Your senior brother is not someone who can’t distinguish priorities. How could he still not be back?”
The second disciple was covered in cold sweat: “Master, it’s true. After I told Fellow Cultivator Dao about the situation, he and Third and Fourth Junior Brothers went to look for Senior Brother.”
Xiaoyaozi’s face paled: “…What do you mean?”
The second disciple said with a mournful face: “Fellow Cultivator Dao suspects that Senior Brother…encountered that demoness and might have…suffered misfortune.”
Xiaoyaozi swayed.
Hengyu and Liaowu, who were listening, exchanged glances. Hengyu spoke up: “Senior Xiaoyaozi, don’t worry. We’ll join the search for Fellow Cultivator Zhou. He will surely be fine.”
Hearing this, Xiaoyaozi calmed down somewhat: “Thank you. I’ll go ahead and look for my disciple.”
He flicked his dust whisk and was about to leave to search for Zhou Chuang when a paper crane flew swiftly towards them, landing in the hands of Xiaoyaozi’s second disciple.
The second disciple unfolded the paper crane and said, his tone a mix of joy and sorrow: “…Fellow Cultivator Dao and the others have found Senior Brother.”
Xiaoyaozi took a deep breath and asked, “What happened?”
The second disciple swallowed hard and then managed to say: “Senior Brother was…drained of his yang energy and is currently unconscious. Although his life is not in danger, his cultivation has fallen to the early Foundation Establishment stage.”
“Where is your senior brother! Take me there!” Xiaoyaozi’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice filled with hatred. His favorite disciple was Fan Changping, but he also valued his first direct disciple, Zhou Chuang, greatly. He hadn’t expected both of his disciples to suffer misfortune in such a short period!
The second disciple didn’t dare to delay and quickly led the way.
“Let’s follow and see what happened,” Hengyu said to Liaowu.
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