Chapter 32
Pursuing the Buddha-son.
Heng Yu’s words were so frank.
Liaowu paused slightly in turning his prayer beads.
But recalling their past interactions, he had to admit that sometimes, it was her frankness that moved him.
Someone so sincere and open was hard to be wary of.
Even knowing her intentions weren’t pure —
He also had his own agenda.
Yuanjing invited Heng Yu into his room.
Liaowu was about to follow when Heng Yu stopped him. “Stay outside.”
There were some things she didn’t want to explain to him too clearly.
Even if it all started with a scheme, if she could move Liaowu’s heart, how could it be just cold and calculated acting without any genuine emotion?
But such emotions were difficult to express with words. Only those involved could truly understand.
“Alright. If anything happens, Lord Luo, just send me a message,” Liaowu said after a moment of thought.
Yuanjing’s room was almost exactly as it had been before he moved in.
Even the teapot on the table hadn’t been touched.
“It’s rather simple,” Yuanjing apologized, joining his hands together.
“You’re too kind, Senior.”
Heng Yu sat down opposite him.
She took out a few items from her storage ring and placed them in front of Yuanjing.
Among these items were the manuscript of the Buddhist stories, the chibi monk drawings, and — a book for learning Sanskrit!
Yuanjing didn’t react much at first.
Until he picked up the Buddhist story manuscript.
The profound Buddhist principles were explained through simple and humorous stories, lively and engaging, yet their underlying message remained powerful.
—These were very special stories.
“Why is Fellow Daoist showing me these stories?”
Heng Yu knew he hadn’t thought too deeply about it, so she explained, “I compiled these Buddhist stories.”
Yuanjing frowned slightly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
“The drawings are also mine. As for the Sanskrit book, I bought it from the bookstore because I suddenly wanted to learn Sanskrit.”
Yuanjing was stunned. “Sanskrit… you’re learning it to understand Buddhist scriptures?”
“There’s no other way. Most Buddhist scriptures are written in Sanskrit. If I want to properly compile Buddhist stories and principles, I have to learn Sanskrit myself to understand them.”
“Do you know how difficult Sanskrit is to learn?”
Yuanjing, being from the Undying Sect, knew very well that even young monks who grew up in the sect needed years, even decades, to master Sanskrit. Yet, this person confidently claimed she wanted to learn it.
Was she putting on an act? Or did she truly intend to learn it?
Heng Yu chuckled softly. Indeed, no new language was easy to learn.
But unfortunately — “I’m a genius. No matter how difficult Sanskrit is, it can’t stump me.”
Her words left Yuanjing speechless.
He thought for a moment and asked, “Are you learning it for Liaowu?”
“I won’t deny that.”
“The methods of the Hehuan Sect’s demonic women to capture hearts are becoming more and more impressive,” Yuanjing said with a hint of admiration.
Heng Yu smiled faintly. “Senior, do you believe that with my methods, I can destroy Liaowu’s Buddhist path in an instant…”
A glint of malice flashed in Yuanjing’s eyes as she spoke.
He was no longer the compassionate Enforcement Elder of the Undying Sect. Faced with this threat, his first thought was to use the most decisive method.
Indeed, if she were dead, she wouldn’t have the chance to ruin anyone’s Buddhist path.
“But—”
Heng Yu’s sudden change of tone made Yuanjing’s killing intent falter.
“People keep telling me how important innate Buddha bones are to the Buddhist sect.”
“If I destroy innate Buddha bones, I’ll be hunted down by the Buddhist sect endlessly. I seek freedom and detachment. Loving Liaowu would become a burden. So, I can like him, but I won’t have any romantic feelings for him. Without love, I won’t try to ruin his Buddhist path or force him to be with me.”
Her words were frank.
She only wanted to help someone like Liaowu achieve enlightenment, not become an obstacle on his path.
Yuanjing looked at her intently.
He saw only sincerity in her clear and gentle eyes.
He couldn’t help but believe her — unless her acting skills were so superb that even he was deceived.
“Then what’s your current situation?”
From what he could see, Heng Yu was pursuing the Buddha-son.
And she had admitted to this “pursuit” herself.
But before Heng Yu could answer, she sensed a surge of Nascent Soul level spiritual energy outside.
This spiritual energy — it was Xiaoyaozi!
In this small city of Ping City, even Foundation Establishment cultivators were considered powerful.
Now, there was an enemy that required Xiaoyaozi, a Nascent Soul cultivator, to deal with…
Yuanjing was the first to realize what was happening. He disappeared in a flash.
Heng Yu stood up and ran to the door, opening it.
“Lord Luo?” Liaonian also ran out of his room.
“Where’s your senior brother?” Heng Yu didn’t see Liaowu.
“Senior Brother went out to investigate.”
“It seems that yang-absorbing demonic woman has appeared.”
Heng Yu gripped her sword and ran downstairs.
After taking two steps, she noticed Liaonian following her.
“There are so many Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul cultivators outside. What if you get caught in the crossfire? Return to your room and watch from the window.”
Liaonian considered it and realized that with his tenth level of Qi Refining, he couldn’t participate in this fight. He obediently nodded and ran back to his room.
“Turn around!” Heng Yu shouted.
Liaonian turned around, confused, and saw a wooden bracelet land in his lap.
Although the bracelet was made of wood, it emitted a strong spiritual energy fluctuation. It was a mid-grade artifact that could withstand the strongest attack from a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, and even protect its wearer from a Nascent Soul cultivator for a short time.
Heng Yu transmitted the activation method to Liaonian.
By the time Liaonian recovered from his shock, Heng Yu had already run out of the restaurant.
Today was market day, and people from the town and surrounding areas had come to sell their goods. Many others came to shop for themselves and their families.
The streets were originally crowded, but since the spiritual energy fluctuations from the fight spread, the ordinary people had hidden themselves, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Heng Yu ran out of the restaurant and looked around, finding the streets empty.
She followed the strongest spiritual energy fluctuation and soon saw the three opposing parties.
On the left were Xiaoyaozi, Dao Zhuo, and the others.
On the right was Yuanjing in his monk robes.
As Heng Yu approached, her view widened, and she noticed a woman in a blue dress being carefully protected by Yuanjing.
Yuanjing’s expression was sorrowful, but his protective stance was firm.
And standing in the middle was, naturally, Liaowu.
Heng Yu walked directly to Liaowu’s side, slowly drawing her sword and pointing it at Xiaoyaozi and his group.
She could tell that Liaowu was wary of Xiaoyaozi attacking.
“What’s going on?” she asked Liaowu quickly.
Mu Huan was naturally standing with Dao Zhuo.
Hearing Heng Yu’s question, Mu Huan rolled her eyes. “You don’t even know what’s going on, and you’re already siding with Liaowu. Don’t you have any sense of loyalty to our sect?”
Even when rolling her eyes, this beauty exuded a unique charm.
Heng Yu smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry. Before you die, I’ll show some sect loyalty and collect your body.”
Mu Huan pouted. “Men are indeed more important than fellow disciples.”
She forcefully grabbed Dao Zhuo’s arm.
Dao Zhuo’s ears turned slightly red, and he tried to pull away, but couldn’t.
While they were talking, Xiaoyaozi’s face was filled with anger. He pointed at Liaowu. “Buddha-son, are you protecting that Buddhist cultivator and demonic woman?”
“Amitabha,” Liaowu chanted. “This poor monk simply doesn’t want two Nascent Soul cultivators to fight in the city.”
The houses in this city were ordinary tile-roofed buildings. The aftershocks of Xiaoyaozi’s and Yuanjing’s fight would definitely cause them to collapse.
Repairing the houses after the fight would be a costly and laborious undertaking.
Xiaoyaozi was eager to avenge his disciple, but he hadn’t lost his reason.
With his early Nascent Soul cultivation, he could deal with the demonic woman, but not the unfamiliar Buddhist cultivator beside her. He needed to join forces with Buddha-son Liaowu.
So, hearing Liaowu’s explanation, Xiaoyaozi nodded, pretending to be persuaded and concerned for the bigger picture.
Seeing Xiaoyaozi calm down, Liaowu turned to Yuanjing and the blue-clad woman beside him.
The woman seemed to be seriously injured, clutching her chest and coughing repeatedly. Yuanjing stood beside her, supporting her carefully, his hand glowing with spiritual energy as he protected her meridians.
“Are you feeling better?” Yuanjing’s voice held a hint of nervousness.
The woman took a few deep breaths and pushed his hand away.
Yuanjing, afraid of worsening her injury, reluctantly let go. “There’s no need to push me away. If you don’t want me to support you, just say the word, and I’ll let go.”
The woman frowned. “We ended things almost a hundred years ago, Yuanjing. Why are you still looking for me?”
Yuanjing smiled bitterly. “I know… but half a year ago, I sensed that the protective armor I gave you was broken. An attack that could break that armor would have to be at least a full-powered blow from an early Spirit Transformation cultivator… I was afraid something happened to you…”
His face showed no bitterness.
But the bitterness emanated from within him.
Their conversation revealed a lot of information.
Heng Yu frowned, her curiosity about their past piqued.
While she was distracted, Mu Huan came over to her.
“What’s wrong?”
Mu Huan pursed her lips, scrutinizing the blue-clad woman.
The woman’s face was partially hidden by the hood of her large black cloak. From their angle, they could only see half of her beautiful face. Even with a frown and an angry expression, she exuded a unique charm.
The woman moved slightly, and her hood slipped back a little, revealing a vibrant hibiscus flower tattooed on the corner of her right eye.
“Could it be her!?”
“Do you recognize her?”
Heng Yu looked at Mu Huan.
As a newcomer to the Hehuan Sect, she wasn’t familiar with its famous figures.
But it wasn’t surprising that Mu Huan recognized her.
Mu Huan didn’t answer her question but addressed the blue-clad woman respectfully. “Senior Sister.”
The woman turned abruptly to look at Mu Huan, her eyes filled with shock.
Mu Huan bowed with a gesture. “I’m a disciple of Peak Master Huele of the Hehuan Sect, the youngest disciple, ranked seventh.”
The woman’s lips tightened. After a long silence, she said hoarsely, “I’m no longer a Hehuan Sect disciple. I don’t deserve to be called Senior Sister.”
As she spoke, she discreetly cast a spell, intending to leave.
Her movements were so subtle that even Yuanjing beside her didn’t notice.
“Clang—”
A sword light flashed towards her. Heng Yu appeared beside the blue-clad woman in a blink of an eye, casting a confinement formation. “Fellow Daoist, you’ve harmed so many people with your yang-absorbing technique. Leaving like this doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”
Yuanjing reacted the fastest. He shook his golden alms bowl, and a full-powered attack from a late Nascent Soul cultivator struck Heng Yu.
They were so close that the attack hit Heng Yu before Liaowu even noticed.
As the attack landed, Heng Yu’s protective treasures glowed, deflecting the blow.
The attack was weakened layer by layer, but when it finally hit her, she still stumbled and fell to one knee, supporting herself with her sword, clutching her chest and coughing up blood.
But even then, she didn’t stop channeling spiritual energy into the confinement formation.
The moment the formation was complete, Liaowu appeared before her, deflecting Yuanjing’s second attack.
“Lord Luo, are you alright?”
Liaowu turned and wanted to help her up, but he was afraid of worsening her injuries, his movements hesitant.
Heng Yu coughed up more blood.
She grimaced. “Don’t you think that’s a stupid question?”
She clearly wasn’t alright.
Liaowu calmed down and took out a Bodhi pill from his storage ring. This was the Undying Sect’s healing elixir. As long as the injured person was still breathing, this pill could save anyone below Spirit Transformation.
“This will make you feel better.”
Liaowu’s voice was soft and soothing.
Heng Yu glanced at the pill and saw that it was a sixth-grade elixir. In the cultivation world, first and second-grade elixirs corresponded to the Qi Refining stage, third and fourth-grade to Foundation Establishment, and fifth and sixth-grade to Nascent Soul.
Seeing Liaowu take out such a precious pill, Heng Yu decided not to refuse his kindness.
“Feed me,” Heng Yu said. “I can’t move.”
Mu Huan, standing nearby: “…”
Shameless!
Liaowu opened the jade bottle and poured the round, white pill into his palm.
He picked up the pill and offered it to Heng Yu. “Excuse me.”
Heng Yu opened her mouth and swallowed the pill.
A warmth immediately spread from her dantian.
The lingering pain in her chest subsided.
Heng Yu reached out for Liaowu to help her up.
“Amitabha.” Mindful of her injury, Liaowu gently pulled her up with his right hand.
Their interaction surprised the blue-clad woman.
She hesitated. “You…”
“Let’s sit down and talk,” Heng Yu said naturally.
“Really? What is there to talk about? I’ve harmed so many people from the Dao Sect. You’re on their side. Will you really let me go?” the woman sneered.
Heng Yu shrugged. “How to settle this grudge is between you and the Dao Sect.”
“If Yuanjing wants to take you away, we can’t stop him…”
“Alright, then let’s sit down and talk.”
The woman interrupted Heng Yu, agreeing to her proposal.
She would rather sit down and talk with them, settling the grudge, than face Yuanjing alone.
Hearing this, the sorrow in Yuanjing’s eyes deepened. He had been gathering spiritual energy, intending to rescue her, but hearing her answer, he slowly lowered his right hand, dispelling the gathered energy.
The woman noticed his action and bit her lip hard.
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