Chapter 65 p1
With the Core Formation tournament concluded, it was the Foundation Establishment cultivators’ turn. Heng Yu focused on familiarizing herself with the sword formation, trying to shorten the time it took to set it up.
Hearing a knock on the door, Heng Yu, who was at a crucial point in drawing the formation, didn’t look up. She sent a wave of spiritual energy towards the door, causing it to open automatically, silently inviting the visitor in.
As the person entered, smelling the sandalwood in the air, Heng Yu immediately guessed their identity. Liaowu stood beside her, patiently waiting for her to finish.
“Alright,” Heng Yu said after fifteen minutes. “Why didn’t you sit down and wait?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Liaowu replied. “This poor monk came to ask how your preparations for tomorrow’s match are going.”
Heng Yu nodded. “I’m ready. Didn’t I tell you today that I’m aiming for first place in the Foundation Establishment stage?”
Hearing her confidence, Liaowu asked curiously, “Does Lord Luo have a trump card?”
Heng Yu suddenly remembered—she seemed to have forgotten to tell Liaowu about the sword formation. “I developed a highly destructive sword formation yesterday. Even early Core Formation cultivators wouldn’t fare well against it. With this surprise attack, I should have a good chance of winning.”
Yesterday? Catching this key detail, Liaowu unconsciously pursed his lips. He found himself becoming more and more accustomed to sharing his joy with her immediately.
But Lord Luo wasn’t the same.
This thought surfaced almost subconsciously. Realizing what he was thinking, Liaowu’s expression changed slightly.
Heng Yu asked, “What’s wrong?”
It was easy to see when a usually quiet person experienced strong emotions, especially for Heng Yu, who was observant and familiar with him.
She casually explained, “I originally wanted to tell you right away, but when I found you, you were breaking through to mid-Core Formation. I was so focused on congratulating you that I forgot to mention it.”
Liaowu barely heard her voice. He only felt shame welling up inside him, fueled by his earlier selfish thoughts, spreading and threatening to engulf him.
After waiting for a while without hearing a response from Liaowu, Heng Yu sensed something was wrong and shifted her gaze from the completed sword formation to him.
Meeting her gaze, Liaowu snapped out of his daze and said with forced calmness, “Such an important matter as a trump card should be kept secret.”
Under the cover of his sleeves, he tightly gripped his prayer beads, his knuckles turning white. The surging malice within the beads emerged, transforming into a chilling coldness that helped him maintain a clear mind. He bowed slightly and gave her a reassuring smile. “This poor monk just remembered that there are some matters to attend to at the sect. Since Lord Luo is confident about tomorrow’s match, this poor monk will take his leave.”
Watching Liaowu’s retreating figure through the window, Heng Yu frowned slightly. Was it her imagination, or did Liaowu seem to be fleeing? She replayed their conversation in her mind, still unsure what she had said wrong.
Based on her understanding of Liaowu, even if she had made a mistake, he should have just brushed it off with a smile.
Just as Heng Yu was considering whether to go after him, a transmission talisman suddenly appeared before her. She took the talisman and crushed it with spiritual energy. You Yun’s roaring voice immediately filled her room.
“You stupid disciple! Where are you! Come find me!!!”
His outburst was laced with an underlying “Come and appease your master” tone.
Heng Yu: “…”
Oh, she wondered who had angered her master so much. Could it be that her master’s romantic pursuit had failed, and he was trying to regain his composure by assigning his disciple tasks?
But he had called her “stupid disciple,” so the person who angered him couldn’t be her, right?
After some thought, Heng Yu shook her head, dismissing this unlikely possibility. She was such a respectful disciple; how could she possibly provoke her master’s wrath?
As she was pondering, another transmission talisman carrying You Yun’s aura arrived.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry! I’m about to open a spatial passage! Are you ready!!!”
You Yun’s shout temporarily pushed Liaowu’s strange behavior to the back of her mind. She decided to see what kind of trouble her master had encountered. After all, he was her future benefactor… No, wait, she was a respectful disciple; it wouldn’t be good to neglect him.
In the bamboo hut, Liaowu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Before him sat an ancient and elegant incense burner. Incense sticks burned within, the smoke curling upwards and shrouding his figure.
The two-hour time limit had passed, and the indestructible Golden Buddha Body receded like a tide. Now he was just an ordinary mortal, no longer immune to Heng Yu’s pokes.
Thinking of this, Liaowu’s closed eyelashes trembled slightly. No, the Golden Buddha Body wasn’t truly indestructible. It could protect his physical body and deflect countless attacks, but his heart, shielded by layers of bone and skin, was his most vulnerable, softest, and most fatal point.
Silence filled the room for a long time. Liaowu slowly raised his hands and pressed them together in front of him.
“Buddha, please forgive this disciple for his greed.”
Liaowu frowned slightly, fingering his prayer beads. He could clearly feel his voice trembling.
Without desires, there are no fears. Without desires, there is emptiness.
As a Buddhist cultivator, he shouldn’t desire anything unrelated to the Buddhist path. He had become accustomed to sharing his joys and sorrows with her immediately. This was the tribulation he had to overcome. But he couldn’t demand the same from her.
He was flustered and conflicted because of this, realizing only now that he had committed the sin of greed.
Liaowu slowly opened his eyes and looked at the cabinet by his bed, where the paper cat and grass dragonfly sat. A faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
But he quickly suppressed it. He was highly perceptive and clear-minded, able to see the pros and cons. For instance, he knew that the best outcome for him and Heng Yu was for her to never develop feelings for him. After completing her inner sect mission, she should return to her carefree life, pursue her own path, and if possible, find a suitable partner.
He should always remember this.
“Disciple, we are a demonic sect, not a righteous sect! It’s only right to damage the Dao hearts of righteous disciples, don’t you agree?” You Yun gripped Heng Yu’s shoulders, looking earnest.
Heng Yu tried to move, but You Yun used his spiritual energy to restrain her, forcing her to listen to his complaints.
Heng Yu had no choice but to reply perfunctorily, “Yes, yes, yes.”
You Yun beamed. “Since you agree, then I won’t give you the Forget-Me-Not seeds.”
“Master—” Heng Yu drawled, “What I actually meant was, yes, yes, my foot! Try not giving me the Forget-Me-Not seeds you promised!”
You Yun gritted his teeth. He must have been too good to his disciple. She hadn’t learned to respect her master and even dared to threaten him!
“Think about it, after that Buddha-son achieves Buddhahood, he will be extremely powerful. What good will it do us if the righteous sects’ strength increases greatly?”
Heng Yu: “…”
What had gotten into her master? Had he forgotten the mission of the Innate Buddha Bone?
“Master, although you are at late Nascent Soul, I must say, if we dare to ruin Liaowu’s Buddhist path, the Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Undying Sect will definitely come and take you down.”
You Yun leaned back, putting his feet up on the table, and said nonchalantly, “Don’t be ridiculous. Your master has no intention of ruining his Buddhist path, I just don’t want you to cultivate Forget-Me-Not grass.”
Forget-Me-Not grass was a rare spiritual plant. The plant itself wasn’t valuable, but the Forget-Me-Not Fruit it produced was extremely precious because it could help people quickly forget their emotions. However, cultivating Forget-Me-Not grass required blood as a catalyst.
To be precise, to make Liaowu forget his feelings for someone, that person’s blood was required as the catalyst.
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“Your master is never unreasonable. I’m a late Nascent Soul cultivator; my word is law.”
Heng Yu: “…”
This was the definition of unreasonable.
She spent a whole hour appeasing him. If she could have, Heng Yu would have given him a good beating.
By the time Heng Yu finally escaped You Yun’s nagging, it was completely dark. Looking at the sky, she figured Liaowu must have already gone to bed. Plus, she had a tough battle tomorrow, so she simply took a quick bath and went to sleep.
When she woke up again, it was already quite late. Heng Yu opened the door and bumped into Wu Mei.
Wu Mei looked up at the sky. “The tournament is about to start, right? Shall we go together?”
The contestants who had made it to the final round were all the best of the best. She wanted to watch the excitement and assess the competition.
Heng Yu: “Sure.”
When they arrived at the Sword Testing Grounds, the place was already packed. Liaowu, as he had done yesterday, was waiting for her not far away. As soon as he saw her, he walked over to meet her.
Heng Yu’s inquisitive gaze fell on him. Liaowu tilted his head slightly, a questioning look on his face, as if asking what she was looking at. He seemed no different from usual.
Heng Yu almost thought yesterday had been a figment of her imagination.
She looked away and pointed towards the arena. “Let’s go over there. It seems like it’s about to start.”
Above the clouds, the Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects were still seated. However, due to the clouds, they could clearly see the arena below, but those near the arena couldn’t see them.
You Yun saw his unfilial disciple and the monk beside her and scoffed.
….
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