Chapter 137: The Will of Demon Saint
Following the sound, Zhen Guan turned back and saw Meng Qi and Zhen Hui. A cold smile appeared on his scrawny face. He said, “It’s you, Junior Brother Zhen Ding. It’s unexpected that I could meet an old friend in a strange place. How are you?”
He directly walked toward Meng Qi. A thin layer of black squama appeared on his face and the back of his hands. He looked like a viper whose threatening Demon Odor was shocking.
Meng Qi had trained in Demon Odor in the stupa before, so he did not lose his mind. He drew the Buddhist Commandment Blade with a clank and was ready to display “Peace Quietude Split”. Then, he concentrated his Energy, Qi, Spirit, and Will.
“Amitabha, when the Demon Odor attacks you, you are totally beyond redemption. Donor, please calm down.” The young monk Hong Neng repeated the name of Buddha. Reverberating inside the small temple, his clear voice directly came to their hearts. Melodious and peaceful like a dawn drum or a morning clock, it seemed as if it could salvage a lost man from the mire of misery.
Zhen Guan suddenly stopped. He looked at Meng Qi, who was seemingly normal but very dangerous, and the merciful Hong Neng, who was free from the Red Dust. After evaluating his own strength, he quietly carried his parcel and sat down across from them.
Meng Qi did not begin his attack either. When Zhen Guan displayed all of his strong Demon Odor, it was so powerful and terrifying. Although Zhen Guan’s strength was under that of An Guoxie and Yuan Mengzhi, it was not far different from theirs. Judging from the battle of Qi, Zhen Guan’s strength was about Eight Apertures, so Meng Qi did not need to be desperate as he was in Thunderstorms.
Therefore, although Meng Qi wanted to know how Zhen Guan ganged up with demons and ghosts in the back mountain, to know the origin of that secret passage, and to know whether he had a relation with Senior Brother Zhen Chang, he controlled himself to avoid both being defeated and wounded—Along with Gu Changqing and Zhen Hui, he did not fear to use up his strength. But even so, he was not certain that he could catch Zhen Guan. And if he was badly hurt, it would be a big problem when they met horse bandits who were “unaware of the truth”.
“His strength grows so quickly… “ Meng Qi was surprised. “Even though I have special encounters and exchanges in the World of Samsara, I have just opened Four Apertures. When I finished the primary level of Qi-cultivation, Zhen Guan had not gotten the method of cultivation. But now his strength is almost Eight Apertures. Is it the result of thetransformation to a Semi-demon as Master said? If it is true, there must be great risks. It’s better to get enough Karma points and let the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms do whole-body imbuing to open Eight Apertures.”
Zhen Hui secretly looked at Zhen Guan. He was curious but afraid to ask questions. He looked at Meng Qi from time to time, hoping that his “almighty” Senior Brother would speak.
“Amitabha, all living creatures will die. Donor, you have killed so many people. Why are you committing more sins?” Hong Neng repeated the name of Buddha again. He solemnly and kindly looked at Zhen Guan’s parcel.
“Hey,” said Zhen Guan. When he opened his parcel in a trance, they saw two heads pickled in lime. He smiled and looked quite satisfied. Then he said, “They had killed my parents and all of my family. All matters are in a cause-and-effect cycle. They deserved that! I have just killed 18 people, and there are 54 people in total that I still have to kill!”
“Amitabha. Revenge doesn’t stop. My sin, my sin. Donor, you have fallen into the Asura Miserable Sea. Why not dismiss your obsessions and build a temple with me in this barren land to do some good things for redemption after death?” Hong Neng sighed, for he was doing his duty to exhort him.
Meng Qi slightly frowned. “Seventy-two Villains of Helian Mountain, the disciple’s disciple of the Crying Elder You Huanduo, also named ‘Uprising Yama’? It was them who made Zhen Guan become an orphan. No wonder that he would meet Zhen Guan in the Immensity Sea. It is because he must come here.”
Hong Neng’s exhortations made Zhen Guan laugh. He said, “When the maester killed my parents, he said the same words. Yesterday’s cause is today’s result. It is the edification of Buddha.”
“Yesterday’s cause is today’s result. Everything is in a cause-and-effect cycle. You can hardly get rid of that law. Do you understand?” Hong Neng suddenly yelled at him. His sound was as strong and clear as a bell. He imitated his predecessors and eminent monks who strictly admonished people. He said, “Now, put down your cleaver. Get rid of the obsessions of revenge and become a Buddha Immediately!”
When talking about the Buddhist Scriptures, Zhen Guan was no match for Hong Neng. Zhen Guan struggled to argue for a while but soon became speechless. He stopped talking and looked at the ground without any facial expression.
Hong Neng could have made a lotus blossom with his words but he could not make Zhen Guan repent. Disappointed, he closed his eyes and rolled Prayer Beads in his hands.
Hong Neng’s behavior made Meng Qi snigger. He regarded Hong Neng as an eminent monk and had almost forgotten his age from before. But today, even though Hong Neng had good Buddha nature and was indifferent to the Red Dust, he still lacked an air of remaining undisturbed either by favor or disgrace as well as being unconcerned with everything. It was normal for him to be disappointed and petulant because he was still in his twenties!
He took a small breath and subconsciously postured to be elegant and cool before Hong Neng. He said, “Amitabha, Senior Brother Zhen Guan. When I saw you in the back mountain that day, you left through the secret passage. I was afraid to greet you. But it’s surprising that we meet here today.”
He began to fish for information.
Zhen Guan replied with a sneer, “I was expelled from the temple and lost my Dharma name. Now I use my original name again. But just call me what you like. Thanks to you, I had special encounters and got the power for revenge.”
He did not divulge what his mortal name was.
“You had the special encounter on the night when you were expelled?” Meng Qi seemed to ask this question unwittingly.
Zhen Guan chuckled and said, “Do you think that I will tell you?”
“So-called special encounters are just the body of a semi-demon. It has great risks. What’s the point of that?” Meng Qi was not discouraged. He guessed and exaggerated the risks.
Zhen Guan suddenly became somber. He said, “It is meaningless for Warrior-monks because you can cultivate your skills. But for me, the only option is to take revenge. I will never regret it, even at the risk of falling into hell or being tortured day and night!”
“The whole-body imbuing of Demon Odor of the Xiangliu Clan makes a person as painful as being tortured by thousands of poison at 2 p.m. In winter, the owner will feel sluggish and be at the mercy of others. Meanwhile, the owner can never go back to the right path.” Hong Neng opened his eyes and exhorted Zhen Guan again. “Donor, if you convert to be a Buddhist and build a temple in this barren land, I will impart Dharma Access to you, help you get rid of Demon Odor, and lead you to the right path.”
“Xiang Liu? Is it the nine-headed snake god from the Myths and legends that I heard about in my last life?” Meng Qi was a little surprised. But he soon realized that it meant nothing, for Dharma really existed here.
Zhen Guan answered with a half-smile, “When I finish my revenge, I will come to find you. Maester, is that okay? It won’t be too late to practice the virtues of the Buddha and atone for my sins.”
“Amitabha, it’s my sin, my sin.” After all, Hong Neng was too young to reply to him.
Zhen Guan ignored him and turned to Meng Qi, asking, “I heard that Senior Brother Zhen Chang committed suicide for he stole the sutra of Jin Gang Temple. Is that true?”
As Shaolin Temple had informed all the other sects, it had provoked much discussion.
“Do you think that I will tell you?” Meng Qi answered him just like Zhen Guan had. Meanwhile, he was involved in Zhen Chang’s case. It seemed that Zhen Guan and Zhen Chang still kept in touch, so he had better not tell him in detail to avoid any trouble.
“I heard about it near Helian Mountain. What are you hiding?” Zhen Guan asked without any facial expression.
Meng Qi became more puzzled. “If you had no contact with Zhen Chang, why should you stick to this question? “So he thought for a while and then said, “Senior Brother Zhen Yong was caught for stealing the sutra. Also, his relation with Senior Brother Zhen Chang was unveiled. He realized that there was no chance to escape, so he killed himself.”
“Suicide… ” Zhen Guan repeated it in a low voice. And then he closed his eyes as he stopped talking.
“Amitabha, demons are not banned here. Two donors, please come in.” Hong Neng spoke again to someone outside.
Meng Qi was quite shocked by Hong Neng’s ability to sense. He himself had opened Four Apertures, but still could not know what happened outside. But Hong Neng could!
But, demons again? Aside from those demons in the stupa, today I have met the most demons in my life!
Although many powerful demons hide in the deep Immensity Sea, in places difficult to access and in secret locations, but this is not in the deep Immensity Sea. Wait, Tan Han’s terrain and physiognomy are complex. And it is said that it is a place difficult to access?
Zhen Hui looked at the door with his bright eyes. He whispered, “Senior Brother, can it be a fox demon? Brother Gu, it suits you that a beauty helps you to add the oil lamp for your reading at night.”
He did not have any lust and it was just a child’s curiosity.
“Emm, have I told him Ghost Stories yet?” Meng Qi did not clearly remember.
The door squeaked open. A man and a girl walked in. Nearly everyone was attracted to that young girl. About 16 or 17 years old, she was a beautiful girl whose mouth was red and slightly puckered up. She seemed good-natured and shy, but was very charming. She was both innocent and sexy. As for appearance, only Jiang Zhiwei and Gu Xiaosang could be equal to her. As for charisma, the graceful Jiang Zhiwei and the shrewd Gu Xiaosang were inferior to her. Of course, different people have different taste, but Meng Qi did not like her.
“Maybe she is really a fox demon… “ Meng Qi’s lips twitched.
“Humans?” The grey-hair old man was in a scholar’s style. But when he saw Meng Qi and the others, he seemed to plan on eating them.
“Uncle Wen, since maester allowed us to shelter from the sandstorm for a while, we should behave ourselves,” the girl said in a brisk voice.
Uncle Wen nodded and turned to Zhen Guan. He asked, “Which Venerable One of the Xiangliu Clan conducts whole-body imbuing for you?”
“It’s the Nine Vitals Venerable of Demons.” In front of orthodox demons, Zhen Guan’s Demon Odor was repressed and he seemed to quite admire them.
“The Nine Vitals Venerable of Demons? Was he repressed in the back mountain of Shaolin Temple? Are you from Shaolin?” Full of curiosity, that girl blinked with her big eyes.
Zhen Guan frankly answered, “Yes, do you come from the Heavenly Sea Source?”
“Are you going to the Heavenly Sea Source to ask for our help?” That girl smiled instead of answering his question.
Uncle Wen coughed and said, “There are too many people here. We should find another chance to talk.”
Although they talked by Secret Voice-sending, their conversations still might be eavesdropped by others, especially by that young monk who he could not see through.
The girl answered with an “Oh” and unhappily sat down. After a while, she became lively again. She looked at Meng Qi and the others, asking Zhen Guan, “There are monks among them. Do they also come from Shaolin Temple?”
Zhen Guan absolutely would not cheat her because of Meng Qi and Zhen Hui. He pointed at them and said, “They are heirs of Shaolin.”
Since he had heard the information about Zhen Chang, he surely had heard about the incident of these two heirs being taken by Xuan Bei to accept the investigation in Jin Gang Temple.
“Heirs of Shaolin?” That girl grinned and looked at Meng Qi with a temptatious smile. She asked, “You carry a blade and a sword, but why did you study Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship and the Dharma sword art?”
“Nonsense!” Meng Qi scoffed in his heart. “Although there is only the Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship in the Exterior level of Shaolin’s bladesmanship, there are many bladesmanships in the Enlightenment period, let alone sword art. Why did you guess Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship and Dharma sword form? Do I look like I am very strong?”
Of course, Meng Qi did not answer such questions. But he forgot nearby Zhen Hui, who honestly answered, “Senior Brother didn’t study sword art. The long sword is his award. But he did study Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship.”
Monks do not lie.
The girl suddenly became angry. She stood up and reproached him loudly,
“The Will of Demon Saint requires all demons to kill the people who study Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship!”
“Damn, who did I enrage?” Meng Qi felt very aggrieved.
Somehow, he remembered the scene when he got the impartation of the Gist of Trueness of Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship. Under the sentence of “Don’t enter the door if you are merciful and kind”, there was a deep hole inside which was a burning fire. Beside it was some words written in a tiny size:
“Kill those who are unfaithful!”