Chapter 138: Land of Idyllic Beauty
Meng Qi’s mouth twitched. That wasn’t any of his business!
Yet he didn’t dare let down his guard due to the girl’s terrifying Demon Odor. What was more, the old servant called Uncle Wen might carry only a faint Demon Odor but he exuded a terrible sense of danger. That feeling was perhaps even worse than what Meng Qi felt from Yuan Mengzhi and An Guoxie.
He waved his Red Sun Evil Blade with his hand and calmed himself. Peace Quietude Split was the move he practiced the most and also most skilled at. He used all of his power to prepare for this move.
Just then, he saw a bushy red tail appearing behind the young girl. She didn’t look frightening, but rather enticing instead. An inexplicable thought came to him. The girl was indeed a fox.
However, the fox seemed to be pedantry sort. Earlier, she stopped Uncle Wen from eating humans using the excuse of showing the guest hospitality. And now, she was loudly explaining the reason for her actions with the air of a stern mother teaching her child to be righteous, seemingly trying to show how just and honorable she was.
She was a fox with quite the character…
Gu Changqing drew the sword and trembled uncontrollably under the influence of the Demon Odor. Zhen Hui was smiling, fiddling with a flower with his hand. He was calm and indifferent, appearing untouched by his environment. Though he had completed the advanced success of Qi-cultivation successfully, his power wasn’t of any help at the moment.
Five fire-red tails gently swayed behind the girl dressed in white. She extended her jade-like white hands and razor-sharp fingernails, her figure looking like a mirage. Uncle Wen took one step forward to stand in front of her. A dark wind rose around him and, one after another, faces of dead people emerged. The faces showed not even the slightest hint of pain or resistance. Rather, they looked excited and happy as they charged at Meng Qi and the rest.
Helping a villain (tiger) do evil? Were they tiger demons?
Just as he was about to use Peace Quietude Split, a shadow emerged before him. Hong Neng, the young and mysterious monk, stood between him and Uncle Wen. He placed his palms together and chanted in a low voice, “Amitabha. Once humans are greedy, they’ll no longer have the chance of returning to a peaceful world. Two donors, please stop and allow me to remedy your conflict.”
He appeared so quickly that Meng Qi had no choice but step aside. Meng Qi brandished his sword again lest he cut into Hong Neng, but Uncle Wen and the little fox had no intention of stopping. One stood before the other as they attacked, swatting and grabbing at Hong Neng.
“When I achieve Bodhi, I’ll end all wars and fights in the world. Then all sentient beings will no longer live in the abyss of worldly sufferings. They can detach themselves from every sorrow, thus achieving completeness…”
Amid the soft and gentle voice, Meng Qi widened his eyes and draw the sword in his hand. He stopped when he saw the two ghosts ended up throwing themselves at the Buddharupa after running straight through the monk. When their hands and claws hit Hong Neng, it was like they hit upon a concentrated pile of foam and broke through it without resistance.
But Hong Neng didn’t disappear like he would if he was an apparition. He continued to chant in a low voice with his head lowered. They could all see, hear, and feel him like he was a living, breathing man.
Just then, Meng Qi felt something off about himself. Though his body was here, he felt like his soul was beyond this place as if part of the world that had fallen into a state of harmony.
He turned his head, looking at Gu Changqing and Zhen Hui. They looked lost as if they shared his feelings.
The little fox retrieved her claws and looked at Hong Neng in confusion. Looking frightened and doubtful, Uncle Wen immediately placed himself in front of the fox. He didn’t dare to make any move. Zhen Guan was also stunned. He planned to aid the demons but he forgot to even get up.
“Y-Y-You!” the little fox shuttered and pointed at Hong Neng, suddenly remembered something. “Just Around the Corner! You’re Just Around the Corner!”
Just Around the Corner? Meng Qi looked at Hong Neng in surprise. Could he be the descendant of the Lanke Temple? So close yet worlds apart; the end of the world is just around the corner? That man?
Hong Neng looked at the little fox calmly. “Amitabha. If you and I aren’t fated to meet, that fate will end around the corner. Donor, please give up your intention to kill.”
“Humph! Don’t think I’m completely clueless! Just Around the Corner isn’t any secret!” the little fox pouted. Though she was angry, she didn’t say anything. whispered in a low voice but she did not do anything. Once ‘ust Around the Corner was around, she couldn’t hurt Hong Neng or anyone under his protection. The only way to do so was if some Exterior or Dharmakaya monster forcefully altered the rule of the world.
Hong Neng showed not even the slightest hint of anger. He said with a smile, “Yes, you’re right. It’s not some secret.”
The little fox became infuriated. “Two-faced pretender! Don’t you dare think those are mere words! If you want to attack me, does that mean I can repay the favor and kill you?”
Huh? Did this surprising Just Around the Corner had to rely on a person not getting infuriated enough to want to kill? Meng Qi held his blade, thinking how different this man’s tactic differed from Peace Quietude Split and Mortal Dust Fall.
“Amitabha. I won’t kill you, donor. I’ll just chant for you to remedy your killing intentions.” Hong Neng’s smile was profound yet placid.
“Humph. I want to think how I can be a fated person.” The little fox sat aside in anger. Uncle Wen also retreated.
Hong Neng turned to Meng Qi and other people, motioning them to sit. He then sat cross-legged and began to recite the Vajra Sutra. “Just as I heard…”
The sound of chanting reverberated in the small temple, calming evil intentions.
Seeing how things had progressed, Meng Qi put the sword back into its sheath and quietly adjusted himself. Uncle Wen was a dangerous man. If he could prevent a fight against him, why wouldn’t he?
An unknown time passed. Outside, the sandstorm gradually calmed.
“All things contrived are like a dream or an illusion, a bubble or a shadow, as a dewdrop or lighting. They should be regarded as such…” It was as if Hong Neng’s chanting had turned the small temple into a peaceful, pure land.
The little fox had been plugging her ears with her hands throughout the chanting. Outside, the doomsday-like scenery was fading away. She cried in surprise and stood up. Dragging her feet, she shouted, “I don’t want to hear you nagging! So annoying! It’s like having a hundred, no, five hundred mosquitoes buzzing around me!”
She stormed out of the temple, with Uncle Wen following behind her. Before he left, he turned around to glance at Meng Qi. His stare made Meng Qi felt like his scalp was numbing.
Briefly stunned, Zhen Guan rushed out to follow them.
“Amitabha. My moment of mercy had brought more pain to you, junior brother.” Hong Neng smiled at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi shook his head. “If we’re fated, we’ll eventually meet. If I were you, I’ll also lend a helping hand.”
This was some bloody bad fate! And it wasn’t even his own!
Hong Neng looked pleased. “You’re truly compassionate. You’ll definitely learn the secret of Bodhisattva in the future.”
“Are you a descendant of the Lanke Temple?” Meng Qi asked, no longer occupied with his worries over uncle Wen.
Hong Neng nodded honestly. “We’re definitely fated to meet here today. And it’s not like the Lanke Temple is some unspeakable secret.”
He acknowledged it without denial.
“Your Just Around the Corner skill earlier was profoundly mysterious. Could that be the secret of the Lanke Temple?” Zhen Hui asked, face full of excitement and curiosity.
Hong Neng said calmly, “The Lanke Temple isn’t some mystery; it just walks on a detached part. If you’re fated to know, you’ll find out in the future.”
Hong Neng said calmly, “The Lanke Temple isn’t some mystery; it just walks on a detached part. If you’re fated to know, you’ll find out in the future.”
From his reply, Meng Qi could tell Hong Neng wasn’t willing to talk about the temple at the moment. He nodded gently, no longer questioning him. Yet internally, he was speculating what kind of detached path did the Lanke Temple take.
Was it the Immortal Path? But he didn’t see any of them spreading their incense… Merits Path? Wishes Path? Both were plausible. Earlier, Hong Neng mentioned people could make a wish and built a temple in the desert to earn merits. However, the path of merits and wishes weren’t as mysterious as Just Around the Corner. It shouldn’t be this way.
Meng Qi suddenly felt that he knew little about Buddhism and its sutra and that he was a completely fake monk. Otherwise, perhaps he could decipher the mystery of the Lanke Temple through its sutra.
After being silent for a moment, Gu Changqing frowned. “Those two demons must be from Tan Han. If we go over to Tan Han, we’ll be in danger.”
That was what exactly what Meng Qi was concerned about. “It’s not only dangerous to go to Tan Han. I suspect not long after we step out of the temple, we’ll be ‘accidentally’ come across Uncle Wen and that little fox no matter what direction we’re going.”
This Will of Demon Saint was really troublesome! Meng Qi was feeling resentful. But there was nothing he could do as it was someone’s will after all. It wasn’t like he could go and complain to the dead person.
He wondered how many lifetimes worth of karma that warranted this fate… He suddenly remembered the Cause and Effect, the last and also most powerful skill of Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship. According to Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms, there was an incredibly mysterious unbreakable skill. Unless the opponent was someone with a high-level realm resolving it or using special measures to defend against it, anyone who got struck would die and had his destinies cut. It was so-called the cause and effect in Martial Arts.
However, after the enemy died, the user would suffer the enemy’s largest cause and effect. If the cause and effect weren’t resolved or diminished, the explosion of the cause and effect would blow the user into pieces.
“I don’t even know how to use this sword but I’m already suffering the cause and effect for no reason…” Meng Qi was feeling helpless.
When he heard the conversation between his senior brother and Brother Gu, Zhen Hui said without hesitation, “Uncle Wen seems to be a Half-step Exterior Scenery fighter.”
That was precisely what Meng Qi was most worried about. Did he really have to wait for the thunderstorm to hit the temple or for Master and the Elders to come seeking for them at this place? But this was the Gobi desert, not an oasis. There might not even be a thunderstorm in the next few more years. If he met his Master and the Elders, he would undoubtedly be kidnapped back to Shaolin.
Making a small chant, Hong Neng said, “Since it’s a cause that I’ve created, then it’s my responsibility to resolve it. Junior Brother Zhen Ding, I’ll lead you to the oasis in Tan Han. It’s no longer the age where the demons are ruling the world. If the demons from the Heavenly Sea Source don’t want to be besieged by martial arts artists, they wouldn’t attack humans out of nowhere.”
“Thank you so much, Senior Brother,” Meng Qi said without any hesitation. At the same time, he looked at Hong Neng in confusion. “Heavenly Sea Source?”
“After demons start throwing the world into chaos, the human sovereign suppressed the demons and forced all evil beings to retreat. Since then, they have been hiding in large secret places they named the Land of Idyllic Beauty. The gathering places of the demons became known as the Heavenly Sea Source, the Demon Saint Source, the Nine Caves Source, and the Identical Heaven Source. The nine-tailed fox clan lived in the Heavenly Sea Source, located in Tan Han. It was a secret place that could move,” said Hong Neng. He was familiar with this as he was a disciple who had once traveled down the mountain to travel.
Having just learned something new, Meng Qi simply nodded. “Senior brother, let’s head out now?”
With Just Around The Corner with them, they didn’t have to worry about demons.
“Let’s go.” Hong Neng pinched his prayer beads and stood up slowly.