Chapter 653: Eminent Monk of Attained Dao

Despite the failure of his efforts to temper his state of mind, Shi Chan, as a monk of profound Buddhist realization and attainments, was not at all discouraged.

"There is no need for my two senior brothers to worry over this poor monk breaking his vows."

"The path of cultivation is fraught with hardships; how could it possibly be smooth sailing without a single wave? Failure is only natural and unavoidable."

"It is precisely because of failure that one understands the rare and precious value of success."

"And it is precisely because I have known the sheer indulgence and pleasure of carnal desire that, once my state of mind is successfully tempered, it will appear all the more unbreakable."

"...Then what will you do if Master Jie Sha finds out about you breaking your vows?"

"Only the three of us know of this matter. A monk does not tell lies, but my two senior brothers are not of the monastic order. If Master asks, I must trouble you to tell a falsehood."

Lu Yang gestured for Shi Chan to stop speaking on his feet and invited him to sit down and drink some water: "Then what if Master Jie Sha asks you directly?"

Hearing this, Shi Chan's expression changed slightly as he recalled the consequences of his master finding out, but he suddenly relaxed again: "Then this poor monk will simply have to practice the Zen of Silence as well."

Lu Yang: "..."

"Buddhism emphasizes that the past, the present, and the future are one entity. There is the Past Buddha, the Present Buddha, and the Future Buddha. As a disciple of Buddhism, my goal is naturally to achieve Buddhahood. Although I am not a Buddha now, I certainly will be in the future. Since the past, present, and future are one, are not the words I speak today the very words spoken by a Buddha?"

As expected of an accomplished, eminent monk; his considerations were indeed thorough.

"Then who was responsible for the theory?"

The Immortal Fairy was currently lounging lazily upon the lotus pedestal, arching her back and stretching like a small kitten.

Since she had chanced upon a grand-disciple, she might as well redecorate the second-in-command's mental space to change the atmosphere.

Meng Jingzhou made a timeout gesture: "Are you certain those are the words of a Buddha?"

Judging from Shi Chan's intention to make money by reporting the black market, Lu Yang highly doubted Shi Chan's ability to earn wealth.

Lu Yang questioned the Immortal Fairy, who had single-handedly founded Buddhism, as his own understanding of Buddhist matters was rather lacking.

"I cannot remember clearly. I was only responsible for making up the stories; theoretical matters were not my responsibility."

"Everyone else except me."

Meng Jingzhou gazed at fellow Daoist Shi Chan, his eyes filled with a deep, resentful melancholy.

It was one thing for the ancient Pure Yang Immortal Body to have a girlfriend, but now even a monk could frequent a brothel?

So in the end, was he the only wretched wretch left?

Incense burned prosperously in the Mahavira Hall, enshrining the true form of the Buddhist founder, the Immortal Fairy, along with her lotus platform.

At this moment, Lu Yang's mental space had transformed into a vast, empty Mahavira Hall, with glazed tiled roofs and intricate brackets supporting the overhanging eaves, the doors and windows exquisitely carved.

Shi Chan smiled, rolled up his wide sleeves, dipped his index finger in water, and drew three circles on the table, explaining:

"Let me ask, Senior Brother Shi Chan, what method do you plan to use to make money?"

Meng Jingzhou felt that Shi Chan joining the Hanging Temple was a true loss for the Seeking Dao Sect.

"The Buddha once said that one must stand up from wherever one falls. Since this poor monk failed today, once I have earned enough money, I shall battle again another day. I plan to stay in this city for a few days; what do my two senior brothers intend to do?"

"Fairy, does Buddhism really have such a saying?"

She was the founder of Buddhism, so all current Buddhist monks were essentially her grand-disciples.

"By performing religious rituals, of course."

"Oh right, you are a monk." Lu Yang suddenly remembered that Shi Chan actually belonged to the Hanging Temple.

Shi Chan looked at Lu Yang in bewilderment, then lowered his head to look at his own attire.

From his garb to his way of doing things, he looked like a monastic through and through.

"In that case, this poor monk shall rest for the night and reunite with you two here tomorrow morning."

"Wait a minute, do you even have any money left? Where do you plan to stay?" Lu Yang pulled back Shi Chan, who was acting impetuously and preparing to leave.

If before Shi Chan was merely too poor to afford Old Meng's blood yet still rich enough for a brothel, it was hard to say if he had a single coin left after visiting the brothel.

Forced to turn back by Lu Yang's grip, Shi Chan explained: "This poor monk possesses not a single penny, yet when wandering the world, where is not home? I have already scouted out a bridge opening. It cannot shield me from the wind but it can block the rain. Tonight is devoid of wind and rain, making it perfectly suited for lodging."

Lu Yang was speechless. As fellow disciples of immortal sects, the two of them were staying in an inn while he was staying under a bridge; what would people say if word got out?

"Anyway, the two of us made quite a bit of money tonight. Old Meng will treat you to an inn."

Meng Jingzhou glared at Lu Yang. You get to play the good guy while I foot the bill?

Lu Yang appeased Old Meng: "I am letting you perform a good deed. Think about it, who is Senior Brother Shi Chan? An eminent monk of the Hanging Temple. You usually commit all kinds of mischief, so providing lodging for an eminent monk this time is a matter of great merit. Only because you shared spiritual stones with me did I yield such a fine opportunity to you."

"Get lost, get lost." Meng Jingzhou did not buy Lu Yang's rhetoric, but staying in an inn would not cost many spiritual stones anyway. A treat was a treat.

"It just so happens I have never witnessed a Buddhist ritual. We might as well stay here for a few days to see how you perform one."

"Then I thank my two senior brothers."

Seeing that the two were willing to remain in this city, Shi Chan was genuinely delighted in his heart.

Perhaps he would have the chance to learn two styles of fist techniques, and also learn from Senior Brother Meng how to restrain the desires of the heart.

The blood of an ordinary single spiritual root would never possess such an effect. Senior Brother Meng must have pushed himself to the absolute limit to create such aphrodisiac blood.

He could not even withstand twenty drops; he dared not imagine how Senior Brother Meng, whose entire body ran with such blood, endured it.

Speaking of staying in inns, Meng Jingzhou had some rather unpleasant memories.

"We stayed in three inns in a row, and trouble broke out in all three. Surely trouble won't break out a fourth time, right?"

Lu Yang had always possessed immense confidence in his own luck: "No way. Think about our experiences; how many battles between the Unity Stage, Tribulation Transmutation Stage, and Half-Immortals have we encountered? Yet we survived every single one smoothly, without even scraping a piece of skin."

"This is clearly a sign of our good fortune."

Meng Jingzhou felt that he should first consider why the two of them encountered so many battles between supreme experts in the first place.

The trio smoothly located an inn meant for cultivators. This type of inn was equipped with Spirit Gathering Formations inside to assist cultivators in their practice.

If it were just Lu Yang and his companion, any ordinary place would suffice; they could just open their mouths and execute the "Heaven Swallowing" technique, which yielded better results than a Spirit Gathering Formation.

But adding Shi Chan into the mix changed things.

"Innkeeper, three Heaven-tier rooms." It was rare for Meng Jingzhou to make money, and being in high spirits today, he paid for everyone's rooms.

The innkeeper was a man, so it seemed unlikely that any situation involving a brother-in-law fighting over an inheritance would occur.

There was an abundance of Heaven-tier rooms, so there would be no situation where cultivators brawled to fight over a room.

The three of them successfully arrived at their respective quarters.

Lu Yang pushed open his door, only to see the room in utter disarray. The wardrobe and table were overturned on the floor, the windows were wide open with the cold wind howling inward, and a man and a woman were locked in a violent struggle on the bed. The man was dressed in black, holding a dagger with murderous intent in his eyes, while the woman was disheveled, fighting desperately for her life, a bloody gash on her neck matching the bloodstains on the dagger perfectly.

The room was outfitted with a sound-isolating formation, preventing any noise from escaping.

The desperately resisting woman looked at Lu Yang as if gazing upon hope itself.

Lu Yang stepped back out of the room and glanced at the room number.

Wrong room.