Amitabha, opening a “horse armor” is indeed human nature. No wonder it is repeatedly banned but never ceases. What a sin, what a sin… Meng Qi murmured inwardly.
Ao Zhen took a deep breath: “So it’s Master Fahai. This ‘favor’ shall be remembered forever.”
Seeing that Ao Zhen and Ao Qing had no further actions, Meng Qi smiled and said, “Earlier, when Princess Ao Zhen mentioned understanding ghosts, I thought you were going to destroy everything together. Now that you’ve shown such understanding of the bigger picture, I am truly pleased.”
He played the role of a villainous monk who breaks up relationships.
Before Ao Zhen could reply, Ao Qing spat and said, “Being captured and taken back doesn’t mean there’s no future. Father will at most confine us for a few hundred or thousand years. Brother-in-law is a terrestrial immortal with extraordinary experiences. His lifespan exceeds thousands of years. Once things settle down, Third Sister and her husband will reunite again. Bald monk, you can separate us temporarily, but not for eternity!”
Because of their long lifespans, methods effective against mortals might not work on immortals!
Ao Qing and Ao Zhen initially intended to threaten suicide, as their adversary appeared to be an Arhat or Bodhisattva, brimming with compassion—surely their father would not disregard the lives of his two daughters. However, upon further thought, they realized that their opponent could traverse the boundless starry sky and descend directly here. Faced with his infinite Buddhist power, even death might be unattainable for them!
Since that’s the case, better to leave hope for the future.
Hmm, Father has been guarding the Eastern Sea since ancient times, with wide connections. It’s natural that he knows many deities, Buddhas, immortals, and sages.
Ao Zhen and Ao Qing exchanged such thoughts, secretly cursing the bald monk before them.
During the collapse of the Heavenly Court, the Eastern Sea was affected, the Dragon Palace was damaged, and countless descendants of the dragons perished. The Old Dragon King was overwhelmed with grief. In order to repopulate, he had offspring such as Ao Zhen and Ao Qing, who were still immature at the time.
Hearing the words “terrestrial immortal with extraordinary experiences, lifespan exceeding thousands,” Meng Qi’s heart stirred. Smiling, he asked, “Do either of you lay devotees know about the Ginseng Fruit Tree?”
The Eastern Sea Dragon King learned about the Ginseng Fruit Tree from the “Immortal Demon God,” a secret not widely known, only circulating among the highest circles of the Journey to the West era. If Meng Qi directly asked the Dragon King about the Ginseng Fruit, the old king might become highly suspicious, conceal things, or even turn hostile immediately. It would be better to take this opportunity to ask Ao Zhen and Ao Qing.
Of course, this was also a test triggered by the mention of “lifespan exceeding thousands.”
At the mention of the “Ginseng Fruit Tree,” Ao Zhen and Ao Qing’s expressions changed simultaneously. Influenced by a strange thumping heartbeat, they blurted out in unison: “Did Father tell you about this too?”
“Is your real target Brother-in-law?”
Upon hearing this, Meng Qi suddenly understood. When the Dragon daughters followed Xu Yuan out of the Dragon Palace, they probably transplanted the Ginseng Fruit Tree, and might even have retained some Ginseng Fruits from before. Thus, in this era where lifespans are severely diminished, Xu Yuan could live for thousands of years.
No wonder the Dragon King didn’t consider this a private shame but publicly searched for them. The Prime Minister Tortoise was cunning by nature and deliberately concealed this, fearing Meng Qi’s greed.
“Originally, the Ginseng Fruit Tree is in the hands of Lay Devotee Xu Yuan. I should wait for him,” Meng Qi deliberately said this, his face still smiling warmly and kindly.
But to Ao Zhen and Ao Qing, this sounded like a death sentence from the underworld. They weren’t afraid of being captured, but feared that Xu Yuan would also be taken back to the Dragon Palace, where their father’s fury might result in their confinement at worst, while Xu Yuan might face annihilation.
“Bald monk, Brother-in-law is a destined person with great fortune. If you dare target him, you’ll be struck by heavenly thunder and die a miserable death!” Ao Qing angrily threatened, though inwardly frightened.
As she spoke, the clouds above the stars turned a deep, eerie green, and massive cyan lightning bolts, as colossal as mountains, came crashing down.
Boom!
The white-robed monk extended his right palm, the lightning condensed into a sphere spinning in his hand, and he smiled faintly: “I cultivate the Dharma and command the thunder’s retribution. Many thanks for Princess Jiulong’s concern.”
Ao Qing’s face turned pale, her lips trembling as she struggled to speak. Ao Zhen’s eyes brimmed with sorrow, her voice quivering like rippling water: “The master is a venerable Buddhist monk, perhaps already attained the fruition of a Great Arhat or Great Bodhisattva, surely embodying compassion for all sentient beings. The Ginseng Fruit Tree originally belonged to my husband’s family. My father seized it through deceit. How could you support such wrongdoing?”
She intended to persuade the white-robed monk with “Bodhisattva’s heart.”
Family heirloom? Xu Yuan is a descendant of the Wuzhuang Monastery? Meng Qi unexpectedly received this news, inwardly sighing, truly finding it without effort after much searching.
Thus, he clasped his palms together, chanted the Buddha’s name, and pretended to be a virtuous senior monk: “Namo Amitabha. If the Ginseng Fruit Tree truly belongs to the Xu family, how could I have cultivated Buddhism to this level without distinguishing right from wrong?”
As he spoke, a golden treasure light emerged in his mind, within which sat a golden crystal Buddha, radiating light upon his body—indescribably solemn, sacred, pure, and transcendent beyond the mundane.
Hearing Meng Qi’s words, the Dragon daughters’ faces lit up with joy, exclaiming together: “The Xu family is a descendant of Wuzhuang Monastery, the Ginseng Fruit Tree is their family heirloom!”
They seemed to lack worldly experience, easily believing Meng Qi’s act of pretending to be a high monk.
“If it indeed belongs to the Xu family, why did the Dragon King rescue Lay Devotee Xu Yuan?” Meng Qi’s surroundings resonated with solemn and serene Buddhist sounds.
Ao Zhen pursed her lips: “After Father obtained the Ginseng Fruit Tree, it withered more and more as he cultivated it, its vitality slowly fading. Therefore, he colluded with the King of Turning the Sea, severely injured Xu Lang, captured him, and interrogated him for secrets.”
Completely different from what the treacherous Prime Minister Tortoise said… Meng Qi nodded slightly, casually asking, “If he is the Dragon King’s enemy, a captured prisoner, why did Third Princess fall for him, willing to betray her father and abandon the Dragon Palace’s glory?”
Ao Zhen’s face turned slightly red as she lowered her head and spoke softly: “At first, we met by the Ginseng Fruit Tree, and I found him interesting. I possess divine abilities, allowing me to see my past lives in dreams. Back then, before the demonic chaos spread across the land, I was just a white snake. A poor scholar helped me and saved my life. The more we interacted, the more familiar I felt with my husband. Later, I confirmed that he was the reincarnation of that poor scholar. Our fate was sealed in past lives, and in this life, we vowed to be together.”
“Master, your Buddhist teachings emphasize marriage, causality, and compassion. How can you do such destructive things?” Ao Qing pleaded again.
This story sounds familiar… Meng Qi’s smile remained unchanged. Since Xu Yuan had not arrived yet, he casually chatted: “If that’s the case, I indeed shouldn’t meddle in this affair. But Third Princess, how can you be sure you saw your past life? Perhaps you were influenced by illusions. Well, I possess the Vajrabhairava’s Three Lifetimes Illumination, which helps see past lives. Would Third Princess like to verify?”
Girls are always hard to resist such things. Ao Zhen and Ao Qing listened with pounding hearts, exchanged glances, Ao Qing curiously nodded, Ao Zhen stepped forward, bowed, and said: “Please, Master, help us.”
Black Vajrabhairava Wheel emerged from Meng Qi’s hand, embedded with seven Buddhist treasures, radiating dark brilliance, completely enveloping Ao Zhen, pulling her into a spiritual world.
Ao Qing widened her eyes, watching the scenes change, excited and curious.
Light and shadow floated, the world reappeared. A small white snake was caught by a herbalist, severely injured and pitiful. Fortunately, a clean but worn scholar passed by, pitying the snake, bought it, treated its wounds, and released it back to the mountains.
“It’s Brother-in-law, it’s Brother-in-law.” Ao Qing covered her mouth, excitedly saying.
The snake turned back three times, swimming into the deep mountains, cultivating its demonic form, perishing in the celestial tribulation, and reincarnating into the Dragon Palace.
The scene shifted once more, as past lives emerged from the depths of memory. A golden pool brimming with immortal energy manifested within Ao Zhen’s spiritual realm.
It was so familiar that Meng Qi recognized it instantly:
The Jade Pond!
Ao Zhen’s past past was connected to the Jade Pond?
Meng Qi’s heart grew heavy, accelerating the Vajrabhairava Wheel.
Around the Jade Pond and its central island, pavilions and halls stood densely. A beautiful maid knelt before the immortal palace, beside her a handsome young man.
“Sister, Brother-in-law, a past-life marriage?” Though the reincarnations weren’t identical, Ao Qing felt an inexplicable familiarity and blurted out, “Which celestial realm do they belong to as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl?”
The Jade Pond’s Golden Boy and Jade Girl… Meng Qi’s eyes sharpened, murmuring inwardly.
Splash!
At this moment, the spiritual world suddenly trembled, everything began to blur, the Vajrabhairava Wheel let out a mournful cry, scenes from past lives started fading, and Meng Qi only heard a lingering, clear yet gentle voice:
“As Golden Boy and Jade Girl of the Jade Pond, you secretly communicated, violating heavenly laws. Before the Queen Mother learns of this, self-exile to the mortal world for reincarnation.”
The spiritual world collapsed, and Ao Zhen regained consciousness, reminiscing about the vision he had just witnessed.
Xu Yuan, the descendant of Wuzhuang Monastery, is truly the reincarnation of the Jade Pond’s Golden Boy? Meng Qi inhaled sharply.
Both the Peach Tree and Ginseng Fruit symbolize longevity. The Golden Boy of the Jade Pond reincarnated, coincidentally becoming the descendant of Wuzhuang Monastery?
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