The village was still the same village Shui Miao had always known.
The village was still the one Shui Miao was familiar with.
The mass grave was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the mass grave, Shui Miao spread out his spiritual senses and surprisingly detected not a single ghost!
How could such a vast mass grave have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by a powerful being?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He thought that perhaps when he had first obtained that trace of Yin energy, it was the moment he had become a pawn in someone’s game. Maybe all of this was a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand—he was just an ordinary person. Why would anyone scheme against him? What was there about him worth scheming against?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao felt deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the mass grave.
Several dozen minutes later, he left the mass grave.
In the dead of night, Shui Miao originally planned to go to an underground gambling den in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the mass grave in the village.
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of over ten meters, not saying a word, just silently following him.
Using his spiritual senses, Shui Miao detected that this person was very ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man was very disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose and timidly asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands nervously.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He looked at the homeless man. Even from over ten meters away, he could see the simple innocence in his eyes. “Do… do you have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, how was he any different from this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly. You’re not thinking of doing something foolish, are you? You mustn’t! No matter how miserable I am, I still keep going. You mustn’t give up!”
The homeless man had been following Shui Miao because he sensed his distress and was worried he might do something rash.
“Thank you, thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and a warmth spread through his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not thinking of giving up. Come on, since we’ve met like this, let me treat you to something to eat.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master told me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I’ll still be a homeless man in my next life, so let’s just forget it.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them deeply meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous one. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate a better outcome for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He’s remarkable!”
Shui Miao felt these words were profoundly insightful. Though simple, they brought a sense of peace to his heart.
“I suppose so. He lives in Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless folks and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words carried much meaning.
But what struck Shui Miao the most was that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the grounds every day!
Shui Miao concluded in his heart that this old monk must be a highly accomplished master. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from the old monk and ask him to resolve his doubts?
“Young man, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep very early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao caught up and grabbed his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go, because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised that Shui Miao had learned so quickly.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand free. “Young man, I appreciate your kindness, but please, don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I’m a Buddhist. If I eat and drink here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I’ll buy a steamed bun.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling a sense of admiration for the homeless man’s integrity.
But Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy lots of steamed buns to eat. How does that sound?”
“Ah, young man, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just said a few words. If we’re fated, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the reason was likely due to being driven away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, he could use his spiritual senses to locate the homeless man, so it wouldn’t be too difficult.
※※※
Jing’an Temple, located by the banks of the Zhonghai River, was an ancient temple covering over ten acres with a history of several hundred years.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed a diverse group of monks.
It was just before dawn, and two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, were already sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk. He stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, is there an eminent monk here who’s almost a hundred years old and sometimes sweeps the grounds in the morning?”
The young monk, noticing Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to see Master Lianghai to seek answers to some doubts in my heart. Could you possibly introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuo! You can’t leave me to sweep all alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for the easy way out!” Xiao Zhuo retorted irritably.
Just as Xiao Zhuo finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Heh, how about both of you help introduce me?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Zhuo quickly asked, “Brother, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven helped me. It was just a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?”
Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuo also found it strange. “Brother, you look extraordinary. You must be a highly accomplished master who has regained youth through cultivation, right?”
Shui Miao shook his head again. As he continued forward, he spread his spiritual senses to locate the old monk and said, “Maybe the weather is changing. It might rain.”
After saying this, Shui Miao suddenly stopped, his brow furrowed deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high walls formed the shape of a massive gourd. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains in the Azure Dragon positions and other elemental arrangements, forming several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such layouts, and the overall energy was predominantly Yang, balanced by the Yin energy rising from underground. This created a harmony of Yin and Yang, complemented by the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it embodied the concept of “a gourd containing the universe”—truly marvelous!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had an excess of Yin energy and a deficiency of Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall where Master Lianghai resides?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face envoy, had thrown a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
The village was still the same one Shui Miao knew well.
The mass grave was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the mass grave, Shui Miao spread out his divine sense to detect any presence, yet he couldn’t find a single ghost!
How could such a large mass grave have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by a powerful force?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He thought back to when he had first absorbed that surge of Yin energy—perhaps that was the moment he had become a pawn in someone’s game. Maybe all of this was part of a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why. He was just an ordinary person—why would anyone bother scheming against him? What did he have that was worth scheming for?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao felt deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the mass grave.
After some time, he left the area.
In the dead of night, Shui Miao originally planned to go to an underground gambling den in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the mass grave in the village.
As he walked, he noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of about ten meters behind him, not saying a word, just silently following.
Using his divine sense, Shui Miao detected that this person was utterly ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?” Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man looked disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose timidly and asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands nervously.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He looked at the homeless man and, despite the distance of over ten meters, could see a simple sincerity in his eyes. “Do you… have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, wasn’t he almost the same as this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!” The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly—are you feeling hopeless? You mustn’t give up! Even someone as miserable as me still perseveres. You mustn’t lose hope!”
The homeless man had been following Shui Miao because he sensed his distress and was worried he might do something drastic.
“Thank you… thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and warmth spread through his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not feeling hopeless. Let’s go—since fate brought us together, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I might still be a homeless man in my next life, so let’s just forget it.”
“Cause and effect…” Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them deeply meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous life. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate positive karma for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He must be remarkable!” Shui Miao felt that these words, though simple, carried profound wisdom and brought a sense of peace.
“I suppose so. He lives in Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep before dawn, and he’s very kind to us homeless folks, often giving us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words conveyed much information.
But what intrigued Shui Miao the most was that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the grounds every day!
In his heart, Shui Miao concluded that this old monk must be a highly accomplished master. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from this old monk and ask him to resolve his doubts?
“Young man, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep very early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao hurried after him, grabbing his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go—because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
“…” The homeless man was stunned, surprised that Shui Miao had picked up on his reasoning so quickly.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand away. “Young man, I appreciate your kindness, but please, please don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I follow Buddhist teachings. If I eat here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I can buy a steamed bun.”
“One yuan!” Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling admiration for the homeless man’s principles.
But Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this? Let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy plenty of steamed buns to eat. How does that sound?”
“Ah, young man, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just said a few words. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday…” The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the homeless man’s fear stemmed from being driven away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.” Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, with his divine sense, finding this homeless man wouldn’t be difficult.
※※※
Jing’an Temple, located by the Zhonghai River, was an ancient temple covering over ten acres with a history of several hundred years.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed many monks.
It was just before dawn, and two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, were already sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk, so he stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, is there a nearly hundred-year-old eminent monk here who sometimes sweeps the grounds in the morning?”
The young monk, noticing Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to seek an audience with Master Lianghai to resolve some doubts in my heart. Could you possibly introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuo! You can’t leave me to sweep all alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for an easy way out!” Xiao Zhuo retorted irritably.
Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in an instant, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Heh, how about both of you help introduce me?” Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Zhuo hurriedly asked, “Fellow Daoist, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven is helping me. It might just be a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?” Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuo also found it strange. “Fellow Daoist, you look extraordinary. You must be a highly attained master who has reversed aging, right?”
Shui Miao shook his head, continuing forward while spreading his divine sense to locate the old monk. “Perhaps the weather is changing. It might rain soon.”
As he said this, Shui Miao suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high walls formed the shape of a massive gourd. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains and ponds positioned at the Azure Dragon locations, along with other elemental arrangements, creating several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such cycles, and its overall energy leaned Yang, harmonizing with the Yin energy rising from underground, achieving a balance of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it embodied the concept of “a gourd containing the universe”—abs marvelous!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had excessively heavy Yin energy and weak Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall where Master Lianghai resides?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…” Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face envoy, had thrown a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
The village was still the same one Shui Miao knew well.
The mass grave was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the mass grave, Shui Miao spread out his spiritual senses and surprisingly detected not a single ghost!
How could such a vast mass grave have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by a powerful being?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He thought that perhaps the moment he obtained his first trace of Yin energy was the moment he became a pawn in someone’s game. Maybe all of this was a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why—he was just an ordinary person. Why would anyone bother scheming against him? What was there about him worth scheming over?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao was deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the mass grave.
Several dozen minutes later, Shui Miao left the mass grave.
In the dead of night, Shui Miao originally planned to go to an underground gambling den in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the mass grave in the village.
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of about ten meters, not saying a word, just quietly following him.
Using his spiritual senses, Shui Miao detected that this person was utterly ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man was extremely disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose timidly and asked, “You… you’re talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands in a fluster.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He looked at the homeless man. Even from over ten meters away, Shui Miao could see the simple sincerity in his eyes. “Do you… have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Then he thought about himself—aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, how was he any different from this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly. You’re not thinking of doing something foolish, are you? You mustn’t! Even someone as wretched as me keeps on living. You mustn’t give up!”
The homeless man had been following Shui Miao precisely because he sensed his distress and was worried he might harm himself.
“Thank you, thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and warmth stirred in his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not thinking of doing anything rash. Come on, since fate brought us together, let me treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I’ll still be a homeless man then, so let’s just forget it.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them profoundly meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous one. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate a better outcome for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He must be remarkable!”
Shui Miao felt these words were incredibly insightful—simple yet capable of bringing a sense of inner peace.
“Probably. He lives in Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless folks and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words conveyed much information.
But what intrigued Shui Miao the most was that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the grounds every day!
In his heart, Shui Miao concluded that this old monk must be a highly accomplished master. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from the old monk and ask him to resolve his doubts?
“Young man, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep very early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao hurried after him, grabbing his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go, because I don’t want to owe you double in the next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised that Shui Miao had picked up on his reasoning so quickly.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand away. “Young man, I appreciate your kindness, but please, please don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I’m a Buddhist. If I eat here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I’ll buy a steamed bun.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling a sense of admiration for the homeless man’s integrity.
But Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we see your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy lots of steamed buns together. How does that sound?”
“Ah, young man, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much—just said a few words. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the reason was likely due to being driven away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, he could use his spiritual senses to locate the homeless man, so it wouldn’t be difficult to find him again.
※※※
Jing’an Temple, located by the banks of Zhonghai River, was an ancient temple covering over ten acres of land with a history spanning several centuries.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed a diverse group of monks.
It was just before dawn, and two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, had already begun sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk. He stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, is there a nearly hundred-year-old eminent monk here who sometimes sweeps the grounds in the morning?”
The young monk, noticing Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to see Master Lianghai to seek answers to some doubts in my heart. Could you possibly introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuo. You can’t leave me to sweep all alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for the easy way out!” Xiao Zhuo retorted irritably.
Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Heh, how about both of you help introduce me?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Zhuo hurriedly asked, “Fellow Daoist, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven helped me. It was just a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?” Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuo also found it strange. “Fellow Daoist, you look extraordinary. You must be a highly attained master who has reversed aging, right?”
Shui Miao shook his head again. As he continued forward, he spread his spiritual senses to locate the old monk and said, “Maybe the weather is changing. It might rain.”
After saying this, Shui Miao suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high surrounding walls formed the shape of a massive gourd. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains and ponds positioned in the Azure Dragon direction, along with other elemental arrangements, forming several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such layouts, and the overall energy of the temple leaned toward Yang, harmonizing with the Yin energy rising from underground—a perfect balance of Yin and Yang, complete with the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it embodied the concept of “a gourd containing the universe”—abs marvelous!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had excessively strong Yin energy and weak Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall over there Master Lianghai’s residence?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face envoy, had slipped a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
How was that possible?
Had all the ghosts here been killed by powerful cultivators?
Instantly, an ominous premonition rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He thought, perhaps the moment he first absorbed that yin energy was when he became someone’s pawn. Maybe all of this had been a conspiracy!
But Shui Miao couldn’t quite understand—why would someone target him? He was merely an ordinary person. What value could he possibly have to be worth such manipulation?
Or perhaps he was just overthinking?
The village was still the same village Shui Miao remembered.
The mass grave was still the same mass grave it had always been.
But after arriving at the grave, Shui Miao extended his divine sense and unexpectedly detected not a single ghost!
How could such a vast mass grave have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by a powerful force?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He wondered if the moment he had obtained his first trace of Yin energy was the moment he had become a pawn in someone’s game. Perhaps all of this was part of a scheme!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why—he was just an ordinary person. Why would anyone bother scheming against him? What did he have that was worth plotting for?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao felt deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the mass grave.
After some time, he left the area.
Late at night, when all was quiet, Shui Miao originally planned to go to an underground casino in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the mass grave in the village.
As he walked, he noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of about ten meters, not saying a word, simply following him quietly.
Using his divine sense, Shui Miao could tell that this person was ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a crossroads with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man looked disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose timidly and asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands nervously.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He looked at the homeless man. Even from over ten meters away, he could see a simple innocence in the man’s eyes. “Do you… have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met by chance, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, wasn’t he almost the same as this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing in front of Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly. You’re not thinking of doing something reckless, are you? You mustn’t! No matter how tough things get, you have to keep going. Look at me—I’m in such a miserable state, yet I’m still holding on. You mustn’t give up!”
The homeless man had been following Shui Miao because he sensed something was weighing on his mind and was worried he might do something drastic.
“Thank you… thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and warmth spread through his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not thinking of giving up. Come on, since fate brought us together, let me treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I might still be a homeless man then, so it’s better not to.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them deeply meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous one. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate positive karma for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He must be very wise!”
Shui Miao felt that these words, though simple, carried profound clarity and brought a sense of peace to the heart.
“I suppose so. He lives in Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep the ground before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless people and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words conveyed much information.
But what intrigued Shui Miao the most was that this old monk was almost a hundred years old and still swept the ground every day!
In his heart, Shui Miao believed this old monk must be a highly accomplished master. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from this old monk and ask him to resolve the doubts in his heart?
“Young man, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao hurried after him, grabbing his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go—because I don’t want to owe you double in the next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised that Shui Miao had picked up on his reasoning so quickly.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand away. “Young man, I appreciate your kindness, but please, please don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I follow Buddhist teachings. If I eat here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I’ll buy a steamed bun with it.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling respect for the homeless man’s principles.
But the truth was, Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Not wanting to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy plenty of steamed buns to eat. How does that sound?”
“Ah, young man, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just said a few words. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the reason for his fear was likely due to being driven away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, he could use his divine sense to locate the homeless man, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to find him again.
※※※
Jing’an Temple was located by the river in Zhonghai, a ancient temple with a history of several hundred years, covering over ten acres of land.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed a diverse group of monks.
Even though it was only the fifth watch (around 3-5 a.m.), two young monks, about eighteen or nineteen years old, were already sweeping the grounds in front of the temple.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk, so he stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, master, is there a highly respected monk here who is almost a hundred years old and sometimes sweeps the ground in the morning?”
The young monk, noticing Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to meet Master Lianghai to seek answers to some doubts in my heart. Could you possibly introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuozi! You can’t leave me to sweep all this ground alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for an easy way out!” Xiao Zhuozi retorted irritably.
Just as Xiao Zhuozi finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Heh, how about both of you help introduce me?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks looked at each other in astonishment. Xiao Zhuozi quickly asked, “Fellow Daoist, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven is helping me. It must be a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?”
Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuozi also found it strange. “Fellow Daoist, you seem extraordinary. You must be a master who has attained the Dao and reversed aging, right?”
Shui Miao shook his head, continuing forward while extending his divine sense to locate the old monk. “Perhaps the weather is changing. It might rain soon.”
As he said this, Shui Miao suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high surrounding walls formed the shape of a giant gourd. Outside the walls, there were numerous towering trees of various species, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains and ponds positioned in the Azure Dragon direction, along with other elemental arrangements, creating several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such cycles, and the overall energy of the temple leaned toward Yang. Combined with the Yin energy rising from underground, it achieved a balance of Yin and Yang, with all Five Elements present. The gourd shape further enhanced this, symbolizing the containment of heaven and earth within a gourd—a truly marvelous layout!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had an excess of Yin energy and a deficiency of Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a serious expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall over there Master Lianghai’s residence?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is in critical condition…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face entity, had thrown a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
The village was still the same village that Shui Miao was familiar with.
The mass burial ground was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the burial ground, Shui Miao extended his spiritual senses and surprisingly detected not a single ghost!
How could such a vast burial ground have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by a powerful force?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He began to wonder if the moment he had obtained his first trace of Yin energy was the moment he had become a pawn in someone’s game. Perhaps all of this was part of a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why anyone would scheme against him—he was just an ordinary person. What value did he hold to be worth such trouble?
Or maybe he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao felt deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the burial ground.
After several dozen minutes, Shui Miao left the burial ground.
In the dead of night, Shui Miao had originally planned to go to an underground gambling den in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the burial ground in the village.
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of about ten meters, not saying a word, simply following him quietly.
Through his spiritual senses, Shui Miao could tell that this person was ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man was disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose timidly and asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands nervously.
Shui Miao was taken aback. He looked at the homeless man and, despite the distance of over ten meters, could see a simple sincerity in his eyes. “Do you… have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, how different was he from this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly. You’re not thinking of doing something foolish, are you? You mustn’t give up! Look how miserable I am, and I’m still holding on. You mustn’t do anything rash!”
The homeless man had followed Shui Miao precisely because he sensed his distress and was worried he might harm himself.
“Thank you, thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and a warmth spread in his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not thinking of giving up. Come on, since we’ve met by chance, let me treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I might still be a homeless man in my next life, so let’s just forget it.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them deeply meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous life. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate a better outcome for my next life.”
“Your master is a highly revered monk? He sounds extraordinary!”
Shui Miao felt that these words, though simple, carried a profound sense of peace and clarity.
“I suppose so. He lives at Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless folks and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words conveyed much information.
But what intrigued Shui Miao the most was that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the grounds every day!
Shui Miao concluded in his heart that this old monk must be a truly remarkable person. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from this old monk and ask him to help resolve his doubts?
“Young man, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep very early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao hurried after him, grabbing his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go—because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised that Shui Miao had picked up on his reasoning so quickly.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand away. “Young man, I appreciate your kindness, but please, please don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I’m a Buddhist. If I indulge here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I’ll buy a steamed bun with it.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling a sense of admiration for the homeless man’s principles.
But the truth was, Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy plenty of steamed buns to eat. How does that sound?”
“Ah, young man, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just said a few words. If we’re fated, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the reason for his fear was likely due to being driven away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, with his spiritual senses, finding this homeless man wouldn’t be difficult.
※※※
Jing’an Temple was located by the river in Zhonghai, an ancient temple covering over ten acres with a history of several hundred years.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed a diverse group of monks.
It was just before dawn, around the fifth watch, and two young monks, about eighteen or nineteen years old, were already sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk and stopped one of the young monks to ask, “Excuse me, is there a highly revered monk here who’s almost a hundred years old and sometimes sweeps the grounds in the morning?”
The young monk, noticing Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to seek an audience with Master Lianghai. I hope he can help resolve some doubts in my heart. Would you be able to introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuozi! You can’t leave me to sweep all alone,” another young monk interjected, displeased. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“You rascal, Xiao Chunzi! Always looking for the easy way out!” Xiao Zhuozi retorted irritably.
Just as Xiao Zhuozi finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept across the temple grounds. The wind came and went quickly, leaving the area impeccably clean in the blink of an eye!
“Heh, how about both of you helping to introduce me?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Zhuozi quickly asked, “Fellow Daoist, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven was helping me. Just a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?”
Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuozi also found it strange. “Fellow Daoist, you seem extraordinary. Are you perhaps a revered master who has achieved Dao and reversed aging?”
Shui Miao shook his head, continuing forward while extending his spiritual senses to locate the old monk. “Maybe the weather is changing. It might rain soon.”
As he spoke, Shui Miao suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high walls formed the shape of a massive gourd. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains in the Azure Dragon positions, along with other elemental arrangements, forming several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such cycles, and its overall energy leaned toward Yang, balanced by the Yin energy rising from underground. This created a harmony of Yin and Yang, complemented by the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it embodied the phenomenon of “a gourd containing the universe”—truly marvelous!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had an excess of Yin energy and a deficiency of Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall where Master Lianghai resides?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face envoy, had thrown a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
The village was still the same one Shui Miao knew.
The mass burial ground was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the burial ground, Shui Miao released his divine sense to probe the area and found not a single ghost!
How could such a vast burial ground have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by some powerful force?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He wondered if the moment he had obtained his first trace of Yin energy was the moment he had become a pawn in someone’s game. Perhaps all of this was part of a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why anyone would scheme against him. He was just an ordinary person—what value did he hold that would make someone plot against him?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao felt deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the burial ground.
After several dozen minutes, Shui Miao left the burial ground.
In the dead of night, Shui Miao originally planned to go to an underground gambling den in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the burial ground in the village.
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of about ten meters from him, not saying a word, simply following him quietly.
Using his divine sense, Shui Miao determined that this person was just an ordinary homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man looked very disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose and timidly asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands nervously.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He looked at the homeless man and, despite the distance of over ten meters, could see a simple sincerity in his eyes. “Do… do you have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s sincere gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, how different was he from this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly—you’re not thinking of doing something foolish, are you? You mustn’t give up! Even someone as miserable as me keeps going. You mustn’t lose hope!”
The homeless man had followed Shui Miao precisely because he sensed his distress and was worried he might harm himself.
“Thank you, thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and warmth spread through his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not thinking of giving up. Come on, since fate brought us together, let me treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I’ll still be a homeless man in my next life, so it’s better not to.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them profoundly meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous life. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate a better outcome for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He must be remarkable!”
Shui Miao felt that these words, though simple, carried a deep sense of tranquility.
“I suppose so. He lives in Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep the ground before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless people and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words revealed much.
But what intrigued Shui Miao the most was that the old monk was almost a hundred years old and still swept the ground every day!
Shui Miao concluded that this old monk must be a master of profound wisdom. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from the old monk to resolve his doubts?
“Little brother, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao caught up and grabbed his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go, because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised at how quickly Shui Miao had learned.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand away. “Little brother, I appreciate your kindness, but please don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I’m a Buddhist. If I indulge here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. I’ll buy a steamed bun later.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, impressed by the homeless man’s integrity.
But Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy plenty of steamed buns. How does that sound?”
“Ah, little brother, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just shared a few words. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the homeless man’s fear stemmed from being chased away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao took a deep breath. With his divine sense, finding the homeless man again wouldn’t be difficult.
※※※
Jing’an Temple, located by the river in Zhonghai, was an ancient temple covering over ten acres with a history of several hundred years.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed many monks.
It was just before dawn, and two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, were already sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk. He stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, is there an eminent monk here who’s almost a hundred years old and sometimes sweeps the ground in the morning?”
The young monk, noting Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to see Master Lianghai to seek answers to some doubts in my heart. Could you possibly introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuozi. You can’t leave me to sweep all this alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for the easy way out!” Xiao Zhuozi retorted irritably.
Just then, a strong wind suddenly swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Hehe, how about both of you help introduce me?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Zhuozi hurriedly asked, “Brother, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven helped me. It was just a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?”
Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuozi also found it strange. “Brother, you look extraordinary. You must be a master who has achieved enlightenment and reversed aging, right?”
Shui Miao shook his head, continuing forward while spreading his divine sense to locate the old monk. “Perhaps the weather is changing. It might rain.”
As he spoke, Shui Miao suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high walls formed a huge gourd shape. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains in the Azure Dragon positions and other elemental arrangements, forming several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such layouts, and the overall energy was predominantly Yang, harmonizing with the Yin energy rising from underground. This created a perfect balance of Yin and Yang, complemented by the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it embodied the concept of “a gourd containing the universe”—truly marvelous!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had excessively strong Yin energy and weak Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall where Master Lianghai resides?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from the ground. One of them, the Horse-Face envoy, had thrown a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a shadow emerging from an alleyway. The figure kept a distance of about ten meters from him, didn’t speak, and simply followed quietly.
Through his spiritual sense, Shui Miao detected that this person was quite ordinary—just a homeless tramp wandering the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the tramp.
Ahead was a crossroads with a traffic light, which was currently red. The road was quiet, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The tramp was disheveled and dirty, his face unshaven. He pointed at his own nose, hesitantly asking, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—surely you’re after my money?”
Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “Too bad, though—I don’t have any real money. If I did, it would only be something I created through illusions.”
“No, no! Don’t misunderstand me! I’m not here to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the tramp hurriedly explained, waving his hands.
Shui Miao paused slightly, observing the tramp. Though they were more than ten meters apart, he could still see a simple, innocent look in the man’s eyes. “Do you have anywhere to go? Since we’ve met by fate, why don’t we walk together for a while? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, seeing the tramp’s innocent eyes, Shui Miao felt a pang of sympathy. Thinking about himself, aside from possessing a little magical power and wearing slightly better clothes, wasn’t he not much different from this tramp?
“Okay, okay!”
The tramp smiled innocently and quickly walked toward Shui Miao.
Standing in front of Shui Miao, the tramp stared at him for a moment before cautiously asking, “You seem troubled. I noticed you were walking listlessly. You’re not thinking of ending your life, are you? Please don’t! Even though I’m in such a miserable state, I still hold on to life. Promise me you won’t give up!”
The tramp had followed Shui Miao because he sensed the young man was deeply troubled, worried that he might harm himself.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Shui Miao could tell the tramp truly cared for him, and a warm feeling rose in his heart. “Don’t worry—I’m just dealing with a complicated issue. I’m not thinking of giving up. Come on, since we’ve met by fate, let me treat you to a meal.”
The tramp quickly waved his hands. “No, no! I don’t want to owe you a favor. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I accept your kindness and can’t repay it, I’ll have to pay it back double in my next life. I’m afraid I’ll still be a tramp in my next life, so let’s forget it.”
“Karma…”
Shui Miao pondered the tramp’s words and found them deeply meaningful.
The tramp nodded. “Yes, karma. My master also said that the consequences of this life stem from causes in past lives. That’s why I’m a tramp now—because I committed grave sins in my previous life. I must live simply, do good deeds, and avoid evil to cultivate a good outcome for my next life.”
“Your master must be a high monk. He’s truly amazing!”
Shui Miao felt the words were profound, simple yet calming, bringing a sense of peace to his heart.
“I suppose so. He lives in Jing’an Temple and must be nearly a hundred years old by now. He often comes out to sweep the streets before dawn. He’s been very kind to us tramps, even giving us food sometimes.” The tramp paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us, so we don’t want to cause our master any trouble. That’s why we haven’t visited the temple in a long time.”
The tramp’s words carried many implications.
But what moved Shui Miao most was the fact that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the streets every day!
Shui Miao was convinced in his heart that the old monk must be a great master. He thought to himself—if he was feeling so confused and lost, why not seek out this old monk and ask him to help clear his doubts?
“Little brother, if you want to meet my master, you’d better go quickly—he usually comes out to sweep early in the morning.” Having said this, the tramp turned to leave.
But Shui Miao rushed forward and grabbed the tramp’s hand. “Don’t go! You’ve helped me find a path forward. I want to repay you. If you don’t agree, I won’t let go—because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
The tramp was stunned, not expecting Shui Miao to catch on so quickly.
Shui Miao took the tramp to the front of a grand hotel.
Seeing Shui Miao about to take him inside for a meal, the tramp immediately stopped, pulled his hand away, and said, “Little brother, I appreciate your kindness, but please don’t bring me to a place like this. I’m a Buddhist, and if I indulge here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I can buy a steamed bun for myself.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling great respect for the tramp’s integrity.
However, Shui Miao didn’t actually have any real money.
He didn’t want to give the tramp illusionary money, so he suggested, “How about this—we’ll go to Jing’an Temple together first. Once we meet your master, I’ll take you with me to help people with feng shui, and then we can eat as many steamed buns as you want. How does that sound?”
“Oh no, little brother, really, you don’t have to! I didn’t do much for you—just said a few words. If we’re destined to meet again, we will…”
The tramp seemed eager to leave, as if he was especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed the tramp’s reluctance was likely due to being chased away by the harsh monks there.
“Alright then. I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao took a deep breath. Anyway, with his spiritual sense, finding the tramp wouldn’t be difficult.
※※※
Jing’an Temple was located by the riverside of Zhonghai River. It was an ancient temple covering more than ten acres, with a history spanning centuries.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and filled with many monks.
It was just past five in the morning when two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, began sweeping the temple grounds.
The village was still the same one Shui Miao knew well.
The mass grave was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the mass grave, Shui Miao released his divine sense to probe the area and found not a single ghost!
How could such a vast mass grave have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by some powerful force?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He wondered if the moment he obtained his first trace of Yin energy was the moment he became a pawn in someone’s game. Perhaps all of this was part of a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why anyone would scheme against him. He was just an ordinary person—what value did he hold to be worth such trouble?
Or maybe he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao felt deeply confused and lost. He wandered aimlessly through the mass grave.
After several dozen minutes, Shui Miao left the mass grave.
In the dead of night, he originally planned to go to an underground casino in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the mass grave in the village.
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of about ten meters, not saying a word, simply following him quietly.
Using his divine sense, Shui Miao detected that this person was utterly ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man was disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose timidly and asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you remind me of my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands nervously.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He studied the homeless man. Even from over ten meters away, Shui Miao could see the simple sincerity in his eyes. “Do… do you have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent gaze, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, how different was he really from this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and hurried over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly—you’re not thinking of doing something reckless, are you? You mustn’t give up! Even someone as wretched as me keeps on living. You mustn’t lose hope!”
The homeless man had been following Shui Miao precisely because he sensed his distress and was worried he might do something drastic.
“Thank you… thank you!” Shui Miao could tell the homeless man was genuinely concerned, and warmth spread through his heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a complicated problem. I’m not thinking of giving up. Come on, since fate brought us together, let me treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I’ll still be a homeless man then, so it’s better not to.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them profoundly meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous one. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate positive karma for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He sounds remarkable!”
Shui Miao felt these words were deeply insightful. Though simple, they brought a sense of peace to his heart.
“I suppose so. He lives in Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless folks and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words carried much unspoken meaning.
But what intrigued Shui Miao the most was that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the grounds every day!
In his heart, Shui Miao concluded that this old monk must be a master of profound wisdom. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from this old monk and ask him to resolve his doubts?
“Young man, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep very early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao hurried after him, grabbing his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go—because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised at how quickly Shui Miao had picked up on his reasoning.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand free. “Young man, I appreciate your kindness, but please, don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I follow Buddhist teachings. If I indulge here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I’ll buy a steamed bun with it.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling a sense of admiration for the homeless man’s principles.
But Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy plenty of steamed buns to eat. How does that sound?”
“Ah, young man, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just shared a few words. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed that the reason for his fear was likely due to being driven away by the hostile monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, with his divine sense, tracking down the homeless man wouldn’t be difficult.
※※※
Jing’an Temple was located by the banks of the Zhonghai River, an ancient temple covering over ten acres with a history spanning centuries.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed a diverse group of monks.
It was just before dawn, and two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, had already begun sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk. He stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, is there an eminent monk here who’s almost a hundred years old and sometimes sweeps the grounds in the morning?”
The young monk, noting Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be direct. I am a cultivator, and I wish to seek an audience with Master Lianghai. I hope he can help resolve some doubts in my heart. Would you be able to introduce me?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuo! You can’t leave me to sweep all alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for an easy way out!” Xiao Zhuo retorted irritably.
Just as Xiao Zhuo finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Heh, how about both of you helping me with the introduction?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s elemental energy.
The two young monks exchanged bewildered glances. Xiao Zhuo hurriedly asked, “Brother, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven helped me. It was just a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?” Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuo also found it strange. “Brother, you seem extraordinary. Are you perhaps an immortal who has regained youth through cultivation?”
Shui Miao shook his head again. As he continued forward, he released his divine sense to locate the old monk and said, “Maybe the weather is changing. It might rain soon.”
After saying this, Shui Miao suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The temple’s high walls formed a massive gourd shape. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains in the Azure Dragon position, along with other elemental arrangements, forming several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such layouts, and its overall energy leaned toward Yang, balanced by the Yin energy rising from underground—a perfect harmony of Yin and Yang, complete with the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it embodied the concept of “a gourd containing the universe,” an incredibly profound design!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao sensed that one hall in the northeast had excessively strong Yin energy and weak Yang energy.
Noticing Shui Miao’s sudden stop and grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall over there Master Lianghai’s residence?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face entity, had slipped a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
Seeing that Shui Miao had an unusual aura, the young monk nodded and replied, “You must be talking about Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these days and has been resting in bed.”
The village was still the one Shui Miao was familiar with.
The mass grave was also the same as before.
But after arriving at the mass grave, Shui Miao spread out his spiritual senses and unexpectedly detected not a single ghost!
How could such a vast mass grave have no ghosts?
How was this possible?
Had all the ghosts here been exterminated by a powerful being?
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Shui Miao’s heart. He thought that perhaps the moment he obtained his first trace of Yin energy was the moment he became a pawn—maybe all of this was a conspiracy!
But then again, Shui Miao couldn’t understand why. He was just an ordinary person—why would anyone scheme against him? What was there about him worth scheming against?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it?
Shui Miao was deeply confused and lost, wandering aimlessly through the mass grave.
Several dozen minutes later, Shui Miao left the mass grave.
In the dead of night, Shui Miao originally planned to go to an underground casino in the city to find his grandfather and ask him in detail about the mass grave in the village.
As he walked, Shui Miao noticed a figure emerging from an alley. The person maintained a distance of over ten meters from him, not saying a word, just silently following him.
Using his spiritual senses, Shui Miao detected that this person was very ordinary—just a homeless man living on the streets.
“Do you want money?”
Shui Miao stopped and turned to face the homeless man.
Ahead was a four-way intersection with traffic lights. At that moment, the light was red, and there were few vehicles on the road, with only an occasional taxi passing by. The homeless man was very disheveled, with unkempt hair and a dirty face. He pointed at his own nose and timidly asked, “Are… are you talking to me?”
“Is there anyone else behind me? You’ve been following me—isn’t it because you want to rob me?” Shui Miao suddenly smiled faintly and shook his head. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me. If I do, it’s only because I conjured it.”
“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to rob you. It’s just that you look a lot like my son, so I followed you,” the homeless man hastily explained, waving his hands in a fluster.
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. He looked at the homeless man. Even though they were over ten meters apart, Shui Miao could see a simple innocence in his eyes. “Do you… have somewhere to go? Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we walk together? I’d like to hear about your son.”
For some reason, after seeing the homeless man’s innocent eyes, Shui Miao felt he was pitiable. Reflecting on himself, aside from having some magical abilities and better clothes, wasn’t he almost the same as this homeless man?
“Okay, sure!”
The homeless man smiled innocently and quickly walked over to Shui Miao.
Standing before Shui Miao, the homeless man stared blankly at his eyes and cautiously asked, “You seem troubled? I noticed you walking listlessly—you’re not thinking of doing something foolish, are you? You mustn’t give up! Even someone as wretched as me keeps holding on. You absolutely mustn’t do anything rash!”
The homeless man had been following Shui Miao because he sensed his distress and was worried he might harm himself.
“Thank you, thank you!” The homeless man was kind-hearted, and Shui Miao could tell he genuinely cared. A warmth spread in Shui Miao’s heart. “Don’t worry, I’m just pondering a very complicated problem. I’m not thinking of doing anything rash. Let’s go—since we’ve met like this, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
The homeless man quickly waved his hands. “No, I don’t want to owe you anything. My master taught me that every cause has an effect. If I eat your food and can’t repay you, I’ll have to pay you back double in my next life. I’m afraid I might still be a homeless man in my next life, so let’s just forget it.”
“The cycle of cause and effect…”
Shui Miao pondered the homeless man’s words and found them deeply meaningful.
The homeless man nodded. “Yes, the cycle of cause and effect. My master also said that the fruits of this life are the causes of the previous life. The reason I’m a homeless man is because I committed too many sins in my past life. So, I must live simply, do more good deeds, avoid evil, and cultivate a better outcome for my next life.”
“Your master is a eminent monk? He’s amazing!”
Shui Miao felt these words were profoundly insightful. Though simple, they brought a sense of peace to the heart.
“I suppose so. He lives at Jing’an Temple and is almost a hundred years old. He often comes out to sweep before dawn. He’s very kind to us homeless folks and often gives us food.” The homeless man paused. “But we know the other monks in the temple dislike us. We don’t want to cause trouble for our master, so we haven’t been there in a long time.”
The homeless man’s words carried much meaning.
But what struck Shui Miao the most was that this old monk, nearly a hundred years old, still swept the grounds every day!
In his heart, Shui Miao believed this old monk must be a highly accomplished master. He thought, rather than remaining confused and lost, why not seek guidance from the old monk and ask him to resolve the doubts in his heart?
“Little brother, if you want to find my master, you should go quickly. He comes out to sweep very early,” the homeless man said, turning to leave.
But Shui Miao hurried after him, grabbing his hand. “Don’t go. You’ve helped me by pointing me in the right direction. I want to repay you. If you refuse, I won’t let go—because I don’t want to owe you double in my next life either.”
“…”
The homeless man was stunned, surprised that Shui Miao had learned so quickly.
Shui Miao brought the homeless man to the entrance of a large hotel.
Seeing that Shui Miao intended to take him inside for a meal, the homeless man quickly stopped and pulled his hand away. “Little brother, I appreciate your kindness, but please, please don’t take me to such a place to eat and drink. I’m a Buddhist. If I eat and drink here, my soul will be tainted. If you really want to treat me, just give me one yuan. Later, I’ll buy a steamed bun.”
“One yuan!”
Shui Miao was deeply moved, feeling a sense of admiration for the homeless man’s integrity.
But Shui Miao didn’t have a single real coin on him.
Unwilling to give the homeless man conjured money, Shui Miao suggested, “How about this: let’s go to Jing’an Temple together first. After we meet your master, I’ll take you to help people with feng shui to earn some money. Then we can buy plenty of steamed buns to eat. How does that sound?”
“Ah, little brother, really, there’s no need! I haven’t done much for you—just said a few words. If we’re fated, we’ll meet again someday…”
The homeless man seemed eager to leave, as if he were especially afraid of returning to Jing’an Temple.
Shui Miao guessed the reason was likely the harsh treatment from the other monks there.
“Alright then, I’ll come find you later.”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh. After all, he could use his spiritual senses to locate the homeless man, so it wouldn’t be difficult to find him again.
※※※
Jing’an Temple, located by the Zhonghai River, was an ancient temple covering over ten acres of land with a history spanning several hundred years.
The temple was bustling with incense offerings and housed a diverse group of monks.
It was just before dawn, and two young monks, around eighteen or nineteen years old, were already sweeping the temple grounds.
Arriving at the temple, Shui Miao didn’t see the old monk, so he stopped one of the young monks and asked, “Excuse me, master, is there an eminent monk here who is almost a hundred years old and sometimes sweeps the grounds in the morning?”
The young monk, noticing Shui Miao’s extraordinary demeanor, nodded and replied, “You must be referring to Master Lianghai. He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and has been resting in bed.”
Shui Miao smiled politely and said, “Master, I’ll be straightforward. I am a cultivator, and I wish to see Master Lianghai to seek answers to some doubts in my heart. Could you possibly introduce me to him?”
“No way, Xiao Zhuozi! You can’t leave me to sweep all alone,” another young monk immediately protested upon hearing this. “How about I take this benefactor to see Master Lianghai, and you stay here to sweep?”
“Stinky Xiao Chunzi, you’re always looking for the easy way out!” Xiao Zhuozi retorted irritably.
Just as Xiao Zhuozi finished speaking, a strong wind suddenly swept across the temple grounds. It came and went in the blink of an eye, leaving the area impeccably clean!
“Hehe, how about both of you help introduce me?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind’s source energy.
The two young monks looked at each other, finding it hard to believe. Xiao Zhuozi quickly asked, “Fellow Daoist, was that your doing?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps heaven was helping me. It was just a coincidence.”
“How could it be such a coincidence?”
Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe it.
Xiao Zhuozi also found it strange. “Fellow Daoist, you look extraordinary. You must be a highly attained master who has reversed aging, right?”
Shui Miao shook his head, continuing forward while spreading his spiritual senses to locate the old monk. At the same time, he said, “Perhaps the weather is changing. It might rain.”
As soon as he said this, Shui Miao suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had noticed something peculiar about the temple’s feng shui.
The high walls surrounding the temple formed a massive gourd shape. Outside the walls grew a variety of towering trees, but inside, there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, each main hall had water fountains at the Azure Dragon positions, along with other elemental arrangements, forming several small Five Elements cycles. The entire temple had five such layouts, and the overall energy of the temple leaned toward Yang, harmonizing with the Yin energy rising from underground, achieving a balance of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Combined with the gourd shape, it perfectly embodied the concept of “a gourd containing the universe”—truly marvelous!
But upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed that one hall in the northeast had excessively strong Yin energy and weak Yang energy.
Seeing Shui Miao stop abruptly with a grave expression, the two young monks grew nervous, glancing at each other but not daring to speak.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall where Master Lianghai resides?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in astonishment.
“Master Lianghai is fading fast…”
Shui Miao immediately broke into a run. He had just sensed two underworld envoys, resembling Ox-Head and Horse-Face, emerging from underground. One of them, the Horse-Face envoy, had thrown a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
“No way! Xiao Zhuo, you can’t leave me to sweep alone!” Hearing this, the other young monk immediately protested. “How about I accompany this layperson to see the master, and Xiao Zhuo, you stay here and sweep?”
“Xiao Chunzi, you’re always scheming for the easy way out!” Xiao Zhuo snapped back.
Just as Xiao Zhuo finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept across the front of the temple. It came quickly and disappeared just as fast, leaving the entire area spotlessly clean in an instant!
“Ha, perhaps you both could help me introduce myself to the master?”
Shui Miao secretly withdrew his control over the wind element.
The two young monks looked at each other in astonishment. Xiao Zhuo quickly asked, “Dao brother, was that your magic?”
Shui Miao shook his head and walked toward the temple. “Perhaps it was the heavens helping me. Just a coincidence.”
“How could it be that coincidental?”
Xiao Chunzi didn’t believe him.
Xiao Zhuo also felt something was off. “Dao brother, you look quite noble. Are you perhaps a high master who has returned to youth after achieving the Dao?”
Shui Miao shook his head again, continuing forward while spreading his spiritual sense to locate the old monk. At the same time, he said, “Maybe the weather is about to change. It might rain soon.”
As soon as he said this, he suddenly stopped, frowning deeply.
Because he had just sensed something unusual about the temple’s feng shui.
The high walls surrounding the temple formed the shape of a giant gourd. Outside the walls grew towering trees of various species, yet inside the walls there wasn’t a single tree—only small potted plants. However, in the green dragon positions of each main hall, there were water pools, fountains, and other elemental decorations arranged to form small cycles of the five elements generating each other. In total, there were five such small five-element cycles within the temple. The entire temple exuded a yang energy, which harmonized with the yin energy rising from the underground water veins, achieving a perfect balance of yin and yang with all five elements present. Combined with the gourd-shaped walls, it perfectly embodied the principle of “a gourd containing the universe”—truly wondrous!
However, upon closer inspection, Shui Miao noticed an imbalance in the northeast hall, where yin energy was heavier and yang energy weaker.
Seeing Shui Miao suddenly stop and look serious, the two young monks grew nervous, exchanging glances without saying a word.
Suddenly, Shui Miao pointed toward the northeast and urgently asked, “Is that Shunxin Hall where Master Lianghai resides?”
“How… how did you know?” Xiao Chunzi stared at Shui Miao in shock.
“Master Lianghai is in grave danger…”
Shui Miao immediately sprinted forward. Just moments ago, he had sensed two figures resembling ox-headed and horse-faced grim reapers rising from underground. One of them, a horse-faced spirit, had placed a thick black chain around Master Lianghai’s neck…
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