Chapter 249: The Heart

Coming full circle, they had returned to the starting point, yet both person and heart had changed. Nothing is more impermanent than this.

In merely six days, Meng Qi, in this moment, felt as if he had endured countless trials and tribulations, bearing the weight of a weary soul.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Zhiwei whispered through secret transmission.

Meng Qi glanced at the old man, signaled everyone to follow, and then went to a corner. Lowering his voice, he told them everything about the small jade Buddha.

Initially, Meng Qi had informed Jiang Zhiwei and Qi Zhengyan about the small jade Buddha. However, it shattered after their first reincarnation mission. Unexpectedly, during his solo mission, he discovered another small jade Buddha, identical to the first one, along with Yuanmeng’s final message: “Where is Lingshan?”

“The first jade Buddha was given to you by the nameless old monk, and the second was left by Master Yuanmeng. In Buddhist terms, you are a person of destiny,” Jiang Zhiwei mused. While Lingshan was indeed tempting, the identities of the nameless old monk and Master Yuanmeng raised caution and vigilance.

“Could it be Ananda?” Qi Zhengyan asked solemnly.

Ruan Yushu and Luo Shengyi had not known about the first jade Buddha and thus remained silent. One was aloof and otherworldly, the other quiet and listening, both showing slight envy on their faces.

Meng Qi felt similarly, disliking the sensation of being manipulated and feeling destined: “If it were Ananda, he would have left a message like ‘Now I understand.’ But given the circumstances, we can’t dwell too much on this now. I want to return to the temple and enter the Pure Land of Lingshan.”

Although he had obtained the second jade Buddha right after inheriting Ananda’s forbidden blade techniques, there was no evidence linking the two. Meng Qi even suspected that due to the jade Buddha, he would eventually obtain the second one again in the cycle of reincarnation. As for the matters of the Demon Lord and Demon King, it might have been changes triggered by the connection formed upon wearing the jade Buddha, leading up to the current Pure Land of Lingshan. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why he had encountered so many adventures in every reincarnation world afterward.

This could also explain why the master of the Six Paths of Reincarnation specifically included the complete background of *Journey to the West*.

“Return to the temple? There are so many monsters inside; I’m against it,” Luo Shengyi immediately objected. What was the joke? There was only one day left. Why risk going back to the temple? The proper course was to hide deep in the cave and delay time.

Qi Zhengyan remained silent and did not express agreement.

Jiang Zhiwei chuckled, “That does sound like something I would say. Actually, since the monsters are searching everywhere for us, the temple might be the emptiest place, and they would never expect us to dare return to the temple. As the saying goes, the darkest place under the lamp is the safest.”

The most dangerous place is the safest.

Ruan Yushu said indifferently, “If we stay here, whether we can survive or not depends entirely on where the monsters start their search. We have no control over it at all.”

“That’s exactly right,” Meng Qi said, looking at Luo Shengyi. “We’ve killed four half-step beyond-scenery monsters, which can’t be hidden. The remaining monsters will soon discover we’ve come this way. They will definitely search this area thoroughly. If we’re lucky, they might search elsewhere first, and we might all return safely. But if we’re unlucky, they might start searching here first, and we might all be wiped out.”

“Although the cave prevents the monsters from flying, it also leaves us with no escape route. Once they find us here, we can only charge through them head-on, and then it will depend on luck to see how many half-step beyond-scenery or higher monsters arrive.”

Meng Qi’s voice was firm, “I don’t want to entrust my life to the fickle whims of luck. Now that there is a chance of survival in the Pure Land of Lingshan, I naturally must strive to grasp it. Even if I die, I will have no regrets.”

He paused and continued, “Moreover, going back to the temple is not an act of recklessness. We will definitely capture and interrogate minor demons first to confirm the location of the Daliyinsi plaque and the number of powerful demons within the temple. If we can infiltrate or if the Daliyinsi plaque has already been taken away, we can bypass the temple and continue westward, hiding again in the areas searched by the demons.”

“Coming full circle around the temple is both dangerous and an opportunity.”

In other words, bypassing the temple and retracing our westward path will lead us to the areas already searched by the demons. Although there’s still some reliance on luck, Meng Qi still has some confidence.

After hearing Meng Qi’s analysis, Luo Shengyi reluctantly agreed. Even if taking risks, one must have self-awareness.

So the five left most of their dried food and fresh water for the old man and carefully sneaked toward the temple. After advancing a while, they saw the weathered outer walls, the decaying roof, and the minor demons patrolling around. Occasionally, a demon would sing, “The King sent me to patrol the temple…”

Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly. It seemed this was the standard patrol song, easily modified and reused.

He focused his mind and signaled Qi Zhengyan to cooperate. After waiting for a while, they encountered a lone demon and captured it as planned.

“Where is that plaque in the temple?” Meng Qi’s eyes were like a calm deep sea, with countless whirlpools swirling within.

The minor demon couldn’t resist and replied in confusion, “Plaque?”

“What is that thing? Can I eat it?”

“Just a piece of wood with the chance,” Meng Qi changed his words.

The minor demon finally understood, “The broken wood has no chance. The Kings threw it inside.”

“The Daliyinsi was once the residence of the Buddha. If the demons know about Lingshan, they should definitely know about it. Why would they discard it as broken wood?” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei looked puzzled. Could it be a trap?

“What do the Kings say about the broken wood?” Meng Qi asked cautiously.

The minor demon thought for a moment and said, “They say it’s written by a monk with weak magic, which is useless to us.”

“A monk with weak magic?” Meng Qi’s face twitched slightly. Suddenly, a thought came to him, and he asked in a low voice, “Do the Kings recognize the words on the broken wood?”

“Those are words?” The minor demon looked surprised, “The Kings say it’s just scribbles!”

Illiteracy is truly terrifying… Meng Qi eased his worries, and Jiang Zhiwei and the others also relaxed.

But it made sense. Where could these mountain bandits possibly learn Sanskrit? They probably couldn’t even read normal human writing!

“Who else is in the temple?” Meng Qi asked about other matters.

“Only the Great King of Black Pine Ridge is there. The other Great Kings have gone out to search for those people. I heard that several Great Kings were killed tragically!” The minor demon answered honestly.

Meng Qi asked in detail about the Great King of Black Pine Ridge and found out it was a pig demon who, out of laziness, didn’t go out to search and instead secretly returned to the temple to sleep.

“It couldn’t be the second senior apprentice’s family…” Meng Qi muttered to himself, gaining a general understanding of the situation inside the temple.

He turned to look at Jiang Zhiwei and the others: “This is a rare opportunity. I plan to infiltrate the temple. What about you all?”

He couldn’t force Qi Zhengyan and the others to follow him into danger for such a thing.

“If there’s an opportunity, we must seize it,” Jiang Zhiwei said decisively.

Qi Zhengyan nodded slightly, his expression solemn: “The deaths of Senior Apprentice Zhang and Miss Fu have made me realize that I can no longer live passively. I can’t always think about peaceful cultivation. I must actively seek opportunities to improve my strength and take action. Lingshan is an opportunity, not a death sentence. We cannot miss it.”

It was rare for him to speak so much, explaining his change in mindset.

This was also Meng Qi’s transformation. He had already made up his mind that if he survived and returned, he would join the Six Gates, becoming a secret agent of the Wind Catchers, using the resources and intelligence of the Six Gates to actively pursue opportunities, hone his skills, and explore ancient ruins, instead of passively waiting for things to come his way!

Fate must be held in one’s own hands!

“I have no objections,” Ruan Yushu replied concisely. Her ancient zither was already repaired, her white robe as pure as snow, and plum blossoms blooming in clusters, their petals vividly red.

Luo Shengyi, seeing that only the Great King of Black Pine Ridge was inside, which was well within their capabilities, and the allure of the Pure Land of Lingshan, the former residence of the Buddha, was extremely tempting. After some consideration, he nodded slightly to indicate his agreement.

The five of them found a gap in the patrol of the minor demons, used their skills, and swiftly reached the wall. With a push of their left hands, they leapt over it, landing as lightly as a feather.

Meng Qi extended his mind, his heart calm like a still lake, perceiving the surroundings and avoiding the lazy demons lying around the temple, approaching the meditation hall where the Daliyinsi plaque was placed.

Suddenly, he heard thunder coming from the adjacent meditation room, which startled him and nearly exposed his presence.

Upon listening carefully, he realized it was the pig demon snoring heavily, so he relaxed and signaled Jiang Zhiwei and the others not to react too much.

The five of them tiptoed past this meditation room and entered the hall, where they saw the “Daliyinsi” plaque carelessly discarded to one side, with even a minor demon urinating on it.

Meng Qi walked over, took out the small jade Buddha, and placed it on the plaque, but there was no reaction.

Could my judgment be wrong… Meng Qi frowned in thought.

Outside the temple, a fish demon with golden armor and a phoenix-winged purple crown was sneaking closer. It was clearly Bobo the Great King, returning to the mountain to recover.

“A bunch of fools, not even recognizing the aura of the Buddha, being deceived in circles,” Bobo sneered softly.

As an ancient demon who had lived for eight or nine hundred years, once encountered the Great Sage, and guarded Buddhist treasures as a minor soldier, Bobo, though still illiterate, had much broader experience than other demons.

He had been seriously injured before, feeling he couldn’t compete with other demons, so he deliberately didn’t expose the truth, tricking them into believing the opportunity was with their enemies. After recovering, he didn’t ride the clouds but came secretly to steal the plaque.

“Why is there no reaction?” While Meng Qi was deep in thought, Jiang Zhiwei and the others were keeping watch around.

Countless thoughts surged, leaving him unable to find a clue, and his heart became anxious. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and recalled what he knew about Buddhist teachings and the Journey to the West:

In Zen Buddhism, there is a saying that all beings possess the Buddha-nature, and the Buddha dwells within oneself… The Sacred Mountain (Lingshan) lies in one’s heart…”

“Lingtai (Mountain of the Mind), Xieyue Sanying Cave… Lingtai… the heart…”

Gradually, Meng Qi began to have an idea: “Could it be that I need to approach it from this perspective?”

He stepped onto the Daliyinsi plaque, took out the small jade Buddha, placed it on his chest, closed his eyes, and used his spiritual sense to perceive them.

His heart was like a mirror, reflecting the two objects. Suddenly, the Daliyinsi plaque in Meng Qi’s heart lake emitted pure light. Great brightness, great fearlessness, great compassion.

The light gathered, transforming into a phantom door radiating Buddhist light. The small jade Buddha flew on its own, embedding itself into the door.

The phantom door slowly opened, revealing a scene filled with Buddhist light, impossible to see clearly inside.

“It’s really here!” Luo Shengyi’s voice entered Meng Qi’s ears.

Meng Qi opened his eyes and saw golden Buddhist light forming a phantom door right in front of him, pure and bright, with continuous Buddhist chants. The small jade Buddha in his palm had already shattered, turning into dust that drifted away, while the Daliyinsi plaque slowly emitted a Zen-like resonance.

“Let’s go in.” In such a dangerous place, Meng Qi wasted no time and called Luo Shengyi and others to enter.

Jiang Zhiwei led the way, stepping into the Buddhist light, and her figure quickly disappeared. Luo Shengyi, Ruan Yushu, and Qi Zhengyan followed one by one. Just as Meng Qi was about to enter, he suddenly thought of a description from the Journey to the West story, turned around, picked up the Daliyinsi plaque, and stepped inside.

Before his eyes, there was a profusion of Buddhist light, and in his ears, the sound of chanting. Meng Qi’s vision blurred, and before him stood a majestic mountain impossible to see the top of.

Back in the meditation hall, the Buddhist light receded, and the door swayed, about to disappear.

At this moment, Bobo sneaked in. Seeing the scene, he was extremely astonished. Then he took out a “Buddhist treasure” and rushed forward.