“How could this happen?”
“You actually destroyed my Qiankun Realm!”
The middle-aged scholar found it utterly inconceivable. The Qiankun Realm was a top-grade immortal artifact, yet it had been shattered by an old monk?
Master Liao Chen waved his hand, drawing the golden tiger’s soul into his sleeve. He then coldly smiled at the scholar, saying, “You’ve got quite the nerve, daring to kill my Buddhist disciples. It seems I have no choice but to show you what real power looks like.”
“Just you?”
The scholar scoffed, knowing that Master Liao Chen was merely a monk with a bit of magical power.
“That’s right—just me!”
Master Liao Chen suddenly vanished, a golden figure shooting forth. In the blink of an eye, the golden figure encircled the scholar and struck him with 3,656 punches and 7,936 palm strikes. After finishing, Liao Chen blew on a nearby skeleton, reviving Hui Neng. Then, he turned and left with Hui Neng in tow.
The scholar didn’t budge an inch, as if turned to stone.
Shui Miao stared at the scholar in disbelief. He had clearly seen the golden figure—it was none other than the Arhat Subduing the Tiger.
Master Liao Chen had already walked far away…
The scholar remained motionless.
It was terrifying—the fists, the speed—who could possibly endure such an assault?
Shui Miao gazed at the scholar in stunned silence, his understanding of martial arts completely overturned. Who said martial arts couldn’t surpass magic?
“Boundless Celestial, I never thought I’d see this day!”
Suddenly, a cold, deep voice echoed from outside the door. A figure clad in black robes, identical in appearance to Shui Miao, leapt into the shop.
The figure paused at the entrance, nodded at Shui Miao, and said, “Brother, I am Tuo Ba You Lang from the Netherworld. We share the same soul and the same enemy. Now, the Boundless Celestial’s avatar soul has been gravely injured. His capture is entirely due to your karma. I won’t take what’s rightfully yours—hurry and refine him to obtain all his memories and powers.”
The Soul Devouring Force within Shui Miao had not been completely drained earlier because it had been interrupted. Some remained.
“No! I don’t want to absorb him—I’ll give him to you,” Shui Miao shook his head. “I’ve had enough. I don’t want to live in fear anymore.”
“What? Don’t you want revenge? The Boundless Celestial caused us so much suffering—how can we not repay that debt?” Tuo Ba You Lang looked at Shui Miao in disbelief. “Also, if you weaken yourself, how will you protect your loved ones and friends?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Shui Miao shook his head again. “If I have no value to them, they won’t come after me. I’ve realized that for everyone’s sake, I can’t be selfish anymore. Besides, your power is far greater than mine. If you refine him, you’ll become even stronger, increasing our chances of revenge. So it’s better for you to do it. Refining him would just be a waste for me.”
“You do have a point!” Tuo Ba You Lang nodded, sighed deeply, and said, “Alright then. You continue cultivating in the mortal world, sharpen your wisdom. When your worldly affairs are settled, I’ll come back for you. Then, the eight of us brothers will storm the Immortal Realm and destroy the Boundless Celestial.”
“Deal! I agree!”
If his worldly duties were fulfilled, Shui Miao would have nothing to fear.
“Good!”
Tuo Ba You Lang immediately transformed into a stream of black mist, enveloping the scholar. The scholar’s dantian had been shattered, his immortal power scattered, and his mind dulled. In no time, Tuo Ba You Lang easily refined him, gaining a vast amount of memories and immense benefits. Frowning, he turned to Shui Miao and said, “Brother, from now on, no one will scheme against or use you again. I’ve obtained his memories, and he indeed isn’t…”
“Wait…”
Shui Miao raised his hand. “Brother, please don’t tell me about him yet. Wait until my worldly affairs are settled.”
“Alright then!”
Tuo Ba You Lang understood Shui Miao and continued, “But there are three things about yourself that I think you’ll find interesting. First, the Liu Hongmei you thought was killed was not the real one—it was a manifestation created by this scholar. The real Liu Hongmei has been turned into a mentally disabled person, locked away in a mental hospital called Chenguang in Zhonghai City. Second, your grandfather actually knows nothing about the cultivation techniques of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements—it was all implanted into his mind by this scholar. Third, your encounter with the beautiful nurse at the hospital was also his doing. As for some other minor matters, I’ll leave them be. Brother, dawn is approaching—I must go now. Farewell!”
So it was all his doing?
Shui Miao’s mind reeled. Thinking quickly, he urgently asked, “Wait, Brother! I want to know why he used seduction to lure me?”
“Because you were too upright. He wanted to make you fall.”
Tuo Ba You Lang bowed to Shui Miao, then vanished in a flash.
…
Were Tuo Ba You Lang’s words true?
Shui Miao couldn’t be sure for a moment. After some contemplation, he immediately called Chen Meiling, asking her to check if Liu Hongmei was indeed in Chenguang Mental Hospital. The phone numbers of his loved ones were deeply etched in his memory. Chen Meiling had been asleep when she received the call, surprised and delighted, promising to investigate right away.
After hanging up, Shui Miao thought that today was a great day and deserved celebration. He immediately called his godfather Wang Yong, his grandfather, and also Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi, sharing the good news. Everyone was thrilled for him. Even Guo Jing arrived early in the morning. It had only been two days since they last met, but due to his good deeds and changed mindset, the dark aura on Guo Jing’s forehead had completely dissipated, replaced by brightness, indicating a bright future.
Everyone gathered in the shop to learn feng shui from Xiong Ying.
Even Zhang the Blind, Wang the Lame, and Sun the Taoist Priestess came. Everyone chatted happily—it was lively and joyous.
Shui Miao received a call from his sister Chen Meiling. Liu Hongmei was indeed in the mental hospital, having arrived as long as a year and a half ago. She even sent a photo of Liu Hongmei. Before Shui Miao could ask, Chen Meiling volunteered a strange piece of information: the beautiful nurse at the hospital, who had previously claimed to be pregnant, had suddenly vanished today. When they inquired at the hospital, they were told that there had never been such an employee.
Seeing the photo, Shui Miao felt a great weight lifted from his chest.
“Sis, it’s a long story. I’ll explain later. Right now, I’m going to Xingguo Temple with everyone to worship the Buddha. If you have time, bring Jiang Zhihao and fly over. I want to rebuild Xingguo Temple and celebrate in grand style!” Shui Miao, clear about gratitude and vengeance, felt he must repay Master Liao Chen’s kindness—failing to do so would make him unworthy of being human.
“Of course I have time!” Chen Meiling was delighted. “This is a huge celebration for our family! You can finally live a normal life and come back to help me. I’m definitely coming, and I’ll bring everyone with me to celebrate together. Wait for me at Xingguo Temple—I’ll notify everyone right away. We’ll be there in about three hours.”
“Great! Wonderful!”
A warm feeling surged through Shui Miao’s heart. He hung up and hurried with everyone to Xingguo Temple.
To his surprise, however, the three senior monks at Xingguo Temple refused to see him.
Even Hui Neng wouldn’t meet him.
Confused, Shui Miao approached Hui En to inquire.
Hui En replied indifferently, “A man without integrity—he promised Hui Neng to become a monk, yet now he breaks his word. Of course the master won’t see you. I suggest you leave and continue your carefree life.”
“…”
Shui Miao suddenly realized, recalling the promise he had made.
Shui Miao was not a man to break his word. Immediately, he declared his intention to find Master Liao Chen and become a monk right away.
Upon hearing this, Hui En quickly offered to take him to the meditation hall.
But at that moment, Hui Neng arrived with a smile. He invited Shui Miao to the reception hall to meet the three senior monks.
Upon entering the reception hall, Shui Miao immediately knelt before the master, offering to become a monk.
The three masters rushed forward to help him up. Master Liao Chen kindly said, “We refused to see you to test your sincerity. Now that your heart is in the right place, that is enough.”
“Master, how can this be right? I made a promise and should fulfill it,” Shui Miao insisted.
Master Liao Chen smiled gently and waved his hand. “Becoming a monk is not about formality. True cultivation lies in having the Buddha in your heart. Moreover, your worldly affairs are not yet resolved, so you needn’t be overly concerned with formalities.”
Hearing this, Abbot Liao Kong also chimed in, “Yes, yes. As long as the Buddha is in your heart, it doesn’t matter where you cultivate. Even if you became a monk today and spent your days ringing bells and reciting scriptures, if the Buddha is not in your heart, what’s the point? It’s better not to do such useless things.”
“Venerable Master, it’s better to wait until your worldly affairs are settled before becoming a monk. Unresolved matters will always be a burden. Rather than forcing yourself into monkhood out of obligation, it’s better to cultivate naturally in the secular world,” Master Liao Yuan also spoke.
Hui Neng also patted Shui Miao’s shoulder. “Listen to my master and uncles. As long as the Buddha is in your heart, that’s enough.”
“Then… alright!”
Shui Miao felt the masters’ words were indeed reasonable. Insisting too much would seem shallow and superficial.
After this incident, the tense atmosphere finally eased.
But Shui Miao’s mood was affected. He had wanted to celebrate, but after hearing the masters’ words, he suddenly felt too worldly—just a vulgar, ordinary person. Was there really so much to celebrate about being happy?
It was a strange feeling, indescribable and hard to explain.
Shui Miao felt as if life were a thin sheet of paper, now pierced through—it had lost its meaning. Everything seemed like fleeting clouds, empty and transient.
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