A woman draped in white robes, with a white serpent coiled around a white Hu, possessed skin as fair as snow. Such a divine being emerged from the Ghost Gate of Xiangfan. Xu Fengnian reined his stallion, lowering its head with a long neigh, its hooves pounding the earth. Not only the steed, but the entire horse caravan reacted similarly.
The young kui dragons beneath Xu Fengnian’s feet bristled their scales, glowing a deep red, their faces twisted in grimaces, seemingly sensing impure and malevolent forces.
Xu Fengnian cast his gaze outward. The figure on the drawbridge was neither clearly celestial nor human. As she approached, the moat surrounding the city, devoid of any sign of disturbance, suddenly surged with violent waves, boiling and churning as if armies had marched through.
Old Sword Sage Li Chungan, for the first time since leaving Liangzhou, revealed a grave expression. He lightly stepped forward, soaring to stand before Xu Fengnian and Jiang Ni, leading the defense at the end of the drawbridge, confronting the woman in fierce opposition, staring at one another across the distance.
The Goddess of Mercy in white continued forward, reaching the center of the bridge. The old sword saint raised his solitary arm, drawing a dagger talisman. In mutual defiance, no movement was apparent upon the bridge where she stood, yet the water beneath erupted violently, distorting the reflected image of the scene. All became blurred except for the solitary, undistorted silhouette of the Goddess of Mercy.
Xu Fengnian finally glimpsed the divine beauty hidden behind a thousand snow-capped mountains. Surprised and awestruck, the image of a woman from a painting appeared before him. He realized who she was.
Once upon a time, a red-robed monk named Longshou, claiming to come from the Lantuo Mountains, had said he would take Xu Fengnian to the Western Regions. The monk, offering a gesture of Buddhist wisdom rather than violence, had piqued Xu Fengnian’s curiosity. He had specifically ascended to the Tingchao Pavilion to study secret scriptures. The female bodhisattva before him, ranked third in the ranking of Buddhist figures, was the revered teacher of the Red Sect Tantrism, bearing titles such as the Great Compassionate Dharma King, Bodhisattva of the Next Incarnation, and Six-Pearl Guru.
Xu Fengnian had presumed this woman, now into her forties, might no longer be youthful or pure despite any preservation of her beauty. Yet now, aside from her unusual height, her visage mirrored that of a twenty-year-old. Her eyes and brows expressed compassion, and a red mark naturally adorned her forehead.
Xu Fengnian thought if he had known such a dazzling Dharma Queen from the Lantuo Mountains existed, he should have haggled a little— dual cultivation? No problem, so long as the Guru agreed to leave the Western Regions. The lands of Liangzhou offered far more comfort than that impoverished west, and with the wealth of prince, surely a lavish bed would suffice.
Such a vulgar fancy vanished quickly. Composing himself, Xu Fengnian stood beside Li Chungan, quietly asking, “This is the Dharma Queen of Lantuo Mountain, known as the Six-Pearl Bodhisattva, said to embody multiple manifestations like the masters Avalokiteśvara, Padmasambhava, and the Wrathful Vajra. Can we take her?”
The old sword saint, holding the talisman in his lone arm, smiled cheerfully. One might mistake him for some lecherous elder blocking the way to flirt, if not knowing the identity of the Sheepskin-Robed Old Man. Li Chungan exhaled, his profound ability to manifest intention as tangible power, expelling a visible green aura from his mouth that wrapped the priceless talisman, glowing magnificently beneath the night sky.
Softly, he said, “The monks of Lantuo Mountain are said to be immortal. Once upon a time, the Red-armored Spirit and a fellow wielding a vajra battled for three days and nights, neither managing to slay the other. The Diamond Stage among the First Class cultivators originated from the Buddhist school. I’d like to see whether this so-called Indestructible Diamond Body is truly invincible. Still, challenging a younger female cultivator in a sword match, victory would hardly be honorable.”
Xu Fengnian, always the troublemaker, remarked slyly, “The old sword saint merely wielded a dagger, which already counts as holding back strength. This isn’t bullying the younger generation.”
With a squinting glance at the prince, who sought no resolution but rather relished in observing the ensuing spectacle, the old man smirked but did not care. People usually fail in sword cultivation because they can’t cut through myriad arts with a single strike. In duels, with fears and doubts, they ultimately lose touch with the essence of swordsmanship, never grasping the single-minded determination required for mastery. Li Chungan had never cared about Xu Fengnian’s petty scheming, and on their journey from Beiliang to Qingzhou, and then to Xiangfan, he had been watching this prince who seemed splendid on the surface.
The conclusion he reached was that this boy possessed notable martial talent and an unyielding nature close to indifference, though he had indeed started martial training later than ideal. Otherwise, before reaching thirty, he might well have rivaled Caoguanzi and others.
As this White-Robed Guanyin took another step forward, Li Chungan was ready to release his Azure Dragon in the sleeve. Yet one crucial step short, she halted on the drawbridge not facing the potential adversary, the old sword saint, but gazing toward Xu Fengnian, who was slowly retreating.
She lifted her hand.
Li Chungan’s talisman, named Sword Gang, darted like a green snake, with its aura spewing like a serpent’s flickering tongue, a gush of green energy encircling his lone arm.
However, this female Dharma Queen, born of the royal blood of Central India, simply raised her hand, lifting her Hu, removing the cork, and taking a sip of wine. The wine aroma dissipated against the sword saint’s aura, resulting in a fragrant Miman across the entire drawbridge, while the small white serpent coiled around her jade-like arm presented an eerie spectacle.
This Six-Pearl Bodhisattva cast a gentle gaze upon Xu Fengnian.
With but that singular glance, the Great Huangting force within Xu Fengnian surged like tides, and inexplicably, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Those behind him gasped in shock, hastening to intervene until Xu Fengnian waved them back. After spitting out blood, rather than feeling oppressed, his chest felt refreshed, as though he had advanced from the second to the third layer.
Another few glances, wouldn’t that fully integrate the Great Huangting within him?
Sure enough, she gazed once again. As Xu Fengnian stood wide-eyed in astonishment, Old Sword Sage furrowed his brow and exclaimed sharply, a streak of green sword aura appearing on the bridge, seemingly severing invisible strands of energy. He angrily addressed Xu Fengnian, “You reckless kid, you think just because she gave you a little sweetness, she’s truly the compassionate Bodhisattva? Be cautious, or you won’t even understand how you met your end!”
The White-Robed Guanyinlightly shook her head, stowed her Hu, and silently proceeded.
“Kid, you and the girl retreat,” Old Sword Sage said before stomping his foot. Dust erupted with the sole of his foot at the center, ripples spreading with deafening sound waves. Xu Fengnian grabbed Jiang Ni and retreated backward.
The female Dharma Queen, clad in spotless white robes, ignored the invisible sword aura emitted by the Old Sword Sage with each of her barefoot steps.
Just as the sword aura was about to strike, a red-robed monk appeared between the old swordsaint and the White-Robed Guanyin, his expression dull, barely managing to block the undulating sword force. The monk’s robes fluttered, his figure unwavering.
Xu Fengnian couldn’t help but sigh quietly. The monk Longshou, who had once said he could wait thirty-one years, had appeared. If it had merely been the Six-Pearl Bodhisattva, Xu Fengnian believed that with Li Chungan’s strength, combined with the escorts behind him who were all at the second tier or above, though they might not be able to kill her, they could have restrained the Guan Yinfrom Lantuo Mountain. The red-robed monk had not yet reached the first tier, but in the current delicate situation, he had become the greatest variable. Furthermore, Xu Fengnian bore no ill will toward the great monk. He had always held respect for enlightened monks. A real life-or-death duel, regardless of victory or defeat, would not be a pleasant affair.
The red-robed monk joined his palms and bowed his head, saying, “My master’s appearance in the human realm bears no intent of challenge. Young Prince, please do not take offense. This time my master leaves Xiangfan to deliver the souls of ten thousand vicious ghosts, thereby building boundless merit for the Prince.”
Xu Fengnian found these words absurd, yet he believed them without a doubt. Both the Buddhist and Daoist sects had covert records mentioning ten thousand evil ghosts in Xiangfan City, devoured by their families and filled with resentment so intense that even the thirty-six thousand five hundred circumambulations of the great Daoist rites could not dispel. Thus, the two sects made an unrecorded bet a century ago: whoever won would be allowed into Xiangfan, while the loser would leave and not return for a hundred years. If the Longhu Mountain prevailed, the monks of the Liangshan Temple and Lantuo Mountain would not be allowed to set foot in Xiangfan; conversely, the Daoists of Longhu Mountain would withdraw the cosmic rites, vacate the major and minor Daoist temples, and be prohibited from preaching their scriptures within the city.
The disputes among the three religions and sects often resemble childish squabbles—illogical and incomprehensible.
Jiang Ni murmured, “She is truly beautiful, like the Goddess of Mercy herself.”
Xu Fengnian smiled bitterly, “Guanyin, observing the voices of beings throughout the world. Commoners who hear her voice can attain salvation.”
The Guan Yinviewed by the little girl first passed Li Chungan at the bridgehead.
Then she passed the Prince with a light opening of her voice, “I am Guanyin, perceiving the world, though you are not at ease. You are unworthy of dual cultivation.”
Xu Fengnian, for reasons unknown, smiled and replied, “Since I am not at ease, may I ask the Bodhisattva to grant me ease?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage