Sitting and forgetting longevity

Chapter 1960 Pure Awakening

Liu Qinghuan's main hall, Qingmu Hall, stands on the eastern side of Jiuzang Mountain, near the cliff top. Clouds gather above the eaves, waterfalls cascade between the rocks, bamboo shadows sway, and green trees are verdant, creating a tranquil and secluded atmosphere.

The disciples all knew that Liu Qinghuan disliked noise and didn't care about pomp and circumstance. Even when guests came to visit, he rarely had to personally receive them. And even when he did receive them, it was always at the main hall of the main mountain, the Jiuzang Hall.

The Green Wood Palace does not receive outsiders; only a few close friends like Yun Zheng are allowed to enter Liu Qinghuan's main hall.

This time, upon hearing the name of the person who was coming, he immediately instructed Yueyan to invite the person over.

It was early morning, and the morning light streamed into the room through the window lattice. Clear tea was boiling in the pot, and chrysanthemums were in full bloom under the eaves.

Before Liu Qinghuan even entered the guest hall, she saw a handsome young monk standing beside a bunch of chrysanthemums, carefully picking up a glistening dewdrop from a chrysanthemum petal.

"Pure Awareness!"

The little monk turned around, saw him, and gave him a clear, untainted smile.

"Brother Liu!"

The person who came was none other than Jingjue, whom I hadn't seen for many years. He was young then, and he still is now.

Time may not have left its mark on their faces, but it has deepened their bond; one is as deep and unyielding as a mountain, the other as calm and serene as the sea.

Upon their long-awaited reunion, Liu Qinghuan first looked Jingjue up and down, then couldn't help but smile happily:

"I was wondering where this enlightened monk came from, and why he calls himself a little monk. Is there such a thing as a little monk with such a Mahayana level of understanding? Only you, with your looks, are still the same as you were back then, hahaha!"

Jingjue made a gesture with one hand and said in a serious tone, "This humble monk has indeed not eaten properly these past few years, living on wind and dew and working under the moon and stars."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

"Where have you been all these years? I haven't heard a word from you!" Liu Qinghuan sighed. "I've almost forgotten when I last saw you. Was it when Qingming almost overlapped with the Demon Realm?"

"Is that so?" Jingjue tilted his head and thought for a moment, clearly not remembering it very clearly himself.

"Later, Yunzheng and I talked about you several times, and I even sent you a few messages, but you didn't reply. The last time I tried to send a message, it wouldn't go through. We all thought something bad had happened to you, and we were so heartbroken."

Jingjue lowered his head, embarrassed, and said, "Brother Liu, I didn't mean to not reply to your messages, it's just... well, it's a long story!"

"It's alright, I have plenty of time to listen. Speak slowly, and don't even think about leaving until you've explained yourself clearly!"

Liu Qinghuan pretended to be fierce and waved his sleeve, causing the tea stove and tea set in the hall to float out and land on the stone table next to the chrysanthemum garden.

"By the way, I've already sent a message to Yun Zheng. He should be arriving soon."

Jingjue immediately became a little nervous: "Ah! Okay!"

Liu Qinghuan sensed something was off: "What's wrong? Don't you want to see him?"

"No!" Jingjue quickly denied, then muttered under his breath, "He'll definitely scold me."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a voice came from outside the hall.

"I'm so angry! Where is that bald monk Yuna? He should come back! He hasn't shown up for so many years, I thought he had died in some remote corner!"

Yun Zheng strode over and, upon seeing Jing Jue, was initially delighted, but then put on a stern face and said, "Qing Huan, we are friends gathered here, how come there is someone I don't recognize?"

Jingjue looked to Liu Qinghuan for help, but Liu Qinghuan shrugged, indicating that he was powerless to help.

So he had no choice but to go up to him himself: "Brother Yun..." Yun Zheng snorted coldly: "Who are you? Don't try to get close to me!"

Jingjue knew he was in the wrong for not having heard from anyone for so many years, so he bowed and apologized repeatedly. After a while, Yunzheng finally looked at him properly.

"Tell us the truth, what have you been doing all these years? Why haven't you contacted us?"

Jingjue gave a bitter smile: "It's not that I don't want to contact you, but rather, I've been possessed..."

"What?!" Liu Qinghuan and Yun Zheng exclaimed in unison.

“It’s not exactly possession, no, it is possession, but the other party didn’t completely succeed.” Jingjue said, “I’ve been fighting with that guy for control of my body. Most of the time I can’t win against him. I can only take back my body occasionally when he is injured or relaxed.”

Yun Zheng asked with a solemn expression, "Who is that guy? Did you kill him...? Is he still inside your body?!"

"The primordial spirit of a ninth-level Mahayana demon cultivator. That person was originally a Buddhist cultivator, but later fell into demonic ways," Jingjue said, revealing a proud expression.

"However, he can't beat me now, so I used the Zen Sea Thunder Sound Demon Subduing Spell to lock him up..."

"Why lock him up? Just kill him!" Yun Zheng stood up with a murderous look on his face. "You can't kill him, can you? We're here, leave it to us!"

Liu Qinghuan quickly stopped him: "Don't rush! Let him finish speaking."

Then they asked Jingjue, "Do you have any concerns and need our help?"

Jingjue hesitated and said, "Actually, he's quite useful. He knows a lot of secrets and understands many things. Besides, I've absorbed most of his soul power, and now he can only barely survive. We don't need to kill him, right?"

"Put away your pointless compassion!" Yun Zheng said angrily. "He is weak now, who knows when he will retaliate? Do you want to keep such a hidden danger in your body? Do you want to live too long?"

Liu Qinghuan also said solemnly, "How can we allow someone else to snore beside our bed? We should get rid of him as soon as possible... Wait, he can't hear us now, can he?"

“I can’t hear you!” Jingjue said, “I’ve locked him in the deepest part of the Zen Sea.”

Liu Qinghuan found it hard to imagine how Jingjue, whose cultivation had not yet reached the Bodhisattva realm, could have withstood the possession of a late-stage Mahayana demonic cultivator.

The hardships and dangers involved are probably difficult to explain to outsiders. It's no wonder that Jingjue has been out of contact for many years. He may have been lying low for a long time before finally breaking free from the other party's control.

Under the firm stance of Liu Qinghuan and Yun Zheng, Jingjue didn't dare to express any hesitation and was directly taken to the quiet room where Liu Qinghuan was in seclusion.

However, destroying the possessed demonic cultivator's primordial spirit is not something that can be done overnight; some preparations must be made.

Yun Zheng began to inscribe a magic array on the ground, while asking Liu Qinghuan, "I heard you were going into seclusion, how come you've come out of seclusion again?"

Liu Qinghuan packed her things and shook her head, saying, "I've run into some problems. I feel like I can't figure them out by working behind closed doors. I need to get some fresh air."

Yun Zheng asked in confusion, "A difficult problem?"

"My cultivation level has improved too quickly, and my mental state can't keep up," Liu Qinghuan said. "Last time when I was undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation, I used some tricks to succeed, which left some hidden dangers."

Yun Zheng said "Oh": "Then I can't help you. Among the three of us, you have the highest cultivation level. We haven't even touched the problem you're facing yet."

Then he called to Jingjue, who was curiously looking around, "Are you ready? Come and sit in the center of the formation."

So Jingjue walked over, and Liu Qinghuan also sat down in the spot designated by Yun Zheng, slowly releasing her divine sense.

"let's start!"