Me and countless me.

Chapter 515 The Wild Kumārajīva Appears 6.5k
A wild Ash appears!

Li Ke recognized the person at first glance: Kumārajīva, the Tibetan national teacher, a rare master in the world, whose number of people who could defeat him was basically no more than ten.

Obsessed with martial arts, he would even resort to deception and fraud to obtain profound martial arts manuals, disregarding the dignity of the imperial advisor. However, from his first appearance to his last, he never managed to kill a single person, making him quite an interesting character.

However, judging from the way the other party was holding Duan Yu, Li Ke knew that Kumārajīva had probably captured Duan Yu for the sake of his family's One-Finger Divine Skill and the advanced Six-Meridian Divine Sword. After all, although the Duan family had experts, Duan Yu, who was a noble but unskilled person who did not learn martial arts, was indeed suitable as a hostage for coercion.

Moreover, the Dali Duan family established their state through martial arts and were also well-versed in Buddhism. Duan Yu claimed that he, as the sole heir of the Dali Duan family, did not know the family's martial arts... Honestly, who would believe such a thing?
Kumārajīva's decision to capture Duan Yu and interrogate him for the martial arts manuals of the Dali Duan family was, strictly speaking, a well-thought-out plan, which fully demonstrates that Master Kumārajīva was indeed intelligent.

but……

There's only one question.

Duan Yu really doesn't know martial arts!

Just as Li Ke was thinking this, Kumārajīva spoke up.

“Young Master Duan, please don’t try to deceive this humble monk. You are the heir of the Dali Duan family, well-versed in Buddhism and the Book of Changes, and often meditate and seek enlightenment at Tianlong Temple. How could you possibly be ignorant of martial arts? I know that the internal energy cultivation method of your Dali Duan family is unique, but I have been entrusted by my old friend Murong Bo to burn the Six Meridians Divine Sword Manual in front of his grave. If you remain obstinate, I will have no choice but to burn you to death in front of Murong Bo’s tomb.”

When Kumārajīva spoke, he stared intently at Duan Yu, not believing a single word Duan Yu uttered!

Duan Yu was about to cry, but at that moment, he was suddenly startled and sensed a familiar and warm feeling. He subconsciously turned his head and saw Li Ke standing on a small boat, looking at him with a helpless expression.

Duan Yu felt much relieved and quickly looked at Kumārajīva.

"Master Kumārajīva, my friend has arrived! He is a peerless martial artist, capable of killing three of the Four Evils in an instant, and he hates evil as if it were his enemy. If you value your life, release me quickly so that my friend can spare your life!"

He had an instinctive admiration and trust for Li Ke, which he himself did not know why. Kumārajīva chuckled and stretched out his hand, pointing a thumbs up at himself.

"Young Master Duan is joking. Putting aside the fact that we are nearly thirty feet apart, even if he were on this ship, I would be able to capture you before he can make a move. After all, I am recognized as the fastest and strongest in Tibet. I can even boast that there are no more than ten people in the world who can defeat me!"

After saying this, he revealed a profound and unfathomable smile, exuding the air of a high monk. However, in the eyes of Li Ke and Duan Yu, this high monk was utterly devoid of the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. Li Ke, in particular, had read many of Tang Monk Li Ke's memories, so he had a strange sense of unease towards Tibetan monks and monks who possessed all three poisons.

Moreover, he was, after all, Duan Yu's friend. Although he had accidentally stolen the Northern Darkness Divine Skill from Duan Yu, Duan Yu had treated him with sincerity and was in danger. So Li Ke didn't think much of it and lightly touched the stern with his toes. The next moment, the small boat quickly headed towards where Kumārajīva was!

As the wind blew, the lotus flowers swayed, and Li Ke's white robe with gold patterns moved without wind. Moreover, since he was dealing with a Buddhist like Kumārajīva, Li Ke simply removed his crown and let his hair down. He quickly transformed his internal energy and no longer used the Star River Martial Arts Manual to fight, but instead adopted some of the tricks of Tang Sanzang Li Ke.

Then, looking at the monk who was obsessed with martial arts and stubbornly refused to see the truth, he began to recite aloud.

"Gazing at the mirror, I vainly pray for a hundred flowers to bloom; I invite the moon to my pavilion by the water; beneath the novice monk's tree, only fallen leaves remain; I worship Buddha, yet long for incense offerings. Great monk! Why don't you come and see if my martial arts are worthy of a draw with yours!"

The moment he finished speaking, Li Ke leaped into the air, his toes lightly touching an unopened lotus bud. As his true energy surged, the lotus suddenly bloomed the instant he took flight. Countless petals of the surrounding lotuses scattered as Li Ke leaped, and the holy energy transformed from the cracks flew away with them!
Kumārajīva's eyes widened instantly as he looked at Li Ke, who was flying towards him with seemingly lotus-like steps. However, he felt no joy at witnessing the wondrous sight described in Buddhist scriptures, nor did he ponder the words Li Ke was reciting. Instead, he laughed loudly, stood on the small boat, and activated the internal energy required to be without thought or intention, to transform the mind into all things. His eyes, however, were filled with greed for Li Ke's martial arts skills!

"Young benefactor! I see that your skills are also destined for Buddhism! Let me see how I can guide you!"

Without hesitation, Kumārajīva waved his sleeve, and almost instantly, he unleashed the Shaolin Temple's ultimate technique, the Flaming Blade. His unparalleled internal strength and profound moves instantly drew several streaks of fiery energy, each over ten feet long, in the air, sweeping towards Li Ke!

The flames surged skyward, and even before they reached Li Ke, he felt a scorching heat. The lotus petals floating around him even began to turn black, making him realize that the martial arts of the world's top masters were indeed stronger than he had imagined.

So he directly pressed out the Buddhist meditation mudra, then changed it into a sword finger, pinched the lotus petal beside him, and then flicked it with his finger.

"go with!"

Lotus petals flew out, passing three feet around Li Ke. The energy on them spun continuously, transforming into misty water vapor that enveloped the lotus petals. When it reached the front of the fiery blade energy, it had already become a sweeping force, pouring down on Kumārajīva!
Kumārajīva was greatly alarmed and couldn't help but shout out loud.

"The 'flower-plucking finger' technique?! No! This isn't the 'flower-plucking finger' technique!"

He circulated his inner energy, wanting to release a few more fiery sword energies, but as soon as he gathered his strength, the fiery sword energy collided with the lotus petals. The lotus petals shattered the scorching sword energy as easily as destroying dry branches, and rushed straight towards his forehead!

"Good work!"

Kumārajīva had no intention of dodging. Without hesitation, he pinched his fingers and made the same flower-picking motion, reaching out to pinch the lotus petals!
But as soon as he got his hands on it, his expression changed even more drastically. This was because there was an extremely powerful spiraling force hidden on the lotus petals. The moment he pinched them, he felt as if his fingers were about to be twisted and broken by this force. However, he was unwilling to lose face, so in an instant, he transformed his power and forcibly turned the Flower-Picking Finger into the Formless Calamity Finger!
The Formless Finger Technique is a pure Yang finger technique, extremely hot. So he gritted his teeth and used his internal force to forcefully penetrate the energy on the lotus, attaching his scorching true energy to it. In an instant, he ignited the lotus petals, causing the energy on them to lose its support and dissipate into nothingness.

Then, he clasped his hands together, gathered the withered lotus petals in his palms, and casually twisted them into ashes. He then spread his hands to let the ashes fly away in the wind, and looked at Li Ke, who was already standing on a lotus flower, with a solemn and dignified posture, his face full of pride.

In his view, no matter how old Li Ke was, he was only in his early twenties. Even if he had practiced martial arts in the womb, his internal strength could not possibly surpass his own. Moreover, Li Ke's attack was powerful and must have consumed a lot of his internal energy. Although he had consumed a lot of energy, he still had a solid foundation. Therefore, Li Ke was definitely no match for him!
So Kumārajīva suppressed the internal injuries he had suffered from changing his moves and looked at Li Ke in a somewhat low voice.

"Bodhi has no tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand... It seems that your understanding of Buddhism is not as profound as mine. So why don't you study the Dharma with me? In this way, I can give you some pointers and even teach you the profound Buddhist martial art, the Formless Calamity."

He stared greedily at Li Ke, imagining himself as graceful as Li Ke, with lotus petals fluttering around him, able to use such elegant and refined hidden weapon techniques simply by grasping lotus petals. Wouldn't he be hailed as a high monk wherever he went?!
Such profound martial arts skills are meant for a high-ranking monk like him!

Li Ke couldn't help but laugh. This Kumārajīva was so deeply entrenched in the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance that Li Ke couldn't help but think he was a remarkable person.

So he smiled and raised his palm.

“Then, great monk, take another palm strike from me. After this strike, regardless of who wins or loses, I will give you this secret manual.”

Li Ke casually waved the book in front of Kumārajīva from his bosom before realizing he had taken the wrong book!

He originally intended to grab any account book to fool Kumārajīva, but he accidentally picked up the "Pink Lotus" that Kumārajīva had placed next to the Northern Darkness Divine Art. This book was not the martial arts manual that Kumārajīva liked to read, but rather the kind of martial arts manual that Duan Yu would like to read!
But it was too late to change the book at this point, because Kumārajīva only saw the words "lotus" and recalled the way lotus petals danced as Li Ke leaped, and his fighting spirit was soared!
"Is what you say true, benefactor?!"

Before he could finish speaking, he completely forgot that he couldn't swim at all. He suddenly stepped on the small boat, almost pushing it into the lake, causing Duan Yu to scream in terror.

"Big monk, be careful! I can't swim!"

The moment Kumārajīva leaped up, he subconsciously answered Duan Yu.

"Don't worry, I won't! I won't capsize the boat."

The moment these words were spoken, Kumārajīva's expression changed drastically, because he knew that his subconscious act of telling the truth had exposed his greatest weakness at this moment. However, the arrow was already on the string and had to be released, so he could only exert all his strength, gather his power in his palms, and strike at Li Ke!

However, although this move seemed to be a full-force attack with both palms, Li Ke clearly saw that Kumārajīva's one hand was clenched loosely, indicating that he had a follow-up move. Therefore, he did not directly resist, but hurriedly concealed the 'secret manual' in his hand, because this secret manual really could not be exposed here, otherwise his reputation as a minor duke would be ruined due to a mistake.

But Kumārajīva didn't give Li Ke a chance at all, and in an instant he was already in front of Li Ke!
"Prajna Palm!!"

He roared, and his powerful palm strike forced Li Ke to raise his hand to defend himself, otherwise he would have been knocked into the water by the big monk.

The moment their palms clashed, Li Ke knew something was wrong, because Kumārajīva's palm strike contained no internal energy; it had received almost all of Kumārajīva's power directly. But at the same time, Kumārajīva's other hand unleashed its full power, using the Shaolin Temple's ultimate technique, the Dragon Claw Hand, to seize the Pink Lotus from Li Ke's hand!
In order to prevent the book from being torn apart and its contents from being exposed to the light of day, Li Ke had no choice but to let go. When Kumārajīva saw that Li Ke wanted to hide it, but was reluctant to tear it apart when he was about to do so, he became more and more convinced that this was the real martial arts manual!

Therefore, Kumārajīva no longer held back and used all his power to seize the prize! As a result, his unguarded body was directly struck by Li Ke's palm and sent flying backward.

The instant the palm struck his chest, Kumārajīva seemed to see the Buddha shaking his head at him, followed by a piercing pain throughout his body.

The powerful palm strike nearly made him vomit blood, but Kumārajīva endured it with his strong willpower and managed not to cough up blood on the spot.

However, in order to avoid falling directly into the water, he had to exert his inner strength and continuously tread on the water's surface with his feet, demonstrating a remarkably high level of lightness skill. He also continuously released the true energy from Li Ke's palms into the lake to reduce the damage he would suffer.

However, he couldn't control his body at all and crashed directly into his own small boat, splitting it in two and almost sending Duan Yu flying as well.

So Kumārajīva used all his wisdom to survive: his own lightness skill, combined with the true energy he continuously released from Li Ke, forced the great monk, who did not know how to fly on water, to be sent flying hundreds of feet away by Li Ke, just like skipping stones on water! But what impressed Li Ke was that even after being beaten like this, Kumārajīva still maintained the demeanor of a high monk, looking as if he himself was flying backwards and crossing water.

So when Li Ke saw that the other party was so persistent, he lost the idea of ​​pursuing him, because Duan Yu was really about to sink to the bottom.

As for the books that they didn't want taken away before...

It doesn't matter if they're all taken away. Whether it's Kumārajīva framing him or him playing a trick on Kumārajīva, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that it's not made public. Otherwise, with Kumārajīva's big mouth, Li Ke's lifelong reputation would be ruined. It's just a pity about that treasured copy of the book and his own annotations.

"When someone can act so pretentiously, it's truly a skill that ordinary people have to admire."

With a sigh of admiration, Li Ke leaped forward and pulled Duan Yu out of the lake. At that moment, Kumārajīva finally flew to the shore. Looking at the manual in his hand, which was inscribed with the words "Lotus," he couldn't help but laugh out loud with his bloodied mouth. However, his blood rushed to his head, and he almost couldn't suppress his internal injuries and vomited blood.

But when he looked at Li Ke, who was a hundred feet away, he still used his inner strength and shouted loudly.

"Hahaha! Your martial arts are indeed extraordinary! There are few in the world who can fight me to a draw. Let's end it here for today. I hope to have the opportunity to compete with you again in the future!"

After saying that, Kumārajīva laughed and left without any hesitation. Li Ke watched his somewhat unsteady figure, thought for a moment, and then looked down at Duan Yu.

"Speaking of which, he said he came to find his friend Murong Bo, but I remember the Murong family is in Dongting Lake, right? Why are you in Taihu Lake?"

He hadn't thought of this before, but seeing Kumārajīva's ecstatic, staggering figure, he couldn't help but ask.

Duan Yu, who was soaking wet, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I was captured by this big monk and felt there was no way I could escape. So I thought it would be better to die in front of a beautiful woman than in front of an old man. In addition, I heard that Madam Wang of Mantuo Manor and her daughter are exactly the same, both of them are rare beauties. So I lied to him that only Murong Fu knew about Murong Bo's tomb, and that Murong Fu was in Mantuo Manor because he wanted the Wang family's martial arts secrets."

Li Ke paused for a moment, then asked incredulously.

"So he believed it?"

Duan Yu scratched his head sheepishly, then spoke with a hint of pride.

“At first I didn’t believe it, but I swore to Buddha that if I had told even the slightest lie, every woman I loved would become my younger sister, and then he believed me.”

Li Ke: "..."

"You truly live up to your reputation as Brother Duan, and you are indeed the son raised by Prince Duan."

He couldn't help but cup his hands in respect, then looked towards the distant Kumārajīva, whose figure had already disappeared from sight. He silently prayed for the master, after all, Kumārajīva had practically left the gate wide open to snatch the book, and he had almost been killed on the spot. It would be fine for him to read the book after he recovered, but if he were to eagerly read that 'secret manual' in this state...

"I hope the master is alright."

Thinking of this, Li Ke couldn't help but clasp his hands together and pray for the master. Duan Yu, on the other hand, looked towards the Mantuo Manor not far away and spoke impatiently.

"Brother Li, thank you so much for saving me. Once we get ashore, I'll write a letter and have my father and uncle prepare a generous gift to send to your residence along with the last one as a token of my gratitude... But for now, how about we go to Mantuo Manor together?"

But halfway through his sentence, Duan Yu, who had been sincerely thanking him, looked at his disheveled appearance, immediately shook his head, interrupted himself, and spoke dejectedly.

"...No, absolutely not! I'm in such a sorry state right now. What if I offend the beauty? If that happens, I'm afraid even nine deaths wouldn't be enough to atone for my sins!"

He patted his body in frustration, looking extremely regretful, which made Li Ke want to slap him to bring him to his senses.

So Li Ke simply slapped Duan Yu, using his internal energy to dry the clothes on his body, making him smile with delight.

Duan Yu looked at his clothes, which were completely dry, and couldn't help but praise Li Ke.

"Brother Li, practicing martial arts really does have its benefits. If my father and uncles had told me that internal energy could also help me quickly tidy my clothes and avoid being impolite in front of others, I would definitely want to learn martial arts! But, Brother Li, how long does it take to master this skill?"

Duan Yu paused again, a conflicted look on his face, before finally speaking after a long while.

"But isn't this a bit insincere? The Wang family mother and daughter are said to have celestial beauty, like goddesses. Although I have Brother Li's help to avoid being impolite, isn't this a bit lacking in sincerity? Now that I'm out of danger, shouldn't I burn incense, bathe, and fast for three days before I'm qualified to see that goddess-like woman?"

He was deeply worried, which left Li Ke dumbfounded. There were countless sycophants in the world, but he had never seen one as sincere as Duan Yu!
However, after thinking about Duan Yu's extensive harem in the original novel, a question involuntarily arose in Li Ke's mind.

What kind of simp is Duan Yu?

Li Ke was completely baffled, and Duan Yu also requested to burn incense and bathe, fasting for three days. So Li Ke could only send him to a temple. Fortunately, Duan Yu had plenty of money and didn't lack good rooms or stationery, so Li Ke went with him and headed to Mantuo Manor alone.

And at the same time——

Kumārajīva, who was rushing through the grove, suddenly stopped and uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood sizzled and burned as it hit the ground, even leaving a lotus flower mark on the ground.

Kumārajīva knew that this was because Li Ke's true energy had invaded his heart meridian. If he did not heal quickly, he might die on the spot. This was also the price he paid for wanting to take the secret manual from Li Ke.

However, Kumārajīva did not care at all. Instead, he was overjoyed. He slowly knelt down, leaning against a big tree, but looked at the scripture in his hand with the words 'lotus' written on it.

The scripture clearly showed signs of frequent handling, and annotations could be faintly seen when held in the hand. Therefore, Kumārajīva concluded that this was a book that Li Ke frequently consulted and could not possibly be a forgery!

"Hahaha! Such a divine skill has fallen into my hands so easily! This divine skill is indeed destined for Buddha!"

Overjoyed, he disregarded his fatal injury and immediately unfolded the scripture. Upon seeing the four large characters "Pink Lotus" on it, he nodded despite some doubt.

"Yes, the lotus is pink, so this name is truly fitting..."

He immediately opened the book of divine skills, but the moment he opened it, Kumārajīva's expression changed!

The scripture was covered with vividly drawn, alluring patterns, accompanied by a variety of obscene words, which caused Kumārajīva to cough up a mouthful of blood.

However, he forced himself to reach out and catch his own blood, preventing it from staining the divine manual in his heart. He also stabilized his heart meridian, preventing it from rupturing under his rage, and muttered to himself.

"Indeed, after all, this is a Buddhist martial art, and one must be able to understand the Zen meaning behind the White Bone Beauty. Ha, as the National Preceptor of Tibet, how could I not understand this Zen meaning?! The people of the Central Plains have truly underestimated the heroes of the world!"

Kumārajīva remained remarkably calm, and with blood still in his mouth, he carefully examined Li Ke's annotations.

"This pose isn't very good; it requires a woman with a flexible body, and the drawing skills are mediocre..."

"This pose is worth referencing, but the drawing skills are still quite average."

"This perspective is completely wrong. How could a human hand be bent like that?"

"Yes, the spirit of the painting is quite good, but the painting skills are terrible."

…………

These words disturbed Kumārajīva so much that he almost went mad. But he still tried hard to find the hidden meaning in these words. He even held the scripture high and faced the sun, ignoring the stares of passersby, but he still couldn't find a single word!

But at that very moment, a passing scholar read the book and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Isn't this Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng's latest work?! How dare you, you lewd monk, read such a book in broad daylight!"

Upon hearing this, Kumārajīva immediately bought the scholar's clothes for Qian Qiang, and then, with bloodshot eyes, opened the scholar's book basket.

Then he saw another copy of "The Pink Lotus"!
It can only be said that the high monk is indeed a high monk. Even though Kumārajīva was furious, he remained still for half an hour without getting angry, demonstrating his profound composure.

Just a quarter of an hour later, Kumārajīva suddenly raised his head, and blood gushed out as if a fountain had sprung from his mouth, reaching a height of three zhang!

(End of this chapter)