Embers of Sword

Chapter 323: Disaster
"Fanyin Temple... is indeed very sincere."

Before climbing to the top of the Golden Body Pagoda today, Xie Xuanyi originally thought that Miao Zhen's status in Buddhism was similar to that of the "law enforcer" of Jin'ao Peak.

But now it seems that I was wrong.

Miaozhen is definitely not just a martial monk who simply controls life and death.

Everything this guy did was very purposeful. He knew very well that Buddhism was in a dilemma, and if he wanted to solve this dilemma, he needed to seek a sufficiently powerful external force...On Da Chu's side, the only ones who could help Buddhism were the Dao Sect and the Dasui Sword Palace.

Other sects and families are either not strong enough or have too close ties with the Da Chu royal family.

Hence, this meeting took place.

Miaozhen wanted to win herself over.

And it can be said that... he has succeeded.

"Thank you, sir. If you have other conditions, you can also propose them."

Miao Zhen smiled and said, "Let's put it this way. These requirements will not be counted in the agreement for the Golden Body Tower competition."

"I do have one request."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly: "But before making this request, let me make it clear in advance... Even if you and I form an alliance, it is only a personal union. My standing on your side does not mean that the Dasui Sword Palace is on your side."

"That's the truth."

Miao Zhen's expression remained unchanged: "If there are really difficult problems in the future, Mr. Xie may not be able to take action due to his position, so you can just sit back and watch. We are in the same boat, and what matters is to put yourself in others' shoes."

Miaozhen is a truly smart person.

This alone is enough to ensure that Xie Xuanyi will not make enemies with Buddhism.

"I can accompany the Fanyin Temple delegation on their journey eastward until they return to Dali."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly: "But... I want to charge a certain amount of compensation."

"Oh?"

Miaozhen looked a little confused.

"If there is any luck left over from the Golden Body Pagoda today after refining the Buddha's bones, then all of it will belong to me."

Xie Xuanyi raised his head and looked at the large wreckage covered in gold and blood.

Miao Zhen smiled helplessly and said, "What if all of it is refined and nothing is left?"

"That's fate, it should be so."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "I am not a good person. Since I have chosen to help, I have to take some compensation. To be honest, before the Fanyin Temple delegation sailed west, I promised Chen Jingxuan that I would accompany you on a trip east. Even if the agreement cannot be reached today, we still have to go this time."

Since the other party is willing to tell the truth, he is also willing to be honest.

Miaozhen knew that this condition was actually quite kind.

Xie Xuanyi had contributed a lot to the good fortune that the Great Pudu Temple had absorbed in the past few days. The latter had made the request semi-helpfully, so there was no reason for him not to accept it.

"it is good."

Miao Zhen sighed and said sincerely: "Thank you, benefactor. If all my luck is used up, it will be considered that Buddhism owes you a favor."

Xie Xuanyi waved his hand.

Very well, that's it, the deal is done.

Now he and Buddhism... at least Miaozhen, are allies standing on the same front.

Today’s visit to the Great Pudu Temple was not in vain.

Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly thought of something.

Xie Xuanyi suddenly spoke in a serious tone: "How is the old monk named 'Fa Li'?"

……

……

"He is blind."

The holy light of the Buddha's barrier swayed at the sky, like a golden sea.

The rain on Hongshan Mountain gradually subsided, and long, intricate threads of rain struck the ground, making crisp and loud rain sounds... After waiting for a long time on the top of the mountain, the crowd did not wait for Xie Zhen who left the Golden Body Pagoda, but received an "invitation" from the monks of the Fanyin Temple delegation.

The monk invited everyone to rest halfway up the mountain, hide from the rain, make tea, chat, and wait slowly.

Miyun led everyone down the mountain.

Today, the trial of the Great Pudu Temple has ended, and the soul sound of the "Fanyin Forest" has dissipated. Without the blessing of the Buddha, this bamboo forest is just a unique landscape. However, at the end of the long pavilion corridor, everyone found an old monk with blood-stained clothes, sitting alone in meditation.

Someone recognized the old monk's identity at a glance.

"Master Fali!"

"Master Fali... why did you bleed so much?"

"What happened to his eyes?!"

For a while, there was a lot of discussion.

The red mountain bamboo leaves swayed, the wind rustled, the old monk closed his eyes, the blood on his cheeks that had not been wiped had already scabbed over, and the whole person looked like a solidified stone sculpture.

Miyun, who was standing in front of the crowd, looked at the old monk with a complicated expression and said the first sentence.

"He is blind."

These three simple words instantly plunged the entire Hongshan into silence.

Everyone looked at each other, feeling terrified when they thought about it.

Master Fali practiced in the Great Pudu Temple for a long time and entered the Yin God Realm very early... Buddhist practitioners have always been humble. The Great Pudu Temple announced to the outside world that Fali's practice aptitude was not high and his practice speed was very slow. He was not considered a strong man in the Yin God Realm, but he was a Yin God who had practiced for many years after all. Even if he was only in the initial stage, he could not be harmed by the cultivators in the Dongtian Realm.

How did this master become blind?

If you look closely, you will find that the floor of the corridor is covered with bloodstains.

The blood has not yet solidified, and is still emitting scalding heat and... sword intent.

"Isn't it from the main trunk of the hill?"

When Duan Zhao saw this scene, he felt a chill in his heart and an ominous premonition surged in his mind.

He couldn't help but whisper to Deng Baiyi: "It is said that Miao Zhen Buddha can kill Yin God in the cave... I think the little mountain master can do it too..."

"I believe it too."

Deng Baiyi's expression was somewhat complicated.

"How about we retreat first?"

Duan Zhao scratched his head. "What if it was really the Little Mountain Master who did it...will the Buddhist sect let us go? If a fight breaks out, the Little Mountain Master will most likely run away, but what about the two of us?"

"Exit."

Deng Baiyi cursed subconsciously: "If Xie Zhen wants to run away, can he not take you with him?"

"can."

Duan Zhao said in a sad and angry tone, "That's what he did last time."

Deng Baiyi was speechless for a moment.

Because she realized that Duan Zhao was right.

And the so-called last time... seemed to be just a while ago.

"The Golden Body Tower has been closed for such a long time, and there is no movement. How can this be achieved with just one sword?" Duan Zhao thought more and more that something was wrong. "The little mountain master's sword is so fast. In this time, he must have used up all 10,000 swords... If Fa Li's eyes were blinded by the little mountain master, then when these two meet, what else can they do except fight? They can't be in there talking about love, right?"

"..."

Deng Baiyi was silent for a while.

She shook her head and said calmly, "Look carefully. Although Fali is blind... he is not angry."

After hearing this, Duan Zhao was stunned for a moment.

"It is difficult to completely conceal a person's emotions."

Deng Baiyi narrowed his eyes and slowly transmitted his voice, "Some people can hide their emotions without showing them. But Fali's emotions at the moment are obviously not in the state of 'anger'... He did not hide his emotions. Although his eyes were bleeding, he was very calm and did not even wipe the blood off his cheeks. Isn't this very strange?"

“…This is indeed very strange.”

After hearing this, Duan Zhao calmed down.

He observed Fali carefully and found that the old monk was as steady as a rock. Even his breath was completely restrained and he did not look injured at all.

"Master Fali, what's wrong with you?" Among the crowd, there was a guest from a noble family who was on good terms with Buddhism. He couldn't help but step forward to inquire and greet him, but Miyun stretched out his arm to stop him.

hum!
A layer of golden array patterns rose from the ground, completely covering the three-foot radius of Fali.

"...No need."

Although the little monk is young, his temperament has become much more stable after awakening to the path of cause and effect.

He said calmly: "Donors, please don't come forward to disturb me. Master Fa Li is currently in a state of 'enlightenment'."

"Epiphany?"

Duan Zhao raised his eyebrows and murmured, "Little Master's Wife, you are right..."

A person will only be in this state when he is in a state of enlightenment.

The mind is like still water and the body is like a rock.

Another call of "Little Master's Wife" made Deng Baiyi very happy.

"Pooh."

Deng Baiyi coughed lightly and shouted angrily, "Be careful what you say and do when you go out!"

"I know, I know... Isn't the little mountain master not coming out yet?"

Duan Zhao chuckled.

He was not stupid, and now he had completely understood that "Little Master's Wife" was a good title. Although Deng Baiyi scolded her, she did not mind calling her that in her heart. This first disciple of the world's master must like his own little master in his heart.

The words just fell to the ground.

Suddenly, from the direction of the Golden Body Tower, there came the sound of leisurely and peaceful bells and drums.

"珰——"

As the peaceful voice spread, the Buddhist boundary enveloped the area once again.

The next moment, a brilliant golden light condensed into a portal halfway up the Red Mountain.

Two figures vaguely appeared in the golden light.

……

……

Standing on the side of the golden portal, you can see the scene outside the door.

When his eyes fell on Fali, although Xie Xuanyi appeared unmoved, he felt a little reluctant in his heart.

His soul was swept lightly.

Confirmed again.

Farley is already blind...

Fali paid a huge price for measuring his own sea of ​​spirituality.

This is not what I want.

Ultimately, it was because Miaozhen gave a push at the critical moment.

"Buddhism emphasizes the relationship between fate and disaster."

Miao Zhen said calmly: "If I had told you before that I pushed him that way for his own good, you would not have believed it."

"...If you had said so before, then the sword intent I used should have been even more fierce."

Xie Xuanyi is now certain that Miao Zhen's push was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Almost everything this guy did after crossing the west to this point was the result of "careful consideration".

After he left Fanyin Forest, the sword intent in his heart was boiling, and his momentum for a fight to the top reached its peak.

And Fali seemed to have become a victim.

But it's not.

"Among the six magical powers of Buddhism, there is one called 'Divine Eye'." Miao Zhen said softly, "It is extremely difficult to practice this divine eye. Normal monks who want to open the 'Divine Eye' must either be gifted or practice very hard. The former cannot be replicated... and among the many methods of practicing the latter, there is one, which is 'blindness'."

"Blind your physical eyes and cultivate your divine eyes?"

Xie Xuanyi felt that the magical powers of Buddhism were really absurd.

"The mortal body is redundant."

Miao Zhen said calmly, "The existence of the clairvoyance is to remind the world that when looking at everything, don't just look at the surface, don't just use your naked eyes... use your heart. Only with your heart can you see the real world. Now Fa Li is blind, but it may not be a bad thing. If he can survive this disaster, then his blind eyes will usher in 'rebirth'?"

"Will there be a chance for these eyes to be reborn in the future?"

There was a note of disbelief in Xie Xuanyi's tone.

He silently lowered his head and looked at his palm. In the deepest part of his palm, there was an extremely weak wisp of Yuan Fire, which was mixed with the principles of life that had not yet been fully developed.

The law of life gradually grows under the immersion in the fountain of immortality.

This principle is still immature now. If one can achieve the status of a Yin God in the future, perhaps one can achieve the effect of "reconnecting broken arms" and "turning bones into flesh".

But to cure Fali's eyes... is extremely difficult.

Restoring sight to the blind is much more difficult than repairing a broken arm.

Are the six supernatural powers of Buddhism really so magical?

"In fact, most of the Buddhist magical powers are practiced in this way."

Miao Zhen said with emotion: "If you want to gain, you must first lose. My 'divine feet' is the result of this kind of practice..."

"You're not going to cut off your feet, are you?"

Xie Xuanyi couldn't help but teased.

However, Miao Zhen shook his head and smiled, saying, "I was born with a disability, and my legs and feet are not convenient... I have endured this kind of disaster for more than ten years, and finally cultivated the 'divine feet', which allows me to travel a thousand miles a day and cross mountains and seas."

"..."

Xie Xuanyi was silent for a moment, then asked, "So what about your 'Heavenly Ear'?"

Miao Zhen continued: "I was born with a disability, I am deaf..."

Exactly the same sentence structure, sounds like a joke.

But Xie Xuanyi couldn't laugh anymore.

He looked at the monk in front of him with a complicated expression. If Miaozhen was telling the truth, then the monk's first life was indeed somewhat pitiful.

"Thank you, benefactor. You don't have to look at me like that."

Miao Zhen said calmly, "From your expression, it seems that you don't quite believe what I said. There are many people in the cultivation world who have a more miserable background than me, and there are also many who have gone further than me. If you are interested, I can actually teach you to practice the magical powers of Buddhism. As long as you are sincere, everyone in the world can practice Mahayana Buddhism."

"I?"

Xie Xuanyi shook his head and refused: "I don't need it... I was born healthy, with all my limbs intact and my five senses working."

"The magical powers of Buddhism do not necessarily require disabled people to practice them."

Miao Zhen lowered his eyes slightly and laughed at himself, "Those geniuses who comprehend the magical powers of Buddhism are of course faster and stronger. If you want to practice, you will naturally follow the first path that I mentioned earlier."

He has read Xie Xuanyi's case file.

This is a true genius.

No matter whether you join Taoism, Dasui Sword Palace, or Buddhism... you are destined to achieve remarkable success.

Xie Xuanyi shook his head again.

He changed the subject and asked curiously, "I'm curious. What kind of person is a Buddhist Zen master?"

"Zen Master..."

Upon hearing this, Miao Zhen fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

He sighed deeply and said, "There are very few people who have seen the Zen Master, and even fewer who truly understand him. Unfortunately, I am one of them."

"Ok?"

"Many people say that the Zen master is a 'truth seeker' struggling in the sea of suffering. In order to cultivate the divine eye, he blinded his eyes; in order to cultivate the divine ear, he pierced his ears; in order to cultivate the divine foot, he cut off his legs... He used the most stupid method to successfully cultivate almost every divine power."

Miao Zhen sighed softly and said, "But do you know? Being able to achieve perfection is the highest gift in itself. Although the calamities and fate are interdependent, in the past thousand years, only the Zen master has been able to do it... to cultivate all six magical powers of Buddhism and achieve great success."

(End of this chapter)