The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 6: Truly a master!
Du Yuan simply waved her hand, indicating that there was no need for such formalities.

He did this not only out of good intentions, but also to protect himself.

After all, he really wasn't sure what he was capable of.

They were worried that the horse demon would go mad, and they were also worried that passersby would suffer.

Thinking of this, Du Yuan said to the horse demon:

"Red Stone".

The horse demon shuddered upon hearing this and hurriedly knelt down, taking a few steps forward, and said:

"Master, please speak."

"Don't be nervous, I just want to ask you a few questions."

Huh? Asking me a question? You're not asking if I've done anything wrong in the past, are you?
Red Stone felt he shouldn't have done it before, and he knew that according to common sense, the master wouldn't make a move again, but he still felt uneasy.

After all, this master had exposed his true form without even seeing him in person.

Although he had never met a true master before, he could guess that this was definitely an extremely powerful technique.

It's like this: even if a person doesn't intend to step on an ant, and even wants to give the ant some candy to play with, how can the ant not be afraid in front of such a huge creature that could easily crush it?

Seeing how scared it was, Du Yuan felt a little helpless, thinking to herself, "Aren't you the monster?"

But this is for the best; if it's afraid, it means it won't dare to lie.

"Relax, it's just a minor issue. For example, when did you attain enlightenment?"

What is this world really like? And what are the monsters all about?

This is Du Yuan's biggest concern right now.

Mysteries and supernatural beings are not just something that passersby who listen to his storytelling are interested in.

Du Yuan was no exception.

Because this is both a brand new and hopeful road, and a possibility for Du Yuan to return home!
It's impossible for someone who's away from home not to miss their hometown.

"Um, Master, I'm a little unsure how to answer this question. I can only say that it will likely happen within the next month?"

"I really don't know exactly how many days or so."

The horse demon was a bit dim-witted, and its understanding was hazy when it gained wisdom, so it didn't really know the specifics.

"It's alright, just tell me what you know."

Seeing that Du Yuan was still very kind, Ma Yao Hong Shitou mustered up the courage to continue speaking.

“Master, I remember that about twenty days ago, I suddenly felt that the whole world was different. I started to understand what they were saying and I was able to think about more things.”

"I've even gradually grasped a few rudimentary spells. For example, the illusion technique that allowed me to blend into the crowd without being noticed by anyone except you!"

"But I really can't explain exactly what it's like. It's just that I suddenly learned it, and suddenly it changed."

The horse demon looked very distressed.

Seeing its appearance, Du Yuan knew she probably couldn't learn its magic, and likely wouldn't get much more out of it, so she instead asked:
"Then why do you think you've gained wisdom?"

The horse demon answered honestly:
"I don't know. I initially thought about whether I ate something, but I can't recall it no matter how hard I try."

Have you eaten anything special?

Then it shouldn't be that he accidentally ate some rare and precious herbs.

"Have you seen any unusual people?"

The horse demon and the caravan behind Du Yuan hurriedly recalled, and then said in unison:
"No, if I had to say, it would be you alone."

This was the first time in their lives they had ever seen a monster, and also the first time they had ever seen a master who could truly subdue demons.

That probably wasn't some kind of expert's guidance.

After silently pondering for a moment, Du Yuan continued:

"Have you ever visited any temples or shrines to worship gods or deities?"

This time, the caravan and the horse demon said without even thinking:
"No, no, there isn't even a local temple on this road."

It's neither this nor that, so could it be that this horse is truly exceptionally gifted, to the point that it has attained enlightenment on its own?

But Du Yuan saw that even that horse-like face exuded a certain... well, um, ah!

After revealing a face that exuded an air of 'unchanged sainthood', I gave up on the idea.

I guess this little horse was just lucky; it suddenly figured it out on its own.

Du Yuan was asking the questions she wanted to know, but to the horse caravan and the horse demon, it sounded very unsettling.

Although Du Yuan said it was a spirit horse, why did she always feel that the master's question revealed something wrong?
Could it be that the spirit horse was just a consolation prize, and the horse demon's origins were actually highly questionable? Therefore, Zhao Laosan hurriedly asked:

"Master, what are you asking about?"

Du Yuan snapped out of her daze, glanced at the other person, and burst into laughter:

"I ask these questions to tell you that it is indeed a spirit horse."

Changing the subject, Du Yuan then addressed them:

"Do you know why the red stone, which received neither guidance from a master nor consumed any worldly treasures, nor was it blessed by immortals, attained enlightenment and wisdom?"

Everyone, including the horse demon, shook their heads.

Du Yuan, with her hands behind her back, said to them meaningfully:

"Because this is a blessing you earned in your past life!"

"what!"

The horse demon and the caravan exclaimed in unison.

Du Yuan, striking while the iron was hot, pointed at them and said:
"You were destined to meet it in your past life, so you are destined to meet it in this life. And because you accumulated virtue in your past life, it can enlighten you, and you will also meet me!"

"Therefore, you should cherish this hard-won fate between you!"

Anyway, Buddhism has always used this kind of rhetoric in various movies, TV series, and novels, so I might as well use it today.

And wasn't my intention to help them get along better?
Why not do something that benefits both yourself and others?
Everyone, including the horse demon, was speechless with astonishment.

Some of the younger people couldn't help but ask:
"Master, what exactly is this karmic connection?"

Huh? How would I know? I made that up!

However, this was obviously something that couldn't be said aloud, so Du Yuan waved her hand with a knowing look and said:

"Alas, as the Buddha said, it cannot be spoken!"

Seeing that Du Yuan had already spoken of Buddhism, the crowd naturally dared not ask any more questions out of awe.

Zhao Laosan asked with a face full of admiration:
"Master, can you still see our past lives?"

Du Yuan waved her hand and laughed:

"An Arhat can see a person's past five hundred lives! I only saw the karmic connections from your previous lives!"

Du Yuan wanted to say that her skills were nothing special.

But they thought Du Yuan was just being modest. After all, Du Yuan was the only truly capable person they had ever met in their lives!

Even the horse demon thought so.

Because it hadn't seen any statues of gods or temples on the road, but had seen monks and Taoist priests, it felt it could easily kick each one to death.

But Du Yuan felt that the other party could spray it with a single sneeze and make it impossible to scrape it off the wall.

Not to mention the Buddha's light appearing, even the previous murderous rhetoric was enough to terrify the horse.

It was truly the first time he had ever seen a Buddhist with such a murderous intent.

He seems like the kind of ruthless character who would rush up and kill a monster in a few moves if he saw one.

Zhao Laosan and the horse demon looked at Du Yuan with increasing awe and asked:

"May we know the Master's Dharma name and where he practices? We may visit his temple to pay our respects in the future!"

Du Yuan smiled and shook her head, saying:
"No, no, I am not a monk."

The crowd asked in confusion:
"And all those skills you possess?"

Du Yuan thought for a moment and said:

"Well, I just know a little more about Buddhism than the average person. If we're talking about background, I spent quite a long time at Jinshan Temple and Lingyin Temple."

"Oh, I did go to Leiyin Temple too. But that was a long time ago. I did go to Little Leiyin Temple to cause trouble not long ago."

Once Du Yuan got excited, she started saying whatever came to mind.

Besides, who says that going there with a camera doesn't count as going there?
Du Yuan was getting excited, while the caravan members were becoming increasingly bewildered and horrified.

What is Jinshan Temple? What is Lingyin Temple?
And what is Leiyin Temple? Why is it said that Xiaoleiyin Temple caused trouble there?
So, you only have a superficial understanding of Buddhism, sir?
Then what about those bald monks who freeload and scam people everywhere?

In short, I couldn't understand it, but I was increasingly amazed by it.

He thought to himself, "He truly is a master; they can't understand what he's saying."

(End of this chapter)