Xuanjian: I am the tenth son of Zhenchi, and I plot to seize the throne from Zhenlong.

"On the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, an ancient monk will arrive at the lake, who will be a disciple of [Liaohe Temple]. This person is burdened with great karmic debts and acts with kindness. It may be acceptable to make contact with him, but one should not become too entangled with him..."

"Then a demonic cultivator arrived. Since I had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I had a spell called [Burning Karma and Scorching Life] available to me. The demonic cultivator was wealthy, which was just enough to make up for the more than one hundred spirit stones I spent on forging the superior-grade magic sword."

Inside the thatched hut, Su Ming, who was flipping through a booklet and practicing famous hand gestures, raised an eyebrow and heard the bell hanging by the door ring.

It's obvious that the Li family and Shi Xiu have a grudge, so the fact that they're calling him now means that Shi Xiu has arrived.

Further north from the Su family's place lies the territory of Shi Xiu, and naturally there are people who have been ordained by Shi Xiu. Monks often act strangely, but he had never heard of the [Liaohe Temple].

He packed his things and strode out the door. An Siwei was already waiting not far away. Upon seeing him come out, he quickly apologized and said, "Ancestor, a monk has come to the lake. The master has a grudge against Shi Xiu, and Miss Qinghong cannot go down the mountain casually, so she sent me to ask for your advice, Ancestor."

An Siwei approached and said respectfully, "That monk claimed to be from the Liaohe Temple in the Yan Kingdom. Our master doesn't know his background and can't just kill him. Our ancestor comes from the north and has traveled extensively. Has he heard of him?"

"It seems... he's some kind of ancient cultivator, different from the current Seven Phases. His scriptures are strict, and he's probably an ascetic. I've never seen him before. Take me to see him." Su Ming pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking, his face full of curiosity.

An Siwei was overjoyed upon receiving the news, but quickly advised, "Ancestor, the Buddhist sect is acting strangely. The patriarch went to the desert to exchange for spiritual resources some time ago. Why don't we wait a few days until the patriarch returns and go together?"

With the voice in his mind as his backing, Su Ming was naturally unafraid. Yu Yuxi had also gone to the Li family's cave for seclusion, so she had no worries at the moment. She casually waved her hand and said, "It's alright. If that monk makes any moves, I'll just cut him down with my sword."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, An Siwei had no choice but to explain the general location to him and hurriedly went up the mountain to report.

Su Ming sped along the lakeside and soon found a monk sitting quietly on the ground, staring blankly at the lake.

When the monk saw someone coming, he quickly stood up, took a closer look at Su Ming who was flying down, and exclaimed softly, "Master, what a fortunate encounter!"

Su Ming stopped and carefully examined the monk. He found him to be neither ugly nor unattractive, with large earlobes and an aura unlike any other monk he had ever seen. He simply chuckled and asked, "May I ask, Venerable Master, what karmic connection do I possess?"

The monk bowed and said, "My Dharma name is Kongheng. I have wandered here and am not worthy to be a Dharma Master. As for my destiny with the Dharma..."

He took a step, circled Su Ming, pondered for a few moments, and then spoke: "Among the current Seven Ministers, there is a path called the [Great Desire Path]. The Daoist Master has a strong destiny and a powerful fate. If he attracts his attention, trouble is inevitable, and those around him may suffer bloodshed. You should... stay far away from him."

"It seems... there are other things, but my understanding is too shallow to see them clearly."

Su Ming was somewhat shocked. The voice in his mind had said these words before, and this monk could say them even though he had only glanced at him a few times.

Su Ming pondered for a while, wondering if the monk possessed some kind of magic that allowed him to hear what was in his mind. He was also quite concerned about the bloodshed that had befallen those around him.

He suddenly drew his sword, shouting angrily, "Hey, you bald monk, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Take a good look, will you suffer a bloody disaster today?!"

Kong Heng neither dodged nor avoided, but simply put his hands together in prayer, his eyes clear and his tone kind: "I have not yet asked for your name, Daoist Master."

"A reclusive cultivator, Su Ming."

Sheathing his longsword, Su Ming, with a hint of interest on his face, apologized and quickly pressed on, "May I ask, Master, what is the explanation for the bloodshed that befalls those around me?"

Kong Heng sat down cross-legged and slowly began to speak: "This humble monk comes from Yanbei. I have traveled extensively and heard many stories of merit and achievement when I was still practicing in the temple in previous years."

He slowly began to speak: "I have heard that the World-Honored One once had a peacock as his mount. It was a celestial being who cultivated the Daoist path, and its practitioners were called [Binghuo]."

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "There are so many cultivators at the Fire Realm, do you really want to capture them all to be my mounts?"

Kong Heng chuckled and shook his head: "The peacock has severed its karmic roots, ascending from immortality to Buddhism. It has its own great destiny and destiny. May I ask, Elder, is your cultivation 'driven by desire'?"

Seeing Su Ming nod, the monk continued, "'The crow's desire' is directly related to the Great Peacock's karma of 'desire and fire,' and is a manifestation of its karmic root."

"The Daoist's fate lies here. If you were to attract the attention of the Great Desire Path Maha, he would surely tempt you to sever your karmic roots and enter into Buddhism or Taoism. And these karmic roots are precisely those closest to you, the Daoist, who will help you cultivate this path of 'crow following desire.'"

Such a secret, spoken so casually by the monk, caused Su Ming to frown deeply. Kong Heng's voice softened: "The Daoist's destiny is far beyond that of others. They will not let go of such a great achievement."

Su Ming remained silent for a long while, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxing slightly. He chuckled softly, as if asking a question, but his face became arrogant: "Where in the world can I hide? If it comes to me, I will definitely become the next [Moonlight Sword] and kill it with a single sword strike!"

His expression softened, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. May I ask what brings you to the Li family? I..."

As they were talking, a streak of lightning streaked across the sky and transformed into a spirited woman with a gun as she landed, looking at Kong Heng with a wary expression.

He said even more bluntly, "Senior, Buddhist monks are strange and often use words to deceive people. I hope you will stay away from this monk to avoid being tricked."

Kong Heng remained calm and bowed to the woman again: "This humble monk Kong Heng greets the Daoist Master."

Li Qinghong's wariness did not lessen in the slightest, and her tone was stiff: "I am Li Qinghong. My elder brother is not here. Please explain what you need, Master, and then you may leave."

Li Qinghong's biological father was killed by Shi Xiu, and the death of her grandfather Li Tongya was also related to Shi Xiu. It was extremely difficult for her to suppress her murderous intent and say these two words at this moment.

Kong Heng saw through Li Qinghong's hostility and said gently, "This humble monk has come here on his travels and has gained some insights. I hope to become your guest and stay for a while."

"My temple is small, and I'm afraid I might offend the monk. Perhaps the monk could look elsewhere."

As they were talking, another handsome young man was carried by someone and flew over. He hurriedly landed and stood next to Li Qinghong.

Li Qinghong frowned and scolded, "Xijun, didn't I tell you to stay on the mountain? What are you doing down here?"

She then turned to An Zheyan, who was following behind Li Xijun with a nervous expression, and said, "Please trouble you, Elder An, to take the young master back!"

Li Xijun shook his head. This time, Li Xuanxuan was worried that Li Qinghong was acting rashly because of revenge, and he has always been a strategist, so he volunteered to go down the mountain to help.

Seeing that the Li family was really wary of him, Kong Heng had no choice but to change his words: "There should be some opportunity for me on this lake. I only hope that the noble family can allow me to cultivate by the lake. If there is anything you need, please feel free to ask."

Li Xijun stopped Li Qinghong from speaking and simply cupped his hands in greeting to Su Ming. Before Su Ming went into seclusion, he often visited the thatched cottage to inquire about interesting things from all directions, and they were quite close.

He then spoke gently, "Senior Su, I hope you will come over for a chat."

He was quick-witted and grasped the current situation in an instant.

Now that the monk insists on staying, there's no point in continuing to argue with him; the most important thing is to bring Su Ming to his side.