Swallow Return

Upon hearing this, the powerful, elderly white-robed monk spoke without hesitation: "That flower-selling woman nearby dares to shake Junior Brother Mingjing's Zen mind! How dare she! Junior Brother Mingjing carries a heavy burden of destiny, and one day he is expected to inherit the righteous path of the Tiantai Sect's secret arts. He is the hope for the rise of our temple and sect. This old monk will not allow anyone to disturb his cultivation! That flower-selling woman must be driven away and not allowed to approach the temple gate again!"

Like the young monk in the small temple just now, this elderly martial monk would only repeat the same phrase when targeting specific keywords.

He won't answer any of your other questions.

Saito Asanobu analyzed, "It seems that this 'Junior Brother Mingjing' is... cough cough... the little monk who was holding the flowers just now. We should talk as much as possible and learn more clues before deciding what to do."

Liu Yun shook his head: "I don't know anything about illusion magic, so please listen to me."

Saito Asanobu then said to the elderly warrior monk, "Don't worry, the young Zen Master Myōkyō just said that he hasn't seen a flower seller in a long time."

There might be some key words in these words, as if they had triggered the next step of the quest, finally eliciting a different reaction from the NPC.

Upon hearing this, the elderly monk, believed to be the White Monk, beamed with joy and exclaimed, "Good! Good! Good!" But then he frowned and shook his head, "No! No! Since the flower-selling woman is no longer here, why is Junior Brother Mingjing's cultivation still stagnant? He must still be missing her! Alas, it's easy to drive away the woman, but difficult to expel Junior Brother Mingjing's inner demons! I remember that woman gave Junior Brother Mingjing a lotus flower. Perhaps if he throws away that flower, he can return to the righteous path."

Then, this guy fell into a situation where he would only say the same thing no matter how you asked him.

Liu Yun asked, "What should we do?"

Saito Asanobu frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "Why don't we go back and check on the little monk?"

Liu Yun was somewhat dismissive, but didn't express it.

……

So the two returned to the small temple on the left side of the poison island.

Saito Asanobu entered and said to the young monk, "The flower seller has left and will not approach the temple again. But please rest assured, young Zen master, she is still safe and sound."

Upon hearing this, the young monk, who had been smiling, gradually revealed a sorrowful expression, shaking his head and saying, "Alas! It must have been Brother Mingxing who drove the female benefactor away... Well, I know I bear a heavy responsibility, and I can understand Brother Mingxing's thoughts. It's better that the female benefactor is no longer around, but I must preserve this lotus flower carefully, regarding it as my most precious treasure. Alas! If Brother Mingxing finds out, he will definitely force me to throw it away. I can obey him in everything else, but this matter... absolutely not!"

Saito Asanobu remained silent, seemingly unsure how to proceed.

Liu Yun shook his head and said, "One wants to throw away the lotus, and the other wants to protect the lotus. It seems there's no way to resolve this, and we'll have to resort to violence."

Saito Asanobu pondered for a moment, then said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "If we must resort to force, I think that although the older monk looks... cough cough... looks difficult to deal with, the young monk is actually more terrifying."

Liu Yun clapped his hands and laughed: "Perfect, I feel a little sympathy for the little monk's plight, but I am disgusted by the old monk's face."

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Chapter 84 The Second Layer of Illusion, The Flower-Carrying Monk and the White Monk (Part 2)

Having made the decision easily and happily, Liu Yun returned to the small temple on the right.

Of course, the ease and pleasure belonged only to him; Saito Asanobu was neither relaxed nor happy, but followed behind with a solemn expression.

Upon entering, Liu Yun found the strong and powerful elderly monk—who was also the demon "Hakubozu"—and said directly, "Old monk, your junior brother Mingjing can no longer meet with the flower seller. However, let him keep the lotus flower that the flower seller gave him; at least it will be a memento."

Upon hearing this, Master Bai's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "No! No! If Junior Brother Mingjing keeps that lotus flower, he will always be immersed in romantic love and never have the mind to cultivate Zen. He will waste the profound opportunity he was born with, and he will also delay the only chance for the revival of our temple and sect. Absolutely not! Absolutely not!"

Liu Yun shook his head and sighed: "This doesn't seem like a monk at all. I advise you to be kind."

However, Hakubozu ignored this and kept repeating, "Absolutely not! Absolutely not!"

He was completely unable to communicate, and his face was flushed, with veins bulging on his forehead, as if he was on the verge of collapse and could explode at any moment.

Liu Yun thought that he probably had no choice but to fight.

Although the guy in front of me had a strong demonic aura and looked like he was going to be a tough opponent, there was no other way.

However, Saito Asanobu waved his hand to signal that everyone should calm down. He then took a step forward, took out two copper bells from his robes, and shook them for a long time. Then he suddenly asked the old monk in a loud voice, "Old Zen Master, I heard that your Dharma name is Myoshō. You are the monk who is most disciplined, most concerned about the temples and sects... cough cough... most concerned about the future of the temples and sects, is that right?"

This elderly monk, who was originally considered "White Monk," had always acted like a low-level chatbot, only responding with a few keywords. But this time, he reacted to Saito Asanobu's words, his anger subsiding slightly, and a smug smile appeared on his face: "Indeed! Although I am of mediocre talent and have no chance to cultivate the advanced techniques of the Tendai sect's secret arts, I have always been loyal and devoted my entire life to this temple and sect. I can say that I have a clear conscience."

But this guy immediately flew into a rage again, roaring, "Damn it! That flower-selling woman seduced Junior Brother Mingjing! Otherwise, our sect would definitely have had a chance to revive! Ahhhhhh! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"

At this moment, Saito Asanobu continued to shake the bell rapidly, while coldly interrupting, "Since you care most about the future of temples, shrines, and sects, then why... cough cough... why don't you work harder yourself? Why only place your hopes on your junior brother? Can this be considered loyalty?"

Upon hearing this, Master Bai's arrogance immediately diminished. He stood there stunned for a moment, his expression shifting from anger to disappointment, and he said timidly, "This old monk... this old monk's talent is ultimately limited; I am not capable of comprehending the essence of Zen..."

Saito Asanobu shook the copper bell faster and faster, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, seemingly exhausted, but he still continued to scold, "Is it because you have limited talent, or because you haven't worked hard enough? Ever since you entered the temple as a monk, have you never... cough cough... never slacked off or been lazy?"

The elderly monk, who was mistaken for "White Monk," was bewildered for a moment, then a genuine look of self-reproach and guilt appeared on his face. He lowered his head and reflected, "Indeed... if I had been more diligent when I was young, even if I couldn't learn the Tendai school, I should at least have honed my martial arts to a higher level..."

At this moment, Liu Yun noticed that as the old monk's emotions changed, the demonic aura around him also rapidly thinned out, appearing much weaker than before.

However, Saito Asanobu was already panting heavily, his face pale, and his legs were gradually becoming unsteady and weak, as if the act of ringing the bell had put a huge burden on his body. Just as he was about to try to speak, he suddenly coughed violently, unable to straighten his back, and his hands involuntarily stopped moving.

The tinkling of the copper bells immediately disappeared.

Instantly, the old monk's feelings of dejection and guilt vanished, replaced by rage. He shouted angrily, "You bastard! You were just spouting nonsense and arguing illogically. You were clearly trying to make things difficult for this old monk! How hateful, how hateful!"

At the same time, the demonic energy on his body stopped weakening and instead began to coalesce again.

Then the elderly monk swung his long naginata, glaring as he slashed down.

At the same time as the naginata came, the old monk shouted.

The shout seemed to contain extremely abundant energy, and Saito Asanobu was immediately stunned, standing frozen in place, unable to move, and had no choice but to surrender.

The drifting clouds are alright.

—Actually, Liuyun should have been affected by some negative influence as well.

The key point is that although Saito Asanobu's actions just now were ultimately unsuccessful, they still eliminated 30-40% of the demonic aura from the old monk.

When he first met him, the sheer intensity of the demonic aura emanating from this elderly monk, whom he believed to be "White Monk," made Ryuun quite wary. Although he was still far inferior to Suzuka Mountain's Ōtakemaru, he was no weaker than any other demon or monster he had ever encountered, and was probably on par with Ryuun himself, with no clear victor.

However, now, even with 30-40% less strength, it is still very powerful from a worldly perspective, but in the current situation, it is no longer a match for them.

Faced with the White Monk's roar-like attack, Ryuun only felt a slight pain in his ears and his movements were not affected. He immediately drew his katana from his waist and counterattacked at an even faster speed, slashing across the opponent's waist and abdomen.

White Monk couldn't even let out a scream before his upper and lower body were separated.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining the entire room red.

Even in this state, Hakubōzu was still able to utter his final words: "When will our temple and sect be able to be restored?"

Then it turned into a pool of bones and blood.

It is estimated that the structure of the humanoid monster is quite different from that of a normal person. Even with its waist and abdomen cut off, it can still say its last words.

Liu Yun sheathed his sword and stood still.

Saito Asanobu was only then able to recover from his shock, and because he didn't have time to dodge, he was splattered with blood.

But being able to defeat the monsters is satisfying enough; who cares about anything else?

Saito Asahi breathed a long sigh of relief, still shaken, and thanked him, saying, "Thanks to Lord Sasaki for saving me in time, otherwise I would have lost my life."

Liu Yun shook his head: "There's no need for that. If you hadn't weakened this monster, I wouldn't have been able to succeed so easily."

……

Then Ryuun and Saito Asanobu went out and ran to the small temple on the left. They said to the little monk holding the lotus flower, "Don't worry, little Zen master. Your senior brother Mingxing has been persuaded by our friendly words and will no longer stop you from keeping this lotus flower."

The young monk immediately smiled with relief, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you both kind people! With this lotus flower, even if I spend my days in solitude with only the dim light of the lamp and the ancient Buddha, I can endure it with the love in my heart... Thank you again!"

As the young monk spoke, the scene on the poisonous island suddenly underwent a dramatic change.

Both temples disappeared, as did the lush meadows surrounding them.

Instead, there was a lush green cedar forest.

Small animals such as colorful pheasants and gray rabbits were moving quickly through the woods. Small white birds were also seen flitting about.

Then, three identical buildings appeared in three different directions.

Liu Yun couldn't tell what it was at first glance.

However, Saito Asanobu immediately understood and said, "First it was palaces, then temples, and this time the design... cough cough... the design seems to be a shrine."

Liu Yun asked doubtfully, "Could it be a demon transformed from a priest?"

Saito Asanobu frowned and shook his head: "There are very few examples of priests and onmyoji turning into yokai... cough cough..."

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Chapter 85 Three Layers of Illusion, Rashomon (Part 1)

First there was a small palace, then two small temples, and then three small shrines.

The demonic aura is getting stronger and stronger.

Saito Asanobu remained serious, his scarred face filled with solemnity and vigilance. He muttered to himself, "It seems to be getting stronger and stronger. I hope it won't... cough cough... I hope there won't be a fourth layer of illusion."

Liu Yun nodded: "Indeed, relaying messages back and forth between those two monk monsters was troublesome enough. If there were four, wouldn't the trouble multiply several times over?"

Saito Asanobu actually wanted to talk about the danger, not the trouble. But seeing Ryuun's calm and composed demeanor, he didn't know how to begin.

After observing him for a few days, I realized that Liu Yun wasn't really careless or reckless. He was careful when he needed to be, but he was exceptionally determined and resolute, and never showed any unnecessary worry or hesitation.

That's truly the style of a master, isn't it?

Saito Asanobu looked a little preoccupied and lagged slightly behind.

Liu Yun took the lead, randomly choosing one of the three small shrines and pushing open the door to go inside.

As always, the house was empty, with only the floor, walls, and roof remaining.

Inside was a short, stout, and wealthy-looking middle-aged man, about thirty years old, dressed in fine clothes, who looked like a successful businessman.

Clearly, it is also a monster with a strong demonic aura.

Liu Yun initially thought it was the same "passive response dialogue mechanism" as before.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, the merchant spoke up: "I died with my eyes wide open! I beg a kind person to avenge me!"

This is a bit unexpected.

Instead of answering, Liu Yun asked, "Who are you? What kind of person are you?"

The merchant shook his head repeatedly: "What I was called when I was alive is irrelevant. Now I'm just a wandering ghost. I only ask that a kind person avenge me!"

Liu Yun then asked, "Do you know where this is?"

The merchant continued to shake his head: "I don't care where this is. I'm just a wandering ghost now. I only ask that a kind person avenge me!"

Liu Yun thought to himself that although they could have a conversation, it was completely meaningless. Helpless, he followed the other party's lead and asked, "What grudge do you have?"

Upon hearing this, the merchant finally calmed down a bit, sighed deeply, and said, "I died at my own wedding!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun became slightly interested and continued to ask questions.

The merchant explained with a somber expression, “Alas, I actually own a thriving Wufu trading company with over a dozen branches, earning no less than three thousand guan annually. I have no worries about food, drink, or entertainment; all I want is to cultivate some social standing. I originally spent some money to obtain a samurai identity, but it wasn't widely recognized. Until one day, I heard that a local official, a former nobleman, had run a large estate and was heavily in debt due to mismanagement, and he only had one daughter… So I had an idea: I was willing to spend a large sum of money as a betrothal gift to become his adopted son, hoping to elevate my family's status and gain respect. At first, the estate owner agreed, but who would have thought… who would have thought… that scoundrel!”

At this point, the businessman became agitated and incoherent.