Longevity Chronicles

"Daoist, this artifact embryo in your hands is incomplete without the 'Wisdom Mother' and thus can only be considered flawed," he said. "If it were refined with the Sublime Dharma of Buddhist wisdom, it could indeed be transformed from evil to righteous."

"I am but a humble monk, yet I happen to have cultivated a scroll of the 'Great Wisdom Heart Sutra.' Perhaps I could take on this task..."

Shenxiu had only spoken halfway when he suddenly realized—

The Master Wu Gou, who a moment prior was smiling broadly and speaking kindly, had his expression change in an instant.

He promptly stuffed the menacing Bodhisattva statue into a Buddhist Exotic Treasure known as the 'People Species Bag,' then took the hand of the Female Bodhisattva, chose a direction, and turned to flee the scene.

Just before he left, he threw out one parting remark:

"Master, do not worry, Wu Gou is inept at everything else but excels at subduing the most malevolent beings."

"The bet is on; let us each use our skills to our best abilities."

As his last word fell,

This pair of extraordinary-looking Buddhists, who came from the South Sea, vanished without a trace.

Only a wretched-looking monk remained behind, sorrowfully lamenting with a face full of regret, muttering to himself:

"Misjudgment, misjudgment."

"At that time, I shouldn't have been concerned with the distinction between the sexes, charging ahead instead of embracing; otherwise, that Buddha Treasure should have been mine."

"And to think, you folks actually crafted a Buddha Treasure with the likeness of a Female Bodhisattva."

"Deviant from the path and harboring deceit in the heart, no wonder it's called Demon Buddha."

After Shenxiu blamed a group of demon monks within the city, he also quickly employed the Heart Light Escape to leave.

He was different from Tao Master; he was more straightforward.

Having accepted the wager, he was determined to give it his all.

With his identity as the sole disciple of the Great Freedom Buddha's Son, Long Meng Arhat, he was ready to exert all his efforts, and no one knew how much Power he could borrow.

...

Shortly after their departure, the demon monks and the city dwellers began to regain their senses.

Previously, including the two Venerables Flower Staff and Hei Bo, a horde of demon monks peacefully received worship and harvested Incense Fire Wish Power from the people.

But they had just been recently restored to righteousness through the Buddhist Law by Shenxiu Monk and were unsettled by reflections on their past conduct.

So, they earnestly began to make amends.

On one side, the monks opened their storehouses to distribute grain and even dismantled their grand temples built of gold and silver treasures to distribute wealth among the city's citizens.

On the other side, the two Venerables sat meditating in the mire, sincerely reciting the 'Longevity Scripture,' using their own Life Span and Magic Power to heal hundreds of thousands of Mortals of hidden injuries and minor illnesses.

About thirty minutes later,

A Buddha Light suddenly descended upon Yinping City.

From within the light emerged a benevolent and peculiar-looking old monk with a seven-pronged Bodhi Branch in his hand, upon which perched a Jade Cicada.

Had Tao Qian still been there, he would have immediately recognized the figure,

It was the familiar old figure, Kongchan Arhat.

When this Demon Buddha Arhat appeared, the city echoed with the indicative sound of cicadas chirping.

In the past, such noise meant he could expect to see his many disciples kneel in adulation, shouting, "Welcome Kongchan Old Ancestor."

But today, for some unknown reason, he was deprived of this reception.

Looking around, the citizens were mingling happily with the demon monks, even including the deceitful and ruthless Flower Staff and Hei Bo.

When he arrived, the group of demon monks looked at him with anger in their eyes.

Especially the rash Hei Bo Venerable, who yelled out:

"Demon Buddha Kongchan, leave this place at once."

"If you wish to harm anyone today, you'll have to step over our corpses."

Kongchan Arhat was indeed a Long-year-old Demon and had witnessed countless bizarre and unthinkable things.

Yet in this moment, he was struck with laughter by the audacity of it all.

Watching his once-obedient disciples now rebelliously facing him, he suppressed his rage and gently waved the Bodhi Branch in his hand.

Suddenly, the cicada's melody shifted from mellifluous to raucous, and denser still was the "sweet rain" that poured forth from within the Jade Cicadas on the Bodhi Tree Branch.

It was sweet, yet with a hint of fishiness.

But its effect was astonishing, as all the townsfolk and those demon monks came back to life.

From evil to good and then back to evil, only to circle around again.

The other townsfolk and demon monks were easier to deal with, waking up with faces full of confusion and bewilderment.

But Flower Staff and Hei Bo, upon regaining their senses, instantly turned pale with terror, sweating profusely and trembling so violently they nearly lost control of their bowels.

Especially Hei Bo, who just moments ago was speaking arrogantly, now had the color of death in his eyes.

He prostrated on the ground, ceaselessly kowtowing, and wailed mournfully,

"Uncle Master, please spare me this one time, Hei Bo was possessed just now."

"It's all that Shenxiu Monk's fault, he confused our hearts with the Free Dharma, leading Hei Bo to spout madness. Please see the truth, Uncle Master..."

Witnessing Hei Bo's nonsensical chatter and untiring defense, yet not a word making sense, the countenance of Kongchan Arhat darkened even more.

Flower Staff Venerable, not caring for anything else, immediately interrupted and meticulously reported everything that had happened.

After speaking, he pulled Hei Bo into a prostrate position and waited to face their fate.

His face maintained calmness, but his heart was filled with despair, and he thought to himself:

"Alas!"

"We all were deceived by Shenxiu Monk using the Free Dharma, which doesn't count as a sin; that ugly monk is the Free Buddha's Son, and indeed not someone we could rival."

"But what's truly fatal is that monk from the South Sea, Wu Gou."

"This little thief stole the Great Transcendence Bodhisattva; if Uncle Master Kongchan seeks accountability, Hei Bo will be put to death by Uncle Shipi, and I, Flower Staff, will have to leave first and die right here in Yinping City."

"Such is fate and life, it's inescapable."

Just as Flower Staff Venerable was racking his brains trying to find a way to survive.

Above Yinping City, after hearing the whole story, Kongchan Arhat's face showed a trace of killing intent.

Without uttering a word, he immediately began to make calculations.

Flower Staff was right, Kongchan was in the midst of calculations, and if he determined that the mess these worthless beings had caused was irretrievable, he would indeed make a deadly move.

But soon, he paused in his calculation, as the cicadas chimed again and Buddha Light surged, seeming to connect with a certain Void.

He murmured an incantation without sound escaping his mouth.

After a moment, Kongchan's expression softened, and he laughed loudly towards the Southern void,

"So that's how it is, I didn't expect Qingjing Zen Master to have the intention of establishing a lineage. This is a good thing, a great thing indeed; Kongchan will certainly go to the South Sea to offer his congratulations.

"As for that Buddha Treasure, since the Zen Master personally guarantees it, Kongchan naturally believes it."

"I'll lend it to the esteemed nephew to play with for some time. When I and my brother Shipi hold a Dharma assembly in Qiantang City, I hope the Zen Master will inform that Wu Gou nephew to be sure to attend, as Kongchan, being his senior, must give a welcoming gift and ensure he is well entertained."

After these words fell, both Flower Staff and Hei Bo wore puzzled expressions.

But they quickly understood that the little thief called "Wu Gou," his Master Qingjing Zen Master, had past ties with Uncle Master Kongchan, and was currently connecting with him; it seemed that Wu Gou Monk was borrowing the Buddha Treasure and would return it after some time.

With this realization, both Venerables immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Their lives seemed to be saved.

Sure enough, in the next moment, they heard a cold snort, from Uncle Master Kongchan's voice, still filled with anger, but devoid of killing intent,

"Consider yourselves lucky, wretches, that the Buddha Treasure is not yet lost."

"I am aware of Shenxiu's troublemaking in Qiantang and indeed, it's a complication."

"As for that Wu Gou Monk! This child is the true inheritor of the Southern Sea Qingjing Zen Master. Qingjing, being both righteous and wicked, has connections with our temple and has obtained the true teachings of the Dharma Cakra Temple. It's said that he even has tangled dealings with Guanyin Temple. He's not far from achieving Daoist Transformation, and now that he's made up his mind to establish a lineage, he might just attain Daoist status before we do."

"Such an old monster must be won over, not to be offended without reason."

"Since Wu Gou Monk is his true disciple and has traveled here to Qiantang, you might as well help him out."

"Promote his reputation! It's best to lead people to mistakenly believe that this child has a good relationship with our Demon Buddha Temple."

"Right, Shenxiu that little troublemaker has a significant reputation; bring him out to be the stepping stone for Wu Gou Monk."

...

PS: Thank you, everyone, I guarantee two more chapters tomorrow.