Within the city of Qiantang, the sound of Buddhist chanting and immortal music resonated incessantly.
In a quiet room of a certain Zen monastery, Master Tao Da accidentally let his own master jest with him for a while.
He was certain that Duobao Daoist knew Yunrong was by his side and said those words on purpose.
Tao Qian even suspected:
"Before, Master Yuan said I was taken out by my cheap master to use the 'Beauty Trap.' Now, it seems that it might not be untrue."
"Did he already receive some benefits from Grandma Taizhen beforehand, softening because of favors received, hmph, it must be the case."
"Shameless Daoist, only receiving without giving, even using his own disciple to exchange for treasures."
While his thoughts raced, he looked up, and sure enough, he locked gazes with Yunrong, whose alluring eyes seemed to be both smiling and not at the same time.
Just as he was about to refute, he suddenly saw Yunrong blink her eyes.
The next moment, the image of "Senior Sister Lingji" appeared in the demon pupils of Yunrong—and from Tao Qian's perspective.
To the point where, for an instant, whatever Tao Qian was thinking, Yunrong also seemed to have a faint sense of it.
Initially, Yunrong had some teasing intentions, but she had no heart to blame, merely wanting to see the awkward state of her Daoist couple.
Her true form was that of an Alien Species, the Kitten.
Although she had transformed, her thoughts and desires were still utterly different from those of the Human Clan.
After seeing the heart-breaking grace of Xie Lingji and hearing what Tao Qian felt in his heart, Yunrong's eyes widened, and she continued the phrase Tao Qian had said in admiration:
"Good brother, you are right. This sister's grace is truly inconceivable. Yunrong has never seen such a person. If she could cultivate with her in search of Longevity, it would be such gratifying matter."
"Lucky for me, I met younger brother first. If I had met this sister first, Yunrong would also wish to cultivate Ultimate Happiness with her and have some Kitten offspring."
"Her aura and essence seem to gather all the spiritual beauty of heaven and earth, not at all inferior to your Spirit Treasure Sublime Body, brother."
"I really want to revert to my true form and snuggle in her arms..."
Seeing this scene, Tao Qian knew that Yunrong, through the spiritual connection they shared, had cast a secret technique, allowing her to meet Xie Lingji unilaterally in space with his perspective.
Seeing her infatuated demeanor, Tao Qian suddenly couldn't bear to blink and erase the image.
Tao Qian was speechless, yet he understood quite well.
When he first saw Senior Sister Lingji, the woman in the flowing green robe with her hair bound by a wooden hairpin, a natural spirit of the world, she indeed made Tao Qian marvel at the wonder of creation, and he had a similar infatuation.
Contrary to him, Master Tao Da only admired the demeanor and bearing of Senior Sister Lingji without any disrespectful intentions.
And now, Yunrong thought of having Kitten offspring with her?
Tao Qian felt something was amiss; it made sense with me, but how with Senior Sister Lingji?
Just as he was puzzled, from the other end of the Golden Radiance Token, the voice of Duobao Daoist, which was also quite speechless, came through:
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky, kid, to pass this test."
"However, you can't get your hopes up for now. That girl named 'Yuan Mingzhen' is not an avatar of Xie Lingji. Did you not think, if she were, why would she only give a set of Array Flags?"
"Junior Sister Yunhua cherished Xie Lingji all her life. If someone wanted to kill her, by now Qiantang Province City would probably have been flattened by the 'Spirit Treasure Nine Realms Immortal Extinguishing God Array.' Shipi, Kongchan, and Lian Sha might have some skills, but once Yunhua sets up the Array, all three old thieving monks would have to transform into Buddhas, with none escaping."
"However, that girl Yuan Mingzhen does have some relation to Xie Lingji. I just made a Prediction, and it seems that the Xie Family used a few strands of Xie Lingji's leftover hair, along with the Outer Realm pregnancy secret method, and the Conception Guanyin Skill from Guanyin Temple, to forcibly raise a child."
"Although they didn't obtain Xie Lingji's Innate Taoist Body, they accidentally acquired the Heavenly Phoenix Destiny, which also somehow benefited the Xie Family."
As Duobao spoke up to this point, Tao Qian's face showed disbelief.
The hair of Xie Lingji, the Outer Realm pregnancy method, and the Conception Guanyin Skill melded together... was the widely-known Devil Concubine Yuan Mingzhen.
"Can this actually work? Isn't this the cultivation version of cloning?"
"On my Ascending Immortal Island, getting a few strands of Senior Sister Lingji's hair would be an easy feat..."
Duobao had no idea that his disciple was starting to get carried away with wild thoughts, as he continued to reveal the truth.
"Speaking of which, the Xie Family really is a family of madcaps. Although they have some heritage and barely qualify as a millennium cultivation family or powerful clan, they truly can't rank in the forefront and certainly can't be compared to the likes of the old monster families of the Xiu Family, the Si Family, or the Zhang Family. Perhaps because of this, the Xie Family is overly ambitious, always daydreaming of expanding their influence."
"Back then, your Aunt Yunhua insisted on taking Xie Lingji away by force because she saw that such a good girl would have a miserable end staying with the Xie Family, so she snatched her. The Xie Family has quite a few strong people, so to ensure success, Yunhua had to engage in battle personally and also secretly arranged several of the second generation Masters to hold off the old ancestors of the Xie Family."
"The Xie Family, knowing that the great era of contention was coming, preemptively raised Yuan Mingzhen."
"Unfortunately, they couldn't withstand the maneuvers of those old beasts—Alchemists. Having hardly managed to seize the Imperial City in alliance with Guanyin Temple, they lost it again not long after."
"What is contemptible is that, since Yuan Mingzhen lost her value and became a target of the world, the madcaps of the Xie Family simply abandoned the girl, withdrawing their entire family back to their ancestral home in their territory."
"Only Xie Lingzhu, the young lady, showed some loyalty and continued to stay by Yuan Mingzhen's side. Perhaps Aunt Yunhua gave the life-saving Array Flags because of this consideration, and afterwards she went to the Outer Realm. There seems to be some sensing between her and her disciple, perhaps making some discovery."
As the talk came to an end, Tao Qian suddenly understood the whole story.
His guess was not wrong; there was indeed some connection between Yuan Mingzhen and Senior Sister Lingji, but they were not the same person.
Duobao spoke and then suddenly added,
"Now that you plan to eradicate the cancer for the mortals of Qiantang and the Tiannan Two Provinces, forging a path of survival for them, it's about time you made your move."
"Whether it's those three old thief monks or the three beasts of the Gao family, they're all subtly urging me to assist them. This one guise of mine can now only be used separately—if seen by both parties at the same time, it will certainly give the game away."
As these two sentences were heard,
outside Tao Qian's Zen monastery, suddenly came the voices of the brother and sister from the Zhen family, announcing that the Dharma assembly was about to begin and inviting the two of them to attend.
Yunrong went to respond, while Tao Qian immediately transmitted a message to the Golden Radiance Token:
"For now, there is no need to trouble Master with matters concerning the Demon Buddha Temple."
"However, tonight, I ask that Master make another trip to the Steamed Buddha City, to inform them that those three old monks plan to use the Gao family and all the warlords and strong people within the province city as treasures to refine the Great Compassionate and Merciful Transcendent Bodhisattva."
"Any ordinary cultivator who learns of this conspiracy will surely spread the word widely."
"But I reckon the Gao family will not. Rather, they are likely to seek out the old monster Gao Huan for divine skills and treasures to counter the plot, taking advantage of the situation to annex the entire Qiantang Province in one fell swoop, along with the Demon Buddha Treasures and Devil Concubine Yuan Mingzhen. Lacking territory and population resources, they can't resist such temptation."
"As for me, after tonight, I too will seek out those three old thieves, inform them of the Gao family's vulnerabilities, and guide at least two of the Three Arhats to lead the Demon Buddha army to Tiannan Province the day after tomorrow, to uproot the Gao family's foundation, thereby dealing a heavy blow to Gao Huan... A small move triggering a chain reaction, with the loss of Tiannan Province, Gao Huan will inevitably suffer a backlash of fortune, and the other few old monsters who are alchemists are already starving. Seeing Gao Huan vulnerable, none will be able to resist pouncing."
"And the fate of being divided and devoured that befell the Zhu Dynasty Taizong will also fall upon Gao Huan."
"And the Gao family's dying counterattack will also be tough for those three old thieves to bear, especially considering that they believe the Buddha treasures, the Great Transcendence Bodhisattva, which they count on for their big use, have been secretly tampered with by me. Not only will it be of no use to them, but it may instead come to my aid."
"As long as I can prompt both sides to exhaust and kill each other, even if our identities as master and disciple are exposed afterward, it will not matter, as we can just flee."
"However, there is a chance that something unexpected may occur, such as if there are other old monsters from the Ultimate Happiness Realm hidden in the Demon Buddha Temple or the Great Freedom Temple, who might jump out at a critical moment, and I too may be in trouble."
Having finished speaking, Tao Qian felt the Golden Radiance Token vibrate slightly, conveying Duobao's laughter.
Within that laughter was full of admiration.
"Hahaha... what a venomous scheme."
"Without expending a single soldier or warrior, there's a possibility of defeating two major forces. If handled well, even the old monster Gao Huan might be taken down too."
"Good! Worthy of being my Duobao Disciple, worthy of me risking the deterioration of one of my false identities to help you. Indeed, you are teachable."
"As for your concerns, rest easy."
"The Demon Buddha Temple doesn't have much spare capacity left, those Buddhas are completely detached from worldly affairs, a bunch of Arhats are either stirring up trouble in other provinces or are tied up by Daoists from the Guanyin Temple. As for the Great Freedom Temple and Vajra Temple, there is even less to worry about; their ambitions are not small either. At most, what might appear in Qiantang Province could be Long Meng Arhat, the ugly monk's master, and the old rabbit, Auspicious."
"Since you have a wager with Shenxiu, these two will recognize you."
"If they don't, as your master, I will personally go to the Free Temple to make them recognize you."
"All right, I am off to play with those three animals. Go enjoy the spectacle and have your secret meeting with Yuan Mingzhen."
"Although this girl is not your Senior Sister Lingji, she has a few similar charms, and coupled with her Heavenly Phoenix Destiny, she's also one of the most stunning women in the world."
"I know you have a kind heart and wouldn't stand by and watch her die."
"There's just one more thing."
"After all is done here, you should return to the Penglai Sea."
"Given that the Human Dao Destiny on you grows more formidable by the day, and your cultivation becomes stronger day after day, and with the Spirit Treasure Sublime Body, it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to predict your fate. If this continues, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you."
"You might as well step into the Ultimate Happiness Realm before coming out to save the world and undergo cultivation tribulations. Your chances will be greater then."
"In any case, return home soon."
After a rather verbose explanation, the Golden Radiance Token went silent, clearly indicating that Duobao had donned the guise of 'Qingjing Zen Master' again to toy with those three Ultimate Happiness beasts of the Gao family.
Tao Qian tucked away the Golden Radiance Token and was about to leave to meet with the Zhen siblings and head to the grand feast of the Dharma assembly.
In his arms, the sculpture of Master Yuan vibrated once or twice as a few murmurs from Master Yuan transmitted through:
"You and your master are the same when it comes to tricking people, both equally shameless."
"If it were just you, perhaps it wouldn't work out, considering that Shipi Kongchan is no easy target, but with Duobao helping you, there'll likely be few doubts left."
"Also, his words about increasingly not being able to protect you are probably no lies, you should take it to heart."
"However, there's no need to flee back to the Penglai Sea necessarily."
"When it comes to the art of escaping and hiding, my Secret Demon Sect is unmatched."
"After all this, I will take you to a good place, not only safe, but I guarantee you will be so content that you won't think of returning—caught up in its delights."
Master Yuan also had his piece of advice, full of concern throughout.
Only the last few sentences sounded quite strange.
ps: More to come.