Chapter 64: Hello Benefactor Lou, This Little Monk’s Dharma Name is Ming Xin
Ning Ke never expected that the things the little monk asked him to do were actually chanting sutras, worshipping Buddha, begging for alms, and interpreting fortunes!
He even dragged him to the library pavilion every day, making him read and recite all the Buddhist scriptures there.
What Diamond Sutra, Tripitaka, Great Compassion Mantra…
Giving this fox spirit an all-around baptism.
If he recited it wrong, he even had to be punished by copying it.
It simply couldn’t be more miserable!
So much so that, three months later, the yao aura on Ning Ke’s body had significantly decreased, and the aura around him became much more solid.
Whenever he saw someone, he would put his hands together and say: “Amitabha.”
Making Abbot Wu Jue find him more and more pleasing to the eye. Whenever he caught an opportunity at gatherings with other Sect Masters, he would boast about him.
Saying he had taken in a disciple named Ming Xin, who was not only devoted to the Buddha but also an absolute genius with transcendent talent.
Definitely a hundred or eighty times more awesome than the Sword Sect’s Lou Yunxiao or the Music Sect’s Zhuang Yusheng!
After he finished boasting like this, Hong Yao said: “Since you value Ming Xin so much, it just so happens that our sects are going to form a demon-exorcising team recently, so let’s select a team from their generation of disciples.”
“Each sect will send two people, making a team of eight. Let them carry out missions to prepare for the war against demons in the future.”
Ever since Ning Family Village was attacked by a demon, incidents of villages being attacked by demons appeared one after another in the Human Realm.
The major sects recalled all disciples training outside and formed multiple powerful demon-exorcising teams.
Now, only this batch of new disciples including Lou Yunxiao remained unselected.
“Alright.” Abbot Wu Jue stroked his beard and said: “This old monk’s disciples Ming Xin and Wu Gou are sufficient to bear this heavy responsibility.”
…
Ning Ke never expected that he would be booked into the demon-exorcising team just like that.
After receiving this notice, he and Wu Gou set off for Beiyou City.
Because the two disciples selected by each sect were fixed, the assembly point given to him was Beiyou City, where a demon attack incident had recently occurred.
On the flying ship, Ning Ke was still being pressed by Wu Gou to recite scriptures.
He recited until his mouth was dry before being let off.
Gulping down a pot of tea, Ning Ke looked at Wu Gou and suddenly said, “Thank you.”
Wu Gou’s fingers paused: “…Why is Benefactor Ning thanking me?”
“Still playing dumb.” Ning Ke shook his head helplessly.
He had actually seen through it.
The reason why Wu Gou kept pressing him to recite Buddhist scriptures.
Was because he knew his emotional state wasn’t right.
Having experienced the underground palace, Little Green’s death, and the Ning Family Village incident, he seemed fine on the surface, but in reality, his state of mind was no longer very stable.
And the three months of chanting sutras and worshipping Buddha had cleared his heart.
The heavy burden on his shoulders also relaxed a lot.
Wu Gou didn’t follow up on this sentence. He poured him a cup of tea and asked.
“The Sword Sect will probably send Benefactor Xiaoxiao and Benefactor Lou to Beiyou City.” He observed Ning Ke’s expression and asked: “Reuniting with old friends, I am very curious about how you, Benefactor Ning, will face them.”
“How else can I face them?” Ning Ke smiled and said: “Just keep playing dumb.”
“Now I am the Buddhist Sect’s Ming Xin, not A-Ke, nor the Yao Venerable.”
He looked at Wu Gou and emphasized: “You absolutely must remember, don’t let me blow my cover.”
“This I know.” Wu Gou nodded, but continued to ask: “I am curious, why did you treat Benefactor Lou like that?”
“For fun.”
“Monks do not tell lies.”
“…I am not a monk!”
“But you are also bald.”
“Pfft.” Ning Ke choked on his tea and glared at Wu Gou.
He sighed and said: “If I tell you, you absolutely cannot tell anyone else.”
Seeing Wu Gou nod, Ning Ke answered.
“Because I want to go home.”
“You also know that I am not a person of this world. If I want to return home, utilizing him is my only method.”
Ning Ke lowered his eyes, his fingers tightening around the teacup, and said: “So, to him, I am just a liar, the kind whose death ten thousand times over wouldn’t be enough to atone for it.”
“…” Wu Gou listened quietly.
After a long while, he finally sighed and said.
“You are both pitiful people.”
He could see karma.
So back then he could see that A-Ke would die a tragic death.
And interacting with Ning Ke, he also saw Ning Ke’s future.
Just like A-Ke.
Also death.
Perhaps, for Benefactor Ning, this death would be his true return home.
…
The flying ship traveled for three days and arrived at Beiyou City, which was under the jurisdiction of the Pill Sect.
Beiyou City was a border city, close to the barrier boundary between the Human Realm and the Yao Realm.
At this moment, looking from afar, a layer of dark clouds condensed above.
The surrounding hundred miles were enveloped in heavy gloom.
On an open field outside the city, dozens of corpses were laid out.
Pill Sect disciples wearing uniform sect attire wore cloth masks and gloves. Some were crouching beside the corpses investigating the situation, while others were taking notes with pens.
Ning Ke and Wu Gou put away the flying ship and landed.
A male and a female Pill Sect disciple waved at them in front of the city gate.
Ning Ke and Wu Gou both recognized the female cultivator.
It was Zeng Xi, whom they had met at the Sect Competition.
The male cultivator was a new face, wearing round-framed glasses, looking gentle and refined.
Most glasses in the cultivation world were magical artifacts.
Just like the sunglasses Ning Ke wore in the Demon Abyss, which had night vision capabilities.
It was just unknown what this male disciple’s glasses were used for.
“Daoist Wu Gou, Daoist Ming Xin.” Zeng Xi looked delicate and young, but her personality was very steady.
She walked up to Ning Ke and Wu Gou, saying: “You are the first to arrive. I reckon the Sword Sect disciples and Music Sect disciples will be here soon too. Let’s wait here a bit longer.”
“Alright.” Wu Gou agreed.
And he reverted back to that profound, unapproachable master demeanor.
Not showing the slightest hint of the chatterbox he was in front of Ning Ke.
Ning Ke, on the other hand, looked around at those corpses.
He frowned and asked: “Daoist Zeng, why don’t you burn these corpses?”
“I heard that if the corpses eroded by demonic energy are not burned, there is a possibility they will turn into living dead and attack their own kind. It will be very dangerous to continue like this.”
“Daoist Ming Xin doesn’t need to worry about this.” The male disciple named Zhang Chen explained, “Our Sect Master has already refined Demon-Dispelling Pills. Placing them inside the corpses will prevent them from turning into the living dead.”
“Keeping these corpses now is also to conduct research, to see if we can find a way to prevent demon attacks.”
Ning Ke felt relieved.
Looking up again, he saw two flying ships arriving in response.
In the blink of an eye, they landed.
Zhuang Yusheng and a female disciple of the Music Sect disembarked first.
The moment the two saw Ning Ke, they were both slightly taken aback.
The female disciple covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise: “How can someone be so good-looking even without hair?”
Ning Ke: “…”
Zhuang Yusheng was much calmer.
When his gaze swept over Ning Ke’s face, he paused for a moment.
Then moved away.
Instead, he placed his sight on Ning Xiaoxiao and Lou Yunxiao, who were disembarking from the other flying ship.
“Xiaoxiao, long time no see.”
Ning Xiaoxiao’s expression was on the cold side. Upon seeing Zhuang Yusheng, it softened slightly, and she nodded in greeting.
But Lou Yunxiao’s expression was even colder.
Those eyes didn’t look like they were full of hatred like when facing Ning Ke.
Instead, they presented an indifference and emptiness towards the people and things around him.
Like a puppet, or a weapon.
“Daoists, come here!” Zeng Xi waved at the four of them.
Zhang Chen stared at Lou Yunxiao, his eyes behind the lenses shining: “He is that Lou Yunxiao who went blind and regained his sight, right? How exactly did he do it? I really want to ask him…”
Hearing his words, Zeng Xi’s body stiffened. Taking advantage of Lou Yunxiao not having walked up to them yet, she fiercely smacked her fellow disciple’s back: “If you want to live, don’t ask!”
Zeng Xi still had fresh memories of the secret realm incident.
This Lou Yunxiao was now a madman burdened with demonic energy.
She had heard that over the past few months, Lou Yunxiao had participated in annihilating the demons that appeared in the cities managed by the Sword Sect.
When facing demonized fellow disciples, he struck with the same decisiveness, showing absolutely no mercy.
Although it avoided more casualties on their side, it was still scary enough.
As they spoke, Lou Yunxiao’s group had already walked up to them.
Four against four.
As soon as Ning Ke looked up, he made eye contact with Lou Yunxiao.
He pursed his lips, let out a light breath in his heart, and gave Lou Yunxiao a monk’s salute.
He said: “Hello Benefactor Lou, this little monk’s Dharma name is Ming Xin. You can just call me Ming Xin.”
Translator’s Note:
- Diamond Sutra, Tripitaka, Great Compassion Mantra: Real, prominent Buddhist texts and mantras. Wu Gou wasn’t playing around with Ning Ke’s “rehabilitation”!
- Daoist (道友 – Dàoyǒu): A polite term of address between cultivators, meaning “friend of the Dao”.
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