By the lakeside, Zhao Bai stared at his reflection in the water and found his face pale as death.
Standing behind him was a nun with a compassionate deanor, softly giving instructions one after another.
"When the ti cos, you will show up there. Let Chen take your life with one swift strike, no need for unnecessary words. This way, you can have a quick death.
Afterwards, I will perform a transference ritual for you. Your soul will reincarnate in this miniature world, and in the next life, you might find peace and clarity."
A gentle breeze brushed across the lake’s surface near Yu Yong City. Staring at the water’s reflection, Zhao Bai’s face seed to grow even paler.
For a long ti, he feigned composure, though his expression betrayed a deep desolation:
"So, this ans... I must die?
Am I not supposed to... am I not supposed to live... until the Demon Lord Mara wreaks havoc?"
The nun sighed with a faint trace of regret:
"Man proposes, Heaven disposes. We never expected that person to be so adamant about killing you. If it were possible, keeping you until I arrive would not have been entirely out of the question."
The "I" she referred to was naturally not herself, Master Zhihui.
All conditioned things are impermanent, all phenona are non-self.
Her "I" pointed to the true personage of the dicine Bodhisattva residing far away on Spirit Mountain. Zhao Bai understood this better than anyone.
"Then why not... keep until ’you’ arrive?" Zhao Bai grasped at a fragile thread of hope, his voice trembling.
Still, the nun remained in her serene, compassionate state:
"Keeping you until ’I’ arrive — what would that change for you?"
Suddenly, Zhao Bai felt utterly stifled. It was as though his very blood had been frozen in place. His throat could no longer emit a sound.
In the reflection on the lake’s surface, he could see the nun behind him, perpetually serene, her compassionate gaze never once cast upon him!
"Do not dwell on it. Life and death are predetermined. When you comprehend this truth, only then will you understand the reason behind my decision."
After finishing her words, the nun’s figure vanished into the void without leaving a trace.
Zhao Bai abruptly collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open, sitting in a daze by the lakeside.
And so he sat there, motionless, for an unknown length of ti.
After a long while, he murmured softly:
"So I’m... going to die?"
The lake’s surface remained calm, mirroring his pale yet exquisite features.
"Just like this... die?"
Zhao Bai asked himself, and then answered himself:
"Yes, just like this—die."
As the words fell, a thunderous roar exploded within his mind like lightning.
They an to let die like this?
His fists clenched tightly, his face flushed deep red, and his bloodshot eyes burned with fury. Rising to his feet with a twisted expression, his thoughts churned like a raging storm.
He failed to notice the rippling waves spreading across the lake’s surface.
A small boat was slowly drifting closer.
Entirely consud by his emotions, Zhao Bai did not spot it.
"Die like this? Just die like this?!"
All his grand plans collapsed into ruin. Zhao Bai’s blue veins stood out, and his youthful hand, trembling with force, revealed sharp, bony contours.
"Not even passing on my martial skills before death... Fine, fantastic!
Why?!"
"Why do they want dead, and I have to obey? Why do they speak of another life, and I must wait until another life?! Why can they dictate my life and death with just a few words?!"
His body tensed, and he erupted with a roar as sharp as a blade.
He did not want to die. He could not die like this. He had to live...
As his trembling figure gradually cald, he raised his eyes and suddenly saw a small boat drifting inexplicably before him.
With unsteady movents, Zhao Bai raised his head only to see a hand reaching out. Following the hand upward, his gaze t the mysterious figure of a Daoist.
None could say where this Daoist had co from or why he appeared at this mont.
Zhao Bai’s eyes fell upon the Daoist’s palm — within it lay a Golden Core.
It was like the last straw to cling to amidst despair.
He did not have ti to hesitate or question, only hearing the Daoist’s calm words:
"Swallow this Golden Core, and you will know — my fate is not controlled by the Heavens."
...............
When Chen Yi encountered the two monks again, he never expected them to be soaked to the skin and visibly bedraggled.
After inquiring about what had transpired, Chen Yi learned that the revered monks from the Western Region and the Mad Scripture Master had fallen prey to Qin Qingluo’s sches. Despite their dedication to Buddhist law, both were defeated effortlessly by Qin Qingluo, who glowed with a radiant light and had ascended to the Fourth Rank.
"Do you know where that woman, the Prince... might be now? Could you battle her again?"
The Mad Scripture Master, still disgruntled, replied:
"I wasn’t insane enough before. Let lose myself a little more — then how could I be overwheld by a re woman?"
Chen Yi showed no reaction to the statent.
Naturally, he wouldn’t ntion what Qin Qingluo had been through nor reveal her current whereabouts.
So ti ago, while seated in a teahouse, he had witnessed the towering figure of the woman walking alongside Zhu E.
The two had already changed into fresh clothes. Chen Yi had silently watched them pass, saying nothing — though his gaze lingered on Qin Qingluo a while longer.
By his estimates, they had likely already left the Buddha Pagoda.
As the Mad Scripture Master’s complaints grew endless, Chen Yi deliberately shifted the topic:
"How did you two revered monks manage to return?"
"To be frank, we were rescued by a Daoist rowing a boat. He introduced himself as Zhang Buduan." The Western Region monk, true to Buddhist teachings, did not lie and spoke sincerely.
The Mad Scripture Master added with surprise: "We even conversed with him for a while. Unexpectedly, that old Daoist spoke about Buddhist law with such fluency and insight."
Chen Yi had never heard of this na before. However, Yin Weiyin, who was quite familiar with the Taoist path, suddenly stood upright.
"Purple Sun Master Zhang Buduan?"
The female crown echoed in astonishnt:
"The founding patriarch of the Southern Sect, Zhang Buduan? But isn’t he supposed to... have gone to Penglai?"
Neither Purple Sun Master nor Southern Sect Patriarch were nas Chen Yi could comprehend, but upon hearing Yin Weiyin ntion "Penglai," his eyebrows knitted together.
Penglai... again Penglai...
No sooner could Chen Yi contemplate it further—
Boom!
In the distant sky, black clouds gathered, erupting with flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.
The entire teahouse quivered violently, while the countless citizens of Yu Yong City turned their gazes toward the source of the noise. All eyes soon fell on a dense shadowy mist pressing down upon the city, inching ever closer!
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