Stranger Danger

The withered corpse said smilingly, “Amitabha. All things in the world are tied by karma. You may be doing your own thing, but it doesn’t change the fact that your deeds have freed me. Therefore, you are deserving of my thanks.”

“You flatter me, Venerable Bhante,” Ye Qing responded with a smile of his own, “If nothing else, I am glad I am able to free you from your demonic troubles.”

“Excellent, excellent!” The withered corpse chanted, “This monk is impressed at your humility and open-mindedness, benefactor.”

“Since you have freed me from my demonic troubles and future sins, I would like to offer you a small token of appreciation. I hope you won’t refuse it.”

Is this… my opportunity? Ye Qing’s eyes lit up, and his heart pounded with excitement. Sometimes, good luck falls on you like a hurricane. Should he accept it or accept it [1]? It wasn’t just a gift from an elder, but also the dying wish of a soon-to-be-departed. He couldn’t possibly reject such an offer, could he?

But of course, there was still a chance this might just be a trick. That was why Ye Qing remained where he was and waited for the monk to continue.

The withered corpse didn’t get angry despite Ye Qing’s obvious suspicion. He continued in a gentle voice, “You have nothing to worry about, benefactor. I am but a soul fragment right now, and I could disappear at any moment. The way I am right now, I am unable to harm even a hair on your person.”

The withered corpse lowered his mental defenses and bared his soul for Ye Qing to see then. Ye Qing carefully scrutinized Jing Hui’s soul and found that he was telling the truth. Not only was he just a soul fragment, he was like a candle flame that could be extinguished by the three divine winds at any moment.

“Do you believe me now? If you do, then come to me,” the withered corpse said smilingly.

After Ye Qing was sure this was no ploy, he walked up to the withered corpse and apologized, “Please forgive me for my rudeness, Venerable Bhante.”

The withered corpse chuckled. “The jianghu is a dangerous place, and even if it isn’t, it is natural to be cautious. What is there to apologize for?”

He then raised a withering finger and tapped his forehead. A red lotus immediately flew out into the open.

The red lotus was pocket-sized at best, but it was incredibly lifelike and burning a pure, red flame. It also contained a great air of mystery and Dao.

Before Ye Qing could react, the red lotus entered his head in a flash. Then, it began spinning slowly and unfurling its flame into many scrolls of sutras and martial arts insights.

“What the…” Ye Qing couldn’t help but looked astonished as he perceived the sutras and insights.

“This is the Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art, one of the Thirty Six Arts of my Thousand Buddhas Temple. Although it is just a Spirit Purification stage martial art, it is quite potent.”

“Those who are sinful will burn in hell. The Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art can transform one’s heart demon and sins into hellfire to purge the sinner.”

“The hellfire purges the heart, and the red lotus cleanses the world.”

The withered corpse continued, “When I was still alive, the Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art is my signature martial art. Since your astral qi is fire-based, I believe that you are a good fit with it. I have transferred all of my insights regarding the Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art and saber arts in general to you. Simply perceive the red lotus with your spirit, and you will be able to glean into my understanding and insights. I believe this will be greatly beneficial to your cultivation.”

“With this gift, I hope you’ll be able to slay more demons and save more people.”

“Thank you, Venerable Bhante. This junior will not betray your expectations,” Ye Qing thanked him with barely suppressed excitement.

Even if the Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art was a mediocre saber art—which Jing Hui confirmed personally that it wasn’t—the word “Spirit Purification stage” alone was enough to send him into hype overdrive. What delighted him even more was the fact that Jing Hui had injected all of his learnings and insights regarding the saber art into his mind. To give an example, it was the difference between having to study chemistry from scratch, and having a chemistry book to refer to. It was going to save him so much time.

The Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art was a Spirit Purification stage martial art; a martial art that involved the use of the mind and spirit. As an Astral Refiner, it was inevitable that he would be hardpressed to apply it properly or even understand it. Worst case scenario, he could hurt his own mind and suffer a deviation.

Of course, he didn’t think he would suffer a deviation thanks to his powerful spirit, but of course he would experience more difficulties than an actual Spirit Purifier.

This problem was circumvented since Jing Hui had given him his insights; his “martial arts essence” for short. A martial arts essence could be directly implanted into another’s mind or be sealed within an object such as a manual, a jade box and so on. It could be used to accelerate one’s cultivation. The reason it wasn’t commonplace was because it could only be created by some peak martial arts practitioners, and Jing Hui was clearly one of them.

“This monk believes in you, benefactor,” Jing Hui replied smilingly, although his voice was a lot weaker than before. It was clear that transmitting the martial arts essence took a lot out of the monk.

“Besides the Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art, there is one more thing I would like to give you, benefactor.”

“What? There’s more?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. Did his ancestor come back to life or what? He wasn’t expecting to be so lucky today!

Jing Hui explained, “My second gift to you is my corpse.”

“Thank—wait what? Your corpse?” Why would I need your corpse? I’m not necrophilic, bro! Oh wait, maybe he just wants me to bury him. I can do that.

“As I’ve told you earlier, my body was refined by a man named Mara Buddha before. I am practically a Strange Artifact at this point, and my body has been fully corrupted by demonic energy. I can seal it, but I don’t have the means to destroy it. If my body were to be left alone, Mara Buddha would surely return and claim it one day. I can only imagine the number of lives he would take in my name. That is why I want you to have my body.”

Ye Qing turned serious and nodded. “I am grateful for your trust, Venerable Bhante. I swear I won’t betray your expectations.”

Jing Hui advised, “I will use the Moko Boundless Chains to seal my body later. The Moko Boundless Chains is a valuable treasure of my Thousand Buddhas Temple and possesses the power to suppress heart demons and evils. It would keep my demonic energy well under wraps.”

“I will inform you how to use the Moko Boundless Chains in a moment. When the time comes, you may release the chains, unleash my demonic energy, and transform my body into the Boundless Mara Buddha. I am sure it will be of great use to you.”

“However, I must warn you that my demonic energy is incredibly powerful. If possible, you should only reserve it for grave dangers. Otherwise, it may change your nature.”

Ye Qing saluted him again. “This junior will remember your advice, Venerable Bhante.”

However, Jing Hui chuckled, “That said, the Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art I taught you possess the power to slay one’s heart demons and sins, and it isn’t just limited to enemies. You simply need to cut yourself often, and you should never lose your clarity of mind. It is one of the reasons I decided to grant you my Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art.”

“You stand tall and see far, Venerable Bhante. This junior is most impressed,” Ye Qing praised before hesitating for a moment. “Venerable Bhante, I have a question. Aren’t you afraid that you might have misjudged me? I could be a rotten bastard with good acting skills.”

Jing Hui smiled. “This monk is slightly familiar with the art of discerning people, and I can tell that you are a good person despite your cunning. I believe that I have not misjudged you.”

He paused for a moment before adding jokingly, “That, and I really don’t have much time left. I don’t have the luxury to pick the best fruit out of the lot.”

“Thank you for believing in me, Venerable Bhante.”

Ye Qing abruptly straightened up and saluted the monk seriously, “This junior is Ye Qing, a Patrolman of the Luo Shui Pacification Bureau. I cannot swear that I will never kill another person, nor can I promise that I will save every life I encounter. However, I promise that I will never lose my heart and succumb into evil. I will do what I can and follow my heart. Wherever my actions take me, I swear that it will never betray my own beliefs.”

“Excellent!” Jing Hui laughed joyously. “Just follow your heart, and it is like having consulted the Buddha Himself! Amitabha! Excellent! Excellent!”

The chains wrapped around Jing Hui slowly glowed as he said this. The runes sparkled, and a soft layer of golden light basked the tattered temple.

Multiple Buddha silhouettes began manifesting in the golden light. Golden lotuses descended from above, and the sounds of peaceful chanting filled the ears. It made Ye Qing feel calm and in control of himself.

The next moment, the Buddha silhouettes descended like gods entering the mortal coil. They transformed into many enigmatic runes and imprinted themselves upon the chains.

The chains glowed brightly and slowly shrank. Somehow, Jing Hui started shrinking as well. Just a few breaths later, the body had become as small as a palm like a little mud sculpture. It was wrapped by a single chain that glowed with mysterious, gentle light.

“Amitabha…” A solemn chant rang one last time inside the tattered temple. It was like a final goodbye and well-wishes to this world.

With that, the sculpture slowly floated into the air and into Ye Qing’s hands.

The sculpture felt warm to touch. Although it was a corpse, it was devoid of the darkness and coldness of a body. It was fairly light and circulating with some sort of air of Buddha that ultimately went back into the chain. It looked and felt very mysterious.

The body seemed to contain a tremendous amount of power. Its aura felt unholy and evil as well. However, it was tightly sealed by the chain.

Ye Qing could no longer feel Jing Hui’s soul fragment inside the sculpture. He reckoned that the monk had finally passed to the afterlife.

“Rest in peace, Venerable Bhante. This junior wouldn’t betray your expectations,” Ye Qing sighed. He was sad, but he was also happy. Quite happy, in fact. This trip had turned out to be far more fruitful than he could possibly expect.

No wonder there was this saying, “Whatever will happen to our plans is up to fate.” Wang Yang had come to the Thousand Buddhas Grotto as prepared as he could be, but he still died in the end. He only wanted to refine the Burning Wind that was in the grotto, but he had walked away with everything he could ask for.

Truly, you reap what you sow, and I am daddy heavens’ favorite son.

“Time to check what grade, taboos and abilities this Strange Artifact possess.”

After leaving the Thousand Buddhas Temple and finding a secluded and windless spot, Ye Qing unfurled the Annon Sutra and spat a mouthful of blood on the vellum, asking, “What grade is the Strange Artifact Venerable Bhante Jing Hui transformed into? And what abilities does it possess?”

The Annon Sutra didn’t respond though. Clearly, one mouthful of blood wasn’t enough.

1. No, this is not a typo. ☜