Chapter 100 The lively person and the dog get along quite well.
"Now that I think about it, Sect Leader Zeng is still the most suitable to be the leader of the sword cultivator world. You see, since Sect Leader Zeng took over the position, he has managed the sword cultivator world in an orderly manner. Unlike when the Sword God was alive, he often clashed with the magic cultivator world, which caused the people of the magic cultivator world to have many complaints about the sword cultivator world. As a result, even for such an important event as the peace talks, the magic cultivator world has not sent anyone."
As soon as the man spoke, the surroundings suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to him.
A gaunt old man dressed in gray and white robes sat in the seat, a sinister smile on his face that made people feel uneasy. He was a cultivator from the Ghost Cultivation Realm.
Although the cultivators in the Ghost Cultivation Realm are all human, they cultivate by learning the methods of ghosts. In the past, they often absorbed the essence of others to replenish themselves, which is why they were always rejected by the cultivation world and regarded as a heretical sect.
The reason he is here is because after Zeng Shujin succeeded as the sect leader, he always prioritized peace. Therefore, he made an agreement with the ghost cultivators that as long as they cultivate well and do not harm or kill people, the cultivators will no longer want to kill them, and they can have a place in the cultivation world.
Therefore, people in the ghost cultivation world naturally admire and respect Zeng Shujin more.
Li Chenjin glanced at the person through the white veil, then lowered his eyes, lost in thought. The hand holding the wine glass unconsciously tightened slowly.
The former leader of Wanshan Sect did indeed fall ill suddenly. It was only after falling ill that he was unable to handle the affairs of the sect, so he temporarily handed over the position of leader of Wanshan Sect to the Sword God.
Looking back now, the former sect leader was always in good health, and people in the cultivation world rarely get sick; even if they do, they recover quickly. But the former sect leader suddenly fell ill, and his illness became very serious, and in the end…
Perhaps it is indeed related to the Sword God...
Just as the surroundings fell silent, a loud slamming sound rang out, followed by a familiar voice that suddenly came from the end of the banquet: "What nonsense are you spouting?! The Sword God has always hated evil and helped those in distress. How could such a person be disrespectful to his master?"
"It was clearly a relapse of an old injury that caused the late sect leader's injury. Who in the sword cultivation world doesn't know that? How dare someone like you spread rumors and smear him?!"
Li Chen blinked and leaned back slightly, then saw Han Shannan, who had stood up angrily, pointing at the Ghost Cultivator and cursing loudly.
Um……
She's quite lively.
Moreover, the fermented rice balls stayed by his side, barking wildly at the ghost cultivator, as if cheering him on. The man and the dog got along quite well.
Before the person from the Ghost Cultivator Realm could refute, the person sitting on the high seat suddenly spoke up: "The former sect leader did indeed have to temporarily step down from his position because of his serious injuries that were difficult to heal. The reason he didn't make it public at the time was because he didn't want to cause unease among the Sword Cultivator Realm, not because he was happy with him. Everyone in the Sword Cultivator Realm knows this."
"As for who is more suitable to be the leader of the Wanshan Sect, I think only my master is qualified to judge this matter. When my master was alive, he greatly praised Xianghuan's actions and had no dissatisfaction whatsoever. And who are you to dare to overstep our master's authority and judge the people of the sword cultivator world in this way on our own territory?"
Zeng Shujin was gentle by nature. Even when she spoke such aggressive words, her words sounded very mild and even had a scholarly air about them. She didn't seem like a cultivator from the sword cultivation world at all.
No sooner had Zeng Shujin finished speaking than someone chimed in, "That's right! Old man, the fact that Sect Leader Zeng invited you here is already a great honor for the Ghost Cultivation community. If Sect Leader Zeng hadn't invited you, people from your Ghost Cultivation world wouldn't even be able to get close to the Wanshan Sect's gates, so how dare you talk about the Sword God?"
"Weren't you people from the Ghost Cultivator Realm the ones who were chased and killed by the Sword God, crying and begging for mercy? You even sent some old people, women, and children to the Sword Cultivator Realm to beg Sect Leader Zeng to persuade the Sword God not to exterminate you. When the Sword God spared you out of respect for Sect Leader Zeng, weren't you extremely grateful to him? Why are you going back on your word now?"
"Huh? I remember hearing a rumor that Sect Leader Zeng had a big argument with the Sword God over the Ghost Cultivation Realm. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true. Sect Leader Zeng is kind-hearted, but the Sword God always likes to eliminate problems completely. The two of them have always had some disagreements on this matter. They even argued for three days and three nights over the Ghost Cultivator Realm. For several months afterward, the Sword God did not return to Wanshan Sect. It was Sect Leader Zeng who searched for him for four or five months before finally bringing him back..."
Those people were discussing those past events, but for some reason, they shifted the topic to the Zen meditation community and asked Li Chenjin, "Master Chenjin, I heard that when the Sword God was still alive, some people said that Zen Master Mingcun had predicted that the Sword God's killing intent was too strong, and that if it continued, there would be dire consequences. Is this true or false?"
Li Chenjin: "..."
This is bad. Now, that kid Han Shannan definitely knows she's here too.
Fortunately, Han Shannan's seat was quite far from hers, so even if he found out, he couldn't leave his seat to come find her right away.
It's really strange, though. She hasn't said a word since she took her seat, and she's the only person from the meditation community here. How did these people even notice her?
Li Chen said, "Ha... well... although I am half a disciple of Zen Master Mingcun, as you all know, my master always arranges various things for me to run errands for. Therefore, I am not often by the Zen Master's side, so I really don't know about this matter."
As soon as Li Chenjin finished speaking, someone exclaimed, "So this is Layman Chenjin? I've heard that Layman Chenjin of the Zen cultivation world was a friend of the Sword God in the past, and that he looks very much like the Sword God. Is this why you're wearing a bamboo hat to cover your face today? Is this rumor true?"
Li Chen shook his head. "It's just a rumor. The Sword God has never been fond of the Zen cultivation world, so how could he become friends with someone from the Zen cultivation world? If I were truly the Sword God's friend, how could Sect Leader Zeng, who had always been by the Sword God's side, not know this?"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Zeng Shujin.
Zeng Shujin nodded and said, "Xianghuan does not have any friends in the Zen community. I just don't know when you became a disciple of Zen Master Mingcun. My late master and I visited Wufo Temple several times, but we never heard of you."
Li Chenjin: "..."
No, shouldn't we be talking about the Sword God they used to love talking about?
Why are you suddenly asking about her?
She's not a sword god!
Li Chen's heart was in turmoil, but his face remained calm and composed. He chuckled naturally and said, "Oh, is that so? Well... I used to be a cultivator in the Dharma world, originally serving under Elder Shen. But by chance, I met the Zen Master through Elder Shen, and then I asked to leave the Dharma world to study Buddhism under the Zen Master."
"As for the Sword God, although I have never met him before, judging from what you all have said, his eventual demise must have been partly due to his excessive killing intent. The Sword God did not believe in Buddhism or karma, but look at the masses in the world, there are many who do not believe in karma. But in the end, has karma ever spared anyone? They only suffer the consequences of their own actions."
As she finished speaking, silence fell once again.
Just when she thought she could finally steer the conversation back to the deceased Sword God, she suddenly heard Zeng Shujin say, "What you say makes sense. In this world, good deeds bring good results, and bad deeds bring bad results. But in your opinion, what if someone sows bad seeds but wants to reap good results?"
Li Chen gazed at the person on the high seat, pondered for a long time, and then said: "The Buddha said: If a person has many faults and does not repent, and stops his mind, the sins will come back to him, just as water flows into the sea, becoming deep and wide. How can he escape them? If he has evil, knows it is wrong, corrects his faults and becomes good, his sins will be eliminated day by day, and he will eventually attain enlightenment (1). This passage from the Buddhist scriptures should be able to answer the questions of Master Zeng."
Zeng Shujin gazed in her direction and remained silent for a long time before saying, "I've heard that you look similar to Xianghuan, but I don't know if this rumor is true or false. Would you mind taking off your hat?"
Li Chen thought for a moment and said, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to take off my hat, but I’ve been having an allergic reaction on my face lately and can’t stand the wind. I also don’t want to frighten others, so it’s inconvenient for me to take it off right now.”
After Li Chenjin said this, Zeng Shujin did not follow up. Instead, she continued to stare in Li Chenjin's direction, as if she did not believe what he said. This caused everyone around to look at the two of them without saying a word.
The atmosphere at the banquet remained tense for a while before Zeng Shujin slowly said, "In that case, I will naturally not force you, layman. However, I have some things I would like to ask you to convey to the Zen Master. It may be inconvenient to talk about them here. Would you do me the honor of coming inside with me to discuss this?"
Li Chenjin: "..."
When Zeng Shujin opened his mouth, she guessed what he was going to say next, but every time she thought of a reply, Zeng Shujin's next words blocked her out.
If she were to refuse now, it would only arouse suspicion among those around her and make people think that the Zen meditation community harbored resentment towards the sword cultivation community.
After all, she now represents the entire Zen meditation community. If she does anything wrong, even if the old monk Mingcun doesn't care, she herself will feel somewhat guilty.
Thinking of this, Li Chen sighed helplessly in his heart and said, "If Sect Leader Zeng says so, then naturally I will..."
"I am a good friend of Mingcun. If Sect Leader Zeng has anything to say, please feel free to speak to me."
With a soft laugh, a door made of spiritual energy suddenly appeared in an open space.
A man dressed in a black robe led the way, slowly walking out of the door, followed by a dozen or so others.
When everyone saw the person's appearance clearly, their expressions immediately became extremely tense, and many people subconsciously leaned back, as if they were eager to leave this place.
Most of the people present are experienced individuals, many of whom have either met Shen Zhengyuan or know what he looks like.
The author's note: (1) From the "Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters Spoken by the Buddha".
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