Bai Yilian now only has two choices: one is to continue to eke out a living in this ordinary little town, where she may remain an ordinary person for the rest of her life, grow old and die in a few decades!
Another option is to leave with the person in front of you, using your resentment towards Qi Zhiheng as power to restore your cultivation, but this involves many risks.
She hesitated as she looked at the shadowy figure, but finally spoke, "Senior, why did you choose me? I am just an ordinary person who has lost my cultivation." Bai Yilian was most puzzled by this. Although the other party said it was because of her resentment towards Qi Zhiheng, she could not completely trust him. After all, the person in front of her was obviously not a good person.
The shadowy figure said, "You are certainly not an ordinary person. I have a cultivation technique that only someone with your physique can practice."
The shadowy figure flickered after speaking, already showing signs of impatience.
Bai Yilian originally wanted to ask some more questions, but after what happened with Zhang Ruosheng, she became more cautious in her attitude towards others. In front of the powerful, she had no right to refuse.
"I'll go with you..." Bai Yilian agreed to the other party's request before their patience ran out. She thought to herself that since she still had value in their eyes, at least she could save her life.
The dark figure, carrying Bai Yilian, disappeared from the room.
Qi Zhiheng lived a relatively peaceful life in the days that followed.
Originally, after becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator, one could be assigned a mountain, but considering that the spiritual herbs planted in the spiritual fields had not yet been harvested, and that he and Yang Yitian might go to try to break through the barrier to the Central Continent in a while, there was no need for him to guard a mountain anymore.
As for the rest of the Qi family, Qi Zhiheng was not comfortable leaving them on one mountain. Rather than being on a mountain without Nascent Soul cultivators, it would be better for them to continue to be under Zuo Qiuman's protection on Panyun Peak.
Zuoqiu Man hasn't reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage yet, so he probably won't leave with the next group of people from Central Continent.
With this in mind, Qi Zhiheng gave up on choosing a mountain.
Some time has passed since the incident with the Demonic Mushroom, and those who left behind it haven't made any significant moves. Qi Zhiheng guessed that they might feel the time wasn't right yet.
After several leisurely months, the day arrived for their journey to Wuchen Temple. Having made a promise to Que Hanhai, he would personally lead the team to Wuchen Temple this time.
There were quite a few people heading to Wuchen Temple this time. Those who had been sent out on missions were all recalled and went to Wuchen Temple together.
Among those who went to Wuchen Temple, some were infected by demonic energy, while others were uninfected and came to confuse the public.
This Buddhist and Taoist forum was a grand affair, attracting most of the sects in Nanzhou. Some were genuinely interested in discussing Buddhism and Taoism, while others were simply there to give face to Wuchen Temple. Even the top ten sects came to Wuchen Temple.
As soon as Qi Zhiheng and his disciples arrived, Buddhist practitioners came to greet them.
The group from the Slaughtering God Sect, numbering around a hundred, was led to the guest courtyard. Qi Zhiheng had come with a mission, and this mission went beyond simply bringing people; he also needed to request an audience with the abbot of Wuchen Temple to deliver the gifts and letters that Que Hanhai had given him.
Que Hanhai had previously communicated with the abbot of Wuchen Temple, but some details were not suitable to be conveyed using a communication jade slip. Although it was almost impossible for someone to intercept their messages given their cultivation levels, it was still only almost impossible. There was still a certain chance that someone might intercept the information.
On the first day of Qi Zhiheng's arrival, he presented a visiting card to the abbot.
There were quite a few people who wanted to see the abbot this time.
The lineage of Wuchen Temple spans ten thousand years, and to this day, the highest generation in Wuchen Temple is the "Yuan" generation. The abbot's generation is two generations below him, the "Wu" generation, and his name is "Wuxin"!
Yang Yitian also came along this time. When he heard the character "Wu" in the generation name, he subconsciously thought of Sun Wukong! After realizing it, he burst out laughing.
Qi Zhiheng looked at him with a puzzled expression: "What are you laughing at? Did you have some insights after coming to this pure Buddhist place?"
Yang Yitian shook his head and said, "No, I don't have Buddhist nature. I just thought of someone."
"You're thinking about other people in front of your man?" Qi Zhiheng pinched Yang Yitian's cheek. Whether Yang Yitian was thinking about men or women, it was naturally inappropriate.
Since the two were in the room, they didn't have any particular reservations.
Yang Yitian joked, "This is a sacred Buddhist site; be mindful of your words and actions."
Qi Zhiheng let go of his hand: "Alright, stop pretending." How could he not know what kind of person Yang Yitian was? He just loves flirting to the core.
"I just remembered a great figure named Sun Wukong." Yang Yitian also liked watching "Journey to the West" when he was a child. At first, he was attracted by the cartoon, then he watched the TV series, and finally he read the book. He was young at the time, so he read the translated vernacular version, which had a lot of illustrations. He liked the content quite a bit. When he played with other children as a child, he liked to imitate Sun Wukong and wield a plastic Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic staff).
Qi Zhiheng had absolutely no recollection of the name Wukong: "A monk in this temple? Never heard of him. When did you meet him?" Could it be that Yang Yitian met him when he sneaked out of seclusion to do a mission? He had absolutely no recollection of it.
Yang Yitian revealed a cryptic smile. How could you possibly know the name of Sun Wukong?
Qi Zhiheng's invitation to visit received a response quickly, and a young novice monk came to inform Qi Zhiheng.
The young novice monk was not very old, looking only eight or nine years old. He had two dimples on his chubby face, and his bald head and protruding ears made him look exceptionally cute. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Benefactor Qi, the abbot asked me to take you there."
Qi Zhiheng already had many young disciples, all of whom were quite cute. He was immune to cute children, but this child in front of him gave off a compassionate feeling, making people feel an irresistible fondness for him.
If this child weren't actually a child with low cultivation, Qi Zhiheng would almost have thought that he had some kind of skill that could sway his mind.
Yang Yitian and Qi Zhiheng followed the young novice monk to the courtyard where Abbot Wuxin was. Upon arrival, another monk came out to greet Qi Zhiheng. Yang Yitian originally wanted to go in as well, but was refused.
Qi Zhiheng told Yang Yitian to wait outside for a moment, and that he would come out as soon as possible.
Yang Yitian felt like he had come for nothing, but they did need their help and couldn't disregard their host's wishes.
Finally, the young novice monk stayed behind to keep Yang Yitian company.
Yang Yitian was bored by himself, so he sat down in the pavilion outside the courtyard and took out some fruits to eat.
Although the child in front of him saw him take out the fruit, there was no curiosity or doubt in his eyes, as if Yang Yitian's behavior of eating fruit here was not worth making a fuss about, and no child was tempted by the food.
Seeing the child's mature demeanor, Yang Yitian deliberately took out a fruit and waved it in front of him, saying, "Little Master, would you like some spiritual fruit?"
"Benefactor, this humble monk does not eat." The young novice remained calm.
Yang Yitian became interested. He also had sons, and his children were all quite restless. Erbao was the most mischievous, but Dabao and Sanbao were also quite clever. However, this was the first time he had seen a quiet child like this little novice monk, which made him even more eager to tease him.
He put the fruit in his mouth and took a bite: "Delicious, delicious! This is a spiritual fruit with the attribute of light, and you're not going to eat it? Don't you Buddhists all like things with light and spiritual energy?"
Dark attribute is most suitable for demonic cultivators, and light attribute is most suitable for Buddhist cultivators. However, not all demonic cultivators have dark attribute spiritual roots, nor do all Buddhist cultivators have light attribute spiritual roots. These are two rather unique attributes that do not require spiritual roots to cultivate.
People who are born with a spiritual root of light are often defined as having a connection to Buddhism.
Seeing that the little monk was unmoved, Yang Yitian handed him another one: "Here, take it and eat it. I have quite a few more." He wasn't being modest. When Qi Zhiheng's space advanced, another batch of fruits ripened inside, and now their spiritual fruits were overflowing.
Qi Zhiheng didn't know how to explain the origin of so many spiritual fruits. So, apart from distributing some to his disciples and some acquaintances in the sect, these spiritual fruits were made into various foods, but there were still many piled up in his space. Even the spirit-devouring insects were mutated quite a bit by being fed with spiritual fruits, and the spirit-devouring insect king mutated once more.
“Amitabha! Benefactor, I cannot accept a reward without merit. I do not wish for it.” The young monk remained unmoved.
Yang Yitian said, "It's no fun eating alone. You're the only one here, so eat with me. Otherwise, how can I eat?"
After hesitating for a moment, the young monk finally accepted the spiritual fruit given to him by Yang Yitian.
These spiritual fruits are not suitable for the young monk to eat too much of at his current level of cultivation; one today is about right.
The little monk nibbled on the spirit fruit, his cheeks puffing out. Yang Yitian's heart softened; remembering Erbao's mischievous nature, this child was so sensible and adorable.
Moreover, this little monk seemed to have a natural saintly aura about him, and even Yang Yitian couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards him. He was even more enigmatic than a fox spirit. Seeing that the little monk was still eating fruit, Yang Yitian swallowed the fruit in his mouth and started chatting with him: "Little monk, what's your name?"
The young monk stopped eating the fruit and replied, "My Buddhist name is Puci."
Yang Yitian grinned. Pu Ci? That sounds a bit like "Pu Ci" (a homophone for "pfft" in Chinese). He wondered who came up with that name.
He wasn't very familiar with the seniority system in Buddhism, nor was he particularly moved by the Dharma name. He simply asked again, "Do you have a spiritual root of light?" He looked at the young monk, who seemed to be surrounded by a Buddha-like aura, and guessed that it might be related to a spiritual root.
Although the young monk appeared somewhat composed, he still retained a childlike nature. He nodded and said, "This humble monk does indeed possess the Light Spirit Root."
Yang Yitian nodded, thinking to himself that he was right after all.
He chatted with the young monk about various things until Qi Zhiheng came out of Abbot Wuxin's meditation room.
Qi Zhiheng walked up to Yang Yitian, nodded slightly to the little monk, and then prepared to leave with Yang Yitian.
Yang Yitian waved to the little monk and said, "Little monk, come visit me sometime, I'll treat you to some spiritual fruit."
"Farewell, benefactor." The little monk couldn't resist Yang Yitian's enthusiasm and finally said goodbye.
After the two had walked some distance apart, Qi Zhiheng teased, "It's your fault for not getting along with her."
Yang Yitian explained, "I have no intention of dating a younger woman, you can't slander me like that."
Qi Zhiheng replied, "That's not the case. Even if you wanted to eat it, you wouldn't be able to."
"He's just a little monk? Can't I take him by force?" Yang Yitian originally didn't have any thoughts, but after hearing Qi Zhiheng's words, he immediately became somewhat indignant.
Qi Zhiheng smiled and said, "You really can't take it by force. That child's status in Wuchen Temple is not simple."
"What? He's just a little monk?" Yang Yitian didn't pay much attention.
Qi Zhiheng: "When the monks from the abbot's quarters came to greet us, they even bowed to that young monk. Ordinary young monks don't receive such treatment."
Yang Yitian opened his mouth slightly, wondering if the monk had just bowed to him and Qi Zhiheng. But thinking back, he realized that the monk had indeed bowed to all three of them.
Qi Zhiheng added, "If I can't guess, it might be a Buddhist disciple from Wuchen Temple."
"That title sounds really cool!" Yang Yitian gave a thumbs up. "Do you think it's too late for me to go and beg for his coattails?" he said, moving his face a little closer to Qi Zhiheng.
Qi Zhiheng extended a finger, tapped it on his forehead, and gently pushed it away: "You were just forcibly taking what you wanted, and now you're sucking up to someone? You're quick to change your mind."
Yang Yitian said with a grin, "Be thick-skinned, and you'll live longer."
"A scourge will live on for ten thousand years," Qi Zhiheng said disdainfully.
Yang Yitian snorted: "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're good-looking. I'm going to get angry if you belittle me like that."
Qi Zhiheng laughed and asked, "How are you going to get angry?"
"Be serious! This is a sacred Buddhist site; no flirting here!" Yang Yitian couldn't help but laugh out loud. He looked around; there was indeed no one there. He just wondered if Buddha had seen their behavior.
"Let's hurry back." Qi Zhiheng also felt that it was inappropriate to be out in broad daylight. It wasn't that they needed to rush back to do anything, but since they were still in someone else's temple, it just didn't feel right.
After returning to his residence, Yang Yitian asked about the abbot's visit that day.
Qi Zhiheng said, "As soon as I entered the door, the abbot said that I had wisdom and asked me if I wanted to stay and become a monk."
Yang Yitian's lips twitched: "Don't think I don't know. Isn't that abbot just interested in you because you have a light spiritual root? In the eyes of these monks, anyone with a light spiritual root must have wisdom."
Qi Zhiheng possesses the Light Spirit Root. Although the Light Spirit Root is only one of the ten spiritual roots and cannot be compared with Pu Ci's Heavenly Spirit Root, there are probably not many monks in the entire temple who possess the Light Spirit Root.
Qi Zhiheng chuckled: "You're quite clever. After all, light spiritual roots are rare. If you possess a light spiritual root, you can save several times the effort compared to an ordinary monk."
"What a pity! Not only do you have the wisdom root, but you also have several other messy roots! Others only have six impure senses, but you have ten spiritual roots already. Besides the wisdom root, you have nine more." Yang Yitian paused, looked at Qi Zhiheng's lower abdomen, and then said with a glint in his eye, "I misspoke, you have ten more!"
"What nonsense are you spouting in this sacred Buddhist place?" Qi Zhiheng said. "The six senses are not spiritual roots."
Yang Yitian naturally knew this, and he also knew that Qi Zhiheng could not possibly join the Buddhist sect, so he went straight to the point and asked, "What about the sect's affairs? Are they settled?"
Qi Zhiheng replied, "Half of it is done."
Qi Zhiheng is sending some materials to the Buddhist sect. Many of Qi Zhiheng's materials are light-attribute spiritual artifacts, which are new spiritual artifacts that Que Hanhai had someone refine recently. Although they are light-attribute spiritual artifacts, they are not very useful unless they have been processed by Buddhist cultivators.
Without the blessing of Buddhist cultivation, the light attribute is simply the light attribute. For example, if Qi Zhiheng didn't cultivate Buddhism, even with his light spiritual root, the effect he could exert would be much less. He wouldn't be able to resolve the demonic energy invading his disciple's body on his own. However, Buddhist cultivation methods aren't primarily offensive, so Qi Zhiheng hadn't really considered cultivating them.
The spiritual artifacts were delivered to the abbot, who will then consecrate them using Buddhist methods and use them to expel demonic energy. Once the demonic energy is expelled, the spiritual energy will belong to Wuchen Temple.
This is a win-win situation. In any case, light-attribute spiritual artifacts are not very useful to the Slaughtering God Sect, so Que Hanhai gave them away very readily.
As for exorcising the demonic energy from the disciples of the Slaughtering God Sect, that can only be done after the Buddhist and Taoist lectures have concluded.
He could afford to wait that long. After all, he'd waited these past few months; surely listening to these monks preach wouldn't take much longer?
Qi Zhiheng took out several Buddhist scriptures and said, "The abbot also gave me some gifts this time."
"It seems the abbot really wants you to become a monk; he's even prepared Buddhist scriptures." Yang Yitian picked up a book and casually flipped through it.
Qi Zhiheng also opened a book and started reading: "I was thinking that since I also have a light spiritual root, I might be able to learn some Buddhist cultivation skills along the way, and maybe I can deal with even more powerful demons next time."
Yang Yitian said, "But you have a dark spiritual root, yet you're still not as powerful as a demonic cultivator's demonic energy?"
Qi Zhiheng said, "A dark spiritual root is a dark spiritual root, but a dark spiritual root doesn't necessarily mean you have to learn demonic cultivation. You can use a different method to create a different attack method."
Yang Yitian: "Actually, it's okay to secretly cultivate some demonic energy, right? That way, you can go and explore the territory of demonic cultivators in the future. You might go all the way and no one will even notice."
Qi Zhiheng thought about it and realized that it was actually quite a good idea. However, the territory of demonic cultivators in Nanzhou was relatively small and somewhat barren, so he wasn't very interested. If possible, he would like to take a look at Zhongzhou, where perhaps demonic cultivators could develop better.
Qi Zhiheng actually got quite absorbed in the Buddhist scriptures once he started reading them; his supposed wisdom was truly remarkable.
Qi Zhiheng attended the Buddhist and Taoist forum with such an optimistic attitude.
Yang Yitian waited for several days but didn't see the little monk come to play with him again, which was a bit of a pity. The days of eating vegetarian food in Wuchen Temple were quite boring. Yang Yitian wanted to get some meat from Qi Zhiheng's space to eat, but Qi Zhiheng said that this was disrespectful to Buddhism. He just went to the kitchen and made some vegetarian dishes for Yang Yitian, which were still better than what the monks in the temple made.
Five days later, the Buddhist and Taoist lectures officially began.
Qi Zhiheng led his disciples to the specially built platform for preaching.
The group was quite complete, and Qi Zhiheng spotted some familiar faces in the crowd.
Qi Zhiheng was somewhat surprised that the Shenmu Sect would actually send a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and that person was a very familiar face.
Ye Yunchuan also noticed Qi Zhi's gaze and glanced back at him.
Qi Zhiheng smiled faintly and nodded slightly. So what if the other party was at the Nascent Soul stage? He was truly confident that he could exchange some injury for the other party's life. Ye Yunchuan calculated that even if he was at the Nascent Soul stage, he was still a weak alchemist.
Ye Yunchuan didn't show much emotion, as if he really didn't take Qi Zhiheng seriously and didn't think Qi Zhiheng could cause him any harm.
In addition, Qi Zhiheng also saw Guan Yunmo.
As for Guan Yunmo, Qi Zhiheng didn't have any grudges against him. Guan Yunmo even sent him quite a few messages later, but Qi Zhiheng had already planned to get rid of the name Yi Yun, so he didn't intend to reply at all.
Qi Zhiheng sat cross-legged in the sect's territory, with a futon under his buttocks.
Unbeknownst to Qi Zhiheng, there was actually another acquaintance of his present—the very Tianyuan Sect disciple who had originally intended to transfer demonic energy into him. Unfortunately, Qi Zhiheng didn't have a deep impression of him, and there weren't many people present, so he didn't see this familiar face.
Yang Yitian sat down next to Qi Zhiheng and chatted with him for a bit: "There are quite a few monks here this time. A lot of people from temples must have come, right?"
Qi Zhiheng nodded and said, "Indeed, quite a few monks from temples have come. Hearing that such an allocation of lectures is very rare, these monks naturally do not want to miss the opportunity to gain enlightenment."
"Comprehension?" Yang Yitian had a bad feeling.
Qi Zhiheng nodded and said, "Yes, is there a problem?"
Yang Yitian grabbed his pen and said, "If we're going to focus on enlightenment, how long will this lecture series continue? It's not going to be one or two years, is it?"
Qi Zhiheng was momentarily speechless. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure either. He asked with a hint of uncertainty, "One or two years shouldn't be too long, right? How about one or two months?"
"Such a grand lecture series, can it be completed in a month or two?" He thought of Tang Sanzang and subconsciously felt that the monk might be very long-winded...
Qi Zhiheng said, "Alright, it's about to start, let's not talk so much."
Yang Yitian glanced at the abbot and saw a young monk sitting next to him. It was Puci, whom he had met a few days ago. Yang Yitian was a little surprised. To be able to sit in that position, it seemed that Puci's identity was not simple.
Qi Zhiheng had inquired about the matter and confirmed that the child was indeed the chosen Buddhist disciple of Wuchen Temple.
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