Chapter 3 : Grand Ambitions

In Zhang Xiaofan's eyes, the clouds in the sky, whether white or dark, had never been as close to the ground as the black clouds tonight. The thunder was also never so deafening, and the lightning was almost too dazzling for him to look at.

It seemed as if the sky was about to collapse.

He stood there in a daze, watching as the black-clothed people in the grass temple glared at each other and made threatening gestures.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shook his ears, and he saw a dazzling lightning bolt appear in the sky, striking the ground and landing on the long sword of one of the black-clothed individuals.

In an instant, the clothes of the black-clothed man swelled up, his eyes widened, as if they were about to burst. At this moment, the grass temple was illuminated as brightly as day by the intense electric light.

The lightning that bloomed on the sword in the darkness was so beautiful that Zhang Xiaofan held his breath, and in the eyes of Pu Zhi, a strange fanaticism reappeared.

"Is this the great power of the Daoist true method?"

The black-clothed man shouted loudly, and with a sword gesture in his left hand, he exerted all his strength to swing his wrist, and a thunderous sound rang out. The electric light shot from the sword, flying towards Pu Zhi. Along the way, grass, trees, bricks and stones were all shaken and flying, leaving behind a deep and scorching trail.

Pu Zhi took three steps back in a row, withdrew his handprints, folded his palms together, looked solemn, and emitted a faint golden light all over his body. He chanted softly, "May Buddha be merciful!"

With a "crack" sound, the seven remaining green jade prayer beads in front of him shattered into pieces, forming a huge "Buddha" character three feet in front of him. The golden light was dazzling, and it was impossible to look directly at it.

In the next moment, the electric light and the Buddha character collided.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaofan felt his heart skip a beat, as if all the blood in his body had flowed backwards in an instant. He became weak in his limbs, unable to breathe, and felt as if the world had stopped in that one moment, with the wind ceasing and the thunder quieting.

Then, without warning, he was propelled backwards, propelled by a blinding flash of white light and golden radiance that far outshone the sun in the sky. The entire grass temple, centered on the two figures locked in combat, shattered into pieces that flew in all directions, even up into the sky.

His mind was blank, filled only with the rush of wind passing by his ears. He was terrified, wanting to curl up into a ball but unable to muster the strength to do so. All he could think was, am I going to die?

Intense fear struck him, making him break out into a cold sweat and tremble uncontrollably. When faced with death, how should one react?

Finally, he lost consciousness, completely unaware of what was happening around him.

Pu Zhi slowly walked over, staggering and supporting Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu under his arms. He found a relatively clean spot and gently laid the two children down before collapsing in agony. He clutched his chest and could vaguely see through his singed monk's robes that a black aura was slowly closing in on his heart, leaving only a small spot untouched.

He chuckled bitterly and reached into his robes, his hand trembling violently. After a moment of searching, he finally retrieved a small red pill about the size of a fingertip. It was plain and unremarkable in appearance.

Pu Zhi let out a sigh and muttered under his breath, "I never thought the Ghost Doctor's prediction would come true. I must take this 'Three-Day Death Pill.'"

He hesitated for a moment before nodding resolutely and swallowing the pill. Then, he lifted his head and gazed towards the distant mountains.

Finally, rain began to fall from the sky.

Qingyun Mountain stood tall amidst the wind and rain, shrouded in an air of mystery.

"The Daoist techniques are truly miraculous, capable of harnessing the power of the gods. If only we Buddhists could learn from them and complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, we could break through the mystery of eternal life. It's a pity that Daoist Master Daoxuan's cultivation is far superior to ours, but he is still trapped by the prejudices of our three senior monks and cannot let go of his identity and status. Sigh..."

Pu Zhi let out a long sigh and redirected his gaze towards the two children. As the rain grew stronger, it drenched their faces and hair. The grass temple had been destroyed during the earlier fight, and there was no shelter nearby to protect them from the storm.

His heart tightened as he began to worry about the safety of the two children. He had just used his true energy and the power of the "Fei Cui Prayer Beads," a precious Buddhist treasure, to summon the strength to counter the incredibly powerful "God Sword Thunder Technique" of the evil man. Despite successfully repelling the attack, he suffered a severe backlash that left him gravely injured. To make matters worse, he had also been struck by a powerful Taoist spell, leaving him with no chance of survival. The only reason he was still alive was due to the miraculous medicine given to him by the shaman, the "Three-Day Death Pill," which could only extend his life for three more days.

"That demon may be injured, but he hasn't been defeated. Once I leave, he will come back to kill and silence any witnesses. It's not just these two children who are in danger, but the lives of everyone in this village. What am I supposed to do?" Pu Zhi's mind was in disarray. Despite his high level of cultivation, he was thrown into turmoil when he realized he was going to die soon. Additionally, he was worried about the innocent people who could be killed by the evil man, who appeared to have a high rank in the Qingyun Sect. Pu Zhi knew that if he tried to seek help, he might not succeed and could end up making things worse.

However, what troubled him the most was that he couldn't fulfill his lifelong goal. As one of the four great monk-sages of the Tianyin Temple, Pu Zhi was highly respected and revered. Yet, his ultimate aspiration was to comprehend the mystery of life and death, to find a solution to the cycle of birth and death. He had realized, fifty years ago, that no matter how hard he practiced Buddhist techniques, he could only enhance his abilities and not solve the problem of life and death.

For decades, he had pondered over this issue until he stumbled upon an unprecedented solution. Nowadays, the Buddhist, Taoist, and demonic teachings were flourishing, and their magical powers were highly developed. The demonic cult was infamous for its cruelty and inhumane techniques, while the Taoist magic was mystical and profound, with a different specialization from the Buddhist teachings. If they could work together to study and research, they could break through the current stalemate.

Little did he expect that his three senior brothers, who had always been open-minded, would all speak out against him, thinking that his ideas were heretical and advising him against it with well-intentioned but persistent words. He felt a sense of frustration, and visited several prominent Taoist sects multiple times, including the Qingyun Mountain, but was politely turned down by Daoist Master Daoxuan, the head of the Qingyun sect.

Thinking of this, he let out a bitter smile, feeling somewhat self-deprecating, thinking to himself, "I only have three days left to live, yet I'm still thinking about immortality. Isn't that just causing trouble for myself?"

Although he had opened his mind, he couldn't bear to leave the two children lying on the ground. He couldn't think of a good solution for a while, so he looked around and saw a distant pine tree that could provide some shelter from the wind and rain. It was better than nothing. He forced himself to muster some strength, picked up the two children, and made his way over there.

After a difficult journey, he finally reached the tree, carefully placing the two children down. Exhausted, Pu Zhi collapsed against the trunk, panting heavily.

"Heaven and earth are indifferent, treating all things like straw dogs!" he recited slowly, the Taoist saying carrying a sense of sorrow and indignation.

The sky was like ink, covering the earth. Boundless black clouds pressed down, and fine rain fell from the sky, cold wind blowing on his face, the drops hitting him one by one, chilling him to the bone.

He looked up at the sky for a while before slowly lowering his gaze to the two children in front of him. In a low voice, he said, "Little ones, I had the intention to save you, but I am powerless. The situation was caused by me, and it ended up harming you both. What a sin! If only you were disciples of Qingyun, in the safety of Qingyun Mountain with your fellow disciples. But now..."

Suddenly, Pu Zhi's whole body shook, muttering to himself, "Disciples of Qingyun, disciples of Qingyun..." His mind raced, as if he had grasped something but was about to lose it in an instant. In a moment, he had broken out in a cold sweat.

Then, for some unknown reason, the inexplicable fervor reappeared in his eyes.

He laughed heartily and maniacally, "How wonderful! Although I am near the end of my life, if I can impart Buddhist skills to someone and let them join Qingyun as a Daoist practitioner, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone? It would save your lives and fulfill my wish!"

"Buddhism and Daoism have been at odds for ages, and they seldom interact. It's beyond Qingyun's expectations that a young boy who grew up at the foot of Qingyun Mountain would have mastered the skills of Buddhism. If someone could master both practices, they could break the puzzle of immortality that has been unsolved for thousands of years. Hehe, if that's the case, I would have no regrets even if I die!"

He made up his mind in an instant, and his whole person became ecstatic. His cheeks turned red, his eyes bloodshot, and he reached out his hand towards Lin Jingyu's body. But in the middle of the stretch, he stopped and pondered: This matter is of great importance, and the various schools and sects hold strong opinions. They are extremely taboo about stealing techniques. If the truth were to come to light, there would be no escape. Lin Jingyu has excellent talent, and if he were to be accepted as a disciple of Qingyun, he would undoubtedly attract the attention of his teachers and elders. This little boy's young age may not be able to keep such a huge secret hidden!

As he thought about it, he was struck with an idea and turned his gaze to Zhang Xiaofan. He remembered the stubbornness that Xiaofan had displayed earlier in the day, refusing to bow down even in the face of death. Nodding his head, he said, "Your aptitude may not be the best, but it doesn't matter. Your future will depend on your own fate."

Without further hesitation, he reached out and patted Xiaofan several times with the remaining Buddha power, awakening him.

※※※

Xiaofan slowly regained consciousness. His vision was blurry, and his ears were ringing. After a while, his senses returned to normal, and he was able to make out his surroundings. He was startled and couldn't close his gaping mouth.

The old monk was sitting in front of him, covered in wounds and burns. His left side looked as if it had been charred, his face was covered in black gas, and he appeared lifeless. However, for some unknown reason, the old monk had an excited expression on his face, with a smile in his eyes. Xiaofan also saw his playmate, Lin Jingyu, lying unconscious beside him.

"What... what are you doing?" Xiaofan stuttered after a moment of stunned silence.

Pu Zhi looked at him closely, then asked in response, "Young friend, why did you, a child, come to this remote place in such a big storm?"

Xiaofan was taken aback and said, "I saw you still standing in the temple in the evening. Later, I saw that it was going to rain heavily, and this place is so dilapidated, so I thought it would be very cold. I came to bring you some food."

Pu Zhi's lips twitched, and he clasped his hands together, saying, "How kind of you, how kind of you. All things are connected by fate, and our destiny was determined long ago. May the Buddha be merciful."

Xiaofan was puzzled and asked, "What did you say?"

Pu Zhi smiled and said, "I believe we have a connection, little one. In that case, I have a set of teachings that can aid in your spiritual growth. Would you like to learn?"

"What are teachings?" asked Zhang Xiaofan.

Pu Zhi paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. He reached out his withered hand and ruffled the boy's hair, saying, "It's just a set of breathing techniques. But if you learn them, there are a few things I need you to promise me."

Zhang Xiaofan was unsure, but still said, "Please tell me."

"You must never speak of this to anyone, not even your closest kin. Can you promise me that?"

Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said, "I understand. I won't tell a soul."

Pu Zhi was surprised by the boy's resolute expression, despite his young age. The rain continued to fall, soaking the boy's small face with icy drops, making him look tired and worn.

Pu Zhi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, no longer looking at the boy. He continued, "You must practice this technique every day, but only in private and only during the quiet of night. And most importantly, you must never use it unless it's a matter of life or death, or there will be dire consequences."

Opening his eyes, Pu Zhi stared intently at Zhang Xiaofan and asked, "Can you promise me that?"

Zhang Xiaofan hesitated, tilted his head and scratched it, looking bewildered. But in the end, he nodded firmly and said, "I can promise."

Pu Zhi gave a faint smile and began to teach Zhang Xiaofan a set of incantations without further ado. The incantations were not very long, only about a thousand words, but they were difficult and convoluted. Zhang Xiaofan put in all his effort and spent three hours memorizing them completely.

When Pu Zhi saw that Zhang Xiaofan had memorized the incantations, he breathed a sigh of relief, looking extremely exhausted. He gazed at Zhang Xiaofan with a tender expression and said, "I have never had the intention of taking on a disciple throughout my entire life of cultivation. I never expected to have a master-disciple relationship with you on the brink of my death. You should know my name by now." He paused for a moment and said, "My dharma name is Pu Zhi, and I am a monk from the Tianyin Temple. Ah, child, do you know about the Tianyin Temple?"

Zhang Xiaofan pondered for a moment and shook his head.

Pu Zhi laughed helplessly and said, "You are truly a child." Then he remembered something and reached into his robes, pulling out a deep purple bead. He examined it closely for a few moments before handing it to Zhang Xiaofan and saying, "You should keep this bead hidden and not let anyone else see it. When you have settled down in the future, find a deep valley or cliff and throw it away. That will be enough. Also, you must never reveal my name to anyone."

Zhang Xiaofan took the bead and said, "I understand."

Pu Zhi patted his head and said, "We have such a karmic connection. Who knows if we will meet again in the next life? Child, kneel down and kowtow to me three times and call me master."

<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">张小凡看着朴智,见他已经是一副严肃的样子,点了点头,叫道:"少爷." </font><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">然后跪下磕了三个头.</font><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">刚磕完,后背被人拍了一下,顿时又失去了知觉.</font></font>