Chapter 22: Buddhism and Taoism are One Family

Eastern Gate of the Divine Capital.

The monk showed the token from the Marquis Wei's residence, and the guards on duty did not dare to check it, hurrying to open the city gate to let them through.

The martial monk possessed extraordinary strength, sprinting for over ten miles without resting.

Inside the sedan chair.

Miao Jue, who should have been at his last breath, sat steadily, almost looking like a different person if not for the large patches of fresh blood on his monk's robe.

"How fortunate that I had prepared in advance, otherwise I would have caused great calamity..."

As Miao Jue thought of that flash of sword light, he involuntarily shuddered, lifted the curtain, and poked his head out, anxiously urging the martial monk.

"Faster, once we're back at the temple, we'll close the mountain gate and see no one!"

Hearing this, the martial monk knew the situation was serious and stretched his muscles a bit, quickening his speed even more.

Miao Jue withdrew his head, ready to lie down and rest, when he quickly noticed someone else beside him.

Clad in black clothes and a dark cloak!

"Ah... Amitābha!"

Startled, Miao Jue exclaimed, then immediately switched to chanting Buddha's name.

The monks following outside heard the noise and asked the abbot what happened, and if they needed to stop for a while.

"Cough cough cough! Your teacher has some upset in his qi, no need to stop, quickly return to the temple."

After speaking, Miao Jue turned back to the man in black and bowed repeatedly, speaking in a low voice, "Grandmaster before me, what are your orders? This monk will not hesitate to comply."

"Do you know who I am?" Zhou Yi used Secret Voice Transmission, his voice ancient and resonant.

Miao Jue shook his head again and again, also wondering how the Marquis Wei had provoked such a personage.

Zhou Yi commanded, "Bring me that bronze mirror to take a look."

Miao Jue hesitated for a moment, then obediently offered the bronze mirror with both hands.

Upon close examination, Zhou Yi discovered a few small characters on the side of the bronze mirror: "Bestowed to disciple Yulingzi by Daoist Xuan Qing."

Miao Jue, with keen insight, explained, "The origins of Daoist Xuan Qing are unknown. Yulingzi was the patriarch of the Divine Capital's Yuling Temple two hundred years ago. His lineage was severed due to involvement in a treasonous conspiracy."

Zhou Yi funneled his True Yuan into the bronze mirror, causing it to emit a dazzling light that was more than ten times stronger than when Miao Jue used it.

"How did the bronze mirror come into your possession, and what is its function?"

"Vajra Temple was built near the ruins of Yuling Temple. We accidentally discovered an underground palace there, which housed this precious mirror. To prevent the loss of the relics of the former sages, we brought it back to the temple for worship."

Miao Jue said, "The precious mirror can manifest ghostly souls and fix the forms of ghostly entities, but it has no effect on the living."

"There's more than just the precious mirror in the underground palace, isn't there?"

Zhou Yi stuffed the bronze mirror into his chest: "I, too, am a Daoist, practising in accordance with the Three Pure Ones alongside Yuling Temple. You, this monk, not only stealthily took the treasure but also wish to obscure the transmission of Daoist teachings?"

"..."

Miao Jue's chubby face turned red with effort. He was always the one duping others, but today he had met someone even more shameless: "Predecessor's guess is not wrong, indeed there is another Daoist scripture."

"Have the people outside stop, go to the temple's Scripture Pavilion and fetch the scripture called 'Jade Spirit's Commentary on the Ksitigarbha Sutra' and recite it yourself."

Zhou Yi reminded, "If it corroborates what you recite, and there is a single wrong word, I will slaughter the entire Vajra Temple!"

Now he was pretending to be an unfathomable old freak from the jianghu; his words and actions needed to be domineering and brutal, both efficient in getting things done and avoiding raising suspicions.

Sometimes people are strange in that way; when you treat them brutally, they obediently comply; treat them kindly, and they start playing tricks on you.

"Stop!"

Miao Jue lifted the curtain and instructed, "Fa Zheng, go to the Scripture Pavilion in the temple, and fetch the 'Jade Spirit's Commentary on the Ksitigarbha Sutra'."

Fa Zheng bowed in response and swiftly ran off with Light Body Skill.

Zhou Yi laughed, "Vajra Temple is renowned throughout Fengyang Country, who would have thought that they were practicing Daoist scriptures!"

"Since ancient times, Buddhism and Daoism have been considered the same family."

Miao Jue said, "Moreover, the scripture is quite mysterious. After being in the monastery for over a hundred years, only three people have managed to master it. The rest remain disciples of our Buddha!"

Zhou Yi's gaze sparkled, "Don't waste time with idle talk, recite the scripture quickly!"

"The heavens and earth are profound and boundless, without extreme limits, when combined they create vital energy, merging and returning to one…"

The name of the scripture is the "Guiyuan Technique." It contains more than five thousand words, the beginning part is the method of cultivation, and the last five hundred words record a light body skill, which when executed allows one to be as light as a feather.

Miao Jue was engrossed in cultivating the Guiyuan Technique, practicing martial arts only enough to toughen his skin. Yet, when he used the light body skill, he could leap over tens of feet through the air.

Jumping is different from flying. The former goes from low to high and then falls down, while the latter moves horizontally through the air.

Two to three hours passed.

As dawn began to break, the monk Fa Zheng finally returned with the scriptures.

Zhou Yi flipped through them, finding no errors, and tucked them into his chest, "I have to ask, you could have directly used your magic yesterday, so why waste several hours performing large-scale rituals?"

"Those nobles and wealthy households like that, without large altar ceremonies, they think even three to five thousand taels of silver to be costly."

Miao Jue said with a pained expression, "This humble monk has no choice. On normal days, the monastery distributes porridge and rice generously, and we only collect forty percent rent from the tenant farmers. We must charge the rich more to afford the monastery's martial monks."

"Don't complain in front of me!"

Zhou Yi glanced at the plump monk. He had indeed heard of Vajra Temple's reputation; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so amiable in his dealings.

"This monk spoke out of turn."

Miao Jue was sharp, able to perceive the softening tone of Zhou Yi's voice. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief, at least his life was spared.

Zhou Yi then asked, "Do you know of any places nearby that are perpetually gloomy and cold?"

Miao Jue was slightly startled and after some thought, he said, "This monk knows of one place, about three hundred li southeast of Divine Capital, a cold pool that is a remarkable sight. Many officials and nobles go there to escape the summer heat."

Zhou Yi shook his head slightly, places crowded with people were not suitable for the dwelling of spirits.

"Please wait a moment, senior. This monk will call someone to ask."

Miao Jue stuck his head out and asked around a dozen monks before turning back and saying, "There are three other shady places, the Mass Burial Mound ten miles away, the ancient battlefield on the Great Cool Mountain, and... Mountain of Eternal Life!"

Zhou Yi patted Miao Jue's shoulder, "If this master hears any bad rumors, he will come to Vajra Temple to discuss the scriptures and reason with you!"

After speaking, he swaggered open the palanquin curtain and disappeared from the astonished gazes of the monks.

"Amitabha! Acting so thoroughly and ruthlessly, which old monster could it be?"

Miao Jue felt fear and anger, sticking his head out and scolding the monks.

"What are you standing around for, get back to the monastery quickly!"

...

Mountain of Eternal Life.

One hundred and fifty li away from Divine Capital, the location of the Fengyang Country's Imperial Mausoleum, where the emperors of the Zhao family were buried.

The area around the Imperial Mausoleum was guarded by the imperial troops, strictly forbidding anyone to approach to prevent damage to the dragon veins.

Zhou Yi thought the underground palace of the Imperial Mausoleum was the perfect place to put Huang Yuniang. The massive underground palace offered her plenty of space to wander without ever encountering the living.

Act as a gentleman, expect as a villain!

Huang Yuniang had solemnly sworn not to harm anyone. Perhaps she could resist the temptation for ten or twenty years, but what about after a hundred or a thousand years? Could she still be trusted not to become a Ghost King?

After all, it's by devouring the vital essence of humans that a ghost can grow stronger swiftly!

Zhou Yi walked with measured steps, but his speed was not slow at all, covering dozens of feet in a single step as if shrinking the ground beneath him. At the same time, he perused the Guiyuan Technique.

"It has similarities to the Nameless mantra. It must be an Immortal Technique."

"The former involves gathering spiritual energy for body refinement, while this scripture refines spiritual energy into the dantian, turning it into mana. I wonder how this mana differs from the Innate True Yuan?"

Zhou Yi did not rush to cultivate; he needed to thoroughly understand the scripture before shifting from martial arts to immortal cultivation.

In cultivating immortality, there is no need to hurry!

"Together with the scripture Huang Yuniang gave that enhances the soul, am I on my way to cultivating essence, energy, and spirit, as per the legends?"