Free Web NovelChapter 329: Chapter 124: The Clash of Water and Fire, Shadows Hide as Shenwu Heads North
Within the Cyan Wood Province, north of Guangye Mountain, by the sea.
"Here they come, here they come." The fox-headed black-clad little demon beamed, but instantly recalled the brutality of these thieving monks, thus he restrained his cheeky smile and shouted, "Where do you come from, master?"
The monk replied, "I am an arhat under the Buddha."
The fox-headed black-clad little demon nodded, glanced at the Bear Puppet beside him, and said, "It should be him, for in this Cyan Wood domain, no one dares to impersonate the Buddha’s name."
The Bear Puppet reflected on the instructions from his master for this trip, then stepped forward and said bluntly, "My master wants to keep Great Yin for breeding, mainly for food and drink, and for the gold mines on this land. I wonder, what does the Buddha want?"
The monk said, "My Buddha also needs offerings, but incense is more important."
The Bear Puppet stepped forward two steps, shoved the fox-headed black-clad little demon aside, and quickly negotiated with the monk, saying, "Offerings are easy to provide, incense... what use is it?"
The monk coldly intoned, "Amitabha."
The Bear Puppet said, "No questions, no questions.
The incense can be given to you.
Great Yin will be ours, should there be any enemies within, we will stand united against them."
The monk said, "What if Great Yin is released, but you regret it later?"
The Bear Puppet said, "We don’t need incense, what is there to regret?"
The monk said, "Then let Great Yong and even your Fire Moon Dynasty build the Xinci Temple, and invite the Buddha’s statue there.
When the incense is achieved, Great Yin... will be offered with both hands.
And if there are enemies within these three kingdoms, my Buddha will join your master to act. Is this acceptable?"
The Bear Puppet fell silent.
The monk patiently waited.
The fox-headed black-clad little demon chuckled and said, "We only want spices, Red Flower Mountain has plenty of them. If both parties agree, then we shall be friends in the future."
The Bear Puppet asked, "What does the demon of Corpse Mountain Hidden want with spices?"
The fox-headed black-clad little demon said, "To marinate human flesh, preserve it, add fragrance, and prevent decay.
Our king, and the king’s king’s appetite is not good all the time.
So many dead are hard to keep, and we don’t have icy abysses, so we have to seek these spices."
The monk lowered his gaze, chanting "Amitabha."
The Bear Puppet solemnly glanced at the fox-headed black-clad little demon and said, "Then this has nothing to do with you, spices shall be considered goodwill, just go to Red Flower Mountain to mine them in the future. This, my master has no objection."
The monk said, "Does that mean there is an objection to my Buddha?"
The Bear Puppet said, "To be honest, monk, your proposal is too big; I can’t decide, I have to report to my master to make a decision. Great Yong’s army is already pressing the border; this is no trivial matter."
The monk said, "Then what will you do?"
The Bear Puppet remained silent.
The monk said, "Then we’ll meet again in seven days."
The Bear Puppet shook his head and said, "No need for seven days, two days."
The monk said, "Good."
...
...
In a flash, three days had passed.
This time the fox-headed black-clad little demon didn’t appear, the Bear Puppet and the monk met again by the sea.
The Bear Puppet said, "My master said, it’s not impossible either.
But the Great Yong army is determined to march south, it cannot be delayed.
Meanwhile, the Xinci Temple can be built in both countries.
If the Buddha is not assured, you can send someone to observe."
The monk clasped his hands together and uttered "Amitabha", then said, "If it’s delayed for a year or two, what difference will it make?"
The Bear Puppet said, "My master said, then let’s have a bout, act in mid-air, and stop at one move.
The outcome of that move will be the verdict.
If my master wins, then it follows our way. If loses, then according to Buddha, first establish temples in the two countries."
The monk said, "Good."
Neither the man nor the demon mentioned a third outcome.
If one side is completely defeated, then there’s nothing to say.
The Bear Puppet pulled out a letter from his bosom, handed it to the monk, saying, "My master’s own handwriting."
The monk received it, didn’t open it, simply said, "I will pass it to the Buddha."
Both turned and departed separately.
...
...
The monk walked for a while, then disappeared from the original place, appearing in a luxurious estate.
In the estate, a man sat under the eaves, watching a beauty dancing gracefully in the courtyard.
The monk appeared, he waved his hand...
The estate vanished, the beauty disappeared, all was Illusion Realm.
Only remained was the surging flow of the Qing River.
The monk handed over the letter, but then as if receiving an order, reclaimed it and opened it himself.
Although he had a bit of self-consciousness, all his thoughts were known to Li Xuan.
A slight mind movement of Li Xuan, was destiny to him.
At this moment, the monk read aloud, "On August 8th, Great Yin Royal City, fire rises, great plague."
Upon finishing, he looked at Li Xuan and said, "Master, seems this is the challenge proposed by the Bear Demon."
"Fire rises, great plague."
Li Xuan muttered, pondering, then said, "August 8th is about half a month from today.
The Bear Demon intends to hit two targets with one arrow, this time both testing the Buddha’s hand and intending to seize the chance to kill the Divine Martial Monarch."
The monk said, "If master lets the royal city’s kin move north in advance?"
Li Xuan did not answer.
The monk being an illusion skill puppet, conversing with him was somewhat just to avoid self-talk.
If he were to take the kin north now, it would trigger a war prematurely, face unimaginable persecution. Unless he completely reveals his power, then the whole game collapses, leaving no buffer.
Once "Divine Martial Monarch" Li Xuan is known as Buddha, as a demon, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As the Qing River flows gently, Li Xuan suddenly had a thought, a vermilion fish appeared from the water.
"To encounter this?" He couldn’t help smiling, seeming to recall the scene during the Hundred Flowers Mansion examination. Back then, the small dock master Zuo Hong of the Qing River boat gang secretly used the vermilion fish to invest in him. Time has passed, he still remembers the taste of the first vermilion fish he ate, yet... people have changed, Zuo Hong has nearly become a passerby, and the vermilion fish is no longer significant.
