Free Web NovelChapter 85: Chapter 73: Seeing Monk Hui Ming Again, the Martial Uncle Is Indeed Extraordinary
"What?"
The young monk was startled, his eyes widening. "Divine Monk Wu Tan? Y-You’re a disciple of the Divine Monk Wu Tan?"
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
The young monk had, of course, gone to report Xu Lei’s arrival.
And just as expected, Hui Ming appeared.
The Hui Ming of today was even older than he had been back then.
He now looked to be in his fifties.
Xu Lei, on the other hand, had the appearance of a nine-year-old boy.
At this moment, as Xu Lei looked at Hui Ming, their first meeting in Physician Lu’s courtyard flashed through his mind.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
One hundred and twenty years had passed since then.
A reunion spanning one hundred and twenty years!
After Hui Ming appeared, he didn’t immediately approach Xu Lei to speak. He simply stood there, looking at him.
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei stepped forward and said, "This disciple, Hui Chi, greets Zen Master Hui Ming."
The so-called "Hui Chi" was, of course, a name Xu Lei had given himself.
He had come up with "Wu Tan" on a whim back then, and this was no different.
After all, if he was going to pretend to be his own disciple, he would naturally be the one to choose his own Buddhist name.
"You recognize me?"
Hui Ming said, "Are you truly a disciple of Master Wu Tan?"
The reason he hadn’t spoken right away, and had merely appeared like an ordinary monk, was that he wanted to see if this little monk who had come seeking an audience could recognize him.
After all, he hadn’t gone around performing miracles in recent years.
He kept a rather low profile, so most people wouldn’t actually recognize him.
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei replied, "My esteemed master sent this little monk to find you, but I did not know what you looked like. So, my esteemed master painted a portrait of you for me to see. That is why I recognized you at a glance."
With that, Xu Lei took out a scroll.
It was, of course, a sketch he had drawn himself.
And it depicted Hui Ming.
"Master Wu Tan’s artistic skill is indeed extraordinary."
Hui Ming took the portrait. "This is without a doubt his work! So you truly are Master Wu Tan’s disciple! Does this mean... Master actually lived until now?"
Hui Ming found it hard to believe.
After all, by his logic, with the amount of Magical Power Xu Lei had back then, it should have been impossible for him to slow his aging.
Besides, before Xu Lei left that letter and disappeared, he remembered him being quite old already!
Back then, when he and Wu Gui saw the letter Xu Lei had left, they were stunned at first, and then could only sigh.
They thought that perhaps Xu Lei, under the famous name of Divine Monk Wu Tan, was unwilling to grow old and die an ordinary death in a temple.
So he had left without a word, wanting to leave behind a mysterious legacy for the world.
"Could it be that after he left to wander the world, Master had some sort of fortuitous encounter? His Cultivation soared? His lifespan was extended?"
Hui Ming couldn’t help but ask, "Did he actually succeed in his cultivation? How did you meet Master Wu Tan? What did he look like? Was he in good spirits? How old did he seem?"
Hui Ming now recalled that when Xu Lei had first learned of the existence of the Longevity Technique, he had told him that he would surely never succeed in cultivating it.
Even after Xu Lei ended the chaotic era and obtained the Buddhist Sect’s Dao Seed, he still wasn’t optimistic about Xu Lei’s path of cultivation.
That’s why, even when Xu Lei continued to indulge in women, he never tried to talk him out of it.
If any other True Monk had acted that way, he would have certainly admonished them.
He had originally thought Xu Lei had died decades ago.
But he never expected that today, a nine-year-old little monk would appear, claiming to be Xu Lei’s disciple!
"Amitabha Buddha. This little monk does not know what sort of fortuitous encounter my esteemed master had."
Xu Lei said, "When this little monk met my esteemed master, I was but a three-year-old child. We met in the courtyard of my home. My esteemed master appeared suddenly and saved my pregnant mother, who was about to fall. However, he did not show himself, only transmitting his voice to me. He declared that I possessed the body of a natural Dao Seed, unlike him, who had to search far and wide to obtain a Dao Seed. Unable to bear seeing my talent buried in a rural village, my esteemed master passed on his teachings to me. He also forbade me from letting my family know. After that, my esteemed master secretly taught me for over five years. He only took his leave a short while ago. As for his spirits? He was hale and hearty, his voice full of vigor. As for his appearance? He looked a bit older than you. Before he left, my esteemed master told me to find you, Zen Master. He said that as long as I mentioned his name, you would surely take me in. Then I could smoothly enter the Buddhist Sect and receive an official Monk’s Certificate. I could even receive your guidance in matters of cultivation. As for where my esteemed master was going? He did not say! My esteemed master also told me to give you his regards, but he is unable to come see you for the time being. He only said that if fate allows, you will meet again in the future."
"Amitabha Buddha."
Hui Ming nodded. "I see. It seems Master Wu Tan is truly extraordinary. To have wasted most of his life in folly before finally setting foot on the path of cultivation... and to now have achieved such success, living to this very day! He is truly worthy of being Master Wu Tan! Since you are indeed the disciple of Master Wu Tan... you should call me Senior Brother."
This last sentence meant that he had accepted Xu Lei.
He would, of course, arrange for Xu Lei’s Monk’s Certificate and so on.
"Amitabha Buddha, Junior Brother Hui Chi."
Xu Lei immediately replied, "Greetings, Senior Brother Hui Ming."
「Six hours later.」
Xu Lei had already obtained his Monk’s Certificate at Tianming Temple.
He had once again become an official monk, recognized by the Court.
The decision to become a monk again was a choice made after carefully assessing the situation.
In any case, there wasn’t much difference between cultivating in the Daoist Sect or the Buddhist Sect.
Besides, Xu Lei had cultivated the Buddhist Sect’s Bodhisattva Dao in his previous life, so it was only natural to continue down that path.
Although the cultivation and abilities of the Bodhisattva Dao were similar to those of the Daoist Sect’s Qi Refiners, the cultivation Dharma Gates were still slightly different.
If Xu Lei were to switch to the Daoist Sect’s Qi Cultivation Technique, some of the things he had accumulated in his past life might become useless, forcing him to truly start over.
Furthermore, Xu Lei really hadn’t had much contact with the Daoist Sect in this world.
His only point of contact was Daoist Chun Yuan, but they hadn’t spent much time together.
Xu Lei didn’t actually know Daoist Chun Yuan all that well.
When he thought about it, he felt that Hui Ming, whom he had known for decades in his past life, was more trustworthy.
’Back then, I only pretended to be a monk on a whim because of my short hair.’
Xu Lei couldn’t help but sigh to himself. ’I never thought I’d end up going further and further down this path!’
"This Black Seal of yours... I’ve consulted some of the Buddhist Sect’s scriptures."
Hui Ming approached again, his brow furrowed. "It might be a type of evil Magical Artifact called the ’Soul-Seeking Life-Seizing Seal’! But this thing was lost to the world many years ago! How could it suddenly appear? And be branded on you? According to the records, once you are marked by this seal, the pursuit is relentless until death! The master of the seal can use it to sense the location of the one who has been marked! And then begin a life-or-death pursuit from a thousand li away! Right now, even I, your Senior Brother, have no way to directly use my Magical Power to remove it for you. Of course, you have that Evil-Subduing Bracelet to suppress it, so you are safe for now. Without this method, it would likely be quite dangerous. However, this requires you to continuously expend Magical Power to maintain the Buddha Chain, which is detrimental to your cultivation. So, it would be best to find a solution. I may not have a way to remove it directly, but I do have one possible solution!"
