The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Meng Qi quietly flinched, and when he heard He Jiu asking about him, his heart thumped. “Did he notice me?”

Different from Dark Broadsword, the sword arts of the Eastsea Sword Village were alternative in that the cultivator had instincts, similar to Jiang Zhiwei’s saying: “Those who honestly wield their swords will have a sincere heart; before the autumn breeze even sweeps, the cicada already knows!” Even though a cultivator of the sword arts had merely seen the movement of the enemy’s Qi, he was able to discover the enemy!

“What should I do?” Meng Qi did not intend to take chances, so he was producing numerous ideas in his head.

Originally, he thought because of the relationship between the Eastsea Sword Village and the Yuns, if He Jiu believed Dark Broadsword and decided to find out the true cause of the Master’s death, he would visit the Yuns directly, explain their purpose, and confirm the Master’s death openly. Meng Qi had assumed that no one in the Yuns would object, so why on earth would He Jiu come so early to seemingly mourn, yet investigate in secret?

He had mistaken He Jiu’s intentions, and as a consequence, he took up Madam Baihua’s request.

“Did He Jiu fear that the request would hurt the Yun family’s feelings, or even drive them away? Or did he know some secrets and dread to act recklessly?”

Meng Qi found it difficult to guess He Jiu’s feelings. But, now that the situation was dangerous, Meng Qi had to “save himself”!

“Using the Eight Nine Mysteries now would expose me!

“Should I do nothing in the hopes that He Jiu has not seen through my ‘disguise’, and escape using my Reincarnation Charm in case of any contingency? Or should I use the contact mark of the Immortals organization to ask ‘Longevity Immortal Venerable’ He Xiu to help me conceal myself?”

However, the former solution would destroy the efforts that had gotten him so close to the Sect of the Plain Lady—that would be his last resort. And the latter was so sudden that He Xiu might not be able to respond in time…

In that confused state of mind, Meng Qi suddenly dropped his eyelids, covering a part of his eyes. His eyes were dim and inside them floated the threads of star rays, which were mysterious and did not leave a trace.

He gathered his breath, not revealing his otherworldly and ethereal aura. In his senses, the coffin vanished, the Ninth Childe and the others disappeared, and the white flags and incense faded. Only He Jiu, Huang Taichong, He Xiu, and Dark Broadsword remained.

Just then, he discovered that Huang Taichong was staring at him with swordwill in his eyes. His senses reacted spontaneously and spread out toward Huang Taichong!

“Thud!”

As silent explosions seemed to crack inside his head, Meng Qi could no longer see He Jiu, He Xiu, or Dark Broadsword. Huang Taichong’s figure was reflected in his pupils. There were threads of karma stuck to Huang Taichong’s figure—some of them were strong, some of them were wavering, some were brilliant, and others were dim.

Meng Qi’s “dagger in the heart” seemed to be ready to collect He Jiu’s threads of star rays at all times!

“Boom!”

Huang Taichong’s eyes squinted and he felt an inexplicable rush. The monk opposite him seemed to be concealing indescribable danger. The monk even made him, an expert who was listed on the Terrestrial Rankings, feel frazzled. If he should continue to investigate, Huang Taichong could not foresee what would happen!

“He is able to make me feel like I’m in danger, this monk is someone to be reckoned with…” In the mourning hall, Huang Taichong did not dare to let down his guard or take any chances. He retracted his eyes, looking into his heart via his nose. He was no longer watching Meng Qi.

Upon seeing that, Meng Qi breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that he had secretly borne the Fruits of Karma and applied the movement of his Qi to intimidate Huang Taichong.

Although Huang Taichong’s karma was not as heavy as Mystic Fairy’s, Meng Qi might stand a chance against Huang Taichong. However, Meng Qi felt a sense of danger. Besides, in the mourning hall of the Yuns, Huang Taichong did not dare to act rashly!

Investigating others was supposed to be taboo. If fighting was initiated and the mourning hall became demolished because of it, Huang Taichong would jeopardize his reputation. As a righteous man, in addition to the dangerous feeling, he naturally put an end to his investigation.

At the right time, in the right place, and with the right people, Meng Qi managed to get through it with various factors combined.

“Elder Huang, have you detected what brought about the strange feeling?” He Jiu asked using Secret-voice Sending.

Huang Taichong pondered and then answered, “Fa Zheng is unfathomable. I failed to investigate him.”

“Unfathomable…” He Jiu unconsciously watched Fa Zheng in his red cassock. Fa Zheng wore a dignified aura and appeared weather-beaten and peaceful.

He Jiu could not help whispering in his heart, “Fa Zheng is really formidable in a high-level realm, otherwise, how could he make Elder Huang, who’s at the Eighth Heaven of the Exterior, feel that he is unfathomable? He should have the strength to be ranked on the Terrestrial Rankings!

“In the whole wide world, there must be masters living overseas or in seclusion in the mountains. Thus, they are not renowned or ranked on the Terrestrial Rankings, even though they are masters!”

Just then, Dark Broadsword looked away and shook his head, puzzled. “I don’t recognize him.”

What he saw was the eminent monk Meng Qi, who covertly carried the Fruits of Karma and subtly changed his breath!

He Jiu’s eyebrows furrowed, which was very rare for him, as he thought, “Is it that I’ve met him before in the East Sea? Or is he cultivating a skill that I’m very familiar with?”

“Elder Huang, Fifth Uncle, have you ever heard of Fa Zheng from Scurry Island?” he asked privately.

He Xiu and Huang Taichong thought for a moment and shook their heads. “No, we haven’t. Maybe he’s from a secluded Buddhist branch who has just sought accommodation on Scurry Island.”

He Jiu cleared his mind of it and did not ask anything further. As he nodded, he strode away to go pay his condolences to the Master of the Yuns.

Meng Qi and the others had already left the mourning hall, and they resumed walking out of the door as He Jiu walked in.

Not until that moment did Meng Qi really feel relieved. He instantly stopped reciting the heart sutras of the Fruits of Karma, feeling feeble and dizzy.

At his current strength, he was unable to practice the heart sutras for too long even if he did not strike a single blow.

“May Master Fa Zheng please hold on!” Abruptly, He Jiu’s voice came from behind.

Meng Qi’s pupils contracted. He barely refrained from shivering and sweating.“Have I been exposed?”

Fortunately, he had already been through many dangerous situations. He was the rare type that the more stress he was under, the calmer he became. He steadily turned around with his palms together. “Amitabha, how can I help Donor He?”

“I heard the eminent monks of Buddhism are all resourceful, possessing Providential Sight into other’s hearts and into the boundless universe. I wonder what Master Fa Zheng has seen in the Master of the Yuns.” He Jiu stood straight and held his head up high. He cast a mysterious gaze at Meng Qi, whereas his intention was unclear.

The sons and grandsons of the Yuns frowned. “Does the young heightslord want to hear the Master’s will through this monk in order to resolve the dispute of crowning who will be the next Master?”

Being associated with the Eastsea Sword Village, the Yuns were mostly independent, far away from being a pure affiliate. If the Eastsea Sword Village intervened in the internal family affairs of the Yuns, it might invoke counterattacks, creating ill will between them, and eventually drive the Yuns to other forces.

Meng Qi did not know He Jiu’s purpose or whether he was investigating his real identity. He considered it for a moment, and then replied, “I wonder what kind of things Donor He wants me to see.”

“I’d like to ask Master Fa Zheng to do us a favor in the name of Jianghu brotherhood. Use your magical power to deduce the details of the Master’s death. We want to know whether we have completed all the Master’s desires.” He Jiu was ambiguous. Meng Qi could not ascertain if He Jiu was suspecting his monk identity, or investigating the cause of the death of the Master, or even trying to find out the Master’s “will”.

“Young heightslord?” Huang Taichong asked using Secret-voice Sending, as he too was in doubt.

He Jiu laughed. “Our deduction skills are much weaker than that of the Wang family of the River East, the Buddhists, and the Taoists. It’s not every day that you meet an eminent monk, how can you not ask him to deduce for you?”

He was beating around the bush, leaving Huang Taichong still wondering about his real purpose.

Madam Baihua was slightly nervous because the unorthodox path often failed at deduction, which included the Merciless Tyrant. What should they do now that He Jiu had asked?

Meng Qi also took it seriously because it might be a test. He smiled faintly, quietly crafting a seal in his palm.

He visualized the figure of the “I, the Unique and Righteous” Buddha and imitated it. The iridescent glass seemed to glisten around Meng Qi, the area that surrounded him looked like a pure land, and Buddhist songs seemed to echo around. People in the mourning hall all nodded in amazement. “Master Fa Zheng really is such an eminent monk.”

Madam Baihua and Ying Ning widened their eyes in shock. “Can the Merciless Tyrant imitate the Teachings of Buddhism by using the methods of the unorthodox path?

“Or is there just a thin line between the Buddha and a demon? What stage has he entered with his strength?”

He Jiu nodded gently and his expression remained unchanged. Meng Qi was not sure whether or not he was convinced yet.

Wearing the same merciful look, Meng Qi practiced “Jade Virtual Divination” with what he had learned from the “karma of death” threads!

Without any hesitation or fear, Meng Qi dived into the process of revealing the will of heaven and pursuing the threads of karma.

As the will of heaven trickled down, the results gradually revealed themselves. All of a sudden, Meng Qi lifted his head, frowned, and said in a cracked voice, “The blue blood.”

He recalled the nine-fingered man who bought the Immortality Elixir of East Pole with the unshaped Oceanic Dominion Pearl. The place where he severed his fingers was translucent blue. It seemed as if blue blood ran through his veins!

“What happened to him and the Master of the Yuns at that spot?”

“The blue blood…” He Jiu, He Xiu, and Huang Taichong all blurted out the same words.

It was most strange to see He Jiu act so because, since Meng Qi had met him, he had always seemed confident. Never did anything seem to perplex him, nor did any enemy seem formidable. He seldom frowned or became emotional. However, right now, he was knitting his brows hard and had switched his expression from shocked to reflective.

“Just the words ‘blue blood’ can make them lose themselves?” Meng Qi glanced at the Ninth Childe, A Million Hands, Madam Baihua, and Dark Broadsword—they were totally at a loss and did not respond to the words “blue blood”.

“Is the secret behind the ‘blue blood’ exclusive to a few people, or only to the superiors of the Eastsea Sword Village?” Meng Qi reflected on the blue blood. “No, the Third Master of the Ruan Clan is also concerned about the blue-blooded man…”

He Jiu pulled himself together and cupped one hand in the other before his chest. “We appreciate your deductions, is there anything else?”

He said nothing about the “blue blood”.

“No, there isn’t.” Meng Qi shook his head.

He Jiu did not dwell on the matter, he did not even pay attention to Meng Qi and his companions afterward. He simply stayed in the mansion of the Yuns for the night after the mourning session, without further arrangements.

…

Having returned to the courtyard of the inn on Scurry Island, Madam Baihua concealed her shock and slightly grinned. “I’m starting to see how profound Mr. Merciless Tyrant really is. In time, you can be the next Demonic Buddha, or should I call you a Buddhist Demon?”

Meng Qi ignored her and turned to A Million Hands and Ying Ning. “I received some attention as the monk. I can’t do this anymore. I’ll leave the city under the guise of traveling and saving the people, and I shall return as who I really am.”

“Mr. Merciless Tyrant is really sophisticated.” Ying Ning gasped.

Meng Qi set off in another direction, sneaked into the mountains, and found a place where a brook was babbling. He washed away the disguise, and the frock turned into a black garment.

He had carefully sensed and examined the surroundings to make sure that no one was following or snooping.

However, just as he was about to grow his hair, he heard a snicker.

“Master Fa Zheng was impersonated by the Merciless Tyrant.”

“Who’s talking?” Meng Qi stepped back and saw the water suddenly turn blue. Drops of water gathered together to take on the figure of a man in blue. Looking like an elf, the young man stood there with his face flickering in the air.

“The blue-blooded man?

“The water was normal just now.

“They can turn into ordinary water?”

“Why aren’t you answering me? Are you scared because I’ve seen through your disguise?” The water rose up to surround him.

Meng Qi subtly smirked. “Seen through my disguise? Beneath Master Fa Zheng is the Merciless Tyrant; under the Merciless Tyrant is Cultivator Grand Sun; hiding inside Cultivator Grand Sun is ‘Killing Blade’ Su Meng; and the final real one is the traveler Meng Qi. You’re not even close to the truth!”

Meng Qi’s countenance stayed the same, he twisted his mouth to the side and smiled gently. “Why don’t you just ambush me? Or do you have some business with me?”

The man chuckled smugly. “I was just following you to see what else you have seen. Judging from the breath you just revealed, you haven’t passed the first Celestial Ladder. I guess you received some tips somewhere and took the advantage. If that’s the case, I don’t have to ask for a helper in return.”

He paused before continuing, sarcastic and arrogant.

“Besides, why should I ambush someone like you?”