Chapter 99

Dixuan Lan, upon hearing this, smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Le, I wonder what's not right?"

Le Zhongping put on a serious expression and said to Dixuan Lan, "Old Taoist, can you mend clothes?"

Dixuan Lan, well aware of Mr. Le's character, who loved to jest, saw his serious demeanor but still found his words incomprehensible. He guessed that Mr. Le was making fun of him again and smiled, saying, "The Daoist ancestor once said, 'The way of heaven diminishes what is excessive and supplements what is insufficient. Those who cultivate the Dao follow the way of heaven and can supplement the insufficiencies of all things. How much more so for a mere piece of clothing?'"

"A mere piece of clothing? This is no ordinary piece of clothing!" Le Zhongping exaggerated, waving his hands and saying, "I heard that the two heirlooms passed down by the successive generations of the Forgetful Heaven of Daoism are the silver silk duster you hold and the green jade dragon hairpin in your hair. They are both supreme magical treasures! In comparison, the Worldly Venerable of Buddhism is much more modest. There is only one piece of Dharma robe passed down through the generations. Look, the bright red Dharma robe on the old monk. I heard it's called the Buddha Blood Kasaya. Although I think the cut of this kasaya is terrible and it doesn't fit the old monk at all, lacking the elegance that clothing should have, it is said that wearing this Dharma robe makes one immune to the three poisons, free from all defilements, and forever free from ignorance. Just hearing these few words, it can be considered a wondrous and incomparable treasure kasaya! But now, it has been damaged by you, the old Taoist. Although a silver thread from your duster fell just now, you have so many silver threads that losing a few doesn't matter. But the old monk's robe still needs to be passed down! If you two continue fighting, I'm afraid the kasaya will become a tattered rag, and the old monk will be left without clothes. That's a minor issue, as he is ultimately empty of the four elements. But if there's no robe to pass down, won't the future Worldly Venerables all be naked? The old monk would then be failing the previous Worldly Venerables and the future ones. So I say it's a big problem!"

Le Zhongping rambled on, clearly still making fun of the two. In the entire cultivation world, probably only he dared to speak to the current highest figures of Buddhism and Daoism like this.

Dixuan Lan understood halfway through what he was getting at. He knew that Le Zhongping was trying to get them to stop fighting but couldn't say it directly in front of Li Yi. So he had to resort to jesting. After hearing Mr. Le's words, he seized the opportunity and said, "Mr. Le is joking. The two heirlooms of our Daoist sect are merely mementos left by the first Forgetful Heaven. They cannot compare to the Buddha Blood Kasaya of the Lotus Venerable. This old Taoist's meager cultivation is not enough to mend the Buddha Blood Kasaya. I was just boasting earlier. I can only apologize to the Lotus Venerable here." Saying this, he bowed to Lotus Imperishable.

Lotus Imperishable immediately clasped his hands in return and said, "Brother Daoist, you are too kind. The world is imperfect, and the kasaya is also broken. It should be so." Then he turned to Li Yi and said, "Mr. Li, we fought because of your words. In your opinion, who won and who lost? Should Lu Zheng go to the Buddha Mountain or enter the Daoist Sea? It's all up to your decision."

Li Yi glanced at Le Zhongping, who turned his head to the side, pretending not to see. Li Yi said, "Earlier, I said that whoever wins can take Lu Zheng. Now, one silver thread has fallen, and one kasaya is broken. It can only be considered a draw. If you still agree to the previous agreement, then continue fighting until there's a winner."

Mr. Le had deliberately created an opportunity for them to stop fighting, but Li Yi was not willing to let it go and even openly provoked the Forgetful Heaven of Daoism and the Worldly Venerable of Buddhism to fight. If it were anyone else, they would have been suspected of ulterior motives and pursued by both sects. But now, Dixuan Lan and Lotus Imperishable only felt embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

It turned out that Dixuan Lan and Lotus Imperishable had already fought a battle with their supernatural powers, roughly at the same time Lu Zheng and Xin'er were talking in the Sun and Moon Hut. When they mentioned that the Forgetful Heaven and the Worldly Venerable would not easily fight over rankings, they never imagined that Dixuan Lan and Lotus Imperishable were fighting over Lu Zheng with all their might!

The scene was somewhat awkward, and Dixuan Lan sighed, "Mr. Li, it's not that this old Taoist and the Lotus Venerable don't trust you two, but we fear that in the future, you will be caught between two difficult choices, not knowing which side to help. What then?"

Before he could finish, Li Yi coldly interrupted, "Dixuan Heaven's good intentions are appreciated. But I act based on what you do, not your intentions. If you insist on having Lu Zheng join your sect, then show your abilities and decide the winner. I always keep my word. The one who wins takes Lu Zheng."

Dixuan Lan and Lotus Imperishable exchanged glances. Li Yi's words clearly carried anger and determination, and it seemed he would not back down. Did they really have to decide the winner here? Given their cultivation, it would not be a quick battle, and the outcome was unpredictable. Most importantly, no matter who won or suffered any damage, it would cause a huge stir in both the Buddhist and Daoist sects.

Therefore, when Li Yi spoke, even Le Zhongping couldn't help but turn to look at him. Li Yi's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were resolute.

Dixuan Lan waved his duster and said, "Old Taoist heard Mr. Li say that whoever wins takes Lu Zheng. Is that correct?"

Li Yi, not knowing his intention, nodded and said, "Yes."

Dixuan Lan smiled and said, "Then, according to Mr. Li's words, you have already agreed to hand over Lu Zheng to one of us, as long as that person wins, right?"

Li Yi frowned and said, "What do you want to say, Dixuan Heaven? Speak directly!"

Dixuan Lan swung his duster, placed it in the middle of his left hand, and bowed to Li Yi, saying, "If so, Mr. Li, please hand over Lu Zheng to us. As for how we decide the winner, you don't need to worry. This old Taoist and the Lotus Venerable will discuss it."

Lotus Imperishable also said, "Mr. Li, I know you have already agreed to hand over Lu Zheng to us, but you wanted to see us fight to be satisfied. We have done as you wished, and I believe you are satisfied. Please, Mr. Li, let us handle it ourselves."

Dixuan Lan seized the opportunity and said, "Mr. Li, please hand over Lu Zheng to us. As for how we decide the winner, you don't need to worry. This old Taoist and the Lotus Venerable will discuss it."

Lotus Imperishable also said, "Mr. Li, I know you have already agreed to hand over Lu Zheng to us, but you wanted to see us fight to be satisfied. We have done as you wished, and I believe you are satisfied. Please, Mr. Li, let us handle it ourselves."

Dixuan Lan caught his words and found a loophole, while Lotus Imperishable also lowered his stance to plead. Le Zhongping turned to persuade, but before he could say more than two words, "Zhonggui...," Li Yi flicked his sleeve, 'hmm'ed, and transformed into a stream of light and left.

The remaining three all sighed in relief. Dixuan Lan came to Le Zhongping and said, "I didn't expect the always polite Mr. Li to be so emotional. Mr. Le, thank you for mediating just now. This old Taoist is truly grateful."

Lotus Imperishable also approached and said, "Brother Daoist, I think we shouldn't compete. Let Lu Zheng go to the Buddha Mountain first, then to the Daoist Sea. What do you think?"

Dixuan Lan said, "The Lotus Venerable's words are wise..."

Lotus Imperishable immediately interrupted, "Since it's wise, thank you, Brother Daoist, for your humility."

Dixuan Lan laughed, "The Lotus Venerable is also playing with words. I said your words about not competing are wise, but I didn't say to let Lu Zheng go to the Buddha Mountain first!"

Lotus Imperishable clasped his hands and said, "Amitabha, I only heard Brother Daoist say my words are wise, and I don't know anything else." He then covered his ears tightly.

Dixuan Lan couldn't help but laugh. Just as he was about to argue, Le Zhongping already laughed, "I didn't expect you, the usually stiff old monk, to be so amusing. But perhaps this time, it's not the will of the Buddha."

Lotus Imperishable's face changed, and he put down his hands, saying, "Why do you say that, Mr. Le?" Seeing Dixuan Lan smiling confidently, he felt something was amiss, as if they had a prior understanding. He then said to Dixuan Lan, "Brother Daoist?"

Dixuan Lan bowed to Lotus Imperishable and said, "Lotus Venerable, let me mend your Dharma robe!" He then waved his duster, and the silver thread that had fallen earlier was drawn back and flew to the corner of Lotus Imperishable's robe. In a moment, it was sewn like a needle and thread, forming a small patch.

This Dharma robe of Lotus Imperishable had been passed down through generations of Worldly Venerables. It was originally yellow but was dyed red by a drop of the Buddha's blood. This Dharma robe, as Le Zhongping said, was called the Buddha Blood Kasaya. Because of this drop of Buddha's blood, it was invulnerable to all spells and evils, making it the supreme protective treasure in the cultivation world. When Dixuan Lan said he couldn't mend the robe, it was for this reason.

But now, the silver thread had entered the robe and mended the corner, clearly showing that Dixuan Lan's silver duster was not just a memento from the first Forgetful Heaven. Otherwise, it couldn't have penetrated the Buddha Blood Kasaya. Moreover, only Dixuan Lan, with his cultivation, could mend the Buddha Blood Kasaya so effortlessly.

Le Zhongping, standing to the side, glanced at the robe and felt that although it now had a patch, it was as complete as before, with the silver thread seamlessly integrated.

Le Zhongping said, "They say horses and oxen are unrelated. The Buddha's white horse went east, and the Daoist's blue ox went west. I didn't expect the ox's tail hair to blend with the Buddha's blood. Strange indeed."

Lotus Imperishable looked at the patch, silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and bowed to both, transforming into a stream of light and leaving.

Dixuan Lan bowed in return. Le Zhongping said, "The old Taoist got the upper hand but didn't gloat. You all got what you wanted and left, leaving me to face Zhonggui's sour face. Life is truly not easy!"

Dixuan Lan laughed, "I heard that a gentleman helps others achieve their goals. That must be Mr. Le."

Le Zhongping turned and said, "You've heard that too? Then I have a question. After I cure Lu Zheng, will you teach him personally?"

Dixuan Lan said, "I have thought about this carefully. Since Mr. Le will eventually take Lu Zheng to the Heavenly Sect, it's better to let him stay there. What do you think?"

Le Zhongping laughed, "You, old Taoist, are more like a sly fox. I just asked a casual question, and you want to push it onto me. Hey, the Heavenly Sect's leader? Is that the only person in seven hundred years who can control the Heavenly Mirror, Yuan Wujie?"

Dixuan Lan smiled, "I heard that a gentleman helps others achieve their goals. That must be Mr. Le."

Le Zhongping turned and said, "You've heard that too? Then I have a question. After I cure Lu Zheng, will you teach him personally?"

Dixuan Lan said, "I have thought about this carefully. Since Mr. Le will eventually take Lu Zheng to the Heavenly Sect, it's better to let him stay there. What do you think?"

Le Zhongping laughed, "You, old Taoist, are more like a sly fox. I just asked a casual question, and you want to push it onto me. Hey, the Heavenly Sect's leader? Is that the only person in seven hundred years who can control the Heavenly Mirror, Yuan Wujie?"