Chapter 52

Fayuan's original name was He Zhang. He had once harbored unrequited love for Jiang Sanguni, the mother of Situ Ping. In a fit of anger, he shaved his head and became a monk, giving himself the dharma name Fayuan. He was short and stocky, with a face full of scars, looking extremely fierce. He always wore a bright red robe. Although he was not a true monk, he did not follow the Buddhist precepts, drinking and eating meat without restraint. He had even turned his robe into a magical artifact, wearing it wherever he went, unlike other abbots who only wore their robes during sermons.

Fayuan had entered the sect earlier than Xu Feiniang and was one of the most respected among their generation of disciples. After the death of the founder Huanyuan and the passing of Master Tuotuo, the Wutai Sect split into factions, and his fellow disciples went their separate ways. Only he remained, trying to rally all the forces he could to oppose the Emei Sect.

Over the years, Fayuan had devoted himself to seeking revenge. Many of his former disciples had either fled or gone into hiding, and when he sought them out, they often found excuses to avoid him. In recent years, the Emei Sect had grown increasingly powerful, leaving him feeling isolated. One day, when he saw Xu Feiniang and Yue Qing bringing their disciples up the mountain, he was overjoyed. He forgot to grab his staff and ran out barefoot, grabbing Yue Qing's hand and saying excitedly, "It's a great fortune that Feiniang and Qinbin have come to help me! De'er, quickly prepare a fine feast to welcome your two uncles!"

Inside the Manjushri Temple, everyone took their seats. Yue Qing introduced Liu Quan first. When Fayuan heard that Yue Qing was teaching on behalf of his master, he was not at all displeased but rather very pleased: "Zhongnan Mountain is not far from here, and I often hear the name of Bai Shui Zhenren. To have such a skilled expert join us is truly a great fortune!"

Yue Qing then introduced the three younger disciples to their uncle, and Fayuan called his three disciples to meet their uncles.

Fayuan pointed to the first tall young man and said, "This is my eldest disciple, Yu De. He has excellent potential. A few days ago, the master of Dianxi, the Poison Dragon Venerable, saw him and was so fond of him that he wanted me to give him as a disciple."

Yue Qing looked at Yu De, who had a large head, round eyes, thick eyebrows, and a prominent nose, a dignified appearance, but his face was pale, as if he had been ill for a long time. He had a shaved head and wore a robe, kneeling to kowtow to him.

Yue Qing observed him closely: "Your potential is indeed remarkable, but from your appearance, it seems you have been practicing the Great Yin Demon Ensnarement Technique recently. This is a method practiced by the elders of the Northern Demon Sect, which involves summoning a Yin Demon into your body to merge with your spirit and breed more demons."

Fayuan added, "Your uncle is refined and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and is well-versed in various legends. You should learn from him."

Yu De replied respectfully, "Yes, I humbly request Uncle's guidance, and I am deeply grateful."

Yue Qing nodded slightly at his demeanor: "Practicing this technique will quickly grant you the assistance of the Yin Demon and various supernatural powers, but it is extremely detrimental to your spirit. In Daoist cultivation, essence, energy, and spirit are the three treasures. The Yin Demon will feed on these, and over time, your Daoist powers will not advance, while the Yin Demon will grow stronger. On the surface, your magical abilities will seem to improve, but in reality, you are feeding the demon, causing hidden damage. The deeper you practice, the more closely your spirit will merge with the Yin Demon, and eventually, you will become a puppet of the demon. By then, it will be too late to regret it."

Yu De looked up at Fayuan in surprise. Fayuan's face turned red, and he scratched his bald head: "Yu De has excellent potential. If he follows my method, it might take ten years to see results. I remembered a technique recorded in the middle volume of our Huanyuan Sutra that could be mastered quickly, so I taught it to him. I didn't expect it to have so many drawbacks. The Ten Demon Sutra doesn't mention these."

Yue Qing, who had been practicing the Tongxuan Sutra and the Guangchengzi Daoist Book for years, had a level of insight and vision far beyond ordinary people: "To practice the Great Yin Demon Ensnarement Technique, one must at least reach the level of a Celestial Immortal, purifying one's spirit to the point of being pure yang without any leaks. Only then can one control the demon without being harmed by it. However, if one truly becomes a Celestial Immortal, who would still practice this technique? Fortunately, your cultivation is still shallow, and the damage is not severe. When there is time, your aunt will use her Dragon Phoenix Ring to drive the Yin Demon out of your body and use the Huanyuan Golden Pill to restore your damaged spirit. It will take no more than half a year to fully recover. The technique in the middle volume of our Huanyuan Sutra is derived from the Northern Demon Sect's Ten Demon Holy Scroll. You should not practice it anymore. Focus on the Taiyi Xuan Gong in the lower volume, and when you have a solid foundation, I will teach you the Huanyuan True Qi in the upper volume."

Yu De was overjoyed and quickly bowed in gratitude.

After Yu De, Fayuan introduced his second disciple, Qin Lang, also known as the Flying Night Fork. He had good potential, and Fayuan had personally helped him create a set of five red spider swords, similar to his own flying sword.

Qin Lang was a sturdy young man, dressed in black. Seeing his senior brother receive benefits, he looked at Yue Qing and Xu Feiniang with anticipation.

Fayuan was very proud of his second disciple: "I recently took him to visit the Fire Ancestor on Mount Hua, who immediately recognized his potential and even wanted him to join the Huashan Sect."

Yue Qing looked at Qin Lang for a moment: "You are not bad, but in the future, my aunt and I will work to revitalize the Wutai Sect. The first thing we need to do is to reform the rules. We are a legitimate Daoist sect, a prestigious school, and we will no longer tolerate acts of theft, rape, and bullying. If we find out, we will cut off your head with our flying swords!"

His last two sentences were said with a stern voice, causing Qin Lang to tremble, and even Yu De broke out in a cold sweat.

Fayuan finally understood the situation and looked at the two of them again. He saw that Xu Feiniang was smiling and drinking quietly, deferring to Yue Qing in everything. It was even more surprising that Yue Qing had mentioned reforming the rules, as many of their former disciples had committed crimes, and even the founder, Taiyi Huanyuan, had not strictly enforced the rules. This was indeed strange.

After Qin Lang, Fayuan introduced a fierce-looking black monk with a face full of scars, missing the middle and ring fingers of his right hand. His name was Mao Tai.

Yue Qing narrowed his eyes and his aura grew stronger. He had cultivated the Huanyuan True Qi deep in the sea eye beneath the Purple Cloud Palace, and his demeanor was now very different, even making Fayuan uncomfortable: "Is there something wrong with my disciple, Brother?"

Yue Qing slowly said to Mao Tai, "I remember you have a nickname called 'Many-Armed Bear'? Hmm, you were also a notorious bandit in the southeastern five provinces?"

This surprised even Fayuan, who did not know how he knew. Yu De and Qin Lang found their uncle to be unfathomable, while Mao Tai was already sweating profusely.

"No wonder the Wutai Sect has declined in recent years, no longer resembling the glory of our master's time. If it is known that the Wutai Sect is full of bandits and thieves, who would respect us?"

Fayuan's face turned grim, as he had also committed many acts of bullying and had befriended many experts from other sects and demon paths in recent years. Yue Qing's words had indirectly criticized him as well. He looked at Lu Rongbo and Situ Ping, thinking, "Are only your disciples good, and mine are not worthy?"

Yue Qing noticed Fayuan's discomfort, took his broad and sturdy hand, and said earnestly, "Brother, my sister and I have discussed it. To revitalize the Wutai Sect, we need to uphold the Daoist tradition and reform our disciples. We are a legitimate Daoist sect, not a sect of evil. This time, my sister and I plan to set up a furnace behind the Taiyi Palace to forge a set of Taiyi Yin-Yang Swords, similar to how the Wudang Sect's Heart Enlightenment Nun reformed the rules. Brother, you must help us."

Fayuan did not expect him to say this: "The Taiyi Yin-Yang Swords are one of the ten great swords of the Wutai Sect, requiring a great deal of rare materials. We are not as wealthy as before, how can we gather all the necessary materials? The forging method is only recorded in the secondary volume of the Huanyuan Sutra, which was stolen by the traitor Zhu Hong! Even if we know some of the methods, what use are they? Moreover, even if we forge the swords, will you really draw your sword against your former brothers and clean out the sect?"