Chapter 39

Is wisdom in folly? Seishin seemed to hint at this, suggesting that if a fool went directly to Sun Hu, it might succeed where three monks failed to get water.

Ximen Shuai pondered in silence, and Lin Fan asked, "What's wrong?"

"My master and Seishin had some dealings. He once said that Seishin was cold and ruthless, though he practiced the righteous path, his heart was evil. Now, he shows affection for a rabbit... Have you noticed that Seishin mentioned killing Sun Hu to avenge Ling'er, and only then would he give us the Heartless Vine. Later, he said he just wanted to retrieve Ling'er's fur."

Lin Fan thought for a moment, "You mean your master knew him from before?"

Ximen Shuai looked at Lin Fan, "Why are you ignoring the most important point? How did Seishin know that Ling'er is now just fur, or that there is still fur left? He said he has a vow not to enter the Ten Thousand Mountains, and Ling'er is dead. Could he still calculate the life and death of an ordinary rabbit?"

"It's a trap..." Lin Fan suddenly realized, but was still puzzled, "Why would Seishin deceive us?"

Ximen Shuai was still thinking when suddenly a black rope shot out from under their feet. Ximen Shuai reacted quickly, immediately channeling his true qi to escape, but the rope suddenly became ten times longer, binding Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan back-to-back. Ximen Shuai exclaimed, "The Demon Subduing Rope? The Demon Subduing Elder of Mount Dayu?"

"May I have your respect." Juesai stepped on his staff and rose gracefully, "You two Daoists rest here for a moment, I'll be right back... hahaha."

With that, he left. Lin Fan tried to channel his true qi, but it didn't work. He shouted, "Release!"

The Demon Subduing Rope tightened even more, as if it had a mind of its own.

"Don't be reckless," Ximen Shuai urged, "This is the Demon Subduing Rope, a unique treasure of the Demon Subduing Elder of Mount Dayu. The more true qi you use, the tighter it binds."

Lin Fan asked, "What should we do?"

"Disperse your true qi, and the rope will loosen in a moment."

Lin Fan looked down from the thousand-foot height and asked, "You mean disperse my true qi?"

"..." Ximen Shuai was speechless. Ximen Shuai was standing on the Qiankun Ring, relying on it. Lin Fan was using a bamboo sword. If he dispersed his true qi, he would fall. But if they stayed in the air, the Demon Subduing Rope would slowly tighten.

"I have a solution. You can slowly descend using your magic power. Once you reach the ground, you won't need to use any more magic power," Juesai's voice drifted from a distance.

"Descend!" The two channeled their true qi, controlling the Qiankun Ring and the bamboo sword. The Demon Subduing Rope tightened even more, and they endured the pain. Finally, they landed on the mountain ground. Then, six trees surrounding the area revealed Sanskrit characters, the six true words of Buddhism: Om Mani Padme Hum!

A radiant light shone, and a 'Wan' character appeared on the ground. Ximen Shuai channeled his true qi and then became furious, "What kind of array is this? I can't channel my true qi at all!"

Lin Fan, who had seen many people but still lacked experience in the cultivation world, couldn't answer a question that even Ximen Shuai didn't know. He could only say, "Isn't it convenient? We can't channel our true qi, so the Demon Subduing Rope will loosen."

Ximen Shuai explained, "The Demon Subduing Rope will turn into an ordinary rope. But if we can't channel our true qi, how can we untie this rope? The Demon Subduing Rope is recorded in the secret texts of the Demon Sect. A thousand years ago, the Chief Guardian of the Demon Sect pursued a criminal to Mount Dayu. The Elder of Mount Dayu and the Chief Guardian had a duel. If the Elder won, the disciple would be pardoned. The Chief Guardian agreed, and they fought. The Chief Guardian had the upper hand, but unexpectedly, the Elder used the Demon Subduing Rope and defeated him. The Chief Guardian asked what kind of magic it was, and the Elder replied that it had no name. Since you are from the Demon Sect, calling it the Demon Subduing Rope is not excessive. However, the recorded Demon Subduing Rope is more powerful, probably due to the difference in cultivation."

As he spoke, the Demon Subduing Rope lost its luster, having been refined for days to turn an ordinary rope into a Demon Subduing Rope. Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan both fell to the ground, facing a difficult situation. Ximen Shuai laughed, "I never thought I would see the Demon Subduing Rope. This trip was not in vain."

"Roll over!" Lin Fan said.

Ximen Shuai was furious, "You roll over!"

"I said roll to that rock. Since it's an ordinary rope, we can rub it off."

"No..."

Lin Fan asked, "What?"

"My face..."

Ximen Shuai said halfway through, and Lin Fan pushed his waist, making Ximen Shuai fall face down in the dirt. Lin Fan pushed off Ximen Shuai's back, and Ximen Shuai spat out grass and dirt, "Don't move, I'll roll. Are you ready?"

"Roll!"

Ximen Shuai rolled once, about to catch his breath, when Lin Fan pushed his hips, pressing Ximen Shuai face down in the dirt again. Ximen Shuai was furious, "Say you're ready! Ready, roll!"

...

Juesai landed in the middle of Zizai Valley, surrounded by hundreds of monkeys holding rocks. In the center of Zizai Valley was a stone chair, and on it sat a hairy figure, "Who are you, and why have you intruded on my Zizai Valley?"

Juesai smiled, "Sun Hu, I am Seishin's nephew, here to retrieve Ling'er's fur." I can use the Earth Listening Technique. Lying on the ground, I can hear distant conversations, but only from those standing on the ground.

Sun Hu stood up, scratching his face, "Die!"

"Die!" The monkeys responded, throwing countless rocks at Juesai.

Juesai was taken aback; this was not what he had expected. However, his cultivation was high, and a halo of Buddha light appeared on his back, "Amitabha." He reminded the monkeys, "I'm a vegetarian, we're on the same side."

The rocks bounced off him, but the monkeys were more troublesome than Juesai had anticipated. Among the hundred rocks, one was infused with true qi, striking Juesai hard and sending him flying several steps. Just as he regained his senses, a staff hit his shoulder with immense force. Indeed, a fellow practitioner of the Buddhist path, Juesai thought, and let out a cry as he was knocked to the ground.

Although Buddhist monks often use blunt weapons like staffs and staves, even their swords are not sharpened, the power of their weapons cannot be underestimated. The staff made Juesai spin in place, and he had to gather his true qi to steady himself.

Sun Hu was furious, "Seishin, you've gone too far. You killed Ling'er, and now you send someone to dig up her remains."

Damn! Juesai realized he had been tricked by Seishin. Ling'er was not just a rabbit, but a close relative of Sun Hu. Asking for the remains of a loved one...

Juesai suddenly knelt, "Hero, please hear me out."

Sun Hu's fur bristled with anger, "Speak."

"You only know that Seishin wants me to retrieve the fur, but you don't know why I would listen to Seishin and come to trouble you."

Sun Hu demanded, "Aren't you his nephew?"

"Yes, but... Seishin, the old demon, has captured my mother, father, grandfather, grandmother... all seventeen members of my family. If I don't come, she will light them as sky lanterns."

Sun Hu asked, "Why did she choose you?"