Chapter 100

As Little Monk Mila bowed to him, Xuan Kong did not avoid it. In his heart, he had long regarded the little monk as his disciple.

A disciple bowing to his master is well-deserved!

Xuan Kong knelt before King Qin Guang and said, "King Qin Guang, the Heavenly Emperor of the Netherworld, have you ever heard of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars in the human world?" King Qin Guang, hearing Xuan Kong talk about something unrelated, found it amusing. He thought Xuan Kong was up to his old tricks again, but still decided to play along. The story of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars was widely known in the human world, and King Qin Guang had heard of it. Privately, he was also moved by the stories and nodded in agreement with Xuan Kong.

Seeing the nod from King Qin Guang, Xuan Kong continued, "Though I am not very talented, I have also met some of the characters from the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars."

King Qin Guang was curious, "Those people lived in different eras from you. How did you meet them?"

Xuan Kong hinted, "The Divine Master of the Pure Brightness Sect, Master Shenlie!"

King Qin Guang then remembered that Xuan Kong had investigated the reincarnations of the twelve true sages of the Pure Brightness Sect. He slapped his forehead and said, "Ah, it was him!" Wu Meng, also known as the Great Cave True Sage, was the founding disciple of Xu Jingyang, one of the Four Heavenly Masters of the Heavenly Realm.

He was the leader of the twelve true sages of the Pure Brightness Sect and the protagonist of the story of the mosquito feeding on his blood in the "Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars."

Not knowing what Xuan Kong would say next, King Qin Guang patiently listened: "In the human world, although people are often busy with their own interests, there is still a saying that among all virtues, filial piety comes first. For example, during the Sui Dynasty, there was a famous general, Hua Mulan, who took her father's place in the army."

In ancient times, women were often looked down upon, especially in the military, which was a forbidden place for women. However, Hua Mulan disguised herself and joined the army to replace her elderly and frail father.

Did no one see through her disguise?

Of course not, but her filial piety moved heaven and earth, and those who knew about it all spontaneously covered for her. Eventually, even the emperor and the Jade Emperor were moved by her actions and tacitly approved of her behavior.

So Xuan Kong said, "In the human world, it is said that a son should repay his father's debts. I do not expect you, Your Majesty, to simply forgive the old man Zhang's sins. I only hope you will allow Little Monk Mila to take on his father's karma. This way, the balance will be maintained, and the karma will not accumulate."

This made sense. Taking on one's father's sins for filial piety was a principle that could be understood both in heaven and on earth.

The judge beside him said, "The virtues of the people are recorded in the heavens. Good deeds can protect the body and turn misfortune into good fortune, while evil deeds can cloud the mind and bring disaster. This little ghost is already burdened with karma. If he takes on his father's karma as well, his path to cultivation will be even more difficult!"

This was not said for King Qin Guang's benefit but for Xuan Kong and Master Mila.

The choice was in Master Mila's hands, and Xuan Kong did not interfere. Master Mila clenched his fists so tightly that sweat dripped from them, and his eyes were bloodshot. Who is without a selfish thought?

Seeing a great master before him, should he still take on his father's sins?

"Anyway, the old man deserves his punishment and will suffer for a hundred years in the underworld, but he will still have a chance to be reborn. But what about me? If I didn't know, it would be one thing, but can I just watch my father suffer right in front of me?"

Master Mila's inner struggle was intense, and he ground his teeth, making a grinding sound. After a moment, he suddenly collapsed, but his voice was firm and resolute: "This monk is willing to take on his father's karma!"

Hearing Master Mila's decision, Xuan Kong's face showed a hint of joy, and he said, "From now on, you are my disciple. I will help you through the trials, so you don't need to worry!"

Master Mila, still willing to believe in Xuan Kong, weakly bowed to him.

King Qin Guang looked at the two kneeling disciples and sighed deeply, "Xuan Kong, you may rise. I will grant your request." Xuan Kong was grateful for the king's leniency and stood up as instructed.

Only Master Mila remained kneeling. King Qin Guang sighed, "You are taking on the karma of two people. I must take some measures to ensure that your mind is not overwhelmed by the karma."

Master Mila bowed on the ground, "This monk is willing to accept the punishment."

He knew that King Qin Guang was not trying to harm him but was helping him to eliminate his karma sooner. The judge presented the Book of Suffering, which King Qin Guang took, read for a moment, and then returned to the judge.

The judge, following orders, instructed the ghost soldiers to come forward and pierce Master Mila's kneecaps. Master Mila suffered immense pain and cried out, wanting to faint, but the punishments in the underworld were protected by the heavenly order.

How could an ordinary person just faint when they wanted to?

Not only could he not faint, but the pain was amplified many times over by the underworld's magic. Xuan Kong, seeing Little Monk Mila rolling on the ground and screaming, felt a pang of sympathy, but this was the path he had chosen, and there was nothing to be said.

The ghost soldiers drew out the soul-binding rope, which transformed into a black python and burrowed into Master Mila's kneecaps, wriggling continuously. This suffering was visible in the underworld but would not manifest in the physical body in the human world.

Xuan Kong was both relieved and sympathetic for his disciple and asked King Qin Guang to let him see his father one last time.

He also wanted to return to the back hall to compose himself.

King Qin Guang nodded and instructed the ghost soldiers to lead Master Mila, who was limping, out of the Xuanming Palace. They first took him to see his father, and at the same time, King Qin Guang ordered his release for reincarnation and sent Master Mila back to the human world.

The matters in the hall were naturally taken over by the underworld judge. King Qin Guang led Xuan Kong to the back hall of the Xuanming Palace and said with a smile, "Xuan Kong, you have a gentle nature. You must find these things hard to bear, right?"

Xuan Kong had seen everything in his past life and was not the type to be moved by a few screams.

He simply shook his head, "Seeing the eighteen levels of hell in the underworld today, one is to broaden the horizons of my two disciples, and the other is to serve as a warning to myself. In the future, in the human world, we must do more good deeds and prioritize filial piety!"

He was deeply moved and, due to his experience, thought about things more deeply and far-reaching than Wang Qi and his two disciples. He even vaguely recalled some things from his past life.

Seeing that Xuan Kong's expression was unchanged, King Qin Guang nodded. A cultivator can be moved, but they must not let external things disturb their mind. The greatest weakness of a person is a flaw in their mind, and it is often this flaw that leads to their downfall.

After Xuan Kong's reflection, he composed himself and returned to his natural, simple self. He did not forget to give his junior brother an answer and secretly asked King Qin Guang to open the Book of Life and Death, finding the page for the old man of the Wang family.

The Wang family had been rooted in Ninghai County for a long time. Although the old man had started from scratch after the family's decline, he still treated the people of the county like family. King Qin Guang said, "This man has no evil deeds and has done many good deeds. He will live to be 120 years old and die a natural death."

With King Qin Guang's judgment, Wang Qi could rest easy. Although the old man had some trials in his fate, meeting the noble Xuan Kong would ensure no major problems. Xuan Kong led Wang Qi, thanked King Qin Guang, and took his disciples and the little fox back to the human world along the same path.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends