Chapter 68

"Resourceful but not greedy enough." Xuan Kong observed Milie Chan Master’s expression and had already seen through his thoughts.

He couldn’t help but hesitate in his heart, whether to accept such a disciple or not.

If he didn’t accept him, leaving him to tarnish the reputation of the Buddhist community with his greed and lust, it would corrupt the Buddhist atmosphere. But if he accepted him, he would become his senior, and a bit of the karma and retribution would be tied to himself.

He stopped his steps, which were moving forward with the crowd, standing still like a pillar of the sea, and sighed deeply.

Forget it, who made him plot to take over someone else’s sect first?

In the future, whatever retribution there might be, he would just bear it for this monk disciple.

Xuan Kong didn’t know that he was the protagonist of a great calamity, naturally having the effect of his words becoming reality. In the future, on the path of the Laoshan Sect’s development, he indeed shielded Milie Chan Master from many calamities.

Milie Chan Master was smiling as he watched his servants plunder gold and silver from the townspeople. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his ear: "Little monk, I see you have no heart for Buddhism, but you have a connection with me, Xuan Kong. Why not consider becoming my disciple?"

Milie Chan Master immediately realized it was the great master who had thrown his magical bowl. Although he was burning with anger inside, he didn’t dare to offend him verbally.

Seeing the out-of-towner who had spoken up for him by Wang Qi’s side, he sneered in his heart: "Hmph, even ordinary people know the trick of transmitting sound over a distance. Can it really stop me, Milie Chan Master?"

He also moved his lips slightly and smiled, "My master is the abbot of Jinshan Temple, Dharma Master Fahai. May I ask who the great master is, who has come to play with this little one?"

A shock ran through Xuan Kong’s heart, and he thought to himself, "No wonder the mantras this little monk chants sound familiar. He’s actually the descendant of that tyrannical bald monk from 'The Legend of the White Snake'!"

In his previous life, Xuan Kong spent all his time scheming and plotting with others in the world of wine and women.

The only time he had to spare, he would flip through the old, half-new vernacular version of 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio' that he had extorted from other children in his childhood. As for the famous TV series and movies like 'The Legend of the White Snake' and 'Green Snake,' he had never seen them.

He vaguely remembered that Bai Suzhen was a snake demon who wanted to marry the scholar Xu Xian, who ran a pharmacy.

Fahai was a wicked old monk who loved to meddle in other people’s affairs.

If this little monk had that old demon behind him, he would have to be more cautious. Milie Chan Master mentioned Fahai to scare off the out-of-towner.

Seeing that the out-of-towner, who called himself Xuan Kong, was indeed silent, he felt a surge of satisfaction, and his smiling, compassionate face became even more amiable.

He was determined to make the townspeople empty their pockets before he was satisfied.

Indeed, having a strong backer allowed him to speak loudly!

Xuan Kong calculated that Fahai, with his profound wisdom and cultivation, had the power of an Arhat. If he wanted to challenge him, he would need to make a big leap in his cultivation, refine the five qi in his chest, and reach the level of the Great Yin to match him.

But then he thought, that day when the little fox was undergoing the tribulation, he had forgotten to ask his ancestor about his cultivation level.

But who was Wen Zhong?

He was the Grand Tutor of the Shang Dynasty, the Thunder God Puhua Tianzun, whose cultivation had at least reached the level of the Great Law. Comparing the two, Xuan Kong felt reassured. After all, the Laoshan Sect was a descendant of Grand Tutor Wen in the mortal world.

He was determined to promote the Laoshan tradition. If any disaster was too much to bear, he would have to seek help from the Heavenly Court.

Thinking of this, Xuan Kong smiled, "You have a connection with me."

Milie Chan Master snorted in his heart, "What connection?" He thought this out-of-towner must be traveling with Wang Qi. If he wasn’t interested in his wealth and wanted a share, or if he was incited by Wang Qi to cause trouble for him, he wouldn’t have come.

He clasped his hands and said, "World Honored One, I have already devoted myself to Buddhism. No matter how good the things outside are, I no longer think about them."

"Putting on an act, quite convincingly!" Xuan Kong laughed and said, "Little monk, I see that your forehead is sunken, and your complexion is dull. I fear a great calamity is imminent. Why not join the Laoshan Sect and I will protect your life?"

Milie Chan Master thought to himself, "If you don’t come to trouble me, what calamity would I have?"

Taking advantage of the crowd’s inattention, he made a face at Xuan Kong and then resumed his smiling, clasped hands. Xuan Kong laughed, thinking that his master, Immortal One-Eyebrow, might not have mastered the Laoshan Sect’s thunder magic, but he had relied on his skill in physiognomy to survive in the world for most of his life.

Xuan Kong’s magical power and cultivation were far superior to the old immortal, and he also had his own unique insights into physiognomy. He wouldn’t lie to Milie Chan Master just to get a disciple, as there was no need.

He had indeed seen that Milie Chan Master was entangled in karma and that a great calamity was imminent.

But since the other party didn’t believe him, Xuan Kong couldn’t help him. He shook his head and was about to continue persuading Milie Chan Master to abandon Buddhism and join the Dao. However, his sleeve was suddenly tugged, and he turned to see his junior brother, Wang Qi, hugging a woman who looked seven-tenths like him, crying.

It seemed that the woman was older than Wang Qi, likely his sister.

Xuan Kong rubbed his hands, thinking about giving his junior brother some face. He rummaged through his sleeve but his face turned bitter. In his twenty years, he had only obtained a celestial sword to give to his disciple and a Sunlight Bowl to leave to the sisters Xiangyu and Jiangxue.

Although his sleeve was full of miscellaneous items, there were few that he could offer.

Moreover, these few items were very meaningful to him and couldn’t be given away casually.

Wang Qi had been with Xuan Kong for several months and had learned the habit of giving gifts in the martial world. In the Laoshan Sect, he had only learned the skills of passing through walls and earth diving, and the 'Essentials of Sword Control' was taught by Xuan Kong.

Now, he looked at his senior brother with eager eyes, hoping that Xuan Kong would pull out a basket of celestial treasures from his sleeve. Reflecting on his fellow disciples in the Laoshan Sect, although they all had the intention of showing off their skills after learning them, Wang Qi was the only one who still worked hard and was recognized as a formal disciple of the Laoshan Sect. He couldn’t let him lose face.

Xuan Kong’s face turned bitter as he rummaged through his sleeve.

Wang Qi and his sister were talking nearby. Wang Qi was handsome, and his sister, though older, still had a charm. Her beautiful eyes kept scanning Xuan Kong, who was looking down and searching his sleeve.

Don’t misunderstand, she wasn’t attracted to Xuan Kong. She was just thinking, "This is Little Seven’s senior brother? He looks dull and slow, but he’s kind of cute." Fortunately, Wang Qi didn’t hear her thoughts, or he would have spat out three pints of blood: "My senior brother dull? Slow? These words don’t fit him at all!"

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