Jade clapped her hands and looked back at the few cultivators who had just had their spiritual energy drained. Satisfied, she returned to report.
She didn't understand. Why go through all this trouble for a few mortals? That question earned her a sharp flick to the forehead.
"Did you forget the rules I gave you?"
"Do not harm mortals."
"Exactly. Which means, you have to work around it. Mingfa Temple punishes their bodies. You need to punish their minds."
"Ohh... Even though you said they couldn't go back, you never stopped Ampei from trying to verify it."
"He wouldn't dare defy you, so he left alone. Meanwhile, Songxia believed they had been abandoned, thanks to what I told him."
"Correct. Good analysis. You've improved, Jade."
"Master, I feel like you don't dislike them simply because they broke into the Locking Beast Tower."
Jade's intuition was sharp. Jian Dan didn't answer, but she nodded, acknowledging her own dislike.
—
Mingfa Temple, Great Buddha Hall
Fa Hua opened his eyes once again and looked toward the young man before him, then bowed deeply.
"Many thanks, Senior, for granting me life and the chance to cultivate in this temple."
"This is fate between us. I came today to reveal your origins because I am preparing to leave this place and return to Lingyun Continent. Whether you wish to remain here or come with me, take your time to decide."
"Amitabha. This is rather sudden. Please allow this humble monk some time to consider."
"Very well."
Jian Dan turned and left the hall, while Fa Hua remained seated before the statue, his mind in turmoil. So he wasn't a normal monk. He was a lotus spirit.
No wonder his senior brothers always said he carried a faint fragrance of lotus, though he had always denied it.
But thinking of how much care and kindness the fellow disciples and even the sect elders had shown him over the years, he couldn't bear to part from them. Yet if he stayed, how could he ever advance?
All these years, it had only been possible because that powerful cultivator had remained nearby, shielding his aura and even offering rare vajra bodhi seeds to protect him. Such a favor could not be repaid.
So Fa Hua struggled for days, unable to decide whether to leave or remain.
Meanwhile, Jian Dan had begun preparing to cross the Storm Sea.
She already knew where it was located, but her divine sense couldn't penetrate it.
The Storm Sea was like a natural barrier. It protected the Diling Kingdom while isolating it from the Lingyun Continent.
After the incident in Fengyun Town, the monks of Yunzong Temple had mobilized. Qing Yong, a master of artifact refinement, had created a special Buddhist artifact to detect the black-armored insects.
It was a delicate Buddhist bell that contained part of an insect's body. When another of its kind approached, it would ring. Only cultivators trained in Buddhist arts could hear it; mortals wouldn't notice.
In ten years, this artifact had spread throughout the Diling Kingdom and helped root out many of the hidden ones, much to the Buddhist Son relief.
Jian Dan decided to make one more visit to Yunzong Temple before departing. She couldn't afford to relax, not when the insects were so elusive. Who could say where the next breach would come from?
—
That day, Jian Dan paid a visit to Mingfa Temple and met with Master Mingjing.
"Amitabha. Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner, Senior."
"No need to stand on ceremony, Master Ming Jing. I came today to entrust you with something."
"What matter requires your personal attention?"
"Ampei has completed the punishment I set. I've allowed him to leave. These are the beasts and demons he subdued. Please see that they're properly dealt with."
"Amitabha. Thank you for taking action, Senior."
Ming Jing carefully took the stack of talismans and handed them to Jue Ming beside him.
"Jue Ming, offer them before the Buddha, chant for one hundred days to suppress them, and then return them to the Locking Beast Tower."
"Yes, Martial Uncle."
Jue Ming quickly left the hall and made his way to the front chamber.
"The Locking Beast Tower has already been repaired?"
"Yes. Five years ago, Qing Yong of Yunzong Temple returned it. It now stands again behind the mountain. We have you to thank for the refinement materials."
"You're too polite."
"How is Mingfa's condition?"
"After hearing your words, he gained insight and entered seclusion. I believe he will progress by the time he emerges."
"That's good. There's one more matter."
Jian Dan paused before continuing.
"Fa Hua, the young monk from your temple, is someone I personally sent here to cultivate. His origins are somewhat unusual. Now that this matter is resolved and I plan to return to my sect, I'd like to take him with me. But he seems hesitant."
Ming Jing looked surprised, then spoke with sincerity.
"Fa Hua has the highest potential among the disciples of our 'Fa' generation. He's diligent in his practice and extremely perceptive. May I ask about his background?"
"To keep it brief, Fa Hua formed his spirit by cultivating within the largest lotus in Lotus Lake, during the time I was resting and recovering there. My aura influenced him."
"What?"
This time, Ming Jing was genuinely stunned. He lowered his gaze and searched his memory. He recalled a large vat of lotuses that had once been gifted to the temple by Abbot Hui Ming. Later, the lotuses disappeared, leaving only an empty vessel.
"Amitabha... Senior, you..."
"Haha, don't blame me. In the sect where I cultivate, even spirits and beasts may pursue the Dao. But your temple has many restrictions, which is why I wish to take him away."
Jian Dan said no more, waiting silently for a reply.
"Amitabha. I will let Fa Hua decide for himself."
Fa Hua was summoned into the hall. He bowed to his sect's Grandmaster and then noticed the woman seated above.
"He Hua, I have explained everything to Master Ming Jing. He called you here so that you can choose for yourself."
Hearing Jian Dan call him by his secular name, Fa Hua felt a bit helpless. But seeing the way Ming Jing was looking at him, his heart grew heavy.
If even Master Ming Jing looked at him this way, what would his fellow junior brothers think? To them, he would always be an outsider.
"Amitabha. I've lived among mortals and cultivated for ten years, but I still cannot escape their alien gazes."
As he finished speaking, Fa Hua revealed his true form. A sacred lotus flower bloomed in the hall. Its leaves were a verdant green, the petals shifting from white to soft pink, and at its heart glowed a pale rose hue. A pure light radiated from it.
"Amitabha."
Master Ming Jing chanted a single Buddha name, showing no intent to stop him.
Without hesitation, Jian Dan gathered the lotus into her storage space right in front of Ming Jing.
"Senior..."
"Master Ming Jing, whether He Hua stayed or left was in your hands. But when he is seen as something to be guarded against, how can he feel at peace? Better to leave now than to cause resentment later."
Seeing Ming Jing's conflicted expression, Jian Dan only shook her head and walked out of Mingfa Temple.
—
Yunzong Temple
"Buddhist Son, I, Shan, have come to bid farewell. I plan to return to my sect. I've imposed on this realm long enough, and I thank you for your care."
"Amitabha. It is we who are grateful to have received your guidance."
"Before I leave, there is something I'd like you to keep an eye on."
"Please speak."
"Years ago, I joined three senior monks to eliminate the insect race that invaded Fengyun Town. Though many larvae were captured since then, the mature insects have yet to breach the boundary. But once they do, this realm will fall into chaos.
Which is why this matter must not be taken lightly."
"Thank you for the warning, Shan Daoyou. I will handle it accordingly. Amitabha."
"Then I won't disturb you any longer."
Jian Dan turned to leave.
On the Fengyun Bridge outside Yunzong Temple, she encountered Abbot Huiming.
"Amitabha. Greetings, Senior."
"Abbot Hui Ming, no need for such courtesy. What brings you here today?"
"Amitabha. It's regarding the next Buddhist Son..."