Chapter 154: Homeward Bound

Pure white snow falls within gray high walls.

Inside the bronze furnace tripod, tall incense burns down, green smoke still swaying out.

Beside the Dao field, Daoists, monks, and literati whisper to each other, displaying a hundred different expressions.

The Buddha child Wu Zhai no longer paid attention to Zhang Li, but twirled his prayer beads and lightly said to Chen Ji: "Donor, you have a prejudice against the Buddhist gate. Perhaps if you understand a little more, you will let go of your heart knot."

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the meditation mat: "Buddha child, your good intentions are received, but my six senses are impure, I cannot enter the Buddhist gate."

The literati focused their gaze on the Dao field, their eyes fixed on Chen Ji.

This young man had openly stated that the Buddhist gate was not equal to Buddhist teachings, which was already a taboo of the Buddhist gate.

Now, he was so straightforwardly refusing the Buddhist gate, truly a newborn calf not fearing the tiger.

Just at this moment, Chen Ji heard a voice gently say in his heart: "Donor, my Buddhist gate always treats people with sincerity. You only need to take refuge in my Buddha, become a lay disciple, a small monk, and you will certainly receive a generous reward."

Chen Ji was slightly startled. He did not see Wu Zhai move his mouth, but Wu Zhai's voice truly transmitted to him.

He stared fixedly at Wu Zhai, who smiled slightly back at him, turning his right hand outward and downward, lightly flicking his middle finger with his thumb, forming the Shi Yi Seal.

This is... the Xing Guan Men path?

He could actually transmit sound directly into someone else's heart.

Chen Ji thought: The so-called lay disciple is a secular disciple who takes refuge in the Buddhist gate. As long as he becomes a lay disciple of the Buddhist gate, then this scripture debate is not the Dao Court defeating the Buddhist gate, but the Buddhist gate's own person defeating their own person, preserving face.

However, after thinking for a long time, Chen Ji turned his head and looked at the small Daoist beside the Hong Zhong: "Strike the bell."

Wu Zhai's smile gradually faded: "Donor is truly unwilling to enter my Buddhist gate?"

Chen Ji sat on the meditation mat, patting off the accumulated snow on his shoulder: "Buddha child, we waited for the brave snow to come, bringing a seriously ill and dying girl to seek help. When we entered the door, the small Shami said we had no token, no invitation, and could not enter."

He glanced at Bai Li and continued: "That girl was infected with wind chill, had a fever for a day and a night, and couldn't even lift her eyelids. If Zhang Li Shixiong hadn't helped, perhaps her life would not have been saved. Although she is standing well there now, as long as I think about the other possible outcome, I feel a wave of fear. If Buddha cannot even ferry my friend, then I cannot enter."

Chen Ji calmly said: "Strike the bell."

As the words fell.

A strong wind blew from somewhere into Lu Hun Mountain Villa, actually blowing away half of the accumulated snow in the Dao field.

In an instant, the accumulated snow where Chen Ji sat completely dispersed, revealing the original black Yin fish on the ground around him.

Zhang Li was originally sitting and watching the excitement with a smile, but seeing this scene, he suddenly stood up.

After a moment, he relaxed his mind, smiling and looking at the not-so-distant Bai Li: "Originally, he is venting anger for you."

Bai Li looked at Chen Ji's profile in the Dao field.

The next moment, Zhang Li looked at the small Daoist beside the Hong Zhong, scolding: "Are all the people of Old Jun Mountain Dao Court fools? What are you still waiting for? Strike the bell!"

"Oh, oh..."

The small Daoist pushed away the small Shami beside him, pulled back the striking wood, then pushed it heavily against the bell.

The sound of the bell rang out, and the Buddha child Wu Zhai was judged to have lost.

The small Daoists of Old Jun Mountain Dao Court smiled happily. Although the Buddhist gate still had one person not in the field, they knew that Wu Zhai could not answer this question, and the monks behind him also could not.

Finally, they didn't have to become monks.

The small Daoist looked at Zhang Li: "Shixiong, is this young man really a registered disciple of Huang Shan Dao Court? Next time we debate scriptures with the Buddhist gate, we must call him!"

Zhang Li patted the back of the small Daoist's head: "This time, we lost two Purple Xu Yuan Dan to let him participate in the scripture debate. Your Old Jun Mountain Dao Court must bear one."

"No, you must provide both!"

"Ah?"

The small Daoist widened his eyes, "We cannot decide this matter. Purple Xu Yuan Dan are very precious."

Zhang Li said in a bad mood: "They are all external things. Can you take pills with you underground?"

The small Daoist thought and then said: "Then won't we lose two Purple Xu Yuan Dan every time we debate scriptures later?"

Zhang Li lowered his voice: "Are you stupid? Next time you debate scriptures with the monks, just bring out this question. You don't need that young man to personally participate. The Buddhist gate used 'Lao Zi Hua Hu Shuo' to suppress us for three hundred years. Now we will use this question to suppress them for three hundred years."

The small Daoist's eyes brightened: "That's true!"

Wu Zhai sat on the meditation mat and smiled again: "Donor, if it were you, how would you answer this question? Is the universal ferry boat still a universal ferry boat?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I also cannot answer."

Wu Zhai doubted: "Why?"

Chen Ji thought and then said: "I don't care if it is still a universal ferry boat or not. As long as it can reach the other shore, that's good."

Wu Zhai was silent for a long time.

After a moment, he changed the subject: "Donor, I still have one person on my side. I wonder if they can ask another question beside me, and you can answer it to decide the final win or loss?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "None of you can answer my question. This scripture debate is over. We were originally passers-by, and now we should leave."

Zhang Li praised: "Refused well. Wu Zhai must have prepared an extremely difficult question to turn the tide, but the young man simply didn't give him the opportunity. Wu Zhai's punch landed on cotton, I'm afraid it's extremely uncomfortable."

At this time, Chen Ji had already stood up from the meditation mat and called Shi Zi, Bai Li, and Zhang Xia to leave.

Zhang Li pulled him: "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Stay and have some wine. The wine cellar in Lu Hun Mountain Villa stores quite a bit of good wine."

Shi Zi's eyes brightened, but he heard Chen Ji refuse: "I won't drink. Many people are worried about our safety, we must return quickly to report peace."

He said to Shi Zi in a low voice: "This place is a place of right and wrong. That group of monks is not easy to deal with, let's leave quickly."

Shi Zi said oh and immediately stopped being reluctant.

Several people walked towards the outside of Lu Hun Mountain Villa, but saw gray-robed monks rise one after another, quietly blocking the road.

Chen Ji frowned: "What are you doing? You wouldn't let people in before, and now you won't let people leave?"

Wu Zhai slowly took a step forward, holding his prayer beads, his hands together: "This small monk sees the donor's talent and cleverness. It has been a long time since I have been able to debate scriptures with someone like the donor. Seeing my hunting heart rise, I want to debate another question."

Chen Ji retorted: "If I don't debate, then I can't leave?"

Wu Zhai smiled without answering.

Zhang Li raised his eyebrows and led a crowd of small Daoists to surge forward, surrounding Chen Ji and the others: "This is the land under the jurisdiction of Old Jun Mountain Dao Court, is this where you all can be presumptuous? Get lost."

Wu Zhai still smiled without answering, seemingly not putting Zhang Li and the others in his eyes.

Chen Ji reached out to grasp the handle of the Jing Dao Shi Zi was holding.

Zhang Li's eyes narrowed slightly, his right hand forming the San Shan Jue, his Dao robe automatically fluttering without wind.

The literati retreated backwards, afraid of getting blood on themselves.

Swords were drawn and bows were bent...

Da da.

Inside the One-Line-of-Sky canyon leading to the outside of Lu Hun Mountain Villa, the crisp sound of iron hooves suddenly echoed.

The sound of iron hooves was firm and solemn, one step at a time, not hurried or slow, like a king arriving.

The monks turned back one after another, only to see a line of iron cavalry passing through the gray wall canyon.

The first person rode a tall war horse, wearing bright cast iron armor, a dragon-patterned helmet on his head, and a long white feather plume on the helmet reaching towards the sky.

The person behind him urged his horse forward, holding high a brown-yellow king's flag, with a 'Jing' character embroidered on the flag surface.

Around the king's flag were dense cavalry, three people in a row, holding cold and sharp horse spears.

They were neatly and orderly lined up in the canyon.

"It's Jing Wang."

"It's the Qian Sui Army."

Chen Ji then saw clearly that the first person was indeed Jing Wang.

Jing Wang pulled the reins and urged his horse to the front of the crowd, his armor clanking.

He looked down from above at the monks and Daoists, his demeanor naturally majestic without being angry.

Zhang Li was surprised, was this still the amiable Jing Wang he saw every day?

Jing Wang calmly asked: "Seeing the king, why not bow?"

This voice contained heavenly might, like someone holding heavenly constitution in their mouth, making people involuntarily bend their knees.

The literati and scholars knelt down first, the monks regained their senses and also knelt down one after another.

Even the small Daoists at the end could not withstand the pressure and knelt down.

Only Zhang Li stood tall, only cupping his hands in obeisance.

Jing Wang looked at him: "Why not bow?"

Zhang Li smiled: "I have not done anything wrong, there is no need to bow."

"You..."

Wu Zhai, kneeling on the ground, suddenly turned back to look at him, glaring angrily.

Jing Wang did not argue with Zhang Li, dismounted, pushed through the crowd and came to Bai Li, saying with concern: "I heard people say you might be here, and I also heard you were seriously ill..."

Chen Ji knew that Jin Zhu and Tian Ma must have met the Qian Sui Army when they returned to the city and pointed the way for Jing Wang.

Bai Li explained in a low voice: "Dad, Chen Ji saved us from the assassins, and just now he exchanged two Purple Xu Yuan Dan with Zhang Li Dao Zhang from Huang Shan Dao Court to cure me."

The literati and scholars knelt on the ground, looking at each other.

They didn't know what had happened outside Lu Hun Mountain Villa, they only knew that someone outside the door had won against the Buddhist gate.

At this time, they just realized that this was originally the Shi Zi and Jun Zhu of Jing Wang Fu, who had escaped here after being assassinated.

Jing Wang looked at the monks and asked indifferently: "Why were you blocking the road just now?"

Wu Zhai stood up, his hands together explaining: "This young man beside Jun Zhu just won against this small monk in a scripture debate. Seeing my hunting heart rise, I wanted to debate another question with him."

Inside the iron cavalry, a person in Confucian robe urged his horse forward: "There is no need to make things difficult for my direct disciple, let's debate with me."

The literati suddenly became excited: "Mister Wang, we were still wondering why you hadn't arrived. It turns out you were with Jing Wang."

"So this young man is your direct disciple, no wonder he could win."

Wu Zhai was stunned and looked up, only to see Wang Dao Sheng sitting on a horse, actually also wearing armor.

He hurriedly lowered his head: "This small monk wouldn't dare."

Mister Wang calmly said: "If you wouldn't dare, then make way."

Wu Zhai hesitated for several breaths, finally retreating to the side and clearing the way.

Jing Wang held the reins, pulling his war horse to Chen Ji's front: "You saved my son and daughter, which is a great favor. Get on the horse. I will take you all home."

Chen Ji glanced at Jing Wang, then at the war horse standing quietly beside him.

Jing Wang was giving him the lead horse?

He thought for a moment, turned and pulled Bai Li, helping her onto the war horse.

Chen Ji then took the reins from Jing Wang's hand and led the war horse towards the outside of Lu Hun Mountain Villa.

Jing Wang's originally serious face finally relaxed somewhat.

Zhang Li looked at his back and suddenly said loudly: "Come to my Huang Shan to be a guest when you have time!"

Chen Ji paused, thinking of the Xuan Yuan Cave Mansion matter, and immediately waved back: "Certainly!"

He led the reins and walked in front, Bai Li sat on the war horse and watched quietly.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, passed through the long and dark canyon. When they reached the outside of the door, the sky was bright.

Outside Lu Hun Mountain Villa, the black mass of the Qian Sui Army stood solemnly.

The red tassels on top fluttered in the wind, like mountains and ridges, continuous and endless.

Chen Ji took the war horse gifted by Mister Feng from the trembling small Shami's hand and leaped onto it.

He held the reins of Bai Li's war horse in his hand and lightly squeezed the horse's belly with both legs.

He was the first to pass through the formation of the Qian Sui Army, urging his horse back on the journey.

"Home!"

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