Chapter 154: Homeward Bound

Pure white snow falls within the gray high walls. Inside the bronze censer tripod, tall incense burned down to the end, blue smoke still drifting out.

Beside the Dao field, Daoists, monks, and literati whispered to each other, fully displaying a hundred states of mind.

Buddha child Wu Zhai no longer paid attention to Zhang Li, but, twirling his prayer beads, said softly to Chen Ji: "This patron, you have prejudice against the Buddha gate. Perhaps if you understand more, then the thorn in your heart will be removed."

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the meditation mat: "Buddha child is kind-hearted, but my six roots are not pure, I cannot enter the Buddha gate."

The literati focused their gaze on the Dao field inside, their eyes gathering on Chen Ji's body.

This young man had already committed a taboo of the Buddha gate by bringing up the matter of the Buddha gate not being equivalent to Buddhist learning.

Now, to so directly refuse the Buddha gate, truly was a newborn calf not fearing the tiger.

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

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

He stared fixedly at Wu Zhai, who smiled slightly at him and turned his right hand downwards, lightly twisting his thumb and middle finger, forming the Shi Yi seal.

This is... the Official Gate path?

He could actually transmit his voice directly into other people's hearts.

Chen Ji thought: The so-called lay disciple is a secular disciple who takes refuge in the Buddha gate. As long as he becomes a lay disciple of the Buddha gate, then this scripture debate is not the Dao court winning against the Buddha gate, but the Buddha gate's own people winning against their own people, saving face.

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

Wu Zhai's smile gradually faded: "Is the patron truly unwilling to enter my Buddha gate?"

Chen Ji sat on the meditation mat, brushing off the accumulated snow on his shoulder: "Buddha child, we came braving the snow, bringing a seriously ill, dying girl to seek help. When we entered the door, the little novice monk said we had no token, no invitation, and could not enter."

He glanced at Bai Li and continued: "That girl was infected with a cold, with a fever for a day and a night, and couldn't even lift her eyelids. If not for Zhang Li senior brother lending a hand, perhaps her life would not have been saved. Although she is standing there well now. But as long as I think of another outcome, I feel a wave of fear. If the Buddha cannot even ferry my friends, then I cannot enter."

Chen Ji said calmly: "Strike the bell."

As his words fell,

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

In an instant, the accumulated snow around Chen Ji scattered completely, revealing the original black yin fish on the ground around him.

Zhang Li had originally sat down smilingly to watch the excitement, but seeing this scene, he suddenly stood up.

A moment later, he relaxed his mind, smiling as he looked at Bai Li not far away: "So, 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 little Daoist beside the large bell, and blurted out angrily: "Are the Old Jun Mountain Dao court all fools? What are you waiting for? Strike the bell!"

"Oh, oh..."

The little Daoist pushed aside the little novice monk beside him, pulled back the striking wood, and then pushed the striking wood heavily to strike the bell.

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

The little Daoists of Old Jun Mountain Dao court smiled happily. Although the Buddha gate still had one person who hadn't taken the stage, they knew that Wu Zhai couldn't answer this question, and neither could the monks behind him.

Finally, they didn't have to become monks.

The little Daoist looked at Zhang Li: "Senior brother, is this young man truly a registered disciple of Huang Shan Dao court? Next time when debating scriptures with the Buddha gate, we must call him!"

Zhang Li patted the little Daoist on the back of the head: "This time, we lost two Purple Xu Yuan Dan to get him to come on stage and debate scriptures. Your Old Jun Mountain Dao court must bear one."

"No, you all must pay for both!"

"Ah?"

The little Daoist's eyes widened. "We can't decide this. Purple Xu Yuan Dan are very precious."

Zhang Li said exasperatedly: "They are all external things. Can you all take pills to the underworld?"

The little Daoist thought for a moment and said: "Then, next time we debate scriptures, we will lose two Purple Xu Yuan Dan every time."

Zhang Li lowered his voice: "Are you silly? Next time when debating scriptures with the monks, just take out this question. There's no need for that young man to personally take the stage. The Buddha gate previously used 'Lao Zi Hua Hu Shuo' to suppress us for three hundred years. We will now use this question to suppress them for three hundred years."

The little Daoist's eyes lit up: "That's right!"

Wu Zhai sat on the meditation mat, and smiled again: "Patron, 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 was puzzled: "Why?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said: "I don't care if it's 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.

A moment later, he changed the subject: "Patron, I still have one person on my side. I wonder if I could pose another question from my side, 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 already over. We were originally just passers-by, and now it's time to leave."

Zhang Li praised: "Refuse well. Wu Zhai must be preparing an extremely difficult question to turn the situation around. The young man simply didn't give him this opportunity. Wu Zhai punching cotton must feel extremely uncomfortable."

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

Zhang Li grabbed him: "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Stay and drink some wine. The wine cellar at Lu Hun Mountain Manor stores quite a few good wines."

Shi Zi's eyes lit up, but then he heard Chen Ji refuse: "No drinking. Many people are worried about our safety. We must return quickly to report peace."

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

Shi Zi said "Oh" and immediately stopped being reluctant.

Several people walked towards the outside of Lu Hun Mountain Manor, 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 earlier, and now you won't let people leave?"

Wu Zhai slowly took a step forward, holding prayer beads in his hand, and clasped his palms together: "This little monk sees that the patron is intelligent. For a long time, I have not been able to debate scriptures with someone like the patron. Seeing the desire to compete rise, I wish to debate one more question."

Chen Ji countered: "If we don't debate, then we can't leave?"

Wu Zhai smiled and did not answer.

Zhang Li raised his eyebrows, and led a crowd of little Daoists to surge forward, surrounding Chen Ji and the others: "This is under the foot of Old Jun Mountain Dao court, is it a place where you can be presumptuous? Get out of the way!"

Wu Zhai still smiled and did not answer, seemingly not putting Zhang Li and the others in his eyes.

Chen Ji reached out to grasp the handle of the whale knife held by Shi Zi.

Zhang Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he pinched the San Shan Jue with his right hand, his Dao robe automatically moving without wind.

The literati retreated backwards, fearing that blood would splash on their bodies.

Swords were drawn and bows were drawn...

Da da.

In the One Line Sky canyon leading to the outside of Lu Hun Mountain Manor, crisp iron hoof sounds suddenly rang out.

The iron hoof sounds were resolute and solemn, one step after another, neither fast nor slow, like a king arriving.

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

The person in the lead rode a high-headed warhorse, wearing bright cast iron armor, a dragon-patterned helmet on his head, and a long white plume on his helmet reaching for the sky.

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

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

They were neatly aligned in the canyon.

"It's Jing Wang."

"It's the Qian Sui Army."

Chen Ji only now saw clearly that the person in the lead was indeed Jing Wang.

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

He looked down at the monks and Daoists from above, his presence majestic without anger.

Zhang Li was surprised. Was this still the amiable Jing Wang from everyday?

Jing Wang calmly asked: "Why do you not bow upon seeing the king?"

This voice contained heavenly might, as if a heavenly decree from his mouth made people involuntarily bend their knees.

The literati and scholars were the first to kneel down. The monks came to their senses and also knelt down one after another.

Finally, even the little Daoists couldn't hold back the pressure and knelt down.

Only Zhang Li stood tall, merely bowing and performing a salute.

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

Zhang Li smiled: "I have done nothing wrong, there is no need to bow."

"You..."

Wu Zhai, kneeling on the ground, suddenly turned back to look at him, their angry eyes meeting.

Jing Wang did not argue with Zhang Li, dismounted, pushed through the crowd to Bai Li's front, and said 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. He just now exchanged two Purple Xu Yuan Dan with Dao Zhang Zhang Li of Huang Shan Dao court and cured me."

The literati and scholars kneeling on the ground looked at each other.

They didn't know what had happened outside Lu Hun Mountain Manor, only that someone outside the door had won a round against the Buddha gate.

At this time, they finally realized that these were originally the Shi Zi and County Princess of Jing Wang Fu, who had encountered an assassination and escaped here.

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

Wu Zhai stood up, clasped his hands together, and explained: "This young man beside the County Princess just now won against this little monk during the scripture debate. This little monk sees the desire to compete rise and wishes to debate one more question with him."

Among the iron cavalry, a person wearing a Confucian robe urged his horse forward: "There is no need to make things difficult for my direct disciple. Moreover, you can debate with me."

The literati suddenly became excited: "Mister Wang, we were wondering why you were so late. It turns out you were with Jing Wang."

"So this young man is your direct disciple. No wonder he can win."

Wu Zhai suddenly looked up, only to see Wang Dao Sheng sitting on his horse, actually also wearing armor.

He quickly lowered his head and said: "This little monk dares not."

Mister Wang said calmly: "If you dare not, then make way."

Wu Zhai hesitated for several breaths, and finally retreated to the side, clearing the road.

Jing Wang held the reins and led his warhorse to Chen Ji's front: "You saved my son and daughter. This is a great kindness. Mount the horse. I will take you all home."

Chen Ji glanced at Jing Wang, then at the warhorse standing quietly to the side.

Jing Wang was leading a horse for him?

He thought for a moment, then turned and pulled Bai Li, helping her mount the warhorse.

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

Jing Wang's originally serious face finally relaxed a little.

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

Chen Ji's body paused. He thought of the matter in Xuan Yuan Cave Mansion and immediately waved his hand in reply: "Certainly!"

He led the reins and walked in front, Bai Li sitting on the warhorse and watching quietly.

The two passed through the long, dark canyon one after another, and the sky outside the door was bright when they arrived.

Outside Lu Hun Mountain Manor, the vast Qian Sui Army stood solemnly.

The red tassels on their helmets fluttered in the wind, like a continuous mountain range without end.

Chen Ji took the warhorse gifted by Mister Feng from the trembling little novice monk's hand and flipped onto its back.

He held the reins of Bai Li's warhorse in his hand and lightly clipped the horse's belly with his legs.

He urged his horse to return when he first passed through the Qian Sui Army formation.

"Home!"