Chapter 57: Amitabha Buddha
They booked a nearby three-story restaurant.
Li Weiyi originally wanted to order more food, but he was politely declined by the White-Clad Hermit, who said that one bowl of plain noodles per person would suffice.
Nearly a hundred children filled the three floors, and even though they were only eating plain noodles, they were all extremely happy.
Although they were Rice Person Children, they too had joys and sorrows.
Li Weiyi and Zhao Zhizhuo had long been starving, but since everyone was eating vegetarian, how could they eat big fish and meat? Thus, each ordered a bowl of plain noodles and sat at a table by the window on the second floor, dining together with the White-Clad Hermit.
After drinking a mouthful of the steaming noodle soup, Li Weiyi humbly asked, “Hermit, what kind of Buddha is the Amitabha Buddha you chant?”
The White-Clad Hermit put down her bowl and chopsticks, sat up straight, and solemnly said, “Amitabha is both the Buddha of Infinite Light and the Buddha of Infinite Lifespan, representing light, lifespan, and space. He is the lord of the Pure Land Buddhist Kingdom in the endlessly distant beyond.”
“His light can illuminate the Nether Realm.”
“His lifespan is infinite and endless.”
“The Pure Land world in his palm is the vastest living realm in existence. His magic power is immeasurable, his supernatural powers immeasurable.”
The Amitabha of this world bore many similarities to the one in Earth’s mythological legends.
Afterward, the White-Clad Hermit quietly ate her plain noodles.
When eating noodles, no one’s manners are usually very elegant.
But she neither chewed slowly in a pretentious manner nor devoured them ferociously. Though her appearance was utterly ordinary, the way she ate had a pleasing sense of tranquility.
Li Weiyi watched for a good while and actually forgot to continue asking anything.
After finishing all the noodle soup, she wiped her mouth clean and gave a slight smile to Li Weiyi, who had been staring at her, saying a word of thanks.
Moments later, the White-Clad Hermit gathered all the Rice Person Children outside the restaurant. As she left, she looked up at Li Weiyi on the second floor who was watching her, her tone still as gentle as ever: “I originally planned to do a bit of business along the way to earn money to raise the children, but since you treated me to noodles today, I won’t kill you! Some other day!”
Li Weiyi had still been immersed in her highly infectious gentle smile when he suddenly heard this, as if he had instantly fallen from a sunlit mountaintop into a dark, cold ice cavern, the cold air nearly freezing him stiff.
It turned out that she had been specifically waiting for him by the moat earlier, or perhaps preparing to go to his courtyard to kill him.
Zhao Zhizhuo was no better off, his face turning pale as he slapped his forehead: “I should have been alert earlier. In Li Zhou, aside from Coffin Mountain, where is there any Buddhist cultivator? She must be from the Five Burial Temple… killer…”
The word “killer” was spat out from his mouth in an extremely low voice.
Xu Fudu of Coffin Mountain, one of the Three Great Barbarian Thieves of the Southern Territory, was a colossal tyrant whom even the Jiu Li Tribe had to pay tribute to every year.
Who in the Seven Prefectures of the Southern Territory was not afraid of the hundred thousand Buddha Bandits?
Zhao Zhizhuo stared at the receding white-clad figure and said in a low voice again, “The Five Burial Temple is the most terrifying assassin organization in the Underground Underworld Market of Jiu Li City. It’s said that the power behind it is Coffin Mountain. I actually couldn’t detect any magic power fluctuations on her. Her cultivation must far surpass ours.”
“Luckily we were generous enough today, or we would have been in danger!”
Li Weiyi’s expression changed repeatedly. He quickly stood up and called out from afar, “Next time you beg for alms, come find me. Some other day I’ll treat you to noodles again… as much as you want…”
The White-Clad Hermit, who had already reached the wooden bridge, turned back to glance at the second floor, merely smiled, and then led the group of children into the city.
At the city gate, as expected, she was stopped by four soldiers from the City Defense Camp.
“Pu!”
“Puchi!”
In the next moment, the four City Defense Camp soldiers were all severed in half by a red Kāṣāya.
Gushing blood continuously seeped from the gaps in the wooden bridge into the moat below.
A burly monk nearly two meters tall, with a bushy beard, put the red Kāṣāya back on and respectfully saluted the White-Clad Hermit: “Martial Uncle, your martial nephew was delayed by something. I was supposed to come to the city gate half an hour ago to pick you up.”
“No harm done. I didn’t wait long, just the time for one bowl of noodles.”
The White-Clad Hermit and the red Kāṣāya burly monk led the nearly hundred Rice Person Children swaggering into Jiu Li City.
“Martial Uncle, something big happened in Zangxian Town. The news spread on a small scale last night, and by this morning it couldn’t be contained anymore. Many powerful figures have left the city and rushed over there.” The burly monk reported in a low voice.
“Rumble!”
A large group of City Defense Camp soldiers rushed over, but upon seeing the face of the red Kāṣāya burly monk and meeting his cold, heavy gaze, the leading officer riding the Fire Fox exotic beast instead lowered his head first, not daring to meet his eyes.
In the end, the City Defense Camp soldiers just went to collect the bodies.
…
Li Weiyi no longer had any appetite for noodles: “Someone must have placed an order at the Five Burial Temple. Either Yang Yun or the Chang Lin Gang.”
“It’s not even been a month yet. How dare they?”
Zhao Zhizhuo thought quickly, then stood up: “I’ll enter the city right now. No matter what, I have to figure out the situation first. I’ll definitely be back before dark.”
After parting with Zhao Zhizhuo, Li Weiyi returned to the courtyard.
Under the old Yang tree in the front courtyard, Cai Yutong wore a veil, her clothes much lighter and more refreshing, a point of light flickering at her brow as she used mind power to communicate with an Ao Spider, directing it to stand and sit like training a dog with one finger.
Her talent on the Spirit God Path was extremely high: comprehending spiritual light in three days, opening the Forehead Spirit Realm in ten days, learning Insect Script in twenty-two days, subduing her first Ao Spider, and formally becoming an Insect Tamer.
Meanwhile, Li Weiyi still hadn’t produced his first wisp of spiritual light.
According to Spirit Tablet Senior, he wasn’t calm enough, thought too much, had too many distracting thoughts in his heart, so the “flash of inspiration” had yet to arrive.
“Senior Disciple Brother, have everyone pack up quickly. Before the city gate closes at nightfall, we’ll enter the city together.”
Li Weiyi didn’t know how many lives Chang Lin Gang or Yang Yun had bought, nor if those killers would kill indiscriminately. For now, he could only take everyone to take refuge at the Cang Li Tribe School.
But he worried about being ambushed on the road.
A Top Hundred Martial Artist like Yao Zheng Sheng could cause extremely serious consequences if they struck.
Zhao Zhizhuo would surely seek out Li Songlin or Cang Li. If the Cang Li Tribe could dispatch a group of masters to escort them, they’d be much safer!
Everyone naturally realized something was gravely wrong and immediately went to pack their luggage.
Time ticked by, and all the luggage was packed and loaded onto the carriages.
Li Weiyi sat atop the courtyard wall, circulating his internal magic power to his eyes, ears, and nose, pushing his perception to the peak. Soon, he smelled the scent of Chang Lin Gang Flag Master Shi Chuan Yu in the wind.
He couldn’t see or hear him, but he was definitely nearby.
Moments later.
On the second floor of the Hug Yue Lou diagonally opposite, he glimpsed Yao Zheng Sheng’s figure flash by.
Several other extraordinary light footsteps were mixed in the crowd on the street.
Fortunately, Zhao Meng sitting in the courtyard still had deterrent power.
Until the sun slanted westward, Zhao Zhizhuo finally returned with a troop of white-clad cavalry—twenty riders, the personal guards of Young Tribe Leader Cang Li. Their cultivation wasn’t high, but they had symbolic meaning; not just anyone dared to touch them.
Zhao Zhizhuo looked grim and worried: “After entering the city, I first went to the tribal school, but it was empty. Then to the tribal mansion, and only after meeting the Young Tribe Leader did I learn that a major event shocking all of Jiu Li City’s higher-ups occurred last night. Leader had already left the city.”
“The Five Burial Temple’s Killing Notice was issued this morning, then quickly spread to cities across Li Zhou. The reward is one Five Seas Pill. This is most likely Yang Yun’s doing; only he has news that fast.”
Li Weiyi said: “No bounty on anyone else?”
Zhao Zhizhuo shook his head: “In my view, compared to the Chang Lin Gang’s losses, Yang Yun cares more about Fourth Miss’s attitude toward you.”
With concrete news, Li Weiyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s better then. The reward is just one Five Seas Pill. That White-Clad Hermit was alarmed, and I thought the Yang Clan had issued a kill order. You say, is that White-Clad Hermit really a powerful figure?”
Zhao Zhizhuo’s expression turned serious: “Brother Li, you have to trust my eye for people. I’ve once reached the peak of Five Seas Realm myself. For her to fool even my eyes, that White-Clad Hermit is absolutely no ordinary person.”
“Don’t overthink it. In Yang Yun’s eyes, you’re just Seven Springs cultivation. Offering a Five Seas Pill as bounty is already top treatment.”
“That White-Clad Hermit’s appearance was pure coincidence. She doesn’t seem normal—one moment compassionate, the next wanting to kill. Treat her to a bowl of noodles, and she spares you. That person’s a bit off!”
Zhao Meng said: “So, do we enter the city or not?”
Zhao Zhizhuo said: “Everyone should still go to the tribal school to take refuge first. Something big happened in Zangxian Town; even the Young Tribe Leader rushed over immediately. With neither Leader nor Young Tribe Leader here, staying in the suburbs is too dangerous.”
“What big thing happened in Zangxian Town?”
Li Weiyi instantly thought of many things; after all, the strange events from a month ago there were still fresh in his mind.
Zhao Zhizhuo shook his head, saying the Young Tribe Leader hadn’t shared details.
Li Weiyi saw everyone out of the courtyard, then suddenly grabbed Zhao Zhizhuo’s hand and said solemnly: “Old Zhao, I’m entrusting all my companions to you. Take good care of them for me.”
Zhao Zhizhuo’s brows furrowed: “You’re not coming with us?”
Li Weiyi’s gaze flicked toward Hug Yue Lou, the back courtyard, and other directions, forcing a relaxed smile: “I feel they won’t let me into the city. If we go to the tribal school, when will they get a chance to strike?”
“Weiyi, you said it yourself: we martial brothers live and die together.” Zhao Meng said.
Though Cai Yutong didn’t know what had happened, she turned back with Zhao Meng.
Li Weiyi steeled his heart: “A Five Seas Pill is too tempting for them! On this road into the city, if I go with you, it’s no good for anyone. I’ll bring slaughter to you all, and you’ll become my burdens, leaving me no way to even escape.”
“Senior Disciple Brother, Senior Student, wait for me to return. Then we won’t fear anyone anymore.”
After saying this, Li Weiyi dashed away at top speed along the route he’d long planned in his mind, like a fleeting shadow rushing toward the Sui River.
Almost instantly, many figures from nearby streets shot after him like arrows from a bow.
Some wove through the crowds, some raced across rooftops.
One golden carriage pulled by a Silver Horned Elk charged madly down the street, cutting him off.
Li Weiyi had long discussed with Coffin Senior: once Zhao Zhizhuo recovered to Eight Springs Cultivation, send Zhao Meng, Cai Yutong, and the others to the Jiu Li tribal school. Only then could he head to Cang Wang Tomb with peace of mind, taking the faster path to becoming a Hidden Person.
Today’s sudden events forced him to advance all his plans.
At this moment, the setting sun was like blood.
At this moment, nightfall and killing intent were endlessly approaching.
