Legend Management Bureau Chapter 165

[ … words ]

Temporarily bidding farewell to Medusa and Shiranui Asuka, Du Yu prepared to head to Jinshan Temple to meet his old mentor.

He took off his wig, revealed his Buddhist prayer beads, and changed back into his monk attire. But just as he was about to set off, a problem dawned on him.

Where exactly was Jinshan Temple?

Standing on the bustling street completely lost, he had no choice but to ask Dong Qianqiu, “Sister Qianqiu, how do I get to Jinshan Temple?”

“Du Yu, Jinshan Temple is on Jinshan Mountain, right next to Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu Province,” Dong Qianqiu replied.

“Oh, so it’s in Jiangsu Province…” Du Yu froze. “Wait, aren’t I in Hangzhou right now?! I’m in Zhejiang Province! How did this turn into a cross-province trip? That’s such a long journey… Does the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai free shipping policy apply to humans?”

“Uh… are you trying to go back to Jinshan Temple?” Dong Qianqiu asked.

“Yeah, Sister Qianqiu. How else am I supposed to pay my respects to my old master?”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that,” Dong Qianqiu said. “You and your master are currently traveling the world. You’re just passing through Hangzhou City. He’s staying at the Wangfu Inn on West Street right now. Just go look for him there.”

‘No wonder I spawned here. Turns out we’re traveling the world!’

Du Yu entered the inn, asked the waiter which room he was staying in, and finally returned to Fahai’s side.

Pushing the door open, Du Yu saw a kindly old monk sitting on the bed, chanting scriptures. The man emanated a transcendent aura, looking very much like a wandering immortal.

“Master! Disaster has struck!” Du Yu knew this person had to be Fahai, so he immediately bellowed at the top of his lungs.

“Huijing?” The old monk quietly opened his eyes and asked, “What has you so panicked?”

“There’s a snake demon! A massive snake demon! She’s huge!”

Fahai frowned and stood up from the bed. “A snake demon?! Have any commoners been harmed?”

“W-Well, no.” Du Yu felt a twinge of confusion. ‘Why is Fahai acting differently from what I remember? Why is his first thought to check on the safety of the people?’

“Master, even though they haven’t hurt anyone, they’re still demons! Shouldn’t you immediately go and beat them up?”

“Huijing, the Heavens cherish all life,” Fahai said, slowly sitting back down. “A ‘demon’ will not necessarily harm people. We cannot generalize.”

Du Yu stared at the old man in bewilderment before arguing, “They just successfully survived their heavenly tribulation outside the city! Their magic must be incredibly powerful right now. Master, if you ignore them, they’ll inevitably cause a massive catastrophe sooner or later!”

“Heh.” Fahai chuckled softly. “Huijing, the truth is, I sensed a massive demonic aura in Hangzhou City seven days ago. However, since this demon has never harmed anyone, I chose to ignore it.”

“You already knew?”

“Huijing, let me ask you this. When this demon was undergoing her tribulation, why did she go to the suburban woods instead of staying in Hangzhou City?”

“I don’t know.”

“I believe this demon feared the power of the heavenly lightning would harm the innocent, so she deliberately sought out an uninhabited area. In my view, this demon has a kind heart. Even with heaven-defying magic, she will not take human lives. Furthermore, for a beast to take human form is a blessing from the heavens and earth. If this demon were deeply burdened with sin, the heavenly lightning would have reduced her to ashes. How could she have successfully passed the tribulation?”

Du Yu blinked, staring intently at Fahai. “Master… have you always been this kind-hearted?”

Now it was Fahai’s turn to be puzzled. “Huijing, you and I are both men who have cleansed our six senses. If we do not hold kindness in our hearts, how can we achieve enlightenment?”

‘This…’

Du Yu silently lowered his head. ‘Why does this legend have so many problems?’

‘Fahai seems to be a genuinely virtuous and enlightened high monk, while Xu Xian—who is supposed to be deeply in love with Lady White Snake—is actually a complete scumbag.’

‘If I have to resolve all of this…’

‘Wait a minute… Scumbag?’

“Master!” Du Yu declared. “What do you think of men who play with women’s feelings?”

“Men who play with women’s feelings?” Fahai frowned. “I have never involved myself in worldly romance. How could I have an opinion on the matter?”

“Master, that’s where you’re wrong.” Du Yu slowly shook his head. “As cultivators, we shouldn’t just be strict with ourselves; we should also be helping the common people.”

“That is true.” Fahai nodded slightly. “I have always performed good deeds, so naturally, I understand this principle.”

“No, no, no,” Du Yu hurriedly interrupted. “Master, your daily good deeds usually max out at helping old ladies cross the street or picking up trash by the road. That’s all surface-level work. It’s not true merit and virtue.”

Fahai felt that Huijing was acting exceedingly strange today, spouting wild and unconstrained words. However, when he thought about it carefully, the things he did on a daily basis really were just minor good deeds.

“Huijing, according to your meaning, what kind of actions would be considered ‘great good deeds’?”

“You need to understand the needs of today’s youth!” Du Yu clapped his hands together. “Society is so conservative right now! Do you know how hard it is for men and women to date? Imagine they finally manage to start a relationship, and boom—it turns out the guy is a total scumbag. How painful is that? How unfair? They can’t even find their girlfriends to vent about it! If all that pressure builds up in their hearts with no way to release it, their whole life is ruined.”

Fahai scratched his bald head, a look of utter confusion on his face. “Huijing, I don’t quite understand. Are you saying… women nowadays are easily deceived by men?”

“That’s more or less it, Master. The demon I just told you about has been targeted by a scumbag.” Du Yu nodded seriously. “You said it yourself, she has a kind nature. But if her feelings are toyed with by a human man, will she stay that kind?”

“‘Scumbag’? Does that mean… a philanderer?” Comprehension suddenly dawned on Fahai. “Are you worried that the demon will take her revenge on mortals?”

“I didn’t say that.” Du Yu shook his head. “I’m just a little worried. If that guy is really just ‘playing around’ with this demon, I can’t guarantee what will happen next. The two of them are going to ‘consummate their marriage’ tonight! Master, do you know what ‘consummate’ means? That demon’s thousand years of purity will be gone just like that!”

Fahai slowly stood up. “Huijing, your concerns are not unfounded. Where is this man? I will go and meet him. If he is truly a philanderer as you say, I will deal with the matter. Saving a kind-hearted demoness can also be considered a deed of great merit.”

“Master, you’ve finally seen the light!” Du Yu breathed a sigh of relief. “There’s a medicine shop on East Street called Huichun Hall. They have an apprentice named Xu Xian. If you don’t step in and stop him, he’s going to marry that demoness tonight!”

“Do not worry, Huijing. I will be right back.” Fahai snatched up his cassock from the side, draped it over his shoulders, and hurried out the door.

Du Yu exhaled deeply. ‘No wonder I was assigned to be by this old monk’s side. Without my brilliant intellect, this legend wouldn’t even hold together!’

As soon as Fahai stepped out of the inn, he felt that something was amiss. The demonic aura permeating the city was more than twice as dense as before. It seemed there was more than one demon of that caliber. However, he couldn’t sense any malicious intent within the overwhelming aura. He could only hope that these two demons truly wouldn’t be hurt by that philanderer, just as Huijing had feared.

Before long, Fahai arrived at the entrance of Huichun Hall. He was just pondering how to broach the subject when he saw a young scholar step out, a dense demonic aura swirling around his body.

‘This boy is drenched in a dense demonic aura. He must be the one Huijing mentioned.’ Fahai nodded slightly and walked forward.

Xu Xian looked up and saw a strange monk standing in front of him. Muttering a quiet “Bad luck,” he turned to walk away.

“Benefactor, please hold on!” Fahai called out.

“Hmm?” Xu Xian paused and looked around. “Are you calling me?”

“Indeed.” Fahai approached Xu Xian with a smile and asked, “Benefactor… are you about to be married?”

“Yeah, I was just about to head out and buy some red paper for the decorations. But don’t get any ideas, old monk. We aren’t planning to host any guests, so I can’t offer you a vegetarian meal. You’d better go beg for alms from someone else.”

“No, no.” Fahai shook his head. He thought to himself that this young man was incredibly rude, but for the sake of the common people, he had to speak kindly to him. “Benefactor, this poor monk would like to ask you—could you cancel this marriage?”

“Cancel it? Why?” Xu Xian was baffled. Running into a monk the moment he stepped outside was unlucky enough, but the monk’s words were downright infuriating.

“Because…” Fahai originally wanted to make up an excuse to gloss over it, but sadly, monks were forbidden from lying, so he had to tell the truth. “To be completely honest, Benefactor, your wife-to-be is a demon.”

“A demon?” Xu Xian thought for a moment before replying, “You’re right, old monk. She is pretty bewitching. I lose all self-control the moment I see her.”

Fahai furrowed his brow and let out a soft sigh. “This poor monk is not joking with you, Benefactor. Your wife is a demon spirit who has taken human form. The two of you should not marry.”

Xu Xian froze for a second. “Old monk, if you’re lying, you’re breaking your vows.”

“This poor monk is not lying. Your body is currently shrouded in a dense demonic aura.”

Xu Xian crossed his arms over his chest, pondering for a long while before saying, “Out of all the women I’ve played around with, I’ve never had a ‘demon’ before. If a demon can look that beautiful, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try…”

“You!” Fahai almost lost his temper. He hastily pressed his palms together, suppressing his rage. “Sinful, how sinful.”

‘It seems this Xu Xian is truly a complete and utter philanderer, just as Huijing claimed. I absolutely must find a way to save that demon.’

“Benefactor, you may be underestimating demons. This poor monk is willing to employ a small trick to reveal her true form. If you look upon the demon’s true form and still wish to take her as your wife, this poor monk will no longer stand in your way. How about it?”

Xu Xian’s eyes darted around slyly. “Old monk, what kind of trick are you planning?”

Fahai gently closed his eyes and pinched his fingers to perform a divination. The demonic aura here carried a dense power of extreme yin; it was definitely a snake demon. Looking around, he spotted a nearby tavern, so he led Xu Xian inside.

“Shopkeeper, do you have realgar wine here?” Fahai asked.

“We do!” The shopkeeper turned around and realized the person buying alcohol was actually a monk. However, as the saying goes, only a fool refuses to make a buck. He hurriedly brought out a jug of realgar wine and handed it to Fahai.

Fahai gave a small nod and took out several dozen copper coins, handing them to the shopkeeper. This was the incense money he had collected from alms over the past year.

“Benefactor.” Fahai turned and handed the jug of realgar wine to Xu Xian. “Your wife is a snake demon in human form. Snakes are terrified of realgar wine. If you have her drink this wine, it will undoubtedly reveal her true form.”

Xu Xian silently accepted the wine, muttering to himself, “That’s right, I should just get her drunk first. I might even be able to skip the wedding entirely… Why didn’t I think of such a great idea?”