Chapter 1005: Chapter 1004: Guangyue’s Triple Denial

"Is Guangyue busy?"

"Amitabha Buddha, I am Little Novice Monk Zong Le. Greetings, Donor. May I ask what brings you to the Host?"

Lu Zheng arrived at Jiming Temple, looking around, and sensed Guangyue’s presence at the quiet room behind the temple.

However, Lu Zheng felt there were other people around Guangyue, so he casually grabbed a little novice monk to ask questions, only to be asked back.

"Just tell him an old friend from Tonglin County is here to reminisce and spar a little." Lu Zheng grinned, thinking of how Guangyue wagered with him back in the day.

"Reminisce? Spar?"

Little novice monk Zong Le suddenly lifted his head, meeting Lu Zheng’s smile that was both genuine and mischievous, and couldn’t help jumping in surprise.

Uh-oh! Someone’s here to challenge the temple!

The little novice monk shivered, then hopped away like a rabbit, turning around and running.

Lu Zheng raised his hand, noticing that the little novice monk was heading towards Guangyue’s quiet room, thinking he was going to inform Guangyue, so he casually followed behind him.

...

Inside the quiet room, Guangyue was sitting across from a burly man, drinking tea together.

"It’s still peaceful here with the master. At home, my three wives bicker all the time, it drives me mad." The burly man took a sip of tea and sighed.

Guangyue also drank tea, then uttered a Buddhist chant, "Amitabha Buddha, lust is a razor-sharp blade, desire is the source of chaos, love between a man and a woman, family disputes, and bickering have a detrimental effect on one’s mind. Donor Yan, you are extraordinarily talented and deeply practiced in Dao, but if you continue like this, not regressing would already be good enough, let alone progressing in cultivation."

The burly man Yan Teng shook his head and said, "I am too affectionate, what can be done?"

Guangyue smiled lightly, "Amitabha Buddha, Donor Yan, why not come to our humble temple more often, have tea with monks, listen to teachings, and once you comprehend the true meaning of ’emptiness is form, form is emptiness,’ you can escape the suffering of desire’s cycle."

Yan Teng couldn’t help but laugh, "Does the master want to convince me to become a monk?"

Guangyue shook his head, saying meaningfully, "It is not me convincing you, but you must realize it yourself. Enlightenment brings peace; ignorance causes stagnation. A friend of mine, from a major Daoist sect, was exceptionally gifted, practicing both Dao and martial arts, but was seduced by a fox girl, sinking into the sea of desire, eroding his flesh and bones without escape. Afterward, I accompanied him, and then..."

Yan Teng showed interest, "What happened then?"

Guangyue smiled smugly, eyebrows raised, but before he could speak, the voice of little novice monk Zong Le from the courtyard interrupted, "Host, Host! Trouble has come! An old rival of yours has arrived!"

Guangyue frowned, waved his hand to open the quiet room’s door, and said sternly, "Come in and speak, don’t fuss."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zong Le rushed in nervously, "Host, someone from the front yard claimed to be an old rival, here to reminisce and spar with you!"

"Reminisce and spar?" Guangyue blinked, a bit puzzled, "I have been exorcising demons and saving lives all these years, seldom leaving Pingtan County, having no enemies or rivals. Who could it be?"

Before Guangyue stood up, Yan Teng slammed the teacup, stood tall, "No need for the master to take action. Since I always trouble the master, let me take care of this one daring to disturb the Buddhist calmness!"

With those words, Yan Teng strode out, leaving behind Guangyue and Zong Le a tall, broad, mountain-like figure, providing an extreme sense of security.

Guangyue blinked, quickly stood up to follow, meanwhile asking Zong Le, "Did the visitor say who they are?"

Zong Le blinked too, stunned for a moment before quickly nodding, "He did, he said he was an old friend from Tonglin County. Well, Tonglin County is right next to us in Pingtan County, isn’t it?"

Upon hearing this, Guangyue’s pupils slightly widened momentarily, restraining the urge to knock some sense into the little novice monk’s bald head, and in a flash, he was out of the quiet room’s backyard, projecting his voice, "Donor Yan, it’s one of us, Fellow Daoist, go easy!"

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, Guangyue saw the mountain-like figure that provided an extreme sense of security rapidly approaching him.

Thinking of Lu Zheng’s cultivation, Guangyue considered briefly and stepped aside.

"Whiz!"

"Boom!"

"Crash..."

Yan Teng flew past him, creating a gust of wind and dragging shadows, then crashed through the backyard wall, falling headfirst into the backyard soil, buried under the collapsed wall creating clouds of dust.

"What’s happening?"

Guangyue turned back, seeing Lu Zheng in a blue scholar robe walking with light steps, curiously saying, "Who was that? Suddenly starting without a word, so reckless?"

Guangyue blinked, clicking his tongue, "It was all a misunderstanding, Zong Le thought you were here to challenge the temple." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to reminisce and spar with me."

"Whenever we meet, don’t we spar a little?"

"The last two times we didn’t spar."

"So, it’s been too long, perfect for a spar."

"..."

Guangyue grimaced, instinctively rubbing his bald head, sensing Yan Teng seemed not overly injured under the collapsed wall, hastily waved to dispel the dust and telekinetically shifted the bricks, revealing a perplexed Yan Teng beneath.

"Master, what’s happening?"

Yan Teng only heard Guangyue speak after being blasted by Lu Zheng, but it was too late.

Guangyue glanced sideways at Zong Le, extending a hand to pull Yan Teng from the pit, then waved away the dust from Yan Teng, and finally clasped his hands together in greeting to Lu Zheng, "Amitabha Buddha, let’s talk inside."

...

"I see."

With the misunderstanding resolved, Yan Teng lifted a cup to Lu Zheng, "I was reckless, please forgive me, Brother Lu."

"No need for apology, I didn’t expect the misunderstanding either." Lu Zheng raised a cup and drank tea.

Guangyue drank a cup in accompaniment and then asked Lu Zheng, "Fellow Daoist, is there something you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Not really, just thought I hadn’t seen you in a while. After hearing from Yuan Jing that Jiming Temple is lively and bustling, and you’re hard to pin down, I found myself idle and decided to come by to see you." Lu Zheng said breezily.

"Amitabha Buddha, grateful for Fellow Daoist’s thoughtfulness."

Lu Zheng nodded, "Didn’t mean to interrupt you all, did I?"

"No, no, we were just chatting." Yan Teng shook his head, "Just discussing my three wives’ jealousy, and Master Guangyue was considering persuading me to become a monk."

Lu Zheng was speechless, "Monk, haven’t you changed your habits yet?"

Next, Yan Teng ignored Guangyue’s repeating gestures, eyes widening gradually, continuing, "Master Guangyue even illustrated with his friend’s story. He said a friend of his, from a major Daoist sect, practiced both Dao and martial arts, with extraordinary giftedness but got enchanted by a fox girl, sunk into the sea of desire, eroded flesh and bones, yet ultimately escaped suffering with master’s help, reaching the other shore."

Lu Zheng blinked, looking at Guangyue.

Guangyue set down the teacup, straightened his posture, and replied sternly, "That’s not true, it’s not, don’t talk nonsense."