The Eternal Way-Chapter 171: Intimidation

Li Qi made his way to the Sīmǎ's residence, carrying gifts and knocking on the door.

The doorman, half-asleep and clearly annoyed at being woken up, grumbled from behind the door, "Who is it? Knocking so late, do you know what time it is?!"

"Apologies for disturbing you so late, but I have important military information to report. Could you please inform the Sīmǎ that there's an urgent matter concerning the White Rhino Army requiring his immediate attention?" Li Qi said respectfully outside, then passed a piece of gold through the peephole—about one-fifth of an ounce, worth roughly two thousand coins, which was not a small sum for a doorman.

Money talks; seeing this, the doorman calmed down. He first took the gold, weighed it in his hand, and then asked, "You must be a soldier who has been stationed at the border town and hasn't been to Guangyang before?"

"I haven't been here before, is there a problem?" Li Qi asked.

"To find the Sīmǎ, you need to go to Tianning Temple. No one will be found at the Sīmǎ's residence. If it's truly urgent, head to Tianning Temple—the monks there are reasonable and won't stop you," the doorman replied.

"They're all at Tianning Temple?!" Li Qi was stunned. Although he had heard about it from the vendor, he hadn't expected it to be so extreme.

"What else could it be? It's been a while since they've returned. If you have urgent matters, hurry over. Do you know where Tianning Temple is? Need directions?" the doorman asked.

"No need, I'll go right away." Li Qi turned and left.

"Go, go, hurry, or you might have to wait until tomorrow!" The doorman urged, closing the peephole.

Leaving the residence, Li Qi headed into the streets.

Tianning Temple had become a landmark in Guangyang City. Having already learned its location en route, he didn't need to ask again.

But really, was it this absurd?

A high-ranking official living in a temple instead of going home—why didn't he just resign?

Li Qi found it preposterous, but the task still needed doing. To obtain military provisions, he required the Sīmǎ's signature.

However, judging by appearances, getting the signature might not be as straightforward as hoped.

Worried, Li Qi nevertheless pressed on. Taking advantage of the ongoing nightlife before midnight, he mounted Old Horse and sped through the city.

Speed was limited within the city walls, where flying was forbidden, and galloping was impractical due to crowded streets bustling with night market activity. Pedestrians occasionally crossed the horse paths, making acceleration difficult.

Despite these challenges, Li Qi urged Old Horse to move as quickly as possible.

After about half an hour, Li Qi finally exited the city. Speeding up further, he reached Tianning Temple in another quarter of an hour.

Oddly, though lit up, the temple had no doors—it seemed anyone could enter freely.

Recalling that Chan Zhi might be a high-level cultivator and knowing the Sīmǎ was a seventh-rank cultivator, Li Qi dismounted at the foot of the mountain, leaving Old Horse waiting while he carried the wood cotton cloth soap curtain and proceeded uphill.

With martial cultivation, his ascent was swift.

Along the way, he saw many houses and farmlands, indicating people lived permanently on the mountain. What was once a barren hill now housed numerous residents. Though it was evening and lights were on, no one was out walking.

Li Qi observed briefly and continued climbing without delay.

Upon reaching the top, Li Qi saw a courtyard and... a pagoda.

A pagoda, or Buddhist tower, the temple's courtyard was spacious, housing seventeen or eighteen rooms, a main hall, and behind it, a twenty-zhang tall, five-story pagoda.

As Li Qi approached, a thin, bald monk emerged from the courtyard, walking towards him.

This monk appeared around sixty years old, with sagging skin and age spots but looked quite spirited.

Li Qi stepped forward, but before he could speak, the elderly monk greeted him, "Traveler, coming day and night, arriving late at night, surely you have urgent matters. Are you seeking the Guangyang Sīmǎ?"

Li Qi pondered for a moment, realizing this monk might differ from the Buddhas in his previous world. Thus, he honestly asked, "Respected elder, may I ask your name?"

"A layperson like yourself visiting our temple is referred to as a benefactor. As for me, you may call me Chan Zhi. Indeed, you are looking for the Guangyang Sīmǎ?"

Li Qi nodded, replying, "Correct, I bear urgent military intelligence. I seek Chan Zhi Master's help to notify the Sīmǎ immediately. This concerns the lives of hundreds of thousands; there can be no delay."

His urgency was evident, and Chan Zhi understood the gravity of the situation.

"The Guangyang Sīmǎ is meditating atop the five-story pagoda. If it's truly urgent, proceed there; no one will obstruct you." Chan Zhi pointed towards the pagoda.

"Thank you, Master." With permission, Li Qi hurried toward the pagoda.

Approaching the pagoda, he realized it wasn't an ordinary structure.

"A Dharma treasure..." Sensing the aura, Li Qi frowned.

This pagoda was actually a Dharma treasure, though its exact purpose remained unclear.

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Examining it closely, the pagoda appeared wooden, loosely constructed from ordinary planks, seemingly poorly built and precarious.

Yet, infused with myriad energies, including human qi, Buddha light, and other unknown forces, it exuded a majestic presence despite its appearance.

To ordinary eyes, it looked like a dilapidated wooden tower.

But as a Wu practitioner, Li Qi could perceive the flow of energies, a unique ability of the Wu Dao.

For instance, while martial cultivators sensed death and malevolent qi intuitively, Li Qi could see black and red auras directly.

Similarly, the gathering of troops' qi could only be perceived by others through formations and banners, whereas to a Wu practitioner, it materialized visibly above the army.

Dao practitioners calculated various energy positions using Yin-Yang numerology, but Wu practitioners saw these energies directly—an extremely intuitive process.

It's akin to humans needing instruments to detect radio waves, whereas Wu practitioners could see them directly.

This capability allowed Li Qi to initially sense the small county in Lizhou Yixian.

Now, facing the pagoda, its grandeur and immense size overwhelmed him, akin to a whale leaping from the sea—beautiful yet awe-inspiring.

In front of this colossal structure, Li Qi felt insignificant, like a sardine beside a whale, the overwhelming pressure moving his hair and clothes.

Thus, he stopped, clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, showing utmost respect.

Sure, here is the translation:

---

Whew—

It's like a mountain has been lifted off my back.

Li Qi was drenched in cold sweat, as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

What is this thing?

The wooden tower, the magical artifact, and even the popularity of the Wan family could all be understood.

But what about this oppressive feeling?

Li Qi couldn't describe it.

But in his perception, it was as if trillions of stars were in the palm of a hand, and the vast universe couldn't contain its body. It was free, eternal, and constant, with a special kind of pressure that penetrated the entire "space-time" from bottom to top.

He clearly understood that this pagoda didn't have such power, and everything was just an 'illusion.'

Li Qi merely sensed a certain essence within it.

It was like he was a worm that had seen a tiny bit of sunlight, and then traced the path of the sunlight back to see the sun itself.

Fortunately, he was a shaman, so under that sun, he was a worm with eyes. If it were someone from another path at the Ninth Rank, they would likely be a worm without eyes, feeling only the warmth of the light but unaware of the terror hidden behind it.

However, no matter how terrifying it was, he still had to go in.

Hundreds of thousands of lives were in his hands. Even if it meant walking through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, he had to do it.

Putting aside all disrespect, Li Qi walked into the pagoda step by step, with utmost sincerity.

Upon entering the first floor, he saw a plaque hanging above that read "Arhat Hall."

Inside, there were 108 arhat statues, with demons placed beside them in a submissive posture, as if performing a scene of arhats subduing demons.

On the right was a large drum, and on the left was a bell, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Li Qi walked through the 108 arhats, some in wrathful poses, some in compassionate poses, some in calm poses, and some in demon-subduing poses. They were in various postures, but all were lifelike. Walking through them felt like being scrutinized by 108 people at once. If one had a guilty conscience, they might not even be able to pass through this path.

Li Qi felt that the gazes seemed to penetrate his body, detecting all his secrets, making him feel both fearful and agitated.

If someone with a guilty conscience were here, they might have the urge to smash all the arhat statues.

Fortunately, Li Qi acted with righteousness and treated others with justice. With a clear conscience, he walked through the first floor with ease, despite the intense scrutiny.

He continued up to the second floor.

The second floor also had a plaque that read "Bodhisattva Hall."

Upon entering, he saw ten bodhisattva statues.

As soon as he came in, Li Qi felt a solemn aura. Despite being inanimate objects, they exuded a certain quality...

Some had a moon-like Zen heart and a profound source of wisdom.

Some had a naturally clear and serene presence, with a drum summoning fish and dragons.

Some were surrounded by divine protection.

Some held a crystal bottle of water for merit, with garlands and cloud niches symbolizing auspiciousness.

The numerous bodhisattva statues, with their fragrant incense and radiant light, were both solemn and gentle, not as oppressive as the arhats below.

Li Qi walked through this floor more easily, feeling solemn but without any resistance.

On the third floor, there were no Buddha statues, but instead, there were some books and a plaque that read "Scripture Altar."

Here, there were scripture stands and incense basins, with hundreds of books that seemed to be available for anyone to read.

By this point, there was hardly any oppressive feeling.

Li Qi's bookworm nature kicked in, and he walked up to the scripture stands, wanting to flip through a few. But he thought better of it, realizing that reading these might make him question his own path.

As he had mentioned before, scriptures contain the "Way" and discuss the ideas, core, goals, and essence of cultivation. Reading too much of these could easily lead one astray, especially in the early stages of cultivation. Later, when one has established their own path, reading these would be more beneficial.

Moreover, these were scriptures from other schools... reading them without permission would be taboo.

So, he suppressed his bookworm nature and continued up the stairs.

On the fourth floor, the plaque read "Three Buddha Hall."

Inside, there were three large Buddha statues.

The three Buddhas looked identical, almost indistinguishable, but their postures were different.

One Buddha was dressed in a cloud-patterned robe, leaning on a bamboo staff, with a Buddhist scripture in hand. This Buddha was extremely old, with some parts chipped off.

One Buddha was hugging his knees and shoulders, looking like a ghost king, terrifying and as if ready to devour everything. This Buddha was brand new, looking like it had just been made.

One Buddha was sitting in a withered posture in the mountains, with long eyebrows touching the ground. This Buddha was still under construction, only a clay figure.

These three Buddhas made Li Qi's hair stand on end.

He immediately recognized that this was the 'sun' he had sensed!

Behind these Buddha statues, there was an indescribable grandeur. Everything seemed to end here, then shatter, and finally merge into a 'boundless light' that penetrated all space-time.

Upon reaching this point, Li Qi swallowed hard.

Then, he hurriedly ran up to the fifth floor.