Green Mountain

Chen Ji saw the lotus flowers on the Life Robbing Platform falling one by one. He no longer paid attention to Xu Shu, and instead spurred his horse to chase after Mrs. Lu, bypassing the Right Martial Guard.

Below the Life Robbing Platform, the soldiers of the Right Martial Guard ignored Chen Ji and raised their bows to shoot towards the platform in the sky.

Despite the rain of arrows surging upwards, Xu Shu in the sky remained expressionless.

When the rain of arrows reached beneath the Life Robbing Platform, they passed straight through the enormous phantom of the platform. Yuan Xing thought he was saved and was overjoyed, but he saw arrows pass through Xu Shu’s phantom.

Once the feathered arrows lost their momentum, they fell to the ground like rain with a crackling sound.

Everything on the Life Robbing Platform seemed dreamlike and illusory, leaving people unable to distinguish between reality and delusion.

Yuan Xing’s three souls and seven spirits sat on the Life Robbing Platform, looking down at his own body lying lifeless on the horse’s back. Fear finally struck a chord in him, and he suddenly looked at Xu Shu: "You aren’t here at all, it’s your Primordial Spirit that came here... Clearly this is the method of the Buddhist Sect and Dao Court of the Forty-nine Heavens. Who are you?"

Xu Shu ignored him, placing his left hand on his knee with the palm facing upward, while his right hand formed the Fearless Seal, palm facing Yuan Xing: "May I ask, benefactor, in the cycle of creation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness of heaven and earth, and the birth, aging, illness, and death of humanity, what is the true calamity, and what is the method of liberation?"

Yuan Xing’s expression grew solemn: "Our dynasty esteems Buddhism. Do you think you can stump me with that? I answer, as long as there is no ego, there is no calamity within one’s nature to endure!"

Xu Shu lowered his gaze.

Yuan Xing unexpectedly saw another petal of the lotus on the Life Robbing Platform scatter, turning into an illusion in the air. He became weaker, while opposite him, Xu Shu appeared younger.

When Xu Shu arrived, he looked like a man in his thirties. By this question, he appeared as a young man in his twenties.

Yuan Xing erupted in anger: "There’s trickery in your Life Robbing Platform! I clearly answered, why does it still rob my Yangshou?"

Xu Shu’s tone remained unhurried: "May I ask, benefactor, why do Buddhist teachings say that both good and evil are attachments?"

Yuan Xing contemplated for a few moments, then answered in a deep voice: "Someone asked the Buddha, why do I face obstacles when doing a good deed every day? The Buddha answered, because you seek something from doing good, it is not unconditioned giving. Someone else asked, why do I face obstacles when eradicating evil entirely? The Buddha replied, because your actions against evil are also based on appearance. Thus, doing good without clinging to good, eradicating evil without anger, leads to the Middle Way! How about that?"

Yuan Xing believed that his fifth answer was not wrong at all, but as another lotus petal on the Life Robbing Platform turned into an illusory shadow, he became weaker, while Xu Shu appeared even younger!

Yuan Xing looked at his withering hand and shouted in rage: "Am I wrong no matter what I answer?"

Xu Shu did not respond but slowed his voice: "The sixth question. This monk asks you, when people encounter situations, they often distinguish between right and wrong. What is right, and what is wrong?"

Yuan Xing paused, forcing himself to answer with seriousness: "Right and wrong arise from delusional thoughts; one’s nature has no right or wrong. A true practitioner only observes one’s own faults, not judging others."

The Life Robbing Platform robbed another year of Yuan Xing’s vitality!

"Even this is wrong? This is straight from your Buddhist Scripture!" Yuan Xing said hoarsely: "You deceitful monk with underhanded tricks, everything I answer is wrong! If you have the guts, kill me now, or I’ll kill your entire family!"

Xu Shu asked again: "May I ask, benefactor, when seeing others’ treachery, stupidity, or wrongdoings, and being filled with disdain and dislike, is this thought good or evil?"

This time, Yuan Xing did not bind himself with debates over Buddhist scripture, instead he said menacingly: "You answer, I want to see how you respond!"

Xu Shu replied calmly: "This monk answers, seeing others’ faults and giving rise to hatred is an obstacle emerging from one’s heart. Not seeing others’ faults is the essence of a pure mind."

Another year robbed!

Xu Shu continued: "May I ask, benefactor, when you daily restrain your preferences, this kind of practice, why are you still trapped by the calamity of longevity?"

Yuan Xing simply closed his mouth and said nothing.

When the copper bell in the sky sounded loudly, Xu Shu closed his eyes: "Deliberately distinguishing between good and evil, is still dwelling on appearances. Following one’s heart’s natural course, avoiding neither evil nor clinging to good, is the way to transcend karmic bondage."

At this point, another lotus petal fell from the Life Robbing Platform, leaving only the last one.

Xu Shu opened his eyes and looked at Yuan Xing, with a fierce gaze: "May I ask, benefactor, if all nine questions are understood, and you let go of attachments to longevity, life and death, fame and fortune, personal ego, actions of good and evil, right and wrong, judgments of others, and choices of good and evil attachments, what should you do after enlightenment?"

Yuan Xing roared in the sky: "Enlighten your damned mother!"

Xu Shu said: "This monk answers, enlightenment also gains nothing, everyday activities are all Bodhi. Avoiding neither life nor death, neither seeking longevity nor fame, neither adhering to good nor fearing evil, live life casually without burdens."

The last lotus petal turned into illusion and shadow, and with nine questions, Xu Shu robbed nine years of Yangshou from Yuan Xing.

Yuan Xing sat on the Life Robbing Platform, shouting angrily from afar: "You false monk with your supernatural tricks, do you dare to answer one question from me?"

Xu Shu lowered his left hand, palm facing Yuan Xing, forming the Wish Fulfilling Seal: "Benefactor, please ask."

Yuan Xing pointed to the Life Robbing Platform and asked: "Why does it rob my age whether I answer correctly or incorrectly?"

Xu Shu shook his head: "What is answered must be in harmony with one’s heart and words. Although you know the Buddhist Law, you can’t live by it, and that doesn’t work either."

Yuan Xing was stunned, then his face changed drastically: "You mean, you can let go of attachments to longevity, life and death, fame, personal ego, actions of good and evil, right and wrong, judgments of others, choices of good and evil attachments? How can you do that? If you can, why haven’t you ascended to the Forty-nine Heavens?"

Xu Shu released the hand seals: "This monk discusses laws with the benefactor, not to win but to break attachments. If benefactor can recall even one thought, giving nine years of Yangshou, is also merit."

Having said that, Xu Shu, along with the Life Robbing Platform, turned into illusion and shadow, vanishing into the air. Yuan Xing’s three souls and seven spirits fell from the sky, crashing into his own body.

Yuan Xing’s body, lying on the horse’s back, suddenly sprang up, fuming: "Damn your merit, give me back my nine years of Yangshou!"

After scolding Xu Shu, he looked at the Right Martial Guard beside him: "What do I need you for?"

All the Right Martial Guards lowered their heads in silence. That show of executive power just now was something they had never seen before, leaving them powerless. However, Yuan Xing was Yuan Xiang’s own nephew and a highly ranked Right Martial Guard Commander, so no one dared to say a word.

Yuan Xing looked at his own thin, bony hand and touched the wrinkles that suddenly appeared on his cheek, then fiercely looked around: "Where is that woman and the Sword Seed Inheritor?"

At this moment, everywhere he looked, there was no shadow of Mrs. Lu and Chen Ji.

Yuan Xing said in a deep voice: "Pursue! Toward Yingkou!"

...

...

Mrs. Lu urged her horse into a wild gallop, not daring to stop at all.

Chen Ji gradually caught up with her, and only when he got close did he see that Aunt Ping was unharmed, which put his heart at ease.

Just as he was about to speak, Aunt Ping turned to look at him vigilantly and said: "Who are you?"

Chen Ji was stunned at her words. He carefully examined Aunt Ping, noting her cautious stance and the short knife of Si Caogui in her grip. Her demeanor did not seem fake; she truly did not recognize him.

Wu Yun meowed softly from his embrace: "Disowning one’s own kin?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then softened his tone and said: "I’ve come to rescue you. I rushed over upon hearing of your danger this morning, so no need to guard against me. I’ve already held up the Right Martial Guards at the rear, so we are somewhat safer now."

Mrs. Lu was half-believing, half-doubting.

However, just moments ago while escaping, she indeed saw the Right Martial Guards being attacked from behind, with someone helping her out. And now, the pursuers indeed seemed to have been shaken off.

She knew well that without the help of this person in front of her, she would have surely perished. Anyone willing to rescue her amidst thousands of troops must possess extraordinary courage...

Mrs. Lu was silent for a moment, then tentatively said: "Little brother?"

Chen Ji: "?"

Wu Yun meowed in Chen Ji’s arms: "Hahaha!"

Mrs. Lu, seeing Chen Ji’s bewildered expression, immediately knew she had spoken wrongly: "Sorry, mistook you for someone else... who are you?"

Chen Ji pondered: "You once saved my life, so I am here to repay the favor."

Mrs. Lu nodded: "I see, but this journey is perilous. You shouldn’t risk your life to come here... You’re still young, you should prioritize your own safety. Did you come from Shangjing? With such an attack on the army, you probably cannot return and will be wanted by the Jing Dynasty... What about your property and assets in Shangjing?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then broke into a smile: "None of that matters. A drop of water in gratitude should be repaid with a fountain, so this time it also settles my debt to Aunt Ping."

Mrs. Lu muttered to herself: "Aunt Ping? I’m called Aunt Ping?"

Chen Ji finally confirmed that Mrs. Lu indeed had lost her memory, although he did not know why she had amnesia, as Lu Jin and Si Caogui never mentioned it.

Chen Ji replied: "You asked me to call you Ping Zhao, but since you are an elder, I called you Aunt Ping instead."

Mrs. Lu suddenly understood: "Young man, there’s no need to regard me as an elder, you can just call me Sister Ping."

Chen Ji quickly refused: "It’s better to call you Aunt Ping."

Mrs. Lu generously said: "Fine, as you wish."

At this time, Mrs. Lu’s horse had already become exhausted, so it slowed down. Chen Ji also patted Zhaolei to slow down: "Where are you headed?"

Mrs. Lu resolutely said: "Yingkou."

Chen Ji glanced behind: "I fear we can’t go to Yingkou. This official road leads straight to Yingkou; the pursuers have probably guessed your plan, so why not use this opportunity to turn to Lushun instead where it might be safer."

Mrs. Lu shook her head: "I won’t go to Lushun."

Chen Ji thought again: "Then we won’t go to Lushun; we’ll take the land route, cross the Western Capital Road to Longyou, and then return to the Ning Dynasty from Guyuan. Longyou is an area where Lamplight often moves about. Third Master Hu might have already taken the caravan there. As long as we find Lamplight and Third Master Hu, it will be much safer for us."

But Mrs. Lu shook her head again: "I’m not going anywhere else, I’m only going to Yingkou."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Why do you have to go to Yingkou?"

Mrs. Lu looked toward the direction of Yingkou, determined: "To find my son. My son is waiting for me in Yingkou; I must go see him."

Chen Ji looked at Mrs. Lu’s determined expression and couldn’t find words to say.

...

Second Update

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