“Buddha Child Wuzhi, long time no see. You're heading to the Dao Sect as well?”
“Benefactor Wang Bian, this little monk is going to broaden his horizons at the Immortal Artifact Appreciation Assembly.”
The young monk and the scholar bowed to each other with mutual respect, clearly having known one another for quite some time. Upon hearing their exchange, those burly men nearby instantly lost even the faintest trace of resentment. Even the ordinary passengers who had been watching the fun straightened their backs, afraid of behaving too casually before these two figures.
It was said that Buddha Child Wuzhi was the reincarnation of the Buddha himself. The day he was born, the entire small town turned into a Buddhist Blessed Land. Even his own parents knelt and worshiped him, renouncing the mundane world to join the Buddhist Sect.
It was something even Wuzhi himself could not control. When the Old Sumeru Buddha heard of this, he rushed there personally, taking Wuzhi as his final disciple and declaring him a Buddha Child. Precisely because he was said to be the reincarnation of a Buddha, his cultivation speed was astonishing.
At just fourteen years old, he was already a Nascent Soul Cultivator, setting a new record as the youngest ever. When Jiang Li was fourteen, he hadn’t even crossed over yet. The scholar Wang Bian, on the other hand, was a Confucian Envoy under the Confucian Sect.
Despite his youth, he already served as the State Preceptor of seven small kingdoms. Because of his teachings in the Righteous Way of Benevolence, those seven kingdoms had become lands of gentlemen—doors left unlocked at night, and lost belongings never taken by others. Even Spirit Transformation scholars often came to him with questions about the Confucian Dao.
“Is Buddha Child Wuzhi really the reincarnation of a Buddha?” asked Holy Maiden Jing Xin curiously.
She had heard the tales and even once questioned the Old Sumeru Buddha herself. But that old monk only laughed and smiled, never answering a single word. At least he would usually wave her off with something like, “The Buddha says it cannot be spoken.”
If not for the fact that she couldn’t beat him, she would’ve forced the answer out of him long ago! Not everyone who took refuge in the Western Paradise could be called a Buddha. Only those of profound cultivation whose own Blessed Lands existed within the Immortal Realm’s Western Heaven deserved the title.
Jiang Li looked at her with a strange expression.
“That’s what you’re concerned about?”
“What else should I care about?”
Jing Xin looked genuinely puzzled.
“He might be your grandmaster.”
“???”
“Your master, Daoist Nun Qingyu, likes him. You didn’t know?”
“???”
Holy Maiden Jing Xin froze. It seemed the world had just collapsed a little. When she didn’t respond, Jiang Li took the question more seriously and answered properly.
“I’m not sure. I’m not familiar with the concept of reincarnation.”
That was true. Even after living for five hundred years, Jiang Li hadn’t figured out whether he had transmigrated or merely awakened memories of a previous life.
“However,” Jiang Li continued, “the Old Sumeru Buddha said that Buddha Child Wuzhi possesses an even purer Buddha nature than himself. He intends for him to become one of the candidates for the Human Emperor, to compete for that position.”
“And whether or not he’s the Buddha reincarnated, I can confirm this—this little monk’s soul is that of a truly powerful being.”
Jiang Li squinted at Wuzhi.
“What do you see?” asked Holy Maiden Jing Xin.
She knew Jiang Li had deep understanding of the Soul.
“A soul that doesn’t match its age.”
In Jiang Li’s eyes, Buddha Child Wuzhi’s soul was incredibly strong and resilient. Though only at the Nascent Soul Stage, it bore marks of numerous tribulations over countless lifetimes—something no fourteen-year-old monk could or should have. Normally, when a person reincarnates, all traces of their previous life’s soul are wiped clean, leaving them as a brand-new being.
Even Jiang Li couldn’t recognize who someone had been before. But Wuzhi’s soul was so indomitable that even reincarnation itself could not erase the traces upon it. It could only mean that his former self had been far too strong, allowing remnants of that existence to carry over.
As for whether his former self was indeed a Buddha—who could know?
“Approaching the Baize Imperial Dynasty! Everyone stay alert!”
The ship captain shouted loudly, ordering the guards on the flying ship to be on guard. Jiang Li could tell that the old captain usually shouted warnings for the guards’ sake. But now, with a Buddha Child and a Confucian Envoy aboard, it was obvious he was also reminding those two.
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, a piercing eagle cry rang from beneath the ship, making every passenger shiver with dread. The strongest among the guards was a Peak Golden Core Cultivator. When he heard that cry, the hairs on his arms stood upright.
A Nascent Soul–level Eagle Demon! Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage couldn’t fly unaided—but avian demons were exceptions! The guard cursed inwardly.
Usually, a few Foundation Establishment hawks would cause minor trouble, or at most a Golden Core–level Eagle Demon. But this time? What, was this little monk too tempting a target that he drew over an old Eagle Demon monster himself?
“The Baize Imperial Dynasty’s nickname of ‘Bandit Dynasty’ truly lives up to its reputation. I’ve seen enough today to believe it.”
Even Holy Maiden Jing Xin, who rarely involved herself in worldly affairs, had heard that nickname.
“No helping it,” Jiang Li replied helplessly.
“Empress Baize has done her best. The fact the country hasn’t fallen apart is already impressive. She’s half Baize and half Kirin—hardly a lineage that can suppress the Eight Vassal Kings.”
The current Empress Baize was a hybrid of the Baize Beast and a Kirin, appearing outwardly as a white Kirin. For the Baize Imperial Dynasty, that was practically a joke. How could they accept an empress who looked more Kirin than Baize?
“Beast races only respect bloodlines. If her blood isn’t pure enough, they won’t acknowledge her. Without their recognition, she can’t draw upon the National Fate.”
Jiang Li had met Empress Baize in person. He thought the white Kirin form looked rather handsome, and he couldn’t quite understand the beasts’ prejudice.
“She’s only at the Integration Stage, while the eight Demon Kings are also at Integration. But unlike me, she can’t take on eight at once. Since they refuse to serve her, each seized territory of their own and follows orders only when it suits them.”
“The Baize Dynasty was always made up of beasts, with poor order and law. Now that it’s split among the eight kings, it’s no surprise it has turned into a den of bandits.”
But precisely because the beast realm was so chaotic, human cultivators often came to train there—slaughtering demonic beasts with clear conscience. The Eagle Demon finally revealed itself—its wings spanning nine zhang wide, each feather edged with faint gold, showing its noble bloodline. With a dive, it swooped toward the pile of Spirit Stones that fueled the flying ship.
That pile of stones was worth more than the ship itself! Buddha Child Wuzhi and Scholar Wang Bian moved at the same instant, striking out together to drive the Eagle Demon back. If it weren’t for its ability to fly, it would already have been subdued by the two.
“Eagle Benefactor—lay down your blade and become a Buddha on the spot. Please, desist.”
“Eagle Lord—burning, killing, and robbery are not deeds of a gentleman,” admonished Wang Bian firmly.
The Eagle Demon ignored both their appeals, even seeming to want to spit at them. Both sighed together. Their attempts at enlightenment and moral persuasion only worked on those below the Golden Core Stage.
Against this Nascent Soul–level Eagle Demon, it was utterly useless. The little monk pulled from his robe the Buddhist Sacred Relic—the Brahma Tower—and hurled it fiercely. That purple tower was only the size of a palm, yet heavy as the sun and moon.
Even grazing the Eagle Demon, it sent the creature vomiting blood, its wings faltering as it plummeted downward. Wang Bian then flicked out a talisman slip on which was written a single character—“Still.” The moment it touched the Eagle Demon, the beast froze, utterly unable to move.
Bound by the talisman’s power, it drifted obediently back toward the ship. The Eagle Demon was dazed, not even realizing what had happened before being captured.
“To use force like this isn't good for the heart’s balance,” Wang Bian said uneasily, making the Eagle Demon nearly weep.
Then don’t use force, you scholar! The young monk looked equally troubled.
“Indeed, indeed. But if the other party refuses to listen, what can we do?”
“Persuade him again?”
“Alright.”
So the two of them placed the immobilized Eagle Demon in front of them. One sat on the left chanting scripture. The other stood on the right lecturing on benevolence.
Buddhist sutras flowed into its left ear only to pass straight out the right, whereupon words of righteousness entered from that side and blocked any escape. Now its entire mind was filled with phrases like, “A gentleman speaks of Prajna Paramita,” and “A friend comes from afar—how wonderful, how wonderful.” It regretted it deeply.
So very deeply.
(End of Chapter)