Martial Cultivator

Seeing the young monk in black walking through the wind and snow, Yu Xiyi and Chen Chao exchanged a glance, seeing the other's confusion in their eyes.

The figure was clearly not a demon, but as a human, how could he appear in the demon territory?

The young monk in black stopped at a distance, clasped his hands together, and introduced himself, “This destitute monk is from Deercry Monastery.”

Hearing these three words, Yu Xiyi and Chen Chao both breathed a sigh of relief. Deercry Monastery was an undisputed leader among the buddhist sects, and it was almost the oldest sect still in existence today. More importantly, Deercry Monastery had always kept to itself, rarely concerning itself with worldly affairs. Since the current dynasty, the black-clad Nation Teacher had helped the Great Liang Emperor ascend the throne smoothly, which had led to a closer relationship between Deercry Monastery and Great Liang.

As for the Sword Sect, it had acted even more low-key over the years and had no enmity with any sect.

Yu Xiyi smiled and said, “I am Yu Xiyi from the Sword Sect. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist.”

Chen Chao followed suit and introduced himself, “I am Chen Chao, the deputy commander of the Left Guard of Great Liang.”

The young monk smiled and nodded. “This destitute monk has long heard of your names. You two have caused quite a stir in the desolate north. Upon meeting today, you're indeed young heroes."

Yu Xiyi replied with a smile, “I've also heard of Fellow Daoist's accomplishments. However, I heard that Fellow Daoist practices the secluded Zen. Why are you wandering in the world now?”

The young monk smiled and said, “Having completed my cultivation of secluded Zen, it's only natural to pursue worldly Zen next.”

This simple statement stirred Yu Xiyi deeply. Between the cultivation paths of monks and sword cultivators in the world, they actually achieved the same wondrous effect with different means. Sword cultivators, although all practicing Sword Dao, each followed their own unique path. Sword Dao could be subdivided infinitely, with countless different approaches. Every sword cultivator's path was one of a kind, and most spent their entire lives pursuing it, without necessarily ever reaching the end. The same applied to buddhist monks, each delving into their own form of Zen, and there had never been any reports of one fully comprehending their Zen and then moving on to explore a different path.

Since the young monk before them had said so, if he was not merely making casual remarks to deceive them, it indicated that he was truly a learned expert.

Furthermore, he was so young, making it terrifying.

The young monk looked at Yu Xiyi and smiled, "I believe you may have misunderstood, Fellow Daoist. This destitute monk hasn't fully comprehended secluded Zen; it was merely a sudden thought, a desire to see the vast world, that led me to leave the monastery and wander. But during this journey, it seems that this destitute monk will truly shift from secluded Zen to worldly Zen." "It's a bit of abandoning things halfway, talking about this has incurred Fellow Daoist's ridicule."

Yu Xiyi nodded and said, "One must always choose what they like. You have great courage, Fellow Daoist."

The two continued exchanging words, leaving Chen Chao on the sidelines.

However, the young monk soon turned to look at Chen Chao. After observing him for a long while in silence, he finally asked, "Are Fellow Daoists planning to head to the Onan River?"

Chen Chao could not resist asking, "How did you know, Fellow Daoist?"

The young monk did not conceal anything and said straightforwardly, "Right now, everyone in the desolate north is watching the two of you. If you want to leave safely, heading south is impossible. Your only option is to go north. Since this destitute monk encountered the two of you here, it means we share the same intentions."

Chen Chao asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist, are you also going to the Onan River?"

The young monk nodded and smiled, "There are many places in the world that can be visited later, but there probably won't be many chances in this lifetime to see that river. Since this happens to be one such opportunity, this destitute monk might as well give it a try, though it may be beyond my abilities."

Chen Chao frowned and asked, "May I ask, Master, what's your dharma name and who's your master?"

"This destitute monk doesn't have a dharma name, and as for my master, anyone in the monastery could be this destitute monk's teacher," the young monk replied with a smile, then added softly, "Fellow Daoist Chen, not everything in life needs to be fully understood. Sometimes it's better to remain a bit unclear as long as your heart is at peace."

Chen Chao furrowed his brows, very dissatisfied with the monk's response but unwilling to press further. He simply said, "If one knows nothing at all, life would be too bewildering."

The young monk smiled, "Knowing too much brings its own suffering. Take this Fellow Daoist Yu for example, judging by the tension at his glabella, it seems something has been weighing on his mind, something difficult to let go of."

Yu Xiyi was startled and then sighed, "Fellow Daoist, your buddhist insight is profound. You must be quite extraordinary even within Deercry Monastery."

The young monk only smiled and then asked, "Since fate has brought us together, might this destitute monk travel with you two to the Onan River? We could help one another along the way."

Chen Chao asked in confusion, "Fellow Daoist, are you unaware of our situation?"

The young monk nodded, "It doesn't matter."

Then, the young monk took out two golden pills from his robe and handed them to the two, smiling as he said, "These medicinal pills from the monastery will be beneficial for your injuries."

The two accepted the pills without much hesitation. Although the monk seemed somewhat strange to them, his demeanor did not suggest any hidden schemes. After taking the pills, they immediately felt a warm current flow through their bodies, and their injuries indeed healed significantly. This left both of them quite astonished at how precious these pills must be.

It was likely some extremely precious item from Deercry Monastery.

Just as Yu Xiyi was about to speak, the young monk smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to ask. Since this destitute monk was willing to give them, there's no other intentions. Our meeting is a stroke of fate, and traveling together is also fate. Since it's fate, why dwell on it?"

Chen Chao remained silent, exhaling a turbid breath.

Thus, their journey north, which started with two people, now became a journey of three.

Walking side by side, the three of them engaged in casual conversation. Yu Xiyi was quite curious about Deercry Monastery, as it was one of the most secluded sects in the world, second only to the Sword Sect. Many rumors circulated, but few knew the real truth. Now that he had encountered a monk from the monastery, he naturally had questions to ask.

Chen Chao on the other hand was deep in thought. This was not his first encounter with a monk from Deercry Monastery. During his time at the Sublime Bright Sect, he had already met one, and that monk had even invited him to visit the monastery when he had the chance.

Moreover, he did not believe this encounter was a pure coincidence.

Yet, he also had a faint sense that this young monk in front of them was likely not a bad person.

As for the black robes he wore, they reminded Chen Chao of the Great Liang's Nation Teacher, who was known as the "Demon Monk."

Back then, Xie Nandu and Chen Chao had almost dug up that Nation Teacher's grave.

Unable to hold back any longer, Chen Chao eventually gave in. After deliberately moving closer to the young monk, he asked softly, "Fellow Daoist, do you have any connection with our Great Liang's Nation Teacher?"

The position of Nation Teacher in the Great Liang Dynasty had remained vacant for over two hundred years. It was not until the current Emperor's ascension that the position was reinstated. However, only a few years later, the black-robed monk who had helped the Emperor win the great war passed away, leaving the position empty once again. Thus, the Great Liang's Nation Teacher had only ever been one person.

Considering the young monk's age, it was plausible he might have seen the Nation Teacher during his youth, which made Chen Chao's suspicion reasonable. After all, it was rare for monks to wear black.

The young monk smiled and said, "This destitute monk has never met that senior from the monastery. But I've heard some of his stories. As for wearing black, it's merely a personal preference. This destitute monk has no master-disciple relationship with that senior."

It seemed as though the young monk was aware of Chen Chao's thoughts, as he answered questions Chen Chao had not even asked.

Chen Chao then inquired, "What is Deercry Monastery's view of Great Liang nowadays?"

The young monk replied with a bit of helplessness, "Fellow Daoist, you truly are an official of the court. How do you expect this destitute monk to answer such a question?" "Moreover, this destitute monk is merely a low-ranking monk in the monastery. How would I have the authority to decide such matters?"

Chen Chao laughed heartily and joked, "For some reason, I feel that Fellow Daoist is destined to be the next abbot."

The young monk smiled and was indifferent. He just said softly, "If Fellow Daoist is thinking of befriending or recruiting this destitute monk on behalf of the Great Liang, there's no need."

Chen Chao fell silent, feeling that the young monk's words were always shrouded in mystery. He figured that only someone like Xie Nandu could contend with this monk in a battle of wits.

……

……

As the three of them continued their journey together, they encountered quite a few demons along the way. Fortunately, they were mostly from small tribes without any powerhouses. Even when they were discovered, Chen Chao and Yu Xiyi could easily handle the situation. As for the young monk, he never intervened and simply observed indifferently the entire time.

After several days of traveling across the vast, boundless plains, they were finally close to the Onan River.

The wind and snow in this area were intense, and even the three of them could feel the biting cold.

"Thinking about it carefully, it's no wonder that the demon race living in these lands would yearn for the fertile soil of the south. Not only are there distinct seasons, but some places are like spring all year round. Living in such places is a hundred times better than surviving in this frozen wasteland.

Yu Xiyi felt vicissitudes of emotion. The demon race was not composed entirely of those with high cultivation realms, and in such harsh environments, some young beasts would die soon after birth. From the demons’ perspective, their desire to head south did not seem entirely unreasonable.

Chen Chao remained calm and silent.

The young monk clasped his hands together and said, "It's all fate."

Chen Chao asked, "Is there really such a thing as fate?"

The young monk glanced at Chen Chao and, with a smile, asked, "Fellow Daoist doesn't believe in fate?"

Chen Chao nodded, "I don’t."

The young monk said nothing more, as if unwilling to argue the point with him.

Chen Chao said no more and simply looked ahead.

The young monk suddenly sighed and said, "Sometimes it's not a matter of believing or not believing in fate. For instance, it seems like the three of us are destined to die here. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Chen believes that?"

Chen Chao furrowed his brows, while Yu Xiyi forced a bitter smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, saying something like that is quite frightening."

The young monk nodded and said, "Indeed, it's just to scare the two of you."

Yu Xiyi was left speechless.

The trio continued onward, eventually arriving at a frozen riverbank. The river was not wide; only several yards across, but its end could not be seen at a glance. This was the lower reaches of the Onan River.

The young monk gazed into the distance, his view obstructed by the wind and snow. He could not see anything and lamented, "In the end, I don't have the courage to go see the demon race's royal city."

Yu Xiyi was more easygoing and said with a smile, "Reaching this point is already an achievement in itself."

Chen Chao asked, "If we continue upstream, will we see that demon race's royal city?"

The young monk did not answer the question but instead said something earth-shattering, "This destitute monk won't hide it from you both, there should be a great demon chasing us right now. The great demon is just a hair's breadth away from reaching the so-called Great Liberation Realm."

Yu Xiyi had a look of shock.

Chen Chao asked in puzzlement, "Fellow Daoist, do you possess a pair of clairvoyant eyes?!"

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