Chapter 98: Learning to be a Good Person
Cen Qingyou remembered, a long time ago someone reached out to him and pulled him out of the swamp.
That person was Miaofa.
Although he looked fierce and was difficult to get along with, Cen Qingyou knew in his heart that his master had a soft and twisted heart.
Under the guidance of Miaofa, he took refuge in Buddhism, hoping to find some direction and support in those scriptures.
Unfortunately, he still disappointed Miaofa. He searched for so many years, but he couldn't find his own path in those vast scriptures.
As long as he was alive, the Blue-eyed Evil Buddha was like a sword hanging over his head, never knowing when it would come down.
He was haunted by his lost soul, intertwined and merged with him. No one in this world understood Blue-eyed Evil Buddha better than Cen Qingyou, a man who could even feel his presence. Unlike the cruel and ruthless image that others imagined, the Blue-eyed Evil Buddha that Cen Qingyou felt was devoid of any emotions, just an empty and chilling void.
This coldness naturally affected him as well.
Even though he loved the blossoming flowers of early spring, the summer breeze by the lotus, the red maple leaves of autumn, and the soft snowflakes of winter.
He was trying his best to love this world and its people.
But why, why wouldn't they let him go?
Sometimes, Cen Qingyou felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, with one careless step leading to his demise.
The young man lowered his long eyelashes and wondered.
By what standards do they judge good and evil, light and darkness?
The candle in front of the Buddha flickered faintly.
In the chaos, someone reached out and grabbed Cen Qingyou by the collar, throwing him behind the disciples of the Heart Hall of Light, yelling loudly.
"Martial Brother Cen! Come back!"
In the midst of the crowd, under Qiao Wan's gaze, Cen Qingyou looked away and avoided Qiao Wan's outstretched hand.
Qiao Wan was taken aback and suddenly had an ominous feeling.
In just a blink of an eye, the three-eyed demon beast was quickly subdued by the combined efforts of Sun Tao College, Fanxin Temple, and Taixuan Temple.
They stood in front, while the Great Hall of Light stood behind.
Both sides glared angrily at each other, separated by the three-eyed demon beast.
"This is ridiculous!" Lu Dechang's face turned pale with anger as he pointed at the three-eyed demon beast. "This is what they call embracing Buddhism and being kind-hearted?!"
A senior disciple from the Heart Hall of Light stepped forward from the crowd and politely bowed. "Elders, please calm down. This demon, I mean, this three-eyed martial brother, has just converted to Buddhism for the first time. He doesn't understand worldly affairs. I believe the elders won't hold it against him, right?"
The three-eyed demon beast also showed respect, saying, "The Heart Hall of Light guides me towards goodness. Anyone who tries to harm the Great Hall of Light is evil!"
This logic was so straightforward and outrageous that Lu Dechang was completely taken aback.
"Our Martial Brother Cen has just recently converted to Buddhism. Can't we let him off as he is still just a child? I hope the elders can calm down and not argue with this mischievous youngster."
"You call him a child? Nonsense!" Lu Dechang angrily exclaimed. "If your sect was able to convert this demon in such a short time, why is it taking you years to convert this evil Buddha?!"
A senior disciple from the Heart Hall of Light sneered, saying, "We understand better than anyone else the power of this Blue-eyed Evil Buddha. It's not something that can be dealt with overnight. To cleanse Martial Brother Cen of the remnants of the evil aura would take time!"
As they say, to hit a snake, you aim for its weak spot. This strike was precise, swift, and ruthless, making Lu Dechang almost cough up blood.
When he looked up again, he saw a forest of various Buddhist implements - Zen staffs, Vajra Pestles, and Law Sticks. The monks, large and small, glared angrily and stood protectively behind Cen Qingyou .
The situation in front of him was clearly unfavorable for the three groups. Even a desperate rabbit would bite, not to mention these monks from the Great Hall of Light.
Realizing that coercion was not working, they had to take a more peaceful approach.
After silently calculating for a while, someone from Fanxin Temple stepped forward and looked around, saying, "Let us calm down and not get angry. We are all here for the upcoming Three Teachings Law Meeting, to think about how we can make it successful, not to fight among ourselves. Elder Cao, what do you think?" As they spoke, they turned to call over someone from Zhanyun Peak to support their statement.
Caught off guard by being singled out, Elder Cao from Zhanyun Peak smiled slightly and vaguely responded with a "Hmm," perfectly maintaining a neutral stance.
Upon hearing this, the monks from the Heart Hall of Light sneered.
Among the three sects, those who can establish a foothold are all thick-skinned. Fanxin Temple was not affected by the sneer at all. The robes swayed gently in the wind as they smiled without changing their expression, saying, "This is all a misunderstanding. If we have been rude before, we apologize to the Heart Hall of Light."
"Elder Lu invites Martial Brother Cen to have a talk in our sect, it was without malicious intent."
No malicious intent? Is this still considered without malicious intent?!
"What do you think, Martial Brother Cen? Would you be willing to accompany Elder Lu on this journey?" Fanxin Temple joined their hands together, smiling meaningfully at Cen Qingyou, "I believe Martial Brother Cen would not make things difficult for the senior disciples, right?"
"Martial Brother Cen, don't listen to him."
"We are all disciples of the Heart Hall of Light, what does it mean to make things difficult?!"
Cen Qingyou remained silent, his gaze sweeping over each figure standing before him.
Today, all this conflict started because of him. Ever since he was chosen to become the physical vessel of the Blue-eyed Evil Buddha, he has brought trouble to countless people.
Day after day, year after year, Cen Qingyou grew tired of this kind of life.
The young boy slowly lowered his eyes and took a step forward, amidst the attention of the crowd. His gaze was calm like water as he said, "I will go with you all."
"Martial Brother Cen!"
"Elder Brother!"
Behind him, the disciples of the Heart Hall of Light were shocked and angered!
Cen Qingyou turned around, bowed to the astonished disciples of the Heart Hall of Light, and stood in front of Sun Tao College.
There was no turning back now.
No one could save him; not even the Venerable One or Xin Yi .
The only one who could save him was himself.
The people from Fanxin Temple immediately smiled kindly and said, "Well, then everything will be fine, won't it?"
"So, my immortal friends, shall we proceed with the small gathering as usual?"
The Chongde Ancient Garden, which had been observing quietly all along, perhaps couldn't bear it anymore and spoke up: "If there are no other matters, let's continue."
Lu Dechang let out a cold snort, but he also understood in his heart that, whether he was satisfied or not, Cen Qingyou had already stepped forward. It wouldn't end well if they kept causing a commotion.
He turned around and instructed a couple of disciples beside him: "Go, take little immortal friend Cen back to Sun Tao College."
The hall fell into a peaceful silence.
This was Cen Qingyou's own choice, even if Zen Master Kongding stood here, he couldn't easily intervene.
Watching Cen Qingyou walk out of the Heart Hall of Light with the disciples from Sun Tao College, Qiao Wan gritted her teeth and chased after them without hesitation!
If Cen Qingyou went with Sun Tao College, she didn't believe he would come back alive!
What exactly does he want to do?!
Qiao Wan rushed out of the Heart Hall of Light without stopping for a moment, running towards the direction of the mountain gate!
But before she could take two steps, something dark fell right in front of her.
A chess piece?
In the blink of an eye, Qiao Wan swiftly blocked with her sword.
Clang!
A sour metallic sound echoed in the air.
The black chess piece rapidly spun and suddenly changed direction!
Qiao Wan's eyes widened in shock.
The direction changed!
Her abdomen!
And then-
The black chess piece hit her right in the stomach!
Qiao Wan was sent flying several yards away like a shrimp. As she looked up, she saw a young man holding a small chessboard.
He was one of the three disciples who had just taken Cen Qingyou away.
"Dear immortal friend," the young man looked down at Qiao Wan condescendingly, "I advise you to stay out of our academy's affairs."
Golden core.
Qiao Wan felt a knot in her heart.
The young man had a strong cultivation, guarding himself flawlessly, without any loopholes.
Could this person be in the later stages of the Golden core realm?!
After finishing his words, the young man turned and left.
A throbbing pain came from her waist. Qiao Wan wiped her hand.
There was blood.
She flicked the blood off her hand and chased after him once again.
Qiao Wan noticed a sound behind her and paused her steps.
She stared at the person in front of her and asked in a whisper, "May I ask, where is this immortal friend planning to take Mr. Cen?"
"Where? Of course, back to Sun Tao College," the young man looked at Qiao Wan and a strange expression appeared on his face. This expression seemed a bit regretful, as if it were saying, "Why didn't you listen to me?"
Raising his hand, another black chess piece came flying through the air!
This piece was even faster than the previous one! It was so fast that it almost turned into a thin black shadow.
Qiao Wan took a step back and stared at the chess piece in front of her without blinking.
As the black chess piece rushed towards her, her sword moved again!
Mr. Cen Qingyou!
If she was any later, Mr. Cen Qingyou would have followed Sun Tao College and run away!
Even if it wasn't for the bow tie, Qiao Wan closed her eyes and saw a woman's hair turning white instantly and fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
For Mrs. Cen, she had to stop him!
Dodging the second one, the third black piece followed closely behind, and bumped into Qiao Wan's right knee.
Instantly, a sharp pain surged through her knee, as if the knee bone had shattered.
Qiao Wan's knee gave way, her body tilted, and her right leg slammed onto the ground.
The young man retracted his hand and said, "It's done."
Wait, something's not right!
His face suddenly changed.
This was a feint!
Before the young man could react, a fierce psychic attack had already rushed towards his forehead.
Qiao Wan raised her eyes abruptly, her psychic power focused and formed into a dart, shooting it out.
But at the moment when her psychic power pierced into the young man's mind, it seemed to hit a barrier.
Bang!
The psychic power violently rebounded into her own mind, like a sharp nail piercing back into Qiao Wan's own sea of consciousness!
This disciple from Sun Tao College also cultivated psychic power!
The young man smirked mockingly, "Psychic attack, huh?"
Qiao Wan felt her head buzzing and a splitting headache. She endured the pain and used her spiritual power to protect herself.
Her shattered knee bones magically regrew piece by piece.
Seeming impatient, the young man casually threw the chessboard.
As the chessboard hit the ground, nineteen intersecting lines appeared.
In a blink of an eye, Qiao Wan was trapped within the chessboard, unable to get close to the young man no matter how she approached or retreated.
Her divine senses were useless now.
Qiao Wan took a deep breath, feeling weighed down.
A lotus-shaped symbol pressed against her body, and she couldn't use her demonic power either. Recently, she had relied on her divine senses and demonic power to turn the tide. Once those two were taken away, all she had left were her body strengthening and Thunder power.
But the educated cultivator didn't give her any opportunity to get close. Even rubbing the electric balls couldn't keep up with the speed of his constant attacks.
Sweat fell down from her eyes, blurring her vision.
Not far away, there were numerous attacks!
When Qiao Wan thought of Cen Qingyou, she became extremely anxious. With determination, she tightly held onto her sword and silently prepared to fight her way out, relying only on her physical strength, determined to escape from the chessboard!
However, with every step she took, there were obstacles in her path! In the blink of an eye, Qiao Wan was trapped in the chessboard, becoming a white chess piece, and was firmly surrounded by the black chess pieces.
The young man sighed, "I already told you, immortal friend, to leave."
The black chess pieces floated in the air, exuding a chilling intent to kill.
The young man said, "Go."
As soon as he finished speaking.
The entire chessboard seemed to quiet down.
Countless black pieces rushed in from all directions!
She shouldn't have relied so much on her divine sense and magic power, Qiao Wan thought to herself.
In an instant—
The young boy's slender body was pierced through by the black chess pieces.
Sprays of blood gushed out from various parts of his body.
The gushing hot blood instantly dyed the entire chessboard red.
The sword in her hand fell to the ground with a loud clang.
None of the disciples who came to attend the Three Teachings Law Meeting were mere fame seekers.
Vaguely, Qiao Wan's gaze seemed to pass over the young man in front of her and saw a disciple of the virtuous path in front of the mountain gate releasing a flying artifact.
She saw a bamboo scroll as big as a ship floating in mid-air.
Qiao Wan covered the bloody wound on her body and shouted angrily, "Cen Qingyou!"
The young man may or may not have heard her voice, but he stepped on the flying artifact with his blood-stained shoes.
Just as his left foot stepped onto the bamboo scroll, Cen Qingyou suddenly hesitated and looked up towards the distance as if sensing something.
Perhaps deep down, he still hoped that someone would pull him back and prevent him from falling into eternal damnation.
In the distance, only a passing bird flew by.
But further away, Qiao Wan bent down and picked up the sword on the ground, swiftly charging forward once again!
