Chapter 111 Identification

Jia He felt that he might have discovered something extraordinary.

That Mountain Lord said his master was an Ancestral Master of the Maoshan Sect, and that he might still be alive today.

And Jiang Chen seemed to be an ancient figure who had survived from a thousand years ago.

The reason the Maoshan Sect could not find Jiang Chen's lineage records was simply because he was not a Disciple from any recent generation.

He was an Ancestral Master from a millennium ago!

Furthermore, Jiang Chen and Jiang Bai both shared the surname Jiang, which was undoubtedly too much of a coincidence.

When various coincidences come together, they cease to be coincidences.

Jia He boldly speculated that the master Mountain Lord Jiang Bai spoke of—the Great True Monarch of the Tang Dynasty—was Jiang Chen!

Thinking of this, the more Jia He pondered, the more he felt his guess was spot on.

Looking at Jiang Chen's back, his expression changed instantly, filled with awe and disbelief.

The only thing that puzzled him was why Jiang Chen, being an Old Ancestor of the Maoshan Sect, would not openly state his identity.

This had led the elders of the School to constantly misunderstand Jiang Chen.

However, such an expert surely had his own reasons for doing things.

Jia He was secretly excited; he was actually the first in the Maoshan Sect to know Jiang Chen's true identity.

He couldn't help but look forward to seeing the expressions of the Sect elders once they found out Jiang Chen was a Maoshan Sect Ancestral Master.

Just thinking about it was already thrilling.

Jiang Chen naturally had no idea about the many thoughts running through Jia He's mind behind him.

He continued walking forward; the streets of Kyoto at night were still brightly lit, with people coming and going.

There were even people dancing strange dances in the streets; the Obon Festival was indeed an important holiday here.

Jiang Chen even saw some minor monsters mixed in with the crowd.

However, he did not meddle; these monsters carried no resentment, nor did they have any intention of harming humans.

But this reminded him that as the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence recovered, many monsters had begun to become active.

If this was the scene in the city, then in the deep mountains where the Spiritual Essence was even more abundant, there were likely even more monsters that had gained sentience.

He did not stop because of this, but continued walking toward a guesthouse.

"Master... Ancestral Master, where are we going now?"

"Find a hotel and sleep. Also, you don't need to call me Ancestral Master normally; just call me Mr. Jiang."

Being mistaken for an ancient person who had lived for over a thousand years felt quite strange to Jiang Chen.

Although in terms of seniority, he was indeed Jia He's Ancestral Master.

"Understood, Ancestral Master."

Jia He had thought that after Jiang Chen came out, he would go do something major, but he didn't expect it to just be sleeping.

This was because too many things had happened during the day, and every time Jiang Chen appeared, it was always accompanied by various events, making him subconsciously feel that whenever Jiang Chen took action, it was to stir up trouble.

In fact, Jiang Chen was indeed preparing to stir up trouble.

But not in reality.

Actually, ever since Su Baiwei said that Jianzhen had entered Takamagahara and never came out, he had planned to go in there himself.

The reason he hadn't immediately agreed with Su Baiwei was naturally because he wasn't quite confident in his current strength.

So, he would just take a nap first!

...

The two arrived at a guesthouse that still had vacant rooms; because of the Obon Festival, the prices here had increased quite a bit.

But Jia He didn't care in the slightest and lavishly booked two luxury rooms.

No other reason than that it was on the public tab.

This time, he was accompanying the Ancestral Master to the island country for a major task, so there was naturally no limit on public expenses.

After both returned to their respective rooms, Jiang Chen lay down to sleep, but then opened his eyes again.

Knock, knock!

At this moment, there was a knock at the door.

"Ancestral Master, would you like to have dinner? The eel rice here is quite delicious."

"...No."

"Oh."

With the sound of footsteps leaving, it became quiet outside the door.

Jiang Chen lay down and closed his eyes, preparing to sleep.

As a cultivator, he could naturally fall asleep extremely quickly, requiring only a few seconds.

However, this time, just as he lay down, there was another knock at the door.

Knock, knock!

Jiang Chen opened his eyes once more.

"Ancestral Master, then would you like to eat sashimi? The kind without radiation."

Jiang Chen took a deep breath.

"No. And don't come to disturb me again."

"Oh, understood, Ancestral Master."

It became completely quiet outside the door; this time, Jia He finally did not come to knock again.

Jiang Chen lay down and fell asleep.

...

...

When Jiang Chen opened his eyes again, it was already dawn.

Looking at the antique-style house, he knew he had returned once more to this prosperous Tang Dynasty.

But this time, his state of mind was completely different from the previous times.

Because he knew this was real history, and his actions would be engraved in history.

At this moment, the True Qi within Jiang Chen's body began to circulate naturally, flowing through his limbs and bones again and again.

It also made his aura grow slightly stronger.

Jiang Chen was slightly stunned, lost in thought.

"Right View—the understanding of the real world—will also allow one's path to go further."

Only by seeing further and more clearly can the Dao beneath one's feet be smoother and wider.

Letting his thoughts drift for a moment, Jiang Chen got up, tidied himself, and dressed, then went to the courtyard as usual to absorb the first ray of purple Qi from the rising sun.

Then came the morning lesson. After reciting the scriptures, Jiang Chen got up and went to the courtyard gate to open it, seeing Jianzhen already standing there.

Seeing him again, Jiang Chen felt a tearing sensation, as if a lifetime had passed.

Because just last night, he was still thinking about how to bring Jianzhen's remains or Sarira out of Takamagahara.

At the very least, he wanted to avenge Jianzhen.

Yet in the daytime, he saw Jianzhen again, alive and standing before him.

"Fellow Daoist, waiting outside my door so early in the morning—could it be that you intend to go pray for rain with me?"

Jianzhen, without the slightest embarrassment, said, "This monk cannot summon rain, but I think what the disaster area needs is more than just rain. I came this time intending to travel with you, Daoist, to see what can be done for the common people."

"Oh? You are kind-hearted, Fellow Daoist. Do the others from the Chan School have the same intention?"

"No, some of them are preparing to pray for rain, and others are preparing to chant scriptures for the people of the two circuits for seven days, praying for the Buddha's protection. I imagine the Buddha will be moved."

Jiang Chen was momentarily speechless; he actually couldn't tell if what Jianzhen said was sincere or if he was being sarcastic.

Given Jianzhen's character, it was likely the former, but these words were somewhat annoying...

"Very well. It is said that Abe no Nakamaro will also be going to the disaster area this time; we can investigate him then."

Jianzhen nodded; he was thinking the same thing.

Jiang Chen then returned to his room to pack his things, while Jianzhen sat in the courtyard waiting.

While waiting, he couldn't help but look at the old locust tree in the courtyard.

After a moment, Jiang Chen came out carrying two swords—one was the Maoshan Dharma Sword, and the other was the sword entrusted to him by Zhang Zhongjian.

"There is no time to lose; let us set off now!"

Matters of disaster relief and praying for rain should be handled sooner rather than later. As for the matter previously entrusted by Zhang Zhongjian, Jiang Chen could only postpone it.

Moreover, Zhang Zhongjian hadn't visited in the past few days; he didn't know what had delayed him.

He went out and told his neighbor, Old Man Chen, a few words, asking him to inform anyone who came looking for him that he had already left for the Henan Circuit.