373: Chapter 373 Two Tests, Which One Will You Choose?

Long Tianxing looked around. This was just a small house, not very big.

Aside from the altar and the scroll hanging above it, there was only a small round table and two prayer mats.

His gaze fell upon the scroll once more.

For some reason, Long Tianxing felt a sense of familiarity with the scroll, making him want to get closer.

He hadn't felt this way when he was cautiously observing his surroundings, but now that he was sure the area was safe, the more he looked at the scroll, the stranger it seemed.

He approached step by step, his hand involuntarily rising slowly, wanting to touch the character.

Just as his hand was about to touch the character, the character suddenly receded, and the surrounding scenery changed with it, transforming from a small house into a world of ice and snow.

The original character “Zen” also transformed into a small boat, appearing amidst the falling snow.

The small boat stopped by the river, and there seemed to be a person wearing a straw cape and a bamboo hat on board.

Long Tianxing wanted to get closer, but the person, who had been wearing a straw cape and had their back to him, suddenly began to recite poetry.

“With the bright moon on one shoulder, treading on empty dust, not revealing the Dharma Body to the human world.”

“Standing with back to cloudy mountains, not a word spoken, within the shadow of bodhi is the returning one.”

This poem made Long Tianxing's body tremble, his eyes filled with surprise.

As if the person had eyes in the back of their head, they noticed Long Tianxing's reaction and continued to speak much more.

With each sentence, Long Tianxing's expression grew a little uglier.

At this moment, Long Tianxing clenched his fists, his pupils trembling slightly, and finally spoke the words he had been wanting to say.

“What kind of gibberish are you speaking? Why can't I understand it?”

As soon as these words were uttered, the figure who had been facing away from Long Tianxing also trembled, then let out a very soft “tsk,” but Long Tianxing still heard it.

Although Long Tianxing didn't understand what the other party was saying, he could understand the meaning of that disdainful interjection.

“Cough cough.”

The person coughed twice, sat up straight again, then made some inexplicable vocalizations, which finally turned into a language Long Tianxing was familiar with.

“So you didn't understand a single word. Then why were you so agitated?”

“Huh?”

This one sentence from the other party made Long Tianxing laugh out of anger.

He was inexplicably dragged here, and the other party immediately started spouting a bunch of strange words. He thought it was some kind of incantation.

If he hadn't sensed the other party's power, he would have rushed forward and attacked long ago.

The person seemed to understand as well, so they awkwardly coughed twice again, then recited the poem once more, and said to Long Tianxing behind them.

“I won't tell you my name, after all, this isn't my main stage; I'm just here for a guest appearance.”

“If you can find my Legacy in the future, you will naturally know my name and identity.”

“Now that you're here, let's go through the motions a bit.”

“If you complete my trial, I will give you something, and this place will return to its original state.”

“Then you can take that item and move forward; it will still be useful, and you will surely thank me then.”

“Believe me, this item is the most useful for you.”

“As for the token in your embrace, just give it to someone you trust. You didn't come alone, did you?”

Long Tianxing was startled by these words and subconsciously touched his chest.

There was a Storage Pouch in the inner layer of his clothes, and inside the Storage Pouch was the storage ring he used before. This was a habit he was forced into as a Disciple of the Fifth Elder.

He hadn't expected the other party to be able to see through his two layers of storage space and know that he still had a token in his possession.

Moreover, listening to this guy's tone, he seemed to only be related to the owner of this Secret Realm, and he himself seemed to have already died, possessing his own Legacy.

Then this in front of him might just be a Clone or a wisp of thought.

“Who exactly are you? And what is the trial?”

“I already told you, I can't say.”

The figure with their back to him shook their head, and the wide bamboo hat even bumped against the roof of the small boat due to his head movement, making his body sway.

“As for the trial, you can choose one of two.”

“One is to find a special section of bamboo in this bamboo forest, and the other is to answer a few questions from me.”

“That section of bamboo is only a small piece, and it will change as this bamboo forest changes.”

“You might not have noticed it yet, but this place is constantly changing, and all damage will recover, so you will never find it by relying on markers or time.”

“However, my questions are much simpler. You just need to answer half of them correctly, and they are tailored to you, so they won't be too difficult.”

“How about it, which one will you choose?”

“I choose the first one.”

Long Tianxing chose the first one without even thinking.

His master was a professional swindler, most skilled at playing these language traps.

Choices with obvious discrepancies often have prices already marked behind them.

The cost of both is the same. As for why the process and results differ, either the problem isn't just on the surface, or someone is secretly adding to your burden.

Regardless of which it was, Long Tianxing believed he could complete the challenge, so he didn't need anyone to secretly add to his burden, nor did he intend to get entangled in this Karma for nothing.

“Hehe, I knew you would definitely—huh?”

The person seemed surprised and was about to turn around, but suddenly realized something and didn't turn around.

But Long Tianxing had already caught a glimpse of the face revealed as he turned.

Although it was only a small part of his profile, he saw it clearly.

It was a rotten, festering profile, looking both emaciated and swollen, incredibly disgusting, with pus seemingly flowing from the boils, and even some white bones visible to the naked eye.

But for some reason, despite such a terrifying sight, Long Tianxing only felt a sense of compassion, his nose tingling, as if tears were about to flow.

He immediately used his magic power to check his whole body, and was surprised to find that he had not been affected by illusions or other forces. He really seemed to have been moved to tears just now.

This also made him raise his guard again and retreat a few steps.

“You were the one who scared me, yet now you're acting like the victim. I really don't know why you chose the first one; the second one clearly seems better?”

Long Tianxing did not let down his guard because of the other party's tone. He was still slowly retreating, looking around for a place to leave, and trying to stay as far away from the boat as possible.

“Alright, alright, stop scaring yourself. Since you chose this path, go find it.”

“However, since the first path is more difficult, I can give you a hint—that section of bamboo will be very bitter.”

After speaking, the person waved their hand, and then Long Tianxing disappeared into the world of ice and snow.

Before being teleported away, Long Tianxing saw the hand the other party extended. That hand was as warm and smooth as jade, with golden light faintly flowing, completely devoid of the terror brought by the profile.

After Long Tianxing disappeared, the person began to laugh heartily, and the small boat also rocked with his laughter.

“Oh my god, I'm dying of laughter. How did he end up like this?”

“Ha—ha.”

Long Tianxing suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his head spinning. He then realized he was lying under the scroll, his head resting on the prayer mat.

He quickly propped himself up, covering his forehead, feeling the discomfort in his body.

It was then that he discovered his forehead and back were drenched in cold sweat.

“Who was that person just now? And he told me to find a section of bamboo?”

Long Tianxing was dizzy and couldn't focus on so many things for the time being, so he quickly sat in meditation to regulate his breathing, trying to stabilize his dao body again.

However, while he was resting, he saw a section of bamboo outside the open door glowing with golden light.

He seemed to realize that this bamboo was what he was looking for, and without bothering to regulate his breathing, he quickly popped a Medicinal Pill into his mouth and rushed out.

Watching the golden bamboo get closer, Long Tianxing's heart beat faster and faster.

“The problem shouldn't be this simple. What kind of conspiracy is this?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his hand had already grasped the golden bamboo. In an instant, white light exploded in Long Tianxing's Sea of Consciousness.