68: Chapter 68 Transformation into Mortal in the Forest

Meanwhile, in Long City.

The City Lord's mansion was brightly lit. In the study, smoke curled, and a pot of tea sat on the desk, already cold.

City Lord Zhao Yuan sat behind the desk.

He was in his early forties, with a thin face, wearing dark cyan official robes with a silver belt. His fingers tapped lightly on the table as he listened to the report from the white-clad Cultivator before him.

"City Lord, because of the matter of Chief Clerk Gu Qing falling into a Heart Demon, all the ups and downs related to this incident have been suppressed. The four Sects are not mentioning it either, all feigning ignorance."

Zhao Yuan nodded, then let out a long sigh, "In this way, it can be considered an explanation to the Gu Family."

"Does the main branch of the Gu Family have anything to say?"

The white-clad Cultivator shook his head: "No, they haven't mentioned a single word, but... Great Master Tianjiu of Fahua Temple happened to pass by here. He has already suppressed Chief Clerk Gu Qing's Heart Demon and should be taking him to Fahua Temple for cultivation."

Zhao Yuan was silent for a moment.

Happened to pass by...

Fahua Temple is in Yunlan Prefecture, and Long City is in Shanhe Prefecture... The two are not on the same route at all, and the reason for all this has to do with the current Gu Family.

Although the current Gu Family did not rise under the hands of Chief Clerk Gu Qing, it has risen with the wind under the grand trend of the Dachuan Dynasty.

The three branches of the Gu Family.

The main branch entered the imperial court, and there are already clansmen holding third-rank official positions, having established a firm foothold in the center of the Dachuan Dynasty.

The second branch practices cultivation and has joined the Tianque Sect. The third branch engages in trade, with businesses spread across the north and south of the Dachuan Dynasty. For the current Gu Family, Chief Clerk Gu Qing falling into a Heart Demon is merely a scar on their face; it hurts for a moment and then passes.

It is he, Zhao Yuan, who is stuck in the middle, pleasing neither side.

"Since the four Sects are not mentioning it, and the Gu Family is not mentioning it either, let this matter end here."

Zhao Yuan stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night wind blew in, making the documents on the table rustle.

He gazed at the night scenery outside the window, silent for a long time, his voice very soft: "That child, Chief Clerk Gu Qing, was someone I watched grow up... It's a pity."

The white-clad Cultivator nodded and asked again: "Chief Clerk Gu Qing's matter is over, but City Lord, what about the Yao Race in the mountains... should we send people to clear them out?"

"Those Yao Kings dared to appear outside Qingshi Town. If we don't teach them a lesson, I fear they will become increasingly brazen in the future."

Zhao Yuan sneered upon hearing this, turned around, sat back behind the desk, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice.

"Let them jump around for now; there are five years left anyway."

The white-clad Cultivator was slightly stunned, then immediately understood the City Lord's meaning.

Five years later, it will be the once-every-thirty-years Sect trial. When that time comes, the Disciple of each Sect will enter the mountains to hunt Yao, and they can all be wiped out.

"This subordinate understands."

The white-clad Cultivator bowed and withdrew.

Zhao Yuan sat alone in the study, gazing at the night scenery outside the window, silent for a long time, and finally sighed.

...

Meanwhile.

The scene shifts.

Somewhere in the wilderness, the moon was cold and stars sparse.

In front of an abandoned Mountain God Temple, a bonfire flickered, casting the shadows of the surrounding withered trees to sway like ghosts.

An old monk sat cross-legged beside the fire, draped in a golden-red cassock. His eyebrows were snow-white, hanging down to the corners of his eyes. His face was kind, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss. When he occasionally opened them, a sharp light flashed, as if he could see through people's hearts.

His whole body radiated a faint golden light. The light was not dazzling, but it made people feel inexplicably at peace.

Opposite the old monk, Chief Clerk Gu Qing sat cross-legged, his eyes tightly closed, his face as pale as paper. Veins bulged on his forehead, and strands of black Qi wandered across his face, like countless small snakes wriggling under his skin.

His body was trembling slightly, his hands gripping his knees, his knuckles white. Low roars came from his throat, as if he were enduring immense pain.

The old monk extended a hand, placing his palm on Chief Clerk Gu Qing's forehead.

Golden light surged from his palm, like mercury pouring onto the ground, seeping into Chief Clerk Gu Qing's brow.

Those strands of black Qi made sizzling sounds under the illumination of the golden light, like insects burned by fire, struggling desperately, but eventually, they were suppressed by the golden light and retreated bit by bit into the depths of Chief Clerk Gu Qing's body.

"Amitabha."

The old monk whispered a Buddhist chant and withdrew his palm.

Chief Clerk Gu Qing's body shuddered violently, then slowly went limp, collapsing to the ground. His breathing gradually stabilized, and the black Qi on his face faded by more than half.

He fell asleep, his brows still tightly locked, but at least he was no longer struggling or roaring.

The old monk looked at Chief Clerk Gu Qing and sighed.

Then he turned his head and looked to his right.

There, a swaddle lay quietly on a flat stone, with an infant wrapped inside.

The infant was sleeping very soundly, his little mouth slightly open, a trace of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.

The moonlight shone on his face, on that wrinkled little face, so quiet that it seemed as if all the suffering in the world had nothing to do with him.

The old monk looked at the infant, silent for a long time, then reached out and gently tucked the corner of the swaddle, his voice very soft: "He is also a child with a bitter fate."

Before long.

Chief Clerk Gu Qing slowly woke up.

He opened his eyes, gazed at the starry sky above, was silent for a moment, and then slowly sat up.

The pain in his body had mostly dissipated, and the churning black Qi in his mind had also quieted down, as if suppressed by something, sinking into the deepest part.

He turned his head to look at the old monk beside him, pressed his palms together, and respectfully performed a Buddhist salute.

"Many thanks to the Great Master for saving my life."

The old monk shook his head, his voice peaceful: "No need to thank this old monk; it was the benefactor's own Heart-Nature that saved the benefactor."

"This old monk merely gave a push."

Chief Clerk Gu Qing lowered his head and did not speak.

The old monk did not say much more, his gaze looking toward the night scenery in the distance, saying indifferently: "After leaving here, Benefactor Gu shall follow this old monk to practice Buddhist Dharma until the Heart Demon is completely redeemed."

Chief Clerk Gu Qing was silent for a moment and nodded: "Yes."

He did not refuse, nor did he have the qualifications to refuse.

The Heart Demon had already been born; if not redeemed, it would sooner or later break out again.

When that time came, either he would die, or someone else would.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on the flat stone to his right.

In the swaddle, the infant was sleeping very soundly, his little mouth slightly open, completely unaware of everything happening around him. Chief Clerk Gu Qing looked at that wrinkled little face, his throat tightening, his voice somewhat astringent: "Great Master, is this child..."

The old monk nodded and did not say much.

Chief Clerk Gu Qing's lips trembled, wanting to say something, but his throat felt as if it were blocked by something, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

He reached out, wanting to touch the child's face, but his fingers stopped in mid-air, not falling for a long time.

Finally, he withdrew his hand, lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "It is I... who have wronged him."

"All phenomena in the world arise from the combination of Destiny."

"Sow such causes, reap such fruits; it follows like a shadow, like an echo follows a sound."

The old monk's voice was neither fast nor slow, "The suffering you endure today is the cause you sowed yesterday. The demon in your heart is what your obsession has transformed into; if the obsession is not extinguished, the Heart Demon will not vanish."

Chief Clerk Gu Qing's body trembled slightly.

"You wanted to mend your incomplete body; this in itself was not wrong."

"But you should not have exchanged another's life for your own peace."

The old monk's gaze fell on the infant in the swaddle, "This child's parents are both dead, drifting in the world, and it has an inseparable connection with you. If you wish to redeem the Heart Demon, you must first redeem this Karmic Obstruction."

Chief Clerk Gu Qing lowered his head, his hands gripping his knees tightly.

The old monk reached out and gently patted Chief Clerk Gu Qing's shoulder, his voice becoming much more peaceful: "Buddhism says: Lay down the butcher's knife, and one can become a Buddha instantly."

"It does not mean that once you lay it down, past sins are wiped clean."

"It means that only when you lay it down do you have the opportunity to repay. From now on, you will follow this old monk to cultivate, not to escape the Heart Demon, but to repay karmic debts—to repay this child's debt, and the debt to those who died because of you."

"This child, emerging as a mortal in the forest, shall henceforth be named Lin Fan, and will be your... Junior Brother..."

Chief Clerk Gu Qing knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the soil, his shoulders trembling violently, unable to stop weeping.

The bonfire crackled, sparks flying up and disappearing into the night sky.

After a long time, the old monk turned his head, his gaze crossing the wilderness, crossing mountains and rivers, looking toward the direction of Taiyue Mountain, which was pitch black, with nothing to be seen.

But he looked for a long time, his expression meaningful.

"Everything is Destiny, not a single point is up to 'man'..."

The old monk's voice was very soft, as if talking to himself, and as if speaking to someone.

Chief Clerk Gu Qing raised his head, looking in the direction of the old monk's gaze, seeing only darkness. He did not understand what the old monk was looking at, nor did he understand what that sentence meant, but he did not ask.

He just lowered his head, looked at the child again, and was silent for a very, very long time.