On Treasures

By the waterfall in the back mountains of Mount Kunlun, the atmosphere had grown exceedingly tense. Medicine Master and the others were speaking at length. Buddhism's rudimentary form had now emerged, and its Great Dao theories were entirely different from those of the Daoist school. The disciples of Shangqing Peak had never heard such ideas before and had no way to refute them, their faces turning livid one after another.

Duobao sat cross-legged atop a bluestone, listening to Medicine Master and the others explain the Western path. Thoughts surfaced one after another in his mind, confirming his own path and even giving rise to waves of sudden enlightenment.

Holy Mother Wudang suddenly smiled and said, "Our Western friends have offered lofty insights. We have learned much. Yet excess is as bad as deficiency; let us set aside this discussion of the Dao for now and take some time to reflect, shall we?"

Ksitigarbha smiled and said, "Senior Sister is right."

His insight abruptly interrupted, Daoist Duobao unconsciously furrowed his brow and looked at Holy Mother Wudang with a trace of displeasure.

Holy Mother Wudang smiled and said, "The Dao is fundamental, but defending it also requires acts of slaughter. While we have some leisure, how about we discuss treasures?"

Medicine Master, Ksitigarbha, and the others exchanged glances, faint smiles in their eyes. They had already anticipated this before coming.

Ksitigarbha nodded with a smile. "All right! As Senior Sister says."

Shi Ji abruptly rose to her feet and stared darkly at Ksitigarbha. "I'll go first!"

With a wave of her hand, a white scarf appeared before her. She introduced it, saying, "The Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Scarf contains the treasures of Kan, Li, Zhen, and Dui, encompassing countless precious things. It can summon divine spirits from all eight directions of heaven and earth for protection. It ranks as a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure."

Ksitigarbha slowly stood and took out a pearl. Smiling, he said, "I have a pearl that can illuminate the heart and leave it without stain, but it is merely an ordinary item and does not qualify as innate. Junior Sister wins this round."

Shi Ji waved her hand and put away the Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Scarf, then sat back down proudly.

The big-eared young man stood up, looked at Medicine Master, and sneered. "I am Dingguang Immortal with Long Ears. Please enlighten me."

Medicine Master rose, cupped his hands in salute, and smiled. "Greetings, Junior Brother Dingguang Immortal with Long Ears."

Dingguang Immortal with Long Ears waved his hand, and an immortal sword appeared before him. "The Light Splitting Shadow Fixing Sword, a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure."

Medicine Master took out a medicine gourd and smiled. "The Glazed Medicine Gourd, an ordinary acquired object. Junior Brother wins."

Dingguang Immortal with Long Ears put away the Light Splitting Shadow Fixing Sword and returned to his seat.

Two more disciples presented treasures in succession. Sunlight and Moonlight respectively brought out an alms bowl and a string of pearls. The outcome was self-evident: both Sunlight and Moonlight lost.

All the disciples of Shangqing Peak smiled, their expressions relaxing as they continued watching the Western disciples.

Holy Mother Jinling asked softly in puzzlement, "Senior Sister, is the West really so poor? Don't they have even one Innate Spiritual Treasure?"

Holy Mother Wudang said calmly, "They are doing this on purpose."

Holy Mother Jinling asked in surprise, "On purpose? Why?"

Holy Mother Wudang shook her head. "I don't know. But they definitely came prepared."

"I'll test them." Holy Mother Jinling stood up, looked at Mahasthamaprapta, and said, "Senior Brother, if you please!"

Mahasthamaprapta rose with a peaceful smile. "Our Western realm is poor and humble. We have made Junior Sister laugh."

Holy Mother Jinling narrowed her eyes. "Whether you are poor and humble, I do not know. I have never been there. But the thoughts of you brothers are quite flourishing. Thinking too much is not good for cultivation."

Mahasthamaprapta nodded. "Junior Sister is right!"

He smiled and said, "People should be a little simpler. Only simplicity brings tranquility, and only tranquility brings ultimate bliss."

A whisk appeared in Holy Mother Jinling's hand. "This Heart-Cleansing Whisk was refined from a wisp of Qingfeng that I collected. A wisp of Qingfeng sweeps away all worldly dust. It can barely be considered an acquired spiritual treasure."

Mahasthamaprapta took out a withered wooden staff and said with a smile, "An ordinary wooden staff, with no special function. Junior Sister still wins."

"Then what about this?" The whisk in Holy Mother Jinling's hand shattered with a snap, turning into a wisp of Qingfeng that drifted away.

Mahasthamaprapta froze, then said helplessly, "Now I have a slight edge."

Holy Mother Jinling smiled. "I thought you would destroy your wooden staff as well."

Mahasthamaprapta lovingly stroked the wooden staff and said, "My master personally broke this staff from the Bodhi Tree and gave it to me for traveling and seeking the Dao. I would never dare damage it."

Daoist Duobao swept his gaze across Ksitigarbha and the others, a thought arising in his heart. The counterattack was coming.

Holy Mother Wudang also frowned slightly, a bad feeling rising within her.

Ksitigarbha stood with the pearl in hand and asked with a smile, "Junior Sister Shi Ji, may I ask where your Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Scarf came from?"

Shi Ji stood and replied, "Naturally, it was bestowed by Master."

Ksitigarbha continued smiling as he asked, "And where did Martial Uncle get it?"

"From the Treasure Distribution Cliff."

Ksitigarbha raised the pearl in his hand and said, "We of the West are poor and humble, without Innate Spiritual Treasures. This pearl was found by Master in the depths of the Western Sea, then personally polished and refined by him. Though its material is ordinary and it is not as precious as an Innate Spiritual Treasure, to me, such affection from my master is worth more than ten thousand Innate Spiritual Treasures."

Medicine Master slowly rose, cradling the medicine gourd in his hand. Smiling, he said, "To refine this medicine gourd, Master expended immense effort. He gathered primordial stardust beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and source water from the depths of a dark sea eye. It took thirty-three years to refine. Though it is not innate, it contains Master's earnest expectations. As his disciple, I would never dare let him down."

Dingguang Immortal with Long Ears sat cross-legged on the ground in silence. The Light Splitting Shadow Fixing Sword suddenly did not seem so impressive anymore.

Sunlight held up an alms bowl and said solemnly, "This alms bowl has a very simple name: the Golden Alms Bowl. Master personally refined it and personally engraved Great Dao scriptures within it."

Moonlight rose, holding a string of prayer beads, and said, "Every bead in this string was personally carved by Master. He painstakingly inscribed a divine ability on every single one, then gave them to me for protection."

Mahasthamaprapta looked around at the many disciples of Shangqing Peak and said, "Though our treasures may not be as valuable as those of you junior brothers and sisters, every one of them was personally made by our master. The profound affection contained within them cannot be measured in value."

Ksitigarbha and the others looked around. Every Shangqing disciple wore a grave expression. Innate Spiritual Treasures were certainly precious, but in terms of sentiment, they truly fell far short.

All the Shangqing disciples unconsciously looked toward Daoist Duobao. If anyone might possess a magical treasure personally made by Master, it would certainly be the direct-line Senior Disciple Brother.

Duobao remained composed and said, "One values the treasure itself, while the other values profound sentiment. They truly cannot be measured against each other. Let us leave it at that."

Mahasthamaprapta bowed and said with a smile, "Senior Brother is absolutely right."

Holy Mother Jinling abruptly sat down and muttered angrily, "Damn Western disciples!"

The other Shangqing disciples also looked grim. Though they said the matter was over and called it a draw, everyone knew they had still been suppressed. First came the discussion of the Dao, then the discussion of treasures; in both, they had been overshadowed by outsiders from the West. A suppressed fury burned in the hearts of the many disciples of Shangqing Peak.