Shangpin Pavilion

Su Huayu's words left Mizheng staring at her in astonishment. Mizheng had witnessed what had just transpired between her and Zhuge Xiang, yet she had actually offered to accompany him? Unsure of what to do, Mizheng turned to Zhuge Xiang and asked, "Benefactor Zhuge, what is your opinion?"

Setting down his wine glass, Zhuge Xiang seemed completely unconcerned, saying in a carefree and easy manner, "Since she's willing to come along, that's fine too. Having a woman isn't a bad thing. When I'm lonely, she can keep me company by playing sports, right?"

"You bastard, are you Hungry Ghost? Can't you have a little decency in your mouth?" Zhuge Xiang's words made Su Huayu's eyebrows furrow and she shouted in a delicate voice.

"Amitābha Buddha," Zhuge Xiang's words made Mizheng, who was standing beside him, lower his head and softly chant the Buddha's name, muttering, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form..."

"Hehe, you call me Hungry Ghost. If I don't do something, wouldn't that be a misnomer?" Zhuge Xiang leaned forward, his face less than an inch away from Su Huayu's, and said with a smile. As he spoke, he reached out and wrapped his arm around Su Huayu's slender waist.

Su Huayu, being at the Ninth Layer of Void Splitting Realm, slipped and escaped from Zhuge Xiang's clutches like an eel. She glared angrily at Zhuge Xiang, but dared not say anything more. Judging from Zhuge Xiang's appearance, he was capable of anything. If her words offended him again, who knew what terrible things he might do?

Mizheng, standing nearby, watched Zhuge Xiang and Su Huayu flirting and teasing each other, his head bowed and eyes closed, clearly unable to bear the sight. At this moment, Mizheng even felt a pang of regret. Had he misjudged them? Could such a lewd fellow, in broad daylight, truly be destined for Buddhism?

After a hearty meal, Zhuge Xiang prepared to set off to search for Situ Zhaixing's whereabouts. Mizheng nodded in agreement, but Su Huayu spoke up, "For Situ Zhaixing, all sorts of demons and monsters have come. A fight is inevitable. There's an Auction in the city tonight. Why don't we Auction now and see if there are any good items for sale that might enhance our fighting strength?"

"Alright, are there any shops selling Magic Artifact in Rakshasa City?" Nodding, Zhuge Xiang still had a large number of Magic Artifact to sell in his Storage Ring. Not to mention anything else, there were over a hundred Storage Artifact alone. All of these needed to be exchanged for Spirit Stone.

"Of course, there's a Shangpin Pavilion in the east of the city. It sells all kinds of Magic Artifact, Pill, and even Cultivation Technique and Secret Manual." Nodding, Su Huayu seemed very familiar with Rakshasa City. As she spoke, she looked Zhuge Xiang up and down and said, "I see you already have a full set of Magic Artifact. Do you still want to buy Magic Artifact?"

"No, I have some extra Magic Artifact that I need to sell," Zhuge Xiang said with a smile, shaking his head. He then asked Su Huayu to lead the way. Although she was puzzled, Su Huayu didn't say anything and led the way towards the Shangpin Pavilion in the east of the city.

"Benefactor Zhuge, you have a grudge against Su Huayu, and she is also quite willful and capricious. Aren't you worried about having her accompany us?" Mizheng asked Zhuge Xiang in a low voice as they walked behind. Clearly, Mizheng was still somewhat uncomfortable with a woman traveling with them.

"If it were someone else, they would naturally be hesitant, afraid that bringing her along would cause trouble. But I'm the complete opposite. I'm afraid of trouble coming my way. Besides, isn't it too tiring to worry about things that haven't happened yet?"

Shaking his head, Zhuge Xiang spoke carefree, showing no sign of worry. His unrestrained and forthright personality surprised Mizheng slightly. Although Zhuge Xiang's words sounded somewhat vulgar and barbaric, upon closer examination, they seemed to contain Buddhist principles.

"I think you're having a hard time being a monk, and you don't seem to have any real understanding. You might as well just return to secular life. A person should be carefree, relaxed, and at ease. Someone like you who doesn't touch wine or meat and keeps a respectful distance from beautiful women like the plague, if you can't find peace in your Buddhist practice, then what's the point of practicing Buddhism?" Zhuge Xiang turned his head and looked at Mizheng, speaking quite bluntly.

"Amitābha Buddha, I will remember what Benefactor Zhuge said," Mizheng said, bowing his head as if receiving instruction, but inwardly he was pondering his experience at Heavenly Dragon Temple.

Having been adopted and ordained as a monk by Heavenly Dragon Temple childhood, and growing up there under the influence of Buddhist Dharma, Mizheng displayed remarkable talent for cultivation. At the tender age of twenty-five or twenty-six, he reached the Second Layer of the Innate Realm. However, despite his excellent aptitude, the high monks in the temple said that his understanding of Buddhist nature was far from sufficient, and he often clung to the superficial aspects of the precepts. Taking advantage of the incident involving Situ Zhaixing, the temple allowed him to descend the mountain and experience the ways of the world.

Having been bound by the Buddhist Sect precepts since childhood, Mizheng has now become accustomed to these precepts and does not feel uncomfortable. However, watching Zhuge Xiang eat meat and drink wine heartily while teasing Su Huayu, Mizheng secretly envied him. Perhaps this is true freedom? But no matter what he does, he can never do it.

Looking at Mizheng's appearance, Zhuge Xiang asked, "I ask you, have you followed the Buddhist Sect precepts of abstaining from alcohol, meat, and Jie Se? Have you ever tasted alcohol and meat? Have you ever tasted beauty?"

"Wine, meat, and lust are major taboos in the Buddhist Sect, and naturally I would never dare to transgress them," Mizheng said hurriedly, bowing his head. He showed a respectful but distant attitude towards these precepts.

"Since you've never tried it, why do you want to give it up?" Zhuge Xiang continued to ask.

"Wine can make people lose their senses, lust can make people addicted, and both wine and meat are poisons that burn through the intestines and will disturb my Buddhist mind," Mizheng replied quickly without thinking.

"Who said this? Did you say it yourself? Or is it mentioned in the Buddhist Sect precepts?" Zhuge Xiang smiled casually. This question left Mizheng speechless, and indeed, he seemed to be moved.

Listening to the conversation between Zhuge Xiang and Mizheng behind her, Su Huayu secretly curled her lip. Mizheng seemed to be coming down the mountain for the first time. Although his cultivation was not low, his temperament was like a blank sheet of paper. Zhuge Xiang's behavior clearly showed that he wanted to corrupt him, taking him to drink, eat meat, and play with women. A perfectly good Buddhist Sect disciple was about to be corrupted by him. She really didn't know what kind of eyes Mizheng had, actually saying that he was kind-hearted and had Buddhist nature?

Although he hadn't yet grasped the essence, Mizheng felt he was subtly gaining something, waiting only for him to slowly comprehend it. He hurriedly bowed deeply to Zhuge Xiang, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Benefactor Zhuge. You are truly a Buddhist Sect genius; it's a real pity you haven't entered my Empty Gate."

Pfft.

Mizheng's words made Su Huayu, who was in front of him, burst out laughing. Now look what happened! You tried to lead those Buddhist Sect disciples astray, but instead, they think you have Buddhist nature and want you to become an Empty Gate.

"Haha, you're joking. I've loved wine, meat, and women all my life, and I'm so addicted to them that I can't extricate myself. You want me to become Empty Gate? You'd rather suffocate me," Zhuge Xiang replied decisively, shaking his head.

"That's a real pity," Mizheng said, shaking his head with a regretful expression.

As they spoke, Zhuge Xiang and his companions arrived at the Shangpin Pavilion that Su Huayu had mentioned. The Shangpin Pavilion in the east of the city was indeed quite large, a solitary Third Layer building with soaring eaves and uniform glazed tiles. A plaque hung above it, bearing three large, elegant characters: Shangpin Pavilion!

Upon entering, a servant greeted her. Seeing Su Huayu, the servant was startled, but his smile widened as he asked, "Miss Su, I wonder if you've come to the Shangpin Pavilion to purchase any magical Magic Artifact or Pill?"

"Oh? Looks like you're a regular here," Zhuge Xiang said to Su Huayu, turning his head after hearing the waiter's words.

"Of course, in the entire Rakshasa City, who doesn't know that Miss Su is the City Lord's only daughter? She is also the Young City Lord of our Rakshasa City, and this Shangpin Pavilion is even an asset of the Asura Sect," the servant of the Shangpin Pavilion replied, his words filled with pride.

"So that's how it is. I was wondering who you were, acting so arrogantly in Rakshasa City," Zhuge Xiang said with a smile after hearing the servant's words, finally understanding Su Huayu's identity.

Yanling Commandery is a territory controlled by the Asura Sect, consisting of over a hundred cities. The City Lord are actually Inner Sect Disciple of the Asura Sect.

Cultivator focus on cultivation. Those Deity Transformation Stage disciples are unwilling to waste time and energy on trivial matters. As for those who have given up and have no hope of reaching the Deity Transformation stage, those with both strength and talent are selected to serve as City Lord and manage these territories for the Sect.

City Lord, though holding high positions and wielding great power, are figures that ordinary people can only look up to. However, from the perspective of Cultivator, they are failures on the path of cultivation, burdened by trivial matters. How can they possibly make any progress? They are people who have already given up on continuing their cultivation.

Zhuge Xiang's words surprised the servant beside him, who looked at him in astonishment, not understanding his identity and how he dared to speak to Su Huayu like that. Su Huayu's arrogance and rudeness were well-known throughout Rakshasa City.

"Hmph, I have status, strength, and background, so what's so strange about my arrogance? On the contrary, you're only at the Third Layer of Void Splitting Realm, with no status or background. It's your arrogance that's strange," Su Huayu replied, raising her head slightly in a smug manner.

"Excuse me, does your Shangpin Pavilion buy or sell Magic Artifact besides selling Magic Artifact?" Seeing that Zhuge Xiang and Su Huayu were about to cause trouble again, or perhaps because he had an instinctive aversion to the Asura Sect Disciples and did not want to linger, Mizheng asked the servant, wanting Zhuge Xiang to complete the transaction quickly and leave.

"Of course, but the Magic Artifact we at the Shangpin Pavilion purchase are limited to Five-Star quality or higher. Of course, Magic Artifact with special effects can be considered on a case-by-case basis," the Shangpin Pavilion servant replied with a nod, then asked, "May I ask what grade of Magic Artifact you are selling, sir? Could you have our Appraisal it?"

"It is I who want to sell Magic Artifact, all of them are Seven-star magic tool," Zhuge Xiang said, taking over the conversation.

"All of them? I wonder how many items you wish to sell, young master?" The servant asked, clearly understanding the meaning behind Zhuge Xiang's words.

"More than two hundred items." (To be continued...)