Obsession

Upon reaching the fifth level, all the strange phenomena disappeared.

Here, it truly became an ordinary wooden building, devoid of those things that made Li Qi ashamed.

However, this wooden building was decorated extremely luxuriously, with gold and jade on all four sides, sandalwood as a canopy, sesame grass on the walls, fungus-shaped coffered ceiling, flower buds hanging from the top, and many clay sculptures placed below.

Clay sculptures of canopies, pipa (a type of Chinese lute), vajra (a type of pestle), nine-ringed staff, flowing cloud support, multi-treasure vase, pagoda bell, lotus petals, Bamba vase, dragon-patterned pearl plate, treasure banner, square flag, Habari drum, and kapala bowl.

None of them are genuine; they are all fakes made by sculpting clay, coloring it, and then baking it.

Beneath the numerous clay sculptures is a Buddha seat, inside which are arranged a shrine, a throne, and a bed.

Inside the shrine is a Buddha Statue, less than a foot in size, very small.

However, although small, it used a great many fine materials. The materials that Li Qi could see included guar gum, blue powder, alum, ochre, cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, gamboge, rouge, red gold, and gold.

All these materials were ground into powder, made into a paste, and applied to the skin of the Buddha Statue to make it lifelike, just like True Person, and the skin looked as if it could really have a soft touch.

The headband, floral crown, earrings, bracelets, and tassels on the Buddha Statue are all exquisitely crafted, appearing as if they were real.

Around the shrine are painted colorful murals, all in gold lacquer. The main subjects of the murals are lions roaring, elephants, divine horses, divine mules, divine oxen, foreign figures, arhats, bodhisattvas, and monks.

The painting depicts a harmonious coexistence of all living beings, with the monk at the center. All things are in harmony, situated amidst mountains, rivers, trees, bridges, colorful clouds, and landscapes.

The numerous mythical beasts extend outwards from the edges, revealing tigers, leopards, bears, dogs, sheep, wolves, cranes, orioles, and parrots, gradually spreading outwards until the mural ends.

The entire shrine is six feet wide, two feet deep, and three feet high. There are two people in front of the shrine.

A man sat cross-legged with an open scripture in front of him. He closed his eyes, his expression one of rapture, and golden light emanated from his body.

This person was wearing official robes and seemed to have sat down here without even having time to change.

The other person stood, dressed in white with cloud patterns, exuding elegance, holding a scripture in his hand and carefully reading something.

The man standing there was extremely handsome, making Li Qi pale in comparison. His white robes accentuated his unparalleled elegance. However, judging from the style, it was not at all like the clothing of the Hundred Forests Kingdom, or even Baiyue.

The pendants, cloud patterns, and design on her body were all styles that Li Qi had never seen before.

It is indeed very beautiful.

In addition, the fact that this person is handsome makes one feel as if Qingfeng breeze is blowing on their face.

Compared to the middle-aged man in official robes who was completely absorbed in his book and almost lost in a dream, unaware of Li Qi's arrival, this young and elegant gentleman immediately put away his book upon seeing Li Qi.

"Ah, someone actually managed to get through the bottom four levels. That's interesting. Who are you?" The elegant young man put the book away and placed it on the altar in front of the Buddhist shrine before walking towards Li Qi.

As soon as he walked over, Li Qi felt a strong sense of oppression.

It's like...

What is it?

Li Qi couldn't describe it.

But he felt restrained; he was subconsciously restrained when facing this person.

It's like when a normal person is alone, they feel very comfortable and might even become unkempt.

However, if he speaks at an important meeting, unless he is a very strong-willed person, he will most likely be a little reserved and pay attention to his demeanor and speech.

That's the feeling.

He felt himself subconsciously straighten his back and raise his head and chest.

This feeling was unpleasant, which caused Li Qi's expression to change. He channeled his Martial Dao Inner Qi, forcibly broke free, and tore his hair and collar into disarray.

His hair, which was originally tied up, was now loose and disheveled. As a result, he exuded more "chaos" than "order," and the sense of restraint vanished instantly.

Despite breaking free from these constraints, Li Qi remained wary.

"And who are you?" Li Qi subtly took two steps back, cautiously staring at the other party.

"My name is Wang Baiyan. I'm sorry, I startled you. I was just a little surprised to see someone pass through the four floors below," the elegant young man said.

The young man in white, who called himself Wang Baiyan, stood in front of Li Qi with a curious expression. "Then the four floors downstairs, the Arhat Hall is to see if your mind is pure, the Bodhisattva Hall is to see if you have karma, the Three Buddhas Hall is to test your mind and patience, and only the scripture area is truly unprotected, but it can still be considered a test of composure."

He kept scrutinizing Li Qi: "The fact that you have come all this way without any unusual phenomena shows that you have no resentment or impure thoughts in your heart, that there is no cause and effect between your past and future lives, that your mental strength and endurance can withstand the illumination of the Buddha's light, and that you are not greedy for scriptures. To be able to do so many things, you must be a born Buddha Child or an outstanding person. Judging from your appearance, you do not look like someone in a high position. You have calluses on your hands, and although your clothes are clean, your spine is a bit crooked. You must have practiced martial arts and done heavy physical labor. You do not look like someone with delicate skin."

"I guess you must have been of humble status before, and then seized the opportunity to rise up with your talent, but your cultivation hasn't improved much yet. So you are both an outstanding person and Buddha Child. Brother, you have great potential," Wang Baiyan said to Li Qi with admiration.

Li Qi was embarrassed, but he had important business to attend to, so he didn't reply. Instead, he asked Wang Baiyan, "You're joking, sir. I'm here on a mission and don't have time for jokes. May I ask if this gentleman over here is the Sima of Guangyang?"

As he asked, he pointed to the middle-aged man who was engrossed in Buddhist Scriptures.

But Li Qi did not let his guard down; he kept an eye on the man.

This person seems to be a ninth-rank official as well?

But I've never seen what Dao Path they're practicing. They don't seem to be martial artists, nor do they have the aura of Shaman, and they certainly don't seem to be Daoists.

But that feeling of restraint felt very familiar to Li Qi.

Fortunately, the other party was only a ninth-rank official, so this restraint could not truly suppress him.

"That's right, he is the Sima of Guangyang. However, he is now immersed in Buddhism and has no interest in worldly affairs. You probably can't wake him up now," Wang Baiyan said to Li Qi.

"Can't wake him up?" Li Qi's expression darkened, then he ignored Wang Baiyan and walked straight to the Guangyang Horse-Face, nudging him.

But even with a gentle push, the other person remained seated cross-legged, his expression infatuated, ignoring Li Qi.

Seeing this, Li Qi used all his strength and pushed hard.

However, this time, the protective golden light around him emitted a repulsive force, which neutralized Li Qi's pushing force, preventing him from moving forward at all.

Li Qi took a deep breath, channeled the Carp Flowing Intent, swung his fist, and unleashed a force of tens of thousands of pounds, slamming down with a punch!

But then, the golden light burst forth, and Li Qi, caught off guard, was pushed away by the light, staggering back more than ten steps until he reached the edge of the wooden tower before finally stopping.

"See, I told you, you probably can't wake me up," Wang Baiyan said, watching from the side.

"How could this be? Golden light protecting him, this is not a normal thing." Li Qi was not injured. He fell from the wall with a solemn expression.

Oh no, what's going on?

If someone is surrounded by golden light while reading scriptures, it means that they have set it up themselves. This usually means that they have just entered an important stage of cultivation, so they set up a protective layer to prevent others from disturbing them.

In other words, it was Guangyang Sima himself who voluntarily chose not to be disturbed and actively shielded himself from the outside world.

"What's the urgent matter?" Wang Baiyan asked curiously.

But Li Qi didn't have time to pay attention to him. Could this person possibly sign on behalf of the Guangyang Sima?

So Li Qi simply stood up and said, "The military situation is urgent, please forgive me for not being able to tell you the truth. Farewell."

After he finished speaking, he immediately set off and went downstairs without stopping.

He was going to find the Chanzhi.

This place, Tianning Temple, is his territory, so naturally he should consult the Chanzhi about this matter. If even the Chanzhi can't handle it, then he'll probably have to return to the city immediately and seek a decision from the prefect of Guangyang.

As Li Qi ran down the pagoda, he felt it was all absurd.

Absurd, utterly absurd!

This prefectural magistrate, instead of doing his job, has come here to study Buddhism, and he even seems to be making a lot of progress.

If you really want to specialize in this, then why don't you quit your job?

He's just occupying a position without doing anything; perhaps the chaos on the front lines is partly his fault.

Neglecting one's duties in such an important position is tantamount to disregarding human life.

Li Qi ran down the road and saw the Chanzhi sweeping the floor.

He stepped forward and said to Chanzhi, "Master Chanzhi Master, the magistrate of Guangyang is so absorbed in Buddhism that he ignores worldly affairs. Could you please help me awaken him? I have important military intelligence concerning tens of thousands of people whose lives are at stake. I have heard that you are a kind and good person and that you would save even one person. Surely you would not stand idly by and watch tens of thousands of lives perish?"

Upon hearing this, Chanzhi raised his head and said, "Benefactor, may I ask you about the matter you mentioned? If I do not know the details, I am afraid I will find it difficult to judge whether I should help you."

Li Qi considered for a moment, then said, "There is a demon attack at the town gate, and the people need to be evacuated urgently. Hundreds of thousands of people need to move out, but the military food is insufficient. We need to get food from Guangyang City, but all the food and pay must be approved by Lord Sima. He is currently engaged in cultivation, but the military situation is urgent. I hope you can help me, Master."

As Li Qi spoke, he kept glancing at Chanzhi. To be honest, he didn't really trust this monk.

Unexpectedly, Chanzhi actually agreed with Li Qi's words.

After hearing Li Qi finish speaking, he said urgently, "I see. It is indeed an urgent matter. This humble monk will go and help you wake him up."

Then, he quickly led Li Qi upstairs.

Once upstairs, he quickly went up to Sima Qian and nudged him, saying, "Benefactor Qian, benefactor Qian, wake up quickly, wake up quickly."

Guangyang Sima's golden light burst forth again, but this time it was directly broken by Chanzhi, who then shoved him.

"Who is it?!" Guangyang Sima roared in fury and stood up abruptly.

Li Qi and Wang Baiyan's expressions changed, and they both closed their eyes and fled towards the door.

The rage of a seventh-rank expert was something these two ninth-rank experts weren't even qualified to look at; they should be careful not to tremble with fear if they took another glance.

He won't die, but his cultivation will definitely be severely damaged.

But before they could run away, they saw the Chanzhi put his hands together and softly chant a Buddhist mantra.

Amidst the Buddhist chants, golden light materialized beneath his feet.

There are many wondrous flowers, golden in color, like spinning fire wheels, radiating Great Radiance, which transform into countless banners and canopies of precious gems.

Then there is a lotus, with twelve perfectly round petals, playing the Dharma sound, its sound subtle, expounding the perfections of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, and emanating a subtle golden light. Each petal of the lotus is of a hundred precious colors, with eighty-four thousand veins, like a celestial painting, each vein emitting eighty-four thousand rays, clearly visible to all.

There were also musical instruments, suspended in the air like celestial banners, which sounded without being struck. Among these sounds, all spoke of reciting the Buddha's name, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

The illusion flashed by, and then Guangyang Sima's anger vanished, his mind cleared, and he looked ashamed. "I lost my composure, Master. What do you need me for?"

"Good man, this is not the fault of sentient beings, but the fault of afflictions. The wise have seen this well and do not hate sentient beings. I have no reason to blame you. But you are always angry, and your heart is filled with defilement, which obscures the pure mind that leads to sainthood and prevents you from seeing everything clearly." Chanzhi put his hands together and said this to Sima Guangyang.

"Qian Bin has learned a lot, but I wonder what Master meant by awakening me?" Guangyang Sima asked calmly.

Seeing this, Chanzhi turned around and looked at Li Qi and the others who had just taken cover. "Benefactor Qian has been awakened. Please tell me the situation quickly. This humble monk will excuse himself for now."

After speaking, Chanzhi Zhi prepared to leave the fifth level.

Li Qi quickly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you for your help, Master, and thank you for your protection."

"Thank you for your protection." Wang Baiyan nodded in thanks.

If Chanzhi hadn't intervened to stop their anger, something bad would definitely have happened to them here.

"No need. Does Benefactor Wang wish to come down with this humble monk? After all, it seems that Benefactor Qian and this Benefactor Li have important matters to discuss," said Chanzhi Zhi.

"Alright, then I'll go down with the master."

Li Qi, however, took a deep breath after hearing those words.

He didn't tell Chanzhi his name.

How did Chanzhi know this? And why did he casually call it out?

He didn't point this out, but watched the other person leave, then closed the door, walked up to the Horse-Face of Guangyang, and said under the other person's questioning gaze, "Sima, urgent military intelligence!"

After he finished speaking, without waiting for the Guangyang Sima's reply, he recounted the whole story of the White Rhinoceros Army and the relocation of more than 100,000 people.

Then, he took out the token and military flag, as well as a pre-written official document, "Please sign and seal this document, Lord Sima, so that I may collect the provisions."

"Is this all you're doing to disturb my meditation? This is utterly ridiculous! From now on, go to Situ for these kinds of things, don't bother me!" Guangyang Sima seemed very angry, but he barely suppressed his anger. With a flourish of his brush, he stamped the mark, then waved for Li Qi to leave, while he picked up the Buddhist Scriptures again.

Seeing this, Li Qi sighed, but didn't say anything more.

He went straight downstairs and bid farewell to Chanzhi.

Wang Baiyan seemed to want to talk to him, but Li Qi didn't have the time. He gave a brief, perfunctory reply, then quickly went down the mountain, mounted his Old Ma, and headed towards the military granary.