A Letter From Deep Space

Old Chen was beaten all night?!

When Wang Xuan heard this, for some reason, he didn't feel pity for him. Instead, he wanted to grin and laugh out loud.

Of course, to avoid provoking Old Chen, he pretended to rub his temples with both hands and then rubbed his face, afraid that Old Chen would see his ungenerous smile and beat him up.

Taking this opportunity, Wang Xuan released his suppressed laughter, then looked at Old Chen with a serious expression. There was no other way; Old Chen was too dangerous now, so he had to appear solemn.

"Old Chen, you have to understand that this world is balanced. When you gain something, you are also paying something. That's a terrifying fist technique that surpasses the Great Vajra Fist. It wasn't easily obtained," Wang Xuan sighed at the end to add to the dramatic effect.

Old Chen, who had always been shrewd and powerful himself, wasn't easily fooled. He immediately sneered, "Then what about you? Why weren't you beaten?"

Wang Xuan was also puzzled. He was indeed confused this time. Why didn't the same method work for Old Chen, and why did he get severely beaten by the Old Monk instead?

He actually wanted to say that it was probably a matter of character. Old Chen's character wasn't up to par, but he didn't dare to bring it up. He could only insist, "I also paid a price!"

Old Chen would have been less angry if he hadn't heard this. Hearing it made him furious, and he spoke coldly, "What did you pay? From the Female Daoist practitioner to the Ghost Monk, what you paid was me!"

Old Chen was full of resentment. He had pondered it carefully. Every time, he was the one who had to clean up the mess. He never received any of the anticipated benefits, only suffering for no reason.

"Old Chen, what are you talking about? Don't be so mushy," Wang Xuan naturally didn't admit it. He had to compare his suffering with Old Chen's to balance his psychology.

After a string of non-existent "blood and tears history," Wang Xuan added, "Besides, Old Chen, using your logic, you paid Qing Mu."

Old Chen's expression immediately turned hostile. "Are you reminding me that you paid for both of us, master and disciple?!"

In fact, Wang Xuan had also been wondering why Old Chen was beaten. Was this a karmic consequence, with the Old Monk retaliating against Old Chen indirectly?

"Old Chen, I can swear, I just hit him with a stick and got what I wanted! Don't worry, let's review this. Tell me about your experience, and we'll figure out a solution together."

"Do you really want to know the details of me being beaten?" Old Chen's killing intent was palpable. Things hadn't been going well for him lately, and he was quite agitated.

Although he really wanted to hear how he was beaten severely, for safety reasons, Wang Xuan naturally didn't admit it and immediately changed the subject, "By the way, which branch of Buddhism does Pufa Temple belong to?"

"Huh?!" Old Chen was stunned, then became serious. He realized the problem.

Wang Xuan had said it casually, wanting to explore the origin of this Thousand-Year Ancient Temple for more clues. After he finished speaking, he was stunned and figured some things out.

"Zen Buddhism!" they both said at the same time.

"The mind itself is Buddha!"

"Seeing one's nature is becoming Buddha!"

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch records: "Upon hearing the words, one suddenly awakens, instantly sees the true and original nature, and attains liberation in all phenomena."

"Old Chen, they are talking about sudden enlightenment, following one's true heart. Just like me, I acted according to my true heart at the time. Although it was a little disrespectful, I was... recognized. You, on the other hand, were full of scheming thoughts, coveting their scriptures, yet you insisted on pretending and hitting people on the head. If I were the Old Monk, I'd find you displeasing too. Wouldn't I beat you all night long!"

Old Chen looked up at the sky. At this moment, he just wanted to sigh and say nothing more.

Since Zen Buddhism was mentioned, he naturally understood the root of the problem completely and turned to leave.

"Old Chen, do you want me to teach you the remaining moves?" Wang Xuan was very enthusiastic, ready to see it through to the end.

"No need, I'm afraid your movements won't be standard!" Old Chen disdained, deciding to confront the Ghost Monk directly that night and completely extract the scriptures from him.

Old Chen was indeed formidable. That night, he obtained what he wanted and no longer suffered from insomnia. From that day on, he hid in a small courtyard outside the city, refusing visitors, and diligently practiced that fist technique.

Qing Mu and a few others went to the underground of the Greater Khingan Range and never returned. They hadn't been heard from for a long time.

Wang Xuan's life became quiet. Old Chen specially granted him a long leave. He had plenty of time every day to study the Old Arts.

He was also reading the Daoist Canon, not to unearth any inheritance from it, but to understand some coded language and specific terms, in order to further comprehend secret techniques from more ancient times.

During this period, he went home and had a long talk with his parents. He said that the company had noticed his excellent performance and was planning to send him to New Star for further studies. The quota and opportunity were rare, and he didn't want to miss it.

To his surprise, his parents were very supportive. There was no sadness or reluctance, rendering all the comforting words he had prepared useless.

He thought about it. In his memories from childhood to adulthood, his parents had always been like this. They were somewhat carefree and never experienced any sorrow or reluctance.

This also made him breathe a sigh of relief. If they had faced each other with tears and couldn't eat, he would likely have hesitated and wouldn't have set off for a long time.

Not long after, Qing Mu began to send messages, telling Wang Xuan that he had been tormented terribly and truly understood his master's suffering at night. He couldn't sleep every day and was struck by lightning!

He explained that he had been caught in the crossfire and suffered collateral damage.

The Female Daoist practitioner's methods of manipulating the present world were becoming increasingly astonishing. In the underground experimental field, she was carrying out large-scale "mental lightning" shocks targeting everyone.

Researchers from New Star initially didn't believe this, thinking it was caused by some super-material factor leading to hallucinations. They transported the most advanced instruments from New Star for identification and testing, recording, observing, and studying.

Moreover, neither Ms. Zheng, the founder of the Origin Research Institute, nor some people from Old Earth wanted the experiment to stop, placing great hope on the topic of extending lifespan.

Clearly, either the researchers at the institute would carry the experiment to the end, or the Female Daoist practitioner's methods of interfering with the present world would be further enhanced, causing Ms. Zheng from New Star and some people from Old Earth to personally "experience" it.

For a time, the matter fell into a stalemate.

Wang Xuan was not in a hurry. He slowly waited for Old Chen and Qing Mu. He diligently studied the Old Arts every day and practiced the Old Monk's fist technique.

After another week or so, he received several letters from afar.

The first was from Qin Cheng, delivered to Wang Xuan by a deep space trading team cooperating with his family.

"Old Wang, I've established myself here. Due to some coincidence, I have an opportunity to recommend you to someone. If successful, I can arrange for you to go to New Moon."

In the letter, Qin Cheng provided him with an address. It was a branch of a New Star company on Old Earth. He suggested Wang Xuan also try to contact them to increase the chances of success.

"Old Wang, there are good things on New Moon, several rare plants. They undergo mutation experiments and large-scale cultivation on New Moon. A certain number of dead plants are allowed to be written off daily. I am both pained and happy. Limited by my own strength, I cannot withstand that kind of potent medicine. Eating one plant every half a month is already the limit for my body."

Wang Xuan was moved. What kind of potent medicine was so powerful?

"A Guanghan Palace was actually built on New Moon. I was almost stunned when I arrived. It's advertised as the most luxurious resort in deep space, worth visiting, but with my net worth, I could only watch from afar with envy."

Besides mentioning key points, Qin Cheng also talked about many trivial matters.

"There's something strange on New Moon, a temple claiming to be two thousand years old, transported from Old Earth. Additionally, an ancestral court of Taoism has been restored here, with every brick and tile reportedly brought from its original site. I always feel there's some secret."

Upon reading this, Wang Xuan felt a stir of interest mixed with confusion.

Next were letters from Su Chan and Zhou Kun, informing Wang Xuan that due to some unforeseen circumstances, two of their classmates had already died.

They wrote with sadness, not mentioning the cause of death, but it was easy to imagine that behind all the beauty lay cruel sacrifices.

Wang Xuan sighed. In less than a month, two classmates had died one after another; it was truly unexpected.

He still remembered their last gathering on the eve of their departure. His classmates heading to New Star were full of high spirits, aspiring to achieve great things, their confident and youthful faces beaming. How could they have met with accidents so suddenly? What a pity!

He too was about to head to New Star. He silently reminded himself not to be careless.

Furthermore, he also received a personal letter from Zhao Qinghan, who also informed him of the classmates' deaths. Goddess Zhao also brought up the matter of cooperation once again.

Two days later, Qing Mu returned. The events beneath the Greater Khingan Range had finally come to a temporary conclusion. He didn't go into specifics.

Instead, he mentioned Wang Xuan's situation, his expression serious. "This is quite unexpected. Someone wants to keep you on Old Earth and prevent you from taking even a single step out."

Wang Xuan frowned. Some people's reach was truly too long, their influence pervasive. They actually wanted to completely block his path to New Star.

Old Chen, upon learning of Qing Mu's return, finally emerged from seclusion, his face ruddy. In his own words, the Divine Monk's fist techniques were profound and endless, and he had gained greatly, seeing a clear path forward.

Wang Xuan looked at him. This old colleague had been calling him a Ghost Monk not long ago, but now that he had benefited, he was immediately calling him a Divine Monk. In a while, he'd probably be calling him a Bodhisattva.

"To think they want to keep Little Wang on Old Earth, what a joke. Did they ask me?" Old Chen sneered.

Then he looked at Wang Xuan and said, "There are some disturbances about to happen. Haven't you always wanted to know how strong I am? Want to know what the New Arts are? You can come with me to witness it."

Upon hearing this, Qing Mu's expression changed immediately. "Master, you can't go! This is extremely dangerous. There's no need for a contest of pride. A moment's carelessness could lead to death."

"It's been many years since I last made a move. Coupled with the passing of some old friends, they truly believe the Old Arts are completely finished and are increasingly looking down on us. If this continues, fewer and fewer people will practice the Old Arts, and our foundation will completely collapse. Besides, that item has reappeared. I must go this time!"

Old Chen said solemnly, his demeanor different from usual. He finally looked at Wang Xuan and said, "Come with me and witness it."