Even the Buddhist Sect Must Have a Conscience

"Little Wen, hurry it up! Too slow, too slow, still too slow!"

The clanging of cold weapons rose and fell across the Life-and-Death Trial Ground. Ye Kong wielded the White Jade Dragon Pattern Zen Staff in an impenetrable blur, his bearing imposing.

Wen Qingxuan gripped the Golden Phoenix Feather Battle Spear tightly, unleashing a rain of spear thrusts at Ye Kong's vital points. Yet every strike vanished like a mud ox entering the sea—its force redirected, its momentum cut short—while she herself was occasionally spun through the air several times.

Most infuriatingly, her bargain-bin teacher, Ye Kong, looked utterly at ease during their sparring, and from time to time, he even tossed out a few comments as though her attacks were no different from a gentle breeze brushing his face.

What Lay Disciple? He was plainly a shameless scoundrel. Which blind old monk from Great Spiritual Mountain had taken a liking to such a disgrace to the Buddhist Sect?!

"The greatest taboo in battle is being distracted, Little Wen. It seems you still haven't taken your master's words to heart. Take this!"

With his sharp eyes, Ye Kong quickly noticed the slight unfocused look in Wen Qingxuan's gaze. Seeing that this temporary disciple dared to lose focus in battle, he decisively put a little more strength into his swing and sent her, spear and all, flying with his Monk's Staff.

After being suddenly blasted away, Wen Qingxuan's expression changed from shock to terror to blazing fury in the span of a single breath. She finally crashed onto a large boulder, scattering fragments of stone everywhere.

Seeing the sudden turn of events, Xiuling hurried forward and moved aside the rubble to find Wen Qingxuan.

Jinjiu Master smacked his lips, walked over to Ye Kong, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"No wonder the Mountain Lord told me you had inherited his true teachings. Looks like you really have grasped the essence of Great Spiritual Mountain's ascetic cultivation style—get beaten first, eat afterward."

"Of course. Although this Little Wen paid for knowledge, I'm an honest man. She absolutely can't miss out on the proper training."

Ye Kong took a small bottle from his Storage Pouch and tossed it to Wen Qingxuan, who was barely standing with Xiuling's support.

"This is an Elixir your master picked up back then in the alchemy room at Great Spiritual Mountain. It's best suited for little rookies at the Spirit Soul Realm, and it has all kinds of wonderful effects.

"Since you've temporarily taken me as your master, I naturally can't be stingy. It's all yours."

"Then this disciple truly must thank you, Master. I will repay today's kindness a hundredfold in the future!"

Unable to stand steadily, Wen Qingxuan felt as though her internal organs were burning. She gritted her teeth as she spoke.

She silently cursed herself for having water in her brain earlier, letting herself be talked into signing that agreement—and even writing an IOU to borrow money from him.

"You're welcome, you're welcome! Those of us in this line of work value honesty. When others offer incense, they spend money to buy comfort. You spend money to buy service. Your master has always despised those who take money and do nothing, so naturally I won't cheat you. Amitabha."

Ye Kong openly spoke such "blasphemous" words with a calm expression, making Wen Qingxuan's body turn cold and her hairs stand on end.

Is this really something I can get involved with?

Which blind old monk took a liking to such a blasphemous Buddhist Disciple as you?! Aren't you afraid those old fossils will beat you to death?

Wen Qingxuan had heard from her elders that Buddhist Sect forces placed immense importance on whether their disciples sincerely believed in the Buddha. When dealing with disgraces to the Buddhist Sect who did not believe in the Buddha, their methods were exceptionally ruthless.

And Ye Kong's few words had practically stripped the Buddha's golden body bare. Anyone with malicious intent could easily accuse him of disrespecting the Buddha and deceiving Heaven while betraying his ancestors.

By comparison, wouldn't that be like Wen Qingxuan personally smashing her own family's ancestral tombstones?

Fortunately, her family history was not particularly long. The current family head was only the first-generation head and likely would not be buried for several thousand or even ten thousand years. Even if she went mad, she would not have the chance.

Seeing Wen Qingxuan remain silent, Ye Kong said indifferently, "Take your Elixir properly. Those old monks won't do anything to me just because I spoke a few truths. Don't waste your thoughts worrying about things that aren't your concern.

"Throughout history, there have been plenty of disgraces to the Buddhist Sect who used the Buddha's name to oppress living beings. Every last one of them deserves to die. What is there to avoid mentioning?"

In your current state, even if you were truly convicted, you probably wouldn't be wronged. The fact that you aren't afraid of such things means your backing is genuinely powerful!

Still, that's good. It's not scary if he can cause trouble—what's scary is if he can't handle it afterward. This bargain master really does seem extraordinarily valuable. Could he be the personal disciple of one of the heads of Great Spiritual Mountain's Five Great Academies?

As for the Mountain Lord, it was not that Wen Qingxuan dared not imagine it. Rather, that man had only accepted one disciple over all these years, and that outstanding disciple was himself the descendant of a peerless expert from the Divine Beast Race.

The matter had caused quite a stir at the time. One look was enough to tell that the Mountain Lord was a leader who had devoted himself to the mountain—tall, firm, and unyielding.

Quite a few people had even lamented that monasteries were troublesome. They could not form marriage alliances and build connections with other factions, leaving the Mountain Lord no choice but to personally step in and accept disciples through his craft.

As for the Jialan Temple Ye Kong came from... although it was commonly grouped with many other temples as a "Lesser Spirit Temple," it did not seem important enough to warrant the Mountain Lord's personal involvement.

Suppressing her guesses, Wen Qingxuan unscrewed the cap, glanced inside, and poured a Gold-Striped Pill into her mouth.

The Elixir melted upon entering her mouth, turning into streams of scorching heat that surged through her body. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Wen Qingxuan seemed to hear a Phoenix Cry brush past her ears.

After hearing the faint Phoenix Cry, Jinjiu Master, standing some distance away, perked up his ears. His large head rubbed against Ye Kong's shoulder as he lowered his voice and asked, "Little Kong, don't tell me what you gave her was the Phoenix Plume Golden Pill you and that big monkey stole from the alchemy room? Why do I hear a phoenix crying?"

"Probably. When Eldest Senior Brother first took me sneaking into the alchemy room, he casually stuffed a whole handful of Elixirs into my hands. This was among them. He even told me that if I couldn't finish them, I should find a chance to go down the mountain and sell them for some pocket money."

"After eating it, one gains a trace of the pressure of a Divine Beast from the Phoenix Clan, and it is also greatly beneficial to the physical body. It is most suitable for Spirit Soul Realm geniuses to lay their foundation, and its medicinal effects can last all the way to the Venerate Realm. One pill is worth roughly a hundred drops of Supreme Spirit Liquid.

"She wrote an IOU for ten thousand drops of Supreme Spirit Liquid, so giving her one is appropriate enough."

"That's true. But Little Kong, you really are amazing. You actually managed to trick her into writing you an IOU to borrow money, then used it to buy the Training Agreement you gave her."

Jinjiu Master's face was filled with admiration. Ye Kong's move was truly ruthless. Wen Qingxuan clearly owed Ye Kong money, yet she still had to thank him.

Ye Kong was not smug. He took out a sheet of white paper with the words "IOU" written on it, flicked it, and said, "If I didn't even have the ability to trick idiots into donating money, then my years as a novice monk down the mountain would have been wasted.

"Heh, those people really opened my eyes back then. We had a relationship where we bared our hearts to each other. I wonder if they still think about me now."

Recalling things he usually did not wish to remember, Ye Kong smiled meaningfully and continued, "Although the Buddhist Sect is a place apart from the mortal world, it still needs to have a conscience. I love money, but I earn it by proper means. In business, one must be fair to both the old and the young."

"Exactly. After all, our boss can't afford to lose face like that."

Jinjiu Master deeply agreed and began considering whether he should one day pay a visit to the Golden Lion Tribe to make some gains.

He had heard that his distant relatives were all physically strong and simple-minded. Getting some Divine Beast Essence Blood from them should not be difficult, right?

The Mountain Lord had told him that the Golden Lion Tribe still had two ancient, undying Heavenly Sovereign lion elders. Perhaps he could go acknowledge his ancestors and return to the clan, call them grandfathers, and then ask them to shed a little blood?

The boss had said that Jinjiu Master had the potential to become a Golden Nine-Headed Lion. Such a small request was not excessive, was it?

Thanks to Dreamseeker for the recommendation vote. Thank you, thank you.