In the early morning, the rising sun ascended, and the fiery morning glow dyed half the sky red.
Bai He spread the silver-white Undying Sky Wings behind him, which seemed as though they were sculpted from crystal, and flew rapidly toward a picturesque mountain range below.
Looking down from the sky, a lush primeval forest suddenly came into view. Two wooden cabins stood quietly amidst the thriving forest.
Descending slowly from the sky, Bai He walked up to the door of the wooden cabin closest to him.
Just as he prepared to knock, the wooden door in front of him opened.
Appearing before Bai He was a young monk dressed in white monastic robes.
"Excuse me, are you Master Yi Zhen?"
Before the white-robed monk in front of him could speak, Bai He asked the question first.
"Oh! I am indeed Yi Zhen! May I ask who you are..."
The white-robed monk was slightly dazed as he looked at the conspicuous silver-white dragon horns atop Bai He's head, but he quickly recovered and answered Bai He with a faint smile.
Just as in the original work, the Monk Yi Zhen before him neither chanted Buddhist titles nor addressed others as patrons or poor monk, but instead referred to himself simply as "I" just like an ordinary person.
Yet in his speech and manner, he naturally carried a transcendent and refined temperament, effortlessly exuding a faint Zen intent that made him look like an enlightened eminent monk with an extraordinary bearing!
"Greetings, Master Yi Zhen! My name is Bai He. You might know my master, Master; his name is Xiao Chen. I accidentally lost contact with my master, and last night I heard from Land that you wanted to help my master and Yan Qingcheng resolve their grievances. I have already helped resolve that, and I came here hoping you could tell me some news about my master. Thank you!"
Bai He brought his hands together to bow to the Monk Yi Zhen, then spoke slowly.
"Oh! So you are that disciple Brother Xiao mentioned! Brother Xiao had also entrusted me to help look for you, and now I can finally live up to Brother Xiao's great expectations!"
Hearing Bai He's words, the Monk Yi Zhen came to a sudden realization, put his hands together, and revealed a faint smile.
"Although you are Brother Xiao's disciple, between the two of us we will address each other as equals. You don't need to call me Master Yi Zhen anymore, just call me Yi Zhen directly. As for me, I'll call you Bai He!"
The Monk Yi Zhen chuckled, speaking with considerable detachment.
"That's right! Bai He, would you like to enjoy a vegetarian meal here with me?"
The Monk Yi Zhen made a gesture inviting Bai He to enter.
"Uh... Yi Zhen?! Then I shall accept without courtesy!"
Looking at the enthusiastic Monk Yi Zhen before him and thinking it over, Bai He still brought his hands together to bow to the Monk Yi Zhen and accepted his invitation.
"Come, Bai He, please!"
"Is this really a vegetarian meal?"
Looking at the sumptuous all-meat feast before him, Bai He felt rather speechless in his heart.
Although he had long known that the two monks in front of him were not conventional, rule-abiding ordinary monks, but rather accomplished monks unfettered by material things.
Yet watching two monks with such ethereal and worldly temperaments eating meat with large bites right in front of him, Bai He still felt that something was inexplicably strange deep inside.
"Bai He, eat! Don't stand on ceremony, eat more!"
Seeing that Bai He had not yet started, the Monk Yi Zhen enthusiastically urged him to eat.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting so long, Bai He! You have only my senior brother to blame, it took him such a long time just to catch some fish."
Hearing the Monk Yi Zhen's grumbling, the Monk Yi Chi, who was currently eating fish with large mouthfuls, grew displeased.
"Junior brother, you can't say it like that. Look, the fish we are eating is the Seven-Colored Spirit Fish that I specially ran a long way to catch! This is top-tier ingredients, how can it be compared to ordinary fish that can be caught anywhere? Isn't it normal to spend a little extra time on it? Don't you agree, Bai He?"
The Monk Yi Chi pointed at the fish he was eating and said to Bai He.
Bai He turned his head to look, and saw that the fish meat was extremely delicate, looking snow-white and smooth. The soft, bouncy flesh emitted waves of lingering fragrance, and the exposed fish bones seemed as warm and lustrous as jade, flashing with a faint sheen. Just the look of it made one's appetite soar.
"Uh... This fish really is quite pretty! Haha!"
Looking at the exquisitely crafted grilled fish held in the Monk Yi Chi's hand, Bai He scratched his head, feeling somewhat at a loss for words, so he could only let out an awkward laugh.
He truly had not expected that the Monk Yi Chi was actually a gourmet who demanded absolute perfection in food and meticulous preparation!
After finishing this sumptuous, uh..."vegetarian" meal.
The Monk Yi Zhen prepared to take Bai He to look for Xiao Chen.
Waving goodbye to the Monk Yi Chi, the Monk Yi Zhen led Bai He away from the place.
Turning to plunge into the forest, the two leaped up from the ground, rapidly stepping across tree branches and speeding through the lush dense forest.
Passing through patches of sea of forests and scaling ridge after ridge of the mountain range, a valley gradually appeared before the two of them.
Stepping across the treetops of towering ancient trees, Bai He raised his head to look into the distance. Tall stone pillars stood closely together, forming a vast stone forest. Looking at it from afar, his heart couldn't help but feel a sense of magnificent grandeur.
The two flew into the valley. The scenery here was picturesque, and the surroundings were very quiet. There were no roars of beasts, only the melodious and charming chirping of birds, and everywhere grew clusters of beautiful flowers and plants that emitted wave after wave of fragrant aroma.
Hoo~
Bai He breathed deeply, feeling the alluring fragrance of flowers and plants drifting from the surroundings. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel somewhat intoxicated. Although Dragon Island was fraught with danger, it also possessed many magnificent and fantastical landscapes he had never seen before.
It made him inevitably intoxicated and captivated; such sights were almost impossible to ever appear in the modern world!
Yet this feeling did not last long. After all, appreciation was appreciation, but he was not here on a sightseeing trip right now.
The Monk Yi Zhen looked around everywhere, but failed to find any trace of Xiao Chen.
"Yi Zhen, is my master really here or not?"
Seeing that the Monk Yi Zhen was also searching about aimlessly, Bai He couldn't help but speak up and ask.
"Bai He, don't rush. Brother Xiao might not be here, but he should be nearby. He said he would wait for my news. Look, this is the communication token he gave me."
The Monk Yi Zhen smiled faintly, telling Bai He not to be anxious, and fished out a tooth-shaped object from his bosom.
"This is... a whistle?"
Seeing that what the Monk Yi Zhen pulled out from his bosom seemed to be an animal tooth, Bai He asked with some uncertainty.
"Mhm, this is the tooth whistle Brother Xiao gave me. As long as I blow it hard, Brother Xiao should be able to know that I have arrived!"
With that, the Monk Yi Zhen blew the tooth whistle in his hand.
Accompanied by a crisp, resonant sound, invisible waves of sound spread out toward the surroundings.
Before long, four figures flew swiftly across the tree branches from the distant dense forest to rush over.
Oh no!
It was three snow-white skeletons and a handsome young man with a head of raven-black long hair stepping across the tree branches and rushing rapidly toward this spot—it was Xiao Chen!
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