"Amitābha!"
With a solemn and dignified countenance, the Black Bear Monster slowly chanted a Buddhist invocation. For the first time, Qin Xuan caught a glimpse of true Buddhist bearing upon him.
Master Bear looked far more like the abbot of a Buddhist monastery than Monk Jin Guan ever did.
"Are Mountain God Tan and the venomous scorpion monster cultivating these Chan arts as well?"
"Lady Soul Snatcher transformed into a beautiful woman and killed many innocent people. Her foundation is unstable, and she feared this karmic delusion would hinder her future tribulation. Cultivating these two Chan arts allows her to mask herself and forget this delusion."
"Mountain God Tan's spirit lifespan is nearing its end. He wishes to prolong his life using merit incense, and perhaps even sever ties with Yingyang Prefecture to become a Western deity of merit."
The Black Bear Monster continued, "Patron Qin, by ruining Liangfeng Temple's plans, you effectively ruined the Mountain God Temple's as well. Moreover, you carry the spirit of a righteous sword-hero. So long as you remain in Pingyuan Commandery, you will surely foil their schemes again in the future. Their desire to eliminate you naturally grew by the day."
Hearing this, Qin Xuan understood Mountain God Tan's motive.
He then ventured a guess: "Do these two Chan arts also have rivals within the Western Religion?"
"Precisely. They do not belong to the Five Rafts and Eight Chans; they are heterodox within the Western Religion. They once flourished across Xiniuhezhou, leading numerous Buddhist sects to nurture monsters and slaughter one another, until the Buddhas of the Great Thunder Sound Monastery on Mount Ling finally put an end to it."
"Thus, the elder of the Western Religion who aided you might very well be an opponent of such Chan paths."
Once Master Bear finished speaking, Qin Xuan suggested, "Master, this method is far too wicked, bringing disaster to the living souls of an entire commandery. They ought to be exposed."
"Reasonable."
The Black Bear Monster nodded, but added, "Yet once exposed, this poor monk has nothing tying me down besides this cave abode, and I can flee far away. Patron Qin, where will you go? Will you depart alongside this poor monk?"
"Is their faction that powerful?"
"Liangfeng Temple possesses this Chan method, which means behind them lies Xiaoye Temple, who hid away in Beijuluzhou. Though this faction cannot rival Guanjiang Mountain, they are exceedingly difficult to deal with. Patron Qin hails from Perfected Xuangling's lineage, yet even Perfected Xuangling would have to address Xiaoye Temple's abbot as Martial Uncle."
Qin Xuan was taken aback. Then he heard the bear continue: "Within the Great Lingbao Sect, someone became a worthy of offerings in the Western Religion. That person is none other than Xiaoye Temple's abbot, Granny Pushou, an outer-lineage disciple of the Great Lingbao Sect."
"Therefore, as this poor monk said, this is not merely a Buddhist secret, but also a hidden scandal of the Dao Sect."
The Black Bear Monster stated plainly, "Patron Qin, once you expose them, it will mean a fight to the death between you and them."
Hearing all this, Qin Xuan temporarily abandoned the thought; otherwise, he would disrupt Madam Wei's overarching plans.
*My Great Lingbao Sect truly possesses no shortage of extraordinary talent.*
Looking at it from another angle:
If they maintained a tacit understanding while he held this leverage over them, Liangfeng Temple and the Mountain God Temple would harbor reservations and act with timidity instead.
His thoughts shifted, and he asked knowingly, "Now that the kasaya is missing, will they suspect me?"
"It is not a suspicion, but a certainty," the Black Bear Monster replied with a guileless expression. "They have no knowledge that this poor monk was the one who borrowed it."
"Master, I'm taking the blame on your behalf for a massive mess."
The Black Bear Monster was understanding: "Patron Qin, if you ever require this poor monk's assistance, simply inform me in advance."
"Very well."
Master Bear was fairly loyal—far more straightforward than Geng Zhi ever was.
Putting Liangfeng Temple's misdeeds out of his mind for the moment, Qin Xuan suggested, "Master, as for Liangfeng Temple's other precious kasaya, when the time is ripe, let us go borrow that one as well."
"Patron Qin is most benevolent."
The Black Bear Monster nodded repeatedly, remarking with a cordial expression, "Should this poor monk achieve anything in the future, I will never forget this fortunate encounter."
Seeing his desire to foster goodwill, Qin Xuan ventured another remark: "Master, I hadn't expected you to be so well-versed in the Dao Sect's secrets as well."
After pondering a moment, the Black Bear Monster disclosed a bit of his background: "Some of this poor monk's heritage does indeed hail from Xiniuhezhou."
That single statement drew them noticeably closer.
Qin Xuan felt a sense of wonder in his heart.
In Pingyuan Commandery, there was no shortage of rumors concerning Black Wind Ridge.
The mere mention of the Black Bear Monster was enough to rob many people of their sleep.
This mysterious great demon was the subject of countless brutal legends among the common folk; neither nearby herb gatherers nor the various mountain lords under Lianyun Manor dared approach Black Wind Ridge.
Yet now, he was getting along quite harmoniously with this fearsome legend of the commandery.
When he first visited this cave abode, Qin Xuan hadn't sensed the slightest trace of bloody stench; instead, there were wild fruits in abundance.
Rumors in the streets were truly untrustworthy—just as he himself now had some rather bizarre reputations at Yuansong Temple.
Amidst his wandering thoughts, he suddenly recalled something: "Master, do you know of the great tomb within Hawk's Beak Mountain?"
The Black Bear Monster nodded. "I know of it. Recently, many Qi Refiners have died in the mountains. Some time ago, this poor monk sensed demonic clouds roiling across the peaks, evidently signaling a convergence of figures from demon sects. Patron Qin, you must not venture toward the western side of Hawk's Beak Mountain."
It seemed the Renmao Sect and Huanyin Sect had likely discovered their stronghold had been destroyed.
Qin Xuan also cautioned him, "The tomb is perilous. Master, you shouldn't enter recklessly either."
The Black Bear Monster brewed a pot of spirit tea.
Man and bear conversed a while longer on the matter of the precious kasaya.
Around midnight, Qin Xuan asked Master Bear to see him off.
Near the vicinity of the false tomb, Qin Xuan touched down. The Black Bear Monster asked no questions and returned to his cave to comprehend the Shengde Chan that was useful to him.
Taking out the command token Geng Zhi had given him, Qin Xuan entered the false tomb and crept cautiously toward the subterranean palace's main hall.
The female immortal had told him not to bring others into the tomb.
Yet she hadn't forbidden him from coming himself.
Qin Xuan didn't dare act presumptuously; he mainly wanted to make his face familiar. He had the hang of things now: entering the main hall without looking at the painting, keeping his head lowered as he walked inward.
As he neared the scroll, he retrieved a bamboo basket from his hundred-treasure pouch, filled with spirit hawthorn fruits.
"Sister Sword Immortal, these are spirit fruits I grew myself. Though their spiritual potency is ordinary, they are quite delicious."
He didn't know if the immortal would eat them.
Still, it was the thought that counted.
Qin Xuan placed the basket of fruit before the hanging scroll. Lifting his head slightly, he couldn't see the scene in the painting clearly, but miraculously, the scroll didn't draw him into the center of the hall as it had before.
This was already tremendous progress.
Moreover, Sister Sword Immortal hadn't driven him out.
Qin Xuan knew when to behave. After offering a few words of gratitude, he sat down cross-legged and began contemplating the strand of sword qi the female immortal had left in his mind.
About six hours passed.
He took out *Spring Letters, Autumn Post* from his hundred-treasure pouch again, intending to peruse the sword art within.
However...
No sooner had *Spring Letters, Autumn Post* touched his hand than the scene within the scroll shifted drastically. The mist receded, revealing an ethereal, breathtaking visage.
In but a split second, Qin Xuan caught a faint glimpse of the female immortal fluttering her sleeve. His vision blurred, and when he focused his eyes once more, his surroundings had abruptly changed.
Where was there any tomb chamber? Birds chirped in tall trees, leaves of the parasol trees showed a faint yellow tinge, and amidst the city walls and towers lay the morning light of late summer.
He had arrived inside the commandery city, standing aboard a wooden boat upon an inner canal.
"Aiyo—!"
Qin Xuan heard a cry of shock, followed by a loud splash as someone tumbled into the water. The boatman was a middle-aged man; treading water, he stared up at Qin Xuan on the boat and grumbled, "Young master, when did you board the boat? Don't you know scaring people can frighten someone to death?"
"I turned around and thought I'd seen a ghost in broad daylight! Nearly scared the soul right out of me!"
Qin Xuan stood on the deck, wearing an apologetic look. Stepping to the gunwale, he pulled the man up: "My apologies, my apologies. Just now I was so engrossed in my reading that I absentmindedly ended up aboard your boat..."
Chapter 72