Yan Budu was acupunctured and could no longer move, so he simply closed his eyes and took a light nap. Monk Kongshi recited the sutra for an hour and also fell asleep while sitting.
The storm outside subsided a little, and the cave was silent for a moment, with only the crackling sound of the flames.
Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci were in a state of mind, and they really felt sleepy. The two protagonists of the memories fell silent, and they began to find things to do again.
Shi Jingzhi was silent for a while, then stood up and ran to Yan Budu. He pulled Yan Budu's red jade pipe like pulling a carrot, but the pipe seemed to be stuck in the air and he couldn't even pull the tassel.
"In the state of mind, everything can be touched, but the state cannot be changed." Yin Ci looked at Jingzhi grinning and added considerately.
"Alas, I saw a pair of soft fish monster eyes hanging from the pipe, and I wanted to take a closer look."
"No wonder the scenery here is so complete." Yin Ci said with a smile.
Soft fish demon eyes? This fox's eyes are still as sharp as ever.
Soft fish monsters are rare, and their skin can be used as a "word coat" to transmit information. A pair of fish eyes are connected to each other, which can store and transmit scenes. However, the processing process is extremely complicated and tedious, so only people like Yan Budu who are extremely extravagant and lustful will use it to make a pipe pendant.
Come to think of it, Yan Budu uses his demon eyes to record the surrounding scenes all the time. Whether it is to defeat the enemy or hunt for beauty, he can analyze or recall it afterwards, which is very convenient.
If Kong Shi had come from Yan Budu just now, given Yan Budu's arrogant behavior, he would send the video to the entire Jianchen Temple for appreciation as soon as they got out of here.
Shi Jingzhi seemed to be thinking of the same thing as him, and his face slowly wrinkled.
He tried to feel Yan Budu's pulse again, but unfortunately the image was just an image, and he couldn't see anything. Yin Ci watched his cheap master wander around for a while, and then ran back obediently.
"The state of mind is the state of mind, how can the cold and the hot be restored?" Shi Jingzhi sat cross-legged beside Yin Ci. "Ah Ci, do you want to sleep for a while? Even if you are tired, you can still take a nap."
Yin Ci shook his head: "If you want to sleep, go to sleep."
Shi Jingzhi didn't move, but just looked at Yin Ci in the flickering firelight.
It was as if she wanted to carve him into her heart with her eyes.
"From the first time I saw the Red Hook Cult's killer, to the Ghost Tomb, Yuanxian Village, and now... Ah Ci, he seems to be afraid of nothing and knows everything."
Yin Ci thought he was testing him again: "What?"
"It's great that you're by my side. I feel at ease. If I had fallen in here alone, I would be confused and scared to death." Shi Jingzhi didn't ask any further, but just sighed.
He called himself "Teacher" again, his tone calm and sincere.
Yin Ci looked back at him quietly.
Shi Jingzhi rubbed his hands together and smiled: "At first I thought you were just an ordinary mountain dweller, then I thought you were a high-ranking official with a hidden identity and ulterior motives—"
"What now?"
"Aci has a good appearance and a good temperament... Are you the immortal who came to see me off for the last time?"
Shi Jingzhi didn't look at Yin Ci, but just looked at the snow outside the cave. The fire lit the cave in a dark orange. They were trapped in a time that had long since disappeared, completely detached from the world, and there were only two people left in the loneliness beside the school.
In such a place, gods and Buddhas are present. It seems that anything can be said and all wishes can be understood.
Yin Ci: "Master is just physically weak, and his mind is also confused."
"But I've never felt so at ease."
"Are you afraid of what I am planning?"
Shi Jingzhi laughed out loud, which was rare for him. "The Buddha Heart Formation really enlightened me. I have nothing but my life. What else can you want from me?"
Yin Ci remained silent.
Looking at this man's smiling face, he had some evasive thoughts. People in the world who can use Yang Fire should be respected from time to time, and people who look for meat should also be respected from time to time.
What you think is right is not his own.
The opposite of Shi Jingzhi. As time passed, Yin Ci felt that he had drawn a very bad lot. In that instant, he suddenly understood Yan Budu's decision when facing Kong Shi.
Shi Jingzhi is an ordinary person, he can watch coldly and use people mercilessly to the end. But Shi Jingzhi is not an ordinary person.
How many years of waiting is this man's remaining year worth exchanging for? How long can a fleeting glimpse of beauty under the setting sun keep him sane
Is he going to give up using this person just for that little bit of warmth
… It’s such a headache.
Yin Ci stretched out his hand and slowly placed it on the top of Shi Jingzhi's head. The latter was shocked and almost blurted out "disrespectful", but he managed to hold it back.
In his heart, this person was also warm. Yin Ci lowered his eyes involuntarily - Shi Jingzhi still hadn't realized that when the two of them were close together, who was borrowing whose body temperature.
Well, Yin Ci thought. Let's go and see, there is still a long way to go.
But before he made a formal decision, this person wanted to exchange his sincerity for sincerity, so he couldn't help but give a little bit.
"Nothing? How can that be said, Master?" Yin Cishu said in a relaxed but not frivolous tone. "Disciple can still take advantage of your people."
Shi Jingzhi choked and slapped Yin Ci on the back of his head: "You were possessed by that fellow Yan Budu? You are talking nonsense."
The next moment, both of them laughed. Shi Jingzhi lay down again, resting his head on Yin Ci's legs, his long hair flowing all over the floor. This time he didn't sleep, his amber eyes still clear: "Since we can't sleep, let's chat. Last time I told you so many stories, this time it's Ah Ci's turn... My beloved disciple is well-informed, so I guess he knows a lot of stories."
When he spoke the second half, he spoke in a pretentious tone, trying to suppress the smile in his voice.
Yin Ci narrowed his eyes and looked at him: "Master, I am particularly good at ghost stories. The atmosphere is just right now, would you like to tell you a few to cheer you up?"
Shi Jingzhi: “…”
Shi Jingzhi: "My beloved disciple, please let me go."
In the end, Yin Ci still failed to tell Shi Jingzhi a ghost story. The two of them just chatted intermittently, talking about this and that without being defensive, and actually spent the night peacefully.
The morning came, and the snow and wind had not stopped. The second day began with Yan Budu's warm greetings -
"Master, I still like this face of yours very much. I really want to find an opportunity to peel it off and put it in my immortal tomb."
Kong Shi cut the mushroom carefully and said, "Thank you, benefactor."
After cooking the mushroom and vegetable porridge, Kong Shi unlocked Yan Budu's acupoint and pushed the first bowl of porridge out.
Yan Budu picked up the bowl of porridge and smiled like a poisonous flower: "Speaking of bald monks, I have killed nearly a hundred of them. A certain 'high monk' cried bitterly when he was dying, and was even willing to lick the soles of my boots just to save his life. Kongshi, if those monks who died tragically saw you like this, I don't know how disappointed they would be."
Kong Shi smiled kindly, without a trace of anger in his eyes: "Donor, is one bowl of rice enough?"
Yan Budu: “…” He thought it was a waste, so he pushed the empty bowl back silently and began to suspect that there was something wrong with the monk’s ears.
But he never gave up easily. After finishing his meal, Yan Budu started to tease Kong Shi again. He warmed his wet boots and put his bare feet against the monk's chest: "Bald donkey, what are you chanting? Come and play chess."
Kongshi raised his eyes.
Yan Budu turned the red jade pipe, and his true energy scattered, carving out a chessboard on the hard rock. The broken stones were wrapped in the true energy and rolled around, and when they stopped, they had become round flags.
He flicked his sleeves, and the stone chessboard was brought to the center between the two of them, and the stone chess pieces were divided into two piles. Yan Budu scratched his injured arm, and blood gushed out, turning the chess pieces next to him dark red.
Blue-gray and dark red, white and black are distinct.
Yan Budu licked his wound and kicked the stone lightly: "Everything is ready, play chess with me."
Kong Shi held Yan Budu's ankles and pulled his legs back: "Alright."
Yan Budu smiled even more brightly: "Since we want to discuss winning or losing, let's bet on something. How about this, after each round, the loser cuts off a finger. The vegetarian porridge is so bland that it won't hurt to add some meat."
After hearing this, there was no intention to negotiate. Kong Shi sighed and ignored him.
Seeing the excitement, Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci also came over and sat down in front of the chessboard. Unexpectedly, within half an hour, the chess game became a game of one person torturing three others.
Looking at him, the stones fell very slowly, so slowly that his chanting of sutras seemed extremely passionate and thrilling in comparison.
Yan Budu himself had suggested playing chess, so he had to finish it even if he had to grit his teeth. In order to dampen Kongshi's arrogance, even if he was so idle that he was about to fall asleep, Yan Budu still forced himself to stay awake and kept talking.
"The master's moves are powerful and powerful. Why is his chess moves so clumsy and cowardly? It reminds me of my swordfight with Su Zhi."
Yin Ci: “…”
A hundred years ago, although they were evenly matched, he really wanted to fight Yan Budu. It was not because he was afraid of death - if Yan Budu discovered that he was immortal, he knew how much trouble it would cause.
But Jingzhi was listening at the side, and even though he knew everything, Yin Ci still felt a little bit concerned about his face.
Fortunately, Kong Shi spoke out the secret: "Maybe Master Su just doesn't want to bother with you and is just sending you away."
Yan Budu: "Why do you think so?"
Kong Shi smiled: "I feel the same way as you do, and I extend my feelings to others."
"You're wrong. Then I'd like to say more." Yan Budu sneered, but before he could continue, he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Kongshi stopped the chess piece in mid-air and said, "I can check your pulse."
"No need. I have seen many famous doctors in the world. I have had a strange disease since I was a child. There is no cure... It's just vomiting blood, which is terrible. Other things are not a big deal."
Yan Budu's face was pale, his lips were stained with blood, and his face was so charming that people could not help but avoid looking at him.
Kongshi stared at him, as if he was looking at a wounded deer or an old man coughing up blood.
"Amitabha." After a while, Kongshi withdrew his gaze and made another move.
Yan Budu wiped the blood off and said with a smile, "Compared to my illness, you should be more worried about something else - you want to take me back to Jianchen Temple and lock me up for life. It's a pity that if I fail to become an immortal, my life will be over soon. It's a pity that you are trapped in the snow and mud. It's a waste of time."
“Even if the donor can only live for one day in the dungeon, the victims can see the donor’s end with their own eyes, and they will definitely be trapped by their inner demons for the rest of their lives.” Kongshi clasped his hands together.
"Victim? Monk, do you know why it took me ten years to build the ghost tomb, but the righteous sect only recently launched an attack on my sect?"
Yan Budu’s smile grew wider.
"At first it was ten taels of silver. I found that ten taels of silver was enough to buy a life - some people were willing to sell their family members to me; some were willing to sell themselves to me for their family members; some cried and wailed for the dead, but shut up after receiving the silver. Later, everyone offered different prices, and it was really a matter of willingness."
"Too many people were used to clean up the Tomb of the Demons, and there were too many scumbags causing trouble. They barely came up with the banner of 'The School of Tyranny' and took the opportunity to settle old scores."
The empty stone made no answer.
"People are born with different qualities, this is destiny. Most people in the world are as stupid as pigs, and as foolish as dogs. Animals are cheap, I can kill them if I want, just following the will of heaven."
Kongshi raised his eyes and said, "Is there a difference between the good and the bad? The child is dull and the old man is confused, but they live longer than the donor. Why did the donor mention only one and not the other?"
The monk spoke in a gentle tone, reminiscent of the past.
"Moreover, sheep eat grass, and tigers eat sheep. The tiger dies, and its body is eaten by grass. The law of reincarnation is that the donor is also among the living beings, so why should he despise the living beings?"
Yan Budu raised his eyebrows and said, "It is natural for a tiger to eat a sheep. Then what crime have I committed when I killed a child and a woman?"
The monk said, "Donor, you are guilty. You can admit your guilt if you want."
"I thought I was crazy, but this bald guy is even crazier than me."
"The guilt is in the heart of Buddha, and I can only reflect on myself. But no matter what the donor thinks, the fact that you can play chess with this poor monk here has its cause, and the retribution will be clear."
Kongshi pointed at his giant sword and smiled more peacefully.
"The donor sees all living things as pigs and dogs. In my opinion, the donor is no different from pigs and dogs. I can still say that I can treat pigs and dogs as pigs and dogs."
Yan Budu: “…”
Shi Jingzhi suddenly flinched, and Yin Ci tilted his head: "What?"
"Ah Ci, Master Kong Shi is not making indirect accusations, he really thinks so."
Yin Ci frowned—Shi Jingzhi could see it, so Yan Budu could definitely see it. All sentient beings have equal Buddha hearts. In a sense, great compassion is also great love.
Yan Budu wanted to use his own ferociousness to disrupt the monk's chess moves, but this plan was likely to fail.
Then, Kong Shi leisurely placed the chess piece down: "Three disasters have passed, are you going to give up fighting for the disaster?"
Yan Budu said nothing, but he didn't show any anger either, as if he was planning something.
Seeing that the other party did not answer, Kong Shi retracted his anger and said, "Then let's call it a draw. Let's play again another day."
Finally, Yan Budu slowly raised his head, his red eyes seemed to be on fire. He stared at Kong Shi, and the smile on his face gradually twisted.
"What I mean is, I must defeat you once. Monk, I must have this head of yours."
Kong Shi said kindly: "I have to keep my head for chanting sutras, so I will give it to you if it is convenient for you. Please forgive me."
After that, Yan Budu no longer made comments about the past. For some reason, the devil was very restrained, and judging from the way he treated Kong Shi, he even looked like a normal person.
In the next few days, the two of them played chess when they had nothing to do. While playing, they talked about the situation in the martial arts world and the analysis of the moves. They actually had a very harmonious conversation.
In every game over the past few days, the monk played chess as fast as an old ox pulling a broken cart, but he was able to create all kinds of strange games. The two of them played all kinds of strange chess pieces, and neither of them lost a finger.
However, Yan Budu did not show any sign of frustration. Instead, he looked like he was enjoying it quite a lot.
As time went by, Yan Budu's injured arm recovered a little. One night, he made a suggestion that cheered up the Kushan Sect master and apprentice: "Kongshi, I'll go out with you tonight. I have to get some meat - eating porridge for so long has slowed down the healing process."
"Donor's injury has not healed yet."
"There's nothing I can do. You're not willing to chop off an arm to feed me." Yan Budu joked.
"Donor, the tiger you sacrificed yourself to feed is a female tiger with cubs. We monks also feed tigers whenever we see one."
"So I can only find food for myself, which is so sad."
Seeing that he was about to go out, Shi Jingzhi's face was radiant. However, after he pulled Yin Ci to follow, his enthusiasm did not last for more than three incense sticks - it was colder outside the cave than inside. Although the wind and snow had stopped a little, it was still white everywhere, and there was no magnificent scenery. The wind blew snow foam on his face, and Shi Jingzhi was immediately blown dizzy by the cold wind.
"Yan Budu is really... Last time I was practicing martial arts and my internal energy was blocked. When the cold wind blew, I vomited blood and couldn't sleep."
Shi Jingzhi shrank his neck, feeling sad.
"I understand you want to eat meat, but you don't have to be so anxious."
"Is he really just anxious?" Yin Ci held Shi Jingzhi's wrist tightly, his eyes not moving away from Yan Budu.
Shi Jingzhi reacted immediately and took a breath of cold air.
Yan Budu not only played chess in the cave, but also began to play chess in reality. He wrapped himself tightly in fox fur and stared at Kong Shi, who was using the nightmare-breaking method to break the illusion beside him. Even though the cold wind was as sharp as a knife, he did not even blink.
Yan Budu is secretly learning the method to break nightmares.
Too much like him. Yin Ci looked at Shi Jingzhi, who was concentrating on the Nightmare Breaking Technique. The two of them were in the same mood, just like Shi Jingzhi when he was secretly learning the Green Lady Sword in the Ghost Tomb.
… they really look alike.
Whether it was the symptoms, the aptitude, or the resentment towards all living beings, they were all exactly the same, so similar that it didn't seem like a coincidence. Yin Ci had been in the world for hundreds of years and had not seen reincarnation. So there was only one possibility.
There is “something” in this world that he has not discovered.
Yan Budu and Shi Jingzhi were suspected to be of the same kind.
The empty stone set up the formation out of thin air, and used the true qi to replace the iron bowl and copper hammer to activate the formation. However, even if the wind and snow covered the monk, he turned around. Even if the direction of the internal force was extremely complex, the coordinated double-handed movements were extremely exquisite. After a set of dazzling nightmare-breaking methods, Yan Budu's mouth corners slowly raised.
He learned.
The only reason why Yan Budu kept the empty stone was because of the nightmare-breaking method.
The empty stone is of no use to him anymore.