Luò Jiànqīng withdrew the Frost Floating Sword back between his eyebrows and remained still. At this moment, although his cultivation was one minor realm lower than that of the monk, his spiritual awareness was stronger, and it seemed the monk hadn’t noticed him. Carefully observing the situation in the second-floor room of the inn, Luò Jiànqīng prepared to take action opportunistically. Suddenly, when the Soul Summoning Banner was snatched away, Yunxiang didn’t react immediately. But just a moment later, her eyes narrowed, her right hand forming a claw-like shape, and she said in a low voice, “You monk, while this lady doesn’t intend to go on a killing spree today, return my Soul Summoning Banner quickly, or you’ll surely meet your end!” Although her words were threatening, Yunxiang was very cautious.The monk looked at the black-clothed girl before him, her face delicate and serene, with a faint smile, as if enveloped in a layer of Buddha’s light, and said, “Donor, the Soul Summoning Banner is not a benevolent object, so why cling to it?” Yunxiang sneered, “So you’re not returning it?” The monk shook his head gently, “Countless souls cannot be liberated by the donor’s hands; such evil objects should not exist in this world.” Yunxiang raised her chin and cursed directly, “You ignorant bald donkey, then you shall die!”The next moment, a black shadow darted forward, claws resembling bones, viciously aiming for the young monk’s neck. Yunxiang was fast, but the monk was faster; he pointed his toe and flew off the windowsill, landing gracefully inside the room, evading the strike. Yunxiang wouldn’t let it end there. The two immediately engaged in combat, Yunxiang continuously using lethal moves, while the monk kept evading.My apologies for the oversight. Here’s the revised version in paragraph form with corrected grammatical errors:As a disciple of the Demon Lord, Yunxiang was no ordinary person. At first, she didn’t resort to lethal moves, but eventually adopted an attitude of complete annihilation, with terrifying spiritual power condensed on each claw, each one aimed at the monk’s vital points. However, to Luò Jiànqīng’s surprise, the monk didn’t counterattack at all, avoiding all her strikes. While evading, the monk gently chuckled, “Amitabha, donor, why cling to delusions?””Donor, the Soul Summoning Banner is not suitable for a woman like you, nor is your claw technique compatible with it.””Donor, you were already injured when entangled with that resentment; at this moment, you’re naturally not my match.”The monk’s words were like ethereal Buddhist chants, pleasant to hear, but to Yunxiang, they felt incredibly ironic. As the final strike approached, Yunxiang narrowed her eyes, shouted, and suddenly rushed forward at lightning speed. Her fierce claws left a black aura in the air, surging towards the young monk. Seeing this demonic aura, the monk paused for a moment, then stopped evading. He stood solemnly in place and summoned the Buddhist beads from his wrist.The round and translucent beads floated in front of the monk, emitting flickers of golden Buddha light.Boom! The beads collided with Yunxiang’s claws, sending her flying backward to crash into the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood in a sorry state. She lifted her head angrily and cursed, “You bald donkey, do you know who I am? You’ve provoked me today, and tomorrow I’ll have your head!”The monk smiled faintly, saying, “Why bother with threats, donor? I already knew who you are.”Yunxiang froze for a moment and asked, “You… you actually know who I am?”The monk smiled gently, his eyes clear and transparent, seemingly harboring great wisdom. He said, “You’re in your thirties, but possess the cultivation of the later stages of the Golden Core realm. Among the demonic cultivators in the world, perhaps only the senior Demon Lord could produce such an excellent disciple as you.”Yunxiang covered her chest and rose, mocking, “Since you know, why did you dare to injure me? Aren’t you afraid my master will skin you alive? No, there’s no need for my master to intervene at all. Just let any elder from my Demon Sect take action, and they can tear you, this bald donkey, into ten thousand pieces. This hatred in my heart is difficult to resolve! Even if you kneel and apologize to me now, I will never forgive you!”The young monk raised his gaze to Yunxiang, his expression calm and peaceful, his smile still gentle. This look suddenly stunned Yunxiang, who didn’t utter any more mocking words. The monk said, “Donor, you are deluded by demons. Your heart is not greedy for evil desires, and you harbor no resentment or poisonous thoughts. Renouncing all evil views is the practice of a Bodhisattva. I have never done anything wrong, so why should I apologize to you?”Yunxiang became annoyed, “You took away my Soul Summoning Banner, and yet you dare to say you did nothing wrong?!”The monk smiled, “The Soul Summoning Banner is ownerless; possessing it may not necessarily be a good thing in the future.”Yunxiang was incensed by his calm demeanor, and began to look around anxiously, not knowing what to say. As she turned her head, she suddenly saw her own reflection in the mirror. Yunxiang widened her eyes, quickly covered her chest, and took out a piece of clothing from her storage ring to put on.Yunxiang suddenly had an idea, “You looked at my body; you have violated the precepts of celibacy!”The monk shook his head again and calmly bowed, “The brave enter into meditation, observing the body and mind with detachment. Seeing the impurity already arisen is like a painted jar.”Before Yunxiang could react, Luò Jiànqīng in the next room burst into laughter.Luò Jiànqīng already had an answer in his heart as to who this monk was, but he didn’t interrupt the fight between the two. In his past life, Luò Jiànqīng had heard of a genius born with the appearance of a Buddha, endowed with great wisdom, named Yǔchén, without a formal name, known to the world as the Buddha’s Child.To earn such a title, one must have attained a certain level of proficiency in Buddhist teachings. Although this Buddha’s Child’s cultivation level might not be very high, he was only in the mid-stage of the Yuanying realm, his understanding of Buddhist principles and doctrines amazed practitioners of Buddhism throughout the world, who honored him as the Buddha’s Child.Just as before, Yunxiang, being a demonic cultivator, didn’t care much about her body being seen by others like a traditional woman would, so she took the opportunity to humiliate the Buddha’s Child. But the Buddha’s Child’s response was: “If you don’t exist in my heart, then even if my eyes see your body, it’s just a shell. How can it be considered seeing you?”Luò Jiànqīng finally understood why this Buddha’s Child was the old adversary of that stern figure. If the stern figure hadn’t secluded himself in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave for five years and suffered the torment of ten thousand ghosts devouring his heart, he would probably have been left far behind by the Buddha’s Child long ago.Yunxiang still didn’t understand the meaning of the Buddha’s Child’s words in the end. She was so ashamed and angry that she wanted to stop the Buddha’s Child, but the disparity in their realms and her injuries made it impossible for Yunxiang to stop him at all. Furious, as the Buddha’s Child left, Yunxiang angrily said, “Tell me your name, and even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I’ll kill you to vent my anger!”The Buddha’s Child paused for a moment, looking at the charming and beautiful girl before him, clasped his hands together and said, “The name of this humble monk is Yǔchén, without a formal name.”With that, the Buddha’s Child flew away, leaving behind an extremely angry black-clothed witch.And in the next moment, Luò Jiànqīng walked into the backyard of the tailor’s shop and looked up at the sky. In an instant, a light-colored figure emerged from the backyard gate, clasped his hands together in a monk’s salute, and said with a smile, “Donor, if you also wish to take the Soul Summoning Banner, there’s no need; this humble monk won’t give it up easily.”Luò Jiànqīng turned slowly and looked at the newcomer.Upon seeing Luò Jiànqīng’s face, the Buddha’s Child remained calm and unaffected.Luò Jiànqīng smiled, “Buddha’s Child?”The Buddha’s Child chuckled lightly, “All just empty titles, donor need not concern yourself.”Upon realizing that Luò Jiànqīng had no intention of snatching the Soul Summoning Banner, the Buddha’s Child let go of the prayer beads that had been clasped in his left hand. A faint smile curved Luò Jiànqīng’s lips as he calmly assessed the Buddha’s Child, who returned his gaze with clarity.After a long moment of eye contact, the Buddha’s Child smiled and said, “The first disciple of Mount Taihua, the friend of Luò Shuiqian?”Hearing this, Luò Jiànqīng also smiled, “All just empty titles, why bother, Buddha’s Child?”These words stunned the Buddha’s Child for a moment. After a moment, he walked up to Luò Jiànqīng and said with a smile, “Luò donor, you and I have a connection with Buddhism. Why not establish a bond of Buddhism from now on? From now on, you can enter my Buddhist sect, as if…”Luò Jiànqīng burst into laughter, “I don’t intend to become a monk.”The Buddha’s Child was slightly taken aback, then said helplessly, “I mean, Luò donor and I have a connection with Buddhism, so why not form a bond of Buddhism with me? From now on, as long as the donor comes to my Buddhist sect, he can receive the hospitality of a virtuous guest.”Luò Jiànqīng finally breathed a sigh of relief.The two glanced at each other and laughed heartily.Luò Jiànqīng felt that the Buddha’s Child was a person worth befriending from the moment he saw him, and the Buddha’s Child felt the same way about Luò Jiànqīng. The so-called “connection with Buddhism” was just a facade; the Buddha’s Child had keen insight, with five of his six senses purified, naturally seeing Luò Jiànqīng’s extraordinary nature.Just now, when the Buddha’s Child was talking to Yunxiang, Luò Jiànqīng inadvertently chuckled, revealing his own aura, which was noticed by the Buddha’s Child. And so, the scene unfolded as it did now, with the two sitting in the simple courtyard of ordinary mortals, basking in the moonlight and engaging in deep conversation.From the Buddha’s Child, Luò Jiànqīng finally learned that he had come this time to attend an auction. Although there were no major sects stationed in Yunzhou, the second largest chamber of commerce in the world had established its headquarters here. Three days later would be the once-in-ten-years auction of the Flowing Cloud Merchant Guild. The Yuanyuan Sect was right next to Yunzhou, and this time, the Buddha’s Child had heard that they would be auctioning off some excellent Buddhist beads, so he came to this place.As soon as the Buddha’s Child arrived in Yunzhou, he sensed a hint of resentment and followed it, only to encounter Yunxiang. But there was one thing Luò Jiànqīng was very concerned about: “Did the Buddha’s Child really come just for the Buddhist beads?”The Buddha’s Child replied quietly with a smile, “Yes.”This puzzled Luò Jiànqīng a bit. Why didn’t the Buddha’s Child come to Yunzhou in his previous life? Why didn’t he meet Yunxiang? There must be something strange about this, leading to so many changes.As if sensing Luò Jiànqīng’s thoughts, the Buddha’s Child said, “Originally, I had made an appointment with Senior Yan for a duel tomorrow. I lost last time, and he felt that victory was not honorable, so he challenged me before the grand competition at Mount Taihua. However, Senior Yan fell into darkness at Mount Taihua and has been recuperating and purifying himself in the Ghost-breaking Sect ever since, so our duel can only be postponed.”Now Luò Jiànqīng finally understood.In the end, it was his inadvertent action that changed the course of events entirely. If Luò Jiànqīng had known that the Buddha’s Child would come to Yunzhou, he wouldn’t have specifically rushed over to stop Li Xiuchen’s despicable behavior, and he could have stayed on Yuxiao Peak.But then Luò Jiànqīng had a second thought. If he hadn’t come, he might not have met such a insightful Buddha’s Child.After exchanging a few more words, the Buddha’s Child bid farewell. Before he left, both he and Luò Jiànqīng were stunned.They looked at each other, and Luò Jiànqīng said, “Buddha’s Child, you’ve heard it too. That witch has been cursing you for three whole hours.”The Buddha’s Child shook his head helplessly, “That donor holds deep attachments.”Luò Jiànqīng said, “Since you already know she’s a demonic cultivator, why not kill her? Demonic cultivators are all enemies of ours.”The Buddha’s Child smiled, “Is that how Luò Daoist friend thinks?”Luò Jiànqīng remained silent with a smile.The Buddha’s Child continued, “Indeed, we should kill all demonic cultivators, but just now, I owe that donor a debt. After all, this is her Soul Summoning Banner. I took it from her, so naturally I have to return it to her accordingly. As I walk through the world, I never owe anyone debts of karma. This cause and effect is the reason for my actions this time.”The Buddha’s Child’s voice, filled with a smiling tone, entered Luò Jiànqīng’s ears directly, and he suddenly seemed to enter a profound realm.In this world, what is cause, and what is effect?When he became famous in the Flowing Flame Valley, stealing the limelight from Yan Su, that was the cause, which led to Yan Su and other aristocratic families challenging him before the grand competition at Mount Taihua. Later, he severely injured Yan Su, infuriating him into demonic path, which became another cause and effect.Yan Su fell into darkness and couldn’t keep the appointment, so the Buddha’s Child came to Yunzhou, which was another result.The heavenly way is vast, and everything is entangled in a great web, receiving their due karma of cause and effect. Then, what kind of cause did Li Xiuchen plant to reap such rich results? Li Xiuchen had never planted any cause, so why could he reap the results?The heavenly way is flawed!Luò Jiànqīng suddenly felt his mind emptying, and he felt a thunderous roar in his head, his cultivation, which had been stagnant at the early Yuanying stage for nearly two years, suddenly surged. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth rushed violently towards Luò Jiànqīng, and the void power arrogantly swept these spiritual energies, forcibly stuffing them into Luò Jiànqīng’s body.Seeing this, the Buddha’s Child smiled faintly and, with a sweep of his sleeve, set up a barrier around Luò Jiànqīng, then sat cross-legged beside him to protect him.One day later, Luò Jiànqīng finally opened his eyes.At this moment, he had reached the mid Yuanying stage!Luò Jiànqīng exhaled lightly and turned to look at the Buddha’s Child beside him, clasping his hands in gratitude, “Many thanks to the Buddha’s Child!”The Buddha’s Child stood up, brushed off the dew from his monk’s robe, and smiled, “Congratulations to Luò Daoist friend.”The two exchanged a smile.The Buddha’s Child soon took his leave, as he still needed to prepare for the purification of the Soul Summoning Banner. Luò Jiànqīng didn’t detain him any longer. As he watched the Buddha’s Child’s figure disappear, Luò Jiànqīng furrowed his brow slowly and recalled, “It seems like in my previous life, I heard that a demonic cultivator saved the Buddha’s Child’s life during the war between the two clans and perished in it?”After thinking carefully, Luò Jiànqīng shook his head with a smile, “Perhaps I remembered it wrong.”The heavenly way is constant; where there is cause, there must be effect, and where there is effect, there must be cause!Even Luò Jiànqīng didn’t expect that his small action would result in such a profound effect, allowing the Buddha’s Child to encounter the demonic woman here. The fate of this life and the past life had just begun. For the cause of one life, he must repay it in the next.Luò Jiànqīng stayed in the tailor’s shop for another two days. After giving the shopkeeper some silver, he left with Li Xiuchen.Li Xiuchen was extremely frustrated. He had spent the past two days soaking in the bathtub, even eating meals inside, but still couldn’t wait for a beauty to fall from the sky. By the last day, Li Xiuchen was so angry that he began cursing at the heavens. Luò Jiànqīng saw his frustrated appearance from the next room and felt quite pleased.On the third day, Li Xiuchen had to go to the auction. The books only mentioned that Li Xiuchen came to Yunzhou to attend the auction for fun and “rescued” Yunxiang. However, Luò Jiànqīng didn’t expect that the auction, not elaborated in the book, would be so large in scale.Li Xiuchen naturally took advantage of the auction, so the book also emphasized his exploits. This time, Luò Jiànqīng received an invitation from the Buddha’s Child early on to attend the auction with him in the Guiyuan Sect’s box.As Li Xiuchen left the inn, Luò Jiànqīng also left the tailor’s shop.Watching Li Xiuchen’s figure, Luò Jiànqīng turned and glanced at the inn behind him. Suddenly, he thought, “In my previous life, I heard that Li Xiuchen lost a beloved woman, so he practiced diligently in hopes of resurrecting her?”Luò Jiànqīng thought carefully for a long time but couldn’t recall anything.However, not long after, Luò Jiànqīng arrived at the entrance of the auction ahead of Li Xiuchen. He wore a silver mask and showed the invitation to the two Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the entrance, who immediately let him in.After walking for a while, Luò Jiànqīng arrived at the Guiyuan Sect’s box and saw the Buddha’s Child sitting inside.When the Buddha’s Child saw the mask on Luò Jiànqīng’s face, he was momentarily surprised.Luò Jiànqīng explained, “Sometimes, this can avoid trouble.”The Buddha’s Child nodded with a smile, “Indeed, with Luò Daoist friend’s appearance, this can indeed avoid trouble.”Luò Jiànqīng sat down and asked, “I thought the Buddha’s Child doesn’t care about anyone’s appearance?”The Buddha’s Child shook his head, “It’s difficult to ignore appearances, but Luò Daoist friend’s name is already well-known throughout the world. Even Luò Daoist friend himself has never avoided or hidden it. Why should I deliberately ignore it? Luò Daoist friend can ignore external appearances and focus on the heart; this is where your affinity with me lies.”Luò Jiànqīng couldn’t help but smile, feeling that he had truly met an extraordinary person.The two sat in the box and continued to discuss Buddhist scriptures and teachings, enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, they talked until the auction began.At this moment, on Mount Taihua, tens of thousands of miles away.After several days in seclusion, Xuán Língzǐ’s depleted and injured primordial spirit finally fully recovered. The surging spiritual energy formed a vortex on Yuxiao Peak. Xuán Língzǐ opened his eyes, waved his hand to dispel the vortex, and then got up.Wearing the simplest white robe without any patterns, Venerable Xuán Língzǐ remained as aloof as ever. He walked to his bookshelf, seemingly intending to flip through some books for reference. His slender fingers lightly brushed over the books one by one, but when they reached a certain one, Xuán Língzǐ suddenly stopped.His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he swiftly took out this unexpected book.”Collection of Spring Breezes?”Xuán Língzǐ lowered his gaze and opened the book with indifference, but then…Xuán Língzǐ was always strict with himself. He knew most of the cultivation methods in the world and was well-versed in all the cultivation techniques of the seven peaks of Mount Taihua. Yet, he had previously been unaware of what dual cultivation was, which reflected his solemn and reserved nature.Moreover, in Xuán Língzǐ’s mind, dual cultivation was nothing special; it was just a method of cultivation between partners. That’s why, when Luò Jiànqīng asked him, “Do you know what dual cultivation is?” Xuán Língzǐ directly demonstrated to his disciple what it was through action.Of course, that attempt had stirred something within Xuán Língzǐ.With only one-third of his primordial spirit entering Luò Jiànqīng’s body and intertwining with him, Xuán Língzǐ’s Dao heart became unstable, and he couldn’t forget that subtle feeling all night long. If he were to fully merge their consciousnesses, he wondered what it would feel like—Xuán Língzǐ had also pondered this question.However, none of this compared to the shock that the book “Collection of Spring Breezes” brought to Xuán Língzǐ!Luò Jiànqīng naturally knew nothing about Xuán Língzǐ’s thoughts, and he had long forgotten that he had placed a “yellow book” on his master’s bookshelf. At this moment, the auction hosted by the Flowing Cloud Merchant Association had already begun. Luò Jiànqīng sat calmly in the box, watching the participants on the ordinary seats below continuously bidding.The initial treasures were naturally quite ordinary, perhaps somewhat attractive to casual cultivators, but for Luò Jiànqīng and the Buddha’s Child, they were not worth much attention.Several items were sold in succession, and Luò Jiànqīng remained calm, without making a bid.On the stage, the young auctioneer looked at a box just brought up and revealed a slight hint of difficulty on his face. Then, he smiled and said, “This treasure is a Storage Ring, discovered on the edge of an extremely Yin place. According to the elders of our Flowing Cloud Merchant Association, this should be one of a set of treasures. If you can collect the entire set, the effects will stack, doubling the benefits! This Storage Ring can hold a thousand cubic units of items, starting bid at thirty thousand!”As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, someone shouted, “Thirty thousand!””Thirty-two thousand!””Thirty-three thousand!”Although this Storage Ring might be part of a set of treasures, it was uncertain, and even if it were, collecting the entire set would be difficult.Everyone knew that using treasures in pairs would naturally double their effects. However, collecting a complete set of treasures was not easy, so the bidding for this Storage Ring seemed somewhat lackluster.By the time it reached fifty thousand, the hall suddenly quieted down.The auctioneer tried to heat up the atmosphere again, saying, “As long as you collect all the treasures, this set is definitely at least a ground-level suit!”No one else bid after fifty-two thousand.In the hall, Li Xiuchen waited proudly for the auctioneer to start counting down. However, just after the auctioneer said “Sixty thousand for the first time,” a voice with a hint of laughter sounded from the second-floor box, low and clear.”Seventy thousand!”