Chapter 406: Seeing the Great Daoist Brush Master Again
Chapter 406: Seeing the Great Daoist Brush Master Again
Su Zi nodded and opened the white jade bottle, revealing two pills inside.
Ye Guan examined its contents, and Ye Guan smelled one. "It\'s fine."
Su Zi quickly took out a pill and fed it to Ye Guan.
The pill lacked spiritual energy, but it was still pretty effective. Ye Guan stood up slowly with Su Zi’s support, and he ambled to the edge of the bed. With a sigh, he sat down on the mattress. He decided not to challenge the seal again unless necessary. The recent attempt had left him quite miserable.
Seemingly recalling something, Ye Guan turned to look at Su Zi beside him.
"You should go back," he said with a gentle smile.
Su Zi shook her head and said, "I won\'t feel at ease just leaving you here."
Ye Guan reassured her. "I\'m fine now. Your birthday is coming soon, and we\'re going to Yanjing immediately afterward. I\'m sure you must be busy handling your affairs."
Despite that, Su Zi shook her head and insisted on staying.
"Oh, you want to stay here that badly?" Ye Guan teased. "Do you want to sleep with me?"
Su Zi\'s face was instantly red. However, a mischievous spark ignited in her heart, and she suddenly looked up at Ye Guan with a grin. "Sure!"
Ye Guan was astonished.
Observing Ye Guan\'s reaction, Su Zi playfully scolded, "You are a thief at heart, but you lack the courage to commit the act."
Saying that, she walked up to the sofa and lied down there. "Let\'s sleep!"
"O-okay." Ye Guan nodded and closed his eyes. He soon drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Su Zi found herself lying in bed. A sudden realization shocked her awake, and she turned to find Ye Guan lying on the sofa.
Just in time, Ye Guan opened his eyes and smiled. "You\'re awake?"
"Yes," Su Zi replied with a nod.
Ye Guan chuckled and said, "Let\'s go have some breakfast."
Su Zi smiled warmly and agreed. "Sure."
After freshening up, the two left the room. Following a satisfying breakfast, they parted ways, as Su Zi had many things to attend to. Left all alone at the hotel entrance, Ye Guan seemed to be in a bit of a dilemma.
Su Zi\'s birthday was tomorrow. What gift should I give her?
A thought jumped to his head, and Ye Guan suddenly said, "Come out."
As his words fell, a woman emerged from the side. She was Xiao Xiao, but today, she wasn\'t wearing her uniform. Instead, she wore a tight-fitting sweater dress that accentuated her curves, making her radiate a captivating allure.
Ye Guan looked at Xiao Xiao and asked, "You\'re still following me?"
Xiao Xiao fixed her gaze on Ye Guan and explained, "I want to talk to you."
"Sure." Ye Guan nodded and said, "Let\'s talk while walking. I also have something to ask you."
Silence enveloped the two as they walked down the street.
Ye Guan broke the silence. "Ask away."
Xiao Xiao looked at Ye Guan and asked, "Can I ask anything?"
Ye Guan nodded. "I can\'t guarantee that I\'ll answer."
After a brief silence, Xiao Xiao asked, "Are you a cultivator?"
Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."
Xiao Xiao’s expression turned grim. He really is a cultivator!
Suppressing the shock in her heart, Xiao Xiao asked again, "Why are you here?"
"I\'m here to inherit the family business." Ye Guan revealed.
Xiao Xiao was stunned.
Ye Guan glanced at her and asked, "You\'re from the Dragon Group?"
Xiao Xiao nodded.
"Is the Dragon Group a kind of law enforcement here?" Ye Guan asked.
"Yes," Xiao Xiao affirmed.
"Have you ever considered cultivating?" Ye Guan asked.
Startled, Xiao Xiao hesitated before asking, "Is that a possibility?"
Ye Guan assured her with a nod. "It is."
Xiao Xiao sounded serious as she asked, "What are your conditions?"
"I want you to help me handle matters I\'d rather avoid," Ye Guan replied.
Xiao Xiao agreed without hesitation. "Alright."
"You\'re law enforcement, right? Ye Guan asked, "Are you not worried that I might engage in illegal activities?"
Xiao Xiao maintained a steady gaze as she replied, "We can’t stop you even if you violate the law. Nonetheless, I believe that you won\'t choose that path."
Ye Guan grinned. "And why is that?"
Xiao Xiao replied, "You killed Xu Bin because he wanted to harm you and kidnap Miss Mu. The same goes for Muwu and Li Mingbo; they all wanted to kill you first. You\'ve never initiated harm without provocation. In other words, you won\'t attack unless provoked."
"Did the person behind Xu Bin make another move on Miss Mu?" Ye Guan asked.
Reassuringly, Xiao Xiao replied, "Rest assured, we\'ve taken care of it."
Ye Guan acknowledged, "Thank you."
Xiao Xiao asked, "Do you want me to bow for you to become my master?"
Ye Guan declined."That’s not necessary."
Xiao Xiao blinked and asked, "If I learn from you, can I eventually master the art of flying? Like soaring across the skies."
Ye Guan chuckled and said, "You can!"
Excitement flickered in Xiao Xiao\'s eyes as she exclaimed, "Nice!"
Ye Guan looked around and said in a low voice, "This place lacks spiritual energy, so it\'ll be challenging for you to cultivate here. Regardless, let\'s not start running when you still don\'t know how to walk. Let\'s start with the basics and make sure your foundation is solid before doing anything else."
Eager to learn, Xiao Xiao nodded immediately. "I\'ll follow your guidance."
Ye Guan asked, "Do you have pen and paper?"
"Give me a moment," Xiao Xiao said. She turned and disappeared right before Ye Guan. It turned out her ability was to go invisible, and she didn\'t have any other ability aside from them. In addition, her ultimate goal was still to fly.
Soon, Xiao Xiao reappeared in front of Ye Guan. Ye Guan picked up the pen and began writing. After a while, he handed the paper to Xiao Xiao and said, "This is a simple cultivation method. Just follow the instructions."
He had just written down the mnemonic for a common cultivation method, but he reckoned that the cultivation method was priceless here on Blue Planet.
As expected, Xiao Xiao was incredibly grateful. "Thank you."
Ye Guan put away the pen and said, "Let me ask you a question."
Xiao Xiao responded, "Go ahead."
"What gift should I give to a girl on her birthday?" Ye Guan asked.
Xiao Xiao blinked. "A gift? Is it for Su Zi?"
Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."
Xiao Xiao thought for a moment and then said, "Under normal circumstances, the more expensive, the better. So items like jewelry and luxury items. However, Su Zi is rich, and she\'s probably not fond of things like that."
Ye Guan agreed. "That\'s what I was thinking, too."
Xiao Xiao suggested, "You need to give her something unique."
Ye Guan stared deeply at Xiao Xiao and asked, "Tell me more."
"What do you have?" Xiao Xiao asked.
What do I have? Ye Guan was stunned. Ye Guan didn\'t have even a single penny!
Ye Guan smiled wryly and shook his head.
Xiao Xiao saw Ye Guan\'s expression and hesitated before suggesting, "How about you give her immortal treasures?"
Ye Guan shook his head. "I don\'t have any of those."
Xiao Xiao fell into thoughtful silence, mirroring the silence that had enveloped Ye Guan. Just then, Ye Guan came up with an idea, and he asked, "How far are we from Mount Fanjing?"
Mount Fanjing? Xiao Xiao met Ye Guan\'s gaze as she replied, "It\'ll take us an hour."
"Take me there," declared Ye Guan. The realization that he needed to borrow treasures from the Great Daoist Brush Master had dawned on him, thanks to Erya\'s mention of the abundance of treasures the Great Daoist Brush Master possessed.
"Right away," Xiao Xiao responded and made a quick phone call. A few moments later, a sports car pulled up beside them. Xiao Xiao gestured to the driver, who promptly exited the vehicle and left.
"Let\'s go," Xiao Xiao said to Ye Guan.
Ye Guan examined the car before commenting, "This car looks great."
"It is the latest model, worth around a hundred million dollars," Xiao Xiao said. Ye Guan nodded slightly before climbing into the car. Xiao Xiao stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward like an arrow that had been released from a bow.
"How fast is this car compared to a cultivator\'s flight?" Xiao Xiao asked.
Ye Guan glanced at her and replied, "This car is thousands of times slower."
Xiao Xiao blinked and muttered, "Never mind."
Ye Guan closed his eyes. Mount Fanjing... Is the Great Daoist Brush Master really there?
Regardless, there was only one way to find out.
Xiao Xiao soon broke the silence with another question. "Who\'s stronger, you or Sun Wukong[1]?"
Ye Guan frowned and asked, "Sun Wukong?"
"Yes." Xiao Xiao nodded. "I\'m talking about the Monkey King."
Ye Guan didn\'t answer. Instead, he stared at Xiao Xiao and said, "Pay more attention to your driving. I don\'t mind dying, but dying in a car crash is just too embarrassing."
"Oh..." Xiao Xiao responded and went silent. She focused on driving, and the two arrived at the foot of Mount Fanjing in less than an hour.
Named the Pure Land of the Brahma[2], Mount Fanjing was massive, stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
It was one of the famous scenic spots in Qianzhou.
As always, the foot of Mount Fanjing was crowded and bustling with people. Xiao Xiao and Ye Guan worked their way up the mountain. Ye Guan looked up and could vaguely make out some temples built along the mountainside.
They were nestled comfortably in a blanket of clouds.
When they were halfway up, Ye Guan noticed a colossal reclining Buddha carved in the mountains. It was about a kilometer long and was a magnificent sight to behold.
Xiao Xiao looked at the reclining Buddha and explained, "People from all corners of the world come to Mount Fanjing mostly to worship this Buddha. People have said that the mountain is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mountain."
Ye Guan nodded slightly. As they approached the main peak, Ye Guan turned around and saw the entire Baiyun City. It was a tiny dot in the distance. Of course, the scenery was breathtaking.
Ye Guan smiled knowingly. The Great Daoist Brush Master really knows how to pick a place. Cultivation was inherently dull, but Ye Guan reckoned that cultivation wouldn\'t feel so dull and boring if one were to cultivate before such great scenery.
Xiao Xiao led Ye Guan toward the two temples in the distance. Xiao Xiao pointed at one of them and said, "The most famous temples of Mount Fanjing are the Sakyamuni[3] Temple, and the Maitreya[4] Temple on the Golden Valley.
"The two temples cover the entire Golden Valley, and they are at the summit of the mountain. The temples of Mount Fanjing are considered the highest temples in the world."
The two soon arrived at the Sakyamuni Temple, where many worshippers were burning incense. Ye Guan and Xiao Xiao entered the main hall, and Ye Guan looked around but failed to see the Great Daoist Brush Master.
Is he not here? Ye Guan frowned. However, Ye Guan flinched upon sensing something and he immediately turned to stare at the entrance.
A man was holding a broom and sweeping the floor near the entrance.
Ye Guan was stunned to see the man, and the man was also taken aback to see Ye Guan. Moments later, the man tossed the broom aside and placed his right hand behind his back. He straightened himself and lifted his chin slightly to appear mighty.
Ye Guan hurriedly walked over to the man.
He examined the man carefully, and his eyes widened in shock upon confirming that the man was indeed the Great Daoist Brush Master.
"Y-y-you\'re sweeping the floor?" Ye Guan stammered.
"No, I\'m trying to comprehend the Dao," the man earnestly replied, "Sweeping the floor is also a form of cultivation. Of course, I\'m sure you won\'t understand what I\'m talking about."
Just then, a chubby monk called out, "Do you not want to eat today? Why are you slacking off?"
Ye Guan was at a loss for words.
1. Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a character from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West" (西游记). This novel was written during the Ming Dynasty and is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He has become a cultural icon and is widely recognized in various adaptations, including films, television shows, and other media. ?
2. Represents a sacred and pure land associated with Brahma and it is often used metaphorically in Buddhist terminology to describe a realm of enlightenment of spiritual purity. Used in this context, it signifies that Mount Fanjing is a sacred and pure place. ?
3. Also known as the Buddha. His teachings were the foundation of Buddhism ?
4. Maitreya is known as the future Buddha. He is often depicted as a bodhisattva who progresses into Buddhahood after many lifetimes ?