Chapter 93: The Beads of Prayer

Chapter 93: The Beads of Prayer

Upon arriving at Intoxicating Moon Tower, Meng Yuan first let Du Gukang go upstairs.

"Qingqing Jie," Meng Yuan said, his gaze lingering on the hairpin in Nie Qingqing's hair. He then took out a gift box and said, "I happened to see a hair accessory while on a business trip and thought of you, sister."

Nie Qingqing accepted it with a graceful smile.

Seeing the flirtatious look in her eyes, Meng Yuan quickly suppressed his impure thoughts and said loudly, "I'll ask for more money later. The Prince is treating us."

"How much?"

"He said he brought a hundred taels, so we'll just ask for ninety."

"Isn't it inappropriate for the Prince to do this?"

"It's perfectly fine."

The two of them finalized their plan and then chatted casually.

"I just got a new set of tables and chairs," Nie Qingqing said in a soft voice. "When will you come to see them?"

This kind of question would be somewhat inappropriate if asked by someone else, but the two of them were already very familiar with each other, and it was arranged by Nie Shi, so it wasn't considered out of line.

Nie Qingqing had to manage the business at Intoxicating Moon Tower during the day and only had free time after closing.

If Meng Yuan visited her home too often, he might end up warming wine and chatting, and eventually, things could get intimate. Meng Yuan thought that it could be accomplished in three visits at most, perhaps even on the first day.

With such beauty before him, Meng Yuan's gaze lingered on the object in front of Nie Qingqing, his heart filled with anticipation.

If it were any other day, he would go tonight, as he also wanted to test his abilities.

But too many things had happened today. The matter with Xie Shen was still unresolved, and although they hadn't struck at the younger generation, they couldn't underestimate Xie Kai Ping.

Ying San Xiaojie's deduction made sense, but Meng Yuan wanted to give Xie Kai Ping a taste of his own medicine.

Moreover, his appointment to the Demon Suppressing Bureau needed to be finalized, and this job was much more challenging than being a bodyguard. There might be life-threatening dangers ahead.

However, Meng Yuan wanted to conserve his energy and learn more heavenly insights, and joining the Demon Suppressing Bureau was the best way to do so.

Not to mention, everyone at the garrison was familiar to him.

Therefore, while the beauty was tempting, Meng Yuan still wanted to advance to the Seventh Rank as soon as possible.

"Let's talk about it after some time," Meng Yuan declined.

Upon hearing this, Nie Qingqing's smile momentarily froze, but she quickly resumed smiling and said, "It's fine."

Meng Yuan didn't want to leave any bad feelings, so he boldly held her hand and said, "Recently, the Princess Consort has been making arrangements for me, and my martial arts training has reached a critical point. I really not daring to be distracted, and it's not that I have other intentions."

Seeing Meng Yuan being so open and bold, Nie Qingqing blushed and nodded, saying, "Okay."

Her voice was soft and content.

After going upstairs, Meng Yuan found Du Gukang, and the two of them sat by the river.

"Brother Meng, you are a talented individual, and I can see that Third Miss Ying holds you in high regard. But precisely because of this, you must not indulge in the allure of women," Du Gukang said.

"Does Prince Xin know that you've entered the Gate of Emptiness?" Meng Yuan asked.

"He does," Du Gukang replied, his voice lacking its usual vigor, and he seemed reluctant to say more.

Meng Yuan took out the prayer beads and said, "Take a look."

Du Gukang examined them carefully for a while before saying, "Generally, prayer beads are engraved with Buddhist mantras. But these have an eternal lamp..."

He scratched his head and said, "I can't tell their age, but I guess it's about a mouse becoming a Buddha and remembering its experience of stealing lamp oil, which is why it's engraved on the prayer beads."

Meng Yuan took back the prayer beads, thinking to himself that this guy was only half-baked.

"However," Du Gukang saw that Meng Yuan was eating with his head down, clearly not impressed by his knowledge, so he leaned forward and said, "When I left Ping An Prefecture, my master also gave me a string of prayer beads. He said that in some sects, the master giving prayer beads to the disciple signifies a passing on of the lineage."

So you still don't know!

"Who shaved your head and initiated you into the Gate of Emptiness? And how did you enter it?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"My teacher is a highly revered monk at Lanruo Temple," Du Gukang said, gaining some energy as he ate the fruit, "As for why I entered the Gate of Emptiness, everyone has their reasons."

"I'd like to hear more." Meng Yuan became interested.

"In life, people are deluded by ignorance and suffer, creating karma. They cannot find peace. Everyone has their pain. A father loses his son, a wife loses her husband. They hear of the Buddhist concept of reincarnation and hope for a reunion. The poor and destitute have no one to rely on, no one to lean on. They hear of the Buddhist concept of the next life and hold onto a glimmer of hope. Everyone has their sorrows, and who would seek the Gate of Emptiness if they didn't have pain?"

"I understand," Meng Yuan shook his head, feeling that this explanation wasn't quite right, "But seeking emptiness is, in fact, being deluded by emptiness. One must face oneself to find the true self, and only then can one understand the wisdom of the Buddha and see the Buddha."

Du Gukang was stunned, then nodded, "You're good at debating, no wonder you managed to win over Nie Yanian's daughter. If you went to Ping An Prefecture, you'd definitely make a name for yourself."

"..." Meng Yuan didn't want to say more, so he just lowered his head and continued eating.

After they finished eating and drinking, Du Gukang wanted to continue discussing with Meng Yuan, but Meng Yuan wasn't interested.

"Ninety taels? For a vegetarian meal and some fruit, ninety taels?" Du Gukang was shocked when paying the bill, "Okay, okay, here you go!"

He paid the money and left in a huff.

"But after a brief test, I could see that greed, anger, and delusion were still present," Meng Yuan said, shamelessly catching up to him.

"You two are just swindlers, stop trying to drag me into this!" Du Gukang wasn't truly stupid, "Next time, I'll bring someone who deals in antiques, and we'll swindle them together."

Is this guy even a monk? Meng Yuan had originally wanted to swindle Du Gukang once and then avoid him in the future, but it turned out this guy was shameless too!

As they chatted, Meng Yuan returned to the Imperial Mansion and saw a cart, several maids, and Jiang Tang directing them.

"What's going on?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Sister Mei has arranged for our family to move to a new place." Jiang Tang led Meng Yuan into the house, "It's not far from Tranquil Garden."

She whispered again, "Also, I went to see the Princess Consort with Sister Mei. The Princess Consort said I was quite perceptive, and she wants me to follow her from now on."

Just as Meng Yuan received news from the Third Miss that she wanted to work at the Demon Suppressing Bureau, his wife had been taken by her to stay by her side.

However, judging by the Third Miss's style of doing things, she didn't seem like someone who would hold a hostage.

"Did the Princess Consort mention any tasks for you?" Meng Yuan asked.

"She said she wants to educate me," Jiang Tang replied.

"Educate?" Meng Yuan sized up the little maid, feeling relieved, but then remembering her cunning nature and the Third Miss's sharp tongue, he said in a low voice, "Just don't learn bad habits from her."

Jiang Tang widened her eyes.

"I mean, the Princess Consort is well-read and knowledgeable, so you should read more books too," Meng Yuan rephrased.

Jiang Tang nodded, and then she pulled Meng Yuan to meet an affluent old lady, saying she was Hu Qian's mother.

After some small talk, Meng Yuan felt too lazy to bother with it and headed to the training ground for some peace and quiet.

From then on, Meng Yuan shut himself in, spending every day at the training ground and not even returning to his new home. He focused solely on depicting and carving the Central Thirty-Three Heavens.

This time, the depiction and carving of the Central Thirty-Three Heavens were much more challenging. Each place required an immense amount of true energy.

However, Meng Yuan's vital energy core was vast, and his true energy recovered extremely quickly. He could depict and carve three places in a day.

As the number of carvings increased, Meng Yuan felt more relaxed, and his vital energy core seemed to expand further, increasing his true energy.

Every day, Meng Yuan stayed at the training ground without leaving. Du Gukang came to find him daily, saying that there was news about Xie Kai Ping. He said that while crossing the river, their boat capsized, and they ended up in the belly of a fish.

Although Xie Kai Ping didn't hold an official position, he had a wide social circle, and many scholars went to the riverbank to mourn him.

Ten days passed in a flash.

On this particular morning, Meng Yuan closed his eyes in a small room at the training ground, feeling the true energy in his vital energy core surging endlessly.

Vaguely, there seemed to be thirty-three silk threads connecting his internal organs and bones within his vital energy core. It appeared chaotic, yet it adhered to some kind of principle.

Moreover, those thirty-three silk threads resembled chains, and Meng Yuan felt as if there was a massive object within his body, trying to break free from its confinement.

After completely depicting and carving the Central Thirty-Three Heavens, all that was left was to connect the Central Thirty-Three Heavens with the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens, and then he would be able to advance to the Seventh Rank.

Meng Yuan went out to eat, chatted with the other youths for a while, and was about to return to his seclusion when Nie Yanian came looking for him.

"Why haven't you gone out to look for Qingqing these past few days?" Nie Yanian asked curiously, "Qingqing has been wearing a head ornament and laughing happily. How did you deceive her?"

"When have I ever deceived anyone?" Meng Yuan spread his hands, "I've been diligently practicing my skills. I haven't had time to go out, and I haven't even returned home."

"You used to be diligent, but you've never been this dedicated, day and night," Nie Yanian furrowed his brows as he examined Meng Yuan, "I heard that Xie Shen is missing, and Xie Kai Ping died in the river. Did you have something to do with it?"

What a sharp sense of smell! Meng Yuan chuckled and said, "When Xie Kai Ping died, I was at the training ground. Everyone was there, watching."

"Even so, you should have a balance between work and rest," Nie Yanian believed his words, "I was wondering why Qingqing forced me to live at the Martial Academy, and then immediately brought me back! It turns out she didn't succeed in her seduction!"

How could a father talk about his own daughter like that?

"...I don't know what to say," Meng Yuan was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Get ready and change your clothes!" Nie Yanian laughed.

"What for?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"The Princess Consort has arranged for you to join the Demon Suppressing Bureau. We should go through the formalities at the Garrison, right?" Nie Yanian patted Meng Yuan's shoulder, "You know Old Zhang and the others, so you'll be among friends there."

"Are we going now?" Meng Yuan asked excitedly.

"What else would we do? Wait for a month before going?" Nie Yanian pulled Meng Yuan outside.

"Does Teacher Nie have anything to teach me?" Meng Yuan asked.

"No, Old Zhang is not an outsider. He won't mistreat you," Nie Yanian obviously had already paved the way, "Remember, it's not easy to climb the ranks in this Garrison if your martial arts cultivation isn't up to par. But you're different. Once you reach the Seventh Rank, you'll be promoted immediately, and I'll pass on a few Heavenly Insight Divine Abilities to you. If you establish some achievements, you'll advance faster than others. But that place is dangerous, so you need to be extra cautious.")



At this point, Nie Yanian became more serious, "The Demon Suppressing Bureau is a martial position, and the future is vast. But we must remember our roots to go far."

"I live and die for the Third Miss!" Meng Yuan declared.

"That's the spirit!" Nie Yanian chuckled, putting his arm around Meng Yuan's shoulder, "Old Zhang has a mission in the next few days, and you'll be able to establish merit as soon as you arrive."

"What's the mission?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"Do you still remember when you and Li Wei Zhen destroyed the White Ape Zen Master's lair?" Nie Yanian smiled.

"Has the White Ape returned?" Meng Yuan immediately thought of Qingguangzi.

"We have news about the White Ape!" Nie Yanian laughed, "Old Zhang invited someone from above to fight the White Ape. But the White Ape managed to escape."

"He escaped? Did you get any clues? What about Qingguangzi's background?" Meng Yuan pursued.

"We only got some scattered prayer beads and a few torn monk's robes. We couldn't figure out their origins," Nie Yanian said.

"Are there any unusual characteristics on the prayer beads?" Meng Yuan became interested.

"I took a look, and the prayer beads are engraved with an eternal lamp. I haven't heard of any temple in Ping An Prefecture that has this custom," Nie Yanian said.

Meng Yuan nodded. The prayer beads he obtained from Xie Shen were also engraved with an eternal lamp.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end