**Chapter 46: Water Moon**

“Wuu… wuu… wuu…”

It was a small, monochrome chamber, stark and empty. Square, barren, without door or window. Utterly sealed, completely isolated. Suffocating. Or perhaps, safe.

There was naught within the room save for a frail, diminutive figure in a white dress, curled in the shadows of the corner. Her slender arms hugged her knees, her face buried, weeping. She was like a tiny white blossom, vulnerable to the slightest gust of wind. Her sobs were faint, barely audible, intermittent, as if she dared not let them be heard.

“Stand up! Stand up!”

A voice, shrill and resentful, abruptly pierced the silence from outside, rapidly approaching as if to shatter the very room. “Bamboo Biqiong, how can you be so distraught over a mere man, a *stinking* man at that!”

The small girl in the white dress trembled as if struck by lightning. Slowly, she raised her head.

At this moment, her tranquil eyes gazed upon her reflection in a mirror.

The Bamboo Biqiong in the mirror, clad in the true disciple’s robe of the Sea Tower, sat placidly upon a bamboo stool. She was like a painting of a lady, frozen in time. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her expression cool and desolate, her brow unruffled, her eyes devoid of ripples. Where was the slightest trace of the green and awkward frailty that once defined her?

The spring scenery of the near sea archipelago was resplendent. Here on Huai Island, white-browed azaleas bloomed in abundance. These azaleas, unique to Huai Island, earned their name from the two white horizontal lines on their petals, hence the saying, “The good person has not yet returned, yet the azalea’s brows are already white.”

While Granny Bi Zhu was still alive, she was particularly fond of these flowers, often sitting alone, lost in contemplation. At that time, Bamboo Biqiong was too young to truly understand such sentiments.

Now, she sat in her private courtyard on Huai Island, her slender fingers of pale jade holding a wooden comb, meticulously tending to her long hair. The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore could still be heard, and blue-beaked gulls still soared freely beyond the window.

As a true disciple of the Sea Calming Elder of the Sea Tower, Bamboo Biqiong’s life in the near sea archipelago should have been carefree. She possessed considerable strength for her generation, and moreover, Gu Huaixin was a contemporary True Person known for his protectiveness.

Yet, her combing action was slow, as if she had forgotten how to do it. Within her calm eyes, a hidden anxiety simmered, like worries concealed beneath the surface of deep water.

In this vibrant spring, in this morning brimming with infinite hope, the surface of the bronze mirror before her suddenly rippled like rising water.

The face reflected in the mirror, distorted by the swirling ripples, transformed into another woman’s countenance. There was a faint resemblance to Bamboo Biqiong around the eyebrows, but her features, which should have been gentler and more dignified, were fiercely contorted, revealing an expression of intense resentment.

“Bamboo Biqiong! How long do you intend to hide from me?!”

Her sinister shout suddenly softened, and her face smoothed out like a flattened pancake. “Have you forgotten how your elder sister took care of you, how good I was to you?”

Bamboo Biqiong’s hand, holding the comb, paused. “No, I’m not hiding from you.”

“Then what are you thinking about?” The woman in the mirror asked with feigned concern. “You haven’t been cultivating properly these past few days…”

Bamboo Biqiong’s eyelids drooped slightly, concealing a multitude of emotions within the depths of her gaze.

What was she thinking about?

She thought of the frail little girl she once was.

She thought of how Jiang Wang, before his journey to the demon realm, had come to the near sea archipelago to find her, wishing to thank her in person.

But she hadn’t seen him.

She simply didn’t want the thanks of friends.

But she never expected that hesitation at that moment would be a parting forever.

“Why don’t you speak?” The woman in the mirror suddenly leaned closer, her face once again contorting in anger. The resentment in her eyes threatened to burst from the bronze mirror. “Are you thinking of that Jiang Wang again? He’s dead and gone, what’s the point of thinking about him! He was nothing but a hypocritical gentleman, seeking fame, merely using you as a chess piece. His initial ‘rescue’ of you was part of the Qi kingdom’s scheme to challenge the Sea Tower’s authority. Why can’t you see this clearly? Only your elder sister will truly treat you well in this world, Bamboo Biqiong! Why don’t you understand?!”

“Bamboo Biqiong, speak! Bamboo Biqiong!”

The woman in the mirror babbled on incessantly. “Bamboo Biqiong! You… you…”

“Don’t shout!” Bamboo Biqiong suddenly stood up and shouted back loudly!

But the explosive emotions were instantly suppressed by her. She looked at the surprised and hurt expression of Bamboo Su Yao in the mirror.

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She turned away, her voice low. “I’m very tired, Elder Sister.”

“Haha haha…” The woman in the mirror was first astonished, then pained, before letting out a sharp, cackling laugh. “You dare to be fierce with me! You dare to be fierce with your own elder sister for the sake of a stinking man, an outsider?!”

“Are you even human? Do you have a conscience?” She bared her teeth and claws, furious like a madwoman. “Who raised you? Who protected you? Who gave you food, gave you clothes? You are simply a beast!”

“Wuu wuu wuu wuu…” The woman in the mirror began to cry again. “Why is it that even you don’t understand me? Haven’t I been good enough to you? I brought you up from a young age, acting as both father and mother. I was still a little girl myself, I also wanted to be cared for… I gave you everything good, painstakingly entered the immortal gate, and still wanted to keep you by my side. Granny said your aptitude wasn’t good, I knelt at her door for three days… Biqiong, hasn’t elder sister treated you well? What exactly have I done wrong? I’ve lived diligently, treated people sincerely, I’ve never had the heart to harm others, never done anything bad. But why do all those people just use me, all want to harm me? Clearly I am the one being harmed, how is it that you all think it’s my fault? Why does even my most beloved younger sister want to abandon me? Why, wuu wuu wuu ah…”

Her crying was like the sawing of an old crow, sharp and hoarse, scraping at the eardrum.

Bamboo Biqiong walked to the washbasin near the window, gazed at the blue sea waves not far away, lowered her head, and buried her face in the water.

The world grew quiet.

With her eyes closed, the world was not entirely black. In the boundless darkness, there was always a human-shaped outline, just like during that long slumber. As consciousness grew drowsy, her mind always remembered that face—a face truly sorrowful for her, truly sad for her.

She still remembered that angle.

A tilted angle.

The first time he held her in his embrace, in the identity of a dying friend.

At that time, she was still very weak, her eyes barely open, but she forced them open with all her might, greedily gazing at his jawline, at his profile, at his eyes looking straight ahead.

The pain at that time didn’t seem so painful.

He drew closer, closer…

Bamboo Biqiong suddenly opened her eyes. But unexpectedly, beneath the water of the washbasin, she saw a familiar yet blurred face. She suddenly lifted her head, escaping the washbasin.

Drip drip drip drip drip!

The water drops on her face fell in a string onto the water’s surface, rippling out circle after circle of small waves.

Bamboo Biqiong gasped for breath, but suddenly, all breath was held.

Beneath the circles of ripples in the gilded washbasin, the face she had seen in her dream, in the water, in her memory, had unexpectedly reappeared.

Escaped from imagination, intruding into reality. Carved into memory, drawing out expectation.

Amidst the shimmering water, the blurred face gradually cleared—handsome brows, calm eyes, a straight nose, stubbornly pursed lips.

It was the moon in the water, unattainable.

Suddenly, Qing Yang was once a young man!

“Tsk tsk, magnificent.”

Chai A Si examined himself in the mirror. He was clad in a neat black martial outfit, which he had purchased at great expense, and a very stylish red cloak, a gift from Yuan Xiaoqing. As they say, the Buddha relies on gold adornments, while demons rely on clothing.

This ensemble, coupled with his body already quite sturdy after cultivating a divine technique. What dashing presence, what majestic bearing!

These brows, these eyes, this temperament. Before, he truly didn’t know how to dress, effectively wasting this face.

Who else could be the handsomest man in the Flower Fruit Society but me?

After admiring himself for a while, he slightly adjusted his hair, letting the bangs fall just so.

Chai A Si, having completed all preparations, bowed deeply to the ancient god mirror and worshipped. “Exalted One, I wish to impersonate you!”

The ancient god, who should have remained in the mirror, was silent…

The new incense master of the Flower Fruit Society rose from his ritual, took out a beautiful pouch embroidered with the character ‘Chai’ in gold thread, and with a beaming smile, placed the mirror inside. Of course, this was nominally out of respect for the ancient god.

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He couldn’t simply hold the ancient god mirror bare in his hand, so he used a precious pouch to pack it up, and then had Yuan Xiaoqing carry it.

The final selection of the Golden Sun Terrace martial arts tournament in Mo Yun City had already progressed through several rounds. Unexpectedly, to the surprise of the other demons, he had advanced triumphantly all the way. Even the president of the Flower Fruit Society was astonished and offered him further encouragement.

Ordinary low-level demons had sword techniques less fierce than his. Those with stronger sword techniques couldn’t break through his invincible golden body. Moreover, after each battle, the ancient god would provide him with a thorough review of the situation. He would tell him how many opportunities he had missed, which choices he had made incorrectly, and how many other ways there were to win.

This caused his strength to progress by leaps and bounds. Receiving heavy blows on the martial stage also caused his invincible golden body to progress very quickly—he didn’t know if it was an illusion, but recently, the effects of his medicinal baths seemed better and better. He exchanged all the additional rewards from the Flower Fruit Society for various precious medicinal materials. Anyway, it was a desperate practice, using the posture of drowning himself to soak in the bath…

Our Swift Wind Killing Sword was unaware that during this period, he was indeed truly soaked in medicinal soup. After all, he was currently competing. Each advancement in the martial arts tournament would allow him to climb a little higher. Moreover, the effect of those medicinal materials on the great ancient god was becoming weaker and weaker, so he generously distributed half of them to feed him.

Swift Wind Killing Sword, Chai A Si, primarily focused on the martial arts tournament and cultivation, with enhancing his relationship with Yuan Xiaoqing as a secondary goal, and conveniently bringing along his subordinate little brothers to manage some of their faction’s affairs.

The great ancient god Jiang Wang, on the other hand, was pursuing multiple paths simultaneously. He kept track of Chai A Si’s progress in the martial arts tournament, accompanying him in reviewing every battle on the stage. He also provided support to Zhu Dali in slaughtering gods, lecturing him on the ideas of the Peaceful Dao, and painting a grand picture. Furthermore, he cooperated with Old Yuan’s plan to expand the Faceless Sect, occasionally showing divine signs and recruiting believers…

In addition to these, he had to learn modern dog clan characters and translate the dog clan characters from the near ancient period.

Furthermore, the cultivation of Chai A Si, Old Yuan, and Zhu Dali—these three individuals—also required guidance from the great ancient god. And his own injuries needed conditioning, his own cultivation couldn’t be neglected either…

He had to stretch every moment of time to be used as ten moments. Even though Jiang someone was originally known for his diligence, he found it truly unbearable.

But fortunately, there was also progress. After days of non-stop study, he had finally gained a certain degree of mastery over dog clan characters… He could even immodestly say that he was already proficient. As for the dog clan characters from the near ancient era, he could also say he had conducted in-depth research, pondering the meaning of each word. Without strong spiritual sense, divinity, and enlightenment, it would have been impossible to complete such a vast workload in a short time.

To this point, he had a preliminary understanding of the ancient book in his hand. Earlier, he had wondered why the book cover had so many flowery words, yet the book’s title, when spoken aloud, was only three words, called “Wisdom Fruit.” It sounded like children’s reading material. Now he discovered that was fundamentally nonsense. Those demons were unlearned, vaguely guessing a few words, and just gave it a random name.

The book’s original name was “**Collection of the Superior Wisdom, Divine Wisdom Root, and Fruit**.” It was indeed a collection of records from when the demon clan’s Buddha sect powerhouse, Xiong Chan Shi, once lectured the Dharma at Ancient Nan Mountain, compiled and organized by his disciples, the ten Dharma Kings under his seat. It mainly lectured on “Knowledge,” “Spiritual Wisdom,” “Root Bone,” and “Cause and Effect,” discussing the relationship between these four and the Buddha. It also contained miscellaneous narratives of history and commentary, primarily to provide evidence for the lectured Dharma, and naturally not objective.

But for Jiang Wang, precisely these contents were the most important.

For example, this paragraph—

Disciple Xiang Mi asked: Chan Shi! Where is the true Buddha? What should a Buddha believe? I am bitter and confused by the difference between the demon people, and it is difficult to understand the difference between the two realms. Is this the Buddha?

Xiong Chan Shi said: The Buddha has no fixed fruit, the Buddha has no fixed appearance, the Buddha has no fixed body. He is my Buddha.

Xiang Mi was a disciple under Xiong Chan Shi’s seat, ranked fifth among the top ten Dharma Kings. In the history of the demon clan, he had a high evaluation. It was said that he possessed great wisdom disguised as foolishness, was honest and hardworking, and was greatly loved by the believers of Ancient Nan Mountain at that time. It could even be said that he was the most trusted among the Dharma Kings of Ancient Nan Mountain.

In this dialogue, Xiang Mi, due to his confusion and pain, went to ask Xiong Chan Shi—Where is the true Buddha? Whom should I, a Buddha in a robe, believe in? I am now confused about the difference between the demon clan and the human race, and it is very difficult to perceive the difference between the demon realm and the human realm. Thus I am in pain. Please tell me, is this the Buddha I am learning?

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Xiang Mi’s confusion seems not complex, but it embodies the conflict between the Buddha of the demon clan and the Buddha of the human race. As a Dharma King of Ancient Nan Mountain, with deep cultivation and high strength, he was still painfully entangled in the process of seeking the source of the Buddha. After all, the Dharma was transmitted by humans, making it difficult to completely transcend race.

While Xiong Chan Shi answered, “The Buddha has no fixed result, the Buddha has no fixed face, the Buddha has no fixed expression. My Buddha is the Buddha.” He was saying there is no need to be confused about the Buddha. His answer is also very easy to understand. But the key embodied behind it is the attitude of the demon clan’s Buddha sect powerhouses towards the Buddha. The demon clan also cultivates the Buddha, but they only cultivate their own Buddha.

Here, “Buddha,” in the same vein as “Dao,” is a broad “Dao” and also a specific “Law.” But it is completely independent of the current Buddhist gate in this world and unrelated to those monks of the human race.

Within the book lies a golden house, and within the book also lies history and answers.

The gradual confirmation of the content of this “Collection of the Superior Wisdom, Divine Wisdom Root, and Fruit” suggests that when the World Honored One came to the demon realm, it was definitely before the near ancient era. Secondly, the speculation Jiang Wang formed after translating this passage is that the Buddha transmitted in the demon realm might have been an inheritance actively left behind by the World Honored One, rather than an imitation and absorption by the demon clan later. Because Xiong Chan Shi very clearly obtained the true intent of the Buddha, grasping that word “Buddha.” Although he cultivated his own demon clan’s Buddha, he did not deviate from the core of the Buddha.

Between the human race and the demon clan, there has been a lot of mutual learning and infiltration. For example, the demon clan also has the military family, the legalist family, and the Confucian family. However, according to Jiang Wang’s observations in the demon clan cities during this period, these schools have more or less deviated in the demon clan. Their fundamental origin is from the word “Demon,” and then they absorbed military law and Confucianism.

However, only the Buddha of the demon realm originates from the word “Buddha,” and only then does it approach the word “Demon.”

The second speculation Jiang Wang formed is that the Buddha transmitted by the World Honored One in the demon realm might have been a Buddha that completely abandoned the word “Human.” In other words, what the World Honored One transmitted in the demon realm was purely the Dao, completely transcending race, outside of the identity of either human race or demon clan.

Perhaps this is precisely the fundamental reason why “Buddha” developed so rapidly in the demon realm, far surpassing other schools transmitted from the human race.

Perhaps… this is also a method to oppose the heavenly will of the demon clan.

Transmitting the Dao to this world, great merit, great virtue. Eliminating enmity, naturally there is no need to oppose.

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How are things with the great god? The fastest update for “Red Heart Patrolling Heaven” is here!

Chapter 46: Water Moon, free reading!