Yinshan Record

Chapter 16 Ancient Buddha
"Please feel free to ask, my lord. I will answer everything I know."

The monster said in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Su Che looked at the sword box in his hand.

"My first question is, my divine sword is imbued with a spirit, capable of slaying demons and destroying ghosts. Why did it not change at all when you entered my room, young lady?"

The monster paused for a moment and then spoke.

"Does the young master know where I come from?"

I haven't even asked yet, are you going to answer it yourself?

"I am a fox spirit, nicknamed Qingqiu."

"There are three lineages of fox demons in the world: one is the Xuanyuan Tomb of Beimang, one is the Zifu Palace of Fengshan, and the other is the Cloud Recesses where I was born. All fox immortals in the world respect these three places as the Three Ancestral Courts. If they are not born from these three places, they all jokingly call themselves Wild Fox Zen."

I have absolutely no idea about any of what you're saying.

Su Che still tried his best to appear as if he understood everything.

"Although demon cultivation is said to be one path, it seems that there are three thousand great paths, each taking its own lineage. Even among demon cultivators, each has its own expertise. Tiger demons are good at binding ghosts and manipulating the wind, bull demons are strong enough to lift mountains, and my Cloud Recesses is most skilled in illusion techniques. Moreover, my true spirit is suppressed by this broken rope of the Yellow Heaven Path, and my aura is weak. With both of these factors combined, even if the divine sword had a spirit, it would not cut me."

Su Che was genuinely impressed. Huang Tiandao had treated him quite well, which was a testament to the Su family's years of support. Of course, my skills weren't exactly top-notch either.

This tortoise shell is still quite tortoise-like.

Looking at his work, Su Che felt a small sense of pride that was hard to express to others.

This is the first time I've tried it, and the result is pretty good.

"Since you're from the East Sea, what brings you to Shanyin County? As for fortune-telling and divination, do demons need money?"

As soon as Su Che finished speaking, the monster burst into laughter.

"The adult speaks with great humor."

"Humorous? I've always been a very gloomy person. My principle in dealing with the opposite sex is to be practical and down-to-earth."

"Didn't you come to Shanyin County because of that thing in Xuanshan, sir?"

Xuanshan? What is Xuanshan? Isn't this Shanyin County?
The fox demon's words left Su Che somewhat confused, prompting him to carefully recall the materials he had reviewed before arriving.

Shanyin County gets its name from its location north of Xuanshan Mountain, as the saying goes, "the north of the mountain and the south of the water is called Yin."

What's in those mountains to the south?
The fox demon noticed Su Che's silence.

She suddenly asked, "You don't know about Xuanshan?"

"Hmm? You don't need to know what I know, just tell me..."

Su Che tried his best to maintain his mysterious and unfathomable image.

"You don't know what's hidden inside Xuan Mountain, so what are you doing in Shanyin County?"

At that time, the Ministry of Personnel gave me the position of county magistrate in seven counties and told me to choose any one of them. I randomly chose Shanyin County.

Su Che wondered what kind of expression the fox spirit would have if he told her this secret.
The monster remained silent for a moment, seemingly reorganizing her thoughts.

Madam Qi had an expression that was both amused and exasperated.

"Since you don't know anything, how did you manage to run into Du Mu right away? Was it just pure luck? Your luck is too good. How did you even know about Kulin Temple..."

That bastard, knowing how many books I consulted in the church and how much effort I spent to figure out this clue, just barged in like that.

Although her physical body was thousands of miles away, she could already sense that her painstakingly cultivated true form was showing signs of demonic possession.

This is a great opportunity that can help people achieve enlightenment and directly reach the third rank of cultivation. How did this person end up coming in so confused?

Calm down, you need to calm down.

The demon who called himself Qingqiu took a deep breath and calmed his mind. This guy still had value; his treasures were definitely not limited to that sword box and Huang Tiandao's spirit-sealing silk.

Think it over carefully and turn him into your own asset; that will increase your chances of winning against the Black Mountain Monster by three points.

Be patient, the bigger picture is more important.

A warm smile appeared on Madam Qi's face.

"Then, Young Master Su, you should at least know the origin of the Kulin Temple, right?"

Su Che nodded.

I heard Lord Tian mention it before. It seems that during the previous dynasty, a great Westerner came to the East to preach, which greatly shook the fate of the previous dynasty. Then, he mysteriously went to the East Sea and disappeared into the world.

The Kulin Zen Monastery was founded by a disciple of this great Western master. "That great Western practitioner had a name: Lion-Lotus Tathagata. In Buddhism, those who can be revered as Tathagatas are at least at the third level of Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, or Arhat."

Is the Lion-Lotus-Full-Complete Tathagata? Su Che pondered the meaning of this term.

I had read in a book that people in this world divide cultivation levels into nine ranks, much like the ranks of officials in the imperial court. The ninth rank is the entry point, and the first rank is the limit.

At the time, I wondered whether these practitioners had copied the court's hierarchical system, or whether the court had copied this system from the practitioners. It couldn't just be a simple coincidence.

Later, after reading more books, I realized that the imperial court never lacked officials of the first rank, but among the cultivators known in the world, very few were able to reach the third rank.

That Lion-Lotus Tathagata was a third-grade powerhouse, and he certainly had the strength to become the national teacher of the previous dynasty.

"Young Master Su may not know, but this great power from the Western Lands was originally a demon king from the Ten Continents of the Eastern Sea. He went from demon to Dao, and from Dao to Buddhism. Looking at the world, he was by no means the strongest at the time, but in terms of his experience and cultivation, he was definitely rich."

The monster spoke of this person with a hint of admiration in his tone.

He's just a three-surname servant, no, a three-surname slave, isn't he? He talks like he's something special, but his will is so weak, always betraying others. He deserves to die.

"His name is Lion Blue Lotus Tathagata. The lion refers to his true form, which is a lion of great power and virtue, possessing the wisdom to subdue afflictions."

"Qinglian means that he has inherited the Taoist tradition, harmonized the dragon and tiger, and has mastered the mysteries of the creation and transformation of heaven and earth, yin and yang."

"Complete" means that his supernatural powers and magical abilities are so vast that they are sufficient to bring all things to perfection.

"And Tathagata refers to his extraordinary cultivation at the third rank."

The monster suddenly stopped talking and looked at Su Che.

"why are you laughing?"

"I'm not laughing."

"You were clearly laughing just now."

"You're wrong."

"You did laugh."

Su Che waved his hand: "Hearing you mention this person's title reminds me of a very funny joke."

A joke about a young man who first studied literature but failed, then martial arts but failed, and finally medicine, where he made his first dose of medicine before unfortunately passing away.

Forget it, I'll bear it.

The demon, after all, was a cultivator, so he adjusted his mindset and continued speaking.

"Everyone says that this Lion Lotus Buddha went to the East Sea, but that's not true. According to my research, he seems to have finally achieved his long-desired goal and is preparing to return to the Western Land. Going to the East Sea was just a pretext."

I knew this traitor wasn't after anything like "spreading the Dharma and benefiting all beings" or "saving all sentient beings."

"But he did not actually return to the Western Lands. Instead, something happened, and he passed away midway through his journey. His remains are in Xuanshan Mountain, south of Shanyin County. This is why the lineage of Kulin Temple moved to Shanyin County back then?"

"what reason?"

"You actually ask me why? Of course it's about inheritance and treasures! Do you know what a Buddha means? His remains alone have countless wondrous uses, not to mention his magical treasures. Do you know he might possess the most important treasures in the West..."

Sister-in-law Qi suddenly shut her mouth.

"What's the most important thing?"

"When he passed away, he left behind a forbidden spell in the heart of Xuan Mountain. Three months ago, the forbidden spell suddenly weakened. In a while, his remains will be able to see the light of day again."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

First of all, strictly speaking, I'm just a local police officer in Shanyin County, handling some simple daily tasks. I can turn a blind eye, or even completely ignore, your acts of digging up the corpses of old monks, Taoist priests, and monsters.

But I have a bright future ahead of me, why should I get involved in your mess?

"It has nothing to do with you?"

"It has nothing to do with me, and it has nothing to do with you either."

Su Che said responsibly, "Because in three days, your soul will be scattered, and I will personally go to find your remains then."

The monster suddenly shut its mouth.

This Third Young Master Su is completely different from what I imagined.

Then she opened her mouth again and shouted loudly.

"Help! Someone's assaulting me! Oh, please leave me one piece of clothing! Don't touch me! Hmm? Are you done yet?"

(End of this chapter)