Chapter 101: White-Clad Guanyin

**Beacon Fires Fool the Feudal Lords**

A woman in white robes, accompanied by a white snake and carrying a white flask, possessed skin whiter than snow. As this celestial-like woman emerged from the Ghost Gate of Xiangfan, the steed pulled by Xu Fengnian’s reins lowered its head and neighed loudly, its hooves fiercely striking the ground. Not just this animal, but the entire horse team reacted the same way.

The scales of the young Kui under Xu Fengnian’s feet bristled, their bodies turning crimson and their faces becoming ferocious, as if they had encountered an unclean and defiled entity.

Xu Fengnian looked on with wide eyes. The woman, whether a deity or a mortal, walked onto the drawbridge. No one seemed to be stepping on the moat’s water, yet in an instant, the water surged violently, boiling and churning as if a thousand armies had passed through.

This was the first time the old Sword God Li Chungang had shown a solemn expression since leaving Liangzhou. He lightly stepped, gliding in front of Xu Fengnian and Jiang Ni. He stood at the forefront on this end of the drawbridge, confronting the woman from afar.

The white-robed Guanyin continued forward, reaching the middle of the drawbridge. The old Sword God, with his single arm, reached out and took down the divine talisman dagger. They stood in confrontation. No one could see how she moved on the drawbridge; only the moat suddenly exploded, and the mirrored image of what everyone saw became distorted. Only the white-robed Guanyin remained clearly visible and distinct.

Xu Fengnian finally saw the woman's exquisite face, as if veiled by a thousand layers of snowy mountains. He was stunned in amazement. The woman was like a painting, and he knew who she was.

Previously, the Dragon Guardian monk, who claimed to be from Nalanda, had said he would take him to the Western Regions. This great monk in a red kasaya, whose every gesture embodied Zen, was very ethereal. So Xu Fengnian specifically went to the Tide-Listening Pavilion and consulted secret texts. The female Bodhisattva before him was the Red Hat Sect's Tantric Master, ranked among the top figures in Buddhist records. She held a long string of titles: Great Merciful Dharma King, Bodhisattva in the Succession, Six-Pearl Master... She was a woman in her forties. Xu Fengnian had thought she would be old and faded by now, and even with beauty-preserving techniques, she wouldn't be particularly youthful or pure. But the woman before him, aside from being a bit too tall, looked no different from a twenty-year-old woman, with compassionate eyes and eyebrows, and a natural red mole on her forehead.

Xu Fengnian thought to himself, if he had known this female Dharma King from Nalanda was so beautiful and captivating, he could have bargained a bit. Dual cultivation? No problem at all! As long as the Master was willing to leave the Western Regions, the climate and customs of Liangzhou were surely better than the impoverished Western Regions. Did His Royal Highness, the Prince with mountains of gold and silver, lack a large, brocade-covered bed?

This vulgar and intolerable fantasy flashed and faded. Xu Fengnian composed himself, stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Chungang, and whispered, “This person is the female Dharma King from Nalanda, known as the Six-Pearl Bodhisattva. It's said she can transform into various forms like Guanzizai Master, Lotus King Master, and Wrathful Vajra Master. Can you beat her?”

The old Sword God, holding the divine talisman with his single arm, had a beaming smile. If one didn’t know the identity of the old man in sheepskin, one might mistake him for a lecherous old man blocking the road to accost women. Li Chungang lowered his head and exhaled, an ability so profound it could materialize intent into divinity. He actually exhaled a visible stream of azure Qi, which enveloped the priceless divine talisman, glowing brilliantly in the night.

The old man said softly, “Monks from Nalanda are said to be unkillable. Back then, the Talisman General Red Armored Man fought an old man wielding a vajra for three days and three nights, and neither could kill the other. The Vajra Realm, a first-rank cultivation, originates from the Buddhist school. I’d like to see if they truly possess an indestructible Vajra body. However, fighting a junior female is not a fair victory.”

Xu Fengnian, who seemed to fear nothing but order, was full of mischievous ideas. He said, “The old Sword God is only carrying a dagger; that’s already holding back his strength. It’s not bullying a junior.”

The old man, with a cocked eye, squinted at the Prince who sought not peace but fierce combat, his lips twitched, but he didn't mind. People fail to achieve anything significant in swordplay because they cannot break through all techniques with a single sword, fearing this and that when dueling, ultimately losing their true sword intent. Without the single-mindedness of “though a thousand armies block my way, I shall go forth,” how can one wield a good sword? Li Chungang had always been unwilling to pay attention to Xu Fengnian’s petty concerns. From leaving Beiliang to Qingzhou and then to Xiangfan, hadn’t he been observing this outwardly impressive Prince of Beiliang all along?

The conclusion he reached was that this young man's martial arts talent was quite extraordinary. His disposition was resolute, almost ruthless. Unfortunately, he started practicing martial arts a bit late. Otherwise, before the age of thirty, he might very well have become someone like Cao Guanzi.

If the white-robed Guanyin took one more step forward, Li Chungang would unleash his Azure Dragon technique from his sleeve. But just one step short, she stopped on the drawbridge. She wasn’t looking at the old Sword God, her potential adversary, but at Xu Fengnian, who was slowly retreating.

She raised her hand.

The divine talisman in the hand of the old Sword God, whose name contained "sword qi," moved like a green snake. His protective energy, like a green snake flicking its tongue, burst forth as a stream of azure Qi, enveloping his entire single arm.

Yet, this female Dharma King, born of an imperial family in Central India and raised on Nalanda Mountain, simply raised her hand to lift the flask, uncorked it, and took a sip of wine. The wine’s fragrance did not mix with the old Sword God’s protective energy; instead, the entire drawbridge was filled with its scent. The little white snake coiled around her jade-white arm, a scene bizarre in the extreme.

The Six-Pearl Bodhisattva glanced gently at Xu Fengnian.

With just one glance, the Great Yellow Court within Xu Fengnian surged like a tide, and he inexplicably spat out a mouthful of blood. His attendants behind him were horrified and moved to protect him, but Xu Fengnian waved them off. After spitting out blood, Xu Fengnian felt his chest clear rather than heavy. From the second layer to the third?

If she looked a few more times, wouldn’t the Great Yellow Court fully manifest within him?

She indeed looked again. Just as Xu Fengnian was stunned, the old Sword God frowned, let out a soft shout, and a streak of azure Qi appeared on the bridge, seemingly severing invisible threads of spiritual energy. He glared at Xu Fengnian furiously and said, “You brat don’t know what’s good for you! Just because she gave you a little benefit, you actually think she’s a compassionate Bodhisattva?! Be careful, you might not even know how you die!”

The white-robed Guanyin subtly shook her head, put away her flask, and continued silently forward.

“Boy, you and Jiang Ni retreat,” the old Sword God said, then stomped his foot, causing dust to rise from the center of his sole, creating surging, deafening ripples. Xu Fengnian pulled Jiang Ni and drifted backward.

The pure white-robed Dharma King ignored the invisible sword qi unleashed by the old Sword God’s stomp and walked barefoot forward.

Just as the sword qi was about to reach her, a great monk in a red kasaya appeared between the old Sword God and the white-robed Guanyin on the bridge. With a wooden expression, he barely blocked the powerful waves of sword qi. His kasaya fluttered, and his figure remained unyielding.

Xu Fengnian quietly sighed. The Dragon Guardian monk, who had once said he could wait for thirty-one years, had appeared. If it were just the Six-Pearl Dharma King, a single Bodhisattva, Xu Fengnian believed that with Li Chungang’s strength, combined with his attendants (whose power was around second-rank), it wasn’t impossible to trap this Nalanda Guanyin, let alone kill her. Although the great monk in red robes hadn’t reached first-rank, in the current delicate situation, he was the greatest variable. Moreover, Xu Fengnian held no ill will towards the great monk before him; he had always shown considerable respect for enlightened eminent monks. A true life-and-death struggle, regardless of outcome, was ultimately not a pleasant thing to behold.

The great monk in red robes placed his hands together and bowed his head, saying, “My Master enters the world this time with no intention of fighting. Please do not blame her, Your Royal Highness. My Master’s journey out of Xiangfan is to deliver ten thousand evil spirits, thereby accumulating immeasurable merit for Your Royal Highness.”

Xu Fengnian found this statement absurd, yet he deeply believed it. Both Buddhist and Taoist schools discreetly recorded that there were 100,000 vengeful spirits in Xiangfan City, consumed by their relatives, their grievances reaching to the heavens. Even 36,500 grand Taoist rituals couldn’t dispel them. So, that year, the two faiths made an unwritten wager: whoever won would enter Xiangfan, and whoever lost would leave Xiangfan, for a hundred years unchanged. If Longhu Mountain won, the monks led by Liangchan Temple and Nalanda would not be allowed to set foot in Xiangfan for a hundred years. Conversely, if they won, Longhu Mountain would have to withdraw its grand Taoist rituals, move its large and small Taoist temples, and not be allowed to preach within the city.

The disputes among the three religions, and sects vying for fame and profit, were often like children's tantrums, utterly unreasonable.

Jiang Ni murmured, “She’s so beautiful, like the Goddess Guanyin.”

Xu Fengnian gave a wry smile and said, “Guanyin observes the sounds of all beings in the world—dragons, oxen, horses, and people. Mortals who observe her sounds can attain liberation.”

The Goddess Guanyin, in the little mud doll’s eyes, first walked past Li Chungang at the bridgehead.

She then brushed past His Royal Highness the Prince, and softly uttered a Sanskrit phrase: “I observe the sounds of the world, but you are not at ease. You are not worthy of dual cultivation.”