A faint smile lifted Jian Dan's face. It had to be Liao Kong and Liao Chen arriving.
"Jian Sheng, please greet our two honored guests."
"Yes."
Jian Sheng left with Ting Feng and Wang Yu to receive them. Meanwhile, Yun Juan and Yun Shu quickly tidied up the reception hall, serving tea and simple vegetarian pastries before quietly taking their leave.
Not long after, Liao Kong and Liao Chen arrived at Tian Yue Peak. Jian Sheng led them into Jian Dan's cave residence.
"Amitabha. This humble monk greets you. It has been many years, yet Daoist Shan has already walked ahead of us on the path."
Liao Kong looked unchanged, dressed in a worn monk's robe with a kasaya draped over it. His cultivation had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, just a step away from Divine Transformation. Liao Chen, on the other hand, had grown into a striking young monk. He had already broken into Divine Transformation himself and appeared to have just emerged from seclusion.
"You two are esteemed monks of the Buddhist Sect. For you to visit my humble cave is what truly brings light to this place."
Jian Dan welcomed both men with a warm smile and gestured for them to sit.
Yue Liang spotted her old friend and immediately leapt onto Liao Chen's shoulder. He now stood nearly a full meter ninety tall.
"Amitabha! Yue Liang, it's been a while. We meet again."
"I'm doing well. I've been following the Zhūnzhǔ's instructions and cultivating diligently. My progress isn't too bad."
Jian Dan chuckled.
"Yue Liang's learned how to be modest now."
The warm atmosphere brought smiles to everyone's faces. After a short pause, Liao Kong clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"Amitabha. Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ once sent a formal greeting to our sect. Might I ask what pressing matter brings you to us?"
"My apologies for the sudden approach. Among the Buddhist Sect, I am only acquainted with you two masters. There is, indeed, something I wish to entrust."
"Please speak, Zhūnzhǔ. If it's within our power, we won't refuse."
"I'm grateful. Truly, you are the only ones who can help me with this."
Jian Dan began recounting her experiences in the Di Ling Kingdom. She omitted certain sensitive details but relayed the overall story.
"Amitabha. So the Zhūnzhǔ ended up on the far eastern edge of the continent."
"Amitabha. I've heard my Master speak of this Cloud Temple you mentioned."
Jian Dan nodded to herself. Her own suspicions were confirmed. It was impossible for two Buddhas to exist within the same landmass.
"Master Liao Chen, I'd like to hear more."
"That requires going back to the founding of our Buddhist Sect. To be precise, the Buddhist Sect was once part of Cloud Temple but later separated from it."
"As I thought."
"You must have gleaned as much from your stay there."
Jian Dan nodded again.
"It was likely a difference in philosophy."
"Exactly. Our founding patriarch believed that cultivation of the heart and the slaying of beasts and demons must be guided by a clear sense of right and wrong.
While training in the Western Continent, he not only accumulated merit but also subdued evil. He once encountered a flower beast. This creature was gentle by nature, had never harmed anyone, and even protected the local people by warding off a locust infestation."
The hall fell silent. Yue Liang had curled up in Jian Dan's lap, swaying her tail as she listened attentively.
"But the patriarch's senior insisted on eliminating the flower beast. Despite repeated dissuasion, he wouldn't back down. He even began to suspect the patriarch of harboring some unspeakable secret with the beast.
The patriarch was furious, but he still tried to stop his senior. The two ended up fighting and were eventually confined to the meditation hall by their master.
It was a messy situation. The senior finished his punishment first and subdued the flower beast alone.
By the time the patriarch heard and rushed there, it was too late. Without the flower beast's protection, locusts destroyed the fields that year. The village produced nothing. Many starved. Some fled, leaving behind only the elderly and children.
The patriarch was outraged and dragged his senior to the village. But the senior claimed it was a natural disaster. The rift between them deepened.
Later, while exploring a Buddhist realm, the patriarch was pushed by his senior into a teleportation array and ended up in the eastern part of Ling Yun Continent. Here, humans, beasts, and demons coexisted. The region was remarkably tolerant, so he established the Buddhist Sect."
Thanks to Liao Chen's story, the picture became clearer.
"Master Liao Chen, your account aligns closely with my own assumptions. I crossed paths with the Cloud Temple while interfering with the insect tribe. I even met the Buddha Son."
"Amitabha."
Liao Kong and Liao Chen intoned the sacred words simultaneously, clearly reluctant to discuss the matter further.
Jian Dan, being perceptive, quickly changed the subject.
"My visit today concerns a flower beast who has taken on human form."
With a wave of her hand, a large white basin appeared on the floor. Inside bloomed a massive lotus, pure and graceful, radiating golden light.
"This is..."
Liao Kong and Liao Chen exchanged puzzled glances.
"Fa Hua, show yourself."
At Jian Dan's command, a monk with gentle features appeared before them.
"Amitabha. Greetings, Masters. Greetings, Zhūnzhǔ."
Fa Hua wore white robes and bore not a trace of demonic aura. Instead, he carried a hint of Buddhist nature, with the faint golden glow of merit protecting him.
"Amitabha."
Only now did the two monks understand Jian Dan's earlier words. She had taken on karmic ties and now hoped the Buddhist Sect would shelter him.
"Fa Hua was cultivating at Mingfa Temple in the Di Ling Kingdom. I had thought to leave him there, but when the abbot learned of his true form..."
"Amitabha. It was the Zhūnzhǔ's compassion. She pitied my difficult path and did not want prejudice to waste my cultivation, so she brought me here."
Fa Hua stepped forward at just the right moment, completing what Jian Dan had left unsaid.
"You are kind, Zhūnzhǔ."
"Hardly. It was selfishness on my part."
"You wish for Fa Hua to cultivate within our Buddhist Sect?"
"Yes. I ask the two of you to consider whether this is possible."
Fa Hua stood silently to the side, leaving his fate to the heavens.
Liao Chen and Liao Kong conferred briefly before Liao Kong spoke.
"Zhūnzhǔ, this child has a Buddhist nature. Our sect can accept him. He may come with us to begin his cultivation. I will also report this to my Master and seek his approval."
"Excellent. Master Liao Chen, you have lifted a weight from my heart."
Jian Dan retrieved a box from her storage bracelet, something she had long prepared.
"You've gone to great lengths for me. These are small tokens of appreciation. I hope they aid your cultivation."
Inside were 108 Bodhi prayer beads, long consecrated before a Buddha. Ideal as sacred tools.
The monks had intended to decline, but seeing the beads in the box, they changed their minds. Such items were rare and precious.
"There's one more gift. Please deliver this to your Master. I ask that he take good care of our Fa Hua."
Inside the jade box was a thumb-sized relic, sealed securely. Jian Dan had shamelessly requested it from Abbot Hui Ming before leaving the Di Ling Kingdom, in exchange for her help in finding the Buddha Son.
The gift was weighty. Liao Kong and Liao Chen could not refuse it on their master's behalf, so they accepted it and agreed to bring Fa Hua back to the sect, where the final decision would be made.
"I appreciate your help. When time permits, I will visit the Buddhist Sect myself."
Their planned training trip had to be postponed. Their priority now was escorting Fa Hua to the sect.
Fa Hua could see it clearly. The Zhūnzhǔ had gone to great lengths for his sake. Before departing, he bowed deeply to Jian Dan.
"Fa Hua, cultivate both heart and mind. Since you've turned toward the Buddha, train diligently within the sect."
"Yes, Zhūnzhǔ."
After the group departed, Jian Sheng, having gathered the information he needed, approached with a question about the Yingzhou Kingdom.
"No need to worry. That island will sink beneath the sea in a hundred and fifty years. As for the rest, they'll have to rely on their own fate."
Jian Sheng could tell Jian Dan bore strong dislike for that nation, so he didn't press further. As long as the insect tribe couldn't make use of the island, it was enough.
With Fa Hua's matter resolved, Jian Dan finally felt some peace. In the days before setting out, she returned to teaching the young disciples and familiarizing herself with the workings of the War Hall.
As the departure date neared, Ting Feng rushed into the cave.
"Reporting to the Zhūnzhǔ. Something has happened at Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ's Tian Du Peak."