Nightwatcher

# 286. Aspect of the Dharma

"Oh, I’ve spotted someone I know, I’m gonna go meet them."

Leaving that one sentence behind in the air, Xu Qi’an turned to go downstairs, discreetly circling around the crowd from a distance, making his way toward the middle-aged woman in plain clothes and a simple wooden hairpin.

Chu Yuanzhen’s eyes followed him, and when he saw that Xu Qi’an’s target was an older, rather plain-looking woman, he immediately burst out laughing:

“Xu Ningyan’s tastes are quite... unique.”

Hengyuan furrowed his brow, about to defend Sir Xu, when he noticed from afar that Xu Qi’an was sporting a rather roguish grin, chatting with the woman.

The woman ignored him, even giving him a scornful look, but Xu didn’t seem to mind, chattering away incessantly.

Seeing this, Hengyuan lost the confidence to defend him, awkwardly saying, “Youthful indulgence might not be a bad thing.”

Chu Yuanzhen laughed heartily. “The Oirans of Jiaofangsi may be beautiful, but they always feel like they’re lacking something. But a married woman like this... there’s a certain charm to it.”

Hengyuan sighed helplessly, silently lamenting Xu Qi’an’s misfortune.

Sir Xu was excellent in every regard, except his reputation for being a womaniser.

Thanks to Number One’s propaganda within the Heaven and Earth Society, Xu Qi’an’s image as a lecher had been deeply ingrained in the hearts of those who held fragments of the Earth Book.

“Auntie, why are you here again? From your attire, you don’t seem like a woman from a wealthy household. Aren’t the daily necessities of life—rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—appealing to you? Why are you always out here looking for excitement?”

“The man up on the stage—is he your husband?”

“How much silver did you bring with you today? Be careful not to get robbed. Come, come, this official will take you somewhere less crowded.”

Other than that coquettish roll of the eyes at the start, the auntie didn’t respond to him at all, letting him ramble endlessly in her ear.

She showed great disdain for the dashing Xu Qi’an.

Xu Qi’an didn’t take offense, merely shifting his focus to the ongoing duel on the stage.

This time, Monk Jingsi no longer held back, choosing to engage the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones-ranked warrior in a brutal melee, landing heavy blows.

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_

The sound of their punches and kicks echoed like the continuous ringing of a bell or the hammering of a blacksmith’s anvil, with bright sparks occasionally flying from their collisions.

The crowd of onlookers cheered in excitement, their applause and shouts never-ending.

A child, captivated by the fight, excitedly ran toward the stage, shouting enthusiastically.

“Beat it!”

Xu Qi’an swept his leg, sending the child flying. The kid soared several meters through the air before landing lightly in the arms of a man, presumably his father, who glared at Xu in anger and shock but didn’t dare act out.

“Are you hurt?” the man asked anxiously.

“It didn’t hurt at all!” the child said with a cheeky grin.

The auntie turned her head to glance at Xu Qi’an, then immediately turned back to watch the fight, her face expressionless, completely absorbed in the battle.

The fight on stage didn’t last long. After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the match was decided. The Bronze Skin and Iron Bones warrior couldn’t withstand three punches from Monk Jingsi and his hardening technique was finally broken.

“The Vajra Body of the Buddhist sects truly lives up to its reputation.”

The man cupped his hands in acknowledgment before swiftly leaping off the stage, clearly embarrassed, and quickly departed.

The auntie lightly stomped her foot in frustration.

Xu Qi’an was a little surprised. This auntie, how to put it… she always displayed expressions and mannerisms one would expect from a young girl.

His own aunt occasionally acted this way, but never to such an exaggerated degree.

*This is a woman who lacks self-awareness about her age...* Xu Qi’an concluded in his heart, smiling as he said:

“This is like two blades clashing. When their strength is about equal, the better quality blade wins. The Buddhist sect’s Vajra Body is said to come from the Buddha himself, while the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones of warriors varies in quality. His loss wasn’t unfair.”

The auntie turned her head, looking at him disdainfully, and said, “You sound so confident. Why don’t you get up there? Didn’t you once cut down a sixth rank martial artist with a single strike?”

Xu Qi’an squinted his eyes and asked in return, “Oh? Didn’t you leave that day? How do you know I cut down a sixth rnak with one strike?”

The auntie responded with a cold sneer, “I’m not deaf or mute. Unless there was another Silver Gong in Southern City that day.”

“Hey, were you the one who called someone to provoke me that day? Auntie, which household do you belong to? Which department does your husband serve in?” Xu Qi’an stopped pretending and cut straight to the point.

On that day, a sixth rank martial artist dressed like someone from the Jianghu had inexplicably challenged him on stage, even calling out his name. He could have arrested the man directly, but for the sake of pos... putting on a show, he chose to accept the challenge.

Afterward, before he had a chance to interrogate the Jianghu martial artist, someone had taken the man away. Who could have done that except someone “on the inside”? It had to be someone from the military or a retainer of some important figure.

Xu Qi’an suspected it was this very auntie, whose appearance belied her status. And on that day, he had indeed offended her, though it wasn’t a serious matter. Still, considering a woman’s petty nature, that was another story.

He had reason to believe that the sixth rank martial artist that day had been acting on this auntie’s orders.

Hearing his accusation, the auntie smiled sweetly and said, “If you get up there and cut down that little monk, I’ll tell you.”

Xu Qi’an shook his head.

“Afraid?” The disdain in her eyes deepened.

*Yes, I’m afraid. I’ve finally managed to slip out of the Buddhist emissary’s notice, and I have no desire to get entangled with their monks...* But Xu Qi’an couldn’t help resting his hand on the hilt of his blade as he pondered.

“I can’t break through his Vajra Body.”

*Well, it’s about time you learned that there’s always someone stronger!* The auntie pouted, her eyes a mix of disappointment and smugness.

At that moment, a swordsman in azure robes leaped lightly from a nearby tavern and landed on the stage.

The crowd of onlookers perked up once more, eager to see another challenger face the little monk, and began to speculate about the identity of this azure-robed swordsman.

“Chu Yuanzhen...”

Xu Qi’an heard the auntie mutter under her breath.

*She knows Chu Yuanzhen? Well, Chu Yuanzhen was once the zhuangyuan, so he's not unfamiliar to the higher circles of the Great Feng... If Zhuangyuan Chu steps in, it's likely to be a sure win.*

Xu Qi'an let out a sigh of relief.

That little monk, Jingsi, had been monopolising the stage, which didn’t look good for the court’s reputation.

"Little monk, I will only make one strike. If you can block it, I’ll consider myself defeated," Chu Yuanzhen said with a calm smile, staring directly at Jingsi.

More hisses came from the crowd. The bystanders, seeing the swordsman in azure robes acting so arrogantly, immediately thought less of him.

Everyone had seen how invincible this little monk from the Western Regions was. The arrogant words of the swordsman naturally led people to suspect him of being a fame-seeking opportunist.

"Please, benefactor!" Jingsi clasped his hands in a serene manner, showing no fear.

"Interesting," Chu Yuanzhen smiled, not showing any eagerness to win. He seemed more like someone just here for fun, much like the crowd around him.

Then, Chu Yuanzhen made a move that no one understood. He reached his hand towards the sky, palm open.

The sword on his back remained motionless.

Just when the crowd thought he was bluffing and were about to mock him, someone noticed a pebble rise from the ground.

More and more pebbles began to float, rushing toward Chu Yuanzhen’s outstretched hand like a swarm of bees.

With a series of thudding sounds, the pebbles began to fuse together, forming a sword hilt. As the stones continued to gather, a four-foot-long stone sword took shape.

Wow...

A wave of astonished gasps swept through the crowd. Most of the onlookers were here just to be entertained, and the more showy the techniques, the more impressive they seemed.

Chu Yuanzhen’s flashy display of forming a sword from stones was a technique that seemed almost magical, far more entertaining than watching the Western monk take hit after hit without striking back.

"Amazing!" The older woman’s eyes sparkled as she couldn’t help but cheer.

Once the stone sword had fully formed, Chu Yuanzhen gripped it and thrust forward. In an instant, wind and thunder surged as a violent gust rose from the ground, nearly toppling the surrounding crowd.

The sword came too fast for Jingsi to evade. With his hands clasped, the monk neither retreated nor dodged.

Ding... Boom boom boom...

First came a sharp, piercing sound, followed by the deep rumble of qi explosions. Waves of force spread like tides, sending the distant crowd flying.

Luckily, after witnessing such “energy ripples” over the past three days, the onlookers had learned to keep their distance from the stage. Thus, no one was injured, though quite a few had their eardrums pierced from the shock.

Before the first sharp sound could be heard, the older woman’s ears were already covered by Xu Qi'an, and in the following explosion of energy, she found herself pressed tightly into Xu Qi'an’s arms.

Perhaps never having been embraced by a stranger before, the older woman struggled violently, stomping hard on Xu Qi'an’s foot.

When all finally calmed down, the swordsman in azure and the little monk from the Western Regions still stood on the stage. The monk’s golden body had lost its lustre, appearing dull and dim.

Chu Yuanzhen’s sword was gone, and only sand and gravel remained between the two.

*He lost.*

Xu Qi'an thought regretfully. Then, he saw the older woman shove him away, swinging a slap at him.

Xu Qi'an raised his hand to block it and grumbled, "You, Auntie, at your age, why are you still so...?"

He didn’t finish his sentence, for he caught sight of her pale wrist adorned with a string of Bodhi prayer beads.

"???"

A string of question marks flashed through Xu Qi'an’s mind. He stared at the older woman with a gaze that slowly turned more bewildered.

He recognized this Bodhi prayer bead bracelet. On that day in the inner city, when he encountered Daoist Jinlian, he had "won" a piece of the Earth Book Fragment and a string of Bodhi prayer beads from him.

That bracelet had been bought by a noblewoman sitting in a gold-embroidered nanmu wood carriage.

*It’s her?!*

"Let go..." The older woman, furious and humiliated, gritted her teeth.

Obediently, Xu Qi'an released his hand. The older woman slapped him in return before storming off angrily.

*No way... no way... That woman, whom Daoist Jinlian praised as someone who would have a deep connection with me in the future, is her?!*

*A woman with the right to sit in a golden nanmu carriage—could she be Emperor Yuanjing’s cousin or the wife of some prince?!*

*What kind of connection could a woman like that possibly have with me? Could it be... No, no, I can’t let my thoughts go down that path. Maybe she has a daughter who’s beautiful and destined to be with me... But with her ordinary looks, could she really have a daughter that’s beautiful as a flower?*

Recalling the woman’s plain appearance, Xu Qi'an quickly dismissed the thought of a youthful mother-in-law, telling himself that the connection may not necessarily be romantic. There could be other types of fate.

*Come to think of it, I’ve seen her twice in just a few short days, and her background is as unclear as ever. She’s not part of my world, not connected to my work or social circle. In such circumstances, we keep crossing paths... Daoist Jinlian was right. I’m definitely fated to meet her.*

By this time, the crowd had begun to recover from the aftershocks of the duel. Some kept slapping their ears, speaking loudly as if deaf.

Those lucky enough to avoid ear injuries simply sighed with regret.

"He still didn’t win?"

"Are the monks from the Western Regions really that strong?"

Yet, no one criticized Chu Yuanzhen. After all, that sword strike had been nothing short of divine.

…

Xu Qi'an led the little mare, walking slowly alongside Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen.

"Zhuangyuan Chu, how much strength did you use in that last strike?" Xu Qi'an asked curiously.

Chu Yuanzhen shook his head and answered with a non sequitur, "That little monk is on the same path as you, yet quite the opposite."

Xu Qi'an suddenly understood. Chu Yuanzhen meant that the monk Jingsi relied solely on his unbreakable Vajra Body, which was similar to how Xu Qi'an only had his one powerful strike.

The difference was that one focused on offense, the other on defense.

"So, Zhuangyuan Chu, do you think my spear can break his shield?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"You can," Chu Yuanzhen glanced at him and smiled, "but also, you can't."

Xu Qi'an gave him a blank look. "Scholars are just as annoying as Buddhists."

"Why is that?" Chu Yuanzhen asked, surprised.

Xu Qi'an chuckled, "Figure it out yourself."

Chu Yuanzhen's face immediately turned sour. After a few seconds, he suddenly understood, shaking his head with a laugh. "Engaging in word games is indeed pointless. Only self-righteous people do such things."

Pausing for a moment, he offered some advice: "Your _One Blade from Heaven and Earth_ is powerful. After incorporating the essence of the Heart Sword, it has no flaws. But in my opinion, it lacks a soul."

*A soul?* Xu Qi'an was dismissive of the term.

"You wield the _One Blade from Heaven and Earth_, but it's just that—a technique. When I wield my sword, it's not just swordsmanship; it's imbued with my spirit. When I'm lazy, my sword energy is lazy. When I'm gentle, my sword energy is gentle. But when I'm angry, my sword intent can pierce the heavens," Chu Yuanzhen said in a deep voice.

"That is intent! That is the soul! That is the true essence of a fourth-rank martial artist!"

Xu Qi'an recalled the imposing “divine auras” of the Gold Gongs at the Constabulary and nodded in understanding. "But as you said, that's the essence of a fourth-rank martial artist."

*I’m only a seventh-rank Refining Spirit Silver Gong.*

"I can teach you how to cultivate intent. At a high level, it would be akin to gaining a fourth-rank martial artist's ability in advance. Of course, the effect would be much weaker. But paired with your _One Blade from Heaven and Earth_, it should be enough to break that Buddhist monk’s Vajra Body."

"Mastering an ultimate technique isn’t something that can be done in a day," Xu Qi'an remarked.

What he truly wanted to ask was: *Can I learn this skill for free?*

"The basics are easy to grasp!" Chu Yuanzhen said with a smile. "I developed this technique within a year of learning the sword. It only takes two or three days to learn the basics, but reaching a high level is incredibly difficult."

"Please, Zhuangyuan Chu, teach me," Xu Qi'an said eagerly.

"I'll start with the key points. It's not difficult. The idea is to infuse your spirit into your sword or blade energy. Simple emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are the foundation," Chu Yuanzhen explained openly.

"The Human Sect follows a similar path. What I’ve done is develop a new method based on their teachings."

...

Lingbao Temple.

In a quiet backyard, Emperor Yuanjing was playing a game of Go with the National Teacher. The aging emperor, who now had a head of fresh black hair, held a Go stone in his hand and sighed.

"Chu Yuanzhen lost too."

The National Teacher, a woman with a strikingly beautiful face and a vermilion mark between her brows, possessed a bewitching blend of youthful purity and mature allure.

Her approach to the game was casual, rash even, seemingly placing pieces without thought. She responded: “An off-hand strike, is that really a loss?”

Emperor Yuanjing nodded. "But regardless, it has elevated that little monk’s fame, and by extension, the reputation of the Western Buddhists."

Although Emperor Yuanjing remained in the palace, he was well-informed about everything happening in the capital, especially regarding the Western delegation.

"Does Your Majesty feel a sense of guilt?" The National Teacher, Luo Yuheng, furrowed her elegant brows as she noticed she had slowly played herself into a losing corner. In the midst of their conversation, she slyly shifted two chess pieces.

"Guilt?"

Emperor Yuanjing scoffed, then sighed. "There’s some guilt, yes, but more than that, it's frustration. The monk is so young and already so powerful. The capital has no rising talents to match him. What can I do?"

"It’s not as though I can send out elite fighters from the Imperial Guard. That would only make us look worse."

Luo Yuheng realized that Emperor Yuanjing was blaming Chu Yuanzhen for holding back, failing to decisively defeat the monk, and instead becoming a stepping stone for his fame.

"The baldie didn’t come here with good intentions. I doubt he'll return to the West easily," Emperor Yuanjing continued.

"If there's something you want to say, just say it directly, Your Majesty," Luo Yuheng replied.

"A few days ago, Master Du’e sought an audience with the Jianzheng, but was refused. The Jianzheng has been long secluded in the Stargazing Tower, indifferent to worldly affairs. If he continues to ignore the high monks from the West... I hope the National Teacher will step in when the time comes."

Luo Yuheng nodded slowly, discreetly moving two more chess pieces.

Having lost three games in a row, Emperor Yuanjing left Lingbao Temple in frustration. On his way back to the palace, he instructed the elderly eunuch, "Have Wei Yuan find someone. I don’t want to see that little monk on the arena stage again."

His expression was dark and cold.

The eunuch obediently replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

...

In the southern district, at the Welfare Hall.

In the backyard, Xu Qi'an and Chu Yuanzhen sat cross-legged as Chu explained the principles of cultivating intent.

Master Hengyuan didn’t shy away either, sitting nearby, eavesdropping on the lesson.

"It sounds simple enough, but how do you actually infuse ‘intent’ into a blade?" Xu Qi'an asked as he stood up, swinging his black-gold saber.

Following Chu Yuanzhen’s instructions, he tried to channel his intent into the blade.

But it didn’t work.

"Your emotions are too calm. There’s no joy, no anger, no sorrow... how can you nurture intent like this?" Chu Yuanzhen said helplessly.

"It’s my fault. I possess an inner calm, unmoved by even a mountain collapsing before me," Xu Qi'an remarked.

True intent, at its core, was an emotional state.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Yuanzhen suggested, "Actually, there’s a quicker way."

Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up. "Please, Zhuangyuan Chu, tell me."

"Come here," Chu said with a mischievous smile.

Xu Qi'an immediately stepped forward.

_Smack!_

Chu Yuanzhen slapped him across the face.

*You motherfu…* Xu Qi'an was furious. "Zhuangyuan Chu, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?"

"Can you channel intent now?"

"No effect at all," Xu Qi'an said, rubbing his stinging cheek.

"Then it means you're not ready yet."

Suddenly, Chu Yuanzhen lunged at him, slapping him repeatedly. Xu Qi'an struggled to dodge, darting left and right, but still received a dozen slaps.

Faced with Chu’s relentless assault, Xu Qi'an grew genuinely enraged. At that moment, he felt a sudden surge of inspiration, an urge to release his pent-up anger.

_Whoosh!_

A sharp blade of energy slashed through the air, distorting the atmosphere.

Chu Yuanzhen seemed unwilling to directly clash with the sharp momentum, tilting his head to avoid it. The blade energy shot into the sky, gradually dissipating.

"It really works!" Xu Qi'an was delighted.

That slash just now had exceeded the usual limits of his sabre qi. If used in combination with _One Blade from Heaven and Earth_, its power would undoubtedly rise to another level.

"You truly are a prodigy," Chu Yuanzhen marvelled.

As he had said, it could be learned in a day or three. Xu Qi'an had mastered it in just one hour.

*No, the real prodigy is you as a teacher...* Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"But if every time I unleash this slash, I need to get hit first, wouldn't that be a bit too much of a loss?"

Chu Yuanzhen responded, "That's why I said it's easy to begin, but difficult to master. Your current Intent needs external stimulation; you can't summon it at will."

*Ah, yet another secret technique to train... But I'm still that boy who is left helpless after one slash...* Xu Qi'an felt as though his path of cultivation had fallen into an irreversible state.

The more techniques he learned, the stronger his potential burst of power, but his means of dealing with opponents remained limited and extreme.

*However, the power I can unleash is growing stronger and stronger. I wonder if one day, I'll be able to truly defeat any master in the world with a single slash?*

...

That evening, Xu Qi'an wasn't surprised to hear his second uncle mention the battle at the Southern City's arena.

"They say a highly skilled swordsman took action, but still didn't defeat the monk from the Western Regions," Second Uncle sighed.

"With so many experts in the capital, no one can defeat a little monk?" Auntie said, joining the conversation casually while eating.

"There are many experts in the capital, but word would spread poorly if they used their strength to bully someone weaker. There are plenty of young talents, but they say that the monk has the invincible Vajra body. Even against someone a rank higher, it's not certain that they could break through," Second Uncle explained, giving his less informed wife a lesson.

Auntie was infuriated after hearing this. "In this huge capital, they can't even find one outstanding young person? If only our Erlang practiced martial arts, he'd knock that little monk out with one punch!"

Xu Erlang quickly waved his hands. "No, no, mum, I can't do that."

After a pause, he added, “The delegation from the Western Regions is indeed getting arrogant. Recently, I was drinking with my classmates, and they were all quite indignant about this. There's a monk in the Northern City who preaches every day, drawing thousands of common folk to listen for hours at a time. But those people are all poor. How can they afford to waste time like this?

"And then there's that little monk in the Southern City, spouting off arrogant words just because of his thick skin. Yet the martial artists in the capital seem unable to deal with him. My classmates are saying that the martial artists here are only good at lording over others within their own circles."

This comment simultaneously offended Xu Dalang and Second Uncle.

"You scholars only know how to flap your mouths with your empty theories," Xu Qi'an scoffed.

"True."

Xu Pingzhi gave his nephew a nod of approval and, at the same time, deflated his son's ever-growing ego since getting number one in the metropolitan exam. "Erlang was never suited for martial arts. But Lingyin here, with her chubby arms and legs, has plenty of strength—more talent than him."

Xu Lingyue glanced at her sister, who was busy devouring her meal, and covered her mouth to laugh softly. "If that were true, we'd be eating ourselves poor in no time."

After some more idle chatter, Second Uncle sighed. "It's not just the scholars. Even my colleagues in the City Guard are resentful. The monks from the West have become far too arrogant."

*The arrogance of the Buddhists has its reasons—they're here to hold the imperial court accountable, after all...* Xu Qi'an thought silently.

...

Night fell.

A monk wearing azure robes returned to the guesthouse and went straight to see Master Du'e, clasping his hands in respect. "Senior Uncle, the Jianzheng still refuses to meet with you."

In the soft orange candlelight, Master Du'e's wrinkled face was half illuminated by the flame and half hidden in shadow.

"I see. You may leave."

The monk bowed and exited.

Master Du'e closed his eyes again, and from the crown of his head, a beam of golden light shot skyward.

The golden light rose slowly, cutting through the night sky and disappearing. After a few seconds, the clouds above the city began to churn, and thunder rumbled across the heavens.

Amid the rolling black clouds, a strand of golden light appeared, and then a torrent of radiant gold surged, enveloping the entire capital.

The clouds trembled violently, revealing a massive Buddha face, its eyes wide open, its brows furrowed in anger.

The face of this manifestation was enormous, its sheer size covering half the capital.

Within the city, the common folk remained oblivious, but all the cultivators felt a simultaneous surge of fear and dread in their hearts, as if they were small animals cowering before a thunderstorm.

Xu Qi'an was startled awake from his sleep, his face pale as he rushed outside. Looking up at the sky, he saw the golden Buddha looming over the capital.

Such a sight was beyond anything he had ever seen in his life, as if a Buddha had descended to overlook the mortal realm from the heavens.

"Bang..."

The doors of the east wing and the neighboring rooms flew open at the same time. Second Uncle and Xu Erlang rushed out, their legs trembling as they looked skyward.

"Father, Brother... Is the Western Region's Buddhist sect making a move on the capital?" Xu Erlang asked in a trembling voice.

Xu Pingzhi was dumbstruck, having never seen such a terrifying scene in his life.

"Jianzheng, why do you not dare to face me?"

At that moment, the manifestation spoke, its voice booming like thunder, reverberating throughout the capital.

"Good heavens... The high-level powers of this world are truly terrifying..." Xu Qi'an muttered, his legs shaking as he stood there in awe.