BXBX NOVEL Chapter 118 - 118: A Confrontation Between God and Man
In Tian Chong City, at an inn’s elegant room on the second floor.
“Junior Chu Qian and Lin Qingyu thanks the two seniors for saving our lives,” said the disciple of the Immortal Chef Sect, Chu Qian, and the disciple of the Lingmei Sect, Lin Qingyu, bowing respectfully.
“Come, come, sit down, no need to be so formal,” Lu Xuan greeted them with a smile. “How is the situation at Tian Chong Temple now?”
“Reporting to Senior Lu,” Chu Qian began, “all disciples of Tian Chong Temple have become part of that monster’s body, with only some of the service staff surviving. None of the Buddhist cultivators were spared. The common people and ordinary cultivators who attended the feast, however, are safe, thanks to the timely actions of the seniors present.”
Lu Xuan nodded slightly, “You did well yesterday. The safety of the people and monks attending the feast is a great merit to you.”
“I didn’t do much, really,” Chu Qian modestly replied, not considering his own near-death experience in Tian Chong Temple the previous night.
“The real credit should go to Lin Qingyu,” Chu Qian thought for a moment. “If it weren’t for her stopping me from going down there impulsively… the outcome would have been unimaginable. She was both brave and wise.”
“There’s no need to praise me like that,” Lin Qingyu shook her head. “I entered that cave to uncover the truth about my sect elder’s disappearance, not as noble as Chu Qian’s intentions.”
“Alright, alright, let’s not be too modest here,” Cheng Lingzhu said with a smile, raising her cup. “Here, I toast on behalf of the local people to two heroes.”
“Senior flatters us too much, we don’t deserve it…
The two hurriedly raised their tea cups and drank the tea, but Chu Qian’s eyes widened in surprise as he stuttered, “This tea, this tea… is this…”
“It’s picked from the Enlightenment Tree in the Nine Abyss Forbidden Land. It might be a bit too rich for your tastes, but I hope you young people like it,” Lu Xuan said with a smile.
He normally didn’t drink tea from that tree, as the Enlightenment Tree in the
Nine Abyss Forbidden Land was quite old, making even its new tea very robust.
Lu Xuan, being a young man, preferred the tea from the Guto Forbidden Land when he was with Cheng Lingzhu. The Enlightenment Tree there undergoes a renewal every hundred years, growing anew on the same spot. The Guto Forbidden Land’s Enlightenment Tea was sweet and it leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips.
Every time Lu Xuan descended the mountain, he would go there to stock up. He was a bit introverted and didn’t like to trouble others, so he always picked the leaves himself. The master of the Forbidden Land was quite touched by this.
“Senior, we… we…” Chu Qian was at a loss for words. Enlightenment Tea was precious, even the heads of great sects would drink it only occasionally. He didn’t know how to respond.
“This is what heroes deserve,” Lu Xuan interrupted him with a smile. “If you keep thanking and bowing, it will seem outdated.”
Hearing this, the two could only swallow their words of gratitude.
After taking a sip of tea, Lin Qingyu let out a sigh of relief: “I thought Kong Wen would kill me on the spot after my cover was blown last night… I was really lucky.”
She still felt a shiver remembering the previous night’s events.
“It’s not really about luck, is it?” Chu Qian, now clear-headed from the
Enlightenment Tea, commented. “After all, you weren’t really a threat to them. In our Immortal Chef Sect, we often keep chickens for a couple of days before cooking them.”
Lin Qingyu: ‘
“Thanks for the clarification,” she said through gritted teeth, glancing at Chu
Qian.
“Of course, of course,” Chu Qian replied with a bright smile.
After finishing their tea, Chu Qian curiously asked, “Senior Lu, what exactly was that monster in Tian Chong Temple? Lin Qingyu said it was transformed from a senior of her sect, but how does a person turn into something like that?” “Do you really want to know?” Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
The two exchanged glances and nodded. Although they had a general idea that Tian Chong Temple was nurturing a monster, they still had many questions about the case.
“I found Kong Wen’s personal notes in Tian Chong Temple,” Lu Xuan said, taking out a jade scroll and spreading it on the table. “The origin of this matter goes back to the Tian Chong Buddha himself.”
“Tian Chong Buddha?” Chu Qian was surprised.
“Yes,” Lu Xuan pointed to the notes on the table. “Everyone knows that Tian Chong Buddha started in the kitchen, observing the birth and cessation of fire to understand Buddhist teachings. However, there’s more to the story.”
He paused, “According to these notes, Tian Chong Buddha was a cook in a large temple when a meteorite fell one night, piercing the kitchen roof. It was Tian Chong Buddha who went to investigate and found in the pit a square piece of
‘meat’ about the size of a human head.’
Lu Xuan continued, “According to Tian Chong Buddha’s recollection, the meat was ‘white, soft, and jelly-like, with patterns inside and a strange fragrance’. He was a simple man then and thought it was a piece of spiritual beast meat dropped by a cultivator after a battle in the sky. As a cook in the temple, where only vegetarian meals were served, finding such ‘spiritual beast meat’ was a delight. ”
“So, he sliced it and ate it raw that night. With each slice, Tian Chong Buddha felt more energetic and stronger than before..”