Chapter 287: Providence Plays Tricks on People

The dog boy, Gou’er, in the pool trembled all over. Veins bulged on his arms and neck, revealing crimson lines across his body.

Thick Demonic Qi spread out, carrying waves of cold air and swirling with faint white mist. A figure seemed to appear behind Gou’er—it was a woman in a white dress. The two spots on her nose tip made her look cold and terrifying.

Chen Changsheng raised an eyebrow slightly, instantly recognizing that phantom.

It was the Eighth Realm White Fox from the edges of the Demon Realm!

The blood Gou’er had exchanged was from this Eighth Realm Fox Demon.

“He even gave his heart’s blood.”

Chen Changsheng thought the white fox was truly generous. But it was fortunate that one drop of heart’s blood made the demon blood less wild. Otherwise, Gou’er would have gone mad and died long ago.

Gou’er seemed to sense something. He forced his eyes open and, through the faceless mask, saw Chen Changsheng standing before him.

His gaze suddenly turned away.

Gou’er didn’t want Mr. Chen to see him like this—filthy and bloody.

It wasn’t for pride. He feared Mr. Chen might feel he had let him down.

He wanted to run. But he had no strength left. The demon blood boiled fiercely inside him. That relentless, ruthless aura pressed into his mind, pushing toward the edge. If it broke through, he would go mad and kill anything in sight.

Gou’er didn’t want that. At least not with Mr. Chen seeing!

But somehow, unwanted things always happened.

The relentless aura broke the last bit of his clear mind. Gou’er’s eyes became bloodshot in an instant.

Bang!

Demonic Qi scattered wildly. The pool exploded.

“Ahh!!”

A miserable cry escaped Gou’er’s lips.

His eyes behind the wooden carved mask fixed on Chen Changsheng.

“Blood…”

“Heh… hehehe…”

His laugh sounded eerie. Then his figure vanished from the spot. With all his Eighth Realm Demonic Power unleashed, he attacked Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng raised his hand and gripped his sword, striking once.

The Eighth Realm Demonic Power was swept away.

The blow sent Gou’er flying backward.

Chen Changsheng tapped his toes gently, leaped up lightly, and landed before Gou’er.

“Blood… blood…”

As Gou’er struggled to stand, Chen Changsheng stretched out two fingers and pressed them to Gou’er’s brow.

A thread of Golden Light entered Gou’er’s Sea of Consciousness, driving out all the ruthless aura of the demon’s blood.

Gou’er slowly quieted down. Clarity returned to his eyes.

As soon as he regained awareness, Gou’er murmured, “Mr. Chen…”

But before he could finish, he fell completely unconscious.

Containing the demon blood for days had left Gou’er exhausted. He could barely hold on anymore.

“Sleep well now…”

Chen Changsheng spoke softly. He sheathed his sword. His gaze passed through Gou’er’s brow, looking at something. A flicker of Buddha’s Light rested there.

“I have some doubts in my heart,” Chen Changsheng said. “I wonder if Monk Wunian might resolve them for me?”

A wisp of Buddha’s Light drifted from Gou’er’s brow, transforming into the Monk Wunian, clad in monk’s robes.

Monk Wunian pressed his palms together and bowed slightly. “Wunian greets Benefactor Chen. What doubts trouble you?”

Chen Changsheng looked at him. “How many years have you resided here, Master Monk? And how old is this world?”

Monk Wunian answered, “This world has existed over 149,000 years. I have watched over as many years as the heavens themselves.”

“As I suspected,” Chen Changsheng replied. “When the Spirit Cage first formed, I saw a thread of Buddha’s Light fall into this realm. I believed it must have been you, Monk Wunian.”

“Amitabha Buddha.” Monk Wunian chanted the Buddha’s name, looking up at Chen Changsheng. “Benefactor Chen surely knew it already.”

Chen Changsheng said, “I… forget many things.”

Monk Wunian gave a kind, gentle smile but made no reply.

Chen Changsheng pressed on. “Earlier, upon passing through the Mortal World, I traveled across the Great Snow Mountain. Someone told me this world was not always as it is now. Once, a long time ago, humans lived peacefully under the sky, and Great Demons dwelt in harmony within the forests. Was this true?”

After hearing this, Monk Wunian said, “The River of Time has been severed. Whoever told you this must be… unusual.”

“I see…”

Chen Changsheng murmured, “That time of peace has been erased? No wonder it’s impossible to find any trace of it.”

“How is it that you remember so clearly, Master Monk?”

Monk Wunian replied, “This realm… understands little of my Buddhist path. I myself never stepped into that River of Time. I merely glanced upon its flow a few times.”

Chen Changsheng gazed intently at Monk Wunian. Undeniably, this monk possessed profound Buddhist Dharma. Otherwise, how could he retain the seed of Buddha even after 149,000 years? He had thought time itself would have wiped the monk clean away. But judging by the monk’s words, things were likely not so simple.

“You said the Heavenly Dao was once benevolent… that Heaven and Earth thrived and renewed endlessly. Was this truly so?”

“It was.”

Chen Changsheng asked, “Then how did everything become what it is today?”

Monk Wunian paused. Then, abruptly, he smiled.

His smile always made Chen Changsheng feel uneasy. The feeling of strangeness grew stronger.

Monk Wunian said, “It seems Benefactor has not resolved the karma from before. Why then have you come here?”

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. Then he asked, “Master Monk, I wish to know—does a cause from one’s past life ripen as fruit in another?”

Monk Wunian answered, “Cause leads to rebirth. Rebirth holds cause. Fruit is never broken; fruit never ends.”

Chen Changsheng stated, “I believe the soul entering Rebirth ends prior ties. The ‘me’ of this life is not the true ‘me.’ The causes of past lives end at the Yellow Springs.”

Monk Wunian countered, “If that is so, Benefactor should cast aside everything from past lives. Having cast them aside… why then do you find yourself here?”

“I often walk about uncertain,” Chen Changsheng admitted. “Moving through this world… it feels like something guides me forward. I wanted to ignore it. Yet affair after affair forces my eyes toward the answer that beckons.”

“Amitabha Buddha.”

Monk Wunian exhaled slowly. “You seem less at ease than during our last meeting, Benefactor.”

“Last meeting?” Chen Changsheng questioned. “When was that?”

Monk Wunian didn’t explain directly. Instead, he said, “The last time Benefactor Chen came, you sat facing me. We discussed Buddhism. Your words spoke of following your heart, your nature. Yet the you before me now seems different. Burdened. Trapped by something.”

Chen Changsheng offered a mild smile. “I naturally act as my heart desires. But the dust and turmoil of time unsettle my mind. Ease feels… hard to find.”

Monk Wunian chuckled. “That may not be a bad thing, Benefactor. At least this time, you show two parts of your true self.”

“Two parts of my true self…”

Chen Changsheng seemed lost in thought. “After everything… only two parts?” He’d believed he understood so much more.

To think it was only two parts.

Monk Wunian opened his eyes slightly. “Worlds exist across countless ages. Not even I can glimpse the full stretch of the River of Time. For you to grasp two parts… that itself is great providence—great Creation.”

Chen Changsheng shook his head. “So much time… so many events. How can we call it providence? It feels more as if Providence plays tricks on people.”