Stranger Danger

Chapter 555: Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance

[1]

“I am Xiong Kuohai of Endless Sand, and I come bearing one “Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance” and a Medicine Guru Pill. On behalf of Endless Sand, I wish you many auspicious days, Bodhisattva,” Xiong Kuohai declared.

“What? The ‘Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance’ and a Medicine Guru Pill?”

“What generous gifts! Too generous, in fact!”

“I thought they said that Endless Sand and the Buddhist Hall of Joy are at odds with each other. If that’s true, then why on earth would Xiong Kuohai give Joy Bodhisattva such valuable items?”

“Because the rumors are bullshit, duh! Who on earth would give an enemy not one, but two such gifts?”

The crowd immediately burst into loud murmurs as soon as they heard Xiong Kuohai’s declaration, and it wasn’t because his gift was too paltry. On the contrary, it was more valuable than even the Sword King City and the Earthfire Palace of Demons’ gifts combined.

The “Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance” was the foundational sutra that transformed the ancient Medicine Buddha into a Buddha. The Medicine Buddha—also known as the Medicine Guru, the King of Lapis Lazuli Light and more—was the lord of the Eastern Pure Land of Azure Radiance. He once swore twelve vows upon attaining Enlightenment, and he fulfilled everyone’s wishes, made the imperfect perfect, eliminated diseases and rescued them from disasters. He had worshipers all across the world, and his teachings were known to everyone.

The “Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance” contained the twelve vows the Medicine Buddha Sutra swore upon attaining Enlightenment and his boundless understanding of the Buddha. Those who study it would reach the sagehood of Buddhism, or to put it in simpler terms, become a Sage.

That’s right. The “Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance” was a Sage-stage cultivation art. It could guide a warrior all the way to sagehood, and it was especially valuable to a Buddhist disciple.

The Medicine Guru Pill was extremely valuable as well. A pill created by the Medicine Buddha himself, it could purify one’s body, and grant them the Foundation of the Medicine Buddha King of Lapis Lazuli Light and his boundless insight.

To put it in simpler terms, the Medicine Guru Pill was a pill that could purify one’s body and improve one’s martial talent. Even the most talentless person could undergo a complete transformation after consuming the Medicine Guru Pill. Not only that, they would gain the Foundation of the Medicine Buddha King of Lapis Lazuli Light and obtain a portion of his inheritance.

Given enough time and effort, they might even be able to become a Buddha themselves.

Centuries ago, a Buddhist land had, for whatever reason, burst into the world together with the “Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance” and eight Medicine Guru Pills. Its lapis lazuli light had illuminated at least hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of land, and everyone who was touched by its light was cured from all pain and diseases. It was like a living Kingdom of Buddha.

Countless jianghu warriors had fought to obtain his inheritance, but no one was able to obtain anything—or so they thought. As it turned out, the “Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance” and at least one Medicine Guru Pill had fallen into Xiong Kuohai’s hands, and now, he was giving it all to Joy Bodhisattva. It was insane. It was so insane that Xiong Kuohai temporarily stole the limelight from both Sword King City and Earthfire Palace of Demons.

Forget the others, Joy Bodhisattva herself was in disbelief. Just a month ago, they were sworn enemies who would sooner cut off an arm than let the other person leave. Now, Xiong Kuohai was giving her not one, but two of the most valuable gifts a Buddhist could dream of? What was the meaning of this? What on earth was he planning?

The gift was so valuable that she was actually worried if she could accept it without burning her own hands!

“Bodhisattva... Bodhisattva!”

When the silence stretched, Worriless called out to Joy Bodhisattva and jolted her out of her reverie. She replied, “Thank you. Please, take your seat.”

After Xiong Kuohai was done, many more factions or champions stood up to present their gifts including the head of the Tower of Cornucopia, Gold Ingot[2]; the head of Shade of Scents, Mistress Ruyi; Five Poison Boy, Sunset Swordsman, One-eyed Master, Plum Thief[3] and more.

No one’s gift was in any way poor or unbefitting of Joy Bodhisattva’s stature, but after the “pleasant surprise” Xiong Kuohai had sprung on all of them, they felt quite inferior regardless.

The congratulatory ceremony was the first agenda of the event. It was also an agenda that would last the entire day because, well, there were still a lot of people to go through, weren’t there? Even Ye Qing decided to join in and gave Joy Bodhisattva a wisp of Qi of Ultimate Purity.

He was a guest. It would be quite embarrassing and potentially insulting if he did not prepare a gift for Joy Bodhisattva.

By the time “Congratulate the Trueman” was finally over, it was already late evening. By the time Ye Qing returned to Flying Snow Garden and ate dinner, the sky had darkened completely.

Ye Qing did not feel sleepy, however. On the contrary, he was feeling quite invigorated. He decided to explore Blissful Mountain a bit and check out the Five Sceneries and Three Wonders Miaoyin had told him earlier.

He didn’t know if he would ever visit this place again, so of course he couldn’t allow such an opportunity to slip by.

Once again, he rejected Flower and Snow’s—it was the name of the two female attendants of Flying Snow Garden—request to accompany him and set out on his own. Then, he began his leisurely, one-man tour of Blissful Mountain.

There were a lot of people who shared the same idea as him. They were enjoying the night and admiring the moon in groups or two or three. It was a relaxing and peaceful time for everyone.

A snowstorm had taken place just a few days ago, and the weather was frigid to say the least. This was doubly true during the night where the wind felt like knives crawling across one’s bones.

That was not the case for Blissful Mountain, however. Here, it felt as warm as spring, and there were beautiful flora and fauna everywhere. The wind was calm, and the sky was bright.

There were many scenic spots in Blissful Mountain that could only be enjoyed during the day. For example, Joy Forest was basked in golden light when it was midday, and it looked as if the light of the Buddha was protecting the forest and wrapping everyone in its warm, soothing embrace. Its three thousand Buddhist statues looked absolutely divine under the sunlight as well. Sure, the scenic spot was no less different during the night, but it certainly felt less impressive without the accentuating sunlight.

It was the same for the Cloud Cliff. The best time to enjoy it was during dawn. When the sun slowly peeked out of the clouds and dyed both heaven and earth red, it almost felt like you were living inside a dream.

That said, some scenery such as the Lotus Lake was best enjoyed during the night. The Fallen Moon Pond in particular could only be enjoyed during midnight.

There was still some time before midnight, so Ye Qing went to Lotus Lake first. There were two sides to Lotus Lake: one during the day, and another during nighttime. In the morning, they shone like rainbows in physical form and exuded nobility and radiance. But during the night, they were tiny, glowing bulbs that radiated calmness and tranquility.

By the time Ye Qing was done with Lotus Lake, the moon was hanging high up in the sky. This was the perfect hour to visit Fallen Moon Pond. By the time he arrived at the scenic spot, a lot of people were already gathered around the pond.

The crowd watched as the moon in the sky slowly disappeared as if some invisible force was erasing it from existence. When the moon had disappeared completely from the sky, another moon slowly rose from the edge of the pond instead. It eventually came to a stop at the center of the moon.

A small breeze blew across the pond and stirred its waters a little. Then, the moon suddenly spread out until it encompassed the entire pond. From a distance, it looked like the moon itself had been embedded on the ground, silvery and large. It was as gorgeous as it was grand.

The illusion lasted an entire incense stick before it finally ended. When the moon in the pond vanished, so did the moon in the sky reappeared. It was really quite fantastical.

Everyone wanted to experience the phenomenon again, but it only occurred once per night. So, they had no choice but to leave and hope to come back tomorrow.

Ye Qing lingered at a kiosk set next to the pond and drank to the moon for a bit. It was only then he slowly made his way back to Flying Snow.

It was between 1 to 3 am now, and most people had already returned to their lodgings and called it a day. As a result, Blissful Mountain was almost devoid of human presence. All that was left was the occasional breeze and dreamy night sky.

Ye Qing was passing through a small forest when suddenly, he noticed a black silhouette dashing past him at the distance.

At first, he paid little attention to the silhouette. Everyone on this mountain was a warrior after all. It was perfectly normal for them to be running about and doing whatever it was they were doing even though it was a late hour.

It was then Ye Qing noticed that the shadow’s movement art was highly extraordinary, so much so they were almost one with their surroundings. If he didn’t happen to be standing on a patch of high ground with a wide field of vision, even he wouldn’t have noticed them.

What was strange was that they were dressed from head to toe in black, and their faces were concealed behind a hood. They were also running through hidden and secluded areas only. They weren’t headed for the lodgings or the scenic spots either.

It was normal to go for a night stroll, and it was understandable that some people might not like to walk a well-trodden path. But if that person was a powerful warrior with an extraordinary movement art, and they were wearing a black outfit that was perfect for night skulduggery, and they were up at this time but not traveling back to their lodgings to sleep or visiting a scenic spot... that was a little suspicious, don’t you think?

Ye Qing did not know what possessed him, but before he knew it, he had fallen behind the silhouette like a ghost.

1. It’s real. Google it if you want to. ☜

2. You can just tell from his name he loves gold to death. ☜

3. Most likely a rapist. ☜