Chapter 22: Iron Heart Arhat

  Another famous master! Qing Xū's voice and expression didn't change, looking at Tiě Hǔ he asked "Tiě Hǔ, who wants to take you as a disciple?" Tiě Hǔ's face turned red, saying "It's a monk, he said that if I don't cultivate my true self it would be a pity."

  Monk? Qingxu knew that although the Kongtong Mountains had temples and monks, they were all ordinary monks who did not practice Taoist cultivation. And within hundreds of miles around the Kongtong Mountains, there was no Taoist sect to be found. It seemed that Tiehu had encountered a foreign monk.

  Qing Xuan asked calmly, "If so, why didn't you take him as your master?"

  "I said I have a master, it's the immortal from Kunlun Mountain. But he insisted on taking me as his apprentice and said that since I already have a master, how could I not know anything? He must be a swindler. And he also said that there are no immortals in Kunlun Mountain, they're all just some old Taoist priests!" This kid speaks without thinking, and doesn't even realize it's wrong to call the Taoist priests "杂毛" (a derogatory term) right in front of them.

  Qingxu didn't get angry and knew that Tiehu spoke bluntly, but felt strange and asked, "Where did this monk come from?"

  Tie Hu thought for a moment and said, "He said it was something about the Xikun Great Bright Temple..."

  "Xikun Great Bright Temple!" Qingxu was shocked, and even Xiaoshi was startled.

  Xiao Shi Tou had heard Zhao Wuji mention that the Great Brightness Temple in Western Kunlun and the Junji Chan Temple on Mount Song were both sacred sites of Buddhism. He had also met Ming Dao and Ming Xin, who were searching for Zhao Wuji at the time, and had a good impression of Ming Dao. Tie Hu unexpectedly encountered a monk from the Great Brightness Temple, but according to Tie Hu's account, this monk looked down on the Qingcheng Sect.

  Qing Xū was shocked, the monk of Dàguāngmíng Temple! No, the monk that Tiě Hǔ met was not from Dàguāngmíng Temple, this monk is an imposter! He hastily asked Tiě Hǔ "What's the name of this monk?"

  Tie Hu saw Qing Yu's anxious expression and secretly rejoiced in his heart. "You didn't want to accept me as your disciple before, now someone wants to snatch me away and you're getting anxious!" He said with a pleased tone, "He says his Dharma name is Ming Dao! A very famous one indeed!"

  "Ah, I see!" Qing Xu shouted loudly, truly shocked. Xiaoshi was startled again, remembering that seemingly weak and delicate monk who didn't look like a monk at all.

  "It's called Ming Dao! Isn't it awesome?" Tie Hu was even more pleased with himself.

  After hearing that it was Mingdao, Qingxu was shocked and quickly regained his composure. Since it was Mingdao, there was no need to think about it anymore. This monk must be a fake one. Qingxu naturally knew who Mingdao was. Mingdao was the second disciple of Wuwei Shangren of Daguangming Temple and one of the most outstanding disciples of Daguangming Temple. He had extremely high cultivation and was even more courteous and polite, and would never say such rude words. Moreover, Congtou Mountain and Daguangming Temple had a deep relationship, and even if it wasn't Mingdao, other disciples wouldn't say such impolite words either.

  Looking at Tie Hu's complacent expression, Xiao Shi Tou couldn't help but ask, "What does Ming Dao look like?" He really couldn't believe that Ming Dao would say something like that.

  Tie Hu smiled slyly and said, "If I told you, it would scare you to death. The other person is quite majestic and not much shorter than me!" As he spoke, he even stretched out his hand to compare heights.

  Xiao Shi Tou almost fainted upon hearing this. Is this the truth?! Knowing that Tie Hu had encountered a fake one, Qing Xiu took a glance at him and understood his appearance as well.

  Qingxu saw the expression on Xiaoshi's face and thought to himself, "How does my junior brother also know Mingdao?" Without even asking, he turned to Tiehu and said, "Since it is indeed the Venerable Mingdao of the Great Brightness Temple who wants to take you as his disciple, I can rest assured. You'd better go with him!" After finishing speaking, he didn't look at Tiehu again, waiting only for the dishes to be served so they could eat.

  Tie Hu was stunned. Just now, he seemed to be in a hurry, but suddenly nothing was wrong with him. He hastily asked, "Master, are you not going to care about me?"

  Qing Xū lightly sighed and slowly said, "Tie Hu, I am not your master. Besides, you already have a master now, so go home after dinner!"

  Tie Hu didn't expect things to turn out this way. He thought that after Qing Xu heard him, he would immediately accept him as his apprentice and then go find Ming Dao to make things clear: "Tie Hu is my apprentice now, so forget it and go find someone else!" But now things aren't going well - Qing Xu didn't accept him as an apprentice, and instead looks very pleased. What's to be done?

  The dishes came up quickly, Qingxu and Xiaoshi didn't care about Tiehu either, and they started eating. Before long, the two of them had packed all the food on the table into their bellies. Qingxu called someone to settle the bill, as if he had just remembered Tiehu, and said to him, "Tiehu, you go back. I'm going back to Kongtong Mountain." After finishing speaking, he went out of the wine building with Xiaoshi and left.

  Tie Hu slowly came to his senses, but everything was gone. His master had left and didn't want him anymore! He watched as Tie Hu walked dejectedly towards the city outskirts, unaware that Qing Xū and Xiao Shi Tóu were following far behind him.

  Qing Xū and Xiao Shí Tóu hid in a secluded spot as soon as they left the wine building, waiting for Tiě Hǔ to come out. As soon as Tiě Hǔ came out, the two of them followed closely behind him.

  Qing Xuan asked Xiao Shi Tou as they walked, "Little brother, do you know Ming Dao?"

  Xiao Shi Tou said, "Two or three months ago, two monks passed through Chi Jin Town. One was called Ming Dao and the other was called Ming Xin. They said they were from Da Guang Ming Temple. The Ming Dao that Tie Hu spoke of doesn't resemble that Ming Dao at all!" In fact, it was Zhao Wu Jin who told Xiao Shi Tou about Ming Dao's origins, but Xiao Shi Tou couldn't speak the truth.

  Qing Xuan's heart said "So that's how it is!" and then said "Tie Hu met a fake Ming Dao, I'm afraid he'll be deceived, let me go take a look."

  "Master brother, I think Iron Tiger is quite good too! Why don't you want to take him as your disciple?"

  Qing Xū sighed and said, "Younger brother, Iron Tiger is not bad, but as the eldest disciple of the sect, I must be extra cautious when accepting a new disciple." He expressed his concerns.

  Xiao Shi Tou thought for a moment and came up with an idea. Just as he was about to tell Qing Xu, he saw Qing Xu grab his arm with her right hand. He felt his body lighten and their walking speed suddenly increased, causing him to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

  At this time, they had already left the city. Tie Hu's pace quickened as he walked, and by the end, he was sprinting with huge strides, truly swift like a galloping horse, his legs kicking up dust. Xiao Shi Tou was startled by this speed, fortunately Qing Xuan was by his side leading him, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to see Tie Hu's shadow.

  Looking again, Qingxu walked quickly, but didn't have the same frantic pace as Tiehu, instead following calmly behind. He said, "Tiehu must be going to find that monk. This isn't the way back home." Xiaoshi saw the trees by the side of the road being left far behind them, but strangely, he didn't feel the same rush of wind in his face like last time when they ran down Qilian Mountain. His voice was also calm and peaceful, without any wind blowing into it. He said, "Big Brother Dashi, you're walking so fast, how come I don't feel anything?"

  "Ha! My true energy has protected us from all sides, the wind and dust are kept out, that's why you don't feel it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to fly on our swords at an altitude of several thousand feet without being blown apart by the gale!"

  Xiao Shi Tou listened and thought, "So that's how it is." He thought to himself, "This true energy is so useful, I must prepare more of it in the future." Just as he was about to ask where this true energy came from, he felt a slight slowdown in speed and arrived at his destination.

  Tie Hu ran for over ten miles, finally arriving at a temple east of Pingliang City. The temple was very old and had been neglected for years. It looked like it hadn't had any visitors in a long time, with weeds growing all around and not even a gate to be seen. Tie Hu didn't enter the temple, but instead shouted from outside, "Monk, come out!" His loud voice startled the birds into flight and sent mice scurrying for cover, causing a commotion.

  Qing Xiao and Xiao Shi hid in a nearby forest, watching as Tie Hu encountered He Fang Sheng.

  Tie Hu shouted a few times, and then heard a Buddha's name coming from inside the temple: "Amitabha!" The voice was thick and loud. A monk walked out slowly.

  As Iron Tiger said, this monk was tall and sturdy, about the same height as Iron Tiger. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a sharp glint in his eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth, with dark skin all over his body, exuding a strong and fierce aura. Wearing a black monk's robe, he stood there like a black iron tower, looking around thirty years old, but Xiao Shi knew that the people in front of him were not ordinary people, and their age could not be judged from their appearance. This monk was still unknown how many years old he was.

  Hei and Tiehu stood together, just like brothers, except that Tiehu had a dark bronze skin and didn't have Hei's strong and sharp demeanor.

  Iron Tiger saw Hei Shang coming out and shouted "Hei Shang, you're done for! Now pay back what you owe to my master!"

  Hei Shang listened in confusion and said, "Tie Hu, what are you talking about? Compensate your master? Am I not your master?"

  Tie Hu was furious and said "How dare you, you're not my master! I'm talking about the master from Kongtong Mountain, he doesn't want me anymore" and then burst into tears.

  Hei Shang's face changed upon hearing this, and he looked around cautiously, but didn't see anyone. Looking at Tie Hu who was still grieving, he said with a gentle tone, "Tie Hu, I told you that the people on Kongtong Mountain are all deceivers. Did you meet that Taoist?"

  Tie Hu cried and said, "It's better if we didn't meet, as soon as we met, Master is gone!" After finishing speaking, he thought of Qing Xu's gesture of waving his hand and leaving, and tears flowed out even more.

  Hei Shang obviously hadn't encountered this situation before, and despite his profound cultivation and extensive experience, he was a bit at a loss, unsure of how to deal with this future great disciple.

  Qingxu saw Heihe and thought, "So it's him, no wonder he wanted to call Mingdao." Knowing that Heihe's cultivation was not ordinary, Qingxu secretly used the Taiqing Dao power to hide all their auras in the invisible. This is the Kongdong Sect's Qigang technique, unless one's cultivation reaches the extremely high level of Gu Changfeng or Jian Bing, it cannot be detected.

  Qingxu was afraid of Xiaoshi's words, so he used the method of transmitting sound to directly send his voice into Xiaoshi's ears: "Don't speak yet, this monk is very powerful, it's the Yuantong Monk from Junji Chan Temple!"

  "Junji Chan Temple!" Xiaoshi was shocked again, isn't Junji Chan Temple one of the two sacred places of Buddhism along with Daguangming Temple? Why would Yuantong monk use Mingdao's dharma name. Xiaoshi couldn't figure it out.

  Qingxu knew what Xiaoshi was thinking and saw Yuantong trying to persuade Tiehu, so he sighed and told Yuantong's story.

  When the orthodox sects are prosperous today, the various major sects have deep strength and many disciples. However, when looking at those heretical sects, they seem to be declining, with few talents left, and some are even on the verge of collapse. This is because the orthodox sects are too strong, while the evil sects and external sects are too weak. Moreover, some of the rising stars in the orthodox sects have extremely high cultivation levels. As soon as they emerge, they want to find a few people to make a name for themselves, which makes these heretical sects miserable. Originally, they were already on the verge of collapse, and they couldn't withstand the turmoil caused by these powerful newcomers. In recent decades, any evil sect with some reputation and strength has been sought out by these orthodox rising stars, even if they kept a low profile and stayed at home without doing evil. They would be uprooted one by one, and their names would be removed from the records. It is said that Ou Yang Jian of the Mount Hua Sect once swept away seven such sects in a single month, causing his reputation to soar.

  Yuán Tōng was also a rising star in the Orthodox Taoist sect. He was a favorite disciple of Kōng Wén Chán Shī, abbot of Jùn Jí Chán Yuàn Temple. Kōng Wén Chán Shī and his fellow disciples, Kōng Rú Chán Shī and Wú Wèi, Wú Xiāng, two venerable monks from Dà Guāng Míng Sì Temple, were collectively known as the Four Great Divine Monks. Yuán Tōng was born with divine powers and extraordinary talents. Kōng Wén Chán Shī transmitted to him the Buddhist supreme mantra, the Demon-subduing Vajra Pestle. Legend has it that once this pestle is refined and wielded, one can attain the supreme power bestowed by the Buddha, a divine art unparalleled in the Buddhist world for vanquishing evil spirits and demons.

  After Yuantong refined the Demon-subduing Vajra Pestle, he killed several people on his first trip down the mountain, and his methods were extremely cruel. Although the people he killed were all guilty of unforgivable crimes, Buddhism is based on compassion as the source of all things, and Yuantong's killing intent was so heavy that it made people suspicious. Some people called him Tie Xin Luohan, meaning a ruthless monk with an iron heart. Upon hearing the news, Kongwen Zen Master immediately sent someone to bring Yuantong back to Junji Chan Temple, where he questioned him about the situation and scolded him severely, ordering him to face the wall for ten years to reflect on his actions and transform his murderous intentions and competitive spirit through this process of repentance.

  Ten years had passed, and Konghe Chan Master once again let Rontong go down the mountain to practice. At first, Rontong also strictly followed the precepts of not killing and not competing with others for victory. However, one time Rontong discovered the remnants of the Demon Gate's Huaxue Sect in Taihang Mountain, which naturally led to another fierce battle. This time, Rontong killed all 97 members of the Huaxue Sect, including women and children, leaving no survivors. After the battle, when he saw the blood flowing everywhere and the corpses filling the entire Huaxue Sect, Rontong realized that he had committed a grave mistake. Regret was useless now, and after calming down, he found a book called "Huaxue True Classic" and a knife called "Huaxue Knife" in the secret chamber of the Huaxue Sect. These two items were the most precious treasures of the Demon Gate, but since no one in the Huaxue Sect could comprehend them, they had been left in the secret chamber.

  Yuantong obtained the Huaxue True Scripture and the Huaxue Knife, intending to return to Junji Chan Temple to atone for his sins and seek Master Kongwen's forgiveness. However, fate played a trick on him as Mingdao also arrived at Taihang Mountain, seeing Yuantong covered in blood holding the demonic treasure, surrounded by rivers of blood and mountains of corpses. Mingdao loudly questioned him. Yuantong had always been arrogant and never submitted to anyone except Master Kongwen, and with Mingdao's reputation surpassing his own, he felt even more defiant. When Mingdao questioned him, although he was guilty, he refused to admit his mistakes. The two clashed, and Yuantong took the initiative to attack, but Mingdao defended himself. However, as Yuantong's killing intent grew stronger, his attacks became increasingly vicious, and in the end, he tried to kill Mingdao to silence him. Mingdao saw through his intentions and, in a fit of rage, severely injured Yuantong with his powerful technique, intending to take him back to Junji Chan Temple to face Master Kongwen's judgment. However, Yuantong desperately resisted and eventually escaped, never returning to the temple again. Mingdao reported the incident to Junji Chan Temple, and Master Kongwen, in a fit of anger, expelled Yuantong from the sect and ordered people to search for him everywhere to enforce the rules, but Yuantong vanished without a trace.

  Qingxu said: "I didn't expect Yuantong to appear here, and he even wants to take Tiehu as his apprentice."

  Xiao Shi Tou listened with relish, gazing at Yuan Tong in the distance. He thought to himself, "Awesome! A monk killed 97 people with one breath, I'd better keep my distance from him!" As he was lost in thought, he saw Yuan Tong's eyes suddenly shine brightly and stare straight at him, clearly having discovered him. This shock was no small matter, and Xiao Shi Tou watched as Qing Yu actually walked towards Yuan Tong.

  "My goodness, Big Brother Master, what are you going to do?!" Little Stone shouted loudly.

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