Chapter 764: Some Shameless Methods
Master Xuan Wu shook his head, "The young patriarch is not mute! He has only cultivated Silent Zen!" When he reached this point, Master Xuan Wu paused, "And he has cultivated it for quite a long time, it is said that he has already achieved certain accomplishments."
"I have heard of Silent Zen." Duanmu Hong, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Silent Zen is one of the Buddhist Sect's most profound techniques. Once mastered, it greatly enhances one's strength. If I am not mistaken... the reason the old monk is so formidable is that he has cultivated Silent Zen." Having said this, Duanmu Hong shook his head slightly: "It's not simple! Truly not simple! To cultivate Silent Zen, one must possess strong willpower! During the cultivation period, not a single word can be spoken, otherwise, all will be lost."
"Does cultivating Silent Zen mean you can never speak again in your life?" He Hentian asked.
"Yes." Duanmu Hong nodded.
"Goodness gracious." He Hentian exclaimed: "Isn't this sick! Clearly capable of speaking, yet insisting on being mute, have their brains been kicked by a donkey?"
Duanmu Hong shook his head: "What you said is quite the opposite; the old monk's brain hasn't been kicked by a donkey, but instead, he possesses great wisdom."
"Great wisdom?!" He Hentian was stunned, "Pretending to be mute is great wisdom?"
"You don't understand." Duanmu Hong waved his hand, "As a cultivator, what do you really want to obtain?"
"Of course, it's an endless life." He Hentian answered without hesitation.
"And besides life?" Duanmu Hong asked.
"That would be strength." He Hentian hesitated for a moment before responding.
Duanmu Hong nodded, "You are correct, those who Cultivate Immortality seek life first, and strength second. Cultivating Silent Zen can grant one immense strength; if it were you, would you cultivate it or not?"
"Ah?" He Hentian was startled, then shook his head: "I won't cultivate it! I steadfastly refuse to cultivate it! Even with superhuman strength, I wouldn't be happy if I couldn't speak."
Duanmu Hong turned to look at Gao Fei: "What about you? How would you choose?"
"I..." Gao Fei hesitated, "If it were me... I probably would choose not to cultivate it."
"Huh?" Duanmu Hong frowned, clearly dissatisfied with Gao Fei's answer: "Don't you want to attain superhuman strength?"
"Of course, I do want to attain superhuman strength, but to become mute, I can't do it." Gao Fei said: "Heaven has granted us the ability to speak, we should cherish it, not squander it carelessly." Although Gao Fei yearned to have invincible power, he would not choose to be mute.
Just as He Hentian said, what joy is there in life if one loses the ability to speak?
"Foolish!" Duanmu Hong scoffed: "I did have respect for you, but to my surprise, your thoughts are unbelievably foolish, to the extent of incomprehensible folly! We who Cultivate Immortality, even if we cannot speak, can use other methods to communicate, such as Divine Sense communication, writing, and so on. To exchange the right to speak for superhuman strength is a very worthwhile bargain."
"Senior, our views are too different; debating further will lead nowhere." Gao Fei didn't want to discuss the matter any further: "I admit I'm somewhat stubborn, perhaps it's because I'm too young, and there are some things I cannot let go of..." As he spoke, Gao Fei's tone changed: "Now that we've figured out the old monk's situation, we can next devise a strategy to deal with him."
Duanmu Hong nodded: "Right, let's discuss this thoroughly and come up with a secure plan."
"Um... I've completed the task you assigned me, can I have the Antidote now?" Seeing that they had forgotten him, Xuan Wu couldn't help but speak up as a reminder.
"Yes, yes, the Antidote." Xuan Fei also nodded along.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
Duanmu Hong flicked two elixirs with his fingers: "One for each of you, after taking them, the poison in your minds will be cleared."
"Thank you, fellow Daoist." Xuan Wu and Xuan Fei swallowed the elixirs as quickly as they could, then after carefully sensing for a moment, found that Duanmu Hong hadn't lied to them, their poison was indeed cured. They exhaled a breath of stale air and then prepared to leave.
"You cannot go yet." Duanmu Hong said.
"Ah?" The color drained from Xuan Wu's and Xuan Fei's faces: "Are you going back on your word?!"
"Don't be nervous," Duanmu Hong waved his hand. "Since I've promised to spare you, I will definitely honor it. It's just that you can't go back now—I'm afraid you'll tip off the old monk."
"No, no, we won't tip anyone off," they assured.
"Just stay here obediently. After I have dealt with the old monk, I will naturally let you leave."
"You can't do this..."
With a flick of his fingers, Duanmu Hong shot out several streams of air, sealing the Dantians and Meridians of Xuan Wu and Xuan Fei, then knocked them unconscious. After doing all this, Duanmu Hong turned around to continue discussing with Gao Fei and He Hentian how to deal with the old monk.
After a day's discussion, the three finally came up with a plan.
"This method is kind of shameless, but I like it," He Hentian grinned and burst into laughter, "Hahaha... I just love doing shameless things."
"Of course, you do," Gao Fei rolled his eyes. "Because you are a shameless person, and shameless people do shameless things."
"You're the shameless one!" He Hentian became angry. "I am a gentleman! I conduct myself with dignity and integrity!"
"Cut it out," Gao Fei laughed. "Your skin is too thick. You call yourself a gentleman? I feel like vomiting just hearing it."
"Waah... I'm so mad... I want to punch someone!"
"If you dare to throw a punch, I dare to end our friendship."
"End it if you want to end it, who's afraid of who!"
The two stared each other down, neither willing to back down. In fact, it was all an act; they amused themselves in their unique way to alleviate the loneliness.
"Enough, stop bickering," Duanmu Hong waved his hand impatiently. "Get some rest, I'm taking action tomorrow night."
...
Gao Fei leaned against the Stone Wall, his eyes gazing at the ceiling of the cave, lost in thought.
He had racked his brains to save Shangguan Yunyue during this period. Every day he was anxious and restless, unable to rest or cultivate in peace. In just a few days, Gao Fei had grown significantly thinner.
Myriad Buddhas Sect, Myriad Buddhas Sect, I, Gao Fei, swear that one day I'll destroy you!
Compared to Gao Fei, He Hentian seemed carefree—sprawled on the ground, sound asleep, saliva slowly dripping from the corner of his mouth, occasionally letting out a laugh as if he was having a pleasant dream.
Gao Fei glanced at He Hentian, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. Sometimes, it's not so bad being simple-minded.
"Why aren't you resting?" came Duanmu Hong's voice from behind.
"Hmm, aren't you resting either, senior?" Gao Fei sat up straight and turned to look at Duanmu Hong.
Duanmu Hong shook his head: "I'm feeling a bit restless, can't sleep."
"Are you worried about the battle tomorrow night?" Gao Fei asked.
"If I can't defeat the junior patriarch, I won't be able to obtain the Spiritual Medicine. Without the Spiritual Medicine, I can't extend my life," Duanmu Hong said. "This time it's a matter of my fate, I can't afford even the slightest error."
"Please rest assured, senior, I will certainly help you snatch the Spiritual Medicine!" Gao Fei declared resolutely.