I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 358: Chapter 78 A Smile Over a Flower

Disciple of the Buddha?!

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

However, the reasons for their astonishment were different.

Zhou Heng was surprised because what Ning Zeyu had mentioned corresponded with some of the mythological tales he had heard on Earth.

Jia Ye, also known as “Great Jia Ye” or “Makakasho,” was considered to be the disciple of Buddha with the least attachment and held an exalted status.

At the assembly on Spiritual Mountain, when the Buddha silently held up a flower, only the venerable Jia Ye broke into a smile.

This was referred to as “the smile in the twinkle of an eye.”

This was the legend of Jia Ye on Earth.

Zhou Heng had always been searching for things related to Earth in this world, but to little avail; he never expected to come across such a clear clue here.

Cheng Jianjian’s surprise stemmed from the fact that someone was speaking so confidently about the Buddha’s disciples and even mentioned the name of one.

This world did have legends about the ancestors of Taoism and Buddhism, but they were very simple.

Essentially just a single sentence.

In the distant and unverifiable past, the ancestors of Taoism and Buddhism preached and imparted the Tao in the world, granting living beings the initial methods of cultivation and the path to transcendence.

That was all.

As for the specific images, names, or origins of the ancestors of Taoism and Buddhism, and when they vanished, or what kind of disciples they had… countless powerful figures have sought the truth through the ages, but to this day, there are still no conclusions.

In most people’s eyes, the ancestors of Taoism and Buddhism are merely figures of legend.

Compared to them,

Even the sparse records of the ancient Mythical era seem much more real.

Therefore, Cheng Jianjian’s first reaction was disbelief.

How could Ning Zeyu, just a Martial Artist of Secret Six Rank from a minor family, possibly know these secrets that countless have sought for eons without success?

But then she immediately came to her senses, realizing that she had committed the mistake of dismissing others without cause.

Rumor had it that at Ning Zeyu’s birth, there were auspicious signs. Perhaps she really could be the reincarnation of some significant figure, privy to some ancient secrets?

“You’re talking about the Buddha’s disciples?” Cheng Jianjian decided to inquire, “I didn’t expect to hear of such ancient matters.”

“You may choose not to believe, which is very normal,” Ning Zeyu’s expression remained calm as she continued, “Regarding this Venerable Jia Ye, there is also a very magical legend called ‘the smile in the twinkle of an eye.’

“In the bygone eras, all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats resided in the Pure Land on Spiritual Mountain. The Buddha preached at Spiritual Mountain, held up a flower to the gathering, and while many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats did not understand its meaning, only Venerable Jia Ye smiled in return.”

“Are you saying that only this Venerable Jia Ye could understand the Buddha’s intentions?” Cheng Jianjian exclaimed in surprise, “By that logic, Venerable Jia Ye’s cultivation realm must be unfathomably deep.”

“Where did you hear these legends?” Zhou Heng suddenly asked.

“…” Ning Zeyu briefly fell silent, then smiled and said, “What if I told you that I myself am from these very legends – would you believe me?”

“What?” Zhou Heng was taken aback.

“How is that possible?” Cheng Jianjian’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Both of them were extremely surprised.

The claims made by Ning Zeyu were simply too astonishing.

“Are you suggesting you’re the reincarnation of all those Buddhas on Spiritual Mountain?” Zhou Heng frowned as he scrutinized Ning Zeyu, who didn’t look the part at all.

“No.” Ning Zeyu shook her head, smiling, “I am that flower.”

“Ah?” Zhou Heng was somewhat taken by surprise.

“The flower from ‘the smile in the twinkle of an eye’?” Cheng Jianjian was also quite taken aback.

“Correct,” Ning Zeyu nodded gently and sighed softly, “When the Buddha held up the flower, I, graced with Zen, became sentient, and transformed into a Celestial Woman, serving in front of Buddha.”

“Then why would you reincarnate in this era?” Zhou Heng asked with a smile, while using a special skill card on Ning Zeyu.

“Identification Card: Use on a person or object to reveal its true information.”

“Name: Ning Zeyu

“Age: Thirty-one years old

“Weight: …

“Height: …

“…

“…

“Origin: Transmigrated and reborn, a legend given life through enlightenment by others.”

This result baffled Zhou Heng.

To have “a legend” reincarnated as a spirit being.

“A legend” becoming a spirit refers to an originally insubstantial “legend” or “story” that, through certain coincidences, has gained its own sentience, akin to how objects and creatures can become enchanted.

Only, in this case, it’s not animals or plants that have become enchanted, but a “legend,” a “story.”

Furthermore, it was enlightened by someone.

Obviously, it was premeditated.

The ability to spiritualize an ethereal legend or story demonstrates transcendental prowess and may also involve the Divine Artifact of Second Rank Tao – the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace.

It’s clear that hiding behind Ning Zeyu might be a great secret and a significant problem, even unknown to her.

Yet even so, Zhou Heng felt extremely pleased.

Although the incarnation of ‘the smile in the twinkle of an eye’ as a spirit does not mean that the legend is true, it does suggest that others must be aware of it.

Without a doubt, this was a clue related to Earth.

This one discovery was already enough to excite Zhou Heng.

Unaware that Zhou Heng had thoroughly seen through all her information, Ning Zeyu gently shook her head and sighed, “I also do not know why I was reincarnated in this era.

“My memory still remains from the time when I was a Celestial Woman before Buddha. Even then, that period of memory is very vague, and I can hardly recall any other Buddhas or Bodhisattvas besides the Buddha and Venerable Jia Ye.”

It’s not that you can’t remember; it’s that your memories are false, you aren’t the transformation of any flower, but rather a spirit born of an uncertain legend, a story… Zhou Heng thought to himself.

“But I can feel it, as long as I can enter the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace, I’ll be able to reclaim what originally belonged to me,” Ning Zeyu’s eyes suddenly lit up with hope.

“This…” Cheng Jianjian’s brows slightly knitted, instinctively feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

“Are you doubtful about the reward for this journey?” Ning Zeyu stood up directly and said, “If you help me obtain one item from within the Hundred Halls of Yao Palace, you can keep everything else for yourselves.”

“We refuse.” Zhou Heng also stood up, shaking his head decisively, “Is there anything else, Miss Ning? If not, we shall take our leave.”

“Ah?” Cheng Jianjian was momentarily startled by his words. Although she harbored doubts, she had not expected Zhou Heng to reject the offer so directly.

“`

“What?” Ning Zeyu clearly hadn’t expected Zhou Heng to react this way. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she stared at Zhou Heng, “You, you’re refusing?”

“That is the Map of the Hundred Palaces of Yao Palace, the ultimate expression of the Path of Dream Realms in a certain direction, equivalent to a fully condensed Taoist seed. Inside, there are countless treasures, divine skills, and Taoist formulas, and you’re just rejecting it?”

The ultimate expression of the Path of Dream Realms in every direction…

Once Ning Zeyu said this, Zhou Heng fell silent.

It wasn’t that he was tempted, but he suddenly realized that turning the illusory “legend” into a spirit might be the method of a certain great pathway.

The Path of Dreams!

Turning the false into the true!

Turning the illusory dream realms into genuine reality!

Could it be that the person who turned Ning Zeyu into a reincarnated spirit was related to the Path of Dream Realms?

If so,

Then the Map of the Hundred Palaces of Yao Palace that appeared faintly visible above Yujian Mansion City might not simply be a rare treasure emerging.

Bait?

Trap?

Seeing Zhou Heng’s silence, Ning Zeyu thought he had changed his mind and continued, “Didn’t you come here to explore the Map of the Hundred Palaces of Yao Palace? Cooperating with me will be all benefits and no harm.”

“Sorry, we don’t have any plans to cooperate with others for the time being,” Zhou Heng refused again, saying, “Especially since you’re someone we’ve had conflicts with in the past. Please leave.”

“Okay.” Cheng Jianjian followed behind Zhou Heng.

Then, the two of them left Ning’s residence and returned to the Yujian Inn.

“How could this happen?” A hint of confusion and incomprehension flashed in Ning Zeyu’s eyes as she stared at the empty Heart-to-Heart Hall, biting her teeth, “This matter must not have any mishaps!”

At the same time, she suddenly raised her hand, her fingers formed into a claw, and violently thrust into her own chest. Then she pulled outwards, and astonishingly, she extracted a translucent and pure white jade stone from within.

Ning Zeyu spread her palm open, gazing at the jade stone, and soon, thirty-six holes appeared on the stone.

All of them were shaped like teardrops!

…

In the upper room of the Yujian Inn, Zhou Heng had set up a soundproof barrier.

Full of doubts, Cheng Jianjian had just sat down and asked, “Why did you suddenly refuse? Have you discovered some problem?”

“This Ning Zeyu could possibly be a pawn of a Celestial Man or even a Tao Lord,” Zhou Heng said solemnly, “Even the so-called Map of the Hundred Palaces of Yao Palace might just be bait or a trap.”

“What?” Cheng Jianjian was taken aback.

“Ning Zeyu’s entire life, from birth to growing up, might have been manipulated,” Zhou Heng sighed, “Her so-called memories of a past life, as well as her pursuits in this life, are probably made up by someone, and she herself is unaware of it.”

“That it could be like this,” Cheng Jianjian was somewhat surprised, then she frowned and said, “Then, the reason Ning Zeyu trapped me without cause and made an enemy of me, leading me to Southern Jin—could there have been manipulation involved?”

“Possibly,” Zhou Heng pondered for a moment, saying, “But for what purpose did they lead you to Southern Jin?”

Ordinarily, someone of Cheng Jianjian’s Secret Sixth Rank should be of no value to a power on the level of a Celestial Man or even a Tao Lord.

Unless… she had something special about her.

But although Cheng Jianjian was extraordinarily talented, and her cultivation progressed far beyond the normal for her age, it didn’t seem like there was anything particularly special about her.

She wasn’t a reincarnation of a great power, nor a fairy-like dao body; she was simply highly talented.

“`

Cheng Jianjian had obviously realized this too. Her willow brows creased lightly as she pondered for a while, finally shaking her head gently and said, “I don’t think I hold such great value to bring a Celestial Man or Tao Lord to use a Second Rank divine artifact as a setup to lure me over.”

“Perhaps, am I just an addition? The one that the powerful being truly wanted to lure over, could there actually be someone else?”

“Right, since you speculated that this might be bait or a trap, have you already thought of possible candidates before?”

“Indeed, I did think of someone,” Zhou Heng nodded slightly and said, “That is a friend’s master, who practices the path of dreams and is also the reincarnation of a powerful being.”

“If that’s the case, it is indeed possible,” Cheng Jianjian nodded and said, “A reincarnation of a powerful being who cultivates the path of dreams might possess a complete Dream Path inheritance.”

“If the mighty figure behind the Yao Palace Hundred Halls Diagram and Ning Zeyu also cultivates the path of dreams, it is indeed possible to use this as bait and lure people over.”

“Whether they have really come or not, we don’t know,” Zhou Heng frowned and said, “I’ll check.”

Immediately after, he transformed in front of Cheng Jianjian’s disbelieving eyes into a slender dog, sniffing the air with his nose before shifting back into human form.

“You, what is this??” Cheng Jianjian was somewhat confused, almost believing she had just experienced a hallucination.

“A little trick for finding people,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “They haven’t come, it seems the plans of this powerful being might fall through.”

Transforming into a Sky-barking Dog, he could entirely rely on his sense of smell to determine whether He Mengqiu and Yun Xiu were in Yujian Mansion City.

“That’s good,” Cheng Jianjian smiled and nodded. She didn’t ask any further about Zhou Heng’s transformation, instead she turned to him and said, “So, what do we do next?”

“I will continue heading south, to cause trouble for Jia Ye Temple,” Zhou Heng pondered and said, “As for you, I suggest you return to Taihua Mount first and report the situation here to the sect.”

For the two of them, the treasures, divine skills, and elixirs within the Yao Palace Hundred Halls Diagram did not actually hold a particularly strong attraction.

“You’re planning to continue south alone?” Cheng Jianjian said with some concern, “What if Jia Ye Temple sends a Great Grandmaster to attack you, don’t you want to go back together?”

“This is my cultivation journey, now that my cultivation hasn’t borne fruit, naturally, I can’t stop,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “But you don’t need to worry about me, I know what I’m doing. Besides, I have many methods, as you have seen. Don’t worry.”

“Mm, then please be careful,” Cheng Jianjian was not a coquettish person, she nodded lightly, “I will be waiting for you at Taihua Mount.”

“Alright,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “It’s a promise.”

…

The next morning.

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian had both left Yujian Mansion City.

However, they headed in opposite directions.

Zhou Heng continued his journey southward to Luozhou, planning to sweep through the sites of Jia Ye Temple along the way while investigating the origins of Jia Ye Temple’s lineage. Meanwhile, Cheng Jianjian, following Zhou Heng’s advice, traveled north to return to Da Qi.

After leaving Yujian Mansion City, Zhou Heng let his sorrel horse run at full speed, striving to quickly reach the next prefecture.

Yet, while on the road, he suddenly felt an unusual glow shining down from the heavens. Looking up, he saw the ethereal images of several palaces faintly visible amidst the clouds.

The Star Tear Stone tucked inside his chest suddenly heated up, bursting forth with light, enveloping his entire being. Then, a tremendous force surged, dragging him up toward the sky.

Zhou Heng’s first instinct was to use his “Open Gate” privilege to escape, but he soon realized that this was likely the Yao Palace Hundred Halls Diagram summoning all those who possessed the Star Tear Stone.

Cheng Jianjian also had a piece of the Star Tear Stone.

Therefore, he refrained from using Open Gate, allowing the light of the Star Tear Stone to carry him up into the sky.

After a brief moment of trance, Zhou Heng found himself on an incredibly large platform.

The ground beneath his feet was paved with white jade, and ahead was a magnificent giant gate, surrounded by dozens of people, each with a different demeanor.

Cheng Jianjian was also among them, and they noticed each other at the same time.