High Monk Xianyun

  In a daze, Zhan Yi felt a strange scene flashing through his mind. In a large Buddhist temple, he was wearing a monk's robe and shaving the head of an ancient youth in traditional clothing. As he shaved, he kept saying: "Xian Yun, your wisdom is deeply rooted, you have a predestined relationship with Buddha, I hope you can put down all your past burdens and retreat into the empty door, cultivate well."

  The young man, however, had his eyes tightly closed, with an expression of reverence on his face. A few strands of black hair fell to the ground, and finally, the top of the young man's head became completely bald. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and lifted his head, saying: "Master, you've cracked my skull open."

  He saw that he had accidentally cut a wound on the young man's forehead, and blood was oozing out. However, the young man only blushed slightly, then used his knife to make two more cuts on the wound. Smiling, he said with satisfaction: "Hehe, Xiāo Yún, don't be afraid of pain. This is intentional on my part as your master. Because you have a stronger Buddha nature than ordinary people, you can obtain the 'clear mind' scar during tonsure."

  Young man biting his teeth, seemingly in pain and resentment, but didn't know what to say, looking like a child who had been cheated, until the blood on his forehead flowed into his eyes. Xianyi then grabbed a handful of incense ash from the censer on the nearby table and casually wiped it on the young man's forehead, saying: "Alright, Idle Cloud, from now on you must cut off worldly desires, focus your heart on Buddhism, do you understand?"

  "Yes... Master." The young man's eyes welled up with tears of grievance, but he nodded helplessly.

  The screen disappeared suddenly at this point, and a Buddhist monk's voice also entered Xianyun's ears at this time: "Amitabha Buddha, the poor monk Xianyun has seen Master Zhan."

  Zhan Yi had already woken up when Xianyun Gao declared the Buddha's name, but now his heart was filled with an astonishment that could not be described in words. The scene that had just appeared in his mind was so familiar, as if it had happened yesterday, but he knew that it was definitely not something that had happened in this life of his.

  At the same time, he had a particularly intimate feeling towards Xianyun, as if looking at a younger generation. What was going on with all of this? Amidst the shock, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind - could it be that all of this had something to do with him possessing the body of Bai Qiuzi? Was Xianyun actually his disciple from his past life? But why could he see things that happened in his past life? Was it because of Xianyun's powerful magical abilities, or was there another reason?

  "The more I think about it, the more I don't understand. I couldn't help but look at the idle clouds and blurt out: 'You...and me.' But then I didn't know how to continue."

  Xianyun had already stopped knocking on the wooden fish, and between the blinking of his eyes, he flashed a profound smile: "Donor, everything is predetermined by cause and effect. The Buddha said it cannot be spoken, cannot be spoken." After finishing speaking, he stood up and came to Zhan's side, deeply bowing to him.

  And the young people next to them, as well as that little monk, were also confused. Especially when they saw Xianyun bowing to Zhangyi, their mouths were wide open in shock. In their impression, Xianyun was a truly enlightened monk who had never bowed to anyone before. Even some high-ranking officials who met Xianyun were extremely polite and humble, addressing him as "senior". But now he was showing such respect to a young man, which was completely unexpected. So the two of them couldn't help but shout out in unison: "Master, why are you bowing to him?!"

  Instead, he spread his wings and didn't know why he was watching Xianyun bow to himself, feeling as if it were a matter of course. Only after Xianyun finished did he say with some puzzlement: "High monk, please don't be so polite. What did you call me here for?"

  Xianyun glanced around and didn't directly answer Zhan Yi's words, instead saying to the bewildered young man and Xiao Shami: "You two go wait outside the door first. Remember, without my permission, no one is allowed to enter this Zen room, got it?"

  "Master, you......" The two of them seemed hesitant after hearing Xianyun's words.

  "Hurry up and go." Idle clouds didn't wait for the two to finish speaking, raised an eyebrow and stared at them.

  "Yes." The two of them looked at the angry eyes of Xian Yun with great reverence, and quickly walked towards the door, closing it behind them as they left.

  After the two of them were left alone in the house, Xianyun respectfully said to Zhan Yi: "Master, please sit down. Let me brew a cup of tea for you before we talk."

  The more he listened, the more puzzled he became. Although he vaguely felt that he should have some special connection with Xian Yun, he didn't know why he was called here after all. Was it just to talk about their relationship?

  However, he didn't stand on ceremony and sat down beside a tea table in the Zen room. Xianyun quickly brewed a pot of tea for him, and soon the fragrance of tea filled the air. After the tea leaves had steeped, he poured only one cup and respectfully handed it to Zhan Yi, saying humbly, "Sir, please have some tea."

  "This...High Monk, you're being too polite, but why did you invite me here after all?" Zhan Yi looked at Xian Yun and sat down across from him, finally unable to hold back his words.

  "Benefactor, just call me Idle Cloud. The two words 'High Monk' are really too much for me to bear. First, have some tea and see if you like it." A faint, indescribable expression appeared on Idle Cloud's face, seemingly a mix of joy and trepidation, but he didn't reveal his purpose.

  Zhan Yi looked at Xian Yun, not knowing what he was up to, but didn't say much. He picked up his tea cup and took a light sip. The tea water slid down his throat, and suddenly the sweet flavor rose in his mouth, making Zhan Yi a little dazed. This tea is too good, but why does it feel so familiar? It's as if he had drunk it before.

  "Benefactor, what do you think of this tea?" Xianyun looked at Zhan Yi's ecstatic expression and asked with a hint of delight.

  "This tea is indeed a treasure among men, its flavor is like encountering mist and cloud in the mountains, and it's as if I've drunk dew collected from within the clouds." Zhan Yi blurted out without thinking, and after speaking, he himself was shocked, when did his words become so eloquent?

  But after hearing Zhan Yi's words, Xianyun seemed even more delighted, and burst out laughing: "Hehe, the master's praise really makes Xianyun admire him extremely. Come on, let me refill your cup."

  Zhan Yi didn't know that drinking a cup of tea could make Xian Yun so excited, as if he had given him a great favor. However, he knew there must be some reason behind this, so he didn't decline. After Xian Yun refilled his cup again, Zhan Yi took another sip and asked, "Xian Yun, tell me the reason you called me here. It can't just be for drinking tea, right?"

  Xianyun put down the teapot and smiled lightly: "Donor, if this monk is not mistaken, you must have some difficulties now. If you don't mind, why not tell Xianyun about it?"

  "Oh, you know I'm in a difficult situation? Can you help me?" Xianyi was taken aback at first, but then his heart started to get excited.

  "Perhaps, sir, you have some trouble? Just speak out, if there's anything I can do to help, I'll definitely spare no effort." Xianyun didn't give a definite answer, but his tone was extremely sincere.

  Zhan Yi listened to Xian Yun's words and couldn't help but hesitate. He really wanted to find out about the whereabouts of Wu Hang Cao from Xian Yun, but Xiao Jiao's matter made him unsure whether Xian Yun was truly willing to help him or had other intentions.

  He thought for half a day and still decided to give it a try, because he knew that the Five Elements Grass was a spiritual object of heaven and earth. If Idle Cloud really knew where it was, even if he wasn't a good person, he would definitely think of ways to get his hands on it. But if he truly wanted to help himself and missed this opportunity, he might have to search through the entire Tian Shan mountain range.

  He made up his mind and quickly told Xian Yun about the Five Elements Grass. After listening, Xian Yun nodded slightly and said to Zhan Yi: "Benefactor, I indeed know where the Five Elements Grass is, but you must go through a trial to obtain it, which is not something I can help you with."

  "Do you really know? Then tell me quickly." Zhan Yi's eyes lit up as soon as he heard Xian Yun's words, and he was thrilled to be able to find out about the Five Elements Grass so soon after arriving at Tian Shan.

  "Benefactor, please don't be impatient, let me tell you slowly. This five-element grass is a spiritual object of heaven and earth, formed by gathering the energy of the five elements..." Then Idle Cloud began to speak at length.

  Yan Wing heard his account and finally knew the whereabouts of the Five Elements Grass. It turned out that the Five Elements Grass was indeed in the Tian Shan, but it was no longer growing anywhere, and had been picked by the leader of the Moer tribe in the Tian Shan. Now it is the treasure of the Moer tribe.

  This made Zhan Yi feel somewhat unexpected, because if the Five Elements Grass was somewhere, he could spend some effort to find it, but now it's actually in someone's hands, and it's even the family heirloom of that person. This makes it difficult for him to buy it with money, which means there are only two ways left: stealing or robbing. However, since it's the family heirloom, wouldn't they hide it secretly?

  At the moment of entanglement, he looked up at Xianyun and found that his calm demeanor seemed to be as if everything was within expectation. He couldn't help but ask: "Xianyun, you just said I would encounter a tribulation this time, can you tell me what kind of tribulation it is?"

  "Benefactor, the heavenly mechanism cannot be revealed, and since it's a calamity, there are countless variables, how can human power change it? But I can remind you of one thing, this calamity originates from a beauty, you'll understand when you go." Xianyun gently shook his head and spoke slowly.

  "Hmm, okay, I'll just thank you here then. But Idle Cloud, I really want to know what the illusion I had when I first came in meant. Was it that little monk who shaved my head?""Yan Yi heard Idle Cloud's words and knew about the Five Elements Grass, but he could only say so much and had to stop. However, he was eager to understand the various illusions he had when he entered."