Chapter 10: I Have Enlightened!

Thunderous sound echoed through the heavens and earth, the entire small town resonating with Du Yuan’s question.

Zhou Da, suppressed to the ground by the golden Buddhist light, struggled relentlessly, seeming eager to rise and lunge toward Du Yuan once more.

This caused a slight furrow to crease Du Yuan’s brow.

It also emboldened the villagers around to step hesitantly out of their homes.

Seeing Zhou Da truly pinned down by the golden light, the villagers hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly to Du Yuan, pleading:

“Living immortal!”

“Please, venerable immortal, perform a ritual to guide Zhou Da’s soul!”

“We beg you, venerable immortal!”

“Merciful living Buddha, have pity on us!”

...

Though these mountain folk were not exactly oppressed barbarians everywhere, their lives were nonetheless harsh.

Their spines bore the burden of generations of rough hardship, so among neighbors, mutual support was common.

Thus, the entire village was like grasshoppers tied together on a single straw rope; when storms came, even the sound of a cough would unite into one voice.

Without such solidarity, survival in this world was nearly impossible.

Therefore, facing Zhou Da, who had turned into a zombie and nearly brought ruin upon the whole village,

they were still willing to wait for Madam Zhou to find a Taoist or monk to perform a soul release ritual, rather than burning down his house along with him.

Now, seeing someone as skilled as Du Yuan, their only hope remained that he could perform the rite to liberate Zhou Da’s soul.

Paper money was everywhere. On the green stone slab made of glutinous rice, an old woman held her granddaughter tightly in her arms, her withered hands trembling uncontrollably.

Turbid tears streamed down the deeply wrinkled face, and as she knelt and kowtowed endlessly, the stone and paper money before her were stained with a faint tinge of red.

“Old woman here has nothing to offer you, but even if I must give my own life in exchange, I beseech the Lord Buddha to guide this poor child’s soul!”

Suddenly, the little girl curled in her grandmother’s arms broke free. Her eyes reddened, clutching her own clothes tightly.

“Grandfather Bodhisattva, I—I can gather ten bundles of firewood for you every day! I can even offer you all the candies saved for the New Year!”

With that, she imitated her grandmother and knelt down to kowtow on the ground.

“Please, Grandfather Bodhisattva, guide my father’s soul!”

Why is it both Buddha and Bodhisattva coming out now?!

And why do they talk as if I’m some man-eating demon?

I’m not a monk, nor am I one of those Tibetan lamas!

Du Yuan almost lost his composure at this spectacle.

But glancing back at the grandmother and granddaughter, whose foreheads were already broken from repeated kowtows, all his emotions faded.

They were merely pitiful people clutching at a final thread of hope.

Looking once more at the surrounding villagers also kneeling and praying,

Du Yuan’s every feeling condensed into a single phrase:

“Rest assured, I am here.”

The villagers rejoiced tremendously:

“Thank you, living immortal!”

At first, it was fine, but as the old woman spoke, the words gradually shifted into:

“Thank you, Lord Buddha!”

“Thank you, Lord Buddha!”

This time, even Du Yuan could not help but turn back and say:

“I am not a monk, nor am I Lord Buddha! So please, don’t call me that!”

“Ah, then thank you, living Buddha!”

I already said I’m not a monk...

Du Yuan’s heart was full of mixed feelings, but now was not the time to argue over titles.

Instead, he focused his gaze on Zhou Da, now transformed into a zombie.

Previously, when facing the demon horse, the Buddhist light had directly blasted it away and exposed its true form.

Why this time did it merely suppress Zhou Da to the ground, rendering him immobile?

What accounted for this difference?

Both times, he had chanted essentially the same passage.

If there was any difference...

Could it be in his own intention?

Previously, in the wilderness, he had only summoned the demon’s true form to be revealed, so the horse demon was exposed.

But now, he did not wish to kill Zhou Da outright, just to suppress him?

No, something still felt off.

Because Du Yuan thought that, by his own intention, Zhou Da should not have been simply suppressed.

Lost in thought, Du Yuan suddenly looked at the surrounding villagers and the Zhou family grandmother and granddaughter who continued kowtowing.

If there was any notable difference between the two instances, it was naturally the location and the people around.

So, was the issue here?

Was the display of power different because of the people present?

No, it shouldn’t be—people were people, the horse gang and villagers were not so fundamentally different just by a little distance.

Wait!

There is!

Du Yuan suddenly understood—it was himself!

He changed their thoughts!

Previously, when facing the demon horse, he had used Buddhist language to reveal its true form, so the Buddhist light appeared, and the demon was exposed.

Now, he still used Buddhist language, but he made the villagers believe that this man could truly guide Zhou Da’s soul!

Yes, that must be the cause of the difference in manifestation.

So, as long as the people around believe his words, the corresponding effect appears?

But this still required verification.

Within mere breaths, Du Yuan thought of a highly probable key.

And to verify this, and fulfill everyone’s wishes,

Du Yuan turned to the little girl and said:

“Little one, you wish for your father’s soul to be guided?”

Upon hearing this, the old woman hurriedly held the little girl tight and said:

“Living Buddha, whatever you say to me is fine, but the child is too young—I fear she won’t do well!”

This was both fear that the little one might fail and cause the ritual to fail,

and fear that it might be too dangerous, putting the child in harm’s way.

Another reason was that she had previously seen monks and Taoists,

all of whom were just a bunch of riffraff.

So even seeing Du Yuan’s skill, she instinctively worried something bad might happen.

All these factors together made her speak up.

Du Yuan gave a slight nod without much thought:

“You and Zhou Da are mother and son; the little one and he are father and daughter—these are the closest of blood ties. Yes, it would be best if both of you come forward.”

“So, elder, how do you wish to proceed?”

The old woman immediately said:

“Let this old woman do it!”

“I, Xiao Wu, want to too!”

The old woman quickly interrupted her granddaughter:

“Xiao Wu, be good. Let grandma handle it.”

Before they could finish, Du Yuan cut in:

“It’s not dangerous. You both should come.”

When Du Yuan spoke, the old woman could say nothing more.

She only nervously brought Xiao Wu forward to stand beside Du Yuan.

“Living Buddha, what do you want us to do?”

“Very simple.”

Du Yuan bent down and picked up two pieces of paper money from the ground.

He glanced once around the villagers.

He deliberately raised the two pieces of paper money toward them and said:

“I also need a bowl of rooster’s blood!”

“Living Buddha, immediately!”

No sooner had Du Yuan spoken than a villager unhesitatingly sent off a large red rooster that had been raised for two and a half years.

Before long, a bowl of fresh chicken blood was brought and presented before Du Yuan.

“Living Buddha, what next?”

The villager holding the blood, feeling proud for having assisted the living Buddha and standing before many neighbors, instinctively tried to straighten his back, but because the living Buddha was ahead, he forced his head and neck down, resulting in an awkward posture.

Du Yuan smiled lightly and took the chicken blood, saying:

“I will help Zhou Da fulfill his final wish, dispersing the gloom that clogs his heart.”