Chapter 794 Tricking His Own People
"Don't worry, I'll get you one next time," Bei Xuan said, hugging his junior brother.
"Hmph, Master said that monks don't lie, but Senior Brother doesn't keep his word!"
The junior brother, nestled in Bei Xuan's arms, blinked back tears as he spoke, as if he were about to cry.
Hearing this, Bei Xuan quickly changed the subject.
"Hey, do you know where the Abbot showed you that demon core before?" Bei Xuan asked his second senior brother.
The other disciples who had been gathered around Bei Xuan turned and left the Buddhist hall without a word.
The second senior brother, who Bei Xuan had grabbed, could only shake his head with a wry smile.
"Silent meditation?" Bei Xuan was puzzled. Although his second senior brother didn't have the same master as him, he was definitely too young to be practicing silent meditation.
Had he done something that required atonement in the two or three months he had been away?
Under Bei Xuan's relentless questioning, the second senior brother could only shake his head with tears welling up. "Senior Brother, the Abbot suspected me of telling you when you secretly took his rare Buddhist scriptures last time. He punished me for a long time because of it!"
Bei Xuan coughed and said helplessly, "Who told you to be the Abbot's favorite disciple? Of course, he'd tell you about any treasures he has. Come on, just tell me. It's just a demon core. The Abbot won't do anything to you. Besides, what use does the Abbot have for a demon core? It's just for showing off to the Southern Martial Buddhist sect."
As soon as Bei Xuan finished speaking, he felt a killing intent directed at him from behind.
More importantly, his junior brother, who had been in his arms, suddenly jumped out and disappeared.
Bei Xuan immediately patted his forehead and turned around, chuckling nervously. "Disciple Bei Xuan greets Abbot Senior Uncle."
Bei Xuan glanced up and saw his Abbot Senior Uncle, who looked gaunt and withered, staring at him with murderous eyes.
The Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple snorted. "I thought you had returned for something important this time, only to find you're eyeing my belongings again. A demon core might be useless to me, but is it useless to you?"
"Buddhist cultivation requires purity of mind. Using external objects like this will only corrupt your true nature. If it were me, and your master were here, he'd break one of your legs!"
The Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple, assuming Bei Xuan wanted the demon core for his own cultivation, reprimanded him before Bei Xuan could even speak.
Bei Xuan could only force a bitter smile.
He had to admit, when he first heard Chen Yang wanted the demon core, he had thought the same thing!
"Abbot Senior Uncle, I'm not using the demon core for my own cultivation. It's for a friend of mine to borrow."
The Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple didn't press further after Bei Xuan's explanation.
Bei Xuan was now a God of War in the outside world and dealt with many matters. It was inevitable that he would interact with various people. While a demon core might be a useless trinket to them, it could have unforeseen effects in the hands of others.
"Follow me..." With that, the Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple vanished.
Bei Xuan immediately followed, feeling very puzzled. Demon cores were obtained by killing powerful demonic beasts, which ordinary martial artists would never encounter.
The Abbot Senior Uncle had managed to get his hands on a demon core from who-knows-where in the past. Logically, it shouldn't be so easy to take it, unless he had personally snuck it away. Yet now, the Abbot Senior Uncle was leading him to retrieve it?
When they arrived at a cave in the back mountain, Bei Xuan was stunned to see the cave floor littered with bamboo slips.
The Zen Buddhist Temple was located in a vast mountain range.
Although Bei Xuan had grown up here, he had only explored a few percent of the mountain range. Moreover, many areas were protected by restrictions.
Without the creator of the restrictions leading him, he would never be able to break them in his lifetime.
"Abbot Senior Uncle, are all these bamboo slips Buddhist scriptures? When did our Zen Buddhist Temple collect so many?" Bei Xuan asked, picking up a scattered bamboo slip.
When he had studied Buddhist scriptures in the past, he had gone to the Southern Martial Buddhist sect. He never imagined that his own sect would have such a vast collection.
However, when Bei Xuan saw the writing on the bamboo slip, he frowned because he couldn't recognize the characters.
They were not Buddhist scriptures or ancient texts, but rather strange symbols strung together.
Even though Bei Xuan couldn't decipher the meaning of these symbols, they seemed to possess a magical allure, drawing his gaze.
The Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple saw this but did not startle Bei Xuan.
He only made a move when Bei Xuan's spiritual power began to fluctuate.
"Your Buddhist studies are too shallow; you can't understand the content. Be careful not to fall into a trance. The demon core you want is on the shelf in the innermost part. Take it yourself." The Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple spoke with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
He himself was unsure if the scattered bamboo slips on the ground were indeed Buddhist scriptures.
But these items had been passed down through generations of the Zen Buddhist Temple. He had hoped that Bei Xuan would be able to decipher at least a part of them, but to his surprise, Bei Xuan was no different from him. He couldn't recognize the characters and was instead drawn in by the mysterious power within.
Bei Xuan quickly grabbed the demon core and was about to leave when the Abbot stopped him.
"You still haven't told me who wants the demon core. I need to know where it's going. After all, I went through great lengths to obtain it. Besides... transactions are done on a one-to-one basis. Don't trick your own people!"
Bei Xuan gave an awkward smile. After much hesitation, he finally revealed Chen Yang's name.
As for the reward, Bei Xuan said, "Chen Yang is an alchemist. If the sect needs anything, he won't refuse."
The Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple was certainly familiar with the name Chen Yang.
He had personally traveled to several places to inquire about Chen Yang's master.
Although he hadn't met Chen Yang in person, he had learned a lot about him from Bei Xuan.
"Didn't you say Chen Yang had disappeared before? Has this young man reappeared?"
"Alright, if it's him, then it's fine. I happen to have a pill that I can't find anyone to refine for me."
Watching Bei Xuan's retreating back, the Abbot of the Zen Buddhist Temple suddenly felt a blood-red aura enveloping Bei Xuan's head and frowned.