"Greetings, masters."
Wei Zhen greeted them and walked to the last corner to find a place to sit down. Beside him was a young monk in a white robe.
The monk had a handsome face and was holding a book in his hand. Wei Zhen immediately moved to the side and gave up a seat. Looking at the big tabby cat in his arms, Wei Zhen's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise. He said softly, "Benefactor, this battle beast is full of spirituality. Its future growth will definitely be limitless."
There were too many people in the carriage, and each of them had a strong aura. The big tabby cat moved around uncomfortably. Wei Zhen stretched out his hand to scratch its belly and replied with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment."
The young lama nodded and looked at the sheepskin book in his hand.
The carriages headed north. Both sides of the road were endless mountains and hills. There was not a single trace of human habitation.
The carriage was silent. Wei Zhen was too embarrassed to break the silence. The sky gradually darkened.
The road was severely damaged. It was fine during the day, but it was impossible to move forward at night. The carriages stopped in an open space. People got off the carriages and started a bonfire.
There were more than a hundred people in this group. It was a large caravan. The monk in the carriage was the same as Wei Zhen.
Wei Zhen also saw the person who spoke in front. It was a fairy-like girl wearing a white dress.
The key was that there was a small gap between the girl's eyebrows. It looked like a scar. Although it was very small, Wei Zhen knew that there was an eye in the gap. She was actually a member of the Three-Eyed Race.
The girl was also paying attention to him. To be exact, she was paying attention to the big tabby cat in his arms. Her crystal clear eyes looked over from time to time.
The big tabby cat sensed her gaze and bared its teeth in a threatening manner.
The young monk baked a rice ball and handed it to Wei Zhen, "I am Ah Qiu. May I know benefactor's name?"
Wei Zhen knew that these monks were not ordinary people. They were probably all physique masters. He hurriedly took it and said, "My name is Wei Zhen. Master, where are you going?"
"We received an invitation from Saint Master Yunji to go to Shang Jing."
"Oh, that's good. We are going the same way."
The young monk sized him up and a faint golden light flashed in his eyes. He asked softly, "Benefactor Wei, I know a little about the art of reading people. I see that your body is not very healthy. It is not congenital. It seems to have been replaced after birth. I wonder what the reason is?"
Wei Zhen was stunned. This monk's eyesight was actually so sharp. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I won't hide it from you, Master. I'm a mutant. I didn't have any bones since I was young. Later on, a medical master used the Bone Changing Technique to replace my bones with tiger bones."
Ah Qiu replied with an 'oh'. "This poor monk has been a little rude. Benefactor, please don't mind."
…
At night, Wei Zhen was lying on the side of a large bus. His eyes were half-closed as if he was sleeping.
The Lamas around them all had powerful blood and Qi. It was obvious that they had evolved to a high degree. The young Lamas among them were not simple at all. His eyes seemed to be able to see through everything. With so many powerful people around, even if they were to sleep in the wild, no evil creatures or ferocious beasts would dare to invade.
While he was in a daze, he suddenly heard a strange noise. He slowly opened his eyes. The campfire in the campsite had been extinguished and the surroundings were pitch black. However, his eyes were extremely sensitive to any subtle light. He had the keen vision of a cat.
There was nothing unusual about the campsite, but the sound was still intermittent. Gradually, the sound became clearer. Wei Zhen frowned and listened carefully. The sound seemed to be coming from the ground. It was up and down, like some kind of knocking sound.
The young monk was lying on the ground in a strange posture. He looked a little like a reclining Buddha. He also heard the noise. His expression became serious. He took out a wooden fish from his chest and sat cross-legged on the ground. "Dong!" He knocked lightly.
Although the sound was soft, it seemed to be able to drill into people's hearts. Everyone in the campsite was instantly awakened. The middle-aged leader hurriedly pulled out the long knife on his back. He glanced at the night sky and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong?"
The face of the girl in white beside him was pale, but she forced herself to calm down and said, "The inner demon is here."
The group of monks each took out a wooden fish from their backpacks and sat cross-legged around Ah Qiu with a serious expression. However, they did not knock, as if they were waiting for something.
"Dong!" Another sound came from the depths of the ground. With this sound, it was as if tiny ants had suddenly appeared and were constantly crawling in people's hearts.
Wei Zhen's expression changed. Something was using a strange sound wave to attack them.
"Dong!"
Ah Qiu also began to knock the wooden fish in his hand. The sound of the wooden fish was crisp and pleasant. It was the opposite of the dull sound of the wooden fish underground. The numbness in the hearts of everyone was slightly reduced.
At this time, the sound of the wooden fish underground suddenly began to be knocked continuously. The sound was not coherent, sometimes long and sometimes slow. Everyone's attention could not help but be attracted. Gradually, they felt that their heartbeats were also affected by the sound. It became intermittent. When it was rapid, they felt as if their blood was about to burst through their brain vessels. When it was slow, they felt as if their brain was about to suffocate.
Everyone felt that something was wrong, but their bodies were completely out of their control. They could not even move. They could not help but break out in a cold sweat.
Ah Qiu tried his best to knock the wooden fish, but his crisp sound of the wooden fish was completely drowned out by the dull sound of the wooden fish underground. There was no sound at all. The other monks around were even worse. Their faces were covered in large beads of sweat. They could not even knock the wooden fish.
After a while, the dull sound of the wooden fish began to be coherent again. It became slow and long. It was as if they had returned to the time when they were infants and their mother was softly humming a lullaby in their ears. Everyone could not help but smile and close their eyes.
In an instant, except for the group of monks, everyone else fell asleep. If no one woke them up, they would fall asleep forever.
"Sound" was also known as vibration. Any substance or life form was in vibration all the time, including thoughts and consciousness.
The so-called Sound Dao was actually a method to interrupt or guide such vibrations. It had both physical and mental effects. It was a powerful method to kill without leaving a trace.
After a while, even the ascetic monks who focused on the growth of their minds could not take it anymore. One by one, they fell asleep. Only Ah Qiu was still struggling to hold on.
"Rumble."
Just as he was about to collapse, a series of thunder suddenly sounded in the sky. The thunder seemed to contain a powerful will that suppressed everything. Everything in the world had to bow down to it.
The rhythm of the sound of the wooden fish was immediately disrupted, and it became less coherent. However, no matter how deafening the thunder was, it was never drowned out. Instead, it tried to correct the rhythm several times, but it was always interrupted by the thunder at the crucial moment.
The two sounds were in a temporary stalemate.
Everyone in the campsite experienced a journey that could not be awakened by thunder. Thunder exploded in their ears. Every time they were about to wake up, they would be hypnotized by the sound of the wooden fish.
After a while, a grunt came from underground. "Who dares to spoil my plans!"
A circle of ripples appeared on the hard ground like water. A young monk with delicate features leaned his body out of the ripples, looking at the dark clouds gathering in the sky with a surprised and doubtful look.
The thunder was not naturally produced. It was controlled by someone. Furthermore, the other party was skilled in the Sound Dao. What was more terrifying was that even though he had cultivated the Soul Suppressing Thunderous Sound to the peak, he could not compete with the thunder. That was the manifestation of the will of the world.
The dark clouds quietly spread and gradually covered the already dim moonlight.
Even though he did not see anyone, for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of panic. If he did not leave now, he would be in danger of dying!
He burrowed into the ground. The soil kept moving away. After he entered, it quickly closed up.
The young monk, Achu, opened his eyes and glanced at the sky in surprise as well. He then threw the wooden fish in his hand onto the ground. Wisps of green light quickly gathered on the wooden fish. Immediately, countless roots grew out of the wooden fish and pierced straight into the ground. The ground shook violently for a while before calming down.
Ah Qiu looked at the people around him who were in deep sleep. He let out a long sigh of relief and bowed to the sky. "Thank you for saving us. Can our benefactor show himself?"
There was no response for a long time. The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed and the moonlight shone on the ground again.
Everyone woke up one after another. They seemed to have collapsed and it was difficult to even move.
Wei Zhen woke up with a splitting headache. He first looked at Da Hua who was still in deep sleep beside him. Then, he asked Ah Qiu, "Master, what happened just now?"
Ah Qiu said in a low voice, "We were attacked by a 'demon'. If we were not saved by the master, we would have been in danger."
Recalling the terrifying sound of the wooden fish, Wei Zhen could not help but shiver. If they were to fight head-on, they would know that they were going to die. However, if they were hit by such a strange method, they might not even know until they died.
"What is a demon? Is it scarier than a hungry ghost?"
Ah Qiu thought for a while and said, "Although the two are different, they are the same. They are both creatures of the void world and are good at invading people's consciousness and occupying people's hearts. We Buddhism call it the Asura Path!"
He then added, "Buddhism always says that demons are born from the heart. Humans have thousands of appearances, including demons."
Wei Zhen was confused. Didn't they say it came from the Dark World? How did it have anything to do with people's hearts?
Ah Qiu's eyes emitted a faint golden light. Just as he was about to explain, a gentle female saint interrupted, "Everyone has a strange or disturbing thought. It suddenly intrudes into the mind for no reason. For example, when standing on a high place, there is an inexplicable impulse to jump down, when holding a child or pet, imagining how it would be if the child or pet was thrown to the ground, or the scene of their own death. These are evil thoughts. When evil thoughts accumulate, demons are born!
The void world of the netherworld is the projection of the material world in the world of the living. Naturally, the creatures there also come from our thoughts. They are the embodiment of our subconscious! "
The girl in white from the Three-Eyed Race walked over and stretched out her hand, "You must be Senior Brother Wei Zhen. My name is Su Wenhan. You can also call me Su Hsiao-mei."