As Ruyi exited the hall, Feng Rugu had already quickly uncovered the little monk's past and present lives.

Feng Rugu said, "Your second uncle and your father have such a poor relationship, why don't you persuade your mother?"

Just as the little monk was about to reply, he was interrupted by Ruyi: "When does Lord Yunzhong plan to descend the mountain?"

After a round of questioning, Feng Rugu also understood the intentions of these two, but still asked knowingly, "Tomorrow. Is Master Ruyi planning to accompany me?"

Ruyi replied, "I've been entrusted by others, it's just a matter of loyalty."

Feng Rugu said, "Those words don't sound very Buddhist."

"This poor monk is not the Buddha, but a protector of Buddha." Ruyi bowed calmly, "The Buddha is compassionate, but the protectors of Buddha need not be compassionate. Lord Yunzhong, please."

A Fengling disciple came to lead the two monks to their lodging place. Ruyi walked away without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, Feng Rugu muttered to himself, "Little Hongchen, Little Hongchen. Sigh, not cute anymore after growing up."

Chang Boning didn't know when he had stood behind him: "The sunlight is too fierce. Let's enter the hall."

Feng Rugu dragged the bamboo recliner and followed slowly behind Chang Boning: "How did Senior Brother call him here?"

"How could I have such great influence." Chang Boning laughed, "It's just relying on your relationship with him."

Feng Rugu just smiled without speaking.

After entering the hall, Chang Boning sat back in his original spot and removed his eye veil: "Really not going to tell him the truth?"

"No."

"Why?"

Feng Rugu answered lightly, as if it didn't matter: "The same reason as not acknowledging him ten years ago."

Chang Boning did not approve: "...Rugu."

"Senior Brother, you entrusted him to take care of me. Whoever's kindness he accepts, it's all the same in the end. Since he will take good care of me either way, why bother saying more?"

Feng Rugu was used to leaning wherever he could. Now that Chang Boning, who grew up with him, was beside him, how could he not lean.

He laid down casually, resting his head on Chang Boning's thigh, looking up at him: "Besides, I, Feng Rugu, am not a useless person. Rather, Senior Brother..."

Chang Boning lowered his head and said gently, "What about me?"

Feng Rugu slowly exhaled a mouthful of bamboo smoke and teased Chang Boning: "Senior Brother, the lord of a mountain sect, can also get embarrassed, not even daring to let others see his eyes when lying."

Chang Boning's face reddened slightly: "He is not accepting my kindness. That title of 'adoptive father', I am unworthy of it."

"Just accept it." Feng Rugu laughed, "No matter what, he's still your eldest nephew."

Although this was the case, this eldest nephew was no ordinary nephew.

After the demonic path disappeared from the surface, the practice of cultivation flourished in the world, and Buddhism also gradually gained influence.

However, Buddhism had never been good at showing off. They focused on inner cultivation and did not have a strong competitive spirit. When there were competitions, they never easily got involved.

Master Ruyi could be considered the first Buddhist cultivator whose name was known to the outside world.

However, he couldn't even be considered a true monk.

About six years ago, a group of strong men who had cultivated some evil magic heard that Hanshan Temple had three volumes of the "Baoji Heart Technique", which was a treasured text bestowed by the true Buddha to guard the temple and was very precious. They figured that even if the monks had great abilities, they wouldn't dare to kill. So they slit the throats of two young guardian monks, took advantage of the night, and gathered to sneak up the mountain.

However, before they even reached the second mountain gate, they encountered resistance.

Hearing the shouts and killing coming from outside, the inner gate disciples hurriedly got up, lit pine oil torches, and came to the source of the killing sounds. Upon closer look, they were all stunned.

Corpses lay all over the ground, each killed with a single sword strike.

And a seventeen or eighteen-year-old Buddhist youth sat in front of the Hanshan Temple's Moding Stone, holding a wooden sword that had absorbed so much blood that it had been dyed a dark green-black color.

The youth Ruyi had been picked up by a wandering old monk and brought to the mountain. After the old monk passed away, he voluntarily stayed at the outer gate to protect the temple.

The abbot of Hanshan Temple summoned this young monk who had violated the precept against killing into the Precept Hall. He felt the youth's head and tested his spiritual roots, confirming that he had strong innate spiritual bones. Then he discussed Buddhist principles with him: "To save others is to save oneself. With your swordsmanship, you could have originally left them alive."

Ruyi calmly said, "Liberating, isn't that also saving?"

At these words, the entire Precept Hall was shocked.

The Precept Hall elder slammed the table and stood up: "Presumptuous! Is this what you learned in the temple?!"

Ruyi looked up and said, "You have given rise to anger."

Precept Hall elder: "..."

Ruyi said, "However, when I killed them, I had no anger at all."

Precept Hall elder: "Killing is an act of creating karma. You actually feel no remorse?!"

"I created killing karma to eliminate evil karma. One karma pays for another." Ruyi said, "As for the karmic retribution I've created, I am willing to bear the consequences myself. The elders need not worry."

Afterwards, Hanshan Temple buried the two deceased disciples and did not plan to punish Ruyi.

Ruyi returned to the outer gate and continued to sweep with his wooden sword on his back, just as before. He would occasionally go to the graves of those two tragically killed junior disciples to remove some weeds and offer some steamed buns.

These two disciples had spoken a couple of sentences to him when they were alive. He had a cold personality and never responded, but remembered it all in his heart.

The elders in the temple found him troublesome, so they often sent him to resolve some troublesome matters. In any case, it was better for him to spend less time in the temple.

Who would have thought that Ruyi would gradually gain fame in this way.

With that wooden sword engraved with Buddhist verses on his back, named "Nature of All Beings", Ruyi traveled around protecting Buddhism and the righteous path. Yet he only earned the ordinary title of "Master".

Hanshan Temple bestowed him a Buddhist name but would not acknowledge that Buddhism had raised a killer.

It wasn't until the Zhuo family's butcher shop massacre that he used his self-created Suopo Sword Technique, allowing the Buddhist sword to gain a place among the various sword techniques.

Fengling Lord Yunzhong's Guixu Sword Technique, Master Ruyi's Suopo Sword Technique, and Fengling Lord Duanrong's Tasha Sword Technique ranked in the top three among the Daoist and Buddhist sword techniques.

Many people rarely saw the techniques of the former and looked forward to it.

The techniques of the middle one were often seen by people, yet they still anticipated its profundity.

No one had seen the techniques of the latter, but no one wanted to see them either.

While the two martial brothers were talking, the little monk also settled down with Ruyi at the lodging arranged for them by Chang Boning.

After the disciple withdrew, the little monk, whose Buddhist mind was unstable, couldn't help but ask, "When did Martial Uncle become acquainted with Lord Duanrong?"

The little monk's name was Hai Jing, and he was also one of the guardian warrior monks. Because his swordsmanship was quite good, Ruyi brought him out to see the world.

When Chang Boning exited the Green Bamboo Hall, he took a quick glance, experiencing for the second time what it meant to be "stunned by heavenly beauty".

The legendary aloof figure suddenly appeared in reality, making Hai Jing feel a bit unreal.

Ruyi did not respond, but lowered his head and inquired, "What did Lord Yunzhong ask you just now?"

Hai Jing said, "Martial Uncle, Lord Yunzhong asked about my secular life and some of the circumstances within Hanshan Temple, such as when we wake up and when we practice. They were all ordinary questions."

Ruyi pondered, his fingers counting the prayer beads. "Nothing else?"

"That's all."

Ruyi let out a "hmm" and fell into deep thought, repeatedly chanting the three words "Feng Rugu" in his heart, his expression gradually turning cold.

Feng Rugu had guessed correctly. There would always be someone who could discover the word puzzle left behind by the Tang sword killer.

Ruyi was one of them.

The murderer used corpses scattered across various places to form a bloody "Feng" character, with the last dot being the head of Feng Rugu's fiancée, Lady Wen.

Whether it was for love or for vengeance, this mastermind was targeting Feng Rugu.

He didn't hide away in Fengling Mountain but actively descended to investigate the matter, which showed some sense of responsibility.

However, the monks of Hanshan Temple had lost their lives in vain, all because someone wanted to target Feng Rugu, using innocent lives as scapegoats.

The murderer must be caught, but Ruyi's Buddhist heart was shallow, and he found it difficult to develop a good impression of Feng Rugu.

Seeing Ruyi deep in thought, Hai Jing guessed that he was pondering over important matters. As a junior, he took the initiative to make the bed and pour water for him.

While busy, he let out an "oh," as if remembering something important.

Noticing Ruyi's gaze upon him, the little monk scratched his bald head and said, "Right, Lord Yunzhong asked me another question earlier."

Ruyi signaled for him to speak.

Hai Jing truthfully relayed, "He asked me if Martial Uncle was living comfortably in Hanshan Temple."

Ruyi raised his eyes, looking somewhat puzzled, unable to understand why Feng Rugu would ask such a question.

Seeing his young master awaken from his contemplation, Hai Jing also stopped his tasks. Mustering his courage, he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

"Senior Daoist Chang is quite different from what I imagined." Hai Jing gestured, "He looks... very gentle and refined, like a scholar. How can he be the legendary 'Ghost-Hearted Guanyin' who kills thousands in the night...?"

Ruyi, who had been calm and composed since earlier, suddenly interjected coldly, "He is the best person in this world."

Even if Chang Boning had once abandoned him and no longer acknowledged their red thread tie, he was still the best person in the world.

Back then, without Chang Boning, he wouldn't have even been able to survive.