Red Bean Prayer Beads Part 1

After bidding farewell to Uncle Sa Si, Feng Rugu walked slowly along the river, wearing his robe.

He had a home to return to, but he didn't really want to go back.

The deep water was cool and clear, but after all it was heavenly water, especially nourishing. Various seasonal and out-of-season trees grew lush and abundant by the water.

After wandering around the woods for a while, Feng Rugu climbed up a Chinese flowering crabapple tree and sat on the trunk, picking pods, shelling them, and carefully sorting through them in his palm.

It wasn't until the sky darkened slightly and the night cicadas chirped sparsely that Feng Rugu ended his idle pastime.

With a lift of his long legs, without using any spiritual power at all, he leapt from the top of the tree dozens of meters above the ground!

A figure who had been waiting in the woods for a long time paused. Upon realizing that he really didn't use the slightest bit of spiritual power, the figure swiftly swept over, his monk's robe startling a few flower petals, and caught Feng Rugu, who was about to heavily fall to the ground, in a full embrace.

...It was like catching a wine-offering flower god who had fallen from the sky.

Gazing at this face that was flushed with a slight blush from exhaustion, Ruyi's expression remained indifferent as always, as if his expression and voice would never be moved by external things. Whether he was this close and embracing Feng Rugu or being caught red-handed tailing him, his reaction was the same, making Feng Rugu quite admire his well-measured composure: "Great Master Ruyi, what are you doing?"

Feng Rugu said righteously, "Climbing up was already an exhausting task. If I had to climb down the same way, wouldn't that be the end of Feng Er?"

Hearing this, Ruyi, who thought he had gotten dizzy and fallen from the tree, felt relieved for a moment. His long lashes drooped, avoiding Feng Rugu's eyes, as if only by doing so, the two of them wouldn't be as intimate as they were now: "If this poor monk wasn't here, would Lord Yunzhong still be so carefree?"

"But you are here, aren't you?" He grinned and reached out to clasp behind Ruyi's neck. "I bet the Master has a compassionate heart and wouldn't bear to not take care of Feng Er."

Ruyi's hand tightened around his waist and half released, half tossed him down: "...Nonsense."

Feng Rugu let out a surprised "eh" in his heart.

Even through a layer of clothing, Feng Rugu felt that Ruyi's palm holding his waist seemed to be sweating a little.

Feng Rugu thought, it was probably from the night dew.

On the other side, Ruyi stared at his own palm, estimating that Feng Rugu's waist was at most three palms around, really too slender.

But he quickly realized that such a measurement was simply superfluous: "Let's go back."

"I'm not going back." However, Feng Rugu said, "I have something on my mind and don't want to go back to see Senior Brother."

Since he knew the Seven Flowers Seal would break again, why bother making Senior Brother worry?

...Since he knew that seeing him would make himself soften, it was better not to see him for now.

Ruyi frowned slightly, about to ask, but Feng Rugu patted his shoulder with a smile: "Don't worry, I just went to see Uncle Sa Si, not to do anything bad."

Ruyi was stunned.

After a moment, he finally realized that Feng Rugu had misunderstood that he had been following him the whole time, fearing that he would cause some unexpected trouble again.

With Feng Rugu putting it this way, Ruyi couldn't explain that he had been following him since he left Jianchuan, just in case there was no one by his side to take care of him when he was unwell.

He said coldly, "That's for the best."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he lowered his head in some regret and chanted a Buddha's name.

Somehow, whenever he faced Feng Rugu, his emotions were difficult to contain and almost wanted to overflow.

Feng Rugu felt a little sour and laughed.

He thought, do you really dislike me that much?

Since he was in no hurry to go back, and had tricked Ruyi who was secretly following him to come out, Feng Rugu simply clung to him: "Master Ruyi, how about we ride a sword together and watch the sunset?"

Ruyi was extremely helpless with this person's whims. He checked Feng Rugu's forehead temperature with his knuckles and, finding that the temperature had dropped quite a bit, half-commanded: "Go back and rest."

He originally wanted to use the prayer beads to directly take Feng Rugu away, but out of habit, he raised his hand, only to find that the prayer beads had long been broken into loose beads and scattered into the deep water.

Feng Rugu took the opportunity to act spoiled: "I don't want to go back. I can't walk anymore either."

Ruyi: "You..."

Feng Rugu said softly, "I really can't walk."

Hearing him say that, Ruyi didn't say anything more.

When Feng Rugu thought he would find him troublesome and leave with a swish of his sleeves, he actually summoned "Nature of All Beings", made a hand seal, and the wooden sword grew longer with the wind, quickly reaching nine feet in length.

Feng Rugu sat on it happily.

Ruyi sat cross-legged on the sword, only circling slowly above the woods around Jianchuan, not going up high, lest Feng Rugu suffer from the cold wind again for no reason.

Feng Rugu was indeed someone who couldn't stay idle. After sitting for a while, he took out a chess board and two sets of jade pieces from his personal brocade pouch: "Shall we play a game?"

Ruyi was just thinking about where to put his hands, so this saved him the extra thought.

Playing chess was indeed a good way to distract the mind.

Ruyi played black while Feng Rugu played white. The two sat facing each other, ready to play on the sword.

However, as soon as Feng Rugu made the first move, Ruyi could see that this was no ordinary chessboard, and the game was no ordinary game either.

...This was a "sword game".

This was the so-called "chess way" of the Dao sect, with principles contained in the chess and edges hidden in the pieces. It involved dropping the celestial element, connecting long vital energy, and establishing a realm of empty swords.

The advances and retreats, the back-and-forth on the chessboard, though seemingly a chess battle, was actually a sword test.

More precisely, it was a battle of the mind.

They fought without using spiritual power, comparing only their mind techniques.

Feng Rugu rubbed the chess piece with a single finger and said, "Today, I observed your sword path. It gathers yin energy in the body and absorbs the karmic fruits of all living beings, so the sword momentum has a great resemblance to the ghostly words of the green robes and the sky-covering of the shroud. Daoist sword techniques revere the myriad things of heaven and earth, while Buddhist swords revere the Buddha's principles in the mind even more, only wishing for no desires, no seeking, no forms, no things. Using sword intent to be fierce is considered low-grade, using flying flowers and plucking leaves is considered middle-grade, and using the cessation of weapons and not killing is considered high-grade. ...Your sword path doesn't adhere to any of the three, forming its own style."

Ruyi knew that Feng Rugu was discussing swords with him.

Seeing his attitude of being at ease and spontaneous with various sword techniques, it would be extremely difficult for someone who was not obsessed with swords to achieve.

As a fellow sword lover, Ruyi felt a different kind of emotion towards him.

He said, "I am not a Buddhist or Daoist, but a protector of Buddhism. Since I am not a Buddhist or Daoist, why should I restrict my methods?"

Feng Rugu smiled faintly, "That is indeed so. Among the Arhats, there are also Angry Vajras. However, absorbing a group of ghosts into the body and suppressing them with primordial yang, only releasing them at critical moments, can at most exert seven-tenths of the power of the Suopo sword technique."

Ruyi looked into his eyes, "I await Lord Yunzhong's guidance."

Feng Rugu picked up a piece and smiled.

He had an ingenious mind when it came to the sword. The Guixu sword techniques, from thirteen to eighty-one forms, were all carefully created by him.

But since childhood, his Little Hongchen had always had a much better overall view of the sword path than him.

In layman's terms, he could easily see the essence and strengths and weaknesses of sword techniques, as well as how to counter them.

... A child like this was born to wield a sword and achieve unparalleled feats.

For example, the Guixu sword technique was so complex and full of strange variations, but after only observing and secretly learning it for a day or two, Little Hongchen asked him while eating: "Father's sword technique is like water, with waves rising a thousand feet, completely different from the other set of sword techniques father taught me. What sword technique is it?"

At that time, Little Hongchen's tone was sincere and calm, as if he was just asking about an article he didn't quite understand.

But based on his few words, Feng Rugu was already certain that this child had extremely high innate talent. Before he could even hold a sword steadily, he could see through the water-based nature of the Guixu sword technique at a glance. Feng Rugu instantly felt the joy of randomly picking up a rare treasure on the street.

Feng Rugu originally wanted to give him more pointers, but was afraid that with an unstable foundation, practicing advanced sword techniques would do more harm than good. So he stopped that thought and didn't even explain in detail to him.

Ten years later, relying on his talent, he had actually grown to an age and perspective where he could discuss swordsmanship with Feng Rugu.

Amidst mixed feelings, Feng Rugu said: "Watch closely."

With that, he placed a stone.

It was clearly a killing move in Go, but in a flash, he directly led him into the sword realm.

-- The white stone condensed into a sword qi, like a surging tide, descending from the heavens, blasting open the Gate of Heaven Capital, moving between the realms of ghosts and gods, engulfing the rainbow.

Ruyi was startled and immediately responded with a black stone.

Just now, when he sparred with his adoptive father, they both held back.

His adoptive father held back, perhaps afraid of injuring him, while Ruyi didn't dare use his full strength, fearing his adoptive father would see through the turbulent undercurrents beneath his calm exterior.

But in front of Feng Rugu, he no longer needed to hold back.

The form conjured by the black stone under Ruyi's finger was no longer the Vajra form, but opened the gate to the myriad ghostly beings, roaming to the highest heavens and lowest hells, illusory flowers gathering and dispersing, karmic fruits sinking into darkness.

As for the sword technique Feng Rugu used, it was the first time Ruyi had seen it in his life.

The sword rode the wind, moving nimbly, and contained ingenious ideas. The sword paths sometimes looked clearly similar, but the form and intent could freely transform. It all relied on a nimble sword heart and a lightning-fast sword, in its use, almost wantonly expending one's spiritual energy.

Moreover, this sword technique perfectly matched Feng Rugu's temperament - all offense and no defense, only advancing and never retreating, with an air of mad recklessness.

A reckless madman, a calm madman, the two compared spiritual energy like crossing swords, truly meeting a worthy opponent and kindred spirit, battling with utmost elation in that square inch space.

In the illusion, Feng Rugu lost an arm, Ruyi's waist was sliced open by a sword, yet neither was willing to stop.

After a game, both were drenched in sweat.

After the magnificent sword qi dispersed before their eyes, the two returned to reality.

They still sat on the sword playing Go, with tranquil surroundings. The breeze passing their bodies was very comfortable, carrying no killing intent.

The only things still carrying killing intent were the black and white Go pieces on the board, like two battling dragons, both already covered in wounds, but the white pieces ultimately prevailed by a slight margin, letting out a mad roar and overturning the black dragon.

In the end, Feng Rugu actually only won by half a piece.

Feng Rugu clapped and laughed: "Exhilarating! I haven't felt this exhilarated in a long time!"

Ruyi emerged from the sword realm, rubbing his slightly cool fingertips dyed by the Go pieces, his palms burning hot, his wrists trembling slightly, the repression from earlier when comparing swords with his adoptive father completely gone.

Just now, Feng Rugu had used Go to point out the flaws in the Suopo Sword Technique.

-- Ruyi had always advocated stopping killing with killing, using the sword to merge with karmic fruits, borrowing the souls of underworld soldiers for his own use, but usually suppressing them with positive energy, inevitably diminishing the power of the sword technique.

Feng Rugu stirred up the winds and clouds on the sword, pointing out a clear path for him.

The many karmic fruits in his sword differed in strength, easily defeated one by one.