Chapter 46: The Holy Monk

The moment Xing Chi appeared, the atmosphere fell instantly silent.

Then, everyone stopped talking and stood up one after another, bowing to Xing Chi in the manner of juniors.

"Master."

"Master Xing Chi."

Xing Chi had begun wandering the pugilistic world in his twenties, and nearly seventy years had passed since then.

Throughout these seventy years, he had performed good deeds, eradicated evil, saved lives, and killed enemies, yet he had never committed a single wrong act.

The reign titles of the Great Dashuo had changed four times, seeing four different emperors. Jianghu folks had come and gone, witnessing seven or eight generations of turnover. Almost every martial artist, before setting foot in the Jianghu, would be told by their master:

"Master Xing Chi of Shaolin is the most respected and virtuous holy monk in the martial world."

"If you ever encounter a major crisis in the Jianghu that you cannot resolve, go to Shaolin and find Master Xing Chi."

"If you are driven to desperation with no doors to enter and no paths to heaven, go find Master Xing Chi to preside over justice."

Generation, virtue, martial prowess, and deeds—if one were to search for a "flawless person" in the Jianghu, apart from Xing Chi, there could be no second choice.

Xing Chi turned around, supported by Yongjie, and returned the bows to everyone one by one.

He no longer possessed the robust vigor of three days prior. That extraordinary "Vajra" physique had already withered.

He could no longer walk on his own.

Xing Chi was dying.

Logically speaking, at the pinnacle of perfection, unless one possessed other flawed states, one would not fall into the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.

However, Xing Chi had relied upon the profound foundation of Shaolin, taking a heterodox path to forcefully push his "Vajra" state beyond perfection so that he could engage Ji Tianrui in battle. How could he not pay a price for this?

Li Miao had also thought of saving him, having examined his body and meridians.

Xing Chi's body could no longer be considered that of a "human." His bones and muscles had gradually solidified, and his true qi had transformed into an extremely concentrated gelatinous substance that continually evolved into crystalline formations, piercing through every inch of his meridians and tearing apart his internal organs.

Yet this true qi could not break through his "Vajra" skin and flesh, trapping all of his blood within Xing Chi's body.

That was why his outward appearance showed no abnormalities.

One could say that ever since his battle with Ji Tianrui, Xing Chi had experienced pain far exceeding the Five Decays of Heaven and Man—a torture akin to being sliced by a thousand knives.

For this condition, the Wedding Dress Divine Art was useless.

Li Miao had only one method.

The "biological welding" martial art he had used to heal Liu Baiyun might allow him to sever limbs and internal organs from villains and graft them onto Xing Chi.

Li Miao had proposed this method to Xing Chi, but Xing Chi had smiled and refused.

"Taking lives to prolong one's own is akin to the demonic path."

"This monk has walked on thin ice with trembling caution all his life, finally managing to be a good monk. If I were to commit such an act at the very end, wouldn't it ruin more than ninety years of cultivation?"

Cause and effect are governed by karma. This monk ought to cast aside this stinking skin bag and go meet the Buddha whom this monk has believed in for a lifetime."

Li Miao could only respect Xing Chi's choice.

Returning to the present moment, when everyone first saw Xing Chi, they had hastily lowered their heads to bow.

When they raised their heads and beheld Xing Chi's current state, they were struck dumb with shock.

"Master!"

"Master Xing Chi!"

"This! This!"

It was not mere panic; some people even wept silently before they could utter a word, choked with sobs.

The Cult of Heaven had attacked the mountain gates, and Xing Chi had suddenly announced his abdication, waiting merely three days without even allowing those truly influential major sects to arrive and pay their respects.

Logically speaking, it was easy to deduce that Xing Chi might be facing misfortune.

Yet, truly not a single person had ever thought that Xing Chi would die.

How could he die?

During the siege of Bright Peak, when the Cult of Heaven ignited a wildfire, Xing Chi had plunged into the sea of fire alone to rescue the trapped martial artists—and Xing Chi did not die.

During the great disaster in Fujian, Xing Chi had exhausted his true qi several times to the point of near exhaustion, even giving up his own rations to the disaster-stricken commoners. Having gone without food for nearly a month, withered like a dry husk amidst internal and external distress—Xing Chi did not die. When the Green Willow Pavilion ran amok across the martial world, wiping out the entire Hidden Sword Manor, Xing Chi had galloped five hundred miles day and night to reach the mountain, protecting the manor master's orphaned daughter at the summit. For three days, he withstood the siege of hundreds of assassins from the Green Willow Pavilion, covered in blood, until he finally dragged things out for the righteous martial sects to reinforce them—and Xing Chi still did not die.

Going up the mountain, descending the mountain, eradicating evil, saving people—these countless deeds, some of which had already been forgotten by time.

Xing Chi had always been there, in the Jianghu.

Martial artists had long since regarded him as a form of faith unique to the Jianghu.

It was as if, as long as he was still around, justice still existed in this pugilistic world; there was still something to lean upon when driven to desperation; there was still a righteous path one could truly entrust oneself to and completely believe in.

If one said Xing Chi believed in Buddha, then the Buddha in the hearts of the Jianghu people was Xing Chi.

Now, seeing Xing Chi in this state, everyone felt as though the sky were collapsing.

"This, this!"

Leader Xiao, who had just been thinking of arguing with Li Miao, no longer had the heart to bicker or compete for jealousy. He stammered, his hands clenched tightly into fists, tears streaming from his eyes.

When he first entered the martial world, he had offended a righteous-yet-evil expert.

According to the rules of the Jianghu, it had been his fault at the time. Although it was excessive for that person to demand his life, firstly, that person's martial arts were too formidable, and secondly, he was in the wrong first, so no one stood up for him.

Driven to a dead end, he found Xing Chi, who was then providing disaster relief nearby.

Xing Chi took him to find that expert, lowering his pride, making amends, offering apologies on his behalf, and speaking a few words.

"Young Hero Xiao is still young; in the future, he may save many lives."

"This monk studies Buddhism and lacks merit the most; perhaps this monk can repay this debt on his behalf."

"The lives he saves in the future will all be counted as this monk's merit."

"The Jianghu path is long and fraught with delusions and obstacles. Too many people make a momentary lapse in judgment and take a wrong step."

"This monk should give him a pull and a chance to make amends."

Having said that, Xing Chi struck himself with a palm, immediately suffering heavy injuries and vomiting blood.

That expert thereupon wrote off the grudge with Leader Xiao.

Although Leader Xiao could not change his temper in the future and would always do some stubborn and childish things, he firmly kept Xing Chi's words in his heart.

After that day, every time Leader Xiao saved a person, he would mail a letter to Xing Chi.

Stating that the Young Hero Xiao of yesteryear had repaid a share of merit to Master Xing Chi.

And Xing Chi would reply with a letter containing a word of encouragement.

Thus Leader Xiao continued to save people and continued to write letters.

Many of those present had experienced similar encounters.

The plaza, which had been extremely lively just moments before, suddenly and uniformly echoed with the sounds of sobbing. Many martial artists who usually put on airs could no longer hold their weapons, letting them drop to the ground as they covered their faces and wept.

"M-Master, is there still, is there still a way?"

Leader Xiao asked with a trembling voice.

Xing Chi smiled, and at this smile, Leader Xiao was stunned even more.

A good number of Xing Chi's teeth had fallen out.

Having reached the pinnacle tier, one possessed a certain divine charm of unperishable spirits, and short of dying, one would not display the near-death signs of thinning hair and loosened teeth.

"This monk has disturbed everyone."

"I originally intended to speak to you all about this a little later, but I didn't expect this skin bag of mine to decay too quickly and be unable to hold up the occasion."

Having spoken these few words, Xing Chi seemed unable to sustain himself. After pausing for a moment to recover, he continued.

"Today, aside from passing on my position to this unworthy disciple of mine,"

"Indeed, I also wish to tell everyone,"

"This monk is about to enter parinirvana."