Chapter 200: Hai Yin

A knock sounded at the door.

Three times.

Neither heavy nor light, neither hurried nor slow.

Jiang Chaosheng glanced toward the door, one eyebrow arching slightly.

‘In a place like this, at a time like this, who would be looking for me?’

Daji bowed slightly and said,

“Husband, I will take my leave now.”

Her words had barely faded when she dissolved into a wisp of fluorescent light and floated into his chest.

Jiang Chaosheng walked to the door and pulled it open.

“Amitabha Buddha. Pardon the intrusion, sir.”

The old monk in his kasaya was standing outside.

Hai Yin.

The one they called “Grandmaster” on the docks.

Jiang Chaosheng remembered his expression when he got off the boat.

Instead of joy at seeing his disciples, his face held only a complex, unreadable expression.

As if he knew he was walking into a trap but had no choice but to spring it.

Jiang Chaosheng looked at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

The old monk had come to him before he’d even had a chance to seek the man out.

He stepped aside, making way.

“Please, come in.”

Hai Yin bowed once more before stepping inside.

Jiang Chaosheng went to the fridge by the door, pulled out a bottle of water, and casually tossed it to him.

Hai Yin raised a hand and caught it cleanly.

The motion was fluid and precise, like that of a trained martial artist.

Jiang Chaosheng’s gaze lingered on the monk’s hand for a moment.

Thick knuckles, a calloused palm, and a perfectly steady catch.

‘A trained martial artist.’

Monk Hai Yin gave a single-handed Buddhist salute.

“Thank you.”

With an air of nonchalance, Jiang Chaosheng walked toward the sofa.

“Don’t be so formal. This island belongs to your apprentice. Are you telling me his master can’t even get a sip of water here?”

At this, Monk Hai Yin sighed, his eyes filled with a deep helplessness.

Jiang Chaosheng sat down and gestured to the sofa opposite him.

“Sit.”

Monk Hai Yin sat and pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Sir, do you know what this place is?”

Jiang Chaosheng said,

“I don’t. You do?”

‘The old monk is certainly direct. Gets straight to the point.’

Monk Hai Yin said,

“I know a little. This is the domain of that unworthy apprentice of mine.”

Jiang Chaosheng gave him a surprised look.

“Are you here to give me intel?”

Monk Hai Yin raised his eyes.

“Yes. But first, you must answer a question for me, sir.”

Jiang Chaosheng nodded.

“You and your apprentice are a strange pair. Go on, ask your question.”

Monk Hai Yin’s gaze flickered slightly.

“Sir, are you a Taiping Daoist?”

Jiang Chaosheng glanced at him.

‘So the old monk knows about Taiping Dao?’

Back on Changbai Mountain, Jiang Chaosheng had sensed the presence of a small Extraordinary Realm within the Human World.

These people centered themselves around Taboo Items, gradually forming an extraordinary circle.

‘This old monk must be one of them, from that extraordinary circle.’

Jiang Chaosheng studied the old monk for a moment.

“I’m not.”

The old monk’s eyes narrowed at his reply.

“Then… are you an Investigator?”

Jiang Chaosheng shook his head.

The old monk suddenly shot to his feet, pressed his palms together, and gave Jiang Chaosheng a deep bow.

“I see. You must be the Manager from the antique shop.”

Jiang Chaosheng paused, then chuckled.

“You certainly know a lot.”

The old monk said,

“If you are not my apprentice’s colleague, nor an Investigator sent to apprehend him, then only you, sir, could come here and be received as a guest of honor.”

When Jiang Chaosheng first disembarked, the butler escorted him away ahead of everyone, stating that ‘Mr. Huang’ was a distinguished guest.

‘The old monk must have suspected I was the Manager of Antique Shop Zero ever since then.’

Jiang Chaosheng crossed his legs.

“What’s your connection to Antique Shop Zero?”

The old monk said with a sigh,

“My master once borrowed a Taboo Item from Antique Shop Zero.”

Jiang Chaosheng frowned slightly.

“The Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads?”

A hint of pleasant surprise appeared in the old monk’s eyes.

“You remember!”

Of course Jiang Chaosheng remembered the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads.

There had once been twelve missing Taboo Items, and the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads were among them.

Later, during the Sea Train incident, they had encountered a young man in a red robe, confined to a wheelchair.

On his wrist were the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads.

Afterward, Yang Xiao had pursued the red-robed young man, only to run into the Evil Qilin and be grievously wounded.

Fortunately, Yang Xiao was quick-witted enough to snatch the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads back from the Evil Qilin.

According to Li Qinglian’s records, the person who had originally made the deal for the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads was a monk.

So, that monk was Hai Yin’s master.

Jiang Chaosheng understood. A wry smile touched his lips as he said,

“So we have a connection. Why don’t you tell me… how you managed to raise such a *fine* apprentice.”

Hai Yin let out a sigh.

“I am ashamed! So ashamed! Qilin wasn’t always like this.”

He sighed again, his eyes filled with reminiscence and a gentle affection.

“Qilin back then… He would ask me if the firewood felt pain as he was burning it. If he accidentally killed a mosquito in his sleep, he would cry and chant sutras all night long. When he went down the mountain, he would trade his scriptures for money to buy meals for beggars. To have such compassion at such a young age… he was truly a prodigy in the path of Buddhism.”

Jiang Chaosheng said quietly,

“So you’re the one who ruined him, then?”

Hai Yin sighed once more, closing his eyes to hide the pain within them.

“Yes. I should never have let him enter the secular world. I thought I should let him go down the mountain more often, to see the world. After all, a Buddhist heart that has never been tested by the mortal world is ultimately a false one.”

“And then?”

It was still early, and Jiang Chaosheng was in the mood for a story.

A pained expression crossed Hai Yin’s face.

“When Qilin returned, he shut himself in his room and refused to come out.

Only at night would he go before the Golden Buddha Statue and chant the Rebirth Mantra again and again.

Qilin later told me that he had met a woman who wanted to end her life.

Qilin had tried to talk her down from the roof.

But the woman had no ties left to the Human World. All she wanted was to die, but she didn’t have the courage to jump herself.

So, the woman begged Qilin to help her.

Qilin was so young… he actually pushed her off the building.

Qilin said that in the moment she fell, the woman’s face was one of relief and happiness.

It was the first time he had killed someone, and the first time he began to question the meaning of Paradise.

He didn’t know if he was an executioner or a Bodhisattva granting salvation.”

Jiang Chaosheng frowned.

‘Was that murder, or salvation?’

Hai Yin continued,

“I tried to guide him with the Buddhist Heart Method for a long time, but his obsession ran too deep. So deep… that he developed a twisted, evil interpretation of ‘bliss’. Eventually, he stole the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads and fled the monastery. The next news I had of him came from an Investigator with the Anomaly Administration Bureau. The Investigator said that Qilin had killed a woman and driven a man insane.”

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow.

“You’re on familiar terms with the Anomaly Administration Bureau?”

Hai Yin sat back down on the sofa.

“My master possessed the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads, so he had been on the Anomaly Administration Bureau’s radar for a long time. While he was alive, my master used the Extraordinary Power of the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads to assist the Anomaly Administration Bureau. As a result, the Anomaly Administration Bureau has always been very courteous to my master and me. Before my master passed away, he instructed me to wait for you, sir, to come and reclaim the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads. That my unworthy apprentice stole it was a failure of my guardianship. I beg your forgiveness, sir.”

Jiang Chaosheng gave a nonchalant smile.

‘If he was going to apologize to anyone, it should be Li Qinglian.’

‘The old monk’s master hadn’t gotten the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads from me.’

Hai Yin’s expression turned serious.

“I came specifically to warn you about two things, sir.”

Jiang Chaosheng knew they were getting to the point.

“Go on.”

Hai Yin said,

“First, though Qilin is unruly, he is a deep and calculating schemer. If he lured you here, he must be supremely confident in his ability to harm you. You must make your preparations.”

Hai Yin glanced at the darkening sky and said,

“This is Qilin’s domain. The dangers within are surely beyond imagination.”

Jiang Chaosheng said,

“If you know this is the lion’s den, why did you dare to come?”

Hai Yin lowered his gaze.

“I… still wish to try and reason with him.”

Jiang Chaosheng said,

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

‘He didn’t think there was anything left to talk about.’

‘In this world, there was no absolute right or wrong, only different points of view.’

Hai Yin pursed his lips.

“A Dharma debate.”

Jiang Chaosheng had heard of Dharma debates.

A debate centered on the principles and doctrines of the Buddhist Dharma.

‘To him, it was just a war of words.’

When ordinary people lose an argument, they just lose.

But for a philosophical scholar of Buddhism like him, losing a Dharma debate was equivalent to having their entire worldview shattered.

In simpler terms, their Dao heart would be broken.

‘The old monk couldn’t possibly beat the Evil Qilin in a physical fight.’

‘But if he won the Dharma debate, he might actually win for real.’

‘Idealists like the Evil Qilin were susceptible to that sort of thing.’

Hai Yin said,

“If I fail in our debate, I ask that you eliminate him, sir.”

He put his palms together.

“The existence of such a person is a tragedy for all humankind.”

Jiang Chaosheng asked,

“And the second thing?”

Hai Yin lowered his hands and said,

“Qilin has a younger brother named Little Dragon. And an older sister named Jade Flood Dragon.”

‘Jiang Chaosheng knew of them.’

Evil Little Dragon had died during the Sea Coachman incident, killed by the Evil Qilin’s own hand.

Evil Jade Flood Dragon was now a member of the Witch Association, and her identity as a Witch had most likely been exposed as well.

Hai Yin continued,

“Their father’s name is Evil Gold Treasure. He and I were once acquainted. He once invited me to join Taiping Dao, but I refused due to our differing philosophies.”

A thought occurred to Jiang Chaosheng.

“Did Evil Gold Treasure place the Evil Qilin in your monastery specifically to steal the Grand Zen Master’s Prayer Beads?”

Hai Yin nodded, a bitter smile on his face.

“I thought I could reform the Evil Qilin, that I could shield him from his father’s corrupting influence… but I never imagined…”

‘Jiang Chaosheng did a quick mental calculation.’

‘Four members of the Xie Family, all high-ranking members of Taiping Dao. Interesting.’

Hai Yin was silent for a moment, then said,

“For the last two generations, the Xie Family’s surname was Jin. Two generations before that, it was Aisin Gioro.”

Jiang Chaosheng recalled a piece of folklore.

‘According to legend, after the fall of their clan, the Aisin Gioro changed their surname to Jin.’

‘So the Xie Family really does have a “proper pedigree,” huh.’