Immortal after a Hundred Reincarnations

He had come here, of course, to see Hui Ming.

"Amitabha Buddha."

Hui Ming now looked like an old monk, his face a web of wrinkles. "Junior Brother Hui Chi," he said, "has our Martial Uncle still not appeared all these years?

If he is still alive, I wonder what he would think, seeing Longyuan Temple in such a grand state!"

"Amitabha Buddha."

Xu Lei replied, "There has been no word from Master.

I don’t know how he is.

I hope he’s still alive.

By the way, thank you for what happened last time, Senior Brother!"

"It was nothing."

Hui Ming said, "I should be the one thanking you.

After the First Seat captured that Black Flood Dragon, he obtained its Demon Core and even shared some with me!

I saved a portion for you!

However, I was in secluded cultivation before.

Only a few days ago did I learn that the Buddha’s Head also shared a bit with me."

With that said, he flipped his hand over.

A small, shard-like piece of the Demon Core appeared. "This is for you. From the Buddha’s Head. We’ll split it fifty-fifty."

"He shared some?"

Xu Lei was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, Senior Brother! Thank you, First Seat!"

He then accepted it without hesitation.

That very evening...

Xu Lei stayed at Longyuan Temple.

He began his cultivation in the Cultivation Room that Hui Ming had arranged for him.

Regarding the small piece of the Demon Core he received, Xu Lei could only sigh in admiration. ’The Buddha’s Head and Hui Ming are truly honorable men.’

He had already given up hope of gaining any benefit from the Black Flood Dragon.

This was a pleasant surprise.

VMMM!

As his Magical Power surged, Xu Lei once again immersed himself in his cultivation.

Time flew by.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye.

「One month later.」

Xu Lei had returned to Guangyuan Temple.

Inside the temple’s Cultivation Room, he sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, Magical Power surging around him.

Using Introspection, he observed the Lotus Platform within his body, now encircled by fourteen Lotus Leaves.

The Bodhi-fetus at its center, which had once been a mere sprout, had finally broken free and grown into a small sapling.

At the same time, his Original Lotus Platform had expanded to the size of a soccer ball. The quality of the Magical Power clinging to it was far more condensed than before. The Lotus Platform, enveloped in his Magical Power, was now an inch larger than a basketball.

’That old bastard Hui Cheng probably didn’t get his hands on a Dragon Crystal and a Demon Core like I did!’

Xu Lei withdrew his power, rose to his feet, and walked out of the room. ’With my current strength, if I run into that old bastard Hui Cheng again, I can definitely defeat him! I might even be able to kill him in a single strike!’

However, after asking around for a few days, Xu Lei found no trace of Hui Cheng.

Hui Cheng had briefly returned to the temple, but he had quickly departed to wander the world, his whereabouts now unknown.

’Looks like the old bastard has gotten more cautious,’ Xu Lei mused.

’After all, I’ve been hunting him from the shadows. First I killed his two sons, then his Dao Companion! He must be terrified, feeling like he’s being watched at all times. That’s why he didn’t dare stay in the temple and just left. But so what? He can’t change his face! He shouldn’t have a Treasure like a Human Skin Mask. Besides, he’s blind in one eye—that’s a dead giveaway! If I just gather enough people to search for him, I should be able to find him! Then again, maybe not. If I were him, I’d do my best to disguise my face. I can think of using mortals to conduct a wide search, so he can probably guess that the person hunting him might do the same. And I can’t use the manpower from my own merchant guilds to investigate. If I do, Hui Cheng might follow the trail right back to the women and children connected to me.’

As Xu Lei was contemplating this, a Little Monk came to report that the Host wished to see him.

Xu Lei immediately went to meet him.

In his identity as Hui Yuan, an ordinary Monk, he naturally had to be very respectful to the Host.

"Junior Brother Hui Yuan!"

The Host of Guangyuan Temple wasted no time and got straight to the point. "There’s been a situation at the Kyoto Head Temple. The Supervisor Zen Master of the Bu Zhong Hall passed away unexpectedly. The position is now vacant, and the Head Temple doesn’t have a suitable replacement among their ranks. So, would you be interested in a transfer to the Capital City? To become the Supervisor Zen Master of the Bu Zhong Hall at the Head Temple?"

"What?"

Xu Lei was stunned. ’Go to the Kyoto Head Temple? To be the Seed Sowing Supervisor Zen Master? A direct promotion to the Kyoto Head Temple, and to the post of Supervisor Zen Master, no less?’

"I am willing, Host!" he said with feigned piety. "To perform Charitable Giving for the Buddha and spread his grace is the duty of every Buddhist Disciple! I shall not shrink from this responsibility!"

He agreed for several reasons.

First, he had been at Guangyuan Temple under the identity of Hui Yuan for over ten years. It was time for a change of scenery. After all, he aged much slower than ordinary monks and couldn’t stay in one place for too long.

Second, if he went to the Capital City, he might have the chance to perform his "Charitable Giving" for the royal bloodline, which would be a huge gain. Although Xu Lei had already spread his "donations" around, the noblest bloodline he had accessed so far was that of the Mu Prince’s Mansion. The rest were just commoners. If he could sow his seed in the Royal Family, then as long as he died of old age in the Capital City, he could potentially be reincarnated directly into the Royal Family in his next life. He would be born with a noble status and considerable power, which would make handling all sorts of mortal affairs much more convenient.

’Furthermore, in the Capital City, I might be able to leverage the power of some of the local dignitaries. I could use their resources to find that old bastard Hui Cheng. That way, I wouldn’t have to fear Hui Cheng following the trail back to me. If he did, the only ones who would die would be the powerful people I’d manipulated. It wouldn’t involve my women and children at all.’

「Another month later.」

Xu Lei had arrived in the Capital City.

He was about to report to the Head Temple to assume his new post as the Supervisor Zen Master of the Bu Zhong Hall.

The journey had taken a month because Xu Lei first had to bid farewell to his pregnant women in various locations. He also had to make arrangements for the businesses he had been managing. Only then could he finally set off for the Capital City.

’The Capital City is even more prosperous than I remember!’

On his first day, Xu Lei wasn’t in a rush to report to the Head Temple. Instead, he took a leisurely stroll through the city’s bustling streets. He admired the multi-story buildings lining the avenues and watched the endless stream of people passing by—peddlers and laborers, politicians and socialites, men and women from every walk of life.

’It’s much more developed than in my past life!’

Xu Lei had been to the Capital City in his previous life, but back then, the realm had only just been unified, and everything was still in a state of disrepair, waiting to be rebuilt. The Capital City had been nowhere near as vibrant as it was today.

As Xu Lei was lost in his thoughts, a commotion broke out.

"Make way, make way!"

"The Crown Princess Consort is passing! Clear the road!"

A procession of elite, armored soldiers on tall steeds charged forward, clearing a path. The commoners on the street scrambled to get out of the way.

At the center of the formation was a magnificent Phoenix Carriage, hoisted by twelve burly bearers.

Seated upon it was a young woman of about eighteen with fair skin and a striking figure. Her hair was elegantly pinned up with a golden hairpin, translucent pearl pendants dangled from her ears, and a delicate golden necklace graced her neck. Her full face was hidden behind a white, semi-translucent veil that obscured her lower jaw.

"So beautiful! She’s the Crown Princess Consort, all right!"

"I’d give up twenty years of my life just for one night with her!"

"What’s the use of being beautiful if she’s barren?"

"And I hear she has a terrible temper!"

"Well, you can’t really blame her."

"After all, the Crown Prince’s other Consort has already given him a child, but what about her? She’s been married for three years and still isn’t pregnant!"

"Who’d be in a good mood in her shoes?"

"It looks like she’s on her way to a temple to pray for blessings."

"Doesn’t seem to be working, though. All that praying for a child, and she’s still empty-handed."

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? How dare you speak about the Crown Princess Consort like that?!"

"Careful, if someone hears you, they’ll have your tongue torn out!"

Xu Lei overheard the hushed gossip of the passersby.

’Oh? So this noble beauty is infertile?!’

Xu Lei was surprised. ’The Crown Prince’s other Consort is pregnant, but she isn’t,’ he thought. ’That means the problem lies with her. There’s probably something wrong with her body. Is she going to pray to the Buddha now? Could she be heading to the Head Temple to pray for a child? If a man has a problem, an ordinary Zen Master Bu Zhong can solve it. But if the woman’s body is the issue, a regular Zen Master Bu Zhong is useless. A woman’s infertility is a much more complex problem. A blocked fallopian tube, for instance, is something no ordinary Zen Master Bu Zhong can fix. And those with actual Magical Power don’t become Zen Master Bu Zhongs! So her prayers are pointless. Besides, as the Crown Princess Consort, she’s probably just going to bow before the Buddha for some peace of mind. The temple’s Zen Master Bu Zhongs wouldn’t dare perform their ’Charitable Giving’ on her with their own bodies. But if she really does have a blocked fallopian tube... it wouldn’t be impossible for me to use my Magical Power to clear it for her. The power expenditure would be minimal, after all.’