Puhui the monk followed Chen Jiuyang to the riverbank.
Chen Jiuyang said, "Monk Puhui, if you can resolve my doubts and the difficulties before me, I owe you a favor."
Monk Puhui said, "Good. I have lived in seclusion in this mountain village for decades. There is a calamity upon me, and I have been waiting for someone with great destiny like you to help me resolve it. That is why this old monk sought to meet you through your maternal grandparents."
"I will resolve your doubts, and you will resolve my calamity. This is the way of karma."
Monk Puhui clasped his hands together, his gaze falling upon Chen Jiuyang. "The threads of karma around you are a tangled mess, yet multiple destinies converge upon you, which is why you have been able to overcome three calamities."
Three calamities?
Chen Jiuyang recalled carefully. Being pushed off the cliff a year ago was one calamity; he gained the Divine Physician's inheritance through misfortune. Before that, participating in the Demoness Saintess selection competition in Suzhou and Hangzhou was another calamity, where he obtained the Yan Sheng Art and Yan Sheng Saber. Surviving this calamity, and then being forced to his death by Zhou Fangzun's Nine Paths Golden Medals, he had lived on due to various opportunities.
Chen Jiuyang said, "According to you, I have three calamities and nine tribulations?"
Chen Jiuyang found it absurd, yet he couldn't help but believe it.
"Indeed," Monk Puhui said. "Your first tribulation is imminent, within these few days. My visit this time is to establish a good karmic connection with you."
"According to worldly saying, you already possess wealth and honor. You can have anything in this world, and live a naturally carefree and joyful life. Why then did you choose the most difficult path?"
Chen Jiuyang frowned, feeling a bit confused.
"It's alright if you don't understand. To convince you, you already have abundant wealth. Your relatives around you covet your money and seek benefits for themselves. Why do you find them annoying?"
"To you, your relatives coveting your money is less than a drop in the bucket. Why do you still find them annoying and refuse to give them even a cent?"
"It all boils down to four words: 'gain without effort'."
Chen Jiuyang's confused heart seemed to clear up a little.
"All things in the world bustle for profit, and humans also seek to avoid harm and pursue benefits."
"When you were in trouble, they did not help you. When you are blessed with fortune, they come to devour you, and you are unwilling."
"Chen Jiuyang, this is one of the reasons for the three calamities and nine tribulations upon you. Think carefully, have you earned everything you have today step by step through hard work?"
"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning struck Chen Jiuyang's misty heart, clearing away some of the fog.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Everything he had now was almost entirely from the Divine Physician's inheritance. Without it, he was just an ordinary person.
However, he quickly realized that the Divine Physician's inheritance was merely a tool for his rise, a means to strengthen himself. There was nothing wrong with it.
He almost fell into a heart demon again.
He asked himself, after receiving the Divine Physician's inheritance, he had never done anything bad.
Since that was the case, with a clear conscience, what was there to fear?
Monk Puhui's relaxed old face broke into a smile. "It seems you have gained some understanding."
Chen Jiuyang slowly nodded. "Continue."
"You are a child, a martial artist, and a man. The fusion of these many identities leads you to make different choices regarding matters."
"For example, one should be filial to their parents."
"As a martial artist, one should be fierce and decisive, without hesitation."
"Taking the current situation as an example, what loss would it be to you if you gave some money to these poor relatives of yours?"
"There is no loss, it's just that you can't get past that hurdle in your heart, making you uncomfortable. Then, consider it from another perspective: when your family was destitute, and you went to ask for help and borrow money, why would they lend money to your family, allowing you to overcome the difficulty, seeing your state?"
"It's the same principle."
Chen Jiuyang remained silent for a long time, then exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes brightening. He then said loudly, "Deng Zun."
A moment later, Deng Zun appeared before Chen Jiuyang and said respectfully, "Marquis!"
"Have my parents take my relatives to the county town's shopping mall for a visit."
"Yes, Marquis."
Monk Puhui nodded slowly, smiling. "Good. It is your cause, so let it be you to bear the consequence. You don't need to impose it upon yourself. Your relatives have been kind to your parents; how you treat them is your parents' business, not yours."
"Are there any remaining doubts regarding worldly matters?"
Chen Jiuyang shook his head. "None."
"Then, let us move on to the most important matter of my visit, concerning your martial arts."
"Martial arts, martial arts. You learn others' techniques to strengthen yourself, and use their techniques to claim credit for yourself. Is this martial arts?"
"This is merely learning. 'Learning without reflection leads to confusion'."
"Benefactor Chen, if you do not wish to repeat the same mistakes, you must forge your own path in martial arts."
"Rumble!"
Another bolt of lightning struck Chen Jiuyang's heart, dispelling all the fog within him.
Chen Jiuyang cupped his fists and bowed to Monk Puhui. "May I ask, monk, how can I forge my own path?"
"Hahahaha," Monk Puhui said. "I cannot help you with that. However, you are currently between life and death. When a person lives, their soul dies, and their path is unclear."
"Understanding human relationships is wisdom, and the smoke and fire of the mortal world are all the Dao."
"Benefactor Chen, you should first ensure you live, and then consider the matter of your Dao."
"My visit to you is now complete. Benefactor Chen, we shall meet again."
With that, Monk Puhui walked away into the distance, soon disappearing from sight.
Only Chen Jiuyang stood there, lost in thought.
"The smoke and fire of the mortal world are all the Dao..." Chen Jiuyang murmured.
His aura shifted, at times as magnificent as the sun, at times like a candle in the wind, and at times like an ordinary person in confusion.
After a long while, he seemed to have gained some insight.
"Without life, how can there be Dao?"
"How does one live?"
Chen Jiuyang muttered to himself, and his martial arts aura actually regressed from the second level of the Earth Realm to the first.
Countless observers, both overt and covert, frowned.
"His cultivation has regressed. Chen Jiuyang must have gone mad from qi deviation!"
"Even a peerless genius can suffer from qi deviation. Hmph, I had such high hopes for him, but I didn't expect his inner heart to be so fragile."
"Chen Jiuyang has gone mad and his cultivation has regressed, so his battle with Xi Butui..."
"It's probably in jeopardy."
"Heh heh."
"I initially thought Chen Jiuyang's combat power displayed in the battle in Suzhou and Hangzhou was terrifyingly immense, and that his fierce, unbroken spirit could be maintained. He might have been able to fight Xi Butui to a standstill across borders."
"Now it seems it's probably in jeopardy."
"He's still too young, after all, to have gone mad for no reason."
"I am somewhat disappointed in Chen Jiuyang."
"Even if there is disappointment, all parties have already set out to prepare to watch this battle."
"Xi Butui must be dreaming and laughing himself awake."
"Stop the nonsense, quickly spread the news of Chen Jiuyang going mad and his martial cultivation regressing."
As the news spread, all four directions were shocked. Chen Jiuyang had gone mad, and his martial cultivation had regressed.
The Chen family patriarch, far away in Shu Mountain, received the news and could not sit still. He immediately flew to Feng Province. Even Elder Han, far away in Suzhou and Hangzhou, rushed to Feng Province with Qiu Yihan.
However, when they arrived, they found that Chen Jiuyang was nowhere to be found.
This truly caused many people to worry.