Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

The closer they got to the depths of the valley, the thicker the dust became, as if a natural veil obscured the true appearance of Luoxing Valley.

Zi Yiyi closely followed behind You Su, the range illuminated by the golden paper lantern becoming increasingly limited.

Earlier, she had taken the opportunity during their sprint to use a sound-transmitting talisman to inform the Exorcism Bureau cultivators on the outskirts of Luoxing Valley about the flight patterns of the white bird evil spirits. Nonetheless, she couldn’t conceal her inner panic, constantly feeling as if surrounded by unknown dangers.

You Su, however, was different. He was inherently unable to perceive things visually and thus was not so afraid of the dark environment. On the contrary, he was unusually calm, his gaze sharp like a leopard’s as he stared fixedly at the rapidly flying white bird evil spirits in the sky while occasionally slashing at approaching spirits with his nearly invisible Mo Song Sword, which blended into the night.

But as they delved deeper into the valley, the evil spirits became more and more numerous.

The valley seemed like a breeding ground for evil spirits, with strangely shaped spirits crawling out from the ground, growing to a nearly nauseating extent.

Unexpected yet reasonable was the fact that all of these spirits took the forms of land-dwelling creatures: scorpions, wild rabbits, birds...

There was even... a human!

You Su was certain that the person before him was a complete evil spirit, just like the time he saw Huo Yuandi in the cave.

However, this person didn’t have the rotten stench of Huo Yuandi; he seemed more like a living person.

He wore impeccable attire of high value, yet his body was hunched, his skin sallow and thin, and his garments hung loosely, resembling a rustic villager pretending to be a nobleman from the city.

You Su’s expression tightened. This was the first time he had seen with his own eyes a servant of the Evil God that was so easily identifiable, second only to Huo Yuandi. This indicated that hidden in Luoxing Valley was at least an evil spirit of considerable power.

Zi Yiyi also halted behind him. She couldn’t discern whether the person before them was righteous or evil; the Exorcism Order, a tool for detecting evil energy over a wide area, was rendered useless in this environment filled with evil spirits. However, seeing You Su’s expression, she guessed the situation and prepared herself accordingly.

The white bird evil spirit descended from the sky, landing unerringly on the shoulder of the person before them.

"A guest from afar, no matter how distant, must be vanquished."

The man before them raised his right hand high, his broad sleeve waving, a warm smile on his waxen, wrinkled face.

Zi Yiyi felt confused, wondering why this man’s demeanor and tone seemed welcoming, yet his words were filled with hostility. Was he deliberately misquoting?

To be cautious, she formed a hand seal, her fingertips glowing with purple light, ready to unleash her skill at a moment’s notice.

"It’s ’Is it not delightful to have friends come from afar?’"

Unlike Zi Yiyi’s tense nerves, You Su calmly corrected him.

The man looked bewildered at first, then smiled apologetically, clasping his hands together and saying:

"I must have remembered wrong. Thank you, young master, for the reminder, otherwise, there might have been a misunderstanding."

Zi Yiyi furrowed her brows, not letting go of her skill, and whispered to You Su, "Shouldn’t we kill him?"

You Su turned to look at her, laughing loudly, "Yiyi, retract your skill. This person bears us no ill will."

This did not seem directed at Zi Yiyi but rather at the abrupt appearance of the strange man.

Zi Yiyi’s beautiful eyes glimmered, and she obeyed the command to stand down.

The person before them was definitely related to the evil spirits but lacked any oppressive presence, as harmless as the previous land-dwelling evil spirits they had encountered. Hence, Zi Yiyi dared to withdraw.

"Indeed, I mean no harm."

The man scratched his head, his expression of simplicity and honesty somehow lent a sense of authenticity to his earnest face.

"You can call me Old Jiu, and you’re here to join the sect too, right?"

"Join the sect?"

Zi Yiyi was a bit shocked; she hadn’t known there were religious activities in Luoxing Valley. It seemed the multitude of evil spirits in this valley was inseparable from this so-called religion.

"We’re traveling and happened to pass through here. We’ve heard there’s a godly sect and wanted to take a look. Can Uncle Jiu tell us the name of this sect?"

"Heart Buddha Teachings!"

Old Jiu’s eyes sparkled with an extraordinary excitement and a strong sense of pride as he uttered these four words.

"Buddhism?"

Zi Yiyi was more surprised. "Are you saying there’s Buddhism here?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Old Jiu waved his hand, seeming displeased with the girl’s distrust.

You Su furrowed his sword-like brows, finding the idea rather incredible as well.

The Five Continents strictly controlled sects, with the Divine Mountain and the Five Immortal Ancestors being the sole, shared beliefs of its people.

The so-called Buddhism, according to the fragmented scriptures left behind, was believed to have been the ultimate faith during the ancient ages before the Five Immortal Ancestors emerged.

Its doctrines were so complex and profound that even the snippets in folklore could reveal just a glimpse of its depth, yet no one had ever seen the true Buddha. After the Immortal Ancestors’ dramatic rise, Buddhism had faded from existence.

Many scholars were filled with curiosity about this mysterious Buddha, guessing it might have been the world’s first deity. However, because of the lack of information, any research into the Buddha remained superficial, and many scholars obsessed with it ended up harming themselves and dying young.

Gradually, ’Buddha’ became a taboo subject. For those in power, it remained so, and the common people were even less likely to encounter the term.

Yet, here in the western Zhongyuan Continent, Buddhism was hidden deep within this valley...

"May I ask Old Jiu, I’ve heard of Buddhism, but what do you mean by Heart Buddha?"

Seeing You Su’s interest, Old Jiu chuckled, extending his index finger to point at him: