"What? The Gua Master of Yama's Trigram is my disciple?"

Yun Ziliang placed the white chess piece back into the basket, taking long strides toward Zhou Xuan.

Peng Sheng looked despondent and sighed, "Just a few more moves, and I could've wiped out Taoist Yun's Big Dragon..."

Yun Ziliang didn't think he quit out of fear of losing. Ignoring the complaint, he dragged a small stool and sat down next to Zhou Xuan. He first asked Zhao Wuya, "Kid, what kind of trigram did you have Xuanzi calculate for you?"

"How would I know? At that time, I was barely conscious—I thought the workload from Dragon Seeking had me so exhausted I was hallucinating."

"You lazy dog, scram to the side."

Seeing Zhao Wuya irritated Yun Ziliang, who then turned to Zhou Xuan and asked, "What did he say when calculating the trigram?"

Zhou Xuan pondered for a moment and recounted Zhao Wuya's exact words from that time...

"Teacher, listen to my distractions within the Red Dust—who am I? Where am I headed? Human beings are not Saints; who does not err? If there are mistakes, how do I atone?"

Back then, Zhao Wuya seemed mentally trapped, speaking only in short phrases... Short enough to sound like a "riddle."

"Distractions within the Red Dust."

Yun Ziliang kept repeating the phrase, contemplating it deeply. After a long while, he asked Zhao Wuya again, "Who are you?"

"I am Ya Zi, of course."

"Where are you headed?"

"To East Market Street, to find the East Mountain Fox Lady."

"Human beings are not Saints; who doesn't make mistakes? What's the biggest mistake you've committed?" Yun Ziliang pressed further.

"The greatest mistake I've made is being so absurdly handsome and elegant. Everywhere I go, I attract the gaze of beautiful women and steal their hearts, yet I can give them nothing in return,

leaving countless beauties in the human world heartbroken over the years."

Zhao Wuya said narcissistically.

"And how do you plan to atone for that?"

"When I've seen through the Red Dust, I'll renounce the mortal world and become a monk. From that point on, I'll dedicate myself to chanting scriptures under dim lamplight in solitude—the women of the world will no longer see my unparalleled beauty, and naturally, they won't waste their youth on me. Amitabha."

Zhao Wuya was fully into the role, truly treating himself as a lovesick young master. The nonsense he spouted surprisingly tied itself up neatly; truly, a talented individual.

Zhou Xuan chuckled as he said, "Ya Zi, joining the Dragon Seeking Hall is a waste of your talents. Why not go perform comedic storytelling under the Sky Bridge in Ping Shui Prefecture instead? Ever heard of 'Peeling the Horse Trigram'? That act needs someone like you."

"What 'Peeling the Horse Trigram'? Everything I just said comes straight from my heart."

Zhao Wuya lamented sorrowfully, "I had genuine intentions toward the Bright Moon, yet the Bright Moon shines upon a ditch instead."

Zhou Xuan was utterly amused by his dramatic antics, laughing heartily as he ate some pastries.

Yun Ziliang, however, remained stern, without the slightest hint of amusement.

"This bastard Ya Zi... it's as though there's a Buddha living inside him."

"Lao Yun, come on, you actually believe that? He's just spouting nonsense."

"There are thousands of ways to talk nonsense in this world. Why did Ya Zi choose 'renounce the mortal world, dim lamplight, Ancient Buddha'?"

Yun Ziliang countered.

Zhou Xuan began to grasp some deeper meaning behind it.

Indeed, if it were someone else, they might talk themselves up as invincible, or as some aristocrat or official. But Zhao Wuya boasted about seeking enlightenment under an Ancient Buddha's lamp.

Why would he weave a tale like that?

"That means the one requesting the trigram was likely already a member of the Buddhist sect. This way, the idea of Ya Zi being born with a Great Buddha destiny makes sense."

Yun Ziliang murmured thoughtfully.

Zhao Wuya, meanwhile, fixated earnestly on Yun Ziliang's gaze, his eyes brimming with sincerity.

"Why are you staring at me?" Yun Ziliang questioned.

"Grand Master, you've finally admitted that I have a Great Buddha destiny."

"..." Yun Ziliang.

Yun Ziliang replied impatiently, "I'm talking about major truths, and you're talking about trivialities like kneecaps. Is the topic here about whether you have a Buddha destiny or not?"

"Will you admit I have a Great Buddha destiny or not?"

"Scram!"

Yun Ziliang roared angrily.

Zhou Xuan interjected, "Lao Yun, so how do you suggest we interpret this trigram? If Ya Zi really does have a Buddha living inside him."

The first trigram pointed by Yama's Trigram resembled a riddle. Zhou Xuan found it hard to deduce anything meaningful from it.

"There's one way—draw out the Buddha inside Ya Zi."

"How would we do that?"

"A Sleeping Buddha will open its eyes upon seeing a Great Buddha's relic. A Deaf Buddha will listen attentively upon hearing a Buddhist chant.

We need to find a Buddhist artifact and present it in front of Ya Zi; the Buddha inside him might react to it."

"No need to search—I already have one."

Zhou Xuan declared.

"What Buddhist artifact do you have?"

"The Wash Away Injustice Talisman."

Zhou Xuan said.

His Wash Away Injustice Talisman, according to Monk Zhu Jiu, was an item originating from celestial Daoists.

According to Lord Jian, it belonged to a Daoist under the Green Robed Buddha.

But according to Miss Qiang's analysis, the Wash Away Injustice Talisman seemed imbued with the aura of an Ancient Buddha.

In any case, this talisman had a profound background and was a rare artifact even among Jing Country's Buddhist sects—the Green Robed Buddha himself had once ventured into the Time-Space World and risked his demise in an attempt to seize it from a Daoist.

"That artifact is incredibly precious... letting Ya Zi see it... might..."

Yun Ziliang hesitated because he worried that the artifact's value would draw attention from those with ulterior motives, putting it at risk of being stolen.

However, Zhou Xuan trusted Zhao Wuya. He pulled the Wash Away Injustice Talisman out of his pocket and placed it in his palm, saying, "Ya Zi, can you see this item?"

In days past, Zhou Xuan would always shield the talisman from others when using it. It wasn't that he feared Yun Ziliang or the others—it was his precaution against connections to the Ancient Clan.

This time, he could boldly display it for Zhao Wuya to see.

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