Song of Adolescence

Chapter 229 Rakshasa Hall

Rakshasa Hall.

The name was very famous because it was said that there were many Buddhist secret arts hidden inside the Rakshasa Hall. If you could learn just one of these secret arts, then you would possess divine powers. However, these divine powers were often contrary to Buddhism, so they were considered secret arts and forbidden arts. Therefore, very few people have seen Rakshasa Hall. Some people said it was in Shaolin Temple, where seventeen battlemonks stood guard day and night and even a martial expert of the Heavenly Realm would have trouble fighting through. Others said that it was in Yunlin Temple, hidden within the Qimen Array which was extremely dangerous and none have ever returned from it.

But actually, it was in this quaint Snowy Peak Temple in Gusu City that gradually became forgotten. For decades, there was only one old monk sitting in front of the Rakshasa Hall, chanting sutras day and night, until that day, the old monk who guarded the hall opened the Rakshasa Hall himself.

It took Wuxin a mere seven years to master all the martial arts in the Rakshasa Hall. After that, every three days, he would return to the Rakshasa Hall to learn it all over again. Until one day, when he re-entered the Rakshasa Hall…

The flames soared into the sky, and the Buddha statues in the Rakshasa Hall were burnt black and covered in ashes. All the secret manuals considered to be treasures among the martial world had long been burned to ashes. Master Wangyou, in his ruined monk robe, sat alone inside with the palms of his hands pressed together, chanting Buddhist sutras in a low voice. Master Wangyou believed that he had committed a sin by opening Rakshasa Hall without authorization, and he wanted to use his death as his final confession.

In the end, Wuxin managed to rescue Master Wangyou, but Rakshasa Hall was completely destroyed. The precious secret manuals had turned into ashes, and the Buddha statues that hid consummate martial arts were also torn apart, but a painting appeared on the wall —— it was a painting of the Hell of a Hundred Ghosts. There were countless ferocious ghosts that looked sinister with their bared fangs, and a red lotus burning in a raging inferno of karmic fire. Sitting on top of the flames was a monk. He sat in the midst of the ferocious ghosts, teaching dharma and showing the way.

"When I opened the Rakshasa Hall one day, I was shocked when I saw this painting," the monk, Wuchan, said in a low voice. "You told me the cause of this painting, but I don’t think this painting is that simple. Every time I look at it, I feel my mind drifting away and it’s difficult to achieve calm."

"That\'s natural." Wuxin smiled. "When standing in front of this painting, nobody could keep their heart calm."

"You said you wanted to read one of the Buddhist sutras. I guess it’s this one." Wuchan sighed. "There must be a great mystery within it."

"Shixiong knows me best. This is the last painting left by shifu. It’s indeed a Buddhist sutra and it’s also the last martial arts left inside the Rakshasa Hall. And that is…" Wuxin paused, and finally said the next three words, "Demon Enthrallment."

"Demon Enthrallment!" Wuchan was shocked. This was undoubtedly one of the most well-known martial arts in Rakshasa Hall, but he didn’t think it would be contained in this painting.

"Yes. Nobody would have imagined that the Demon Enthrallment martial arts would be hidden inside a painting." Wuxin smiled. "I observed the previous painting for three months before I understood its true meaning. The next one took me a whole nine months."

"There are two paintings of Demon Enthrallment?" Wuchan started.

"Yes, this is the first part - "Hell Evangelism". The Demon Enthrallment is divided into two parts. The first part allowed you to see your own inner demons, the second part allowed you to see other people’s inner demons. The old monk may have thought that the first part could help people so he left it behind. As for the second part, even though I practiced it before, I know it’s something very dangerous!" Wuxin said in a deep voice.

Wuchan sighed. "Shifu gave a lot of thought to this."

Wuxin smiled and said, "The old monk always thought too much about everything. So, I’m thinking of entrusting this Ming Hou brother to you for a while and let him stay here. Let him observe this “Hell Evangelism” painting every day. Maybe one day, he will be able to understand the technique behind Demon Enthrallment and regain his mind." He turned around and saw Ming Hou staring at the painting with scorching eyes, as if the rest of the world no longer existed in his eyes.

Looks like I was right. Wuxin thought silently, and then said to Wuchan, "Shixiong, let\'s discuss this further outside."

Wuchan nodded, and the two walked outside, leaving Ming Hou sitting there alone, quietly observing the painting.

"Shidi, where are you going next on your trip?" Wuchan asked.

"Does shixiong know of Li Hanyi?" Wuxin asked back.

Wuchan nodded. "Of course I know of her. The Second Citymaster of Snow Moon City, one of the five great sword immortals under Heaven. She’s the daughter of Li Xinyue of the famed “sword heart in moon”, and General Lei Mengsha, one of the Eight Pillars of State. Everyone in the martial world knows of her."

"Yes. But you forgot another point. Rumours of the martial world say that back then, she was the one who killed my father," Wuxin suddenly said this with a serious expression.

Wuchan started, and questioned, "Could it be that shidi still harbors vengeance in his heart?"

Wuxin raised his eyebrows. "Does shixiong think I’m such a person?"

Wuchan shook his head slightly. "Shidi, your magnanimousness is thorough, this shixiong is far beneath you. Of course, I don’t think you’re someone who harbors vengeance in your heart. But, you brought it up suddenly and I couldn’t help but have a few misgivings."

Wuxin turned his back. "Back then, Baili Dongjun and my father had a duel and he won by half a move. My father broke through the siege despite being seriously injured, and was finally killed in Jiangnan. Rumor has it that the one leading the kill squad was Li Hanyi, but Li Hanyi herself never admitted it. I was just a little curious about what really happened that day."

"So you’re going to look for Li Hanyi?" Wuchan asked. "If she was the one, do you want revenge, shidi?"

"No." Wuxin shook his head. "As a monk, how can I live without letting go of hatred and desire for revenge? I just want to know the answer. In the past, I was always stopped by the old monk. Afterwards, I was forced to return to Outerheaven. Now, I can take advantage of Snow Moon City’s decline and fulfil this wish."

Wuchan nodded. "Then, shidi is heading for Snow Moon City next?"

"No, that day at Lei Clan Fort, Li Hanyi already showed herself. She was injured by the Hidden River Patriarch and is now suffering from qi deviation. Last time, she failed to hunt down the Hidden River Patriarch. Now, she’s gone completely insane and is searching all over for the Hidden River. I need to go look for her. If I’m not wrong, then the Hidden River will send out their most elite assassins to go after her. Although Li Hanyi in a state of qi deviation looks very powerful, a person who has lost their state of mind is a lot easier for them to deal with," Wuxin said.

"Even Snow Moon Sword Immortal Li Hanyi was injured by the Hidden River… Could this martial world be undergoing a massive change?" Wuchan was a little shocked.

"No." Wuxin shook his head and looked at the sky. "It\'s the entire Beili that’s about to undergo a massive change."

"Well, these matters of unrest are not under the charge of our Buddhist sects." Wuchan pressed the palms of his hands together and gently shook his head.

"Shixiong, Buddhism preached of subduing monsters and subjugating demons. If Beili really undergoes a massive change, then it will surely involve a night of a hundred ghosts. The people will suffer, and nobody will be able to escape from it. Not the people of the martial world, not the Buddhist sects either." Wuxin paused and added another sentence, "Except for me."

At first, Wuchan was convinced by his words and his blood was boiling, but the last three words made him confused. "Why’s that?"

"Because I’m not from Beili. I\'m from the Demonic Cult in the outer regions." Wuxin’s mouth curled into a wicked smile. "Whether Beili does well or suffers has nothing to do with me."

Wuchan didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. "Shidi, your words are logical and make sense. This shixiong can’t refute them either."

"Shixiong, goodbye." Wuxin suddenly walked forward.

Wuchan pressed his palms together and didn’t hold him back further. "After you meet Li Hanyi, will shidi return to Snowy Peak Temple?"

Wuxin did not slow down. "No, after meeting Li Hanyi, there’s still another place I have to go to. So, I will temporarily entrust Ming Hou and his lost mind to shixiong."

"Where else?" Wuchan had a bad feeling about this.

Wuxin tipped his toes and his figure had already swept into the far distance. "Heavenly Revelations City!"

"You mustn’t!" Wuchan shouted angrily, and he took a step forward. His fury even smashed the floor tiles to pieces. He wanted to go after Wuxin, but Wuxin’s lightness skill was incredibly powerful. In a flash, he was already out of sight. How could he catch up? Furthermore, based on his understanding of this martial brother of his, nobody could change his mind once it was made up. Nobody except for the old monk who was already dead.

The old monk once said that on the day Wuxin wanted to leave Snowy Peak Temple, he could go anywhere he wanted. The only place he must never go was Heavenly Revelations City.

Wuchan sighed out loud. "He still couldn’t let it go, ah."