The Disfigured Beauty Becomes a Succubus to Repay Her Debt

Jiang Chaosheng asked,

“Evil Gold Treasure, where is he now?”

Hai Yin chuckled.

“Evil Gold Treasure was a wealthy merchant who provided financial support for the Taiping Dao. He wasn’t fond of fighting and killing, so he became a social butterfly in the Spiritual Community. The Spiritual Realm isn’t exactly large, but it’s not small either. Evil Gold Treasure used to be active in East Sakura.”

Hai Yin glanced at Jiang Chaosheng and said,

“After the decline of the Yin Yang Master Families, Evil Gold Treasure might have gone to Meiqi Country.”

Jiang Chaosheng mulled over Hai Yin’s words.

‘The Spiritual Realm…’

‘So this is what I initially thought of as the supernatural community?’

‘This Spiritual Community really can’t be that large.’

‘In the world today, besides Daji, no one can Open the Spiritual Aperture for a mortal.’

‘To possess Supernatural Power, your only option is to leverage Taboo Items.’

‘But there are only so many Taboo Items.’

Jiang Chaosheng asked,

“Meiqi Country has a Spiritual Community, too?”

The old monk shook his head.

“I’m not too sure about that. I know that Evil Gold Treasure once tried to win over Sanze Qingming. After Sanze Qingming died, I heard he went to Meiqi Country. As for whether it was for business or something else, I do not know.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Jiang Chaosheng glanced back toward the door.

“What is it?”

The butler’s voice came from the other side of the door:

“Mr. Huang, is the Grandmaster with you? The World Honored One has sent me to invite you both to the evening banquet.”

Jiang Chaosheng raised his eyebrows.

‘Here comes the killing blow.’

A playful smirk appeared on his lips.

‘I’m actually curious to see what tricks this little mouse can pull.’

The butler’s voice continued from outside:

“Mr. Huang, I will be waiting for you both outside.”

Hai Yin stood up and let out a heavy breath.

“Benefactor, I know you possess power unimaginable to mortals. To you, the so-called Spiritual Realm must seem like child’s play. But, Benefactor, that boy, Qilin… he always does the unthinkable. You… really must be careful!”

Jiang Chaosheng stood and walked toward the door without responding to the old monk.

‘He never underestimated any enemy.’

‘Of course, he was also confident he could handle any enemy.’

Hai Yin said no more, simply following Jiang Chaosheng out the door.

The butler saw Jiang Chaosheng and bowed slightly.

When he saw Hai Yin, he put his palms together, and his bow was noticeably deeper.

After returning the butler’s gesture, Hai Yin followed him toward the main villa.

…

In the main hall, thin wisps of sandalwood smoke drifted from burning incense.

Low tables, each with an assortment of vegetarian dishes, were set before a dozen or so meditation cushions.

A nouveau riche man complained,

“Why is it all vegetarian? What’s the deal, no meat? Are you short on cash or something? I’ve got plenty of money.”

The man glanced around, worried that others might have meat at their tables while he didn’t, which would be a loss of face.

He saw that everyone’s table was filled with vegetarian food, and even the upper-class guests showed no sign of displeasure.

Only then did the man shut his mouth.

A moment later, a clear, youthful voice drifted from behind a curtain up front:

“My apologies, everyone. As my master is present, I’m afraid I can only ask you to join me in a vegetarian meal.”

Everyone looked up.

It was a young man in a Tang suit.

Jiang Chaosheng’s gaze passed over Evil Qilin’s shoulder, landing on the soundly sleeping infant in his arms.

The infant was swaddled tightly, only a small, cherubic face visible. Its breathing was as even as a feather.

But that aura—the aura of a Taboo Item… it was faint, almost illusory, like an undercurrent hidden deep beneath the water.

Evil Qilin said with a smile,

“To show my sincerest apologies, I’ve prepared some gifts for you all.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a dozen beautiful maids entered, carrying wooden boxes of exquisitely packaged red wine.

The nouveau riche immediately pulled out his phone and opened a shopping app, wanting to see how much the wine was worth.

Several other guests couldn’t help but sneer at his behavior.

‘Truly rare items could never be found on some shopping app.’

Just then, a Buddhist chant rang out:

“Amitabha Buddha. ‘Wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Buddha remains in the heart.’”

Everyone turned toward the voice.

It was none other than Monk Hai Yin.

Evil Qilin narrowed his eyes, his expression turning grim.

A faint smile touched Jiang Chaosheng’s lips.

‘So the Dharma debate begins?’

The nouveau riche was a sensitive man.

He was already losing face from the others mocking him for looking up the wine on a shopping app.

Now, the old monk’s words felt like a direct insult to his lack of taste.

He no longer cared that the old monk was Evil Qilin’s master. Already annoyed with him, the man sneered,

“Buddha? A few years back, my family’s place was demolished and we got a payout in the tens of millions. I was thinking I should light some incense and pray. Figured there’s no better way to spend money than on the Buddha, right? It might even keep me safe. So, old monk, tell me, should I get a golden statue made for a Bodhisattva? Tell me, how many pounds of gold would be good? Can’t be a measly amount, that would be embarrassing.”

The guests settled in to watch the show.

Anyone could see the man was trying to humiliate the old monk with his money.

‘This is getting interesting.’

‘Does this guy really not know how powerful the Island Lord of Dream Island is?’

‘Although no one knew why the Island Lord had a young, unshaven monk represent him, this young man was clearly no ordinary person.’

‘Nouveau riche through and through. The second he gets a bit of money, he starts waving it around and offending people.’

‘If he pisses off that young monk, the guy’s probably done for the moment he leaves this island.’

Now they were also curious to see how the old monk would respond to the man’s insults.

Hai Yin looked at the man and suddenly asked,

“Benefactor, how many pounds do you think you are worth?”

The man was stunned for a moment, then said proudly,

“Me? My net worth is fifty million.”

Hai Yin said no more, closed his eyes in silence, his face expressionless.

For some reason, the man felt a wave of pressure emanating from Hai Yin.

It was the kind of pressure that seemed to say he had no class.

The man started to fidget. He uncrossed his legs. The thick gold chain around his neck suddenly felt uncomfortably heavy, but he couldn’t very well take it off.

Growing agitated, he couldn’t help but ask,

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hai Yin asked,

“Then are you solid gold, or just gold-plated?”

The guests laughed.

With the exception of Jiang Chaosheng, all the guests present were well-read.

The philosophies of the Buddhist and Daoist Sects are incredibly profound, and most of them had at least a passing familiarity with the subjects.

Copies of texts like the Diamond Sutra and the Tao Te Ching could be found in all of their personal libraries.

The old monk’s retort was both philosophically deep and highly entertaining.

It left the nouveau riche completely speechless.

The man’s face flushed red.

The gold chain around his neck seemed to lose its luster, and he could feel it pressing painfully against his skin.

“Solid gold? Gold-plated? You are both attached to form.”

Evil Qilin’s voice, calm and unhurried, was like a needle gently piercing the bubble of awkwardness in the hall.

Holding the infant, he stepped down from the dais and personally poured a glass of wine for the man.

His movements were graceful, the wine flowing into the glass without a single drop being spilled.

After pouring the wine, he looked up at Hai Yin. The candlelight flickered in his eyes, a dance of light and shadow.

“We are all seeking supreme bliss, are we not? Master, do you know what true bliss is?”

“Freedom from desire, tranquility of mind—that is supreme bliss.”

Hai Yin’s voice was low, as if it had surfaced from a great depth.

Evil Qilin laughed. It wasn’t loud, but it echoed through the vast, empty hall.

“The supreme bliss you speak of, Master, does it have boundaries?”

Hai Yin opened his eyes and answered,

“The bliss of having no bliss—that is true bliss.”

Evil Qilin laughed.

His laughter wasn’t loud, but it echoed through the cavernous hall, causing the candle flames to tremble with it.

“The supreme bliss you speak of, Master, does it have boundaries?”

Hai Yin opened his eyes. “The bliss of having no bliss—that is true bliss.”

“Then what is the point of cultivating it?”

Evil Qilin leaned forward slightly, his gaze boring into Hai Yin’s.

“Something without boundaries cannot be grasped. You have practiced asceticism for sixty years. Have you ever once experienced this ‘supreme bliss’? Even if bliss were placed right in front of you, you wouldn’t dare to seize it. You’re afraid that in seizing it, you would become attached to form.”

The hall fell so silent that one could hear the soft crackle of the burning sandalwood incense.

The guests either frowned in disapproval or were lost in thought.

‘This young monk’s words seemed to violate the fundamental principles of the Buddhist Sect, yet they also seemed to hold a grain of truth.’

Evil Qilin, still holding the infant, stood before Hai Yin, his gaze haunting.

“You’re afraid that with a single errant thought, sixty years of cultivation will collapse. But if sixty years of practice cannot withstand even a single thought, then what kind of practice is it?”

A bead of sweat trickled down Hai Yin’s forehead. His hand moved ceaselessly over his Prayer Beads, and for a long moment, he was unable to speak.

After a long while, he finally opened his eyes. He looked at the disciple before him, once so compassionate but now a remorseless killer, and let out a sigh.

“‘Have you ever looked back and considered what it is you are cultivating?’”

“‘The Joyful Buddha,’ Evil Qilin answered with unnerving calm. ‘The sea of desire is the Other Shore. The flesh is the body of Buddha.’ ‘The supreme bliss you cultivate, Master, is something one can only have in death.’ ‘The supreme bliss I cultivate can be tasted while one is still alive.’”

Hai Yin shuddered violently.

‘He remembered what had happened when Evil Qilin first left the monastery.’

‘Evil Qilin had pushed that girl—the one who wanted to die but lacked the courage—from the roof of a building.’

‘In that instant, was the girl truly happy?’

‘And it didn’t stop there.’

‘Over the years, he had heard many rumors about Evil Qilin.’

‘If someone was consumed by lust, Evil Qilin would send them one of his personally ‘trained’ female disciples.’

‘If someone was greedy for money, Evil Qilin would grant them riches.’

‘The Buddhist Sect teaches of the seven sufferings of life, one of which is the pain of unfulfilled desires.’

‘Evil Qilin gave these people exactly what they desired. In that case…’

‘Could the happiness they felt in that moment be considered a form of supreme bliss?’

Hai Yin closed his eyes again. His fingers flew across his Prayer Beads, and his lips moved for a long moment before he managed to force out four words:

“That… is a perverse view!”

“‘Perverse view, correct view… who decides which is which?’ Evil Qilin’s shadow fell over the old monk. ‘Master, you say desire is suffering. But without desire, why would anyone worship the Buddha?’ ‘Without desire, what are you doing sitting here?’ ‘Is it not because you harbor the obsessive desire to persuade me to return to your path?’”

Hai Yin trembled, staring at Evil Qilin in stunned disbelief.

‘He knew he had lost. He could not win a debate of Buddhist Dharma against him.’

‘Evil Qilin’s understanding of the Buddhist Dharma was far more profound than his own.’

‘He possessed such immense power, the gall to even scheme against the Manager… If he were to use it for a righteous cause, it would be a great blessing to the world.’

‘But…’

‘This was a demon who would bring chaos to the world.’

Sorrow slowly filled Hai Yin’s eyes.

“‘Qilin, don’t go on like this.’ ‘Tossed about in the sea of desire, one can never reach the Other Shore! How can you possibly find supreme bliss?!’”

A smirk curved Evil Qilin’s lips. He lowered his head, leaned in close, and his voice dropped to a whisper, as if speaking only to himself:

“‘Without desire, how can there be bliss!’”

The candles in the hall suddenly flickered.

A gust of wind swept through the room.

The guests stared in surprise at the swaying candle flames.

When they recovered and looked back toward Evil Qilin, their eyes filled with terror.

The string of Prayer Beads in the old monk’s hand had snapped, and the Rosewood Buddhist Beads scattered across the floor.

The old monk himself sat with his head bowed, utterly motionless. He had clearly… passed away!

The nouveau riche shrieked,

“Holy shit, call the police!!”

The other guests began to panic as well.

Some fumbled for their phones, while others tried to slip away unnoticed.

Evil Qilin let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

‘Debating the Buddhist Dharma with Hai Yin hadn’t been easy for him, either.’

Evil Qilin looked at his departed master. His eyes glistened for a moment, but the tears were quickly dried by the wind.

He murmured,

“‘Master, you were my Heart Demon.’ ‘To bring supreme bliss to the world, to save all sentient beings, Qilin had to overcome you this one time.’”

Just then, Evil Qilin felt a gaze lock onto him.

Realizing something, he turned his head and met Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes, which held a hint of mockery.

‘Dusk looked to be in a good mood.’

‘It was as if…’

‘As if I had just put on a show for his entertainment.’

Evil Qilin tilted his head.

“Mr. Dusk, now I can finally have a proper bout with you.”

As he finished speaking, Evil Qilin reached out and patted the infant in his arms.

The infant immediately let out a piercing wail.