Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

“Damn it.”

Xu Ming couldn’t help but curse out loud.

He never expected that while flying smoothly, something would suddenly pounce on him from the sky and crash directly into him.

His whole body went numb.

Fortunately, his martial cultivation was high, and his body was strong enough. Otherwise, he felt like his spine might have been broken by the impact.

“Apologies, benefactor.”

A light and pleasant voice came from above him.

“Forget the apology for now. Can you get off me first?” Xu Ming lifted his head from the dirt.

“Ah? Oh, okay, okay.” The woman was momentarily stunned before quickly jumping off him.

He got up from the ground, patted himself off, and looked at the woman in front of him. His expression froze for a moment.

A… monk? A female monk?

In just an instant, Xu Ming realized who she was.

There was only one female monk in the world—Shi Xin.

And the moment he saw her, he finally understood why this woman was ranked number one on the “Beauty List.”

Even though she was bald—something that usually detracted from one’s appearance—Shi Xin was different.

Baldness removes all adornments from a person’s head, fully exposing their facial features and head shape. Any flaws in the features would be amplified.

But Shi Xin had none.

Her features were too perfect—delicate arched brows, almond-shaped eyes that seemed to contain galaxies, a perfectly proportioned nose, and soft, cherry-like lips that looked as if they would burst with sweet juice at the slightest bite. 𝐫ÅŊồ𝖇Ě𝓢

Yet, Xu Ming felt that no words could truly capture her beauty.

It was as if she was born to be flawless, her facial proportions in such perfect harmony that even the slightest change would ruin the balance.

She was so beautiful that she didn’t seem real—otherworldly, beyond human comprehension.

Xu Ming couldn’t even begin to imagine what she would look like with hair. If she was already this breathtaking as a bald monk, wouldn’t she be utterly divine with flowing locks?

Perhaps her bald head was the only thing keeping her beauty in check.

Although he had never seen the Northern Sea Dragon Empress, who ranked second on the Beauty List, Xu Ming now felt that her placement wasn’t unfair at all.

“Benefactor, have we met before?” Shi Xin tilted her head slightly, looking at Xu Ming with a gaze that held a hint of familiarity, as if he were an old acquaintance.

Xu Ming shook his head. “No, we haven’t met, but I know of you. There’s only one female monk in the world, and she happens to be the number one beauty. Aside from Shi Xin, I can’t think of anyone else you could be.”

Shi Xin blinked. “May I ask for your name, benefactor?”

“My surname is Xu, given name Ming.” He didn’t see a reason to hide it.

Shi Xin felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar.

She thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Could it be that you’re the Xu Ming from the Xu family of the Wu Kingdom?”

“That’s me.” Xu Ming smiled. “What a coincidence. Master Shi Xin, weren’t you supposed to come to my family’s estate to help? I didn’t expect to run into you here instead.”

“There’s no need to call me ‘Master,'” Shi Xin said. “I’m far from deserving such a title. Just call me Shi Xin.”

“Alright.” Xu Ming didn’t argue. Calling someone his own age “Master” did feel a bit strange.

Shi Xin nodded. “It really is quite the coincidence.”

“Are you also here for the Rootless Secret Realm?” Xu Ming asked.

“No, I’m not,” Shi Xin shook her head. “I was originally heading to Wudu, but along the way, I encountered a distorted gate. I reached out to touch it, and the next thing I knew, I ended up here. I never expected to crash into you, Benefactor Xu.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be done now. You’ll have to wait until this Rootless Secret Realm closes before heading to Wudu.”

Xu Ming sighed inwardly.

It wasn’t like she had deliberately abandoned her business to come here seeking fortune—she had entered by accident.

Now, all he could do was hope that in the days Shi Xin was delayed, nothing would happen to his mother.

Shi Xin looked puzzled. “I can’t leave right now?”

Xu Ming shook his head.

“No. The time flow inside the Rootless Secret Realm is ten times faster than the outside world. The portal leading out will only appear between thirty to fifty days after the realm opens. However, after this cycle, the Rootless Secret Realm will collapse entirely. The exit may appear slightly earlier or later this time, but generally, it won’t be more than twenty days off.”

Shi Xin nodded. “I see.”

As she was pondering this, Xu Ming suddenly thought of something.

“Shi Xin, if you don’t mind, you can travel with me. I have a token that’s linked to the Wudu exit. When the portal to the outside world opens, we can leave together and head directly to the Wudu exit. It’ll be much faster than traveling alone.”

“Alright,” Shi Xin agreed without hesitation. “Then I shall follow you, Benefactor.”

“Let’s go, then. Our destination is Bodhi Mountain.”

With that, Xu Ming continued flying toward Bodhi Mountain, and Shi Xin naturally followed.

As they neared the mountain, they sensed a restrictive formation preventing flight. They had no choice but to descend at the base and make their way up on foot.

Xu Ming and Shi Xin didn’t talk much along the way. Neither seemed inclined to initiate a conversation.

They simply walked in silence.

But as they advanced, both of them furrowed their brows at the same time.

The next moment, over a dozen arrows came whistling toward them.

Shi Xin pressed her palms together, forming a golden bell barrier around them.

The arrows struck the barrier and were deflected, embedding themselves into the surrounding grass.

Wherever the arrows landed, the plants withered instantly.

It was obvious—these arrows were coated in poison.

“Kill them!”@@novelbin@@

Seven or eight cultivators rushed out from the shadows.

Xu Ming initially thought he had been targeted by demon cultivators again.

But to his surprise, these seven or eight attackers were all human.

Well, great. It wasn’t just demon cultivators who wanted his life—human cultivators were also willing to take bounties from the demon world?

Xu Ming stepped out from behind Shi Xin and raised his sword.

With just a few swift strikes, only three of the attackers remained.

Blood and flesh splattered across the ground.

Shi Xin closed her eyes and softly recited a Buddhist chant.

“Grandmaster, please spare us! We were blinded by greed and made a terrible mistake in targeting you. We’re willing to hand over everything we have—just please, spare our lives!”

The three remaining cultivators knelt and repeatedly kowtowed to Xu Ming, pleading for mercy.

Xu Ming had assumed they were after him specifically.

But from their words, he realized they had been attacking indiscriminately.

No doubt, these Dragon Gate Realm cultivators had set up this formation and used their poisoned arrows to kill quite a few people already.

Seeing them now, groveling for their lives, Xu Ming remained expressionless.

It was clear—he had no intention of sparing them.

If they had set out to kill him, they should have been prepared to be killed themselves.

“Benefactor Xu, they have already realized their mistake. Why must you still take their lives?”

Shi Xin stepped forward, attempting to dissuade him.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

When Xu Ming raised his sword, the three cultivators had already fallen into despair. But as the stunningly beautiful, bald-headed monk walked over, they saw a glimmer of hope reignite within them.

“We truly know we were wrong! We swear we will never do such things again. Please, spare our lives! We promise to do good deeds from now on.”

“Shi Xin, are you trying to save them?” Xu Ming turned his head and asked.

Shi Xin nodded. “They said they have realized their mistake.”

“You’re mistaken, Shi Xin.” Xu Ming let out a dry laugh. “They haven’t realized their mistake—they’ve realized they’re about to die.”

Shi Xin fell silent.

Xu Ming continued, “Letting them go is one thing. Killing them doesn’t benefit me much, either. If anything, sparing them might even win me your favor, and when you help me later, you might put in more effort.”

“But Shi Xin, what if you let them go, and they continue harming others? If that happens, wouldn’t you bear some responsibility for their crimes?”

“If you release them out of kindness, but they turn around and kill more innocent people, is that really fair to their future victims?”

“Is that kind of mercy even real mercy?”

“Besides, they must have already ambushed and killed some cultivators before us. Those poisoned arrows—they were fired with lethal intent.”

“If you spare them, what about the grievances of those who have already died?”

Under Xu Ming’s relentless questioning, Shi Xin lowered her head, as if lost in deep thought.

At that moment, the three cultivators realized they were likely doomed. Seeing their last chance, they decided to gamble everything—suddenly lunging at Xu Ming in a desperate attack.

But Xu Ming had been expecting this.

A sword light flashed before their eyes.

They clutched their throats, but it was useless—their heads rolled to the ground.

“Amitabha.”

Shi Xin clasped her hands together and once again softly recited a Buddhist chant.

“You’re not going to refuse to help me after this, are you?”

To be honest, Xu Ming was a little worried.

This female monk seemed a bit too compassionate.

If the people he killed made her uncomfortable, and she decided not to help him anymore—what then?

“No,” Shi Xin shook her head. “Since I have already promised that elder to go to Wudu and assist, I will uphold my word, no matter what happens.”

Xu Ming still wasn’t fully convinced. He asked again, “Are you sure?”

Shi Xin nodded. “A monk does not speak falsehoods.”

“Good.” Xu Ming finally relaxed.

Honestly, having a sanctimonious companion constantly telling him what he could and couldn’t kill would be suffocating.

Of course, if it really came down to it, he’d endure it for his mother’s sake.

“But Benefactor Xu, your killing intent is too heavy. You bear too much blood on your hands. This is not good,” Shi Xin said seriously.

Xu Ming chuckled and kept walking. “I never planned to be some great saint. The people I kill all wanted to kill me first. Since they wanted my life, they should be prepared to lose theirs.”

“…”

Shi Xin lowered her head, deep in thought.

By the time she snapped out of it, Xu Ming had already walked ahead. She quickly caught up. “What you said just now was all just distorted reasoning.”

“Oh?” Xu Ming raised an eyebrow. “Then tell me, how exactly is my reasoning flawed?”

The climb was boring anyway, so he figured he might as well argue with her a bit.

Maybe he could even fix this overly compassionate mindset of hers.

Otherwise, with how naïve she was, someone would eventually get the better of her.

Hmm… and with her looks, what happened to her might be far worse than just getting tricked.

“If one lays down the butcher’s knife, they can immediately become a Buddha,” Shi Xin said. “As long as one repents and reforms, the sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore.”

Xu Ming sneered. “Hah. Did your master never tell you that the so-called ‘butcher’s knife’ doesn’t refer to wicked people?”

“It refers to the three karmic impurities of body, speech, and mind—along with all delusions, false thoughts, ignorance, misjudgments, and attachments.”

“If someone could truly rid themselves of all those things, then yes, they could indeed become a Buddha.”

“…”

Shi Xin stared blankly at Xu Ming, utterly stunned.

Xu Ming asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“My master never told me these things before.” Shi Xin gazed at Xu Ming in astonishment. “Benefactor, you have great wisdom.”

“…”

This time, Xu Ming was speechless. “That’s all it takes to have ‘great wisdom’?”

Wait a minute—does Western Buddhism not teach this? Could it be that the Buddhist doctrines in the Western Regions are different from those on Blue Star?

“Yes,” Shi Xin nodded seriously. “Benefactor possesses great wisdom. Why not enter my Buddhist sect?”

“Hah?” Xu Ming was stunned, wondering if he had misheard. “Just a moment ago, you were saying I was too bloodthirsty, and now you’re inviting me to join your Buddhist sect?”

Shi Xin shook her head. “Though you have killed, your actions are based on cause and effect. The sea of suffering is vast, but one only needs to turn back.”

“Forget it.” Xu Ming waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not interested in joining your Buddhist sect.”

“Benefactor truly should consider it.” Shi Xin appeared somewhat persistent.

Xu Ming chuckled helplessly. “Alright, I’ll join—if you can tell me what benefits I’ll get from it.”

“Benefits…”

Shi Xin was momentarily stunned. She had never considered what benefits one would gain from joining Buddhism.

“What benefits does Benefactor seek?” she asked.

Xu Ming stroked his chin, pretending to think seriously. “Well, since you’re so beautiful, how about this—you and I dual cultivate, and I’ll agree to join your sect.”

Shi Xin’s brows immediately furrowed. “Benefactor, lust is a great taboo in Buddhism.”

“Hahahaha!” Xu Ming burst into laughter. “You claim to be willing to sacrifice yourself to bring me into Buddhism, yet you won’t even sacrifice yourself for the cause? If you’re unwilling to ‘save’ even me, what kind of compassion do you preach?”