Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 902 - 898: Venerable

Looking at Yin Yu, who had once again transformed into unyielding stone, Shen Siyuan sighed softly.

He wasn’t without options—just now, when he lifted Yin Yu’s petrification, he could have easily absorbed her into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, making her soul fully his to command, and using the Ten Thousand Soul Banner to ward off that petrification power. But he was unwilling to take the risk; the Ten Thousand Soul Banner is not omnipotent, and in the unpredictable Yangzhou Netherworld, being cautious is never wrong.

As Yin Yu turned to stone, Dou Dou curiously approached, reaching out to touch the cold stone surface. Shen Siyuan did not stop her and with a slight movement of his body, he moved towards the nearby cliff. The three little ones transformed into strands of Yin Wind and quickly followed.

Halfway up the cliff, there was a slightly protruding stone platform. The stone Buddha, formed from the physical body of Venerable Du E, stood quietly upon it, overlooking the entire valley. Only half of its body remained, with the right hand raised to the chest, palm outward, and fingers spread—this is the Buddhist "Fearless Seal," symbolizing the use of wisdom to dispel fear for the faithful and offer fearlessness. Clearly, there was a deep meaning behind striking this pose here.

Yet Shen Siyuan did not delve into it, merely placing the little woolen shoe he held onto Venerable Du E’s shoulder.

In the next moment, the faint golden light emanating from the little shoe suddenly burst with incredible power. Venerable Du E’s stone body melted away like ice and snow, instantly regaining softness and motion, radiating bright Buddhist light. Initially, the two golden lights intertwined, gradually leading to the entire coverage of the little shoe’s light by Venerable Du E’s Buddhist light.

"Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

As the Buddhist name fell, Venerable Du E slowly opened his eyes. His whole body glowed with Buddhist light, resembling a living Golden Buddha, seemingly unaffected by the missing half of his body. His compassionate gaze swept over everyone, pausing briefly on Dou Dou, and a warm smile appeared.

Dou Dou saw him smile and responded with a big, beaming smile of her own, though she was curious about what was hidden in the half of his body. Venerable Du E did not linger further, but turned to Shen Siyuan, bowed, and uttered a Buddhist salutation: "This humble monk Hongyuan, greets the benefactor."

"Greetings, Venerable," Shen Siyuan also returned the gesture with clasped hands.

Venerable Du E was initially taken aback but then seemed to reach an understanding. He lowered his head, looking at the mottled stone formations underfoot, etched with marks of time, and let out a long, faint sigh: "This old monk is ashamed, for it was a momentary lapse in judgment that made them wait here for hundreds or thousands of years..."

After speaking, he looked up at the sky, a flicker of a strange color passing through his eyes. Retrieving his gaze, he addressed Shen Siyuan: "The matter you wish to ask about, this old monk knows. But now is not the time to speak—being one destined by the heavens, the best choice is to act according to your heart."

The words stuck in Shen Siyuan’s throat. He detested these enigmatic monks, why couldn’t they just speak plainly?

As if understanding his thoughts, Venerable Du E displayed a compassionate smile: "It is not that this old monk is unwilling to clarify, but speaking the reason would disturb karma and create variables in the future."

"Maybe telling me is the right choice," Shen Siyuan couldn’t help but retort.

"In this world, there is no ’right,’ only ’choice’," Venerable Du E said slowly, "From the moment I had the thought, the choice was already determined, and this is the predetermined destiny."

Hearing this, Shen Siyuan stopped arguing. Such idealistic reasoning, in the end, was meaningless to debate.

"The benefactor indeed possesses great wisdom," Venerable Du E praised.

"I’m smart too!" came a sudden childish voice from the side. No need to guess, it must be Dou Dou—she was never shy and always had to chime in when others were talking.

Venerable Du E looked at her, his gaze growing increasingly compassionate. He bowed in salute and uttered a Buddhist name. Dou Dou imitated him, clumsily bowing with a mumbled, "Eh, me too, Buddha."

"Haha..." Venerable Du E was amused, "Little benefactor has quite the Buddha-nature."

Shen Siyuan gave him a sidelong glance—this was not Buddha-nature, but clearly pretending to be oblivious while understanding everything. He could not believe for a moment that Venerable Du E was unaware of Dou Dou’s origins.

Venerable Du E ignored his gaze and continued: "The ’Wuzi Camp’ below is a gift this humble monk leaves for the benefactor. General Qi there is extraordinarily capable and could lend you a hand... As for this broken body of mine, it is not much use anymore."

He turned his head to look at the Lotus Lamp atop Dou Dou’s head, just about to speak when his gaze suddenly froze—until now, he had not noticed the little woolen shoe on his shoulder.

His expression suddenly turned solemn, and he carefully removed the little shoe, repeatedly chanting a Buddhist name, holding it with both hands as he handed it back to Shen Siyuan, his voice slightly trembling: "This humble monk... This humble monk..."

Perhaps due to overwhelming emotion, he could not find his words for a moment.

"Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

The Buddhist name resounded again, and Venerable Du E’s whole body shone with Buddhist light like a golden sun rising from the ground. Under the illumination of the golden light, the stone formations in the valley were dispelled of petrification—the neighing of horses, the shouting of soldiers, and the clashing of weapons filled the once silent valley.

Yet Shen Siyuan paid no attention to these. As Venerable Du E’s figure dissipated, dozens of Shariputra descended from the sky, stringing together into a strand of Buddha Beads, gently falling into Dou Dou’s hand.

"Oh?" Dou Dou was astonished, as dazzling Buddhist light suddenly erupted from her being. The flame of the Lotus Lamp on her head seemed to be fueled with oil, the golden flames leaping several meters high, swaying in the air. Venerable Du E’s shadow flashed briefly within the flames before disappearing. The flames descended gently, finally condensing into a ball of golden light that enveloped Dou Dou entirely.

With the Lotus Lamp atop her head, Dou Dou did not see this scene, but others saw it clearly—including General Qi and his ghost soldiers in the valley below.

"You all stay put here, I will go investigate."

General Qi was a burly man, nearly two meters tall, with a physique as broad as a door, his voice booming yet resounding.

But his movements were extremely light, transforming into a gust of swift wind, instantly landing on the stone platform.

"Did the grand monk pass on?" As he arrived, his gaze first fell on Dou Dou.

Dou Dou was so startled by this "big bear" that she hurriedly turned and hid behind Shen Siyuan, peeking out apprehensively.

"Uh..."

The big man stroked his beard, wondering if he was really so intimidating.

"I suppose you are General Qi of whom Venerable Du E spoke?" Shen Siyuan asked.

"Indeed, I am Qi Gai," General Qi responded in his deep, booming voice.

"And how should I address you, my friend?"

"I... Ugh, my name is Shen Siyuan."

"Qi Gai greets Mr. Shen," Qi Gai said politely.

There was not the slightest trace of disdain for Shen Siyuan’s youthful appearance, which seemed weak.

As the great general leading the Wu Character Camp, one of the twelve camps in Yangzhou’s Underworld, naturally, he would not commit the folly of judging a book by its cover.

Before determining Shen Siyuan’s identity, he would never rashly offend the other party.

Shen Siyuan thought for a moment and said, "I am the Governor of Qiong Province, you can address me as Shen State Governor."

Hearing this, Qi Gai appeared shocked, then immediately knelt on one knee without hesitation: "General Qi Gai, captain of Wuzi Camp, greets the Lord."

In the Han era, ’Lord’ was the respectful form of address for a State Governor, so Qi Gai’s address was not wrong.

However, he hadn’t even seen Shen Siyuan’s Faith Seal, yet bowed without hesitation. It’s uncertain whether it was brilliance or foolishness.