Chapter 793: Chapter 491: Farewell to the Old Heavenly Master (Part 2)
The limping old monk’s gaze was gentle and serene:
"As expected, I can’t hide it from Master Zhao. Please come over, as there is a scripture I wish to give you."
Give me? Zhao Douan grew increasingly puzzled, his heart quietly tensing as he prepared for the old monk to make a sly move to trap him.
Yet, driven by curiosity, he remained calm: "What scripture?"
The limping old monk said nothing, supporting himself with a cane, slowly moved up to the sixth level, where only a few large tables stood in the center, displaying dozens of tattered scriptures:
"Does Master know the origin of these scriptures?"
Zhao Douan pondered for a moment and said, "Could they be the scriptures Xuan Yin confiscated from the Western Regions back then?"
Back then, Xuan Yin was not yet an abbot. He once entered the Western Regions and forcedly took two chests of scriptures from the Buddhist Ancestor Court. This cemented his status as an abbot.
But the limping old monk shook his head and pointed downward: "The scriptures Xuan Yin brought back are displayed on the fifth level."
Zhao Douan noticed that this old monk, merely a mortal, spoke about Abbot Xuan Yin with a tone of indifference, lacking reverence, as if he were just mentioning an ordinary monk within the temple.
Right... I recall the Scripture Pavilion within Divine Dragon Temple indeed holds a transcendent status, though without actual authority over temple management, yet the lineage of the Scripture Pavilion has its own tradition, and the appointment of monks within is beyond the abbot’s jurisdiction... Zhao Douan remembered the relevant materials he had read.
He looked at the cripple and couldn’t help but glance sideways, curious if he was like the "Sweeping Monk" in martial arts novels? A hidden boss?
"You need not overthink, Master Zhao. I am not some esteemed figure, merely a recluse guardian of the pavilion." The old monk guessed his thoughts and shook his head.
A librarian... This position is quite extraordinary... full of talents... Zhao Douan didn’t respond.
The old monk, supporting himself with a cane, slowly walked to the large table in the center: "The scriptures on this level were authored by the Moya Practitioner, its history predating Divine Dragon Temple by four or five centuries, lacking much distinction, merely recording insights on Moya Practitioner’s daily cultivation, being shelved within the temple for many years."
Moya Practitioner? Zhao Douan felt a stirring within, recalling how he had read a vast amount of information about this world’s Buddhist sect during the last scripture debate.
He knew the Moya Practitioner was a Western Region monk who first introduced Buddhist law to Yu Country a thousand years ago.
After Divine Dragon Temple was established, Moya Practitioner was later acknowledged as the founding point of Great Yu Buddhist Sect.
The old monk reached out, opened one of the scriptures, took out a special golden scripture page from it, turned around, and handed it to Zhao Douan: "Master Zhao, this Wordless Golden Scripture page is the only valuable item left by Moya Practitioner, also a treasured item passed down within the Scripture Pavilion lineage. Now, to prevent it from being destroyed by the court, I must entrust it to you."
A thousand-year-old Golden Scripture left by Moya Practitioner? Zhao Douan was dumbfounded, cautiously using his divine sense to perceive it for a moment before attempting to take it.
Upon first touch, it felt slightly heavy. The appearance of this page was like a normal paper page, except it seemed like it was made of gold, its surface smooth and wordless. If the old monk hadn’t claimed it to be scripture, anyone would think it was merely a "paper" pressed from gold foil.
"Is this thing a magic artifact? A suppressing object?" Zhao Douan inquired.
The old monk shook his head: "Unknown. Only knowing it to be impervious to water and fire, indestructible."
So, this old monk didn’t trust the court with this item, opting to give it to me instead, who was once blessed by the Worldly Venerate and has profound Buddhist law... Zhao Douan wondered: "When Xuan Yin left, did he not take this item?"
He didn’t believe Xuan Yin could be unaware of its existence.
The old monk shook his head: "When he left, he never stepped into the Scripture House."
No, with his cultivation, you wouldn’t even notice if he came in... Zhao Douan wanted to complain but held back.
He gripped the scripture, feeling slightly uneasy, unsure if it posed any danger.
"Amitabha, what I wish to say is done. Now I descend the tower into imprisonment." The limping old monk clasped his hands together and calmly spoke.
In the afternoon, sunlight streamed in through the small window of the tower, a beam of light filled with floating dust illuminated his face, resembling a living Buddha plated in gold.
"Divine Dragon Temple will perish soon, aren’t you angry?" Zhao Douan voiced his inner doubt.
This person seemed too abnormal.
Unexpectedly, this limping head of the Scripture House remained gentle and serene: "Divine Dragon Temple is merely a temple. If it perishes, it perishes. As long as Buddhist law persists, why care? Moreover, since Xuan Yin took helm of Divine Dragon Temple, this temple truly should not have continued to exist."
With these words left behind, the old monk turned away, descended with his cane, while Zhao Douan, holding the Wordless Golden Scripture, pondered deeply.
...
"Hey, what did that old monk tell you?" as the seals of the Scripture Pavilion door were welded shut,
arms crossed, Haitang watched as she supervised and asked quietly.
Nearing her, Zhao Douan said calmly: "Nothing much, just instructions on how to preserve the scripture to prevent bugs and dampness."
Really? Haitang eyed him suspiciously, full of disbelief.
Zhao Douan didn’t explain either, finding the matter peculiar, planning to inquire Zhenbao once back at the palace.
At that point, every monk within Divine Dragon Temple was also captured and brought outside the main gate, the key spots inside the temple sealed, followed by detailed inventory, confiscation, passed on to subordinates.
As Zhao Douan exited the temple gate, a Jinyi sent out to investigate Jizhao Temple across the way hurried back, whispering a report: "Sir, it’s been confirmed, Bian Ji indeed fled."
"Who said so?" Zhao Douan curiously asked.
"Princess Yunyang. When I asked, she was in the meditation room drinking, her spirits seeming poor. I asked about Bian Ji, and she said... and cursed words like ’heartless man’, ’men are not good things’," the Jinyi described vividly: "I then asked the nuns inside the temple and found out that since Your Majesty left the Capital, Master Bian Ji visited Eldest Princess frequently to explain Buddhist law... sometimes, they even talked deep into the night with inappropriate sounds coming from the meditation room..."