Chapter 764: Chapter 482: Return to the Capital
"Amitabha."
The agreement is reached.
Xu Zhenguan’s wrist flicked lightly, the Taia Sword Light flickered, and the Sword Qi tore apart the flesh of "Xuan Yin" before him, reducing it to bare bones.
She lowered her gaze to the two corpses on the ground, silent and expressionless:
"It’s time to return to the Capital."
...
...
In the Capital, the sky was equally gloomy this day, the atmosphere oppressive.
Divine Dragon Temple, due to the ban on Buddhism, was deserted, with no devotees or followers coming to offer tributes.
Within the temple, the monks grouped in threes and fours, gathered in the meditation room either meditating on their lessons or whispering about the news spreading in the Capital today regarding the Empress’s failed Sealing ceremony, her disappearance, and the various Vassal Kings rallying under the banner of "rescue the king," marching towards the Capital.
And within the depths of the Divine Dragon Temple, in a Buddhist Temple.
The "dong dong" sound of a wooden fish suddenly ceased.
Wearing a brown monk’s robe, with a face full of wrinkles and a short stature, Master Xuan Yin opened his eyes. His cloudy eyes met the gaze of the massive golden statue of "Worldly Venerate" Buddha across the incense in the hall.
The Buddha’s face was compassionate, while Xuan Yin’s demeanor was coldly desolate.
He put down the wooden hammer in his hand, and the wooden fish that was almost as large as a chair fell silent too.
Xuan Yin slowly rose from the meditation mat, turned around, and softly called out:
"Bian Ji."
No one answered; Bian Ji was not present.
However, Xuan Yin’s voice seemed to grow wings, flying out of the Buddhist Temple, destination unknown.
Xuan Yin stepped forward, opened the temple doors, and walked down the steps. In the courtyard stood a Buddha Bell, and below the bell was a well.
This was the first well dug when the main altar of Divine Dragon Temple was established in the Capital, and also the first bell forged.
Back then, the scale of Divine Dragon Temple was far smaller than today. The monks who fled from the Western Regions and entered Yu Country had no possessions; they begged day and night for silver coins to build a small temple.
They lived around this well, sustaining a group of monks.
They struck this worn bell, chanting a volume of sutras.
Unconsciously, the incense offerings grew more numerous, the monks wealthier, and the scale of Divine Dragon Temple expanded again and again, until Buddhist temples bloomed all over the nine districts and eighteen prefectures of Yu Country.
At some point, a layer of gold paint covered the Buddha statue in the temples.
Yet, the Buddha Bell in the courtyard remained tattered.
Xuan Yin rolled up his sleeves, using his somewhat withered hand to grasp the hemp rope, gently moved the heavy hammer, and began to strike the bell.
"Dang——"
"Dang——"
The bell’s sound was not loud, unable even to penetrate the layered walls of the Buddhist temple, yet some nearby monks were attracted, gathering three or so at a distance, as if they’ve seen a ghost, watching the abbot personally strike the bell.
How many years has it been since such a spectacle was seen?
Monks throughout the World held great reverence for the god-like Xuan Yin, and now dared not approach, merely clasping their hands together from afar.
Xuan Yin struck the bell twelve times, released his grip, took a step, and vanished from the Divine Dragon Temple.
...
In the depths of Heavenly Master Mansion, in that small courtyard.
The great banyan tree gently swayed.
Wearing a dark-colored priest’s robe, tall with narrow eyes and brows, Zhang Yan Yi stood with hands behind his back in the courtyard, looking towards the direction of Divine Dragon Temple.
Xuan Yin abruptly appeared in the courtyard, and the banyan tree halted its swaying, as if holding its breath, not daring to move.
"You’re leaving?" Zhang Yan Yi asked calmly, his gaze neutral as he looked at the old monk.
Xuan Yin gently responded, "Mm," and said:
"I have agreed with Your Majesty, henceforth there will be no Divine Dragon Temple in the Capital."
Zhang Yan Yi made no comment, suddenly said:
"You bald monk surprised me; though I am reluctant to admit it, the way you stole the Magic God Sect Leader’s identity indeed escaped my notice."
The old face of Xuan Yin seemed to smile:
"Grandmaster Zhang serves the Heavenly Dao, perceiving all matters in the World. I also spent considerable effort to evade the insight of heavenly secrets."
He was very pleased, for with this move, he won against Heavenly Master Mansion once.
Few in the World could deceive the Heavenly Master, and he was one of them.
Zhang Yan Yi deeply frowned:
"What exactly are you trying to do? Is it merely for the East and West to converge? To leave your name in Buddhist history, right next to Buddha? No, with your embodiment practicing the Heavenly Dao, your plot is certainly not just this."
Peeling away the monk robe, Xuan Yin, almost akin to an ordinary old farmer in the fields, chuckled "hehe," and said:
"Haven’t you already guessed it?"
Zhang Yan Yi said in a deep voice:
"Attempts to blend the Heavenly Dao with the Worldly Venerate into one, to impact the state of Human Immortal, are not yours alone; everyone who tried this path failed back then. Haven’t you learned your lesson?"
Xuan Yin shook his head and said with a smile: "You practice the Heavenly Dao, advocating for acting according to circumstances, but my practice of Worldly Venerate differs from yours."
"Hmph," Zhang Yan Yi coldly snorted, brushing his sleeve:
"Whatever path you pursue, I don’t care, but if you set your sights on Heavenly Master Mansion, I won’t hesitate to follow the predecessors from six hundred years ago and take down the Buddha."
Xuan Yin smiled silently and stepped forward, disappearing.
After he left, witnessing the dialogue between two top Heavenly Humans, the banyan tree, too scared to breathe in fear, resumed swaying its branches, the face on its crown appearing:
"That monk went north."
North? Zhang Yan Yi’s heart stirred, realizing something, brushed his sleeve and returned indoors:
"Won’t shed tears till you’re at the grave!"
...
...
Jizhao Temple.
In a meditation room, Princess Yunyang lay lazily on the couch, her long legs exposed in the air like two white pythons.
Her snow-white arms stretched leisurely, covered only by a thin blanket, she mumbled in fatigue, reaching out in vain.
She opened her eyelids, noticing the window of the meditation room was open, Bian Ji dressed in white monk robes, quietly standing by the window, looking at the foliage and sky outside.
"Mage... what are you thinking about?"
Yunyang showed a foolish smile at the corner of her mouth, crossed her legs and sat up, the thin blanket on her upper body slipped from her shoulders, spring light spilling freely, yet she hardly cared.
The Eldest Princess, nearly celibate for a year, was quite happy recently. The annoying old nun Bodhi left, and the niece who ordered her confinement also "left," leaving no one in the nunnery to control her.