636 Many Meetings (2/2)
Nie Zhi left, satisfied with Meng Qi's answer. Meng Qi sipped on his tea as he pondered further. Suddenly, his senses alerted him of someone approaching. He swiftly rose and went to take a look.
There was a blur before his eyes and a grey figure appeared out of thin air in front of him!
”He had gotten so close to me when I had just noticed his presence coming... What incredible powers...” Meng Qi was wary, fully prepared to defend himself.
He looked at the stranger, a middle-aged monk clad in grey. He looked noble and honest except for his pair of eyes which bespoke cunning and deceitfulness.
”Amitabha. My name is Friar Jie Du. It is good to meet you, Master Su.” He smiled jovially as he recited the Buddhist mantra with his palms clasped.
”Friar Jie Du? Literally, ”the monk who refrains from gambling”?” But the similarities shared between his name and that of Priestess Jie Sha had not occurred to him for the name of Friar Jie Du was well-known in the Jianghu!
There were various men of the cloth who roamed the vast lands of the world, commanding formidable powers and strength. But nearly all of them were based from temples or monasteries of prominence that even pilgrim-monks were mostly part of a religious brotherhood. Almost all, except for this one. Friar Jie Du was famous in the martial world for being a true independent warrior monk who aligned with no faction but himself. For this very reason, it was incredible that he has achieved the level of a grandmaster on his own and has been named as one of the powerful martial practitioners of the Terrestrial Rankings.
Despite his modest background, everyone could not help but feel intrigued by his mysteriousness. He came and went freely as he wished and was infamous for being obsessed with gambling. He loved to bet on almost anything and has never won a bet. Once, he was even a mere inches away from losing away his hands in a gamble. He had then vowed before Buddha that he would refrain from gambling, but the pain of his consequences had faded as quickly as they came; he perpetually tumbled back into the same obsession that has continually consumed him despite his newly-adopted Dharmic name of Friar Jie Du.
Normally, a warrior of such flaws would either experience immense difficulties in improving or he would be easily ensnared by traps or malicious schemes of any malevolent foes. Yet, Friar Jie Du has managed to survive the perilous and treacherous rapids of the Jianghu until now with his powers enduringly on the rise; another trait which has contributed to his enigmatic history.
There has been much talk about Friar Jie Du revolving around in the Jianghu. Some speculated that he was a Blue- or Green-stair Assassin of the Unrelenting Tower. Some even guessed that the good friar could be the Lord of the Unrelenting Tower himself, and the name of Friar Jie Du was but a mere cloak of disguise. Yet there were also some who alluded to his close relations with the organization of the Iron-clad Building; that he could be leading one of the three most secretive divisions of the organization. Still, there was only one thing certain about him: great secrets and mysteries swirled around him.
Meng Qi responded with a gesture of respect and asked, ”And how can I help you, Friar?”
Friar Jie Du beamed gleefully and said, ”I have been informed that you, Master Su, are able to lead anyone into the realm of the Lanke Temple to meditate on and assimilate the Primary Instruction of The Buddha's Palms. The notion is most enticing to me that I have to come to ask this favor of you.”
”But I am not sure if the Bodhisattva will be pleased if I were to brazenly lead strangers into the Pure Lands of the Lanke Temple.” Meng Qi had planned to lead Ruan Yushu and the rest of his companions there. Too many an intrusion could upset the members of the Lanke Temple even if the Candramurni Bodhisattva were to hold true to her vows. The sourness could be detrimental to his future plans.
Moreover, Meng Qi was, by no means, a close associate of Friar Jie Du. Why should he lead a stranger there?
Again, the monk clasped his hands together, ”I have just lost all my fortune in a bet. This makes it difficult for me to provide anything valuable for a trade. I have an idea: let us make a bet. I will be in servitude to you for three years if I lose. But if by the graces of Luck, I were to win, you will take me to the Lanke Temple.”
”A bet... Old habits die hard with this monk, it seems...” Meng Qi giggled and spoke, ”And why would I need you? It is disturbing to have somebody trailing my steps day and night.”
Aware that he himself harbored a great many secrets, having a grandmaster following at his heels would never bode well for him. Especially when he could not take a leaf out of Immortal Yunhe's book and slip into the Gate of Plenitude at will.
Without allowing Friar Jie Du to speak, Meng Qi hastily continued, ”Can you kindly reveal the name of the person who had told you that I was allowed entry into the Lanke Temple?”
He would be incessantly harassed if word of this were to escape.
Like a thief, Friar Jie Du looked around sneakily and spoke in a hushed tone, ”I share a little friendship with He Qi. It took me great effort to pry the knowledge from him. Rest assured that no one else knows about this.”
”He Qi, 'the Sword Manic'...” The mention of the name reminded him of He Jiu and a few of his men being the only reinforcements from the Eastsea Sword Village. Meng Qi gave a small laugh, and tried to decline once more, ”Let us see what else you have to offer to persuade me, Friar.”
The monk frowned with despair, ”But I am so broke that I only have myself to offer...”
He sighed heavily and turned to leave, deeply saddened with disappointment.
Meng Qi watched the grey figure leave, whose shoes scruffily grazed the ground. Leaving the matter aside, Meng Qi returned his thoughts to the entire affair which climax was afoot.
...….....
In the residence of the Ruan Clan, He Jiu was deep in meditation on his bed. He opened his eyes suddenly and rose to his feet. With a smile lined across his face, he stepped slowly out of his doors, filled with brimming confidence.
”Where to, Young Master?” His manservant asked sheepishly.
He Jiu laughed loudly and spoke, ”I want to challenge Su Meng to a duel.”
”B-but why?” The eyes of the steward widened with surprise.
He Jiu held his hands behind his back. Passionately, he spoke, ”I had gained entry into the levels of the Exterior before him by almost a year. Yet here we are now, martial practitioners of equal levels trying to leap into the First Celestial Ladder. I can suffer no more delays; the divide between our powers will widen if I do not catch up. I should use this chance to challenge him to a duel or there might not be any chance for me to do so in the near future!”
”The fight would hardly be of any thrill to either of us in a duel if the gap between our powers widens. It would only be a one-sided match.”
The manservant hastily added kind words of consolation, ”Surely the differences will not be great. Even if he has endured the four Judgments of Heaven, you yourself have also endured one, Young Master.”
Without any grudge, He Jiu remarked with a laugh, ”I, He Jiu, am hardly a man of such pettiness. It is true that he gains power at a pace greater than mine. Still, there will be somewhere where his progress will slow at a bottleneck. It might be during the levels of the Half-step to the Dharmakaya, the Dharmakaya or even the levels of a Sage. I will continue my relentless strides with steadfastness. There will surely come a day when we can look once more at each other as equals.”
With mere words, He Jiu expressed his utmost confidence.
Saying thus, He Jiu threw his head back in laughter and stepped out of his room, heading straight to the Three-clearness Monastery.
He reached the entrance of the monastery, where a steward who waited there came to him, ”Master Su had anticipated your arrival, Master He. Please follow me into the Three-clearness Palace.”
”Very well,” He Jiu replied. He did not suppress his aura as he came, thus he was not surprised that Meng Qi had noticed him coming.
The steward led him through the square of the monastery and into the halls of the Three-clearness Palace. There, what he first noticed were the three statues seated high above.
The statues of the Primogenitor Daode and the Primogenitor Lingbao flanked the sides of the sculpture of the Heavenly Primogenitor. Looking from the left to the right, one would notice a progression from old, to middle-age, and to youth between the three figurines.
The statues of the three deities each held a Ruyi Sceptre, a green-bluish sword, and a drawing with the taiji symbol respectively. Despite not having any magical properties, the life-like statues were fashioned with great detail that one could feel the wisdom, majesty, sophistication, and greatness permeating from the clay figures. Together, the three represented the highest trinity of Taoist, each with a legend of their own. Together, their mere presence would instill fear and respect into anyone who walked the halls.
He Jiu's breath gradually relaxed. His gaze wandered down from the three impressive statues and came to rest on Meng Qi who was sitting right below them. Clad in fitting robes of black, he was sitting cross-legged with his eyes half-closed as if he was meditating deeply, his demeanor blending in with the tranquility and peace that filled the entire chamber!