Chapter - 10 Sword Qi And Lines of Jade Smoke (1/2)

Early in the morning, Duan Zhengchun bid his wife and son farewell. Upon hearing Duan Yu say that Mu Wanqing had already slipped away with her mother the previous night, he seemed dazed for a long time. He let out a sigh, then inquired as to the status of Cui Baiquan and Guo Yanzhi. He was informed that the two had left early in the morning, travelling northwards. Following this, he took the three ministers and four imperial guards to meet with Emperor Baoding, before departing with the monks Huizhen and Huiguan for Luliang prefecture. Duan Yu escorted him for ten li past the eastern gate before turning back.

By now, it was afternoon. Emperor Baoding was within his palace, reading and reciting Buddhist scriptures, when a eunuch named Zhanshi from Duan Zhengchun's palace entered with a message. ”Reporting to your majesty. Your imperial brother's son has fallen ill to some sort of strange disease. The imperial doctor has already been dispatched to investigate.” Emperor Baoding had been worried all along that Duan Yu might not have escaped from Crown Prince Yanqing's poison without injury. He immediately sent two of his own eunuch's to further investigate the situation. After an hour had passed, the two eunuch's returned with news. ”Your Imperial Crown Brother's son's disease is a serious one. His mind seems to be deranged.”

Emperor Baoding was inwardly alarmed. He immediately left his palace, heading towards the South Subduing Palace to personally investigate. As soon as he reached Duan Yu's bedchamber, he could hear a cacophonous series of sounds without end. Peng peng, ping pang, ka la, qiang lang. It was as though many household utensils were being smashed. The servants outside the room immediately knelt upon seeing the Emperor. A look of panic was on their faces.

Upon entering the room, Emperor Baoding saw Duan Yu dancing in the middle of the room like a madman, tossing and throwing about all sorts of household items, including the tables and the chairs. The two imperial physicians were dodging this way and that way, a pitiable sight. Emperor Baoding cried out, ”Yu'er, what's wrong?”

Duan Yu was still quite clear-headed. However, the internal energy flowing throughout his body was simply too powerful, raging as though it were preparing to burst forth from his chest. If he waved his arms about and destroyed some things, he felt slightly more comfortable. Upon seeing Emperor Baoding enter the room, he called out, ”Uncle, I'm about to die!” His two hands frantically drew circles in the air as he spoke.

Dao Baifeng was standing off to one side, tears flowing. She said, ”Elder brother, Yu'er was perfectly fine this morning when he saw his father off. I don't know how or why, but he's suddenly gone mad.” Emperor Baoding consoled her, ”Sister-in-law, it must be that the drugs he was poisoned with in the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge have not fully been eradicated yet. It won't be too hard to cure.” He said to Duan Yu, ”How are you feeling?”

Repeatedly stamping his feet, Duan Yu replied, ”My entire body feels swollen and is incredibly painful.” Emperor Baoding saw that the skin on his face and his hands seemed unblemished and perfectly normal, without the slightest sign of swelling at all. This, clearly, was a case of Duan Yu's mind being confused. He couldn't help but furrow his forehead.

As it were, this was caused by his draining of a small half of the internal energy reserves of those five master martial artists last night. At the time, he hadn't noticed anything amiss, and after he had seen his father off, he went home and took a small nap. In the midst of his slumber, his internal energy began to circulate improperly, and instantly began to rush about wildly. Duan Yu had immediately jumped up and began to exercise the steps of the Graceful Steps Upon the Waves. But as he moved faster and faster, the energy in his body only grew more and more agitated, growing even wilder and even less controllable. Right away, he began to shout and howl, terrifying everyone in the household.

An imperial physician opined, ”Your majesty, his pulse is incredibly strong and vigorous right now. It seems as though his blood vessels have become enormously dilated. In your humble servant's opinion, a little bit of bloodletting may prove helpful. May we try it?” Thinking to himself that this idea might have some merit, Emperor Baoding nodded. ”Fine. Go ahead and bleed him a little.” The imperial physician replied, ”Yes sir!” Opening his medicine bag, he retrieved from within a porcelain box a particularly large and fat leech. Leeches were considered to be an excellent way to bleed a patient, as it could draw away a patient's blood conveniently but not cause pain. Grabbing onto Duan Yu's forearm, the imperial physician carefully placed the leech directly on top of a blood vessel. But as soon as the leech touched Duan Yu's body, it began to writhe and squirm. No matter what the imperial physician did, it refused to bite Duan Yu. The imperial physician was startled. He forcefully pressed the leech down against Duan Yu's blood vessels. After some time passed, the leech's body grew stiff. It had actually died. The imperial physician, having humiliated himself in front of the emperor, began to sweat. He hurriedly withdrew a second leech from his medicine bag, but to no effect; it, too, ossified and died.

A worried look on his face, the other physician interjected, ”Your majesty, he must have been poisoned by some sort of powerful toxin. Even the leech was poisoned to death.” He had no idea that Duan Yu had swallowed the ”King of Ten Thousand Poisons”, the Cinnabar Toad. Any sort of serpent or vermin, upon smelling Duan Yu, would fearfully scurry far away. Even the most venomous of vipers would be cowed into submission, much less a mere leech.

Emperor Baoding was extremely worried. He asked, ”What sort of poison is it, for it to be so incredibly lethal?” The physician replied, ”In your humble servant's opinion, your nephew's pulse seems to be incredibly dry. He must have been poisoned by some sort of extremely hot poison. But as to exactly what that poison might be? Well…that is….forgive your humble servant's inadequacy…” The other physician said, ”I disagree. His pulse appears to have a deficiency of Yin. The toxin must be cold in nature. A hot toxin may neutralize it.” In reality, Duan Yu's body was not only bursting with powerful, vigorous, masculine Yang internal energy from the Yellow Browed Monk, the Divine Crocodile, and Zhong Wanchou, but also with the soft Yin internal energy from Ye Erniang and Yun Zhonghe. Each of the physicians could only grasp half of the problem, and thus were unable to come up with the real answer as to why he was so ill.

Emperor Baoding listened as the two physicians debated each other incessantly. They were the finest medical minds Dali had to offer, and yet their diagnoses differed so radically. However, it was unarguable that his nephew's illness was bizarre to the extreme. Stretching out the 'Shi', 'Zhong', and 'Wuming' fingers [the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger, respectively], he gently touched the ”Lique” acupoint on Duan Yu's wrist. The scions of the Duan family had a strange characteristic; unlike ordinary people, whose pulses flowed through the ”Cunkou” point, theirs flowed through the ”Lique” point. This was what physicians termed the ”Reversed Juncture Pulse”.

Upon seeing Emperor Baoding demonstrate a profound knowledge of medicine with this simple movement, the two famous physicians were in awe. One of them said, ”This is written in medical books: 'A Reversed Juncture Pulse on the left hand is the sign of nobility; one on the right hand is a symbol of wealth. For both hands to have a reversed juncture is a sign of great nobility and great wealth.' His highness, the South Subduing Prince, and his nephew all have 'Reversed Juncture Pulses' on both hands.”

The other one opined, ”One needn't test their acupoints to know that these three are of great nobility and wealth.” The first one replied, ”That isn't the point. For his nephew to have two 'Reversed Juncture Pulses' is a sign that although this illness is certainly fearful, it will not prove to be a serious problem.” The second physician disagreed. He secretly thought to himself, ”What, no one who is both rich and noble can die young?” But he didn't dare say this aloud.

Emperor Baoding found that his nephew's pulse was both strong and quick. If it continued, how could his heart possibly stand the strain? He exerted the slightest bit of pressure with his finger, trying to discover any irregularities within Duan Yu's internal energy's circulatory system. Immediately, his own internal energy began to flow towards Duan Yu, disappearing without a trace. Greatly astonished, he hurriedly released Duan Yu.

He was unaware that Duan Yu had already learned the ”Divine Art of the Northern Darkness” and mastered the 'Shoutaiyinfei' channels of absorption. The 'Lieque' acupoint just so happened to be part of that set of meridian channels. When he exerted his internal energy, he only filled Duan Yu's body with even more internal energy.

Duan Yu cried out, ”Ow!” His entire body began to violently shake, trembling without end.

Emperor Baoding retreated two steps. He said, ”Yu'er, did you somehow come across Ding Chunqiu of Xingxiuhai?” Duan Yu replied, ”Ding…Ding Chunqiu? Your nephew doesn't know the person.” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Rumors say that he is an old man with the appearance similar to that of a Taoist divinity in paintings.” Duan Yu replied, ”I've never met him before!” Emperor Baoding said, ”This man is learned in heretic and evil martial arts, and is a master at dissolving and destroying the internal energy of others with some sort of skill called the ”Great Art of Energy Dissipating. He can cause the internal energy which a martial artist has cultivated all his life to be destroyed in a day. There is nobody in the wulin world who does not utterly despise him. If…if you never met him, how could you have learned this evil skill?” Duan Yu hurriedly replied, ”I have never…never learned such a skill. 'Ding Chunqiu' and the 'Great Art of Energy Dissipating'…this is the first time I've ever heard of either.”

Emperor Baoding felt that Duan Yu wouldn't lie to him, much less try to dissipate his own internal energy. Suddenly, another thought hit him. ”I know! It must be that Crown Prince Yanqing learned this heretic skill. Somehow, he must have found a way to implant the art within Yu'er's body, with the intention of using Yu'er to harm me and brother Chun. Hmph, this man claims to be the 'Most Evil Man in the World'. He lives up to the reputation!”

He saw Duan Yu randomly scratch and tear at his body, ripping his clothes to utter shreds. Bloody lines began to appear on Duan Yu's body. It was only with an effort that he managed to refrain from howling out, but continuous groans escaped from his lips. Dao Baifeng repeatedly tried to console him, ”Yu'er, just endure it for a bit longer. Everything will be alright soon.” Emperor Baoding thought to himself, ”What a difficult problem…I must seek advice from the Heavenly Dragon Monastery.” He said, ”Yu'er, I am going to take you to pay your respects to a number of elders. I'm sure that they will have some way to cure this vile poison!” Duan Yu replied, ”Yes sir!” Dao Baifeng hurriedly retrieved a new set of garments for her son to change into. Emperor Baoding escorted him out of the palace. Each mounting a chariot, they rode for Mt. Diancang.

The Heavenly Dragon Monastery was located outside of the city of Dali, being situated in the northern peaks of the Diancang mountains. Its formal name was the 'Sublime Sage Monastery' [Chongsheng Si], but the citizens had become accustomed to simply calling it the Heavenly Dragon Monastery. Its was built on the shoulders of Mt. Diancang, facing the waters of a river, an utterly lovely sight The monastery had three pagodas which were built during the Tang dynasty. The largest one was sixteen stories high, stretching over seventy meters. At the top, the following words were inscribed in metal: ”Virtuously Built by Yuchi Jing, Loyal Officer of the Great Tang.” Of the five treasures of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery, the three pagodas were considered to be the chief.

Many of the ancestors of the Duan family who became Emperor eventually discarded their thrones and became monks here, at the Heavenly Dragon Monastery. Thus, the Heavenly Dragon Monastery became the family temple for the imperial family of Dali. It was the most respected and venerated monastery in all of Dali. After each former Emperor came here, upon their birthdays, their sons and grandsons would come to the monastery to pay their respects. And each time they paid their respects, they would build a new building as a gift. The temple possessed three pavilions, seven storied buildings, nine halls, and a hundred mansions, all of them huge in size and majestic in beauty. Even the most famous Buddhist mountain temples of the central plains, such as Wutai, Putuo, Jiuhua, or Emei could not match its splendid opulence. Only, it was situated too far to the south, and thus its fame was not as great.

During the journey, Duan Yu listened to his uncle's instructions and suppressed the incessantly clashing and raging energy streams within him. As the pain subsided slightly, he arrived with his uncle in front of the monastery. Emperor Baoding was very familiar with the Heavenly Dragon Monastery, having often come here, and immediately searched for the abbot of the monastery, master Benyin.

In terms of familial relationship, Abbot Benyin would be considered Emperor Baoding's uncle. However, as a monk, he did not need to pay Emperor Baoding the respects due to a king, nor did Emperor Baoding need to treat him as he might ordinarily treat a family elder. The two met with each other on equal terms. Emperor Baoding explained how Duan Yu was kidnapped by Crown Prince Yanqing, how he had been poisoned with a vile venom, and how he had been afflicted with an evil skill that caused him to dissolve the internal energy of others.

Abbot Benyin mumbled to himself for a short period of time, then said, ”Please accompany me to Muni [as in Sakyamuni] Pavilion and meet with my three apprentice-brothers.” Emperor Baoding said, ”I have disturbed the tranquil meditations of so many master monks. My sin is grievous indeed!” Abbot Benyin replied, ”The son of the South Subduing Prince shall one day be the heir to the throne of Dali, which will be a true blessing to the people of the country. Your experience and internal energy can only be above that of my own. For you to come and ask me for help can only mean that this is a difficult problem indeed. I cannot help you by myself, and must consult with my apprentice-brothers.”

Two young apprentice monks led the way, with Abbot Benyin directly behind him and Emperor Baoding with his nephew in the rearmost position. They took a left at the Auspicious Crane Gate, passed by the Billowing Heaven Gate, the Jade Pavilion of the Pure Capital, the Boundless Hall, the Three Principals Temple, the Great Tushita [a heavenly realm] Courtyard, the Rain and Flowers Courtyard, and the Prana Terrace. Finally, they arrived at a long corridor. The two apprentice monks respectfully stood outside the doorway, halting their steps. Following the corridor, the three headed westwards, arriving at a number of rooms. Although Duan Yu had often come to the Heavenly Dragon Monastery, he had never come here before. Those rooms were all built out of pinewood. The wooden pillars were simple and unadorned and in perfect shape. They looked totally different from the splendid and majestic buildings which the three had passed on their way here.

Abbot Benyin clapped his hands together a few times, then said, ”Amitabha! Benyin has come across a difficult problem which I cannot solve. Forgive me for interrupting your studies, my apprentice-brothers.” From within a room, someone spoke, ”Please enter, abbot!” Slowly, Benyin stretched out his hand and pushed the door open. The door creaked and squeaked as it opened; clearly, it was opened or closed only very rarely. Duan Yu followed Abbot Benyin as the latter walked walked inside. Earlier, he had heard Benyin say he would consult with 'three apprentice-brothers', but there were four monks inside, seated on cattail hassocks. Of the three monks that could be seen, two of them had withered appearances, with the third one possessed of a large frame. The fourth monk was situated towards the east, and was facing the wall, still and unmoving.

Emperor Baoding recognized the two withered, skinny monks; one was named Benguan, the other was named Benxiang. They were Abbot Benyin's elder apprentice-brothers. The large, stalwart monk was named Bencan; he was Benyin's younger apprentice-brother. He only knew that Muni Pavilion housed three elder monks with the names 'Guan,' 'Xiang', and 'Can'; but did not recognize the fourth monk. He immediately bowed low and paid his respects. A slight smile on their lips, Benguan and the other two returned his salute. Perhaps the monk facing the wall was rooted to the floor, or his studies had reached a critical juncture and rendered him unable to turn his attention away; regardless, he did not pay the slightest attention to Emperor Baoding. Emperor Baoding knew that the two characters, 'Mu' and 'Ni', referred to stillness and quiet. In the Muni Pavilion, the fewer words that he spoke, the better. Thus he was succinct and terse in describing the evil poison flowing in Duan Yu's body. He finished by saying, ”I earnestly hope that you four can benevolently give me some pointers.”

Benguan mumbled to himself for some time while measuring up Duan Yu. He said, ”Apprentice brothers, what do you think?” Bencan replied, ”Even though it would cost some energy, it might not render us incapable of mastering the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians'.”

Upon hearing the four words, ”Liu Mai Shen Jian” [Six Meridians Divine Sword]”, Emperor Baoding felt a shock in his heart. He thought to himself, ”In my youth, my father once told me that the Duan family's ancestral homeland had an infinitely powerful skill known as the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians.' But according to my father, this was just a legend, and no one in our family history was recorded as actually having mastered this technique. Moreover, no one actually knows if this technique is really as powerful as the legends say. From the words of master Benguan, it seems as though such a wondrous skill actually exists!”

His thoughts turned in another direction. ”Judging from his words, they intend to drive away the poison from Duan Yu's body by using their own internal energy, but doing so would tire them out and obstruct their attempts at mastering the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians'. But Yu'er has been poisoned with an evil toxin and an evil skill has been implanted in his body; both are deadly and strange to the extreme. If the five of us do not combine our strengths, how can he be cured?” Although he felt extremely apologetic, in the end, he did not decline the suggestion. Benxiang did not say a single word. He rose to his feet, lowered his head, furrowed his eyebrows, then took a slanted position at the northeast side of the room. Benguan and Bencan each returned to their respective positions as well. Abbot Benyin said, ”Shanzai, Shanzai!” [Shanzai is a Buddhist exclamation, usually signifying a good deed being done]. He took a position towards the west-southwest.

Emperor Baoding said, ”Yu'er, these four elders of yours have decided to use their own internal energy to drive out the poison in your veins, not caring about the loss of their own strength. Quickly kowtow and thank them!” From the expression on his uncle's face as well as that of the four monks, Duan Yu knew that this was no small matter indeed. He immediately fell to his knees and kowtowed to each of the monks in turn. Each of them smiled faintly and nodded in response. Emperor Baoding said, ”Yu'er, rest on your knees. Don't think about anything at all, and definitely don't exert so much as an ounce of your internal energy. If you feel some strange sensations, don't be alarmed; this is normal.” Duan Yu acknowledged the instructions, then sat down as instructed.

Benguan held up his right thumb and, exercising a precise amount of force, pressed it against the ”Fengfu” acupoint behind Duan Yu's skull. The force of his Solitary Solar Finger gradually emerged. The ”Fengfu” acupoint was roughly an inch beneath the hairline, and belonged to the ”Du” meridians. Next, Benxiang struck the ”Zigong” acupoint of Duan Yu's ”Ren” meridians. Bencan struck the ”Daheng” acupoint of his ”Yinwei” meridians. Abbot Benyin struck his ”Youmen” acupoint of his ”Chong” meridians. Finally, Emperor Baoding struck his ”Qingming” acupoint of his ”Yinjiao” meridians. A human body has seven channels and eight meridians; of the eight meridians, the five of them ignored the ”Yangwei” and the ”Yangjiao” meridians. All five of them exercised the Solitary Solar Finger, attempting to purify his body of any toxins or evil energies with their pure Yang energy, driving them out through the acupoints of his ”Yangwei” and ”Yangjiao” meridians.

These five masters of the Solitary Solar Finger had each achieved a very close level of attainment within it. With a 'chi-chi' sound, five streams of pure Yang energy entered Duan Yu's body at the same time. Duan Yu's body suddenly trembled and was filled with an incredibly warm sensation that was indescribably comfortable, as though he were soaking in the sunlight during winter. The five people's fingers moved in unison. They felt as though after their energies entered Duan Yu's body, they would gradually vanish, never to reappear. Duan Yu had not fully mastered all of the aspects of the ”Divine Art of the Northern Darkness”, but with the five masters pouring the pure Yang energy of their Solitary Solar Finger into his body, he was helpless to resist, and the energy began to collect in his 'sea of energy' at his ”Shanzhong” acupoint. The five elite experts of the Duan family gazed at each other, startlement and bewilderment covering each and every one of their faces.

Suddenly, a powerful cry was heard. ”WUHUA!” Everyone's ears shook with the sound, a buzzing noise filling them. Emperor Baoding knew that this was an extremely high-level Buddhist technique known as the ”Lion's Roar” [Shizi Hou]. Within the roar was hidden an extremely deep internal force, easily capable of terrifying opponents or astonishing friends. The monk who was facing the wall spoke. ”A powerful opponent is arriving in but a few days, and the centuries-old fame of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery is dangling above a precipice. As for this mewling babe, regardless of whether he has been poisoned or afflicted with some evil skill; is it really worth it to waste internal energy over him at this critical juncture?” These sentences were filled with an awe-inspiring dignity and majesty.

Abbot Benyin said, ”Martial-uncle, your instructions are wise!” With a wave of his left hand, the five people retreated at the same time.

Upon hearing Abbot Benyin address that man as 'martial-uncle', Emperor Baoding hurriedly said, ”I was unaware that elder Kurong was present, and am guilty of being remiss in paying my proper respects.” As it were, elder Kurong was of the highest ranking generation in the Heavenly Dragon Monastery. He had secluded himself into isolated meditation for decades now, and none of the monks of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery had ever seen his actual face. Emperor Baoding, as well, had only heard of him but had never met him before. In the past, he had heard that elder Kurong was in secluded meditation at the Two Trees Courtyard, but no one had mentioned him in over ten years. He had assumed that elder Kurong had achieved nirvana [i.e. died].

Elder Kurong continued, ”One must consider a matter's relative importance and urgency. The date of our appointment with the Shining King of the Great Wheel, from the Great Snowy Mountain, is almost upon us. Zhengming, why don't you join us in discussing the matter.” Emperor Baoding replied, ”Yes!” In his heart, he thought to himself, ”The Great Snowy Mountain's Shining King of the Great Wheel possesses a deep and erudite understanding of the dharma. I wonder what he connection he has with us?”

From within his bosom, Abbot Benyin withdrew a resplendent golden letter, passing it over to Emperor Baoding. Emperor Baoding accepted the letter. It weighed heavily in his hand. This letter was exceptionally bizarre; its 'envelope' was actually an extremely thin layer gold beaten into the shape of a envelope, with the words written in Sanskrit using platinum ['white gold']. Emperor Baoding could read it. The words were, ”Respectfully Presented to the Sublime Sage Monastery”.

He withdrew the actual letter from the envelope; it, too, was made out of an exceptionally thin sheet of beaten gold. Once again, the words were written in Sanskrit. The general meaning was, ”Many years ago, I had a chance meeting with the honorable Murong Bo. In the course of our meeting, we conversed at length about the various martial arts in the world. Mr. Murong held your temple's ”Divine Sword of the Six Meridians” in the highest esteem, and deeply regretted not having the opportunity to visit you to see it himself. I recently have heard that Mr. Murong passed away; my sorrow is boundless. I respectfully request that your revered monastery transmit to me the manuscript of the ”Divine Sword of the Six Meridians”, so that I might burn it in sacrifice before Mr. Murong's tomb. I will arrive in a number of days; I hope that my wish might be granted.”

The letter was signed, ”Jiumozhi, disciple of the Great Wheel Temple of the Great Snowy Mountain, pays his deepest respects.” The words on the letter were also written using platinum; the carefulness and worksmanship displayed was nothing short of exquisite. Clearly, it had been crafted by a master artisan who had expended boundless efforts in making it. The letter and envelope alone could be considered an overwhelmingly priceless treasure, displaying the obvious wealth and opulence of the Shining King of the Great Wheel.

Emperor Baoding had heard before that Jiumozhi, the Shining King of the Great Wheel, was the national protector and dharma king [an extremely high rank in Tibetan Buddhism; the Golden Wheel Monk of ROCH was originally also titled 'dharma king'] of the nation of Tibet. He had heard that the man possessed a staggering intellect and a clear understanding of Buddhism. Every five years, he would hold lectures where he would expound at length on various scriptures. Many high monks and men of great virtue of the western regions would converge at the Great Wheel Monastery of the Great Snowy Mountain to ask for clarifications regarding difficult-to-understand parts of various scriptures. After the discussions were complete and the people began to depart, there would not be a single person who was not joyful and full of praise. Emperor Baoding himself had once desired to travel there to listen to the readings of the scriptures. This letter described him as having discussed martial arts with Gusu's Murong Bo, and even becoming intimate friends with him; clearly, then, the man was also an extremely skilled martial artist. For such a man of great intelligence and wisdom, it would be perfectly normal for him not to practice martial arts. If he really were to be a martial artist as well, then he must be a formidable character indeed.

Abbot Benyin said, ”The 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' is a precious treasure of our monastery, passed down from generation to generation. It represents the highest level of martial arts learning which the Duan family of Dali possesses. Zhengming, Dali's Duan family's most advanced martial arts technique resides here, in the Heavenly Dragon Monastery. You are not a monk, but a secular man; therefore, even though you are our nephew and possess a deep understanding of many abstruse martial arts concepts, we could not divulge it to you.” Emperor Baoding said, ”Yes, I understand this rule.” Benguan said, ”Not even Zhengming and Zhengchun knew that our monastery possessed the manuscript for learning the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians'. I wonder how it is that Gusu's Murong family learned of it.”

Duan Yu, listening, suddenly thought of the 'Blessed Reading Ground' within the cave near Mt. Wuliang, and its empty shelves. One of the shelves had been marked ”the Duan family of Dali”, with two additional markings on it: ”Solitary Solar Finger, missing” and ”Divine Sword of the Six Meridians, missing.” He thought to himself, ”My Dear Goddess scoured the land for the martial arts manuscripts of every family and school in the world, but was never able to acquire my family's ”Solitary Solar Finger” and ”Divine Sword of the Six Meridians.” He felt delight in his heart, but also some melancholy as he imagined how much the Dear Goddess must have regretted their absence.

He heard Benguan angrily say, ”The Shining King of the Great Wheel can be considered a world-famous monk of high standing. He must have lost his wits! How can he demand this manuscript from our monastery? Zhengming, as our brother abbot knows, 'If he comes, he comes not with good intentions, but with ill will.' This matter is of the utmost importance, and we ourselves dare not handle it by ourselves. Thus, we invited martial-uncle Kurong to lead us in handling the situation.”

Benyin said, ”Although our monastery does indeed have this manuscript, I am ashamed to admit that none of us are capable of learning the divine skill written upon it. We can't even be said to have a rudimentary knowledge of it. Martial-uncle Kurong has been practicing that which is known as 'withered ['Ku', like his name] meditation'. This is a totally different type of divine skill which our monastery possesses. He, too, is lacking in understanding in the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians'. But although we are incapable of learning this skill, no one in the world knows about it. Can it be that the Shining King of the Great Wheel is totally confident in himself and is not afraid of the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' at all?

Kurong icily said, ”I doubt that he dares to look down upon the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians'. The respect which he holds for Murong Bo, and the respect which Murong Bo held for the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians', hmph…I am sure the Shining King of the Great Wheel himself knows which one he holds in greater import. But most likely, he has guessed that, as our monastery has not produced any exceptionally astonishing martial artists, though the manuscript may be priceless, no one can master its skills, and thus he is not worried.”

Benguan loudly shouted, ”If he himself admires the skill and asked for a chance to borrow it and read it, on account of us respecting him as an eminent Buddhist monk, at most we would gently and tactfully refuse. There's no big deal. What really pisses me off is that he's going to go burn it in front of some dead guy. He's really thinking too little of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery!”

Benxiang let out a sigh. ”Martial brother, there is no need for you to work yourself into such a rage. I do not think that the Shining King of the Great Wheel is such an ignorant and presumptuous man. It seems he wishes to imitate the story of 'Wu Jizha hanging a sword on the tomb'. It appears he held Mr. Murong in the utmost of esteem. Alas, an excellent friend passes away, and can never be seen again…” And he slowly began to shake his head. Emperor Baoding said, ”Master Benxiang, what was the character of Mr. Murong Bo?” Benxiang said, ”I do not know. But for such an extraordinary character as the Shining King of the Great Wheel to hold him in such esteem, he must have been an incredible person indeed.” And as he spoke, he seemed to be carried away and carefree.

[Here is a quick summary of the story of Wu Jizha: Wu Jizha was a man of the Zhou dynasty who had a good friend named Xu Jun. Jizha had a precious sword created for him that he needed for a special mission; his friend Xu Jun saw the sword and wanted it very much for himself, but said nothing, as it would be inappropriate. Wu Jizha saw that his friend wanted it and intended to gift him the sword, but could not do so immediately, as he needed it for the mission. He vowed to himself that he would give Xu Jun the sword when he returned, but by the time he completed the mission, Xu Jun was dead. Besides himself with grief, Wu Jizha went to Xu Jun's tomb and hung his sword over a tree overlooking the tomb. When people asked him what was the point of him doing so, he replied, 'Although Xu Jun has departed, the promise I made him in my heart still binds me. I promised myself that when I returned, I would make a gift of the sword to him; how could I allow such a paltry thing as death stand in the way of me keeping my oath?']

Abbot Benyiin continued, ”Martial-uncle Kurong believes that, based upon his judgement of our enemy's capabilities, unless we are able to quickly master the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians', the precious manuscript will be forcibly taken from us, and the Heavenly Dragon Monastery will suffer a crushing blow. Unfortunately, the divine technique written on the scroll is heavily dependent upon one's internal energy reserve, and so there's no way to simply hasten one's learning of it. Zhengming, it's not that we don't care about Duan Yu or his condition. Only, we fear that if we exhaust too much internal energy and our powerful enemy suddenly arrives, we won't be able to fend him off. It seems that although Duan Yu's problem is very severe, he won't be at risk of losing his life for many days yet. Let's have him quietly rest here for the next few days. If his condition suddenly takes a dangerous turn for the worse, we will immediately come up with a solution to cure him. After we have driven off our enemy, we will exert all of our energies into curing him and driving out the poison in his body. What do you think?”

Although Emperor Baoding was worried about Duan Yu, he also was capable of understanding the big picture. He knew that the Heavenly Dragon Monastery was a fundamental root and supporting structure of Dali's Duan family. Whenever the imperial family was in trouble, the Heavenly Dragon Monastery would lend its support, and each time they would pull through. In the past, when the treacherous official Yang Yizhen murdered Emperor Shangde and stole the throne, it was the Heavenly Dragon Monastery who, along with loyal official Gao Zhisheng, put down rebellion and restored peace. Dali was established in the second year of Heavenly Fortune, of the Later Jin dynasty of the Five Dynasties period; it had existed for a hundred and fifty eight years now. It had undergone many trials and tribulations. One of the major reasons why the state had been able to survive them all was the calming and steadying influence of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery. Today, the Heavenly Dragon Monastery was in trouble; this was identical to the state itself being in danger. He immediately said, ”Abbot, your benevolence is greatly appreciated, and my gratitude towards you is boundless. But if I might ask, how do you intend to defend against the Shining King of the Great Wheel, and how can I, Zhengming, offer my humble assistance?”

Benyin mumbled to himself, ”You are a master amongst the secular members of the Duan family. If you can work together with us to defeat this powerful opponent, it will add to our prestige. But for you, a secular person, to get involved in a dispute between Buddhist disciples…no doubt, the Shining King of the Great Wheel will laugh at us, mocking the Heavenly Dragon Monastery for not being able to take care of ourselves.”

Kurong suddenly said, ”If each of us were to try to individually learn the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians', it would be impossible. Simply put, our internal energy is not strong enough. I had once thought of a workaround, where six of us each master a single one of the six meridians, and all six of us strike in unison. Although there is no glory in us fighting him six against one, in the end, we aren't challenging him to a duel, but trying to protect our monastery and our scriptures. Even if a hundred of us were to fight him at the same time, it would be acceptable. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of a sixth person in the Heavenly Dragon Monastery who was skilled enough to join us. I have worried about this conundrum for a long time. Zhengming, why don't you take the sixth position? Only, you'll have to shave your head and switch into monastery robes.” He spoke more and more quickly, as though he were getting very excited; however, his tone of voice was as icy and cold as ever.

Emperor Baoding said, ”I have always desired to fully devote myself to the Buddha and his teachings. Only, with regards to the secret manuscript, well, I've never seen it before. For me to try and learn it so hastily, I'm afraid that…”

Bencan said, ”You long ago learned the fundamentals to this skill. You only need to learn the sword techniques.” Emperor Baoding did not understand. He said, ”Abbot, please explain.” Abbot Benyin said, ”Be seated.” Emperor Baoding knelt down on one of the cattail hassocks.

Benyin said, ”The 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' is not an actual, physical sword. It is the transformation of the energy of the Solitary Solar Finger into sword qi. It has substance, but is invisible; it can be described as 'invisible sword qi'. The 'Six Meridians' refer to the six meridians near the hand from which the energy is executed; the ”Taiyinfei” channels [Lunar Lung], the ”Jueyinxinbao” channels [Yin Pericardium], the ”Shaoyinxin” channels [Lesser Yin Heart], the ”Taiyangxiaochang” channels [Solar Intestine], the ”Yangmingwei” channels [Brilliant Yang Stomach], and the ”Shaoyangsanjiao” channels [Three Lesser Yang Cavities]. And as he spoke, he withdrew a rolled up scroll from behind Benguan's hassock.

Bencan took the scroll over, unfurling it and hanging it up on the wall. The passage of many years had turned the paper a sickly yellowish-brown color. A picture of a naked male was on the paper, with all of his acupoints clearly marked out. Red and black lines were used to indicate how the internal energy was supposed to flow amongst the six meridians. Emperor Baoding was a superb expert of the Solitary Solar Finger; at a single glance, he could tell that the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' was indeed based upon the Solitary Solar Finger as its foundation.

Duan Yu was lying on the floor, resting. Upon seeing the naked male picture on the scroll, his thoughts instantly turned to the scroll which he accidentally tore up. He thought to himself, ”The acupoints of men and women are identical. Dear Goddess was so strange. Why did she draw a scroll of a naked woman instead of a man, much less use give that naked woman her own features?” He faintly felt that it was inappropriate, as though his Dear Goddess had intended to use her beauty and features to lure men into staring at the scroll and seduce them into learning its martial arts. In his delirium, he had accidentally torn up the scroll; perhaps this was actually to his benefit and had aided him in avoiding some sort of catastrophe. But thinking in such a way would profane the Dear Goddess' purity, and so the thought only flashed by his mind, and he dared not ponder on it longer.

Benyin said, ”Zhengming, you are the absolute ruler of the country of Dali. For you to change into a monk's attire is a critical stopgap measure, but if our enemy realizes who you actually are, a huge blow will be dealt to the prestige of Dali. I leave it to you to decide whether or not the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.” Emperor Baoding folded his hands together. ”Guard the dharma, protect the monastery. Honor and duty leave no other options.” Benyin replied, ”Excellent. However, the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' may not be passed down to secular disciples. You must enter the monastery gates and become an actual monk; after our opponent has been driven off, I will permit you to return to the secular world and unfrock you.” Emperor Baoding rose to his feet, then knelt down on both knees. ”Great master, please be benevolent [and accept me as a disciple].”

Elder Kurong said, ”Come over here. I will shave you.”

Emperor Baoding moved forwards until he was kneeling before elder Kurong. Seeing his uncle prepare to be shaven and join the ranks of the monks, Duan Yu was secretly shocked. He watched as elder Kurong stretched his hand out and pressed his palm against the top of Emperor Baoding's head. There was not so much as a single shred of muscle on his hand; the only thing which lay underneath his skin was bone. Elder Kurong still did not turn around, as he recited, ”Within this dust-speck of a world, there are three concealed truths. All accomplishments are predetermined by karma. These accomplishments are meaningless and do not even add to the dust. And yet, it is difficult to stop thinking of the present. [This translation is probably totally off; can someone who understands Buddhism help retranslate this?].” He lifted his hand up. All of Emperor Baoding's black hair fell off, leaving his head totally bald, without so much as a single strand of hair on top. Even if a razor had been used, such a clean shave would not have been possible. Duan Yu was totally shocked, and Emperor Baoding, Benguan, Benyin, and the others were also extremely impressed. ”Elder Kurong has long practiced the art of 'Withered Meditation'. He has reached such an incredibly high level of strength!”

Elder Kurong said, ”Upon entering Buddha's doorway, you shall now be known as Benchen [Chen means dust, like what he was talking about earlier].” Emperor Baoding joined his palms together. ”Master, thank you for granting me a name.” Buddhists do not adhere to secular rules regarding generational gaps. Originally, Abbot Benyin was Emperor Baoding's uncle, but now that Emperor Baoding had been shaved by elder Kurong himself and brought into the monastery, he became Benyin's younger apprentice-brother, on the same generational level. Emperor Baoding immediately changed into monastic shoes and clothes, his appearance completely changing into that of a learned and eminent monk.

Elder Kurong said, ”That 'Shining King of the Great Wheel' might arrive this very night. Benyin, transmit the secrets of the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' to Benchen.” Benyin replied, ”Yes!” Pointing to the manuscript, he said, ”Brother Benchen, you shall focus on the 'Shoushaoyangsanjiao' meridians. After your qi is collected at the dantian, circulate it upwards, through your shoulders and arms. Once it reaches the 'Qinglengyuan' point [Chilly Pool], curve the qi to pass through the 'Tianjing' point [Heavenly Well], then the 'Sidu' [Four Recitations] point, the 'Sanyang' path [Three Yang], then the Huizong [Ancestral Assembly], Waiguan [Outer Gate], Yangchi [Yang Moat], Zhongzhu [Central Islet], and Yemen [Liquid Door] points. Condense the internal energy, then fire it out from the 'Guanchong' acupoint [Vigorous Gate] of your ring finger.”

Emperor Baoding followed the instructions and circulated his internal energy as ordered. With a 'chi-chi' sound, his internal energy burst out from the 'Guanchong' acupoint of his ring finger.

Elder Kurong happily said, ”Your cultivation of internal energy is extraordinary indeed. Although the sword techniques themselves have many heavy and complicated changes, your sword qi has already taken form. You can now execute it at will.”

Benyin said, ”Originally, the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' was supposed to be executed by a single person. But in this day and age, martial arts has declined, and there is now no one capable of gathering and cultivating such a powerful, vigorous internal energy. All we can do is divide up the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' amongst ourselves. My martial-uncle has specialized in the 'Shaoshang' sword of the thumb; I specialize in the 'Shangyang' sword of the index finger; brother Benguan specializes in the 'Zhongchong' sword of the middle finger; brother Benchen specializes in the 'Guanchong' sword of the ring finger, brother Benxiang specializes in the 'Shaochong' sword of the pinky finger, and brother Bencan specializes in the 'Shaoze' sword of the left pinky. We must attend to the matter of combining these six swords at once.”

He once more retrieved the manuscripts of the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians', hanging them on the four walls of the room. The picture describing the 'Shaoshang' sword he hung next to elder Kurong. Every single picture was filled with criss-crossing lines, circles, and arcs. Each of the six focused on their respective manuscripts, and began poking and pointing in the air as they sketched out the movements.

Duan Yu slowly sat up. He felt as though the energy in his body was swaying, and even more difficult to bear than before. As it happened, just a short time ago, Emperor Baoding and the other four monks had poured a substantial amount of internal energy into his body. Seeing how his uncle and the other elders were concentrating so hard on their practice, he didn't dare to make a sound and disturb them. Sitting down for a long while, he began to feel bored. By accident, his gaze came to rest upon the manuscript which was resting above elder Kurong. After staring at it for only a short while, he began to feel his right arm begin to tremble uncontrollably, as though something was trying to burst forth from his skin and escape. That small, mouselike creature that was trying to escape precisely from the 'Kongzui' acupoint, as illustrated on the manuscript.

He had successfully completed the practice of the 'Shoutaiyinfei' channels. The acupoints illustrated on that manuscript were identical with those on the illustration of the naked girl. However, the lines that were drawn were totally different. According to the pathways drawn by the red lines, the energy from the 'Zikongzui' point passed to the 'Dayuan' point, then immediately jumped to the 'Chize' point, then dropped down to the 'Yuji' point. Unexpectedly, as he tried to channel the wildly rushing internal energy as according to the manuscript, it actually obeyed, although it took many twists and turns as it moved towards his upper arm. As the internal energy flowed through his meridians, he felt the nausea and pain of his body immediately lessen. Immediately, he dedicated his mind to channeling the energy into his 'Shanzhong' acupoint.

However, this gush of energy was different, and could not be easily channeled towards his 'Shanzhong' acupoint as instructed by the naked female pictures. After a short period of time, he began to cry out, ”Ow, ow!” in pain. Hearing his cries, Emperor Baoding immediately turned his head. ”How are you feeling?” Duan Yu replied, ”In my body, there are innumerable flows of qi that are running amuck. It is extremely painful. I was thinking about grandmaster Kurong's manuscript, and the energy began to flow towards my 'Shanzhong' acupoint. Ow! But my 'Shanzhong' acupoint has been totally filled to the brim, and can't take in any more energy! My…my…my chest is about to explode!”

This feeling which he had, only he himself could tell, due to it being caused by the internal circulation of qi. Thus, even though he proclaimed that his chest was about to explode, to outsiders, his chest seemed perfectly normal. Emperor Baoding was an expert martial artist, and knew that for a person to experience the feeling of his 'Shanzhong' acupoint being filled to the brim with energy would require at least twenty years of practice that resulted in an internal energy of unmatched power and vigor. As Duan Yu had never practiced martial arts, this sensation must have been caused by the evil toxins in his body. Emperor Baoding was inwardly fearful, knowing that unless the internal energy was dispersed, Duan Yu's entire body would become paralyzed. But if the toxins were dispersed with the qi and settled deep within his body, it would become almost impossible to eradicate in the future.

Normally, when settling grave and important affairs, he would be both impartial and swift in passing judgement, uttering only a single sentence in verdict. But the matter in front of him would affect the entirety of Duan Yu's life. If only a slight mistake were made, his life would be immediately at risk. Seeing that Duan Yu's eyes had a dazed look, giving him the appearance of madness, he realized that he had no time to be irresolute. He decided to himself, ”At this point in time, even if we have to have Duan Yu 'drink poison to quench his thirst', there are no other options.” He said, ”Yu'er, I will teach you how to disperse your internal energy.” Immediately, he began to demonstrate while speaking and taught him the method to do so.

Not waiting for Emperor Baoding to finish speaking, Duan Yu immediately began to follow his instructions step by step. The martial arts techniques of Dali's Duan family were incomparably marvelous. He followed the instructions precisely, and the wildly rushing internal energy in his body began to disperse, settling down into his internal organs. According to traditional Chinese medicine, a person's organs were divided into the ”Five Internal Organs and the Six Hollow Organs.” ”Internal Organs” referred to 'storage', and ”Hollow Organs” referred to 'home'. The original term had the secondary meaning of storing and accumulating energy. Duan Yu first drained all of the internal energy of seven disciples of Mt. Wuliang's Sword sect, then absorbed some of the energy of masters such as Duan Yanqing, the Yellow Browed Monk, Ye Erniang, the Divine Crocodile, Yun Zhonghe, Zhong Wanchou, and Cui Baiquan. This day, he gained a small portion of the internal energy of Emperor Baoding, Benguan, Benxiang, Benyin, and Bencan, five master martial artists of the Duan family. His internal energy was now incomparably deep and profound; the phrase, 'Shocking the ancients and overawing contemporaries' could be used to describe it. He had no equal in the entire world. Now, under his uncle's instructions, he began to store away this powerful internal energy within his organs, and his entire body began to feel more and more comfortable. His entire body felt light and carefree, as though he was about to fly away into the sky.

Upon seeing the boundless joy and pleasure on Duan Yu's face, Emperor Baoding feared that he had deeply fire deviated, and that the toxin in his body would forevermore give him trouble. No matter how hard they tried to remove it, most likely it would exhaust and tire him for the rest of his life. He couldn't help but inwardly sigh.

Aftering hearing Emperor Baoding finish teaching Duan Yu how to disperse his internal energy, elder Kurong said, ”Benchen, as a man sows, so shall he reap. This is true for everything in the world. Good fortune or trouble, calamity or blessing, all arise from the heart. There's no need for you to worry too much about others. Hurry up and start focusing on mastering the 'Shaoshang' sword!” Emperor Baoding said, ”Yes!” Putting away his feelings, he once more began to intensively study the 'Shaoshang' sword techniques.

The internal energy in Duan Yu's body was extremely abundant. There was far too much of it for it to be totally stored within a short period of time. But the more he practiced the dispersion technique, the more familiar he became with it, and the more familiar he became with it, the more quickly the dispersal proceeded. The seven of them each concentrated on their own designated martial arts, and none of them noticed as light gradually appeared from the east.

By the time he heard the roosters announce the arrival of down, Duan Yu felt as though his limbs and his bones no longer contained the slightest bit of internal energy. He rose to his feet and stretched a bit. He saw that his uncle and the five elder monks were still totally, unmovingly dedicated to practicing the sword techniques. He didn't dare to open the door to go out and take a walk, much less make a noise and disturb them. In his boredom, he casually started to check out the manuscript which his uncle was focusing on, as well as the 'Shaoshang' sword manuscript again. Although he had heard that the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' could not be transmitted to secular disciples, he felt that he could not possibly understand such a high level martial arts, and so there should be no problem with him just glancing at it. As he was focusing on the manuscript, suddenly he felt a burst of internal energy pour forth from his dantian on its own accord, gushing towards his arms and pouring forth from the ring finger's 'Guanchong' acupoint. But he didn't know how to actually release the energy from his finger, and consequently felt as though the tip of his ring finger was becoming more and more swollen. He thought to himself, ”I better let this burst of energy dissipate.” Just as he thought this, that gush of energy really did return to his dantian.

Duan Yu didn't know that he had accidentally learned a secret high level technique; all he felt was that the internal energy in his arm flowed up and down as according to his hearts desire. He felt that it was very funny. Out of the three monks of the Muni Pavilion, he felt that master Benxiang was the nicest and most amiable. Turning his head, he stared at Benxiang's ”Shoushaoyinxin Channels” manuscript. The energy from this manuscript was generated from the 'Jiquan' [Utmost Spring] acupoint of the armpit, then flowed three inches upwards into the 'Qingling' [Green Spirit] acupoint, where it condensed as it passed through the 'Shaohai' [Young Ocean] acupoint, the 'Jingling' [Spirit Channel] acupoint, 'Tongli' [Open Within] acupoint, 'Shenmen' [Divine Door] acupoint, and the 'Shaofuzhu' [Lesser Residence] acupoint, before exiting via the pinky finger's ”Shaochong” acupoint. As he pondered the manuscript, a gush of energy really did pass through the channels as instructed by the drawing. Only, the speed of that gush of energy could not be controlled; sometimes it was extremely quick, but at other moments, it came to a complete halt. He guessed that it was probably due to him not being very good, and did not overthink it.

In the course of half a day, Duan Yu had already circulated his internal energy through every single passageway as drawn by the paintings. He felt as energetic and vigorous. Without anything to do, he once more began to study the 'Shaoshang', 'Shangyang', 'Zhongchong', 'Guanchong', 'Shaochong', and 'Shaoze' sword pictures. He saw that the red lines and black lines intercrossed in numerous and complicated ways. He thought to himself, ”How could anyone memorize such annoyingly complex sword techniques? Besides, martial grand-uncle has already stated that non-monks are not allowed to learn it.” He immediately stopped looking at them. He felt a bit hungry, and thought to himself, ”Why haven't the apprentice monks brought any vegetarian dishes and rice yet? I might as well secretly creep outside and look for some food.” But at that very moment, he suddenly detected a gentle, fragrant scent of white sandalwood, and heard from the sound of a Buddhist chant waft in from afar.

Elder Kurong said, ”Shanzai, shanzai! The Shining King of the Great Wheel has graced us with his presence. How well have you learned your respective skills?” Bencan replied, ”Although I still have not mastered it, I believe I know enough to fight our enemy.” Kurong said, ”Excellent! Benyin, I don't want to walk. Invite the Shining King of the Great Wheel to come to the Muni Pavilion to hold discourse with us.” Abbot Benyin said, ”Yes!” He left. Benguan retrieved five cassocks, arranging them in a row on the east side. On the west side, he put a single cassock. He sat down on the first cassock, Benxiang sat down on the second, Bencan the fourth, and Emperor Baoding the fifth, leaving the central cassock for Abbot Benyin. Duan Yu had no place to sit, and so stood behind Emperor Baoding. Kurong, Benguan, and the others reviewed the techniques on the manuscripts one last time before finally gathering them up and placing them in front of elder Kurong.

Emperor Baoding said, ”Yu'er, very shortly a fierce battle will erupt here. Sword qi will be freely flying across the room, and things will become very dangerous. Your uncle won't be able to divert any attention to protecting you. Why don't you go outside and take a walk?” A burst of misery suddenly filled Duan Yu's heart. ”From everyone's tone of voice, it seems as though this 'Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel's' martial arts is at an extraordinarily high level. My uncle only just learned the 'Shaochong' sword; I don't know if he'll be able to win or not. If some sort of mistake or error occurs, what sort of unthinkable thing might happen?” He replied, ”Uncle, I…I want to stay with you. My heart is ill at ease, imagining you sword-fighting with others.” By the time he finished the last few words, his voice was already choked with sobs. Emperor Baoding's heart was moved as well. ”This child really has a filial heart.”

Elder Kurong said, ”Yu'er, come sit by my side. No matter how powerful the Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel is, I guarantee that he won't be able to harm a single hair on your head.” Although his tone of voice was as calm and icy as ever, his words conveyed an extremely proud and lofty confidence.

Duan Yu replied, ”Yes!” He walked in front of elder Kurong, but did not dare stare at his face. He, too, knelt and stared at the wall. Elder Kurong's body frame was much larger than that of Duan Yu, totally covering Duan Yu's smaller body. Emperor Baoding was both moved and relieved. Previously, elder Kurong had demonstrated the 'Art of the Withered Meditation' in shaving his head, displaying a power that more than allowed for him to show disdain for the heroes of this age. It would be more than enough to protect Duan Yu.

In a very short amount of time, all sound disappeared from the Muni Pavilion.

After a long period of time, Abbot Benyin's voice could be heard. ”Enlightened Lord, you grace us with your dharmic knowledge. The Muni Pavilion is this way.” Duan Yu heard another voice answered him. ”Abbot, thank you for going to the trouble of guiding me.” The second voice was extremely gentle and mild, refined and courteous. It definitely did not belong to a vicious, violent tyrant who took what he wanted. From the sounds of the footsteps, around ten people were headed their way. He heard Benyin push open the wooden door while saying, ”Enlightened Lord, please enter!”

The Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel replied, ”Excuse me!” He entered the room, then immediately folded his hands in a gesture of respect towards elder Kurong. He said, ”I, Jiumozhi, a junior from Tibet, pay my respects to an eminent monk of an elder generation. Eternal or not eternal//twin trees bloom and wither//north and south, east and west//not false, not empty!”

Duan Yu wondered to himself, ”What did those four lines mean?” But elder Kurong felt a shock in his heart. ”The Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel is reputed to possess a vast and boundless learning. He lives up to his reputation! As soon as he saw me, he laid bare the history behind my practice of 'Withered Meditation.'

In a past age, the great forefather of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, passed away from the world between the twin Sal trees of the city of Kusinara. He was surrounded in every direction by twin Sal trees. Each twin tree had one side which was blooming, and another side which was withered. They became known as the ”Four Withered, Four Blooming.” According to Buddhist scriptures, the twin trees to the east had the meaning of, ”Eternal and ephemeral.” Those to the south had the meaning of ”Joyful and joyless.” The twin trees to the west signified ”Myself and not myself,” and the twin trees to the north signified ”Peaceful and restless.” The flourishing and blooming trees symbolized the truth and reality of nirvana: ”Eternal, joyful, myself, peaceful.” The withered trees symbolized the real world: ”Ephemeral, joyless, not myself, and restless.” The Tathagata Buddha passed away between these eight states of existence; the hidden meaning of this was, 'neither withered nor blooming, neither false nor empty.'

Elder Kurong had been quietly practicing the art of 'Withered Meditation' for decades now, but had only managed to reach the level of being 'half withered, half blooming'. He was unable to progress to the next level of being 'neither withered nor blooming, but also withered and also blooming.' Upon hearing the words of the Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel, he immediately became stern and said, ”Enlightened Lord, you have come from afar but I did not come out to greet you. Forgive my discourtesy.”

Jiumozhi, the Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel, replied, ”This junior monk has long heard of and admired the glorious fame of the Heavenly Dragon Monastery. For me to be able to see its stately and grand structures is a source of great joy to me.”

Abbot Benyin said, ”Enlightened Lord, please be seated.” Jiumozhi thanked him and sat down.

Duan Yu thought to himself, ”I wonder what this 'Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel' looks like?” He quietly turned his head and snuck a look past elder Kurong's side. He saw a monk wearing a white cassock seated on a hassock in the western corner. He was not yet fifty years of age. His face was inclined upwards and seemed to have a precious light emanating from it, similar to that of brilliant pearls or precious jade, a natural sheen. After taking but a few glances at him, Duan Yu felt a sense of veneration and kinship towards him. Taking a glance outside the door, he saw eight or nine brutes with savage and fearful appearances. Clearly, they were not from the Central Plains; thus, they must be attendants or servants which the Enlightened Lord of the Great Wheel brought from Tibet.

Jiumozhi folded his hands together and said, ”Thus spoketh the Buddha: 'Without birth, there is no death; without filth, there is no purity.' My mind is slow and dull; I am unable to see past love and hate, life and death. In all my life, I have had an extremely close bosom friend; he is a man of the Great Song's Gusu's province, surnamed Murong, with his personal name being Bo. In the distant past, I met with him by chance and discussed martial arts and swordplay with him. Mr. Murong had a deep knowledge regarding every single martial arts form in the entire world. He gave me pointers and tips for many days. I have always remembered this. I will never dare to forget the great benevolence and deep kindness which Mr. Murong showed me in transmitting to me so many high-level skills and techniques. Unexpectedly, heaven did not extend a gift of long life to the great hero, and Mr. Murong has departed to the Western Heaven to enjoy bliss. I have a presumptuous request which I hope all of you elders can grant.”

Abbot Benyin said, ”Enlightened Lord, your close relationship with Mr. Murong was no doubt predestined. Now that the karmic ties which bound you have come to an end, why try to force it? Mr. Murong is now joying the delights of the Western Heaven, greeting Buddha before his lotus pool. How could he possibly still care about the martial arts learning of the mortal world? Enlightened Lord, isn't it a bit pointless for you to act in such a way?”

Jiumozhi replied, ”Abbot, your advice is very cogent. But from birth my disposition has been silly and wild. Despite secluding myself in solitary meditation for over forty days, I nonetheless found it impossible to forget my former friendship with him. In the past, when Mr. Murong was discussing the sword techniques of the world with me, he was resolute in his opinion that the 'Divine Sword of the Six Meridians' was the best in the world. The fact that he never had a chance to see it with his own eyes was his greatest regret in all his life.”

Abbot Benyin said, ”Our monastery is secluded here in the distant south. For us to be esteemed so highly by Mr. Murong is a great honor for us. But why is it that in the past, Mr. Murong himself did not come personally to ask for a chance to see the manuscript of this skill?”

Jiumozhi let out a long sigh. A grieved expression was on his face, and he did not speak for a long time. Finally, he said, ”Mr. Murong knew that this manuscript was the most precious treasure of this venerable monastery, transmitted down generation to generation. Naturally, he would not be permitted to view it. He knew that the Duan family, despite being the rulers of Dali, had never forgotten the code of righteousness and their former ties with the jianghu. He knew that the Duan family loved the common man and was filled with benevolence. He could not bring himself to steal or forcibly take the manuscript.” Benyin thanked him, saying, ”Mr. Murong praised us too highly. Since Mr. Murong esteemed Dali's Duan family so highly, you yourself as his close friend, Enlightened Lord, should take his wishes into consideration.”

Jiumozhi replied, ”But that day, I made a regrettable boast; I said to him, 'I am the national instructor of Tibet, without any relations with Dali as well, and Tibet itself has no diplomatic relations with Dali. Mr. Murong, if it's inconvenient for you to retrieve it, allow me to do so for you!' After a man has made a promise, he cannot go back on it no matter what! I made this promise to Mr. Murong, and no matter what, I cannot renege on it!” And as he spoke, he lightly clapped three times. From outside, two of his men brought a wooden chest into the room, setting it down on the floor. Jiumozhi simply flicked his sleeve, and the chest calmly opened by itself, exposing a brilliant, gleaming, small golden box. Jiumozhi withdrew the golden box and held it within his hand.