Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Chang’an, Lantuo Temple.

Zen Master Baoshu regarded the grim-faced Eunuch Chen seated before him. His own expression remained as calm as still water. He rolled a string of Buddhist prayer beads through the fingers of his left hand and sipped his tea with perfect composure.

“Master, my undertaking required only the slightest effort from you. Had you been willing to lend me a hand, everything would have been concluded long ago. How could all these complications have arisen?”

The opportunity had been right before him. He had fallen short by only the narrowest margin, yet in the end, he had been forced to retreat helplessly. How could Eunuch Chen not be furious?

“Amitabha. Why would you say such a thing, Eunuch Chen? Four Buddha-Serving Vajra Guardians from this humble temple also lost their lives! It was not that this old monk was unwilling to help. I had already committed everything the temple could offer. There was truly nothing more I could do.”

Zen Master Baoshu lowered his eyes as though he had seen through all worldly concerns. He continued rolling the beads between his fingers, looking every bit like an enlightened monk.

“Hmph.”

Eunuch Chen sneered disdainfully.

They were both old foxes, so why was this old monk still pretending to be innocent? He merely wanted to hedge his bets and avoid offending either side. Three First-Rank experts had appeared, while Lantuo Temple had lost only four Fourth-Rank disciples. What difference was there between that and losing four pigs?

“Master, I once asked whether it was the banner that moved or the wind. You enlightened me by saying that it was the mind that moved.” Eunuch Chen laughed coldly despite his fury. “Heh, heh, heh. From what I can see, it is not merely that the mind moves. Your mind wants both the banner and the wind to move.”

Those words were already little different from a direct insult. How could Zen Master Baoshu fail to understand?

His expression shifted several times, but he returned to his usual composure in an instant.

“Amitabha. Heaven cherishes all living things. Although the Buddha-Serving Vajra Guardians did not possess high Cultivation Ranks, they were still disciples of Buddhism. This old monk laments the loss of every blade of grass and every tree, much less the disciples who accompanied me for many years.”

Eunuch Chen was left speechless.

He could hardly claim that the lives of the Buddha-Serving Vajra Guardians did not count as lives. How would that be any different from saying that eunuchs were not human?

Moreover, the old bald donkey’s meaning was perfectly clear: he had not gone because he feared dying there. The reason was sound and entirely reasonable. Eunuch Chen could hardly force a decrepit old man to march to his death.

“Your mastery of Buddhist doctrine is truly profound, Master. I am impressed. Once I return to the Imperial Capital, I will certainly bring my colleagues to Lantuo Temple and offer several sticks of incense to the Buddha.”

Eunuch Chen pushed open the door and left. His voice was filled with suppressed anger, and he placed particular emphasis on the words Lantuo Temple.

Zen Master Baoshu seemed not to hear the threat in Eunuch Chen’s words. He quietly recited the Buddha’s name and continued rolling his prayer beads.

Eunuch Chen had hurried through the night and returned to Chang’an after darkness had fallen. The first thing he did was visit Lantuo Temple and confront Zen Master Baoshu.

Yet all he had received was another lecture about Buddhist doctrine and Heaven’s compassion for living beings.

Even a clay idol would have been angered, much less a living man.

At the same time, a carriage slowly traveled through the snow outside Huai’an County.

The carriage compartment was enormous, and four horses were needed to pull it. The entire body had been constructed from century-old pinewood, giving off a faint, elegant fragrance. Its exterior was decorated with gold and inlaid silver, carved with cloud-and-thunder motifs. A lantern hung outside, its flame flickering softly.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Jiu, Liu Rouwei, and Zhou Zhiyang sat facing one another. Gao Qi drove the carriage from the front.

None of the four spoke.

Zhao Jiu silently circulated his cultivation technique to heal his injuries. The battle between the First-Rank experts had shocked him too deeply. The heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power of their Momentum remained etched into his mind.

Wrapped in a cotton-padded robe, Liu Rouwei silently watched Zhao Jiu cough up blood from time to time. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her face was filled with concern.

After regulating his breathing for more than an hour and swallowing several White Jade Flesh-Regeneration Pills, Zhao Jiu finally recovered thirty or forty percent of his strength.

As he examined the condition of his body, he could not help sighing inwardly.

Eunuch Chen was truly a good man. Fortunately, Zhao Jiu had not called him an old castrate. Otherwise, grass would already have been growing over his grave…

Seeing Zhao Jiu marvel at his own survival, Liu Rouwei pursed her lips and turned her head away.

Zhou Zhiyang burst into laughter, making both his beard and the sword resting across his legs tremble. Only after laughing to his heart’s content did he slowly speak.

“You are quite something, brat. A Third-Rank martial artist actually drew his saber against a First-Rank expert!”

Zhao Jiu’s eyelids twitched violently. He was so embarrassed that he almost wanted to claw a hole through the carriage.

“I did not know he was a First-Rank expert. Had someone told me earlier, I would already have been calling him my godfather.”

“That would have been an excellent idea. The old eunuch certainly seemed to like you.”

Liu Rouwei rolled her eyes at Zhao Jiu and handed him a damp handkerchief.

Zhao Jiu did not stand during the ceremony. He removed his Human-Skin Mask and wiped the dried blood from his face.

As he cleaned himself, he mentally reviewed everything that had happened and asked in confusion, “Who exactly are the Four Supervisors of the Inner Court?”

“The four eunuchs surnamed Chen, Feng, Li, and He. During the reign of the Late Emperor, the four of them were assigned to attend the Crown Prince. Once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, they naturally became the four most powerful eunuchs in the palace.”

Zhou Zhiyang rhythmically tapped the sword on his legs with his fingers as he explained in a halting voice.

“They are all First-Rank experts?”

“All of them. Perhaps even more than that…”

Zhao Jiu immediately lost interest upon hearing Zhou Zhiyang’s answer.

Men without roots truly did seem to possess an innate advantage.

“What about Zen Master Baoshu? Why would the abbot of Lantuo Temple involve himself in this mess?”

Thinking of the four Buddha-Serving Vajra Guardians in the ruined house, Zhao Jiu continued questioning him.

“Baoshu is an exceptionally calculating man, and he has possessed a natural affinity for Zen practice since childhood. He would never personally involve himself in such an affair. At most, he would send a few Novice Monks. Convincing him to act would require the Tathagata himself to come and persuade him.”

Zhou Zhiyang smiled before continuing.

“Do not underestimate Zen Master Baoshu. In terms of Buddhist doctrine, he may not rank among the top three experts alive, but he certainly ranks among the top ten. The fact that you never entered Lantuo Temple was probably also his decision.

“More than ten years ago, a Buddhist Heir appeared at Lantuo Temple. His understanding of Buddhism was extraordinarily profound, and Buddha Light illuminated the world on the day of his birth. Rumor has it that he is the person most likely to attain Buddhahood.

“Since then, Baoshu has concerned himself with nothing except matters involving the Buddhist Heir. Eunuch Chen must have promised him something. Otherwise…”

Zhou Zhiyang left the rest unsaid, but Zhao Jiu understood.

It amounted to nothing more than a few lives.

The lives of people at the bottom had never been worth much. Forget avenging them—whether Lantuo Temple would even acknowledge them as its disciples was uncertain.

Seeing that Zhao Jiu did not appear interested, Zhou Zhiyang did not continue. Instead, he asked, “Brat, will you travel with us?”

“I am accustomed to being alone,” Zhao Jiu replied with a shake of his head.

He tried to return the handkerchief to Liu Rouwei, but she did not accept it. In that case, he would keep it.

Gao Qi, who was driving outside the carriage, heard Zhao Jiu’s answer. He lifted the curtain and handed over two Banknotes.

Zhao Jiu accepted them without hesitation and tucked them into his clothes.

This was the reward for his hard work. Naturally, he deserved it!

Gao Qi smiled at his shameless manner.

“Brat, why not remain in Hexi? I cannot promise you anything else, but with your talent, the First Rank is not far away.”

Zhao Jiu offered no response.

Anyone could make grand promises. Only what entered his hands counted as real. Everything else was merely imagining plums to quench one’s thirst.

Besides, had he truly reached the Third Rank so quickly because of his talent?

It was all thanks to the System.

Zhao Jiu knew precisely how talented he was. Without the System, he might still have been farming in Jiangnan.

That was not to say there was anything wrong with farming, of course. However, earning silver and practicing Martial Arts offered a much broader world.

Seeing his reaction, Gao Qi said nothing more.

Everyone had their own ambitions, and such things could not be forced.

Zhao Jiu converted the Banknotes into the God of Wealth Points. A large pile of silver gifted by the He Family still remained in his Storage Space.

His most urgent priority was increasing his strength.

“Open the Panel,” Zhao Jiu commanded inwardly.

Host: Zhao Jiu

Cultivation Rank: Third Rank

Martial Arts:

Chasing the Stars and Pursuing the Moon (Perfected)

Taiqing Yuxu Scripture (Sixth Level)

Heavenly Origin Saber Art (Proficient)

Secret Arts:

Tang Sect Arcana: Thousand Flowers and Myriad Stamens

Disguise Technique

Turtle-Breathing Technique

God of Wealth Points: 24,600

Looking at the additional ten thousand God of Wealth Points, Zhao Jiu broke into a delighted grin.

He could not spend it all. There was simply too much to spend!

Once he left Hexi, he would indulge himself without restraint and take revenge on all the impoverished days he had endured.

The carriage continued onward with the steady clop of hooves. Through the darkness, the outline of the city walls gradually came into view.

Zhao Jiu patted Gao Qi on the shoulder.

“Stop here. I will not enter the city.”

Gao Qi pulled on the reins and brought the carriage to a halt.

Zhao Jiu stepped out of the compartment. Liu Rouwei followed behind him in silence.

“Miss Liu, no matter how far one travels to see a friend off, the moment of parting must eventually come. You should return. The wind and snow are too fierce.”

Zhao Jiu handed the handkerchief back to Liu Rouwei, then bowed and cupped his hands in farewell.

Liu Rouwei accepted it.

She stepped forward and gently wiped the blood from the corner of Zhao Jiu’s mouth before tucking the handkerchief back into his clothes.

Facing the wind and snow, something seemed to glimmer in the corners of her eyes. Her hair had been blown into disarray as she bowed to him.

“Young Master, the weather is cold. Be sure to dress warmly.”