Chapter 151

Even the kind‑browed Master Xi Bei could not unfurrow his brow; the usual smile of Maitreya Buddha had vanished, and his face was filled with anger that could not be contained.

After Yanshan Hai explained the circumstances of Master Ku Bei's death to the three monks, he left the Shaolin Temple and returned to the Songshan Sect, saying, "Masters, I'm heading back to Songshan first; if anything comes up, just send word."

Yanshan Hai walked away heavy‑hearted; he did not embellish the tale, merely stating simply that Master Ku Bei had been killed by Dongfang Wuji and that everyone had been deceived by Eunuch Zhang.

That very evening, the three monks went to pay a visit.

"This mountain peak is sharp as a sword yet still grand; the Songshan Sect's choice of this peak is even stronger than our Shaolin Temple!" Master Le Bei sighed. Having grown up in the Shaolin Temple from childhood, he knew every peak of Songshan like the back of his hand—except this one of the Songshan Sect, which he had never climbed.

Only by experiencing it personally could one feel the complexity and superiority of the Songshan Sect's location.

Master Le Bei stood before the gate of the Songshan Sect, pointing to the front and back of the mountain, and said again, "Facing north, sitting south—what a auspicious geomantic site!"

"Hahaha! Masters, your august presence honors me; I have failed to give you a proper welcome, I have failed to give you a proper welcome! Sorry! Sorry!" Yanshan Hai personally came out from inside to greet them, gesturing with his hand, "Please, gentlemen, come in; let us sit and talk."

The three monks also returned Yanshan Hai's bow individually.

In the Songshan Hall, Yanshan Hai sat in the center, with the three monks seated to his left and right.

The Songshan Hall is where the Songshan Sect receives outside guests; it lacks the grandeur of ordinary sects—no carved beams and painted pillars, no lavish gold and azure—but instead everything before the eyes is simple and unadorned.

Looking at Yanshan Hai, though he is the alliance chief of the Five Peaks Sword Sect, he wears only the simplest Daoist robe, patched with seven or eight pieces—still not as fine as the golden kasayas worn by the three monks.

Unable to help it, the three monks felt ashamed and lowered their heads.

"Masters, you have come to my Songshan Sect in the night; may I ask what business brings you?" Yanshan Hai asked, feigning ignorance.

Four cups of plain tea were brought up by the attendant; though the tea itself was clear, the sweet, mellow scent of the spring water burst forth when the lids were lifted, and a few green‑green tea leaves floated on the surface.

The three monks immediately recognized it as tea leaves brewed on Songshan.

"We have come to thank you for bringing the abbot's body back to the Shaolin Temple, so that he would not be lost in the Eastern Sea," Master Xi Bei said to Yanshan Hai.

"This is what I ought to do; the Shaolin Temple and my Songshan Sect have been friendly neighbors for over a thousand years—I merely happened to be passing by… Alas, alas! Master Ku Bei sacrificed himself for us… we are ashamed!" Yanshan Hai said sorrowfully to the three monks, even coloring his tone to say that Master Ku Bei had sacrificed himself for them.

"Didn't Zhang Huyu say he would summon all the sects of the martial world and lead them himself? How did he turn into a deserter when battle came?" Master Le Bei asked.

Thus Yanshan Hai expounded his ideas to the three monks in full; regarding the shamelessness of Eunuch Zhang, he needed say no more—it stood vividly before their eyes.

"What audacity Zhang Huyu has!"

"Does he still have any regard for the law?"

"To dare act against our martial‑world sects, the Shaolin Temple is the first to object!"

"Namo Amitabha, good, good. The abbot's death has made us three monks feel angry; if this grudge goes unavenged, it would be a loss to the Shaolin Sect's bearing." Master Xi Bei rarely spoke so sternly.

Yanshan Hai then told the three monks the plan of the martial world's great alliance.

This time the one who died was a pillar of the Shaolin Temple, and the Shaolin Temple itself is a pillar of the martial world. If the Shaolin Temple allowed Master Ku Bei to die a miserable death without seeking vengeance, once word got out it would invite ridicule from everyone under heaven.

After that, how many people would still believe in Buddhism?

"How is our plan?" Yanshan Hai asked the three monks, and without waiting for their reply he added, "Chen Yi He will be the alliance chief, with me, Hong Liang, Luo Qingkui, and the four Tiger‑and‑Leopard as assistants, and Duan Sheng and the Western Desert Sword Demon as guardians."

"Wouldn't that put our Shaolin Temple a step below theirs?" Master Ai Bei asked, his tone tinged with displeasure.

The Shaolin Temple is the foremost face of the martial world! From beginning to end it has always been first‑rate, and of course it refuses to be considered inferior.

"We will wipe out Zhang Huyu and the Western Depot in one fell swoop! Your Shaolin Temple will always be the signboard—no need to worry—and we are not seeking to monopolize the martial world; once Zhang Huyu dies, the alliance will dissolve on its own. The urgent task is to kill Zhang Huyu!" Yanshan Hai took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and it tapped lightly on the table.

"We understand; since everyone must contribute, we will do our part." After Master Ku Bei's death, the person holding the highest status and greatest influence in the Shaolin Temple became Master Xi Bei.

"I hope we can cooperate sincerely and jointly eliminate Zhang Huyu!" Yanshan Hai rose to his feet, intending to see them out; he did not wish to say more to the three monks, for he was already weary. Those who understand reason need not have him waste words.

"I just don't know how many innocent commoners will be harmed if we do this for a personal grudge," Master Ai Bei said.

He is a pessimist, and thus among the four masters he is also the most Buddhist‑inclined.

"Masters, we are not acting for a personal grudge but for the peace of the entire martial world! If we were to harm ordinary folk, just imagine how many more would suffer if the world fell into Zhang Huyu's hands—a eunuch whose vengeful mindset is easy to foresee!" Yanshan Hai spoke with righteous conviction.

The three masters glanced at one another, each thinking that Master Ku Bei's vengeance must be taken and that Eunuch Zhang, this malignant tumor of the martial world, must be eradicated. As the Buddhists say, "If I do not go to hell, who will?"

Thus they and Yanshan Hai hit it off immediately, willing to disregard fame and profit to do something for the martial world, and at the same time they would send the Shaolin Temple's elite forces together with Yanshan Hai to the Five Absolutes Palace.

Seeing them off all the way to the door, in the night Yanshan Hai watched the three monks of differing appearances depart, and finally he let out a breath of relief—he needed the Shaolin Temple, and the alliance needed the Shaolin Temple. It was not that the Shaolin Temple's strength was however strong, but that having the Shaolin Temple meant they were righteous troops with proper justification.

Yanshan Hai is a perceptive man; knowing he could persuade the Shaolin Temple, he realized that convincing others to move their own sects would pose no problem. Now his only remaining concern is Chen Yi He.

He hurried back to the Songshan Hall, took up brush and ink, and began to draft.

After a long while, he tied the finished letter to the leg of the carrier pigeon.

Success or failure now hinges on the fate of that carrier pigeon.