Chapter 67: If You Can

Shaolin Temple’s Scripture Library.

This place should have been forbidden to outsiders, but Gu Qing was treated with great respect upon arriving here; he had barely sat down when a senior monk from Shaolin came before him, chatted with Gu Qing, and presented him with multiple volumes of Buddhist scriptures.

“The Quanzhen Sect emphasizes the unity of the Three Teachings and recites the Heart Sutra; although this involves Buddhism, it is only one aspect.”

Abbot Tianming said: “Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty and has endured for many years...”

Gu Qing claimed he came to admire Buddhist Dharma, so Abbot Tianming explained Buddhist teachings to him, detailing classifications such as faith, vow, and practice within the scriptures, so Gu Qing could clearly understand their meanings when reciting them.

After establishing this general framework, Tianming then briefly introduced the most renowned Buddhist classics: the Diamond Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and others.

At this moment, Gu Qing listened intently to everything Abbot Tianming said; after Tianming had largely introduced them, Gu Qing finally spoke: “The Mongolian state preceptor, Jinlun Fawang, is the highest achiever of Vajrayana in this generation, a once-in-a-million Vajrayana genius. Before his death, he expounded Vajrayana to me, saying these scriptures were secretly taught by Mahavairocana Buddha in the Vajra Dharma Realm Palace to Vajrapani...”

Vajrayana practice has fundamental teachings of body, speech, and mind; it includes methods such as mandala, initiation, homa, mudra, and mantra; it describes subtle channels—coarse, fine, micro, refined, and exquisite—teaching immediate bodily attainment of eternal life, vastly different from Chinese Buddhism.

As leader of Shaolin, Abbot Tianming had some contact with Vajrayana, but the Vajrayana doctrines Gu Qing described, coming directly from Jinlun Fawang, were far more detailed and profound than anything Tianming had previously known, causing him to offer praise.

“To be honest, I am ashamed.”

Abbot Tianming said: “For many years, Shaolin suffered a calamity, sealed its gates for cultivation, and remained secluded from the world; thus, few Chan masters are widely known. Even the renowned Duan Yu is a Vajrayana practitioner. As the ancestral temple of Chan, Shaolin understands only Vajrayana theory, not its practice.”

Emperor Duan of the South revered Buddhist Dharma, a fact known throughout the land; the Buddhist Dharma he practiced was Vajrayana [as stated in Jin Yong’s revised edition, the Dali Duan lineage was most deeply influenced by Vajrayana].

“Yet Shaolin, as the ancestral temple of Chan, holds that all nature is inherently complete and self-sufficient—there is no Buddha apart from one’s own nature.”

Abbot Tianming assumed a detached posture, indicating he did not care about Vajrayana practice, and said: “You speak of killing too many Mongol barbarians, feeling the urge to kill whenever you see them—this is a mental obstruction, born of their invasion of our land and the deep hatred it has stirred in you.”

Abbot Tianming’s tone shifted—he now referred to the Mongols as “barbarians.”

“How should I treat this mental obstruction?”

Gu Qing asked.

“It is not difficult to cure.”

Abbot Tianming retrieved a scroll and handed it to Gu Qing: “Shaolin is a place beyond worldly affairs, avoiding entanglements; yet over centuries, we have accepted many lay disciples—some established families, others protected their regions. With this list, you may command them to act, expelling the barbarians!”

Shaolin had already been dragged onto Liangshan; Abbot Tianming had accepted this fate—after all, Mongol nobles had died within Shaolin’s walls; they had already utterly offended the Mongols. If they offended Gu Qing too, Shaolin would have no place left to stand.

These lay disciples were also Shaolin’s stance.

Gu Qing took the scroll and flipped through it briefly; most disciples were in Henan, some even held official posts under the barbarians—this list would greatly aid the Wu Lin Alliance.

“On the other hand, excessive killing is ultimately harmful—it easily clouds the mind.”

Abbot Tianming retrieved two scrolls and placed them before Gu Qing: “This one is called Prajna Palm—it is one of Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Superior Techniques. ‘Prajna’ means Prajna Paramita, translated as ‘using great wisdom to reach the other shore.’ This palm technique is Shaolin’s most exquisite palm art; its cultivation is endless, the palm method growing ever purer, one’s grasp of one’s true nature ever more precise, and deluded views naturally diminishing.”

Abbot Tianming clearly knew Gu Qing had not come to the Scripture Library for Buddhist texts—Buddhist scriptures were sold everywhere; Gu Qing had come for martial arts manuals.

Thus, after discussing a few sutras, Abbot Tianming was ready to offer something.

Even while discussing sutras, Abbot Tianming had already accepted defeat—and began planning how to win from within defeat.

Gu Qing took the Prajna Palm, studied it carefully, and used his Good Deeds record to memorize every detail; then he recalled that in the Eightfold Dragon, all Seventy-Two Superior Techniques had flaws—they required Buddhist sutras to resolve.

Otherwise, malevolent energy would enter the body, making these techniques harmful.

After reading the Prajna Palm, Gu Qing had no intention of practicing it; he casually picked up the second scroll and froze upon seeing its title.

Yi Jin Jing!

Abbot Tianming had actually given him the Yi Jin Jing!

“This scroll was written by Bodhidharma, inspired by Paramiti, and interpreted by Li Jing, after which it became renowned throughout the land. The late Duke of Wei, Li Jing, gained great benefit from its teachings and assisted the Tang King in establishing unparalleled achievements.”

Abbot Tianming spoke calmly: “You have killed many barbarians, your heart restless and uneasy—ultimately, your qi is out of balance. Shaolin’s Yi Jin Jing is unmatched in regulating qi; once perfected, your qi binds the five organs and spirit, rising like tides, erupting like thunder—unnoticed yet spontaneously flowing. This qi consolidates your spirit, and your will becomes firm.”

In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Linghu Chong practiced the Absorbing Star Technique, which caused grave internal damage; Master Fangzheng secretly passed down this manual under the guise of Feng Qingyang.

Gu Qing, seeing how generous Abbot Tianming was, felt a touch of overwhelming kindness he could not refuse.

“Shaolin also hopes you will achieve great deeds, like the Duke of Wei of old!”

Abbot Tianming said.

“With Master’s words, my resolve to kill the barbarians grows even stronger!”

Gu Qing took the Yi Jin Jing, scanned it once, and locked every detail into his Good Deeds record.

Seeing this, Abbot Tianming was greatly pleased; when Gu Qing returned the Yi Jin Jing, he tucked it into his robe and yielded the Scripture Library to Gu Qing, allowing him to read the sutras there.

“Master Jueyuan...”

Gu Qing directly called out Jueyuan: “I heard Bodhidharma left behind the Lankavatara Sutra—find it for me, let me see...”

Gu Qing had finally revealed his true intent.

Shaolin Temple’s Great Hero Hall.

Wuxiang, Wuse, and other monks, upon hearing that Abbot Tianming had allowed Gu Qing to view the Yi Jin Jing, were stunned, exclaiming that Abbot Tianming had been foolish.

“Gu Qing has already perfected his Daoist arts; the Yi Jin Jing offers him little benefit.”

Abbot Tianming spoke of this with calm indifference.

“Even if it offers little benefit, this sect’s secret scripture must not be shown to him!”

The old monk who had previously clashed with Gu Qing shouted angrily.

Abbot Tianming shook his head: “Precisely because he cannot use it, I must let him see it. Gu Qing’s martial skill is high, his methods ruthless, he kills without hesitation; his Wu Lin Alliance has made Mongol cavalry tremble. After he killed a thousand Mongols, regardless of his ultimate fate, the feat of one man seizing a city has already become a legendary chapter in martial history.”

“For the next fifty, a hundred, even three hundred years, people will speak of this with fascination.”

“Shaolin has no choice but to stand with the Wu Lin Alliance. What I desire is that when people speak of Gu Qing in the future, they will say he was indebted to Shaolin’s Yi Jin Jing—not that a Quanzhen disciple overshadowed Shaolin’s monks.”

This was Abbot Tianming’s plan.

If you can’t beat them, just mooch off them!

No matter what Gu Qing’s future achievements, Shaolin’s Yi Jin Jing must be credited in them!

I had already written the draft with the plan that the protagonist would use the Shen Zu Jing to carry out a grand deception—but upon finishing, I felt something was off; checking Jin Yong’s revised version of The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, I found there was no scene where Qiumo Zhi stole the Yi Jin Jing, the Shen Zu Jing was destroyed after Zhuang Juxian used it, and no scene where Duan Yu returned the scriptures—so I revised it.

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(End of Chapter)