Chapter 1814

Returning to the Zhenhai Wang Fu, a family member immediately presented a visitation card, but it was from the Black Hu Northern Court Great King Wanyan Liexin, who had just come by; Hu Xiaotian had met him once before, at his own grand wedding when the Black Hu congratulatory delegation arrived, led by this Northern Court Great King, who had also given Hu Xiaotian a statue of the Child‑Giving Guanyin, though it seemed to have had no effect, and to this day Hu Xiaotian has never succeeded in getting any of his beloved confidantes pregnant.

Because Hu Xiaotian had just gone to the Xuantian Guan, Wanyan Liexin happened to miss him, so he left a visitation card, arranging to come again the next evening.

After a brief rest, Hu Xiaotian went alone to the Great State Temple; although he did not find the original copy of the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing, he had this item in hand, which at least allowed him to bargain with Yuan Mu. Now his status is different from that day—he has appeared publicly in Dakang and has received strong support from Qiqi; he wants Yuan Mu to understand one thing: opposing him is opposing the Dakang court, and if he truly angers Hu Xiaotian, the destruction of the Tianlong Temple by the court can be repeated.

Master Yuan Mu still received him in the meditation room where they had met before, and Hu Xiaotian, without saying much, took out that Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing and placed it before him.

Yuan Mu's gaze merely swept over that sutra for a moment, then he slowly shook his head and said, 'Not this one!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'This is the only one I have!'

Yuan Mu calmly said, 'If that is the case, patron, please leave!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Master, what do you take me for? Someone to summon at will and dismiss at will?'

Yuan Mu said, 'I am merely a monk; how dare I be rude to a prince? The Buddha teaches that everything depends on fate and circumstance; since we have no affinity, I can only do this.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Master, you are no ordinary monk; who has ever seen a monk dare to threaten a court official?'

Yuan Mu's expression remained unperturbed: 'Patron, your words are mistaken; I have never dared to threaten you.'

Hu Xiaotian sneered, 'You used my friend's life as a condition to coerce me into finding this sutra for you; I kept my promise and retrieved the sutra for you, yet now you say it is not this one—do you really think I am a three‑year‑old child for you to toy with?'

Master Yuan Mu sighed softly, 'I always thought you were a person of understanding; a glance at this sutra shows it cannot be more than ten years old—how could it possibly be the Emperor Taizong's own hand? Though I am old, my eyes are not yet so dim.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If you say so, you must have seen that sutra with your own eyes; could you please explain more clearly what kind of sutra you are looking for?'

Yuan Mu looked at Hu Xiaotian with deep meaning and said, 'You have clearly obtained the Spirit‑Uniting Buddha Bone, so how could you not know where the sutra is?'

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted—this old monk had decided that he knew the whereabouts of the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing and kept speaking of the Spirit‑Uniting Buddha Bone, which must surely be the skull in the Long Ling Shengjing; could Qiqi know where the sutra is? It seems only by asking her can the matter be clarified.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Master, could you tell me something about Ling Jiazi?'

Yuan Mu furrowed his brow and slowly closed his eyes, evidently unwilling to answer Hu Xiaotian's question, and said in a low voice, 'Patron, please leave.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Three hundred years ago the Tianlong Temple was surrounded layer by layer by the court's great army; at that time the emperor ordered the temple burned, countless Buddhist scriptures were taken away, and even now few can understand what fault the Tianlong Temple committed to provoke the emperor's wrath—many scriptures were lost then, so why do you alone fixate on this sutra?'

Yuan Mu remained silent, as if he had not heard Hu Xiaotian's words at all.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'The Gaozong Emperor supposedly rebuilt the Tianlong Temple and returned all the confiscated scriptures to you, yet why did you keep only this sutra? I have searched through countless sources and found that the Tianlong Temple's reconstruction came after a heavenly fire at Qixia Hu; I do not know whether these two events are related.'

Yuan Mu remained as if in meditation, showing no reaction to Hu Xiaotian's words; this time, however, he did not speak to urge Hu Xiaotian to leave quickly.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If you do not speak, I will take it as your assent. Why did Chu Fufeng leave a statue of the Immortal Buddha in the Tianlong Temple back then, and did he also leave many secrets there at the same time?' In fact, these questions had long troubled Hu Xiaotian, and he spoke them all aloud in front of Yuan Mu.

Yuan Mu gently turned the beads in his hand, though his eyes remained closed; evidently he had heard every word Hu Xiaotian had just spoken.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You are an enlightened high monk; you ought to see through the mortal world, so why are you still obsessed with a Buddhist sutra? Even if you did not use my friend's life as leverage, as long as you made a request I would naturally devote myself to helping you, for you once saved my life at the Lingyin Temple, and I owe you a great debt—yet you insist on using such methods.'

Yuan Mu let out a long sigh and said, 'Patron, you once promised me, but over these years you have never fulfilled your promise.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'All is empty; if you cannot let go of a single sutra, how can you hope to attain Buddhahood right here on earth?'

Yuan Mu nodded and said, 'You are right, patron; I have no hope of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.' His deep eyes fixed on Hu Xiaotian, an awe‑inspiring pressure pressed from all sides; had it been anyone else, they would likely have groveled under his intimidation, but Hu Xiaotian showed no fear, facing Yuan Mu directly: 'Master, your killing intent is formidable!'

Yuan Mu whispered, 'Because I have a heart demon!'

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily, 'Master, you are quite frank! In truth, becoming a Buddha or a demon lies in a single thought; Bu Wu and Yuan Kong are living examples.' His piercing gaze fixed on Yuan Mu as he asked, 'Master, do you not know of the existence of hell?'

"If I do not enter hell, who will?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'Sacrificing life for righteousness can indeed lead to instant Buddhahood, but if, because of you, the entire Tianlong Temple is dragged into an abyss of eternal ruin, then your sin will never be washed away.'

The light in Yuan Mu's eyes suddenly dimmed.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Chu Fufeng established the Heavenly Secrets Bureau; his disciple was Hong Beimo. When I once accompanied the emperor to the Tianlong Temple to pay homage and chant scriptures, Hong Beimo's aim was to obtain the Neidan chapter of the Kaiwu of Qiankun from there. The emperor's visit to the Tianlong Temple was merely a pretext—did Chu Fufeng leave some secret in the temple? Otherwise, why would Hong Beimo be so earnest?'

Yuan Mu calmly said, 'Why not go ask Hong Beimo?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'There are things I can never see through; I seem to be close to the answer, yet always just a little short.'

Yuan Mu said, 'If it is beyond reach, why force oneself?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I originally disliked trouble, but now you have placed a blade at my throat; even if I were lazier, I would have to use my wits.'

Yuan Mu, hearing this, unexpectedly showed a rare smile at the corner of his mouth: 'Patron, what have you come up with?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Is the Yongyang Princess the daughter of Minghuai?'

The sudden question made Yuan Mu start; he slowly shook his head and said, 'Patron, why bother slandering one who has departed westward?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Master, do you know Ling Jiazi?'

Yuan Mu replied calmly, 'I have seen her, but we are not acquainted.'

"Since you are not familiar with her, how do you conclude she is the most vicious woman in the world? And why do you believe she killed your disciple?"

Yuan Mu, under Hu Xiaotian's relentless questioning, lost his habitual composure and snapped, 'I never said—' The words had barely left his mouth when he suddenly realized that, the last time Hu Xiaotian came to see him, he had indeed said so.

Hu Xiaotian's aim was not to make him admit it, but to press step by step until the old monk's composure broke; he smiled and said, 'Before meeting Master, I had always thought Ling Jiazi was a gentle, virtuous woman who embodied wisdom and kindness, yet after hearing Master's evaluation of her I realized that this consort of the crown prince might be the most outstanding person in the world—Hong Beimo, Ren Tianqing, Quan De'an, Mu Rongzhan, Long Yelin, Long Xuan'en, all these formidable figures have had dealings with her, yet each avoids speaking of her matters deeply, which suggests not respect but fear.' He paused, looking at Yuan Mu, and continued, 'Master is the first person I know who called her vicious; given Master's breadth of mind, he ought not to be so harsh toward a woman, so after thinking it over I see only two possibilities.'

Yuan Mu then closed his eyes again, as if he did not want to hear Hu Xiaotian continue, yet he did not speak to stop him.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'One possibility is that, because of Minghuai, you believe she killed your most beloved disciple, which is why you hate her so; but I later thought, even if Minghuai had a private affair with Ling Jiazi, the fault would not lie with one person alone, and moreover Ling Jiazi is already dead—why, Master, do you still find it hard to let go?' Hu Xiaotian stopped speaking at that point.

Yuan Mu waited silently, but the speed at which he turned the beads in his hand had noticeably increased.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Unless you yourself have been deeply harmed by her, which is why it is etched into your bones…'

"Silence!" Yuan Mu roared, his bristles standing on end, his expression terrifying to the extreme.

Hu Xiaotian had just been guessing wildly, adding a bit of fanciful nonsense, yet he never expected to have actually hit Yuan Mu's sore spot; seeing the old monk's face contorted near ferocity, Hu Xiaotian silently sighed, 'Old lady, I guessed right—it turns out Yuan Mu was also wounded by Ling Jiazi, and deeply so.' Ling Jiazi, Ling Jiazi, what sort of person are you, that you have made all these awesome, swaggering figures kneel beneath your pomegranate skirt, and even now your influence has not waned. Yet you are so formidable—why did you die? In the world, there can hardly be many who could kill you.

Hu Xiaotian gave a faint smile: 'Master, do not be angry; I was just talking nonsense.'

Second update uploaded—please guarantee the Guaranteed Monthly Ticket for August! (To be continued~^~)