Chapter 1836: 【Empty‑Seeing Divine Monk】 (Part 2)

Yet his fingertip felt a slight breeze; Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted—could this small cave connect to the opposite side? He stepped back a pace and punched the portrait's face. With a bang, the rock wall shattered, his fist blasting a hole through it. Judging by the break, the wall here isn't thick—only about two cun. For an expert of Hu Xiaotian's caliber, piercing it is as easy as poking through paper.

Hu Xiaotian kicked away the sharp edges, then widened the opening; the chill he'd felt earlier was blowing from inside. He bent his body and entered the cave, raising the Night Pearl to light the way ahead while listening for any sound. After just a few steps he could straighten his waist and proceed; the passage stretched on, and after walking about one li he still saw no end.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help recalling how he first entered the dry well from the Rebirth Stele, meeting Ji Feihua in the pitch‑black well bottom; his heart pounded. According to Yuan Mu, Ji Feihua is trapped inside Heavenly Dragon Temple, and perhaps he might stumble upon her by chance. If he could find her and rescue her early, Yuan Mu would naturally be unable to threaten him.

Ahead lay a vast expanse of rubble with no path; Hu Xiaotian had no choice but to scramble up the rock pile, hoping to cross it and continue forward. Upon the pile he saw the cave mouth unblocked, seemingly passable, and he secretly rejoiced. Leaping about on the rubble, he noticed a stone underfoot unusually smooth; looking closer, he found it was a broken stele still bearing two fragmented characters—'Rebirth'.

Seeing this broken stele, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help recalling the spot where he first entered the dry well; back then the Rebirth Stele had fallen from the well's mouth because someone activated the Reincarnation Stone, sealing the opening—and that person was Ji Feihua.

He lifted his head and saw the rubble piled up to the cave ceiling; apparently he now stood at the well mouth that once led into the underground cavern, the very place where Ji Feihua had once nursed her wounds. Since she later managed to leave, this must still have an outlet.

Hu Xiaotian crossed the rubble and pressed on, only to see a dim yellow glow seeping ahead—someone must be down here. He stopped, listened closely; with his current cultivation, even the faintest sound in this silent underground should reach his ears, yet after a while he heard nothing. Following the light, the stone cavern suddenly opened up: a lone lamp sat on the central rock, its yellow glow filling the chamber. Gazing around, he spotted a huge boulder to his front‑right, atop which sat a gray‑white figure, utterly still, resembling a stone statue from afar.

Hu Xiaotian's keen eyesight instantly identified the figure as a gray‑robed monk's back, yet at such close range he heard not a whisper from him. To Hu Xiaotian this was exceedingly strange; given his cultivation, even if he couldn't catch the monk's breath, at this distance he should be able to hear his heartbeat if the monk were alive.

The figure remained utterly still; not even the slightest movement should escape Hu Xiaotian's eyes. Could it be a corpse? The thought arose in his mind, but he immediately dismissed it—if it were a dead man, why would a lamp be lit here?

Hu Xiaotian glanced at the oil lamp; its oil was low and would soon go out. He spoke softly: 'Senior!'

The figure remained unmoved.

Hu Xiaotian leapt into the air, drifting down like a falling leaf to land behind the figure. The gray silhouette sat motionless on the boulder—whether dead or alive unknown—its long gray‑white hair spilling over the shoulders, his monk's robe revealing him to be an elderly monk.

Even with Hu Xiaotian's abilities he could not tell whether the person was dead or alive; he said respectfully, 'Senior, I am Hu Xiaotian, junior; please forgive my intrusion.'

The old monk remained completely still.

Hu Xiaotian then mustered his courage, reached out, and lightly tapped the monk's shoulder—yet there was not the slightest muscular rebound, as if he had struck a piece of rotting wood. He frowned, thinking to himself that the man must indeed be dead.

He reached out, illuminated the monk's face with the Night Pearl, and saw deep‑set eye sockets devoid of eyeballs, the whole visage skin stretched over bone like a human skull—more terrifying than Bu Wu's appearance; how could a living person look like that?

Hu Xiaotian extended a hand to check the monk's breath; as his fingertips neared the nostrils, a long exhalation blew onto his palm. Startled, he jerked his hand back and exclaimed, 'You're faking death!'

The old monk said, 'To me, life and death are no different—why would I pretend to be dead? I was peacefully facing the wall; you disturbed me, and now you even want to touch me. If I stay silent any longer, I won't know what outrageous thing you intend to do to me.'

Hu Xiaotian could only laugh and cry at once—this old monk's face resembled a human skull; what outrageous thing could he possibly do to him? Did they really think him so gullible? He also knew this monk was extraordinary, able to conceal his breath and heartbeat so perfectly at close range as to fool even his eyes—there could hardly be anyone like that in the world. The monk's cultivation certainly was not inferior to Yuan Mu's. Hu Xiaotian had some knowledge of Heavenly Dragon Temple and thought of the eminent monk Kong Jian. Kong Jian is a mythic figure in the temple; in seniority he is the uncle of Yuan Mu, Yuan Kong, and others, while the present abbot, Tong Yuan, is merely his disciple.

Hu Xiaotian said reverently, 'You must be Master Kong Jian, senior.'

The old monk slowly nodded. 'Indeed I am. You have never seen me before—how could you recognize me at a glance?'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'I've heard Master Kong Jian once went without food or drink while facing the wall for three years; no one else in Heavenly Dragon Temple has managed that.'

Kong Jian said, 'What's so great about facing the wall? If one dies in meditation, one can forgo food and drink for a thousand years. I faced the wall seeking death; this time I might have entered Paradise, but you ruined it for me.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'It's all my fault, though I never expected anyone to be down here in this cavern—I just blundered in by accident.'

Kong Jian said, 'Now that you mention it, I recall—you're not a monk of our temple, so why have you entered our forbidden grounds repeatedly?'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Have you seen me before, Master?' In fact, the last time he came to Heavenly Dragon Temple he had encountered Kong Jian—though then he only heard his voice without seeing him. Since Kong Jian cannot see, he surely wouldn't recognize Hu Xiaotian's appearance, yet by saying 'again and again' he clearly knows who he is.

Kong Jian replied, 'Do you think I have eyes but no pearls?'

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the monk's empty eye sockets—indeed, eyes without pearls. With Kong Jian's martial prowess, who could have gouged out his eyes?

Kong Jian said, 'Eyes can observe color and action, but they cannot truly perceive this world. I have spent my life striving to see it clearly, yet even now I still cannot.'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, 'All is empty; Master, why strain yourself?'

Kong Jian said, 'The reasoning sounds easy, but putting it into practice is terribly hard. At thirty I thought my Buddhist profound, that I was the foremost in Heavenly Dragon Temple's history; I grew arrogant, resolved to wander the four seas, spread the Dharma, and gather disciples. I set out—and ten years later, upon my return, I finally recognized my shortcomings. I went back to Heavenly Dragon Temple, where my master stripped me of all my former glory and made me start as an ordinary guest monk. Ten years after that I believed I could found my own school and stand apart, yet then I met a young patron who actively discussed Buddhism with me; his insight far surpassed mine, and I realized I was merely a frog in a well. I resolved to start over, becoming a lowly sweeper monk in the temple—I swept for another ten years. At sixty my mind had grown tranquil, I thought nothing in this world could stir my heart, when I met a little girl and discovered that despite all my ascetic practice I was still just a frog in a well.' He sighed, and his whole being sank back into stillness. Had he not just spoken, anyone would take him for a Buddha statue.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'So you started facing the wall?'

Kong Jian said, 'Facing the wall is merely self‑reflection; it's not nearly as impressive as you imagine.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Master, your realm is beyond my reach.'

Kong Jian said, 'I have lived this long, practiced Buddhism this long, yet I still cannot see through this mundane world; doubts remain in my heart.'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'What is your confusion, Master? Would you be willing to share it with me?'

Kong Jian said, 'Yuan Kong is my grandnephew; I watched you draw out his inner energy and remained unmoved. Are you saying I am heartless?'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'Monastics ought to sever worldly ties, holding only good and evil in their hearts, without distinction of distance.'

Kong Jian said, 'Bu Wu brings disaster to Heavenly Dragon Temple; I could clearly have stopped him, yet I stood by as a spectator. Am I selfish or selfless?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'All is empty; Master, who sees everything as void, perhaps you simply disdain to intervene.'

Kong Jian said, 'The Buddha taught that all phenomena have their own causes and conditions, yet he also said saving a life outweighs building a seven‑story pagoda. Does the Buddha want us to act righteously to rescue others, or to stand by and do nothing?'

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed; nothing should be taken to extremes. Evidently Monk Kong Jian has read the Buddhist scriptures until they've addled his brain—the deeper his learning, the more rigid his mind, leaving him at a loss.

Kong Jian went long without hearing Hu Xiaotian's reply, then said softly, 'If it were you, what would you do?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'If it were me, I'd do things according to my mood—there are simply too many affairs in this world for me to handle every one; when I see something I can't ignore, I'll take care of it.' (To be continued~^~)