Chapter 863

Qi Dainei said mysteriously: "I heard that after going to Heaven Dragon Temple we have to follow the Emperor to eat vegetarian and chant Buddha; for a whole month we won't see any meat!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Vegetarian every meal." He thought, "You're just talking nonsense; who even thinks about eating meat after entering a Buddhist temple?"

A guard said: "Sir, is there any alcohol?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "You don't even need to think about it."

A chubby guard was obviously pretending to be dumb: "Then... what about women?"

Everyone laughed at once, Hu Xiaotian reached out and touched the kid's forehead: "You don't have a fever, do you?"

The chubby guard also touched his own forehead: "Standing in the sun for too long, I feel a bit dizzy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not fever, it's lust." This bunch of idiots dare to mess with me! He glared at everyone, eyes sharp, and said: "Let me be clear: if anything happens to the Emperor, I'll be the first to take responsibility, so we must prevent any accidents. If something goes wrong, the higher-ups won't spare me, and I won't spare you either!" His words were filled with killing intent, revealing his domineering aura.

Those guards listened, secretly shocked, began to realize that this newly arrived deputy commander wasn't so easy to deal with.

At the hour of You that day, a detachment quietly left the northern gate of the imperial palace. Unlike the usual extravagant, high-profile outings of the Emperor, this time it was unusually low-key, even forgoing the opening drums and gongs. Besides the twelve eunuchs responsible for attending to the Emperor's daily needs, there were a hundred palace guards and five hundred elite Feather Forest Army soldiers.

Heaven Dragon Temple is located on Luo Jia Mountain northwest of Kangdu, about a hundred li in straight-line distance from Huangcheng. At their current pace, they would reach Heaven Dragon Temple around midnight, which is also the Emperor's intention for choosing this departure time.

Although they left the city discreetly, this road had already been cleared in advance by the Feather Forest Army, with a post every five steps and a guard every ten steps along both sides; one could say the safety along the way was absolutely problem-free.

When they had just left the city, Hu Xiaotian was still a bit nervous, after all accompanying Laohuangdi out was a matter of great importance; if anything went wrong, he didn't have enough heads to lose. But seeing that there wasn't a single passerby on the road, he realized that the route from Kangdu to Heaven Dragon Temple had been completely sealed off, forbidding any idle persons from entering, with the Feather Forest Army stationed along the way to guard; not to mention assassins, even a bird couldn't fly in.

Hu Xiaotian rode a black horse at the very front of the hundred-guard unit. Ahead of them were two hundred Feather Forest Army soldiers clearing the way. The eight guards personally protecting the Emperor's palanquin were not from their palace guard detachment but were dispatched by the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau. With such tight protection, there should be no mishap. Hu Xiaotian quickly realized this; since he couldn't defy orders, he might as well enjoy the trip, treating it as a hike to admire the ancient temple scenery, and as a cultivation exercise to nurture his mind and nature.

Qi Dainei caught up from behind and matched Hu Xiaotian's pace, riding side by side with a smile, he said: "Commander Sir, did the Emperor say where exactly in Heaven Dragon Temple we are to go?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Isn't it just Heaven Dragon Temple? They didn't tell me the exact location."

Qi Dainei said: "Heaven Dragon Temple is divided into three main parts; just the big and small Buddha halls number one hundred and eight rooms, not to mention the monks' living and meditation quarters. If you add up all the rooms, there are probably over three thousand. There are over twenty thousand monks."

Although Hu Xiaotian knew Heaven Dragon Temple was the greatest temple of Dakang, he hadn't studied it in detail; hearing Qi Dainei's explanation, he finally realized how vast the scale was, blinked his eyes, and asked: "Which three parts?"

Qi Dainei said: "Heaven Dragon Temple is built following the mountain's contours. The lower section, open to pilgrims, includes the Heavenly King Hall, the Arhat Hall, the Mahavira Hall, as well as thirty-six Buddhist halls and pavilions, with the bell and drum towers also located there. Going further up, one reaches the Buddha's Foot Pavilion; above that lies the broadest area of the temple's Zen institute subdivision, where the monks gather to pay homage and chant sutras, a place off-limits to outsiders. Continuing upward, at the end of the Bodhi Path stands the Buddha of Rebirth; going around the statue leads to the rear mountain, which is the secluded cultivation ground for the temple's senior monks, entry forbidden even to ordinary monastics."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It sounds huge!"

Qi Dainei said: "Compared to before the fire that destroyed it years ago, Heaven Dragon Temple's scale is now much smaller. To the east and west of the temple are two annexes: the eastern annex provides a place for lay disciples to pay homage and chant sutras; the western annex consists of the Universal Virtue Institute on one side and, on the other, a place for organizing and transcribing Buddhist scriptures. The temple's Sutra Pavilion is also located there, also an off-limits area for outsiders. I just don't know where the Emperor will be arranged to practice asceticism this time at Heaven Dragon Temple."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The whole of Dakang belongs to the Emperor; let alone a little Heaven Dragon Temple—it's not up to them to arrange the Emperor, but rather depends on the Emperor's mood; the Emperor can choose wherever he wishes."

Qi Dainei gave a hehe smile, inwardly looking down on Hu Xiaotian, thinking this guy utterly ignorant of Buddhist monastic rules; although the Emperor is noble as a sovereign of a state, upon arriving at Heaven Dragon Temple he must still respect the temple's precepts, and cannot remain as he is in the palace.

Hu Xiaotian naturally understood this principle; he was just saying it to Qi Dainei for show.

At this moment a eunuch came out to relay an order, but it was Laohuangdi speaking, telling everyone to rest a bit before moving on.

Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of joy upon seeing the eunuch delivering the order—it was Yin Zheng, who used to serve Long Yelin; back then he had even expressed loyalty to Hu Xiaotian, willing to be his lackey, yet after not seeing him for a while, he had unexpectedly transformed into Laohuangdi's personal attendant—this guy really had some talent.

Yin Zheng also saw Hu Xiaotian, gave him a faint smile, then quickly returned to the Emperor's palanquin, awaiting Laohuangdi's orders.

Hu Xiaotian dismounted, took the opportunity to stretch his sore limbs, and a bunch of guard soldiers went off to the woods on either side to relieve themselves.

Qi Dainei handed Hu Xiaotian a waterskin; after drinking a few sips, Hu Xiaotian asked: "Can we reach Heaven Dragon Temple tonight?"

Qi Daine nodded and said, "We can make it; the Emperor said he would enter Heaven Dragon Temple at the first moment of the zi hour." He had blurted it out unintentionally, and only after speaking did he realize he had misspoken. Originally he had pretended to know nothing about the Emperor's schedule, but now he had essentially slapped himself in the mouth.

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Qi Daine with deep meaning, a faint cold smile curling his lips.

Qi Daine was terribly embarrassed, his face flushed red: "I, too… was just guessing…" At a time like this, any explanation would be feeble and powerless.

Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder and said, "After knowing you this long, I just discovered you can actually calculate; why don't you guess again where the Emperor plans to stay?"

I can't possibly guess that!

Hu Xiaotian now fully understood that Mu Rongzhan had already detailed their duties for this trip to Heaven Dragon Temple before these palace guards arrived; the monarch fasting and chanting sutras for a month at Heaven Dragon Temple would certainly have made a detailed schedule plan beforehand, so Mu Rongzhan must know, and even Qi Daine and these guards know, yet no one told him. Hu Xiaotian felt no sense of loss, only growing stranger: judging from the situation, Laohuangdi hardly needs him for protection—what is the purpose of summoning him to accompany? It shouldn't be a whim; could it be exactly what he guessed? Does he intend to use this month to pressure the Gold Hill Xu family, forcing them to obey his demands? If so, why not simply arrest him and his son? Directly threatening the Xu family would save much trouble. Or does Laohuangdi wish to hide his true aim, presenting outsiders with a false show of heavily employing father and son?

Hu Xiaotian looked at the group of Guards, seeing many of their gazes fixed on him; his heart sank again, fearing that the Guards' true purpose was not to protect the Emperor but to watch him. Mu Rongzhan, Mu Rongzhan, even if I liked your daughter it wouldn't be a major fault, yet you join with Laohuangdi to scheme against me—this seems not right.

Qi Daine said, "Leader Sir, we should set off."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and asked before departing, "What did Leader Mu Rongzhan instruct you to do before you came?"

Qi Daine said, "Please let Your humble servant protect the Emperor well."

Hu Xiaotian let out a heh heh cold laugh, mounted his horse, actually broke away from the palace Guards' formation, galloped his horse toward the front of the group. Qi Daine watched Hu Xiaotian's retreating back, inevitably feeling somewhat taken aback. Two Guards came up beside him and whispered, "Should we follow?" Earlier, Qi Daine's assignment for those two Guards had been to never leave Hu Xiaotian's side, to follow him closely.

Qi Daine slowly shook his head; Hu Xiaotian evidently had realized something, and having just spoken carelessly and misspoken again, with his intellect he must have sensed something amiss—he broke away from his own side, perhaps to vent his dissatisfaction or to probe their movements, and Qi Daine slowly said, "We cannot meddle in Leader Sir's affairs."

At dawn their party had already reached Pearl Garland Mountain Heaven Dragon Temple; outside the Five Bright Bridge of Heaven Dragon Temple, Abbot Tongyuan led over twenty monks waiting outside the mountain gate, the twenty-odd people behind him all being the heads of the various monasteries of Heaven Dragon Temple—days when all these people can gather together are few in ordinary times. Although monks are transcendent beings, living in the secular world they inevitably must make compromises before reality. As for the arrival of the Dakang Son of Heaven, these monks are mostly unwilling. Fasting and chanting sutras for a month means that their month of tranquility will be disturbed by outsiders. Although they constantly proclaim that before the Buddha all beings are equal, none dare to treat the Dakang monarch with equal courtesy.

The tragedy of Heaven Dragon Temple being besieged and destroyed three hundred years ago remains fresh in memory; the foundations of hundreds of years and countless Buddhist treasures were all destroyed in an instant, that incident being the result of offending the imperial court. To survive and continue in Dakang, one must maintain harmonious relations with the imperial court; in this regard Abbot Tongyuan has done fairly well. (To be continued~^~)