Chapter 893

After seeing Bu Wu depart, Hu Xiaotian began seriously considering helping Bu Wu enter the Sutra Pavilion; although previously he had been forced into it, during these days of association his state of mind had also undergone some subtle changes. Though their master-disciple relationship was based on mutual utility, the saying "One day as a teacher, lifelong as a father" was not wrong—the kindness of teaching and transmitting doctrine was almost equivalent to the grace of birth and upbringing. Although Bu Wu appeared utterly ruthless, Hu Xiaotian could sense that he still cared for this disciple; from the way he taught Hu Xiaotian martial arts, it was clear he did not want Hu Xiaotian to die so young.

Even if Bu Wu obtained the Formless Divine Skill, his martial arts alone would not help much; from what Hu Xiaotian had learned, Bu Wu's purpose in staying alive was solely revenge, and what he most wanted was to find his fellow countryman Mu Yuming. In fact, after that night, Hu Xiaotian had already formed a vague outline in his mind: Mu Yuming had caused his own biological brother to come to this state, and surely feared retaliation, so he would certainly hide his name and change his appearance to conceal himself among mortals. When Bu Wu mentioned how extraordinarily large Mu Yuming's manhood was, Hu Xiaotian thought that if he were to castrate him, no one would notice.

Mu Yuming! Taken literally, the name reminded Hu Xiaotian of someone: Mu takes the homophone "wood", Zi means Li; rain, clouds disperse and rain scatters; Ming happens to match the character "cong". Could Mu Yuming be Li Yuncong? Suddenly recalling Li Yuncong's instructions before Hu Xiaotian left the imperial palace, he had also said something about letting him search for some nonsense called the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing, and that Heaven Dragon Temple had shown him kindness. Putting all these clues together, Hu Xiaotian grew increasingly suspicious of Li Yuncong; otherwise, why would he dare not come to Heaven Dragon Temple?

A sudden sound came from the roof; Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted, he held his breath and focused his senses on the surroundings. He soon heard a long, drawn-out breath. From the opponent's qi, he deduced that the comer was likely an expert.

Hu Xiaotian sprang up from his meditation mat, flung open the door, and with a single stride rushed outside the stone house—only to see a gray-clad monk standing still on the roof of the stone house, silently stationed there, as if he had no intention of fleeing.

Hu Xiaotian had thought it was another assassin coming, but seeing the visitor was a monk he relaxed, and with palms together he said, "Venerable sir, disturbing someone's clear dream in the middle of the night is hardly polite."

The gray-clad monk nodded and said in a low voice, "Was it you who destroyed the Longevity Buddha statue?"

Hu Xiaotian replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The gray-clad monk said, "Do you know the rules of Heaven Dragon Temple? What punishment should one incur for destroying the Longevity Buddha statue?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "What right does a monk like you have to question me? Did your one eye actually see me destroy the Buddha statue?"

The gray-clad monk coldly replied, "That Buddha statue has vanished; only fragments were found around the area. If it wasn't you, why would you have moved another Buddha statue from a different cave here? It's nothing but a feeble attempt to cover up."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I can't be bothered to argue with you. I came here to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha with the personal permission of Heaven Dragon Temple's Abbot Tongyuan. The supervisor, Master Tongjing, personally escorted me here—who do you think you are, running over to spout nonsense and try to frame me?"

The gray-clad monk said, "Discipline Court's Mingzheng! Please come with me to the Discipline Court to make things clear."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "I'm not a monk of your Heaven Dragon Temple, so your Discipline Court probably can't reach me."

Mingzheng said, "You'd better not force me to act."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, "Old man, I was just looking for someone to practice my hands on, to see how far the martial arts I've learned these two days have come. You've come knocking on my door—perfect." He smiled, nodded, and said, "Then let's see whether your mouth or your hands are the stronger."

A sudden burst of synchronized footsteps came from afar; Hu Xiaotian's heart jumped, and he saw a group of monks running out of the entrance of Split Cloud Valley. There were thirteen in all, each holding a wooden staff and brandishing a torch. Hu Xiaotian had thought it would be a one‑on‑one duel, but it seemed the other side had come prepared—this was a brawl. With so many people around, he could not easily strike out, for if he revealed his formidable internal energy, his secret would be exposed. If people guessed he had mastered the Great Void Technique, and considering he had absorbed the internal energy of Monk Yuan Kong, the entire Heaven Dragon Temple might swarm him; worse, he could end up like Bu Wu, trapped inside the temple.

Unless absolutely necessary, he must not strike; realizing this, Hu Xiaotian abandoned the idea of a big fight, nodded and said, "What's so great about numbers? I won't stoop to your level—come on, let's go find Elder Tongji to reason with him."

The staff monks escorted Hu Xiaotian to the Discipline Court; a monk had already come ahead to give notice. Inside the Discipline Court, lights blazed. The first thing Hu Xiaotian did upon arrival was observe his surroundings and note the details, so he could later amend that map. Upon reaching the Heaven Dragon Temple's Discipline Court, its highest judicial organ, Hu Xiaotian felt no pressure at all, for the Discipline Court restrains monks, and he himself is not a monk—even if he broke the law, it should be the imperial court that punishes him.

Even this fellow felt a little excitement; a place he could never enter by buying a ticket was now open for free viewing. Although the time was already Three More, it did not dampen Hu Xiaotian's enthusiasm for touring.

He had expected to see the enforcement elder Tongji at the Discipline Court, but it turned out the one interrogating him was still Mingzheng. Upon entering the Discipline Court's Hall of Karma Cleansing, monks immediately shut the main door, and more than ten staff monks surrounded Hu Xiaotian on all sides.

Mingzheng said, "Benefactor, you had better come clean—was it really you who destroyed the Longevity Buddha statue?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "I've told you already—it has nothing to do with me." The surrounding staff monks simultaneously planted their staves on the ground with a bang! that made the whole floor tremble, startling Hu Xiaotian. He asked, "What? Are you trying to beat a confession out of me?"

Mingzheng said, "If it's nothing to do with you, then without cause I wouldn't have dragged you here to the Discipline Court for no reason. Bring them out!"

Hu Xiaotian thought, "There are still witnesses," and felt a flicker of curiosity. He looked up and saw two monks coming from the side gate: the first was an old monk in charge of the merit register at the Hall of Merit, the second was Mingsheng from the Hall of Five Observances. Hu Xiaotian knew Mingsheng had been punished with three months of wall‑facing for bringing him into Split Cloud Valley without permission, yet he had also been brought here as a witness. Hu Xiaotian silently cursed his bad luck—Mingsheng had entered Split Cloud Valley with him that day and must know what happened.

The old monk responsible for the Hall of Merit nodded and said, "It's him—this benefactor went to the Hall of Merit to look through the merit register, seeking a Longevity Buddha enshrined by Chu Fufeng."

Mingzheng nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble, uncle."

After recognizing the person, the old monk turned and left.

Mingzheng then turned his gaze to Mingsheng's face: "Junior Brother Mingsheng, on that day you accompanied Benefactor Hu to Split Cloud Valley—what exactly happened?"

Mingsheng shook his head and said, "I don't know anything."

Hu Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart—Mingsheng's lips were sealed tight.

Mingzheng stared at Hu Xiaotian and said, "Why have you gone to Split Cloud Valley twice? Was it you who destroyed the Longevity Buddha?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I am not a member of your Heaven Dragon Temple; I am an imperial official, and all my actions need only be reported to the Emperor. What right do you have to interrogate me?"

Mingzheng coldly replied, "If you refuse to tell the truth, you may not find it so easy to leave the Discipline Court."

Hu Xiaotian laughed loudly, "Threaten me? I'm not afraid of threats—if you have the guts, just cut me down with one slash and see whether the Majesty will be enraged thereby; Heaven Dragon Temple was destroyed three hundred years ago, and surely it isn't afraid of a second destruction."

Mingzheng shouted, "Impudent!" The matter of Heaven Dragon Temple's destruction had long been the most painful, unforgettable memory for everyone in the temple, and also the greatest taboo for outsiders to mention. Now Hu Xiaotian brought it up before the monastic assembly, which was tantamount to openly tearing open their wound.

Hu Xiaotian scoffed, "Impudence is yours, not mine. Is it you who decided to bring me here, or Elder Tongji of the Discipline Court, or perhaps the abbot of Heaven Dragon Temple? Do you even know who I am? Don't feed me that equality-of-all-beings nonsense—on Dakang's soil I am an official, you are civilians! I haven't sought trouble with you; on the contrary, you've come looking for trouble with me. Mingzheng, Mingzheng, if you are acting under orders, then have that person behind you come out and talk things through clearly; if you are acting on your own, heh, I fear you cannot bear such responsibility."

Mingzheng shouted loudly, "Whatever the matter, I, a lowly monk, will bear it alone!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "If you cause trouble for Heaven Dragon Temple, can you shoulder it?"

Mingzheng was left speechless for a moment; Hu Xiaotian was not only articulate but his words clearly carried threats and scheming—these monastics were no match for him. Hu Xiaotian said, "Why don't we invite the Emperor and the abbot to come and sort out right from wrong once and for all?"

Mingzheng's expression became hesitant; he clearly lacked experience dealing with someone as slippery as Hu Xiaotian. At that moment a monk ran up from behind, leaned close to Mingzheng's ear, and whispered something.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, "Someone must be pulling the strings behind Mingzheng."

As Hu Xiaotian had expected, after Mingzheng heard the monk's words he immediately said, "It's already too late; better not disturb the Emperor and the abbot's rest. Someone, prepare a meditation room for Benefactor Hu to rest."

The so‑called meditation room is actually a cell in the Discipline Court, set up specially to confine monks who violate temple rules and refuse to heed instruction. Most of the time it stands empty, because monks believe in the Buddha; even if they err, they usually simply go and face the wall to reflect, so there are hardly any who need special confinement.

Such good fortune actually fell into Hu Xiaotian's lap—he was escorted into a cell and locked up. Although the cell's wooden bars are as thick as an arm, they could absolutely not hold him now; Hu Xiaotian's heart, however, felt a hint of curiosity—he wanted to see just how the monks of Heaven Dragon Temple intended to deal with him.

Soon after Hu Xiaotian entered, the neighboring cell received another person—it was Monk Mingsheng, who immediately sat cross‑legged on his meditation mat, facing the wall and chanting sutras. (To be continued~^~)