Chapter 894: [Discipline Court] (Part II)

Hu Xiaotian approached with interest, tapped the fence separating them, and said, "Senior Brother Mingsheng, since there's no one else, who are you chanting for? Let's chat instead."

Mingsheng was both amused and exasperated; his predicament wasn't thanks to Hu Xiaotian, yet he kept facing the wall and said, "Amitabha Buddha! May the Buddha forgive this disciple."

Hu Xiaotian said, "You haven't done anything wrong, why beg the Buddha for forgiveness?"

Mingsheng ignored him, continuing to pray without cease.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "Your Heavenly Dragon Temple is unreasonable—locking you up for three months over a trifle. I thought I'd never see you again, yet they dragged you here as a witness. Thanks for not betraying a friend." Seeing Mingsheng still ignore him, Hu Xiaotian shook his head, lay on the straw pile, hands behind his head, and after a moment said, "Senior Brother Mingsheng, what did you see that day?" He wanted to confirm whether Mingsheng had seen Bu Wu's true face.

This time Mingsheng reacted: "I cannot say, I cannot say!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed loudly, "Do you know? After you were locked up, the Emperor told the Abbot I went to Riftcloud Valley and stayed over ten days, burning incense and chanting before the Longevity Buddha for him."

Mingsheng had no idea what happened after his confinement; he exclaimed in surprise, "The Abbot allowed you to go to Riftcloud Valley?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Why deceive you? So your three months of facing the wall is truly unjust. Your Heavenly Dragon Temple constantly preaches equality before the Buddha, but it's far from that—it's basically 'officials may set fires, commoners may not light lamps.'"

Mingsheng said, "Do not slander my temple."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Not slander, just stating facts. By the way, after you fled that day, I met an old monk."

Mingsheng, obviously intrigued by Hu Xiaotian, stopped chanting and looked over: "Master Hu, don't you know the saying 'disaster comes from the mouth'?"

Hu Xiaotian knew he was being warned; he had indeed been monitoring the surroundings, hearing faint breathing outside—clearly someone was eavesdropping. Those Discipline Court monks are really crafty. He couldn't fully trust Monk Mingsheng either, since their positions differed; who knew Mingsheng wasn't a Discipline Court plant sent to gather intel? Hu Xiaotian's remark was a ploy. He said, "Senior Brother Mingsheng, here it's just us two; you got into this trouble because of me, so I naturally trust you."

Mingsheng asked, "Who did you see that day?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Just an old monk; I thought he was a statue, motionless in the cave. Later I realized he was a living person."

"And then what?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "After that he left; the Emperor ordered me to Riftcloud Valley. I didn't dare go, but the imperial decree was hard to defy, so I steeled myself. Fortunately I haven't seen that old monk again these days."

Mingsheng asked, "They say you destroyed the Longevity Buddha—is that true or false?"

hearing Mingsheng's rapid-fire questions, Hu Xiaotian guessed Mingsheng was likely colluding with the Discipline Court to act, aiming to pump him for the truth.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I won't hide it from you—the Longevity Buddha wasn't destroyed by me. The Emperor sent me and Qi Dainei together to Riftcloud Valley to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha. On the final day of our mission, two black-clad assassins suddenly appeared, trying to kill us."

Mingsheng unconsciously moved closer to the wooden fence, exclaiming in shock, "How could that be? Heavenly Dragon Temple is a pure Buddhist sanctuary—how could there be assassins?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I thought the same; they probably aren't from Heavenly Dragon Temple. Qi Dainei rushed out first, and just as he engaged the two, a long-haired evil ghost swooped out and seized all three of them."

Mingsheng said, "What?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I was terrified, hiding in a stone hut. Fortunately nothing happened that night; the next day I found the three of them not even a hair left—surely eaten by the evil ghost. I reported this to the Emperor, but he didn't believe me, furious over Qi Dainei's disappearance, and punished me to return to Riftcloud Valley for seven more days of incense and chanting. Today is only the fifth day; I won't hide it from Senior Brother Mingsheng—I've spent these five days anxious, dreading the long-haired evil ghost coming for me. I thought I'd endure this hardship, but instead the Discipline Court snatched me here." He paused deliberately, sighed, and added, "Actually, if I could choose, I'd rather stay here than go to that terrifying Riftcloud Valley."

Mingsheng asked, "So is the Longevity Buddha really destroyed by you or not?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "It's nothing to do with me. The Longevity Buddha was kept by the Emperor's deceased friend; the Emperor treasures it greatly, so he sent me there to burn incense and chant in memory of that friend, showing how highly he values this friendship. In fact, the Longevity Buddha was destroyed by those two black-clad assassins. Think: the Emperor sent me to Riftcloud Valley to offer incense; if I had destroyed the Buddha, it would be a crime of confiscating property and exterminating the clan—not just me, but the Emperor might fly into a rage and send troops to annihilate Heavenly Dragon Temple."

Mingsheng's face changed: "Master Hu, don't talk nonsense."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I'm not spouting nonsense; I know the Emperor's temper better than you do. Precisely because I know the consequences are serious, I cleaned up those fragments and, with tremendous effort, moved a Buddha statue over, hoping to bluff it through. Anyway, the Emperor won't go to Riftcloud Valley; once he leaves Heavenly Dragon Temple, he probably won't think of this again in his lifetime. If he found out now…" Hu Xiaotian didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear. His ears never stopped monitoring the outside; hearing no sound beyond the wall, he guessed the eavesdropper had left.

Hu Xiaotian guessed correctly; inside the Discipline Court's Karmic Cleansing Hall, two monks stood facing each other, both with solemn expressions—one was Mingzheng, who had captured Hu Xiaotian, the other was the Discipline Court's law-enforcement elder Tongji.

Mingzheng sighed, "Master, did you hear all of what they just said?"

Tongji nodded and said softly, "This is no trivial matter."

Mingzheng said, "What exactly is that long-haired evil ghost Hu Xiaotian mentioned? Is he deliberately spreading alarm to frighten Mingsheng? Why not give him a taste of severity so he spits out the truth?"

Tongji's face sank: "Absolutely not—he's an imperial court official; how could we dare lay hands on him?"

Mingzheng said, "So what if he's an imperial official? Damaging the Longevity Buddha is disrespect to the Buddha."

Tongji shook his head: "The damage to the Longevity Buddha must never be leaked."

"What?" Mingzheng exclaimed in astonishment.

Tongji paced a few steps slowly, came before the Buddha statue, palms together, silently praying for the Buddha's forgiveness, and said in a low voice, "Hu Xiaotian has a point: if the Emperor learns of this, he certainly won't let it go, so it's best to keep the matter tightly sealed."

Mingzheng said, "Master, I always feel Hu Xiaotian is up to something—this kid is crafty and deceitful, basically never telling the truth." He took a dislike to Hu Xiaotian.

Tongji said, "What he said isn't necessarily all false; the Emperor's visit to Heavenly Dragon Temple surely isn't just about chanting and paying respects—the people around him are all experts."

Mingzheng said, "Why would a sovereign make things difficult for Heavenly Dragon Temple, for us monastics?"

Tongji said, "Before we know his true motive, we must be cautious; we must never provoke trouble voluntarily, lest we bring fire upon ourselves."

Mingzheng said, "Are we really just going to let Hu Xiaotian go like that?"

Tongji said, "Letting him go wouldn't matter; he's merely a Guard Commander beside the Emperor, not an important figure."

"What if he goes out and spouts nonsense?"

Tongji smiled calmly, "Would he dare to say it?"

Mingzheng secretly thought, if the Longevity Buddha matter were exposed, the Emperor would surely first blame Hu Xiaotian; this kid would never dare spill the beans, otherwise he wouldn't have fabricated a fake Buddha statue to pass off as real.

Tongji said, "The Rebirth Stele is broken, the Rebirth Well has collapsed and sunk; Master Kongjian and Uncle Yuankong's whereabouts are unknown—I have a feeling Heavenly Dragon Temple may be headed for turmoil."

Mingzheng said, "No matter who wants to bring disaster upon Heavenly Dragon Temple, I as a disciple will not agree; even if I must sacrifice my life, I will fight him to the bitter end."

Tongji sighed, "Your temper remains violent—you're always ready to fight and kill, yet you speak as a Buddhist disciple. Tomorrow morning you'll release Hu Xiaotian, warn him not to talk nonsense, or else I'll tell the Emperor about the Longevity Buddha."

Although Mingzheng was unwilling, since the master had spoken he couldn't object; he nodded and said, "Master, what exactly lies inside the Rebirth Well? Why did it suddenly collapse?"

Tongji's eyes showed bewilderment: "I'm not entirely clear either. Suffice to say, without the Abbot's permission no one may approach there. Right—starting tomorrow, don't let Hu Xiaotian go to Riftcloud Valley; say it's the Abbot's order, and seal the valley from tomorrow on."

Mingzheng said, "Hu Xiaotian also said they're missing a guard, that the guard was snatched by the evil ghost—but why is there not even a stir over at the West Courtyard?"

Tongji said, "Would the Emperor care about a guard's life? And how do you know that guard's disappearance is unrelated to them?"

Mingzheng's expression turned astonished; he suddenly recalled that Heavenly Dragon Temple had always been peaceful, but since the Emperor's arrival, strange events have piled up one after another—could it all truly be the Emperor's doing?

Tongji said, "I need to report this to the Abbot ASAP; the West Courtyard must definitely reinforce its personnel and closely watch their movements."

Today's three chapters were a bit stuck, so I kept writing until now—quite unexpected for Zhangyu—but I managed to finish before midnight. Two updates uploaded together; at month's end I'm asking for monthly tickets—if you have any, don't forget Zhangyu! (To be continued…~^~)