Chapter 102: Only the Rules of Mingzun are Rules

Popular recommendation: The Songshan Shaolin mountain range is magnificent, with a wide flight of stone steps built all the way from the foot of the mountain to the summit, quite grand in scale.

Lu Li and Guo Xiang rode their respective inferior horse and green donkey upward; turning their heads, they could see five waterfalls on the opposite mountain, flying like pearls and splashing like jade, cascading down, and looking down at the surrounding mountains, they already appeared like ant hills.

The two followed the mountain path around a bend and saw from afar the yellow walls and green tiles; that was the temple of the Shaolin Temple.

The two chatted idly.

"I have been hearing about you in the martial arts world lately."

Guo Xiang smiled and said, "Mingzun, one sword guarding Tongguan, there is no one who does not know of you now."

Recalling that meeting at Huashan back then, three years have passed, and the young man's status has undergone earth-shaking changes.

Lu Li also smiled and sized up the young woman before him.

Now both of them were twenty years of age; perhaps they could no longer be called a young boy and girl.

There was a look of travel-weariness on Guo Xiang's face, clearly having been traveling far for a long time.

Her prime was like a flower, and she was at an age that should be happy and carefree, yet there was a faint sorrow and distress in her expression.

Between her brows and in her heart, there was no way to avoid it.

She seemed to be looking for something; was it Yang Guo? Lu Li was not sure.

Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü were deeply in love as husband and wife; this was something everyone could see, and presumably, Guo Xiang was clever and definitely not the type of woman who did not know what was good for her and insisted on destroying someone else's family.

A young girl's heart is always like a poem, and the thoughts within are naturally extremely difficult to understand.

Lu Li simply chose not to think about it and just looked at the mountains and water.

Guo Xiang asked, "Where is your Shura mask? I heard it is very imposing."

Lu Li shook his head and said, "The mask is only worn when killing Tatars; now that I have finally come out for a walk, why wear it?"

After speaking, he paused and then asked, "Do you want to see it?"

"The martial arts world speaks of you as if you were supernatural; of course, I want to see what the 'Shura' in the mouths of the Tatars is really like."

The way Guo Xiang smiled was very beautiful.

"By the way, why did you come to Shaolin too?"

Lu Li said, "It is said that all martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin, yet in several Huashan Sword Debates, I have never heard of any high monks from Shaolin among the Five Greats.

The monk Jueyuan I met at Huashan that day, although his internal energy was deep and unparalleled, to tell the truth, his kung fu was truly a mess, and he was even more pedantic."

"I came to Shaolin today to see the abilities of these monks, to see if this Shaolin is truly worthy of being called the source of all martial arts under heaven.

Moreover, my Ming Army has been resisting the Tatars for so long; even if there is no credit, there is still hard work. Taking some martial arts manuals from their hands for my soldiers to practice, that is not too much to ask, right?"

Guo Xiang was shocked upon hearing this; so this Lu Li had come to Shaolin to challenge the school and pick a fight!

Lu Li had been sitting on his horse in a lazy manner, but when he mentioned the soldiers at Tongguan, the killing intent that flashed in his eyes made Guo Xiang notice, and she could not help but feel secretly alarmed.

Furthermore, Guo Xiang suddenly recalled Lu Li's performance at Huashan; that day, he had suppressed her father, her grandfather, and others with one person and one sword, and later even inquired about the Nine Yin Manual and other techniques.

A bold thought arose in Guo Xiang's heart: 'No way, could it be that he is going to look at the martial arts manuals of the Shaolin Sect?' She was naturally a lively person, and seeing that there was such excitement to watch, she immediately perked up.

Who would have thought that just as the two arrived before the mountain gate, they were stopped by a guest-welcoming monk.

They faced Guo Xiang and said, "Two benefactors, for a thousand years, the Shaolin Temple has not allowed women to enter without permission; young lady, please go down the mountain."

After speaking, he turned to look at Lu Li: "Benefactor, if you wish to enter the temple, please leave the wine and the sword at your waist here."

There were no derogatory words in the speech of these two, but their tone was high and mighty, as if it were not the myriad Buddhas that people knelt to, but them.

Hearing this, Guo Xiang could not help but feel angry.

"What about women? Are women not people? Men can enter, but women cannot?"

"Hmph, where is Chan Master Tianming? Where are Monk Wuse and Monk Wuxiang? Go call them out; I want to ask who set this rule."

Both monks were shocked when they heard this.

It turned out that the Chan Master Tianming in Guo Xiang's mouth was the current Abbot of Shaolin Temple,

while Chan Master Wuse was the Head of the Luohan Hall of this temple, and Chan Master Wuxiang was the Head of the Dharma Hall.

All three were people of high status and prestige; the monks in the temple only dared to refer to them respectfully and would never mention their dharma names.

Who would have thought that the young woman before them would dare to come up the mountain and shout, directly calling them by name.

The two secretly thought, could it be that this woman has a massive background? But the Shaolin Temple has been the head of the righteous path under heaven for thousands of years; even if she has a backer, so what? No matter how big the backer is, can they be bigger than Shaolin? Besides, the two of them were just acting according to the rules and were not in the wrong at all.

In fact, many monks in Shaolin Temple grew up in the temple from a young age, and they were often as stubborn as Jueyuan when doing things.

"Female benefactor, do not disturb the pure land of Buddhism; please go down the mountain."

"That is right, this rule is not aimed at you alone, young lady."

After speaking, the guest-welcoming monk pointed to a group of people not far away and said, "They are also waiting outside the temple for similar reasons."

Lu Li and Guo Xiang looked over and saw that among these people, some were dressed in luxury, some in simple clothes, some men and some women, but clearly none were Shaolin monks.

Guo Xiang sneered and was about to flare up, but heard a voice from inside the temple gate.

"Amitabha!

Shaolin is a place of purity; no loud noises allowed."

The two guest-welcoming monks turned and said, "Disciples greet the Head of the Discipline Hall."

The person who arrived had gray hair and a defiant expression; it was the Head of the Discipline Hall, Master Wuchen.

Although this person's dharma name was Wuchen (No-Anger), looking at his expression, he probably possessed all of greed, anger, and ignorance.

Wuchen said arrogantly, "Young lady, you seem to know a few of my senior brothers, but when you come to Shaolin, you must follow the rules of our Shaolin!

Just now, you spoke improperly, but I will not lower myself to your level; just leave your weapon behind and go down the mountain."

Guo Xiang sneered; she had thought that a Head had come who might be more reasonable, but she did not expect him to be even more excessive than the previous guest-welcoming monk, actually wanting to take away Guo Xiang's weapon.

Lu Li saw that he was old, and he was probably an elderly giant baby who had never left the temple.

The crowd waiting outside the gate had already seen the dispute at the mountain gate, and now seeing that the Head of the Discipline Hall of Shaolin Temple had come out, they all walked over and discussed it noisily.

"The rules of Shaolin Temple, of course, must be followed."

"A little girl like you really shouldn't be so ignorant of the ways of the world."

"Yeah, look at how rich I am, and in the end, don't I still have to wait outside?"

"Shaolin Temple has always been like this."

Upon hearing this, Guo Xiang could not help but reach out and grip her sword hilt.

"It has always been this way, so does that make it right?"

She already had half the blood of the Eastern Heretic flowing through her veins, and in the pugilistic world, she was even known as the Little Eastern Heretic.

When had she ever cared for such social etiquette and worldly conventions? If you won't let me in, I am all the more determined to go in and take a look!

A sharp aura slowly emanated from Guo Xiang's body; it seemed she was about to make a move.

Suddenly, Lu Li said from the side, "I recall that Shaolin is within the jurisdiction of the Ming Army, and the Ming Army has already issued laws on gender equality; many women are already free to go out and work.

This young lady isn't even trying to become a nun at Shaolin Temple, so what is it? Your Shaolin Temple won't allow women to enter—are you afraid your own Buddha-hearts aren't firm enough?"

Wuchen let out a cold snort and said, "Hah!

My Shaolin Temple is a thousand-year-old ancient monastery, and it was even bestowed honors by the Tang Emperor.

Even the Emperor's favorite concubines must abide by the rules of my Shaolin Temple!

The Ming Army, so what?"

"The Tang Emperor, huh..."

Lu Li chuckled, "Then I would like to ask, what is your intention, you bunch of bald donkeys, using the rewards and rules of the former Tang to deal with people of the present day?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Master Wuchen and the surrounding pilgrims were all stunned.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it really is like that.

Still bringing up Tang Emperor matters, what era is this even?"

"How could the Buddha and the Dharma change because of an emperor? Are you all even here to worship the Buddha?"

"That was my old mother and wife forcing me to come; if you ask me, it's not as practical as killing another pig."

"Besides, the Ming Army drove away the Tatars and let us all live good lives.

How is it that the head of this Shaolin Temple still has this kind of attitude?"

"You!

You!

The rules of my Shaolin Temple have their own Dharma; how can they be subject to the whims of a mere junior like you?"

Upon hearing this, Wuchen's expression turned cold.

He was the head of the Discipline Hall, and usually, even within the temple or in the pugilistic world, how many dared to contradict or question him? What's more, the Lu Li before him looked to be only twenty years old, still wet behind the ears.

"Just now I was only concerned with the matter of this female benefactor, but this male benefactor wears a sword at his waist and has a sky-high killing aura.

Seeking the Buddha relies on a sincere heart; since you have come to Shaolin without even this bit of reverence for seeking the Buddha, you should also remove your weapon and go down the mountain."

Once Master Wuchen said this, the people around immediately stopped talking; they didn't want to be driven down the mountain themselves.

"Sigh, this kid has a tough temper, but now he's tasted the bitterness, hasn't he?"

"Ouch, I'm not watching anymore, lest I be implicated and waste my trip."

The surrounding crowd discussed it heatedly, and many shook their heads and sighed.

Seeing this, Master Wuchen became even more smug; he smiled faintly while holding a flower, looking every bit the high monk.

In his view, the rules of Shaolin Temple shouldn't just apply internally; they must be observed by outsiders as well. Only in this way could the discipline of Shaolin be manifested!

"Who told you I came to seek the Buddha?"

Lu Li suddenly laughed.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

They didn't understand; if he wasn't coming to Shaolin Temple to seek the Buddha, was he here to provoke them? "Lu Li of Tongguan, here to pay a visit to the mountain."

Lu Li used his internal True Qi for this shout, and the sound crashed down like rolling thunder.

The sound was vast, spreading for dozens of miles around.

Echoing off the surrounding valley walls, the reverberations were endless.

Hum!

A morning bell inside Shaolin Temple was shaken by the shout, emitting a sound.

Beside a well halfway up the back mountain.

Master Jueyuan was carrying two full buckets of water, moving as fast as flying.

Following behind him was Zhang Junbao, also carrying two buckets of water.

Suddenly, Lu Li's long roar reached them, and both were startled.

"Lu Li?"

Zhang Junbao said with pleasant surprise, "Master!

It seems to be the Ming Venerable!

It's Lu Li."

Master Jueyuan slowly stopped and smiled, "Amitabha!

You are still as impatient as ever."

Zhang Junbao scratched his head, his smile looking a bit foolish.

There was no helping it; in the heart of this youth, the Ming Venerable who guarded Tongguan alone was super cool, wasn't he? After all, he was a young man; who didn't have a soul of hot-blooded idealism? Furthermore, Zhang Junbao had always suspected that the Ming Venerable was that Brother Lu Li he had met on Huashan, and he had long wanted to see his idol again.

Master Jueyuan said, "Finish carrying this water, and I will go over with you."

"Okay."

At the mountain gate, the surrounding crowd was dumbfounded, and it took a long time for them to react.

"He said he came from Tongguan? Could it be that he is a member of the Ming Army?"

"It must be true; no wonder he mentioned the rules of the Ming Army just now."

"Wait... he said his name is Lu Li. Why do I remember that the name of the Ming Venerable is also Lu Li?"

"Could it be that he is the Ming Venerable?"

The crowd around them could not help but step back a few paces, looking at Lu Li in shock.

"You... you are the Ming Venerable, Lu Li?"

Master Wuchen was also somewhat surprised and asked stutteringly.

"That's right, it is him."

Guo Xiang stood with her hands on her hips; seeing Wuchen's appearance, she felt very satisfied.

This scene gave her the thrill of a younger sister having her older brother stand up for her after being bullied.

And looking at Lu Li again, he no longer had that gentle and casual appearance from before.

Instead, he was like an unparalleled divine sword that had returned from the battlefield bathed in blood, his sharpness fully exposed, looking down upon the world!

"Today I am going to take my sword and take Guo Xiang into the temple; do you dare to stop me?"

After saying this, Lu Li stood with his hands behind his back and took a step forward.

The two reception monks were still dizzy in their heads, and at this moment, intimidated by Lu Li's aura, they involuntarily stepped aside to clear the way.

Master Wuchen's face flushed red, and he took a large step to block Lu Li's path, shouting: "You are not allowed to enter..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw Lu Li raise his arm and grab the hilt of his sword.

Then, the sheathed sword suddenly struck toward him.

Wuchen was greatly alarmed and hurriedly crossed his hands, trying to block the scabbard with a move from the Prajna Palm.

But that scabbard seemed to be able to penetrate his defense, striking him directly in the face.

Slap!

The sound was deafening.

Wuchen's body flew sideways, and two front teeth fell to the ground along with his body, landing right in front of the surrounding crowd.

Seeing Monk Wuchen with his head tilted and a bright red scabbard mark on his face, the crowd immediately let out "pfft, pfft, pfft" sounds of laughter.

When a person wants to laugh but tries their best to hold it back, they make that kind of sound.

It was a bit like the sound a person makes when they want to pass gas but try their best to hold it in and fail.

"Blocking my path? I'll knock your head crooked."

Lu Li turned his head to look at Guo Xiang and said: "Let's go, let's go in and take a look."

"If he dares to stop us, I will tear this temple down."

Lu Li's expression was calm and indifferent, without a trace of tension.

On the contrary, he seemed a bit eager to try? Guo Xiang could not quite understand Lu Li's thinking.

Although she was the Little Eastern Heretic, she still dared not do something like kicking down the gate of Shaolin Temple or even threatening to tear it down.

Lu Li's approach of dragging her along to tear down Shaolin Temple was no different from a student in later generations going to blow up the dean's office.

Guo Xiang's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Waku waku!

Guo Xiang did not know that an even more outrageous idea had sprouted in Lu Li's mind: should he just clean up Shaolin Temple every time he traveled to a new world? Anyway, it wasn't the first time he had cleaned up Shaolin Temple.

Lu Li thought about it and decided against it.

He figured that by entering Shaolin this time, he could empty out all of Shaolin's Seventy-two Ultimate Arts and divine skills like the Tendon-Changing Classic in one go, and there would be no need to trouble Shaolin Temple again afterward.

He came here precisely for this treasury of martial arts.

Suddenly, the temple gate opened wide.

Two rows of gray-robed monks filed out from left and right, fifty-four on the left and fifty-four on the right, totaling one hundred and eight people.

They were disciples of the Luohan Hall, matching the number of one hundred and eight Arhats.

Following them were eighteen more monks, wearing light yellow cassocks over their gray robes; they were older than the Luohan Hall disciples and were the higher-generation disciples of the Dharma Hall.

A moment later, Abbot Tianming walked out slowly, with the Head of the Dharma Hall, Zen Master Wuxiang, on his left, and the Head of the Arhat Hall, Zen Master Wuse, on his right.

Upon seeing Guo Xiang and Lu Li again, the old Abbot Zen Master Tianming pressed his palms together and said: "This benefactor must be the Ming Venerable Lu Li, who guards Tongguan with one man and one sword."

"I have not come to welcome you from afar, and I hope you will forgive my offense."

Seeing that the old Abbot's attitude was good, Lu Li smiled and said: "Abbot, you are too polite. I am just a martial artist, Lu Li; why would you need all these masters to come out of the temple to welcome me?"

"I have come here this time for the sake of Shaolin's unique arts."

"Who would have thought that this friend of mine would be blocked outside the temple and not allowed to enter?"

"My Ming Army has long since issued laws that men and women are equal; why is Shaolin so special? Moreover, the Buddha's law is boundless, and all living beings are equal."

"For you to discriminate between men and women, I fear your Buddha-hearts are not pure."

On Abbot Tianming's left, a withered and thin old monk stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Do you expect our Shaolin Temple to abandon its thousand-year-old rules based on just your words? Furthermore, you have injured our temple's monks; if you wish to enter the temple, please show us a trick or two, Benefactor Lu, to open the eyes of the monks."

"Open your eyes? I'm afraid you have misunderstood something."

Lu Li chuckled: "This Monk Wuchen blocked my path and ruined my mood; it should be you who apologize to me."

The withered old monk's expression changed upon hearing this.

"You injured a person from our Shaolin Temple and still want us to apologize to you? Do you truly think our Shaolin has no one, or that our Buddhist sect has no rules?"

"Your rules? Heh, you still don't understand..."

An aura of looking down upon the world suddenly erupted from Lu Li's body.

"The rules of the Ming Venerable are the only rules."