Chapter 134: The Supreme Divine Art of the Realm, the Traces of the Twenty-Four Generals

Living Buddha?!

Li Guanyi heard Qibili and Master Siming mention this name; among the powers that came from the Western Regions into the Central Plains, the Living Buddha was the one most eager to receive imperial favor from Emperor Chen, and Li Guanyi understood more about the history of this Buddhist lineage.

Five hundred years ago, Xue Shen rode his horse and trampled the sacred mountain of the Buddhist kingdom.

He lightly defeated the Living Buddha with the Tiger Roar to Heaven Battle Spear.

The prestige of the Western Buddhist kingdom began to decline.

Three hundred years ago, the Tuyuhun roamed the land and utterly shattered this theocratic Western kingdom; now the Living Buddha is merely a martial sect, and the young Daoist Priest Zhuiyue sighed in frustration, leading Li Guanyi inside and murmuring, "Lately, more and more monks have come, and they started fighting us."

"You previously overturned them, and they lay low for a while."

"We didn't expect it to be the Western Living Buddha who came this time."

Li Guanyi said: "Why add 'Western'? Why not just say 'Living Buddha'?"

The young Daoist Priest sighed and said: "What are you talking about?"

"We in the Central Plains have our own Living Buddha too—he's one of the Six Palace Masters of the Imperial Academy, but here, people call him Living Buddha, which annoyed the old man so much that I heard several of his disciples got beaten, because many of his disciples in the temples worship him as their ancestral master, and he was furious."

"He says he is Buddhist, but not of the Buddhist religion—you who have become abbots, don't drag him out. He studies knowledge, like the Confucian scholars who read books and the Daoist Priests who recite Daoist scriptures—he is a man who recites Buddha's name, not a Living Buddha."

"He likes writing poetry, and he especially loves foolish things."

"I remember the old man liked meat and wine."

"He once composed a Buddhist verse."

"One or two cups, the Buddha doesn't mind."

"One or two drunks, the Buddha doesn't anger."

"One or two bowls, the Buddha doesn't care."

"Yet he's still called Living Buddha—and this one, the Western Living Buddha, is a hereditary title and dharma form…"

He hesitated, then led Li Guanyi around back and pried open a crack in the window; many people surrounded them, their breathing noisy and clamorous, a thin monk sat across from Zu Wenyuan.

Li Guanyi's eyes narrowed slightly.

The young Daoist Priest Zhuiyue whispered: "This is the Western Living Buddha."

"One of the Ten Great Masters of the Martial World, ranked third."

"The first Great Master, Master Jiankuang, has peerless sword qi; but this one is said to have a Buddha-heart like glass and a body like Jin Gang—he once single-handedly subdued a rampaging army, shattered a collapsing mudslide, and saved many lives."

One of the Ten Great Masters of the Martial World?

Li Guanyi's eyes shrank slightly; this title carried great weight. He watched the monk and the old Daoist Priest—the Living Buddha smiled. He was a Westerner, yet spoke fluent Central Plains Mandarin: "Friend Zu, the world is tangled, full of forms and sufferings, and all beings here are caught in the whirlpool."

"My disciples once served as monks here; when Prince Puyang came, they were all killed, yet not one retreated. I came here hoping to gather their bones and guide their souls to peace."

Zu Wenyuan smiled: "Their remains have already been buried, their souls."

"There is no such thing as souls in this world, Living Buddha."

The Living Buddha pinched his prayer beads and softly said: "I know."

"So-called salvation is merely a comfort for the living, assuring them that the deceased have found peaceful rest and easing their fear of death; therefore, I beg your compassion, fellow Daoist, to grant us peace of mind."

His face was thick-skinned, yet his gaze was sincere.

"The world's situation is chaotic, Zu Wenyuan."

"My cultivation is higher than yours. I came here to take your place—wouldn't that be better?"

"The foremost master of celestial calculations, the head of the Daoist Twenty-Four Libationers, should not die here, should not meet such an end, such a calamity—I am more suited than you…"

Li Guanyi's heart stirred slightly, but Zu Wenyuan merely said: "You intend to use your own death to carve a path for Western Buddhism into the Central Plains—that shows compassion and Buddhist nature, yet it remains still a single family's affair."

The Western Living Buddha rubbed his bald head and laughed:

"I practice Hinayana Buddhism—I am a small sect, a single family."

"Hahaha, too petty."

Even Zu Wenyuan couldn't help laughing at this straightforward old man, but finally sighed: "You should leave."

"You have a fine disposition, but when Western Buddhism enters the Central Plains, there will surely be sword and bloodshed."

"What a good person wants to do is not necessarily good."

"You wish to find fertile ground for Western Buddhism in the chaos of the world's collapse and the great calamity of the West—but your coming here will bring swords, blood, and fire. You cultivate true enlightenment, but your disciples and students lack your Buddha-heart."

"The contemplation of white bones and the contemplation of flesh and blood are wondrous methods—they reveal the skull beneath the beauty, teaching one to strip away appearances and not judge beings by beauty, ugliness, poverty, or wealth, to see all beings equally with great compassion—but they are perilous."

"One misstep leads to demonic path—who among them can be like you?"

The Western Living Buddha fell silent, then finally said: "Then let me break a precept right now for you, and let me stay." He pulled out a small bottle from his robe—it held rice wine lees—and looked at the Daoist Priest with a pleading expression. Zu the Elder burst out laughing:

"Even Central Plains children can drink this—do you come to mock old Daoist?!"

The old monk with wrinkled skin "fumed": "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"How could a child drink such wine?!"

Zu Wenyuan laughed and scolded, then kicked the Living Buddha:

"You, stop playing around here."

"They say you have a pure Buddha-heart—don't act like this."

"Sixty years have passed—don't be like that young man who came to the Central Plains to travel, got tricked out of his purple gold alms bowl, and even counted the money for the swindler."

"If it weren't for the kindness of Miss Gongsun back then, you'd have been sold off already."

The aged Living Buddha stiffened, clasped his hands, his eyes calm, and softly said:

"What Gongsun girl? Old monk knows nothing."

"At this age, one forgets everything…"

"Zu Wenyuan, you bald-headed Daoist who can't even fight off bandits—did you get it wrong?"

Zu Wenyuan lowered his gaze and said nothing.

The Western Living Buddha scratched his head, his face brightening with a cheerful grin: "Well, I've never drunk wine—so since you're the foremost master of celestial calculations, why not untangle this knot for old monk? The world's dust and red dust—this is the knot."

He clapped his hands, and the monks and Daoist Priests in the great hall outside all stopped in their tracks. Something was suddenly drawn over and dropped onto the ground — a knot woven from rope. The rope seemed to be braided from grass, dozens of meters long, woven into chains through all manner of ingenious methods, slowly interlocking with one another.

The Living Buddha smiled and spoke unhurriedly:

"But if anyone can undo this Mortal World Knot, this old monk will turn around and leave."

Everyone noticed that knot.

Dense and tangled, enough to make one's scalp prickle at the sight.

"Otherwise, this old monk will just have to bed down on the floor here."

Zu Wenyuan laughed despite himself. The Western Regions Living Buddha stretched out a finger and pointed at that intricate knot. Everyone fell silent. The knot seemed like pythons coiling, each entangled with the others; pulling it apart here would only cause the other end to tangle even tighter. For a moment, the more one thought about it, the more one's head ached.

The Living Buddha said softly: "This was made by going against the *Huangji Jingshi Shu*. You cannot undo it either."

Zu Wenyuan turned his gaze toward the outside and said: "The young friend has arrived. Why not come over?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, patted the little Daoist Priest Zhuiyue's shoulder, hopped in lightly, then cupped his hands in a bow. Zu Wenyuan said: "Well, can you undo it?"

Li Guanyi said: "I can."

Zu Wenyuan looked toward the Living Buddha. The Living Buddha looked at this youth. Li Guanyi said: "Master, pardon the offense." He strode forward, gripping his sword. The blade gifted by Master Yan Daiqing was a sharp weapon, extremely costly. With one stroke, its light chilled the four directions, and that matchlessly delicate knot snapped apart in the middle.

The Western Regions Living Buddha's body stiffened slightly as he watched the youth raise his sword.

Thus, modeled after the three thousand sufferings of the mortal world, the chaos of the mortal realm, the turmoil of this age — the Mortal World Knot.

Snapped apart beneath his sword.

The Living Buddha was silent for a long while, then said: "Indeed. To weave this knot, this old monk spent too much time, and in the end overlooked that there was another path to the answer. It seems I cannot stop you now, Zu Wenyuan."

Zu Wenyuan did not answer. The Living Buddha looked at the youth before him, his eyes lighting up. He had just been sitting cross-legged there a moment ago, but suddenly appeared beside Li Guanyi, reached out and seized the youth's wrist, and said: "Tsk tsk tsk, a physique like this, a disposition like this, and still a Pure Yang Body."

"This young brother, I see within your physique what seems to be a glaze-like radiance, and within your eyes, faintly, the flowing light of innate wisdom. You must have a karmic bond with our Buddhist sect! How about joining our Buddhist sect? I can give you the highest position below the Living Buddha himself!"

"As for the Living Buddha's seat — forget it."

"That seat is an unholy thing. This old monk was tricked into sitting on it, and it's stuck to my backside, can't shake it off."

The Western Regions Living Buddha was very candid.

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, then raised his sword and, like those young nobles, with a touch of noble poise, said: "This official is of the Jinwu Guard."

The Western Regions Living Buddha was taken aback and could only release his grip, saying: "Still a Son of Heaven's imperial guard."

"But do you know a Jinwu Guard by the name of Li Guanyi?"

Li Guanyi bared his teeth slightly, smiled sincerely, and said: "Does the Master have some matter with him? I can pass it along for you." The little Daoist Priest Zhuiyue, who had climbed in through the window, was stunned, watching the youth speak such words with a warm smile and not the slightest ripple.

Lying came as naturally as breathing.

The old monk said: "Tell him that showing his edge too plainly is no good thing in this world, but if a young person doesn't show his edge, then he's no longer young. Still, if you truly encounter something dangerous, shave your head and become a monk, or leave home and become a Daoist — that can help you avoid a season of peril."

This old monk, whose skin was somewhat bronze in color, spoke sincerely.

Li Guanyi expressed his thanks.

Then the old monk revealed his true colors, grinning broadly:

"If he's willing, have him come to our Western Regions Buddhist sect. I'll personally tonsure him!"

Zu Wenyuan laughed and cursed a few times, sent the old monk off, and the monks and Daoist Priests dispersed. Zu Wenyuan dismissed the crowd and said: "That old bald head, sigh, come then, Guanyi. Today you are here to cultivate the *Huangji Jingshi Shu*."

Li Guanyi asked curiously: "This one is…"

Zu Wenyuan answered: "A monk from the Western Regions, a Living Buddha, and also a person — one of my generation. One sixty-year cycle ago, we were all your age. Back then he came all foolishly to the ancestral court of the Chan sect in the Central Plains to pay his respects, and because he was too honest, he almost got sold off."

"Back then they tried to saw his arm with a jagged blade, poked his eyes with needles, but couldn't leave a single wound. The monk just smiled and didn't get angry, so they got winded and made him settle accounts for them. Then one day the monk saw them assaulting a woman, and he flew into a rage."

"He picked those people up and smashed them against the rocks until they died, but his strength still wasn't great enough, his Wu Gong wasn't strong enough. He was tied up, and just as he was about to die, he ran into people from the Jianghu Gongsun family."

"Back then, the rest of us — the old soldier who created the *Po Zhen Qu* that you cultivate, Miss Gongsun, and Chen Chengbi of the Huguo Mountain Manor — we too once roamed the Jianghu together…"

The clear-featured old man's face carried a faint smile:

"A swordsman who couldn't wield a sword, a foolish monk, a Daoist Priest who didn't understand Wu Gong, an Imperial Prince who only knew Wu Gong, and a silent child of a military family — all of that is in the past now, but those were the three most exhilarating years of my life."

As the old man spoke, he was lighting candles. Li Guanyi suddenly noticed that the candles here seemed to be arranged in a special pattern, different from before. He recalled what the Living Buddha had said, thought for a moment, and said frankly: "Elder Zu, how is your health?"

The old man extended his hand for him to take the pulse.

Li Guanyi had become something of a physician through long illness. He could feel that the pulse of the old man before him was strong, his spirit vigorous — even stronger than that of the cultivator Wang Tong. Wang Tong had overtaxed his mind and spirit, his qi and blood were weakened, his health was poor; yet Zu Wenyuan's spirit blazed bright like a fierce flame.

Li Guanyi felt that both men had conditions that left him uneasy.

The old man did not say much more, only instructing Li Guanyi in cultivating the *Huangji Jingshi Shu*. He occasionally mentioned the Living Buddha, saying: "The method he cultivates is also a body-tempering art, but unlike your 'Golden Flesh and Jade Bone, Dragon Sinews and Tiger Marrow,' his is 'Inner Clarity and Outer Radiance, Jin Gang Glaze Body.'"

"If one must speak of the difference, roughly speaking your path is the military school, his is the Buddhist school. One is a body strong and powerful, with fearsome recovery, oriented toward slaughter; the other is a physique unyielding as metal, oriented toward defense."

"The difference between Dragon-Tiger and Jin Gang."

Li Guanyi thought for a moment: "One is a strong body, the other is great strength?"

The old man laughed heartily: "Hahaha, not bad, you could put it that way too."

Li Guanyi could not help but say: "If only one could master both directions of body cultivation."

Zu Wenyuan said: "That is indeed true—like a Dragon-Tiger body clad in Jin Gang Glaze armor, possessing tremendous power and unmatched defense. But body cultivation is inherently arduous. You had the fortune to cultivate Dragon Sinews and Tiger Marrow, yet Buddhist cultivation still requires mastery of Buddhist dharma."

"As the old saying goes, 'He who bears a sharp weapon will stir up the heart to kill.' The orthodox martial arts of the Buddhist school likewise possess the means to kill. Without sufficient Buddhist dharma, one cannot restrain the killing impulse of the martial art, and will become a heterodox path like the Xuefu Sect or the White Bone Chan."

Li Guanyi was lost in thought.

He turned his gaze inward.

Yet in that brief contact just now, the bronze cauldron was already more than half full!

Zu Wenyuan said unhurriedly: "The method he cultivates has two parts. One is the Jin Gang physique, the other is called the *Sutra of the Buddha's Words on the Strength-Bearer Who Moves Mountains*. It is only a Hinayana dharma, but he has cultivated it to its utmost limit. If you wish to learn it, he likely would not refuse to teach you."

Li Guanyi said: "The Mountain-Moving Sutra? Is it a metaphor for tremendous strength, the ability to move mountains?"

The old man looked at him gently.

Li Guanyi's smile faded slightly.

The old man only said: "He moved one."

Li Guanyi's pupils contracted.

Xue Shen shot an arrow over three hundred li, piercing the sacred mountain of the Tanguts and slaying the King of the Turks; in this age, there are still beings as mighty as legendary immortals—this is merely one of the Shida Sect Masters, above whom stands the Master Jiankuang who guards a city alone, and the Six Palace Masters of the Imperial Academy.

And then—

The Four Legends.

Li Guanyi thought of the creator of the Huangji Jingshi Book, thought of the Qing Robe Guest who drove Hou Zhongyu's lineage to madness; he calmed down, and his resolve in martial cultivation grew even firmer—he knew that to accomplish what he intended, beyond ambition and daring, he needed overwhelming personal strength.

Aim high, yet tread as if on thin ice.

Hmm—disregard the enemy strategically, but maximize every capability tactically.

After cultivating the Huangji Jingshi Book, Li Guanyi directly joined the Jinwu Guard; Gong Zhenyong, seeing he did not go to amuse the Second Young Master of the Ying State Duke's mansion but came here for duty, was overjoyed, slapped his shoulder, and said, "Good lad."

Then he kicked him into the Juan Sect archives to sit on a cold bench.

"You always get me into trouble whenever you go out."

General Gong Zhenyong, who had once debated a hundred heroes, pressed both hands on Li Guanyi's shoulders and said slowly, word by word: "The Great Sacrifice is coming soon, lad—I'm begging you, behave yourself. If you cause another incident, even I'll have to strip off my official robes."

"Just read books here, alright?"

Li Guanyi obediently agreed, and Gong Zhenyong let out a long breath.

Alone in the Juan Sect archives, Li Guanyi turned around, looked at the scrolls, his eyes flickering slightly.

Li Guanyi felt the joy of a mouse fallen into a rice bin.

The Son of Heaven's Imperial Guard archives!

What's this? A topographical map—take it down!

What's this? A resource map—take it down!

Garrison maps of all regional relay stations—take them down!

Among them were also historical texts and military treatises, mixed in.

The boy's eyes gleamed—he had a photographic memory and memorized every one of these documents; and finally, he found records of all the famed generals of the realm, including some sealed away—but he found what he sought—

The records of the Twenty-Four Generals who once followed Tai Ping Gong; this was the Son of Heaven's Imperial Guard, a place only imperial relatives and high officials could enter; the archives were forbidden to commoners, and no one would ever suspect anything amiss here.

Li Guanyi exhaled softly, his eyes dimming slightly; he placed the scrolls on the table.

The Twenty-Four Generals… he held the scroll, yet had not yet opened it.

Ding—ding—ding—

Someone tapped on the window.