Chapter 757: Lanruo Temple, The Stone

"Big Black… left!"

He Pingsheng felt an urgent, irresistible pressure!

He pulled a black iron spear from the blacksmith's shop, slung it on his back, then leapt onto the back of the big black dog.

The big black dog dashed out like a mad thing.

Under He Pingsheng's guidance, it raced straight toward Lanruo County.

Lanruo County lay not far from the capital, bordering it directly.

Normally, with his wife just giving birth to their second child, He Pingsheng should have stayed by her side—but time waited for no one; he knew that now that he had awakened, so had others.

The stream of light heading toward Lanruo Temple had not been seen by only Dalun Mingwang—it had also been seen by the Buddha Emperor and the Golden Diamond Demon Emperor.

So He Pingsheng felt he must hurry there.

If he was slow, someone else would take the stone.

Though Big Black was just a dog, its speed was unmatched and its combat power notable; ordinary bandits and wild beasts could not stand against it.

After sixteen days of relentless running, He Pingsheng finally arrived outside a temple in the wilderness called 【Lanruo Temple】.

But when he reached the temple, he found the area within several li of it surrounded by Song Dynasty soldiers.

Completely sealed off.

He Pingsheng leapt down from Big Black's back.

Before he even neared the soldiers' encirclement, a soldier stepped forward to meet him.

"Hello!" The man bowed politely to He Pingsheng: "Are you here to find the stone at Lanruo Temple?"

He Pingsheng froze: What the hell!

Do they all know why I'm here?

"Brave warrior, don't be surprised!" the man said. "We are imperial troops dispatched to protect Lanruo Temple's safety—we won't block your entry or exit!"

"Many have already entered. If you wish to go in, you may do so now!"

"Of course, if you don't want to enter, you may leave right away!"

Leave?

He Pingsheng would never leave.

He was confident in his skills and swung his iron spear: "Thank you…"

Then, with Big Black, he passed through layers of soldiers and entered the encirclement.

The area inside was still vast!

Looking up, Lanruo Temple stood atop the mountain peak.

Around it, within a ten-li radius, was open ground—perfect for searching.

Many had already begun searching for the stone.

He Pingsheng's gaze swept the area and spotted several familiar faces.

There were phoenix clan prodigies and others from different races.

The first person he saw was a bald monk: Mingyue!

"Amitabha…" Mingyue wore a crimson kasaya, strikingly handsome. He walked to He Pingsheng's side and bowed with one hand: "Master He, you've finally come!"

He Pingsheng glanced at him: "You've awakened too?"

"Amitabha. If you have awakened, how could I remain unawakened?"

He Pingsheng glanced behind him: "Hey, Mingyue… you didn't happen to be training at Lanruo Temple, did you?"

"You didn't hide the stone here yourself, did you?"

"No!" Mingyue said. "Monks do not lie. Nor was I training here—I've only been inside this temple for a few days!"

"Many have already arrived."

"Master, if you wish to claim the stone, you must begin searching quickly!"

He Pingsheng sneered: "You traveled all this way just to tell me to hurry?"

"Amitabha!" Mingyue said. "Not at all. I came to see how much worldly energy clings to you."

"It seems that though your talent is extraordinary, your worldly energy is nothing remarkable."

With that, Mingyue turned and walked away, shaking his gleaming bald head.

His crimson kasaya fluttered as he vanished.

He Pingsheng scowled: That damn monk…

Forget it.

Not worth the trouble.

He Pingsheng leapt up again, landing on the big dog's back, and leapt upward, quickly scaling the mountain to its peak.

Lanruo Temple was right before him.

Wisps of incense rose from within, drifting into the void.

He Pingsheng reached the temple's four-gate entrance. Seeing no one blocking him, he walked right in.

Inside the temple, the incense aura grew even denser.

Dozens of monks were performing morning rituals on a courtyard ground.

Warrior monks trained nearby.

"Amitabha…" A monk in a crimson kasaya approached He Pingsheng and bowed deeply.

He was an elderly monk, about sixty or seventy years old.

"Are you He Pingsheng?" The old monk's eyes gleamed with eagerness.

He Pingsheng rubbed his head, baffled: "Yes… that's me."

"Amitabha… Excellent! Please follow me!" The old monk excitedly grabbed He Pingsheng's sleeve and led him past the main Buddha Hall toward the rear.

They arrived at a large meditation chamber.

The old monk personally poured He Pingsheng a cup of tea: "Master, please drink."

He Pingsheng sat at the table.

As He Pingsheng drank, the old monk pulled out a painting and carefully compared it to him.

Curious, He Pingsheng leaned over—and saw the painting depicted himself.

This…

"What does this mean?" He Pingsheng was stunned.

"Hehe…" The old monk said. "I am Hui Gu, abbot of this Lanruo Temple."

"Ten years ago, His Majesty sent this painting and ordered me to keep it, saying that when the man in this painting arrived, I was to give him a certain object."

"Ah! Master He, I've waited for you ten years!"

"You've finally come!"

"Hehe… With this gift to you, I may return to the capital and become the nation's state preceptor!"

As Hui Gu spoke, he rose, tossed the painting onto the table, walked to a spot in the room, and stamped his foot.

A crack echoed as a wooden floorboard beneath him opened.

Inside lay a brocade box.

Hui Gu carefully lifted the box and placed it before He Pingsheng: "Master He, please look!"

He Pingsheng opened the box and drew a sharp breath.

Inside lay a stone.

The very same stone once held by the Buddha Emperor.

"This…"

So easily obtained!

"Why… why would His Majesty give me this?" He Pingsheng was bewildered.

Quickly, he thought of one possibility and asked urgently: "Master Hui Gu, what is His Majesty's personal name?"

Though He Pingsheng was a subject of the Song Dynasty, he rarely paid attention to court affairs.

So he did not know the emperor's name, only that the current emperor's reign title was 【Zhaowu】, and people called him Emperor Zhaowu.