Chapter 45: Something's Off About the Founding Ancestor Long Fist!

Ben Yin was startled at the words and rose as well: "Patron Zhao, this is?"

Zhao Ti said: "Earlier I borrowed a horse from someone in Weichu Prefecture, saying I'd return it in the next few days, arranged by Wuwei Temple—I must go take a look, wouldn't do to break my word."

Ben Yin considered: "How many days does Patron Zhao plan to stay in Dali?"

Zhao Ti smiled: "The scenery here is delightful; I may linger a while before leaving."

Ben Yin nodded: "If that's so, this old monk took to Patron Zhao at first sight—I must invite the patron to discuss the dharma again."

Zhao Ti pressed his palms together: "That would be excellent; I too feel a kinship with the master. How about I intrude tomorrow, then?"

Ben Yin said: "That would be excellent; I'll see Patron Zhao out."

Zhao Ti and his two companions left Tianlong Temple. Ben Yin returned to the meditation hall, where the reception monk said: "Senior Abbot, this Patron Zhao's background…"

Ben Yin said: "It should be genuine."

The reception monk said: "What makes the senior brother say so?"

Ben Yin said: "Brother Bencan, we are all of royal lineage—how could we fail to tell if someone is of the Huang Sect? I'm afraid this Patron Zhao is being modest; he may not be from some distant branch—his status is likely even higher."

Bencan thought for a moment: "What the senior brother says is true, but the great Xiangguo Temple…"

Ben Yin said: "Xiangguo Temple is itself a great Song imperial temple, its abbot personally appointed by the Song Emperor. This Patron Zhao's grasp of the dharma is profound, and it's quite possible he's a friend of the Xiangguo Temple abbot. Being of royal lineage, the two sides actually corroborate each other."

Bencan said: "The senior brother has a point."

Zhao Ti left Tianlong Temple, looked at the willows green and flowers red outside, and couldn't help but smile faintly.

He wasn't in any rush to go to Wuwei Temple. Meeting Ben Yin for the first time, chatting too much or too long wouldn't be proper—shallow acquaintance, deep talk is unwise; better to take it slow. In any case, Ji Mo Zhi hadn't reached Dali yet.

Then he spent some time sightseeing by Erhai Lake, and after returning to the city, made a trip to Wuwei Temple before heading back to the inn.

The next day, calculating that Tianlong Temple's midday service had ended, Zhao Ti called again.

This time he chatted with Ben Yin longer, all on dharma and the various schools of the Central Plains, and for a while the two of them spoke with such ease that they drank a great deal of tea.

On the third day Zhao Ti came earlier. After chatting for a while, they somehow got onto qin, chess, tea, and flowers. Ben Yin took Zhao Ti to see the temple's tea trees, which were in tender, brilliant bloom, and explained the varieties in detail. Zhao Ti spoke with easy fluency, greatly astonishing Ben Yin.

On the fourth day Zhao Ti didn't go; he spent half the day wandering Wuwei Temple, waiting for Mu Wanqing, but still no sign of her.

On the fifth day he went again to Tianlong Temple, and with Ben Yin discussed the great mountain gates of the world—Emei, Wutai—and then mentioned Putuo and Jiuhua.

Finally the talk turned to Chan Buddhism's Shaolin. Ben Yin said: "I wonder how Shaolin's dharma fares?"

Zhao Ti stroked his chin. That was truly hard to explain. At this moment Shaolin's abbot should be Xuanci—the "Big Brother" who led the attack at Yanmen Pass in those days, Ye Erniang's lover, Xu Zhu's father. As for dharma… probably not very profound.

He said: "The dharma may be fine, but who knows how well it's actually practiced."

Ben Yin caught the implication and laughed: "Shaolin is long said to have a Scripture Storage Pavilion, full of sutras and texts—Bodhidharma's own hand-copied works, and some martial secret classics."

Zhao Ti said: "I've never been to Shaolin, but the Scripture Storage Pavilion I've certainly heard of. As for martial arts…"

Ben Yin said: "How so?"

Zhao Ti said: "One often hears of the Seventy-Two Supreme Skills, each treasured as priceless—it's laughable. Which Shaolin person could master them all? After a thousand years, the seas turn to mulberry fields, the world shifts and changes—how many could possibly remain?"

Ben Yin said at this: "Patron Zhao has also gained something in the martial way?"

Zhao Ti smiled faintly. Ben Yin shook his head: "It was this old monk who spoke out of turn. In those days Great Song's Founding Emperor had a single Coiling Dragon staff, with which he beat four hundred military prefectures, and the Thirty-Three-Form Unnamed Long Fist that drove how many heroes of the world into seclusion, how many champions to flee the world. How could Patron Zhao possibly have no study of the martial way?"

Zhao Ti was taken aback at the words: "Master Ben Yin said… the Thirty-Three-Form Founding Ancestor Long Fist?"

The Founding Ancestor Long Fist was also called Great Red Fist, Hong Fist, Pao Chui, Cannon Fist. Later generations called it the head of the six great fists, the mother of a hundred fists. Yet whether in later transmitted versions or in Zhao Ti's palace practice, it was always Thirty-Two Forms. But Ben Yin had just said Thirty-Three Forms—his heart could not help but be puzzled.

Ben Yin said: "Has this old monk misspoken? Was it not the Thirty-Three-Form Founding Ancestor Long Fist?"

Zhao Ti mused: "Where did the master learn that the Founding Ancestor Long Fist has Thirty-Three Forms?"

Ben Yin said: "In Tianlong Temple there is a set of notes left by the Duan ancestors. The Zhidao Guangci Emperor and Great Song's Founding Emperor were contemporaries; in his youth he once traveled to the Central Plains, and in his later years he wrote a manuscript after returning, in which he mentioned it."

Zhao Ti knew that Dali's Zhidao Guangci Emperor was Duan Sicong, a contemporary of Song Taizu. He said: "Did the Guangci Emperor have dealings with Taizu while in the Central Plains?"

Ben Yin recalled: "The notes don't go into detail, only saying Taizu's fist technique was astonishing—Thirty-Three-Form Unnamed Fist—that drove the world's heroes into seclusion."

Zhao Ti drew a breath. Something seemed off. After all these years in the palace, he had never heard that the Founding Ancestor Long Fist had Thirty-Three Forms!

He had read all the court diaries of the Taizu, Taizong, Zhenzong, Renzong and other emperors, and not one mentioned the words "Thirty-Three Forms of the Founding Ancestor Long Fist." Inside the palace and among the people alike, it was always Thirty-Two Forms.

Could Duan Sicong have misremembered? Gone muddled in his old age?

Ben Yin said: "The Guangci Emperor loved martial arts and was later praised by descendants as our Duan clan's martial arts fanatic. In his notes he held this fist technique in the highest esteem, even saying… our Dali's One Yang Finger is hard to compare with it."

Zhao Ti's brows rose. Judging by this, it absolutely could not be that Duan Sicong had gone muddled—there must be some hidden circumstance. It seemed after returning to Dongjing he would still need to ask Empress Dowager Gao about it.

"I have not grasped the essence of the Founding Ancestor's fist technique," Zhao Ti said, slowly shaking his head.

Ben Yin laughed: "On the path of martial arts, inheriting the past is easy; how hard it is to open the future. So-called 'the blue outdoes the indigo'—how many can achieve it? Most late-born students, how many can surpass the originator? It springs from the heart, rises from feeling. Late students merely copy the model, follow the diagram to seek the horse—how could they fully integrate it, ten out of ten?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "The master's insight is profound."

The two continued discussing martial arts for over two hours more, then Zhao Ti rose to take his leave.

In the days that followed, he visited Tianlong Temple almost daily, grew familiar with the monks inside, and made the acquaintance of monks Bencan, Benguan, Benxiang and others. His talks with Ben Yin covered every subject, no longer limited to Buddhist texts and scriptures.

He also went to Wuwei Temple every day, but never saw Mu Wanqing come, so he described her appearance and had Zhou Dong wait there.

On this day, not long after he had begun chatting with Ben Yin, Benguan suddenly entered, gave Zhao Ti an apologetic look, then said to Ben Yin: "Senior brother, Uncle Master Kurong is calling you."

Ben Yin excused himself to Zhao Ti and rose to leave.

Zhao Ti fell to pondering. It was likely that the appointed time with Ji Mo Zhi was drawing near, and the monks of Tianlong Temple could think of no way to respond, and were beginning to feel anxious.

After a while Ben Yin returned, entering with a wry smile: "Patron Zhao, there are some matters within the temple—I'm afraid we won't be able to chat leisurely for long hereafter."

Zhao Ti frowned: "Master Ben Yin wears a worried look and speaks unexpectedly—has your venerable temple encountered some difficult predicament?"