Chapter 399

My face changed instantly; the little novice was testing me.

He is the person most trusted by the Empty Silence Abbott; he must know about the Copper Coin Person, coming now to take a Golden Copper Coin—this is testing me.

Liu Junyan indeed has a Golden Copper Coin on him; that is the key to his contract with the Copper Coin Person.

The little novice taking that Golden Copper Coin to test me now reveals a lot of information.

Liu Junyan is already trapped in the meditation room; if that Golden Copper Coin is on him, reverse‑controlling the Copper Coin Person should allow us to take it from him.

Now there are two possibilities.

One: the Golden Copper Coin is no longer on Liu Junyan, and the little novice has come to me to look for it.

Another: they have already obtained the Golden Copper Coin but still cannot control the Copper Coin Person, so they want to lure me to the temple as a hostage to threaten Liu Junyan.

The little novice seems to be waiting for me to choose, but in fact I have no choice at all.

The Golden Copper Coin is so important that, whether it is now in my hand or not, I could never entrust it to another.

For me, when the little novice utters the words "one Golden Copper Coin," I should immediately guess that Liu Junyan has met with trouble.

If it is here, I will personally deliver it.

If it is not here, I will personally go to check Liu Junyan's safety.

As for fleeing? That is impossible.

Since the little novice can control the temple with one hand, at least on this mountain I have no way to escape.

I have reason to believe that if I flee now, he will summon that giant beast to devour me, leaving not even scraps.

The fact that he goes to such trouble to test me shows only one thing: I still have some use value to him.

This use value may come from myself, or it may be to control Liu Junyan.

Whether to advance or retreat, I have no choice.

"All right," I said after thinking it through, "I'll put on a coat and go with you."

Having said that, I turned, opened my suitcase, and took out a coat.

I shut the stone house door, putting on my coat while chatting idly with the little novice.

"You just mentioned the Revolving Wheel Pagoda; may I ask what it is?"

The little novice walked slightly ahead of me at my side, holding a lantern to lead the way.

He kept his upper body slightly bent forward; when I asked, he replied: "The Revolving Wheel Pagoda is our temple's stupa of relics, nine stories high; the relics of successive abbots and eminent monks after their passing are enshrined within it to protect the Great Dharma King Temple."

Inside is a cast prayer wheel that runs from bottom to top; the prayer wheel is never opened to the outside; barring special circumstances, each year at the start, the incumbent abbot leads the senior monks into the pagoda and uses a formation array to turn the prayer wheel.

Turning the prayer wheel one to three circuits prays for flourishing incense at the Great Dharma King Temple, year after year; four to six circuits pray for national peace and smooth affairs; seven circuits condense the soul and stabilize the spirit, yielding boundless merit; eight circuits reach down to the netherworld and up to the heavenly hearing; nine circuits constitute the Great Perfection.

While listening to the little novice speak, I took advantage of putting on my coat to feel over my body.

When I felt the round object with a square hole in the inner lining pocket, I knew what it was.

Liu Junyan is still too cautious.

He had repeatedly tested the Empty Silence Abbott and made many guesses about me; although he concluded the Abbott is currently fine, before going to see him tonight he still left this Golden Copper Coin on me.

I zipped up my coat, slipped both hands into my pockets, tried to relax, glanced sideways at the little novice, and suddenly asked: "By the way, every time we come to Mount Song we trouble you with many attentions, but I still don't know your dharma name."

The little novice said, "Amitabha; my dharma name is Xin Deng."

I called out, "Master Xin Deng."

The little novice returned the salute.

I continued: "Hearing Master Xin Deng's description, the Revolving Wheel Pagoda is a precious Buddhist site; this time it is exceptionally opened for the Reincarnated Spirit Child, and the significance is indeed extraordinary."

The little novice smiled: "The Reincarnated Spirit Child concerns the transmission of the entire Zang Qu Buddhist system; making an exception is appropriate."

I pondered: "According to what Master Xin Deng just said, to use the prayer wheel to ferry the Reincarnated Spirit Child's soul, at least seven turns are needed, and the more turns the better, right?"

"Right," the little novice said, "if one can turn it nine circuits, that is the Great Perfection, which greatly benefits the Reincarnated Spirit Child and is also a blessing for our Great Dharma King Temple; it requires striking the bell nine times and having the whole temple chant sutras for seven days to thank Shang Cang."

I immediately wondered: "Since the Great Perfection is best and the Reincarnated Spirit Child is so precious, for this transfer should we simply turn it nine circuits?"

The little novice laughed: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui is joking; the prayer wheel in the Revolving Wheel Pagoda is not a mundane object—it has existed since the temple's founding, now over nineteen hundred years old, constantly receiving incense offerings and Buddhist instruction, further empowered by the relics of successive abbots and eminent monks, and moreover protected by the Dragon Qi of successive emperors; it has long since awakened its spiritual awareness.

In nearly two thousand years, the prayer wheel has reached seven turns only a dozen or so times, eight turns only four times, and nine turns—the Great Perfection—has occurred only once in history.

I marveled in my heart: it turns out the Great Perfection is so rare.

But it also makes sense: if everyone could attain the Great Perfection, there would not be so many regrets in the world.

Thinking of this, my curiosity grew, and I asked: "May I dare ask who is so fortunate as to have attained this Great Perfection?"

"It was Empress Wu Zetian," the little novice said without reservation. "Before she ascended the throne, she once toured Mount Song with Emperor Gaozong, secretly visited the Great Dharma King Temple, and personally turned the prayer wheel; rumor has it that on that occasion the wheel turned easily, completing nine circuits without pause. Later, after she took the throne, she spent vast sums to expand the Great Dharma King Temple precisely because of this."

I sighed: "Empress Wu's blessings run deep."

At this moment we have arrived outside the temple's main gate.

The little novice halted, turned his head to look at me, and said meaningfully: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui's understanding of the 'Great Perfection' may be somewhat one‑sided."

I raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Why does Master Xin Deng say that?"

"The so‑called Great Perfection does not mean an exalted fate free of illness and disaster, with all wishes fulfilled," the little novice said. "On the contrary, dynastic change and power transfer are always accompanied by great slaughter; one's hands are inevitably stained with blood, and if you harbor great desire, you cannot achieve the Great Perfection."

My heart gave a sudden thump.

Only now, before this vast Buddhist temple, did the little novice's harmless face finally reveal bloodlust and desire.

He no longer hid anything: "Thus the prayer wheel's Great Perfection exists to wash away the blood and karmic stains of one who has ascended to the top; whoever attains the Great Perfection gains the world."

Having spoken, he extinguished the lantern, reached out and pushed open the temple's great door: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui, please…"