Chapter 181 — The Wordless Jade Wall
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 2 of 9
Ming Li's heart stirred, and he looked at Fa Cheng. There seemed to be a profound meaning hidden in those words, as though Fa Cheng already regarded him as one of Fan Yin Temple's own. Perhaps, in the hearts of these monks, he who had once bowed at the feet of Pu Zhao was, in the end, still counted a part of Fan Yin Temple?
Fa Cheng turned and withdrew. Ming Li watched his retreating figure, stood in silence a moment, then walked back into his own meditation room.
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At the moment he set foot on the summit, Ming Li could not help but pause slightly. For him, this was truly a place that stirred a hundred feelings at once. Beneath the morning sun, the Lesser Fan Yin Temple sat plain and unadorned ahead—low walls, a small courtyard. Where were the traces of that heart-stopping night?
He turned his head and gazed into the distance. From the Fan Yin Temple far off came the faint sound of voices again, incense burning thick, a scene of bustling life. Perhaps these people living in peace were, in truth, the happier ones?
He turned in silence and walked into the Lesser Fan Yin Temple. Presently the stillness peculiar to this place closed around him, and in the great courtyard it seemed only his own footsteps echoed.
When he reached the door of that meditation chamber, Ming Li stopped and instinctively glanced toward the rear of the courtyard. The path there was hidden by a wall, but one could still see where it stretched back—only now, in that last small courtyard, there must be nothing left but emptiness.
As though a person came ** into the world and departed into emptiness.
He knocked on the door of the meditation chamber, and presently the Venerable Pu Cheng's calm voice came from within: "Is that young Benefactor Zhang? Please come in."
Ming Li answered softly and pushed the door open. In the room at that moment there was only the Venerable Pu Cheng, seated cross-legged on the meditation bed, smiling as he watched Ming Li enter.
Ming Li nodded to the Venerable Pu Cheng. "Master, I heard from Brother Fa Cheng that you wished to see me?"
The Venerable Pu Cheng asked in return, "That is so. But I hear that young Benefactor also had some matter to discuss with me?"
Ming Li pondered briefly, then nodded. "Yes—though it is nothing of great consequence. Mainly, I have intruded here for many days, and now my wounds are nearly healed; I truly dare not impose upon you further."
The Venerable Pu Cheng smiled. "What sort of talk is this from young Benefactor?"
Ming Li shook his head. "That day at the foot of Canglan Mountain, you and the others saved my life. Since then, here, you have helped me untie the knot in my heart—I am truly beyond gratitude. But after all, I am of the demon cult; to remain long would surely injure your temple's good name."
The Venerable Pu Cheng's expression grew grave. "Young Benefactor, there is a thing I do not know whether I ought to say."
Ming Li said, "Pray speak, Master."
The Venerable Pu Cheng nodded. "Since that is so, forgive an old monk's bluntness: from young Benefactor's face and coloring, you are by no means a man of vicious savagery. That you have fallen into the demon path is but the workings of fate, and no fault of yours. Moreover, you share such a karmic bond with my junior brother Pu Zhao—so you have a bond with our Buddha, and all the more with Fan Yin Temple. If young Benefactor is willing to turn back and seek the shore, Fan Yin Temple shall shelter you with all its strength. Say nothing of the Canglan Sect—let the whole righteous world of the cultivation path come together, and this temple would not fear in the least. The Buddha says that to ferry one soul across is merit beyond compare. Since young Benefactor is a man of destiny, why not lay down the burdens of the mortal world and attain this purity and ease? Would that not be well?"
Having spoken, he gazed earnestly at Ming Li.