Chapter 19: Courage

Meng Qi abruptly sat up, straining his ears to listen to the bell tolling. His fists quietly clenched beneath the covers: “Has Qing Jing’s death been discovered, or has he simply vanished?”

Within this unusual bell sound, Zhen Ying, Zhen Guan, and other novice monks who normally showed indifference to worldly affairs, also quickly rose, their inexplicable panic masking Meng Qi’s abnormality.

Inside the grand hall, the golden Buddha statue sat with hands forming a mudra, its majestic and compassionate visage gazing upon the people below.

Standing directly beneath the statue was an elderly monk whose long white eyebrows extended beyond his face. His face was gaunt, and he wore a yellow monk’s robe with a bright red kasaya draped over it. In his hand was a nine-ringed staff, and his face bore a faint golden hue.

“Namo Amitabha, please, esteemed patrons, remain calm,” the old monk raised one hand and chanted a Buddhist mantra.

Beside him stood nearly twenty monks clad in red kasayas. Some bore deep wrinkles and appeared extremely aged; others were thin and desiccated like withered wood; and a few exuded a melancholic, refined maturity.

“Hmph, remain calm? One of our disciples was murdered here at Shaolin, and you ask this humble Daoist to remain calm?” An old Daoist wearing a seven-star crown and yin-yang robe glared at the monk, his eyes flashing with sharp light. “Master Kongwen, our Xuantian Sect was invited here, yet this happened. You must give us justice! Otherwise… Hmph!”

His hair was snow-white, yet his face was unusually rosy and wrinkle-free, embodying the very image of a youthful face with white hair.

This monk was none other than the Shaolin abbot, Kongwen, who had attained the “Golden Body of the Dragon-Taming Arhat” and dominated the martial world for over a hundred years.

“Amitabha, Master Shouzhuo, such a tragedy occurring within our temple, regardless of the murderer’s identity, Shaolin cannot escape blame,” Kongwen replied calmly, showing no sign of stubbornly preserving his dignity. “However, I believe Master Shoujing of your sect, like all the esteemed patrons present, would rather know who the murderer is and their motive. Please allow this old monk some time to examine the body and uncover the truth.”

Master Shoujing was the leader of the Xuantian Sect, rumored to have reached the threshold of the Dharmakaya, ranking second on the Earth List.

“Master Kongwen speaks wisely, Master Shouzhuo, please do not rush. We all share in your grief,” a middle-aged Daoist dressed in Xuanwu robes, holding a jade scepter, stepped forward to mediate.

Among his disciples behind him, Zhang Yuanshan stared sorrowfully at Qing Jing’s body covered in white cloth. His head had been severed from his body, eyebrows furrowed in rage, eyes wide open in shock—clearly dying in a state of intense surprise and fury.

“So he truly died this way…” Zhang Yuanshan’s sorrow was mixed with shock. How he died in the “cycle world” was exactly how he died in reality!

Whether their true bodies had indeed been thrown into the “cycle” or whether the injuries were projections from illusions or illusions, the “Lord of the Six Realms” was certainly a being of extraordinary supernatural power!

This was accomplished right under the nose of the “Dragon-Taming Arhat!”

He secretly glanced toward Jiang Zhimwei among the disciples of the Xijian Pavilion and Qi Xia among the members of the Great River Gang. He saw sorrow on their faces, but also shock and solemnity. As for Qi Zhengyan, he was merely an ordinary disciple without the status to accompany the seniors of the Huanhua Sword Sect into the grand hall.

However, the mysterious murder of a Xuantian Sect disciple within the Shaolin Temple was shocking enough. The expressions of the other young disciples were similar, and no one noticed their abnormality.

Master Shouzhuo cast a cold glance at a Daoist from the Zhenwu Sect: “Xuanyuanzi, it’s not your disciple who died. Don’t pretend to be virtuous!”

“I’ve long heard of Master Shouzhuo of the Xuantian Sect being hot-tempered and upright. Today’s encounter confirms it indeed,” Xuanyuanzi, who had good self-cultivation, knew that although the Xuantian Sect still had many disciples like Qing Jing, and could afford such a loss, being assassinated in such a manner was like a slap in the face. How could Master Shouzhuo not be furious? Thus, he simply smiled and replied, then turned to another side: “Master Su, what is your opinion?”

Before Jiang Zhimwei stood a young and handsome man dressed in blue. He appeared ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one would feel an emptiness around him, as if there was neither self nor anything else.

The man in blue half-closed his eyes, gently stroking an ancient long sword at his waist. His voice was deep and aged: “Master Kongwen speaks wisely.”

His voice was in stark contrast to his youthful appearance, like that of an old man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and seen through the chaos of the mundane world.

As soon as the man in blue finished speaking, the grand hall fell silent. Even the hot-tempered Master Shouzhuo did not argue, seemingly overpowered by the man’s presence.

Master Shouzhuo was silent for a moment, then clasped his hands in a bow: “Please, Master Kongwen, examine Qing Jing’s wounds.”

This was not because the man in blue had a greater reputation or more power than Abbot Kongwen. Everyone present knew that perhaps one day this might be the case, but at least for now, there was still a vast difference between the man in blue and the monk Kongwen. The real reason was that Abbot Kongwen, with his compassionate heart and modesty, never bullied the weak, making it possible to debate the right and wrong of the matter with him. In contrast, the man in blue was known for hating verbal disputes, and once angered, would always settle matters directly with his sword.

Abbot Kongwen handed his nine-ringed staff to a middle-aged monk beside him—handsome and melancholic in demeanor—and slowly stepped forward, stopping beside Qing Jing’s body. Faint golden Buddhist light flickered in his eyes.

“The fatal wound on Master Qing Jing’s back was inflicted by a palm strike. The assailant’s strength was at the initial stage of Opening the Apertures, skilled in the Iron Palm technique. The wound on his neck was delivered posthumously, by a long blade. The wielder of the blade was slightly more powerful than the one who struck the palm. Thus, there were two killers, both proficient in Opening the Apertures, though at varying levels of mastery,” Abbot Kongwen calmly elucidated the cause of Qing Jing’s demise, leaving Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, and the others utterly astounded. How meticulously and precisely he reconstructed the sequence of events! Truly befitting of a Dharmakaya master!

Master Shouzhuo’s expression remained stern: “Such a conclusion, even this humble monk could deduce. But where are the real murderers? Who could have secretly brought two acupoint-openers into the courtyard without my notice? Who could have committed the crime within Shaolin without being detected by Master Kongwen’s divine perception?”

“Yesterday, this old monk was in deep meditation, observing various pure lands, perhaps giving the real murderer an opportunity,” Abbot Kongwen replied calmly, his expression hinting at an apology.

Master Shouzhuo did not back down: “Master Kongwen, how many people know that you were in deep meditation? How could things be so coincidental? Please, Master Kongwen, display your golden body’s power and trace the real murderer!”

His words were reasonable, and Xuanyuanzi and others nodded slightly, directing their gazes toward Abbot Kongwen.

Abbot Kongwen joined his palms: “Amitabha, this old monk has already tried. The real murderer’s power is no less than mine, and the trail has already been severed.”

“So you’re saying Shaolin can’t identify the killer? Then this humble Daoist will have to report to my senior brother and summon the Blade of Time to uncover the truth ourselves!” Master Shouzhuo said in anger.

“Amitabha, this old monk deeply regrets failing the Xuantian Sect’s esteemed patrons. I shall personally go to Yu Huang Mountain to apologize to Master Shoujing and join your sect in seeking the real murderer,” Abbot Kongwen said compassionately.

Among the senior monks and elders behind Abbot Kongwen, some showed dissatisfaction. Master Shouzhuo was too aggressive, and the abbot too soft! However, they also knew that the incident was too strange. Without finding the real murderer, if not handled this way, Shaolin’s reputation might be ruined forever.

Hearing that Abbot Kongwen was willing to personally apologize at Yu Huang Mountain, everyone was stunned. For the first time, Master Shouzhuo showed an embarrassed expression: “Master Kongwen, there’s no need for this. This humble Daoist can feel your sincerity. I hope Shaolin will keep this promise and join our sect in seeking the real murderer.”

For the third-ranked Golden Body Arhat on the Heaven List, who had dominated the world for over a hundred years, personally apologizing was a severe test of his Daoist heart. Without concrete evidence, the Xuantian Sect was also unwilling to push too hard.

As Zhang Yuanshan listened to the elders discussing the true culprit, his mind was in turmoil. To be honest, although the Zhenwu Sect emphasized sending disciples out for training, and the “Cycle World Mission” could be considered a special form of cultivation, he had only recently opened his meridians and was far from prepared for such deep involvement.

Therefore, he desperately wanted to escape from the “Lord of the Six Realms” and the “Cycle Task.” Although he was quite envious of those divine techniques, immortal weapons, and miraculous pills, at his current cultivation level, he did not lack secret manuals, weapons, or pills. Moreover, his cultivation had not yet stagnated or slowed down to the point of being left behind by his peers.

Now, facing the “Dragon-Taming Arhat” in person, this was an opportunity to escape from the “Lord of the Six Realms”!

A high-level Dharmakaya expert was already a celestial being, possessing extraordinary supernatural abilities. Even if not as powerful as the “Lord of the Six Realms,” he should at least be able to resist it and protect them. Otherwise, why would the “Lord of the Six Realms” mysteriously “recruit people” to complete the cycle tasks, instead of directly capturing all the world’s experts?

Of course, the “Lord of the Six Realms” might have other considerations.

“Should I expose the ‘Cycle World’ matter publicly? Would the ‘Lord of the Six Realms’ dare to kill me in front of the ‘Dragon-Taming Arhat’?”

“If the ‘Lord of the Six Realms’ is indeed Abbot Kongwen, in front of the elders of various sects, he would hide his murderous intent and strive to protect us. The world is vast, and there are more Dharmakaya experts than him. For instance, my sect’s senior Chonghe ranks higher than him on the Heaven List!”

“But what if Abbot Kongwen is collaborating with another Dharmakaya expert? At the moment I reveal this, another expert could kill me, while he simply pretends to be unprepared and arrives a step too late…”

“Perhaps the ‘Lord of the Six Realms’ is far more powerful than Abbot Kongwen, reaching the level of the legendary Daoist Sage or Buddha Ancestor, capable of killing anyone who reveals the Cycle World’s secrets without leaving a trace…”

“If I had unlocked all nine orifices, I might have been able to refine myself within the ‘Cycle World’…”

Zhang Yuanshan thought back and forth, many ideas surfacing, yet he could never make a firm decision.

Sighing inwardly, he realized he indeed had the flaw of being unwilling to take risks.

He knew himself well. In terms of steadiness and capability, he had always been outstanding, earning praise from many elders. He rarely panicked in crises, but precisely because of this, he overthought and worried too much. When it came to taking a risk, he lacked the necessary courage. This was the true reason he had failed to grasp the sword techniques described in the “Zhenwu Qijie Jing.”

Thinking thus, he looked at Jiang Zhimwei, who far surpassed him in this aspect.

Looking over, he saw Jiang Zhimwei behind Su Wuming, eyes lowered in contemplation, seemingly indifferent except for a trace of sadness, showing no sign of stepping forward to expose the Cycle World’s secrets.

Zhang Yuanshan’s heart stirred as he recalled Jiang Zhimwei’s burning gaze when looking at those sword technique records, then he smiled bitterly to himself and shook his head slightly.

“Master Abbot, this junior has something to report, related to Qing Jing’s death,” suddenly, Qi Xia’s voice reached Zhang Yuanshan’s ears.

He looked in astonishment, seeing a determined and resolute expression hidden on her beautiful face.

Jiang Zhimwei, who seemed to be counting ants on the ground, also looked up in shock.