Chapter 82: Interrogation

“Venerable Wujing?”

Upon hearing the name, Meng Qi was startled, his heart involuntarily quickening, for Wujing was the head of the Discipline Hall!

He was the youngest among the ‘Wu’ generation, yet his cultivation surpassed ordinary standards, rivaling closely the heads of the Dharma and Bodhi Halls, and he was a renowned figure on the Earth List. Known for his intolerance of evil, sharp insight, refusal to indulge or compromise, he was the monk most feared within the temple.

Could it be they suspect me of something, that the head of the Discipline Hall himself would come to question me?

As Meng Qi was lost in anxious thoughts, the door to the meditation room opened with the wind. Zhen Miao entered first, followed by Xuan Kong, whose appearance and aura exuded sinister energy. Then, they stood respectfully on either side, welcoming a monk dressed in yellow robes and a red kasaya.

This monk appeared to be around forty years old, with a bronze complexion, ordinary features, and a sharply defined face.

As the head of the Discipline Hall, he didn’t exude the usual harshness typical of such enforcers in other sects. Instead, he was steady, reserved, and rarely smiled, with eyes that were piercing and cold.

“This is Venerable Wujing, head of the Discipline Hall,” Zhen Miao introduced to Meng Qi and Zhen Hui.

After bowing in greeting, Meng Qi immediately felt Wujing’s gaze sweeping over him and Zhen Hui, like blades piercing through flesh or sunlight melting snow, making him feel as if his innermost secrets were being exposed.

Wujing withdrew his gaze, fixed his eyes on Meng Qi, and asked softly, “Zhen Ding, where did you learn the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’?”

“Eh?” Meng Qi exclaimed in shock, his heart surging with waves of disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how an apparently ordinary wound could reveal such a secret.

Xuan Kong glanced at Wujing, saw him nod slightly, then turned back to Meng Qi, speaking solemnly, “How can a frog at the bottom of a well comprehend the vastness of the sky and earth? The Divine Eye and Divine Ear are no mere legends!”

“You displayed a single slash at Zhen Chang without any disguise, how could the Venerable fail to recognize it as the first move of the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique,’ ‘Severing Purity’?”

“Confess honestly, where did you steal the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’? Did you collude with Zhen Chang and Zhen Yong to steal the scriptures, only to turn against each other over unequal shares? Have you hidden the copy of the ‘Yijin Jing’?”

A series of questions exploded like thunderclaps in Meng Qi’s heart. He realized he had underestimated the Shaolin Temple guarded by masters of the Dharma Body, and had acted too carelessly.

“I… I…” Meng Qi’s mind raced, searching for excuses, for the danger of the “Master of the Six Dao Samsara” was a constant thorn in his back, making it impossible to reveal the truth.

“My senior brother accidentally saw Master practicing the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’ and learned it,” Zhen Hui said calmly beside him, seemingly unaware of the gravity of the situation and unafraid at all.

“Accidentally saw?” Xuan Kong echoed slowly, then sneered, “Who could accidentally witness someone practicing saber techniques and grasp the true essence, mastering a saber technique at the peak of the External Manifestation realm?”

To injure Zhen Chang, whose “Arhat Subduing Demons Divine Skill” and “Prajna Palm” were already at an initial stage, Zhen Ding must have grasped the true essence of “Severing Purity.”

Zhen Miao, hearing this for the first time, looked at Meng Qi with sudden realization and shock. That explained how he managed to injure Zhen Chang! Yet, the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’ was a secret martial art. For him to grasp its essence in such a short time, his talent in saber techniques was truly extraordinary!

Meng Qi had once walked the brink of death and faced numerous perils, so he swiftly suppressed his fear and boldly replied, “Venerable Elder Xuan Ku, the truth is indeed as you say. Perhaps I share a karmic bond with the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique.’ After inadvertently witnessing the master practicing the saber, I comprehended the true essence of ‘Red Dust Like a Crucible, Tempering My Buddha’s Heart’ while cultivating the Golden Bell Cover at the Stupa of the Buddha’s Relics.”

Frankly speaking, even he wouldn’t believe Zhen Miao’s explanation, but at this moment, he could only argue forcefully.

“What does cultivating the Golden Bell Cover have to do with the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’?” Xuan Kong’s face was filled with disbelief.

However, Wujing gave a slight hum of acknowledgment, “How did you comprehend the essence?”

Meng Qi promptly described the situation in detail, and since it was based on personal experience, it was particularly vivid.

As he spoke, golden pupils seemed to gather deep within Wujing’s eyes, continuously staring into his.

After he finished speaking, Wujing slowly nodded, “This seems to be your genuine account of comprehending the essence. However, your claim of accidentally witnessing the saber practice is indeed a lie. No one can grasp the essence of a saber technique just by watching it once.”

He spoke with certainty, whether based on common sense or having secretly used some supernatural ability to detect Meng Qi’s lie.

“Venerable, please see the truth, it’s indeed like this,” Meng Qi dared not meet Wujing’s gaze anymore.

Wujing remained silent for a while. Just as Meng Qi thought he would use some supernatural ability or a technique similar to the ‘Thirteen Soul-Searching Hands’ to interrogate him, he suddenly spoke, “The truth of the matter is already determined; it cannot be evaded through sophistry. You will accompany me to the Great Hero Hall to face the Abbot and the other elders’ inquiry. Along the way, think carefully, and remember that laying down the butcher’s knife can lead to instant Buddhahood.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the door, while Xuan Kong’s sinister face now bore a triumphant smile, as if to say, “So you do have something to hide.”

Faced with Wujing, who was already among the top ranks even in the External Manifestation realm, Meng Qi dared not resist or flee, so he calmed his heart and followed, comforting himself that matters related to the “Master of the Six Dao Samsara” would not be detected by the Divine Eye or similar abilities. As for colluding with Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang, he was innocent and unafraid of any supernatural ability or supreme martial art being used against him!

Zhen Hui followed behind in a daze, completely unaware that Wujing had only questioned Meng Qi.

The night breeze was slightly cool as Meng Qi walked slowly, his mind gradually calming, dispelling fear and anxiety.

At that moment, Wujing suddenly turned to look at him, as if sensing the change in his state.

…

In the Great Hero Hall, Meng Qi saw the legendary “Arhat Subduing Dragons,” Abbot Kong Wen, for the first time.

His face bore a faint golden hue, with long white eyebrows hanging down, his features gaunt, wearing a string of dark Buddhist prayer beads on his chest, and holding a nine-ringed staff, exuding an otherworldly aura.

The monks in red kasayas in the hall were mostly unfamiliar to Meng Qi, except for Wu Si, the head of the Bodhi Hall, Elders Wu Xiang and Wu De, and his own master, Xuan Bei.

After bowing to the Abbot, Wujing recounted the entire incident in detail, including his judgment through supernatural abilities that Meng Qi was lying.

Elders and leaders such as Wu Xiang and Wu De nodded in agreement, convinced by Wujing’s words. Even if the Patriarch Dharma were to return from Nirvana, it would be impossible for someone to witness another person demonstrating a saber technique and suddenly comprehend its true essence before attaining the Dharma Body.

“Our Buddha is compassionate, delivering all beings. If one repents sincerely, their sins can be absolved,” Wujing turned to look at Meng Qi, his gaze as sharp as lightning.

Meng Qi glanced at his master, Xuan Bei, whose expression was blank. Just as he was about to speak, another elder suddenly entered.

“Amitabha Buddha, reporting to the Abbot, we did not find the copy of the ‘Yijin Jing’ or any other secret martial arts manuals beneath the Cliff of Sacrificing the Body. Perhaps they were dissolved by the toxic pool.”

“The area is filled with toxic creatures and is a place favored by many cultivators of toxic techniques. We have allowed nature to take its course and merely advised them to commit fewer killings, without driving them away,” said Wu Si, the head of the Bodhi Hall, with eyebrows and beard like a withered tree, in a calm tone.

Meng Qi clearly understood his implication: it might be that some External Manifestation-level master skilled in toxic techniques received the “heavenly gift package.”

“Amitabha Buddha, Wu Ding, take ten elders to go down and inquire those cultivators,” Abbot Kong Wen said in a gentle tone.

Wu Ding was the head of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, which also included the Guest Hall and the Laborers’ Hall.

At that moment, Xuan Kong suddenly spoke, “Abbot, esteemed elders, it’s also possible that the package did not fall off the cliff.”

He implied that Meng Qi had hidden it.

“Zhen Ding, where exactly did you learn the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’?” Wujing asked again, his tone more severe, “Did the ‘Yijin Jing’ truly fall down?”

The situation of not finding the ‘Yijin Jing’ copy made Meng Qi instinctively break into a cold sweat. Was he unable to shake off the suspicion?

He steadied himself, facing the gazes that were either stern, indifferent, or kind, and said, “Abbot, esteemed elders, the ‘Yijin Jing’ indeed fell down.”

“Then where did you learn the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique’? A monk must not lie!” Wujing’s tone grew even more severe.

Meng Qi’s heart raced. Whether to persist with his story or fabricate another excuse, his palms involuntarily broke into a cold sweat.

Under such pressure, it was impossible for him not to feel nervous.

Just as he gritted his teeth, preparing to find another excuse, he suddenly saw his master, Xuan Bei, step out from the elders, calmly prostrate before Abbot Kong Wen:

“Your disciple knows his crime. Your disciple secretly taught Zhen Ding the ‘A-Nan Breaking Precepts Saber Technique.'”