Crackle!
In the darkened sky, a streak of crimson-white lightning suddenly flashed, illuminating the endless earth.
Immediately afterward, a torrential downpour came crashing down, striking the tiles, the walls, and the ground paved with bluestone slabs, filling the air with a barrage of pitter-patter sounds.
At this moment, however, outside the Great Hero Hall of Treasure Pearl Temple in Fangnan Prefecture of Great Yan, chants of scripture could be heard beneath the rain.
Today was Treasure Pearl Temple's monthly day of Buddhist scripture lectures. Within the Great Hero Hall, the broad-built Abbot Yuanyin sat upright on the floor, his tongue blooming lotuses as he continuously expounded upon the profound mysteries of the Buddhist scriptures.
Below him sat the heads of the six halls in crimson kasayas, along with numerous senior disciples of the Jing Generation clad in yellow robes, all listening intently.
At times, joy appeared on their faces;
At times, they shook their heads and sighed;
At times, they seemed to gain enlightenment;
At times, their expressions were lost in confusion.
The myriad faces of all living beings seemed gathered within this hall!
"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! Abbot, Hall Heads, something terrible has happened!"
Just as the monks in the temple were listening as though bewitched and intoxicated, a panicked voice suddenly came from Outside World beyond the hall. Everyone focused their eyes to look.
Outside the hall, a disciple of roughly fourteen or fifteen years of age, dressed in a yellow monk's robe, was rushing over through the pouring rain. In less than a few breaths, he entered the hall.
"Jingde, the Abbot is lecturing on scripture before the hall heads and your senior brothers. Yet you rushed over in such a frantic state, shouting at the top of your lungs. What is the meaning of this? Do you not know this temple's rules?"
Once he saw who had arrived, Yuanhuai, head of the Arhat Hall, darkened his face and immediately barked a reprimand.
"Hall Head, Hall Head, it is not that this disciple deliberately shouted and disturbed the purity of the Buddhist hall. It is simply that this matter is of great importance. This disciple did not dare delay even a moment, so I had no choice but to brave the rain and report it!"
Frightened pale by Yuanhuai's rebuke, the young monk still forced himself to explain.
"Oh? What great matter could possibly warrant disrupting the scripture lecture in the Buddhist hall? If you cannot give a proper explanation later, just see how this old monk punishes you!"
Yuanhuai flung his sleeve and said angrily.
"Hall Head, Abbot, there is... there is a man outside the temple who calls himself Prince Ming Zhu Hong. He has brought more than ten battered soldiers and is seeking help outside. He hopes our temple can shelter him for one night. The disciples could not decide what to do, nor did we know whether his identity was genuine, so I came through the rain to ask the Abbot to make the decision."
Jingde shrank his neck in fear, pouring the words out like beans from a bamboo tube.
"Oh, Prince Ming?"
Abbot Yuanyin frowned upon hearing this. After pondering for several breaths, he finally asked:
"Hall Heads, Prince Ming is a hero of Yan. He has held back the barbarians for more than ten years on behalf of Great Yan. Since Prince Ming has come here today, we should naturally go and receive him. What do you all think?"
"Good! The Abbot speaks rightly. Prince Ming has risked his life resisting the foreign tribes for more than ten years, protecting the sons of Yan and us people outside the secular world from their harassment. He has rendered immense service to Yan. If he has truly fallen into hardship now, then even if we must stake our lives, we must save him!"
As soon as Abbot Yuanyin finished speaking, Yuanliang, head of the Dharma Institute, voiced his agreement.
"Yes! Indeed! The Abbot and Senior Brother Yuanliang are right. Prince Ming has rendered great service. Today, we must save Prince Ming."
Once Yuanliang had spoken, the other hall heads exchanged quiet words and nodded their agreement one after another.
"Good! Since that is so, let us go outside the temple and see whether it truly is Prince Ming!"
Seeing that all the hall heads had agreed, Abbot Yuanyin nodded and then strode outside.
"Senior Brother, shall we go take a look?"
Watching the hall heads depart with the Abbot while the other brothers dispersed, Jingyuan turned to Gu Han beside him and asked.
"Let's go have a look. Your senior brother is rather curious about this Prince Ming as well."
Gu Han recalled the emperor from the history of his previous previous life, the man who had risen from nothing to found a dynasty that endured for centuries. Then he thought of the legends surrounding this Prince Ming in this life. The two seemed to overlap, and he could not help smiling as he spoke.
"Alright, then let's go take a look."
Hearing Gu Han speak, Jingyuan smiled as well, though a trace of shock arose in his heart.
He knew full well how indifferent this senior brother before him usually was. In ordinary days, even a figure such as A Yanda, lord of the great barbarians, seemed not to be worth his notice; he regarded him as no different from an ordinary man.
Yet at this very moment, he had actually become curious about Prince Ming. How could Jingyuan not be astonished?
"Let's go!"
Just as Jingyuan was lost in thought, he discovered that, at some unknown moment, Gu Han had already raised a dim yellow oil-paper umbrella and was striding several meters with each step toward the temple gates.
"Senior Brother, wait for me!"
Jingyuan hurriedly opened his own umbrella and followed.
Creak!
With a sound, the vermilion-lacquered temple gates of Treasure Pearl Temple—more than a zhang high and resembling a city gate—slowly opened from within, revealing the figures outside.
So this man is Prince Ming? No wonder he is suspected to be another-world incarnation of that emperor from the history of my previous previous life. His bearing truly is extraordinary!
Among the generals outside the gates, Gu Han looked at the leading broad-built middle-aged man. He wore golden armor, had a three-inch short beard beneath his chin, and though his face was pale and his hair disheveled, he had not lost a hero's true colors even in adversity, nor had his breath become unsteady in peril. Gu Han inwardly nodded.
"Haha! Master Yuanyin, since we parted that year, three springs have already passed. I remember that back then, you were still the head of the Dharma Institute. Who would have thought that you would now become the Abbot of Treasure Pearl Temple? What a joyous occasion indeed!"
The instant the gates opened, the man outside in golden armor laughed loudly and spoke.
"Amitabha. Prince Ming flatters this old monk. This old monk had just been lecturing on scripture in the Buddhist hall when I heard that someone calling himself Prince Ming had come to visit. I dared not neglect the matter and hurried over at once. I never expected that Prince Ming himself had truly honored us with his presence. This old monk has failed to welcome you from afar; I beg Prince Ming's forgiveness."
"Hehe! Abbot, you overstate it. What prince am I now? I am merely a homeless dog.
"A month ago, I battled the Barbarian King A Yanda at Starfall City. Yet in less than three days, I suffered a crushing defeat and returned. Of my army of several hundred thousand, some died and some scattered. Even I only barely escaped with my life because Xu Yuan and Chang Jian risked their lives to save me.
"Now that I have fled here, only these dozen or so riders remain at my side, and countless barbarians are still pursuing us from behind. I have come to your honored temple only in hopes of borrowing the aid of you eminent monks to temporarily avoid this calamity. Would you eminent monks be willing?"
Prince Ming Zhu Hong gave a self-mocking smile as he spoke.
"Amitabha. Prince Ming is a hero of Great Yan. For more than ten years, he has resisted the foreign tribes and protected the people of Yan, preventing them from being slaughtered by barbarians. With such heaven-filling merit, how could this old monk dare turn Prince Ming away from our gates? Since Prince Ming wishes to stay temporarily in our temple, then please follow this old monk."
Yuanyin pressed his palms together, uttered a Buddhist invocation, then turned around and gestured for Zhu Hong to follow him.
"Haha! Many thanks, Abbot! If Zhu survives this ordeal, there will surely be a generous repayment in the future! Brothers Xu Yuan and Chang Jian, let us go in!"
Hearing Yuanyin's promise, Zhu Hong was overjoyed. He hurriedly called for his severely wounded "Twin Kings" generals, Xu Yuan and Chang Jian, as well as the guards, to enter.
Yet just as Prince Ming Zhu Hong ascended the mountain, storm clouds had already begun to gather beneath it, and a great army was converging from all directions.
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