Prince Ming Ascends the Mountain

"Crack!"

A stark white-red bolt of lightning suddenly split the murky sky, illuminating the endless earth below.

In the next instant, a torrential downpour crashed down, falling on the tiles, on the walls, on the bluestone-paved ground, pattering and clattering in a ceaseless din.

And at this moment, outside the Great Hero Hall of Treasure Pearl Temple in Fangnan Prefecture of Great Yan, beneath the rain's clamor, the sound of sutra chanting rose.

Today was the temple's monthly Dharma lecture day. Inside the Great Hero Hall, the burly Abbot Yuanyin sat upright, his words blossoming like a lotus as he tirelessly expounded the profound truths of the Buddhist scriptures.

Below him sat the six Hall Masters draped in crimson kasayas, along with many senior Jing-generation disciples in yellow robes, all listening in rapt silence.

Some wore expressions of delight;

Some shook their heads and sighed;

Some seemed on the verge of enlightenment;

Some looked utterly lost.

The myriad faces of sentient beings seemed gathered here!

"Bad news! Bad news! Abbot, Hall Masters, grave news!"

Just as the temple's monks were listening in blissful absorption, a panicked voice suddenly rang from outside the hall. All eyes turned to look.

Outside the hall, a young monk of about fourteen or fifteen, clad in a yellow robe, was sprinting through the pouring rain, heedless of the downpour. In mere breaths, he dashed inside.

"Jingde, the Abbot is lecturing the Hall Masters and your senior brothers in the main hall. You come rushing in, shouting and yelling—what is the meaning of this? Do you not know the temple's rules?"

As the newcomer's face became clear, Arhat Hall Master Yuanhuai's expression darkened, and he immediately barked out a reprimand.

"Hall Master, Hall Master, it's not that this disciple deliberately shouted and disturbed the hall's purity, but this matter is of grave importance. This disciple dared not delay a single moment and had to brave the rain to report!"

The young monk, startled by Yuanhuai's scolding, turned pale with fright, but he still steeled himself to explain.

"Oh? What grave matter could be worth disrupting the Dharma lecture? If you can't give a proper account, watch how this old monk punishes you!"

Yuanhuai waved his sleeve, his voice seething with anger.

"Hall Master, Abbot, it's... it's that outside the temple, a man claiming to be King Ming Zhu Hong has arrived with a dozen or so battered soldiers, begging for shelter for the night. The disciples couldn't decide what to do, nor could they verify his identity, so they braved the rain to come and ask the Abbot for a decision."

Jingde shrank his neck in fear, spilling out the words like bamboo shoots from a basket.

"Oh? King Ming?"

Abbot Yuanyin furrowed his brow at this, sinking into thought for a full several breaths before finally asking:

"Hall Masters, King Ming is a hero of Yan, who held back the barbarians for over a decade for our Great Yan. Since King Ming has come today, we ought to go welcome him. What say you all?"

"Good! The Abbot speaks wisely. King Ming risked his life to resist the foreign tribes for over a decade, shielding the sons of Yan and us who have left the world from their incursions. He has rendered great service to Yan. If he has truly fallen on hard times now, we must risk our very lives to save him!"

As soon as Abbot Yuanyin finished, Dharma Institute Hall Master Yuanliang voiced his agreement.

"Yes! Right! The Abbot and Senior Brother Yuanliang speak truly. King Ming has made great contributions; we must save him today."

Once Yuanliang had spoken, the other Hall Masters exchanged murmurs and nods of approval.

"Mm. If so, then let us go outside the temple and see if it is indeed King Ming."

Seeing that all the Hall Masters had agreed, Abbot Yuanyin nodded and strode out with large steps.

"Senior Brother, shall we go watch?"

As the Hall Masters followed the Abbot out and the other disciples dispersed, Jingyuan turned to Gu Han beside him and asked.

"Let's go take a look. This senior brother is quite curious about this King Ming."

Gu Han recalled the great emperor from his past life's history—one who had built a centuries-long dynasty from nothing—and compared him to the legends of this King Ming in the present world. Feeling as if the two figures seemed to overlap, he smiled and spoke.

"Alright, then let's go see."

Hearing Gu Han's words, Jingyuan smiled too, though a flicker of shock rose in his heart.

He knew well how aloof his senior brother usually was. In the past, even a figure like the Great Barbarian Lord A Yanda seemed beneath his notice, treated as an ordinary man.

But now, he had actually taken an interest in this King Ming—how could that not surprise him?

"Let's go."

Just as Jingyuan stood frozen in thought, he realized that Gu Han had already unfurled a yellow oil-paper umbrella and was moving swiftly toward the temple gate, covering several meters with each step.

"Senior Brother, wait for me!"

Jingyuan quickly opened his own umbrella and hurried after him.

"Creak—"

With a drawn-out sound, the vermilion temple gate of Treasure Pearl Temple—towering over ten feet high, like a city gate—was slowly pulled open from within, revealing the figures outside.

"So this is King Ming? No wonder he's suspected to be another-world incarnation of that great emperor from my past life's history—truly extraordinary in bearing."

Gu Han's gaze fell on the leading figure among the gathered officers: a burly middle-aged man in golden armor, with a three-inch short beard beneath his chin, a pale face, and disheveled hair. Yet even in his fallen state, he retained the true colors of a hero; even in crisis, his aura remained steady. Gu Han nodded inwardly.

"Haha! Master Yuanyin, it's been three full autumns since we last parted. I recall you were still the Dharma Institute Hall Master back then—who'd have thought you'd now be the Abbot of Treasure Pearl Temple? Truly cause for celebration!"

As the gate swung open, the man in golden armor let out a hearty laugh and spoke first.

"Amitabha! King Ming flatters me. Just now, this old monk was lecturing in the hall when I heard that someone claiming to be King Ming had arrived. I dared not be remiss and hurried over at once. I never expected it truly was Your Highness in person. This old monk has failed to welcome you from afar—please forgive my negligence."

"Heh! Your Reverence is too kind. This king is no longer a true king now—merely a stray dog slinking from door to door.

A month ago, I fought a great battle against the Barbarian King A Yanda at Starfall City. Within three days, I was utterly defeated. Hundreds of thousands of troops were killed or scattered. Even I barely escaped with my life, thanks only to my men Xu Yuan and Chang Jian, who risked death to save me.

But now that I've fled here, I have only these dozen or so riders left, and countless barbarians are still hunting me down. My visit to your esteemed temple is merely to borrow the power of its eminent monks to temporarily avoid disaster. I wonder if the reverend masters would grant this request?"

King Ming Zhu Hong let out a self-deprecating laugh as he spoke.

"Amitabha. King Ming is a hero of our Yan Kingdom. For over a decade, you have resisted the foreign tribes, protected the people of Yan, and prevented the barbarians from slaughtering them. With such immense merit, how could this old monk dare to turn King Ming away at the gate? Since Your Highness wishes to stay temporarily at this temple, please follow me."

Yuanyin pressed his palms together, intoned a Buddhist salutation, then turned and gestured for Zhu Hong to follow.

"Haha! Many thanks, Abbot! If Zhu escapes this calamity, I will surely repay you handsomely. Brother Xu Yuan, Brother Chang Jian—let's go inside."

Hearing Yuanyin's promise, Zhu Hong's face lit up with joy. He quickly called to his severely wounded "Twin Kings" generals, Xu Yuan and Chang Jian, along with the remaining guards, to enter.

But even as King Ming Zhu Hong ascended the mountain, a storm was already brewing below. Armies were gathering from all directions.