A Gift

"Jingming? Which Jingming? Could it be Senior Brother Jingming, who at fifteen rivaled Blood Tempering, defeated the man known as the reincarnation of the Heavenly Killing Star—the 'Mad Wolf Butcher,' Wang Lang—with a single punch?"

Upon hearing Ben Zhen's words, the older monks present shuddered, all following Ben Zhen's gaze in astonishment.

The next moment, they saw a monk in a yellow robe standing in a corner of the main hall, looking no different from an ordinary man.

He was an utterly unremarkable-looking monk.

Compared with the razor-sharp brilliance he had displayed when he defeated Wang Lang more than ten years ago, Jingming had not only grown far more mature in appearance, but even his aura seemed to have returned to its original simplicity.

He merely stood there in a loose, casual manner, yet his aura was completely drawn inward without the slightest leakage.

It was as though he had become invisible. Let alone people at a distance, even the disciples beside him, apart from Jingyuan, could scarcely notice him.

"Abbot, it has been a long time. I never expected that, after so many years, you would still remember me."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Gu Han showed no trace of timidity. He smiled faintly and nodded at Abbot Ben Zhen.

Over the past decade or so, Gu Han had held some resentment toward Abbot Ben Zhen and the various chief seats for neglecting him.

After all, he was no saint. Naturally, he could feel anger.

But on second thought, Treasure Pearl Temple did not actually owe him anything.

On the contrary, during his years training in martial arts and taking medicine at Treasure Pearl Temple, he had consumed no small amount of their resources. His only contribution had been defeating Wang Lang.

Moreover, after hearing Ben Zhen's earlier words, Gu Han felt a measure of respect for him.

Sacrificing oneself for others, cutting off one's flesh to feed an eagle—Gu Han could not possibly accomplish such a virtuous deed.

But for those capable of such good deeds, he felt admiration from the bottom of his heart.

Thus, his attitude toward Ben Zhen could not help but soften.

"Jingming, it truly has been a long time! In the matter back then, this old monk wronged you. Seeing that you had no hope of breaking through to Blood Tempering, I paid less attention to you and stopped supplying you with resources."

"Who would have thought that, after so many years, you would break through the Blood Tempering Realm through your own efforts? This is truly cause for celebration!"

As Gu Han looked toward him, Ben Zhen smiled faintly as well and praised him.

"Abbot, you flatter me. Jingming's aptitude is poor. I cultivated bitterly for over ten years before I was fortunate enough to break through to the Blood Tempering Realm. I dare not accept the Abbot's praise."

"Besides, my inability to break through back then was entirely due to myself and had little to do with resources."

"Still, I do not understand why, today, you did not choose another Inner Qi expert—or even personally escort the temple's remaining spark—instead choosing an ordinary disciple like me, someone who has only just broken through to the Blood Tempering Realm. Is that not somewhat abrupt?"

As soon as Ben Zhen finished speaking, Gu Han tactfully declined.

Though he deeply admired Ben Zhen's self-sacrificing character, he absolutely could not bring himself to do the same.

The barbarian army was now attacking the mountain. Leaving aside Muscle Tendon Strengthening and Blood Tempering martial artists, there might even be quite a few Internal Qi Realm experts among them.

If he traveled alone, or brought Jingyuan with him, he could easily break out of the encirclement.

But if he also had to take along so many burdens from Treasure Pearl Temple, then should they be targeted by someone, he would be finished.

Although his current body was merely a simulated body, it was still extremely important to him at present.

The reason was the same as it had been over ten years ago: he did not have enough Simulation Points!

If his luck proved poor in the next life or the life after that, then who knew whether he would have to wait until the year of the monkey and month of the horse to regain the achievements of this life?

Not to mention breaking through to Inner Qi and Xiantian afterward.

"Hehe, Jingming, you must understand that Wang Zhongyi, that barbarian lackey, knows very well how many Inner Qi experts Treasure Pearl Temple has, even the exact appearances and names of every one of them."

"If one of us suddenly vanished, it would certainly draw his attention."

"But you are different. Your realm may be low, but your strength is exceptionally great!"

"Back when you had only just achieved Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening, your strength already rivaled that of an ordinary martial artist at great accomplishment in Blood Tempering. Now that you have shed your mortal body and exchanged your bones, breaking through to the Blood Tempering Realm, I fear you are no weaker than an ordinary Minor Accomplishment of Internal Qi expert, are you?"

"With you escorting them, the chances of Treasure Pearl Temple's disciples surviving will naturally increase greatly."

Ben Zhen spoke with a face full of sincerity, eagerly awaiting Gu Han's answer.

"This..."

Gu Han found himself in a difficult position upon hearing this. After all, he had benefited from Ben Zhen's kindness back then, swallowing quite a few pills from Treasure Pearl Temple.

Only then had he been able to swiftly reach Great Accomplishment of Muscle Tendon Strengthening, laying the foundation for his later breakthrough into Blood Tempering.

Furthermore, his current body was itself a disciple of Treasure Pearl Temple.

If no one had noticed him, then upon seeing that things could not be done, he could simply have taken Jingyuan and left.

But since Ben Zhen had spoken, a measure of responsibility and karma now lay before him.

"Alas! Jingming, it seems you still harbor some resentment over what happened back then!"

Seeing Gu Han hesitate, Ben Zhen sighed. Believing that he understood Gu Han's thoughts, he took a palm-sized golden box and a Purple Gold Secret Key from his robes, then said:

"Jingming, I know this temple has wronged you. Yet now we are asking you to risk your life to take the disciples down the mountain. This is indeed somewhat improper."

"Since that is so, I shall give you this item. I hope you can help this temple just this once. I also hope that, should Treasure Pearl Temple one day rebuild its mountain gate, you will return this inheritance to it."

As Ben Zhen spoke, he handed the golden box to Gu Han.

The previous generation of chief seats, along with Abbot Yuanyin, all changed expressions upon seeing this. Their mouths opened, but in the end, they said nothing.

Seeing Gu Han's puzzled expression, Ben Zhen explained at the right moment:

"Jingming, inside the golden box in your hand are three Great Return Pills, all that remain in the temple."

"Besides that, there is also a sheet of gold foil paper. Upon it are recorded the temple's three strongest martial arts, as well as several secret methods of pill refining and medicine making developed by the temple over hundreds and thousands of years."

"As for those pill-refining and medicine-making methods, there is no need to speak of them for now. But those three martial arts were personally created by Patriarch Bodhidharma in those days."

"Each one is among the supreme martial arts of this world. Only the successive Abbots of Treasure Pearl Temple may cultivate them; even the other chief seats are not qualified."

"Now, I entrust all of this to you. I hope that you can escape alive this time and preserve Treasure Pearl Temple's thousand-year inheritance. Amitabha!"

After Ben Zhen finished speaking, it was as though all his strength had been exhausted. He closed his eyes, chanted a Buddhist invocation, and said no more.

"Patriarch Bodhidharma's martial arts? Great Return Pills? Treasure Pearl Temple's secret pill-refining methods accumulated over hundreds and thousands of years?"

Hearing Ben Zhen's explanation, Gu Han looked at the tiny golden box and Purple Gold Secret Key in his hands.

All at once, he felt as though the small box weighed a thousand catties, and stormy waves rose in his heart.