Jieyin and Zhunti, however, stood rooted to the spot.
Their feet were nailed fast to the bluestone slabs, not moving even half a step.
Zhou Ming's gaze fell on the two of them.
"Do you two have anything else?"
Zhunti gave two dry coughs, rubbing his hands together again and again.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou Ming, we martial brothers do indeed have an presumptuous request."
"We hope Fellow Daoist can be flexible with us."
Zhou Ming did not move, looking down at the two from above.
"Speak."
Zhunti looked at the Ancestral Witches sitting cross-legged all around, then said with great caution, "My Buddhism occupies only the barren land of The West, and has no real foundation in the East."
"The living beings of the eastern lands know only the Heavenly Court, revere only the Daoist Sect, and worship only the Human Race's sages of old."
"The name of my Buddhist Sect has no prestige to speak of in the eastern lands."
"If we rashly send the Scripture Seeker on the road just like this, the effect of spreading the Buddhist Dharma eastward will likely be greatly reduced."
At the side, Jieyin pressed his palms together and nodded repeatedly.
"Junior Brother speaks the utmost truth. If the name is not proper, the words will not carry weight."
Zhou Ming looked down at the two from his elevated position.
"So?"
Zhunti pressed his palms together and bowed slightly.
"So the two of us were thinking that, before the Scripture Seeking officially begins, we would like to raise Buddhism's prestige in the eastern lands a little..."
"We wish to borrow the guardian's hand to stage a play."
"A grand play enough to shake the Three Realms, to display the methods of my Buddhist Sect."
Stage a play?
In Zhou Ming's mind, the image