At the crack of dawn, several court officials from the Zhou Kingdom arrived at the entrance to Hundred Lantern Temple on Zhaokong Mountain.
When the young novice guarding the temple gate saw the Zhou court officials arrive, he hurried inside to inform their abbot.
Before long, the abbot of Hundred Lantern Temple, Hui Ming, came out. He pressed his palms together and bowed. "This old monk greets you, honored officials. I'm sorry we failed to welcome you sooner. Please forgive us."
Minister of Rites Yan Zhen hurriedly returned the greeting with his subordinates. "Master Hui Ming, you're too kind. We're the ones imposing on your temple. How could we ask you to apologize?"
Yan Zhen couldn't help glancing into the temple. "I wonder whether Master Wang Xin has time today?"
Hui Ming smiled. "Since I've already arranged it with you, my senior sister will naturally make time. Please follow me, honored officials.
"Then we'll trouble you." Yan Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and followed Hui Ming into the temple with the utmost respect.
To the Zhou court, Master Hui Ming was more than just a cultivator in the Golden Core Realm. More importantly, he was a disciple of the abbot of Kong Nian Temple, the foremost Buddhist temple in the Western Regions.
Even if his cultivation was nothing special among that abbot's many disciples, his extraordinary status still put him above countless others.
Hui Ming led everyone to the main hall of Hundred Lantern Temple.
The first thing they saw was a young woman in monk's robes, kneeling on a prayer mat.
She sat perfectly straight. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulders like a waterfall, falling all the way to her slender waist.
A ray of morning sunlight streamed into the hall, falling upon the golden Buddha