Courage

Meng Qi shot up from his seat, ears straining at the bell sounds, fists quietly clenching beneath the covers: "Was Qing Jing's death discovered? Or did he simply vanish?"

Amid this unusual bell ringing, Zhen Ying, Zhen Guan, and other Sectarian Monks who normally cared about nothing else scrambled to their feet, inexplicably panicked, masking Meng Qi's abnormality.

Inside the Daxiong Baodian, the golden Buddha statue formed hand seals, solemn and dignified, gazing with compassion and pity at the crowd within the hall.

Directly beneath the Buddha statue stood an old monk with white eyebrows draping past his face; he was gaunt, clad in a yellow monk robe and a red kasaya, holding a Nine-Ringed Monk's Staff, his face faintly tinged with gold.

"Namo Amitabha, all benefactors, please calm yourselves." This old monk raised a single palm and intoned a Buddhist greeting.

Flanking him on both sides stood nearly twenty monks in red kasayas—some deeply wrinkled and aged, some gaunt and withered like dead wood, and others with melancholic, refined, and mature airs.

"Hmph, calm yourselves? My sect's disciple was murdered in your Shaolin Temple, yet you tell me to calm down?" An old Daoist wearing a Seven-Star Crown and a Yin-Yang Daoist robe fixed his gaze like lightning on the speaking monk. "Master Kong Wen, our Xuantian Sect was invited here, only to encounter this. You must give us justice! Otherwise, hmph!"

His hair was snow-white, but his face was unusually ruddy, without a single wrinkle—the very image of a hoary-headed, child-cheeked elder.

This old monk was none other than the Shaolin Abbot, Kong Wen, who had attained the Dragon Subduing Arhat Golden Body and dominated the martial world for over a century.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Shou Zhuo, with such a tragedy occurring in the temple, regardless of who the culprit is, Shaolin cannot escape its blame." Kong Wen spoke calmly, showing no sign of forced pride. "But I believe that Benefactor Shou Jing of your sect and all the benefactors present here are even more eager to know who the murderer is and what their purpose is. Please grant this old monk some time to examine the corpse and find the killer."

Daoist Shou Jing was the Sect Master of Xuantian Sect, said to have already touched the threshold of the Dharma Body, ranked second on the Earth Ranking.

"Master Kong Wen speaks reasonably. Daoist Friend Shou Zhuo, do not be hasty. Your grief, we all share." A middle-aged Daoist in a Xuanwu Daoist robe, holding a Jade Ruyi, stepped forward to offer a word of counsel.

Among the disciples behind him, Zhang Yuanshan stood with sorrow in his eyes, fists clenched tightly as he looked at Qing Jing lying on the white cloth, his head separated from his body, brows raised in anger, eyes wide open—clearly shocked and furious before death.

"So this is how he died..." Zhang Yuanshan was both grieved and stunned. How he died in the Reincarnation World was exactly the same in reality!

Whether it was because their true bodies had been thrown into "Reincarnation" or because of injuries projected from illusions and dreamscapes, the "Lord of Six Paths Samsara" could truly be called vastly supernatural!

And this had happened right under the nose of the "Dragon Subduing Arhat"!

He secretly glanced at Jiang Zhiwei among the Sword Washing Pavilion disciples and Qi Xia within the Great River Gang crowd; they showed grief but also barely concealed shock and gravity, while Qi Zhengyan was merely an ordinary disciple, unqualified to enter the Daxiong Baodian with the elders of the Flower Washing Sword Sect.

Still, the mysterious murder of a Xuantian Sect disciple within Shaolin Temple was chilling enough; the expressions of other young disciples were similar, and no one noticed their anomaly.

Daoist Shou Zhuo coldly glanced at the True Martial Sect Daoist: "Xuan Yuanzi, it's not your sect's disciple who died, so don't play the good man!"

"I've long heard that Daoist Friend Shou Zhuo of Xuantian Sect is hot-tempered and forthright. Today's meeting confirms it." Xuan Yuanzi had good self-restraint and knew that disciples like Qing Jing, though not few in Xuantian Sect, could be lost, but being assassinated like this was a slap to their face. How could Shou Zhuo not fly into a rage? So he merely smiled in reply, then looked to the other side. "Daoist Friend Su, what do you see?"

Before Jiang Zhiwei stood a young, handsome man in a blue robe, seemingly ordinary, but if one looked closely, there was a sense of emptiness and vastness about him, as if he were No Self, No Thing.

This blue-robed man half-closed his eyes, his right hand lightly stroking the ancient sword at his waist, his voice deep and weathered: "Master Kong Wen speaks reasonably."

His voice was utterly mismatched with his appearance, like an old man who had weathered the vicissitudes of life and seen through the chaos of the mundane world.

After the blue-robed man spoke, the Daxiong Baodian fell into utter silence. Even the hot-tempered Daoist Shou Zhuo did not retort, as if cowed by the man's presence.

Daoist Shou Zhuo paused for a moment, then made a Daoist salute: "Please, Master Kong Wen, examine Qing Jing's wounds."

This was not because the blue-robed man was more renowned or stronger than Abbot Kong Wen. Everyone present knew that perhaps one day that would be true, but for now, the blue-robed man and the Divine Monk Kong Wen were still worlds apart. The real reason was that Abbot Kong Wen was compassionate and open-minded, never bullying the weak, so one could argue reason with him. The blue-robed man, however, had no patience for words; if angered, he would simply strike with his sword.

Kong Wen handed his Nine-Ringed Monk's Staff to a handsome, melancholic middle-aged monk beside him, then slowly stepped forward, stopping beside Qing Jing's corpse. A faint golden Buddhist light flickered in his eyes.

"Benefactor Qing Jing's fatal wound is a palm strike to the back. The attacker's strength is at the early stage of Orifice Opening, skilled in Iron Palm. The neck wound was inflicted post-mortem, the weapon a long saber. The saber user's skill is slightly above the palm striker's. Thus, there are two attackers, both good hands at the Eye Aperture level but of differing depths." Kong Wen slowly revealed the cause of Qing Jing's death, leaving Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, and the others stunned. He had reconstructed it so clearly and accurately! Truly a Dharma Body master!

Daoist Shou Zhuo's face remained iron-blue: "This old Daoist could also reach such a conclusion. But where is the real murderer? The one who let two Orifice Opening juniors sneak into the courtyard without this old Daoist noticing? The one who could commit murder in Shaolin without being detected by your Heavenly Eye or Heavenly Ear, Master?"

"Yesterday, this old monk entered meditation to contemplate the Pure Lands, and I fear the true culprit saw an opening." Kong Wen spoke unhurriedly, his expression tinged with apology.

Daoist Shou Zhuo did not relent: "Master Kong Wen, few likely knew of your deep meditation. How could this be mere coincidence? Please, Master, display your Golden Body's power and trace the true culprit!"

His reasoning held water; Xuan Yuanzi and the others nodded slightly, turning their gazes to Kong Wen.

Kong Wen pressed his palms together: "Amitabha. This old monk has already tried. The true culprit's strength is not inferior to mine; they have severed the 'clues.'"

"So, Shaolin cannot find the murderer? Then this old Daoist must report to my Sect Master and request the Time Saber to seek the true culprit myself!" Daoist Shou Zhuo said, both angry and indignant.

"Amitabha. This old monk has failed the benefactors of Xuantian Sect. I am willing to go to Jade Emperor Mountain to apologize to Benefactor Shou Jing and join your sect in searching for the true culprit." Kong Wen spoke with compassion.

Among the Chief Monks and Elders behind Kong Wen, a few showed dissatisfaction. Shou Zhuo was too aggressive, and the Abbot too weak! Yet they knew this matter was too strange; without finding the culprit, if not handled this way, Shaolin's reputation would be ruined.

Hearing that Kong Wen was willing to personally go to Jade Emperor Mountain to apologize, everyone was utterly stunned. Daoist Shou Zhuo himself showed an awkward expression for the first time: "Master Kong Wen need not go that far. This old Daoist can feel your sincerity. I hope Shaolin will honor this promise and join our sect in seeking the true culprit."

The third-ranked on the Heaven Ranking, the Arhat Golden Body who had dominated the world for over a century, personally coming to apologize—it was too great a test of his Dao heart. Without solid evidence, Xuantian Sect was unwilling to push too hard.

Listening to the elders discuss the true culprit, Zhang Yuanshan's mind churned. Honestly, although the True Martial Sect emphasized disciples' external training to hone themselves, and "Reincarnation World Missions" counted as a form of tempering, he had only recently opened his apertures and was far from being able to delve into such matters.

Thus, he desperately wanted to break free from the "Lord of Six Paths Samsara" and the "Reincarnation Missions." Those divine skills, immortal weapons, and miraculous medicines tempted him, but at his current level, he lacked neither manuals, weapons, nor pills, nor had his cultivation stagnated or slowed to the point of being left behind by his peers.

Now, with the "Dragon Subduing Arhat" before him, this was a chance to escape the "Lord of Six Paths Samsara"!

A Dharma Body master was already at the level of immortals, with vast supernatural powers. Even if not equal to the "Lord of Six Paths Samsara," they should be able to contend somewhat and protect them. Otherwise, why would the "Lord of Six Paths Samsara" need to mysteriously "pull" people into missions instead of simply grabbing all the experts in the world?

Of course, the "Lord of Six Paths Samsara" might have other concerns.

"Should I expose the 'Reincarnation World' in public? Could the 'Lord of Six Paths Samsara' really kill me in front of the 'Dragon Subduing Arhat'?"

"Even if the 'Lord of Six Paths Samsara' is Abbot Kong Wen himself, with all the sect elders present, he would hide his killing intent and try to protect us. The world has more than one Dharma Body master; even Senior Chong He of my Dao sect ranks higher on the Heaven Ranking!"

"But if Abbot Kong Wen is cooperating with another Dharma Body master, when I reveal this, that other master could kill me, while he pretends to be caught off guard, a step too late..."

"Perhaps the 'Lord of Six Paths Samsara' is far stronger than Abbot Kong Wen, reaching the level of the Daoist Master or Buddha in myths and legends, able to kill those who reveal the secrets of the Reincarnation World without a trace, right before their eyes..."

"If I had already opened nine apertures, I could use the 'Reincarnation World' to temper myself..."

Zhang Yuanshan's thoughts churned, many ideas surfacing, but he could never make up his mind.

Alas, he sighed inwardly. He indeed had the flaw of not daring to take risks or gamble with his life.

He knew himself well—when it came to steadiness and competence, he had always been considered outstanding, praised by many elders, and rarely flustered or at a loss in the face of trouble. But precisely because of this, he thought too much, worried too much, and when a risky gamble was needed, he lacked the necessary courage. This was the true reason he had failed to grasp the sword techniques recorded in the True Martial Seven Sections Scripture.

With this thought, he looked toward Jiang Zhiwei. In this regard, she far surpassed him.

His gaze landed on Jiang Zhiwei, who stood behind Su Wuming. With her eyes fixed on her nose and her nose fixed on her heart, she wore an expression of detached focus, carrying only a trace of sorrow, showing no sign of stepping forward to reveal the secrets of the Reincarnation World.

Zhang Yuanshan's heart moved. He recalled the burning look in Jiang Zhiwei's eyes when she had gazed at those sword technique catalogs, and he smiled bitterly inwardly, shaking his head to himself.

"Abbot, this junior has something to report concerning Qing Jing's death." Suddenly, Qi Xia's voice reached Zhang Yuanshan's ears.

He looked up in surprise and saw a delicate face marked with a hint of resolute determination.

Jiang Zhiwei, who had seemed to be counting ants on the ground, also lifted her head in astonishment.