The Empty Gate

Meng Qi's secret delight was interrupted, and his pride turned to embarrassed indignation. The looks Zhen De and the other young monks cast his way were both astonished and disdainful, carrying the distinct air of schoolchildren wanting to draw a line between themselves and a bad classmate. Only Zhen Hui—Fang Aqi—stared blankly at the golden Buddha statue ahead, looking as though his soul had wandered beyond the clouds.

Instinctively, Meng Qi half turned his head to look at Xuanzang beside him. Had he noticed something?

To Meng Qi, embarrassment and frustration were minor matters. Exposing the fact that he had borrowed a corpse to return to life was the truly earth-shattering problem!

Xuanzang still wore a bitter expression, his eyes filled with despondency. Sensing Meng Qi's gaze, he lightly shook his head. "Namo Amitabha. Everything shall be decided according to Junior Brother Xuanku's judgment."

He did not hint at it—he said it outright.

Uh, he thought I was looking at him to plead for mercy... Meng Qi's inner heart quietly relaxed. He understood that he had passed this trial. Unless the parents who had abandoned this body, that horse-faced uncle, and the rest came looking for him, he probably would not be seen through. And after another ten years or so, no one would suspect him even more; childhood memories were easy to forget in the first place.

Compared to that, being assigned to the Servant Courtyard was a trivial matter!

Having stumbled into the right answer by sheer luck, Meng Qi tried hard to make his expression as vacant as Zhen Hui's, lest Xuanzang see through the fact that he was not actually so dejected or heartbroken.

After the broad-faced, big-eared Xuanku finished questioning the remaining children, six people in total, including Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, were assigned to the Servant Courtyard. The rest went to the Warrior Monk Institute.

The ruler in his right hand lightly tapped against his left palm. "Come with me to the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard to take the tonsure and receive monk robes, Buddhist scriptures, and the like. If you cultivate diligently in the future, you may yet have the chance to enter the Bodhi Courtyard or Damo Courtyard and study profound Buddhist scriptures and martial arts."

There was a Damo here too? Meng Qi froze for a moment, but Xuanku gave him no time to think. He strode directly through the children and headed outside the hall.

Everyone around him was a stranger, so Meng Qi did not dare ask too much. He followed closely behind Xuanku and Xuanzang, the two yellow-robed monks, and turned into a nearby courtyard.

"You have not formally entered the sect yet. You need only worship the Buddha, take the tonsure, and have your names recorded." Xuanku pointed at the prayer mats inside the small Buddha Hall.

"Yes, Martial Uncle Xuanku." The children answered along with Zhen De, then knelt one after another upon the prayer mats and kowtowed toward the golden Buddha statue above.

Once all the children had worshipped the Buddha, Xuanku pressed his palms together and bowed solemnly to the statue, chanting, "Namo Amitabha." Then he stepped before one of the children and gently placed his right hand atop his head.

The child's jet-black hair immediately began to change. Before Meng Qi's naked eye, strand after strand turned withered yellow and drifted down like fallen leaves. In less than two breaths, the child had become a genuine young monk.

"Vexations fall away; the mortal world recedes." Xuanku spoke solemnly, his rich voice echoing through the tranquil Buddha Hall.

"What martial art is this? It's incredible!" Meng Qi was both shocked and excited. Would he have the chance to learn such martial arts in the future?

Xuanku went from child to child, removing their hair, his mouth repeating the same words throughout.

When it was Meng Qi's turn, he lowered his head and silently recited the names of the Buddha and the Daoist Patriarch, mourning the hair that was about to bid him farewell.

A thick, broad palm gently brushed the top of Meng Qi's head. Strands of withered hair floated down before his eyes, and sorrow surged within him, nearly beyond restraint. He had loved the mortal world to death; he had never imagined becoming a monk!

"Vexations fall away; the mortal world recedes."

Xuanku's voice was like a suddenly struck chime, jolting Meng Qi's entire body and leaving his mind clear and pure.

But once Xuanku left and that clarity faded, Meng Qi's conviction remained firm. One day, he would definitely return to secular life!

After worshipping the Buddha, taking the tonsure, and having their names entered in the monk registry, Xuanku had several gray-robed monks take the children to the backyard to collect their belongings—two sets of gray monk robes, two pairs of shoes and socks, Shaolin Precepts, Twelve Morning Mantras, and more.

"Once you have learned to read in the Scripture Lecture Institute, you may begin memorizing this temple's precepts and morning mantras. Before then, I shall first broadly explain the temple's main precepts. First, do not deceive your master or betray your ancestors. Second, without permission, do not secretly learn martial arts. Third, do not kill. Fourth, do not drink alcohol. Fifth, meat and pungent vegetables are forbidden. Sixth, do not violate the precept against lust..." Xuanku repeatedly explained the principal precepts they were required to observe. At last, he said sternly, "Those who violate them will receive anything from a reprimand for minor offenses to the abolition of their martial arts and expulsion from the temple for grave ones."

He mentioned only two punishments, the lightest and the heaviest. There were also penalties such as hard labor, copying scriptures, caning, and facing the wall.

After arranging these matters, he and Xuanzang led the young monks out of the "Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard."

"Within this temple, those wearing gray monk robes are ordinary monks. Those wearing yellow monk robes are attendant monks of the various courtyards. Those wearing yellow monk robes draped in red kasayas are the Abbot, the chief monks of each courtyard, and the elders..." Along the way, Xuanku did not relax for a moment in instilling "temple common knowledge" into the young monks. Only after Zhen De and the others entered the Warrior Monk Institute did he fall silent again.

The group of people walked farther and farther into a secluded area. Green trees shaded both inside and outside the yellow walls, and Buddha halls were seldom seen. Only after a long while did Meng Qi spot an old, mottled courtyard.

"Ah, Junior Brother Xuanku, Senior Brother Xuanzang, you came so early?" A fat monk greeted them at the entrance with a beaming smile. He too wore yellow, but his collar was slanted open and his belly stuck out.

Xuanku frowned and pressed his palms together with meticulous seriousness. "Namo Amitabha, Senior Brother Xuan Xin. How can you be so lazy?"

The plump monk Xuan Xin had long been familiar with Xuanku's temperament. Not the least bit angered, he said, "Ah, you are too attached to outward appearances. Are these disciples for our Servant Courtyard?"

Unwilling to entangle himself with Xuanku over the matter, he directly pointed at Meng Qi and the others.

"Please make arrangements, Senior Brother Xuan Xin." Xuanku answered with a solemn expression.

At this moment, Xuanzang, who had been as silent as a gourd with its mouth sawed shut, suddenly spoke. "Are Zhen Ying and Zhen Guan still in the Servant Courtyard?"

"They are, they are!" The fat monk Xuan Xin asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Xuanzang, why ask about them? Could it be that you intend to take them as disciples?"

Xuanzang shook his head and sighed. "My martial path has been destroyed. It would be inconvenient for me to mislead the younger generation—how would I dare accept disciples? Junior Brother Xuan Xin, I must trouble you to have them share a room with Zhen Ying and Zhen Guan."

The two he meant were Meng Qi and Zhen Hui.

Meng Qi's heart thudded violently. This was the first time Xuanzang had stepped in to arrange something for him. Could Zhen Ying and Zhen Guan, the two monks, possess something special that could help him?

"Haha, how could I dare call something Senior Brother Xuanzang ordered 'trouble'? Such a small matter needs no such politeness." Xuan Xin agreed at once.

Xuanku glanced sideways at Xuanzang but said nothing. Instead, he addressed Meng Qi, Zhen Hui, and the other young monks sternly. "I assigned you to the Servant Courtyard because each of you has your own problems. If you can resolve them yourselves and temper your natures, you may not lack the chance to enter the Warrior Monk Institute, the Damo Courtyard, or even the Bodhi Courtyard in the future."

"But if you continue to be sly and slippery, lazy and greedy for play, impetuous of heart, and unable to endure hardship, I will not conceal it. I will certainly report you to the Discipline Institute and have the appropriate punishments imposed."

He stated his intentions without the slightest concealment, displaying complete openness and not a shred of selfishness. His words made Xuan Xin beside him blush faintly with his old face.

"Yes, Martial Uncle Xuanku." Meng Qi and the other young monks answered in unison.

After seeing Xuanku and Xuanzang off, Xuan Xin twisted his body, making layers of fat jiggle up and down. "They're finally gone. What I fear most is seeing that iron-faced ghost."

This monk... Meng Qi put on an expression of looking neither left nor right and followed the swaying Xuan Xin into the Zen Room.

"Zhen Ying, Zhen Guan, these are your junior brothers, Zhending and Zhen Hui." After pointing at Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, Xuan Xin turned and took the other young monks toward different Zen Rooms.

Inside the Zen Room was a shared sleeping platform large enough for seven or eight people. There was nothing else.

Two gray-robed monks were on the platform, both around twenty years old. One lay down with a blank expression and stared wordlessly into space; the other sat with his brows tightly furrowed, his tone cold. "Just put your bundles and luggage beneath the platform. If you want water, fetch it yourself from the water vat in the courtyard."

"May I ask how I should address Senior Brother?" Meng Qi glanced at the wooden, dull-witted Zhen Hui and decided he should take the initiative in building a good "roommate relationship."

The seated man answered coldly, "Zhen Guan."

After answering, he said nothing more. He even turned his head away from Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, leaving all of Meng Qi's topics for drawing closer nowhere to be used.

As for Zhen Ying, he simply closed his eyes and continued sleeping.

What kind of people are these? Though Meng Qi grumbled inwardly, he smiled at Zhen Hui. "Junior Brother Zhen Hui, I am Zhending. From now on, you may simply call me Senior Brother."

"Yes, Senior Brother." Zhen Hui called him that without any difficulty.

This blank little fellow is still better! Meng Qi silently sighed and decided to fulfill his role as senior brother, helping Zhen Hui properly. "Little Junior Brother—ah, I'll just call you Little Junior Brother. Come, let's change into our monk robes first."

Although there were people in the room, Meng Qi felt no discomfort. Back when he was in university, he had often gone shirtless in the dormitory to cool off. He swiftly removed his clothes and changed into monk robes.

As he quietly thanked the heavens that monk robes were simple to put on, sparing him from making a fool of himself, he examined the items on his body that he had not yet had time to inspect.

The robes of this body were finely woven and light, soft in texture. Even though Meng Qi knew nothing of such things, he could tell they were worth a great deal. At the same time, a translucent jade pendant hung at "his" waist, while a tiny Jade Buddha Pendant tied with a red cord rested against his chest, cool and comfortable against his skin.

Meng Qi carefully played with the thumb-sized Jade Buddha. Its face was full of compassion and lifelike, clearly the work of an exceptional craftsman. Its texture was delicate, warm and lustrous, yet it also gave off a cool sensation.

"According to what that horse-faced uncle said, this Jade Buddha was given by some Nameless Old Monk? But since that Marquis did not take it away, it is probably no ordinary item. Better to keep it close to my body." Meng Qi hung the Jade Buddha Pendant against his chest again, concealing it close to his body. Then he packed away the jade pendant, clothes, and other belongings, placing them beneath the sleeping spot he had chosen.

At this moment, the seemingly sleeping Zhen Ying suddenly flipped upright, quickly put on his shoes, and headed outside, leaving Meng Qi completely baffled.

"It's time for the evening meal." Zhen Guan said coldly, then climbed down from the shared platform and walked out the door as well.

What kind of people are these two? Meng Qi cursed inwardly again, then turned to Zhen Hui. "Little Junior Brother, are you ready? It's time for the evening meal!"

"Ready!" The instant Zhen Hui finished speaking, his small figure darted to the doorway like a rabbit, as though hunger had already become unbearable.

"..." Meng Qi was instantly embarrassed. Was he the only normal one here?

Zhen Hui suddenly stopped at the door, turned back to Meng Qi, and asked with a face full of confusion, "Senior Brother, aren't you going?"

At least you have some conscience and know to wait for me! Meng Qi thought to himself, then replied half-jokingly, "I'm not as hungry as you all are yet."

Look at every one of you, like starving ghosts reborn!

Zhen Hui's confusion vanished. He nodded earnestly. "Senior Brother, then I'll go first."

With a turn, he ran off at full speed.

Hey! I was only joking, you don't need to take it seriously... Meng Qi's mouth hung half open,

After his lips moved a few times, he shouted loudly, "Hey, Little Junior Brother, wait for me!"

Suddenly, a wave of sorrow swept over his heart. Other people had little junior sisters—why did he only have a little junior brother? And in the foreseeable future, there would not be any junior sisters either.