"What a magnificent range of towering mountains. What a pity they had been occupied by monks."
Lu Wu-bing raised his eyes toward the vast, lofty peaks. As far as he could see, the mountain range stretched for hundreds of miles, with no end in sight.
Halfway up the main peak before them, it was as though a heavenly god had cleaved sideways with a single stroke, carving out a boundless open expanse.
Countless palaces and pavilions stood above, lavishly adorned.
It resembled the glorious sight of the sacred mountain described in Buddhist scriptures, incense smoke curling upward, utterly unlike the mortal world.
At the foot of the range lay fields as far as the eye could see, now covered everywhere in the stubble of freshly harvested rice.
Piles of straw had been burned into ash. Farmers busied themselves scattering it across the fields, repairing the ridges and clearing the irrigation ditches...
Along the way, they occasionally saw several fat, broad monks sitting in shoulder-borne sedans and pointing things out. Clearly, they were managing these farmlands.
"These are all Great Brahma Temple's properties, aren't they?"
"Indeed. Great Brahma Temple holds immense power in Jing Province. Most government officials and military commanders came from this temple's disciples. The imperial court has treated them with exceptional favor, exempting them from taxes... Many refugees fleeing disaster have also attached themselves to the mountain gate.
"In the end, it became such a colossal entity. Even when the court was at its most prosperous, it would have had to think long and hard before moving against them."
The speaker was Fayuan, the old monk from Great Radiance Temple in Weijing.
Ever since leaving the capital, this monk's gaze had remained calm and placid. At last, faint ripples stirred within it.
Lu Wu-bing's spiritual senses were sharp,