Grandmaster

Inside Old Jin's house, Chen Wu looked around, never expecting that a dignified Profound-Accessing expert would live in such a place.

The walls were made of rammed earth, and the roof was thatched. There were few furnishings in the home, save for a conspicuous large kang. On the kang lay a cotton mattress and a long table, upon which sat a teapot and a few teacups.

Chen Wu walked to the side of the kang, lifted the bedding, and searched carefully, discovering a hidden compartment at the edge of the frame.

Removing the brick from the compartment, he revealed a stack of banknotes and three secret manuals.

The banknotes were exactly the ones Chen Wu had lost earlier. As for the three manuals, Chen Wu had no recollection of them.

After taking the banknotes and manuals, Chen Wu looked up and saw the sanxian hanging on the wall.

It was a rather old-looking sanxian, its wear and tear clearly visible, yet the strings were brand new and meticulously installed. It was obvious that the owner had maintained this instrument frequently.

Chen Wu took down the sanxian, carried the manuals and banknotes outside, and swung his sword at a large tree in front of the house. He chopped off a branch, whittled it a few times, and fashioned a wooden shovel.

He intended to lay Old Jin to rest.

Daya Hall, the best medical clinic in Jincheng Prefecture, and the only one in the prefecture capable of performing surgical sutures.

"Doctor Wang, how is he?"

As soon as Doctor Wang exited the room, Yang Yuchun stepped forward to ask, his face full of tension.

"He won't die." Before the doctor could reply, Li Changgeng's voice came from inside the room, sounding somewhat weak. "Come in."

Yang Yuchun let out a long sigh of relief and hurried into the room.

He saw Li Changgeng lying on the bed, white gauze wrapped around his neck and shoulder blades. As if unaware that Yang Yuchun had entered, he just stared straight at the rafters.

"Sigh—Jin Shiyi's reputation is well-deserved. With so many of us surrounding him, I thought it was a sure victory, yet he managed to carve a bloody path out." Li Changgeng's voice was desolate. "Even I have no hope of reaching the Grandmaster realm in this lifetime."

Yang Yuchun was shocked. "Is it that serious?"

"You don't understand," Li Changgeng said. "I practice hard-body techniques, which prioritize the foundation of the physical body. Not only did Jin Shiyi's sword shatter my internal energy, but it also damaged my jade bones."

"His spiral energy is like a maggot in the bone, having already seeped into my marrow; I haven't been able to purge it even now. The doctor can only suture the surface wounds, but is powerless against this kind of damage."

"If I retire to recuperate from now on, I might live a few more years. If I engage in combat again, I fear it will shorten my lifespan." Li Changgeng shook his head. "Grandmaster... there is no point in even thinking about it."

"How could it come to this..." Yang Yuchun found it hard to believe.

"Jin Shiyi surely didn't have it easy either; he is likely dead by now."

"But we don't have Jin Shiyi's head, so we cannot answer to Guo Xuchu." Yang Yuchun frowned deeply.

"Hmph, let that man surnamed Guo come find me himself! I have already sacrificed my martial future; if that isn't enough, he can come and kill me! Hiss—" Li Changgeng shouted, aggravating his wounds.

"Calm down, calm down." Fearing that Li Changgeng might cause himself further harm in his rage, Yang Yuchun hurriedly consoled him. "I will go speak to the Star-Pulling Sword side; I will ensure this sacrifice is not in vain."

Behind Old Jin's house, a small new grave had been raised.

A wooden plaque stood before the grave, inscribed with the words: "Grave of the String-Plucking Bewitching Sound Sword, Jin Shiyi."

"Old Jin, every time you appeared, you were plucking that sanxian, coming and going in a hurry. Even your name and title were things I only heard from Li Changgeng."

Chen Wu's voice was low as he continued, "I don't know if it's right, but I took the liberty of burying that sanxian with you. If it's wrong, don't hold a grudge against me. I just thought that even in the underworld, you should play well and sing well. Perhaps the King of Hell will be pleased and grant you a good reincarnation in your next life."

"That is all I can do for the dead; now, I must go do what I can for the living."

"Old Jin, until we meet again!"

Chen Wu bowed to the grave, turned, and walked toward the peak of White Pagoda Mountain; he had someone to see.

Monk Zhongcheng had just dismissed a few constables when he saw a Daoist standing before him.

The Daoist carried two swords on his back and a travel pack, smiling at Monk Zhongcheng.

Chen Wu immediately wore a smile, pressed his palms together, and said, "Amitabha, I trust you have been well, Daoist Chen? Could it be that you have come to accept this humble monk's challenge?"

"You monk, how can you be so oblivious! My Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower is currently in a state of turmoil; how could I have the mood to spar with you?" Chen Wu said bluntly.

"This humble monk was only joking, please do not take offense, Daoist Chen." Monk Zhongcheng straightened his expression. "Just now, people from the Constabulary Office came to inquire about the whereabouts of Old Master Ma. Even he has been exposed; I thought the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower had been wiped out, and that you would be hard-pressed to escape."

"You certainly weren't wishing me well," Chen Wu said.

"You misunderstand, Daoist. This humble monk was merely worried and spoke out of turn, fearing you had been captured by the authorities..."

"There's no one for you to spar with, right?" Chen Wu immediately cut him off.

"Amitabha, a monk does not speak falsehoods!"

"Alright, alright." Chen Wu interrupted the noisy monk. "Those constables just now, Master, how did you answer them?"

"The Buddha says, it cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken." Zhongcheng smiled. "Even the Buddha had fourteen questions he would not answer. Although this humble monk has had some dealings with Old Master Ma, it was merely routine. As for questions like where Old Master Ma is, this humble monk naturally knows nothing."

"So where is Old Ma, exactly?"

"He has already left the prefecture city and is staying at a private residence near Qingbaishi."

"You actually know!" Chen Wu had only asked casually, never expecting a real answer.

"Old Ma guessed long ago that you would come looking for me, so he told this humble monk where to find him."

Such meticulous planning; Old Ma truly lives up to his reputation!

"Why does Old Ma trust you so much?"

"Years ago, in order to master the Tummo, this humble monk challenged the Living Buddha of the Kagyu Sect. I was left on the brink of death three times, and each time, Old Ma saved my life."

Damn, with a death wish like that, it's a miracle you're still alive.

"If I recall correctly, Master, you have now mastered the Tummo."

"That Living Buddha saw me challenge him three times and was moved by my sincerity, so he finally imparted the secrets of the Tummo to me."

More likely, that Living Buddha was just annoyed to death by you and taught you early just to get some peace and quiet, right?

"Master, your sincerity moved him."

"As the saying goes, 'Sincerity can move even metal and stone.'" Monk Zhongcheng spoke with absolute earnestness.

Chen Wu was left speechless.

"Thank you for the information today, Master. I still need to see Old Ma, so I won't stay any longer."

"Donor, wait a moment." Monk Zhongcheng called out to Chen Wu, who was about to leave.

"It is already late, Donor, there is no need to rush," Monk Zhongcheng said. "Besides, neither you nor Old Ma should be seen in public right now."

"Why not stay here on White Pagoda Mountain for now? I will deliver your message tomorrow."

"That... could work." Chen Wu pondered for a moment and agreed to the monk's proposal. "I will also need to trouble you to contact one more person for me."

"Who?"

"General Fubo, Shui Ziyi."

Monk Zhongcheng did not arrange for Chen Wu to stay in the meditation rooms of White Pagoda Temple.

After all, Chen Wu was dressed as a Daoist; staying in a monk's quarters would be far too conspicuous. Instead, he arranged for Chen Wu to stay with a 'pure person' living outside the temple.

Chen Wu had initially assumed that a 'pure person' was something like a temple volunteer, someone who handled odd jobs. But after Monk Zhongcheng explained it, Chen Wu realized he had oversimplified things.

It turned out that the concept of a 'pure person' stemmed from the monastic precepts.

When the Buddha was alive, he established a precept now known as the 'Precept Against Touching Money.' Simply put, monks were forbidden from possessing or accumulating currency to prevent the monastic community from becoming corrupt.

However, during the Buddha's time, the economy was not highly developed. In Kapilavastu, the northern Indian kingdom where the Buddha was born, money was rarely used, and barter was the norm, making the precept easy to follow.

But in later ages, as Buddhism spread and the commodity economy developed, everyone in society used currency. Even the alms given by followers were mostly money for convenience. If monks strictly followed the Precept Against Touching Money, it would only cause trouble for both themselves and the followers.

Consequently, many Buddhist sects ignored this precept. However, some monks remained strictly observant, and their insistence on not touching money gave rise to the group known as 'pure persons.'

The most important job of a pure person was to handle all money-related matters for these monks, ensuring that the strictly observant monks never had to deal with currency at all.

There even developed a series of secret codes between the pure persons and the monks, so that the monks didn't just avoid handling money—they didn't even have to say the word 'money.'

In other words, anyone who strictly observed the Precept Against Touching Money necessarily required the assistance of a pure person.

After hearing this, Chen Wu couldn't help but sigh; this 'I have no interest in money' attitude was, frankly, just a convoluted way of making life difficult for oneself.

"Does Donor Chen feel this is all unnecessary?" Monk Zhongcheng seemed to see right through Chen Wu's thoughts.

"Hard to say!"

"Hahahaha!" Monk Zhongcheng laughed. "I also think it's unnecessary."

"Who in White Pagoda Temple observes this Precept Against Touching Money?"

"It is none other than the Abbot—Master Guanghui," Monk Zhongcheng said, pressing his palms together.

"Ah?" Chen Wu said. "Isn't it a bit... inappropriate for you to say that about the Abbot?"

Aren't you afraid of offending the Abbot and having nowhere to run?

"This humble monk is only staying at White Pagoda Temple temporarily. This is not my home temple, so naturally, I have no such taboos. Besides—" Zhongcheng smiled brightly, "Although Master Guanghui's mastery of Buddhist scripture is profound, his martial arts are mediocre. He is no match for this humble monk."

"I see."

It seems Buddhist scripture cannot compare to a good fist!

After exchanging a few more idle words, Monk Zhongcheng took his leave.

Once the monk was gone, Chen Wu took three secret manuals out of his bundle.

One was the Nine-Evolution Dragon-Expelling Art, which everyone in the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower knew; another was Old Jin's signature technique, the Sound Transmission Soul-Searching Technique.

But the one Chen Wu wanted to see most was the third one—the root cause of his strange condition, the manual Old Jin had dismissed as a flight of fancy: the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method.

The name sounded incredibly pretentious; he just wondered what the content was like.

With that thought, Chen Wu flipped open the pages.