Monk

The jade pendant in Chen Wu's hand was a square piece, the style commonly known in the market as a "Peace Tablet." According to Old Ma, it was first created by a master jade carver in the late Ming Dynasty.

The pendant was pure white in color with an oily, lustrous texture, retaining a hint of gold-flecked skin on the top right corner—it was, without a doubt, top-quality mutton-fat jade.

Chen Wu gripped the pendant, his heart filled with confusion.

The person Old Ma told Chen Wu to find was at a temple called White Pagoda Temple. Yet, when Chen Wu finally arrived at the gate of the temple atop White Pagoda Mountain, the three large characters inscribed above the entrance read—"Benevolence Temple."

If not for the fact that he could see a brick white pagoda within the temple grounds from afar, Chen Wu would have been tempted to greet Old Ma's entire family tree.

Chen Wu stepped slowly through the temple gate, looking around in all directions, hoping to find the person Old Ma had described.

"Amitabha, is this benefactor looking for someone?" A Buddhist chant rang out, and Chen Wu turned toward the source of the voice.

From behind the white brick pagoda, a monk dressed in red emerged. He pressed his palms together, a smile on his face, and nodded toward the jade pendant in Chen Wu's hand.

Chen Wu realized this must be the person he was looking for, so he took two quick steps to reach the base of the pagoda and cupped his hands in a salute to the monk: "May I ask how to address you, Master?"

"This humble monk's dharma name is Zhong Cheng," the monk replied with a polite, smiling bow.

Only then did Chen Wu notice that the monk was wearing nothing but a very thin red robe, which covered only half of his body, leaving one arm completely bare.

Jincheng Prefecture was located in the northwest; although it was early spring, a chill still lingered in the air. Furthermore, the mountain winds on White Pagoda Mountain made it even colder than the city below. Even though it was nearly noon, it was by no means a warm place.

That the monk could dress like this and remain perfectly at ease suggested he possessed some real ability; it seemed Old Ma hadn't lied.

"This humble one is Chen Wu, greetings to Master Zhong Cheng." Since he was the one asking for a favor, Chen Wu kept his posture humble.

"This humble monk has just mastered the Tummo Meditation; 'Master' is too grand a title, I am merely a dharma practitioner," Zhong Cheng said, shifting the tone. "Seeing you arrive from afar with that jade pendant, I knew you had come with a request."

"This humble monk owes Old Master Ma a favor. If you have a need, Benefactor, pray speak plainly."

He was surprisingly easy to talk to, and Chen Wu was overjoyed: "I only ask one thing of you, Master: help me hold back Zhang Zhihe, the Chief Constable of Jincheng Prefecture, the day after tomorrow, so that he cannot spare any time for other matters."

"The Iron Ruler Silver Fox?" Zhong Cheng's smile widened. "One truly shouldn't owe favors; they are a nightmare to pay back."

"Master..." Chen Wu feared Zhong Cheng was about to decline.

"Very well, this humble monk shall settle this debt. If I drag it out any longer, the interest will only pile up, and I'll end up owing even more."

"Many thanks, Master..."

"Benefactor, do not be in such a hurry to thank me. This humble monk also has an ungracious request."

You call it an ungracious request and you still intend to say it?

Chen Wu grumbled inwardly, but aloud he said: "Please, Master, speak your mind."

"Amitabha, forgive me!"

No sooner had the words left his lips than Master Zhong Cheng suddenly struck out with a palm aimed directly at Chen Wu's face. A wave of hot air rushed toward him. Chen Wu's dantian qi sea reacted instinctively, pulling at the muscles and bones of his abdomen and back. He performed an iron-bridge backward bend, dodging the strike. He then used the momentum to push off with his feet, rolling to the right and ducking behind the white pagoda to put some distance between himself and Master Zhong Cheng.

"What is the meaning of this, Master?" Chen Wu asked, somewhat bewildered, from behind the pagoda.

"Excellent, truly excellent!" Zhong Cheng clapped his hands and laughed. "This humble monk has just mastered the Tummo Meditation, rendering me immune to the cold, and I have already glimpsed the threshold of the Seventh Realm of Spirit Condensation. I was just hoping to test my martial arts against you."

"Master, you are a man of the cloth, why must you resort to violence?"

Where did this martial arts maniac come from? No wonder he dared to accept the request to deal with Zhang Zhihe. I suspect that even if I hadn't asked him, he would have gone to find the Iron Ruler to pick a fight anyway.

"Why can't a man of the cloth resort to violence? Have you not heard the words of the Patriarch Linji: 'If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha; if you meet the Patriarch, kill the Patriarch'?" Zhong Cheng's smile grew even brighter.

"Besides, we are merely comparing notes on martial arts; at most, it is a friendly spar. How can you call that violence?"

"Master, I haven't read many books, don't try to fool me! That is clearly not what Zen Master Yixuan meant." If he were back in his previous life, Chen Wu would be sweating bullets; this monk was truly capable of saying anything when it came to sophistry.

"The assassins of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower are categorized by Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. To finally encounter a Heaven-grade assassin today, how could this humble monk not be excited? I am sure that if Patriarch Linji knew of me, he would not blame me."

The way Zhong Cheng stared at Chen Wu was as if Ximen Qing had set his sights on Pan Jinlian.

Damn it, I've been latched onto!

Chen Wu felt helpless. If he really were a Heaven-grade assassin, sparring with this monk wouldn't be a problem. But he was a total fraud. He had already used every ounce of his strength just to dodge that one palm strike; if he had to take two more, his cover would definitely be blown.

"Master, hold!" Seeing Zhong Cheng preparing to strike again, Chen Wu hurriedly called out, "This humble one is not any Heaven-grade assassin; I dare not cross hands with you."

"Benefactor, do you take me for a three-year-old?" Zhong Cheng said. "If you were not a Heaven-grade assassin of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, how could you have cultivated the Nine Evolutions Dragon-Expelling Art to such a profound level? If you are not a Heaven-grade assassin, could it be that you are a Patrol Envoy of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower?"

"Nine Evolutions Dragon-Expelling Art?" So, this was the martial art that his predecessor had cultivated. That must have been how Guo Xuchu discovered him yesterday.

"Master, you jest. With my meager cultivation, how could it be considered profound?"

"Hahaha! If a Seventh Realm Spirit Condensation expert is considered 'meager,' then the Eighth Realm of Profound Mastery is merely 'so-so,' and a Ninth Realm Grandmaster is 'only a minor achievement.'" As if he had heard something hilarious, Zhong Cheng couldn't help but roar with laughter.

Seventh Realm Spirit Condensation? So, in the eyes of these people, I am actually such a high-level expert. No wonder Guo Xuchu and Zhang Zhihe were so polite to a small fry like me.

This monk Zhong Cheng is truly a martial arts maniac; even knowing I am a "Seventh Realm Spirit Condensation" expert, he still dares to challenge me.

No, this is a grievance! Where on earth do I have Seventh Realm Spirit Condensation? If I actually had that level of power, would I be begging and pleading everywhere, throwing money around just to get someone to help me?

"Master, I am truly not some Seventh Realm Spirit Condensation expert." Chen Wu was getting desperate.

"The moment you entered the temple gate, you were using your spirit sense to probe the surroundings. Just now, when this humble monk struck suddenly, you would never have been able to dodge that Thousand Leaf Palm without the qi-sensing capabilities of a Spirit Condensation expert." The smile never left Zhong Cheng's face, but his eyes turned sharp. "This humble monk is also at the half-step to Spirit Condensation; these dharma eyes of mine are not just for show."

Qi-sensing? So that was an ability only Spirit Condensation experts possessed. This predecessor of his was indeed strange, but Chen Wu was certain he was no Spirit Condensation expert.

He had nearly thrown out his back just dodging that one palm strike from Zhong Cheng; he had never heard of such a weak Spirit Condensation expert in his life.

Chen Wu had no choice but to change the subject, pointing toward the White Pagoda before him. "I've heard that this White Pagoda was commissioned by the Yuan Emperor Shizu. If we were to fight here and accidentally damage it, I'd be fine, but for a Great Master like you, how would you answer to the Buddha when you eventually ascend to the Pure Land?"

"Amitabha. I did not expect the benefactor to be aware of such matters." Zhong Cheng pressed his palms together, yet he corrected Chen Wu's mistake. "The high monk of the Sakya school who sought an audience back then met with Yuan Taizu Temujin, not Emperor Shizu Kublai. He passed away on his journey here, which is why the pagoda was built in his memory."

"The Great Master is truly learned." Chen Wu hurriedly offered a compliment.

"However, the original Yuan dynasty pagoda was long ago destroyed. The current structure was rebuilt during the Jingtai era of the former Ming. As for this temple, it was expanded by the Governor of Gansu Province early in our current dynasty, and only then was it renamed Benevolence Temple."

"This humble monk does not say these things to show off my knowledge, but to point out that all things in this world are subject to formation, existence, destruction, and emptiness—ever-changing and impermanent." As he spoke, the smile on Zhong Cheng's face grew increasingly serene, and he reached out to stroke the White Pagoda. "It is merely a white pagoda; a few broken bricks are of no great consequence. This temple has a flourishing incense trade; it does not lack the funds for repairs."

With that, Zhong Cheng pulled his hand away, and a palm print was left clearly imprinted on the pagoda's surface, as sharp as a steel stamp. Chen Wu felt a jolt of alarm, only to hear Zhong Cheng's voice ring out softly.

"When Sakyamuni walked the earth, he did not build pagodas or temples. It was only after the Buddha entered Nirvana that the Sangha began to erect them. This goes to show that whether a pagoda exists or not is not the key to reaching the Pure Land."

I know you have high martial arts, but is it really necessary to show off like this?

Seeing that Zhong Cheng was relentless, Chen Wu had to resort to stalling. "Great Master, I have an important mission the day after tomorrow. It would be inconvenient to expend my internal energy these next two days. Let us reschedule."

"Then when will the benefactor be free?"

You wretched beast, why do you have so many questions?! Chen Wu was practically roaring in his heart.

"How about... seven days from now?" Having a favor to ask, Chen Wu had no choice but to agree.

"It is a deal!" Zhong Cheng's voice was filled with joy.

Chen Wu, however, felt even more troubled.

The assassination had yet to be completed, and now he owed a duel on top of it; his debts were piling up higher and higher!

The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became, so Chen Wu took a fierce bite of the mutton skewer in his hand to vent his frustration. It had to be said, the mutton skewers in Jincheng Prefecture were a perfect mix of fat and lean, rich in flavor without being gamey—truly top-tier meat.

This mutton stall was located on the north bank of the Yellow River, beneath White Pagoda Mountain, directly facing the newly constructed iron bridge. The owner had likely spotted the heavy foot traffic here and set up a small stall with a shoulder pole and cart to sell noodles and grilled meat. The stall was tiny, consisting of only two small tables and a few backless benches.

Zhang Zhihe had arrived so suddenly that Chen Wu hadn't even had time for breakfast before going to visit the monk Zhong Cheng. Coming down from the mountain, he was famished and immediately ordered two skewers of meat and a bowl of pulled noodles at the stall.

"Beef noodles are up!" The owner handed the cooked noodles to Chen Wu, and Chen Wu felt a sense of deep familiarity upon seeing them.

These were clearly the Lanzhou pulled noodles common in Chen Wu's previous life, though they lacked the rich variety of toppings and differed slightly in the details. His appetite whetted, he sat at the table, lifted the noodles with his chopsticks, swirled them, and slurped them into his mouth.

"Boss, six mutton skewers and two bowls of noodles!" A crisp voice rang out. Chen Wu bit through his noodles and looked up.

He saw a girl wearing a bamboo hat, looking travel-worn, as she placed a small silver ingot before the owner. The owner deftly collected it and reached into his robes to retrieve the change. Chen Wu didn't pay much mind and lowered his head to continue eating.

Jincheng Prefecture was located in the northwest, where social customs were conservative, and it was rare to see a woman eating alone. But as far as Chen Wu knew, such phenomena were already commonplace in the Great Shun Dynasty, especially in developed regions like Jiangnan or Guangdong province, where the income of female textile workers could support an entire family's needs. Women there not only appeared in public but were often the heads of their households.

In the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette he had bought during yesterday's assassination attempt, there was a moralist who identified himself as a member of the School of Heavenly Principle, lamenting and attacking the world for its inverted morals and "the hen crowing at dawn"—referring precisely to such situations.

Chen Wu was concentrating on his noodles when suddenly two more bowls appeared on the table. A slender figure sat down across from him, set aside her bamboo hat, and picked up her chopsticks.

"Who did you offend? Why is someone following you?" the girl across from him whispered, her Mandarin tinged with a Wu accent.