Preparation to Depart

"You are... Zhu Chongba."

Fortunately, just as Zhu Yuanzhang was considering whether to imitate Gao Bin's notes and forge a monk's certificate for himself, a familiar voice rang out within the remaining half of the crumbling Mahavira Hall.

"Master Gao Bin."

Zhu Yuanzhang followed the sound and saw a monk wearing the red robes of an abbot appearing in the shadows of the ruined hall, swaying unsteadily as he descended the steps.

It was indeed Gao Bin.

However, compared to Zhu Yuanzhang, who had essentially been equipped with a resurrection armor, Gao Bin's current state was undoubtedly far more miserable.

As the abbot of Imperial Awakening Temple and the only "high monk" in Hao Prefecture to have passed the sutra examination hosted by the Great Yuan Ministry of Rites in Dadu—personally tonsured and recognized by the Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan—Gao Bin held an incredibly lofty status. He was respected not only within Imperial Awakening Temple but throughout all of Hao Prefecture and even the entire Henan-Jiangbei Province.

But now, the abbot of Imperial Awakening Temple, the eminent monk of Hao Prefecture, Gao Bin, not only had a complexion as sallow as gold paper, but every movement of his limbs carried a stiff, rigid quality, like that of a corpse.

His knees... they don't seem to be able to bend?

Zhu Yuanzhang watched as Gao Bin walked on his tiptoes, his body swaying with an amplitude that would seem exaggerated even to an ordinary person, and thought to himself.

"The last survivor among the disciples who entered the temple in the third year of Zhiyuan."

Gao Bin's voice drifted over, carrying a deathly, hollow chill.

Zhu Yuanzhang noticed that as Gao Bin spoke, his gaze remained fixed tightly upon him, as if he were observing him or perhaps pondering something.

Zhu Yuanzhang had already prepared himself to strike.

Although historically, the relationship between Zhu Yuanzhang and Gao Bin was considered harmonious, that did not equate to "safety."

Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware that as a transmigrator, aside from "history," he knew absolutely nothing about the reality of this world.

"Follow me... A predecessor entrusted me with something to give to you."

Gao Bin nodded toward Zhu Yuanzhang, then turned with a wooden expression and walked back into the crumbling Mahavira Hall.

Just like some kind of marionette.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched Gao Bin turn stiffly and then jump up the steps with both feet together, thinking to himself.

After the great battle, the Mahavira Hall no longer possessed the dense, gloomy yin energy that Zhu Yuanzhang had seen when he followed Yuanhui up the mountain.

Now, following the self-detonation of the white-robed monk, the clouds had parted and the mist had cleared over Imperial Awakening Temple, which had previously been shrouded under a leaden sky.

Sunlight poured in through the missing sections of the temple, sweeping away the haze within.

There was even a hint of the warmth of sunlight.

Splendid! Truly splendid!

Zhu Yuanzhang followed behind Gao Bin, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Although their eyes had met for only a fleeting moment, Zhu Yuanzhang could feel the complexity in the way the other man looked at him.

It did not look like the gaze one would cast upon an enemy; rather, it was more like looking at an "old friend," or perhaps, a suspected "child of an old friend."

The figure of the abbot passed by one Buddha statue after another that had survived the white-robed monk's uncontrolled self-detonation. These statues did not look at all like the kind of icons a small, local temple in Hao Prefecture would possess.

The contours of the Buddhas' faces were outlined with such delicate ingenuity that even a layman like Zhu Yuanzhang was left in awe.

He guessed that these statues were among the many legacies Imperial Awakening Temple had inherited from Yinglong Temple, but unfortunately, the statues of the Dingguang Buddha and the Maitreya Buddha had been destroyed in the explosion, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang unable to prove his hypothesis.

"This disciple pays respects to the Ancestor."

Before the last few lotus thrones located on the east side of the Mahavira Hall, Gao Bin bowed and knelt before one of them.

But to Zhu Yuanzhang's surprise, the lotus throne Gao Bin was worshipping did not hold any Buddha statue.

Instead, it held a tree.

To be precise, it was a giant tree planted upon the Buddha-soil of the lotus throne.

It was a massive Bodhi Tree with a trunk so thick that it would take five or six Zhu Yuanzhangs working together to wrap their arms around it; its height even threatened to surpass the dome of the Mahavira Hall.

Each leaf on the tree was the size of Zhu Yuanzhang's palm, emerald green in the center, while the serrated edges were slightly yellowed and faintly stained with traces of red blood.

Through the gaps in the leaves, Zhu Yuanzhang could see spherical fruits growing on the branches—they were unripe Bodhi seeds.

"The sixty-year vow has arrived; the soul of Uncle-Master Minghe should be released."

Gao Bin knelt before the Bodhi Tree, his body stiff.

The Bodhi Tree seemed to hear Gao Bin's request; despite the lack of wind in the temple, its branches and leaves swayed slightly, emitting a rustling sound like metal rubbing against metal.

It can respond to Gao Bin's request.

Zhu Yuanzhang scrutinized the giant tree before him.

It seems somewhat reliable after all.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought.

In an instant, ten thousand branches and leaves hanging from the Bodhi Tree before them plunged deep into Gao Bin's seven orifices simultaneously.

It was just like a spider ensnaring its prey, wrapping him up tightly.

"Uh... never mind what I said."

Seeing the eerie scene before him, Zhu Yuanzhang instinctively took a step back.

Immediately following, the rustling sound of metal rubbing against metal grew sharply louder.

Streams of pure white liquid flowed from the tree trunk, channeling along the branches and injecting into Gao Bin's seven orifices.

Gao Bin's originally sallow face became fair and plump once more, and his previously stiff body gradually began to regain the natural curvature of a living person.

"I thank the Ancestor for this fulfillment."

Gao Bin's voice drifted over.

Beneath the shroud of vines lay a darkness even deeper than that of the Mahavira Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not know what this Bodhi Tree had done to Gao Bin, or what it had said.

A few minutes later, as the branches slowly retracted, Gao Bin's figure was revealed.

The Abbot of Imperial Awakening Temple still maintained his original posture of worship.

Only now, he held two brown, walnut-sized spheres in his hands.

"Junior Brother Zhu, you have mastered the True Technique, so I shall address you by this name."

Having regained his vitality, Gao Bin stood up; his movements were now much more natural, and his face had returned to its usual inscrutable expression.

"I await the Abbot's instructions."

Although he spoke these words, Zhu Yuanzhang's internal vigilance had reached its peak at this moment.

Starting up again, are we?

Zhu Yuanzhang had thought that with the combination of the Great Wisdom Zen Technique and the Mountain-Shrinking Fist, his recovery speed was already fast enough.

But compared to the eerie Bodhi Tree opposite him, it seemed somewhat lacking.

The only thing that could console him was that Gao Bin's technique seemed to be naturally countered by the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique.

If they were to truly come to blows, there was a high probability that Gao Bin could not harm him.

But the tree behind him... was truly, intensely bizarre.

Fortunately, Gao Bin did not seem to have any intention of attacking.

"These are two Bodhi Fruits. One contains the complete cultivation method of the Buddha Speaks of the Soapberry Sutra, while the other holds the clues to the fortune hidden within Imperial Awakening Temple, nurtured for sixty years, which the world has sought in vain."

Gao Bin handed the two Bodhi Fruits to Zhu Yuanzhang, a dark green luster flickering in his eyes: "Since the Bodhi Fruits have descended, it means you are the last survivor among the monks who entered the temple in the third year of Zhizheng. Giving these to you can be considered my way of formally settling the karma for Yinglong Temple."

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the two Bodhi Fruits and placed them in his palm.

The Bodhi Fruits were densely carved with countless intricate patterns and characters, yet each one was infinitesimally small.

It made Zhu Yuanzhang think of the "micro-carving" techniques from his past life.

After staring for too long, Zhu Yuanzhang only felt dizzy and his scalp began to tingle.

Thus, he simply tucked the two Bodhi Fruits into his robes, looked at the man who was likely the last monk of Yinglong Temple in the world, and asked in a deep voice the question that had troubled him for so long.

"I hope the Abbot can enlighten me: sixty years ago, what exactly happened at Yinglong Temple?"