Reading Fate

If he'd given himself away last time because of an instinctive reaction, then why had he died again this time?

He had chosen [Start Over]. While the game loaded, Zhu Yuanzhang wondered.

"Reading fate..."

Zhu Yuanzhang briefly recalled the historical background of Yang Lianzhenjia's time.

The Great Yuan had just eliminated the two great foes of the Great Song and the Mongols under Ariq Boke. It was at the height of its power, virtually invincible in the world.

Kublai Khan had made Dadu his capital, and Mongol cavalry swept across the land.

As the true disciple of the Imperial Preceptor Phagpa, Yang Lianzhenjia had won the favor of Chancellor Sangha and been appointed "General Superintendent of Buddhist Affairs in Jiangnan," overseeing all Buddhist matters in the region.

It was precisely this position that allowed Yang Lianzhenjia to find all sorts of excuses to destroy temples in Jiangnan and excavate the imperial tombs of the Zhao Song dynasty, amassing a fortune in the process.

But judging by Yang Lianzhenjia's behavior, he didn't seem to have come here to plunder the Imperial Awakening Temple.

"Reading the prince's fate..."

Zhu Yuanzhang murmured to himself, recalling what Master Mingguang had said.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

How had he died?

No!

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized something.

After receiving permission to enter the hall, Yang Lianzhenjia had acted quite normally at first.

It wasn't until Master Mingguang appeared and called him "the chancellor's envoy" that Yang Lianzhenjia grew wary.

"Wait, could it have something to do with that title?"

"A disciple of Imperial Preceptor Phagpa, an envoy of Chancellor Möngke... Those two identities, both applying to Yang Lianzhenjia, actually represented two entirely different factions."

"And the Imperial Awakening Temple happened to be caught in the struggle between them, splitting into two factions as a result."

"No... that's not right. If I take into account the earlier talk of reading the imperial heir's fate..."

"Then there aren't just two factions!"

"After all, besides his eldest legitimate son, Crown Prince Zhenjin, Great Ancestor Kublai Khan had eleven other sons!"

At the thought, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression turned aghast.

Had he been dragged into the Yuan dynasty's succession struggle right from the start?

Damn system, are you messing with me?

The darkness receded... and light appeared.

Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the starting point.

Using his tried-and-true strategy of "staying quiet and acting aloof," Zhu Yuanzhang brought Yang Lianzhenjia back to the Mahavira Hall.

This time, however, Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and refused to look at the slightest glimmer from the candlestick in Master Mingguang's hand.

"I have come on the Imperial Preceptor's orders."

Just as that "true light" was about to swallow Zhu Yuanzhang, Yang Lianzhenjia stepped forward as if he had realized something. Countless bloodworms poured from his sleeves and surged toward Mingguang, his voice edged with coldness.

Zhu Yuanzhang noticed that every bloodworm touching the circle of light from Master Mingguang's candlestick instantly crumbled to ash.

But Master Mingguang paid a price, too. As the bloodworms charged him again and again without regard for their lives, the lamp oil in his candlestick burned away far faster than before.

"Amitabha."

A Buddhist invocation rang out, instantly separating the two locked in a struggle.

The already dim Mahavira Hall now seemed even gloomier.

"Guests should be welcomed, not treated with disrespect. Junior Brother Mingguang, how can you be so discourteous to a disciple of Imperial Preceptor Phagpa?"

Every light and shadow in the Mahavira Hall trembled and swayed, as if some unseen force would extinguish them all at any moment.

Amid the dim light and shadows, a Lotus Platform appeared. Seated upon it was a dried corpse draped in a blood-red kasaya.

The corpse raised an arm and pointed lightly.

The candlelight in Master Mingguang's hand went out at once, and the "true light" blocking the way vanished with it.

Master Mingguang grunted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked badly injured.

"Heh!"

Yang Lianzhenjia gave a cold laugh, then passed Mingguang, whose expression was dark and unreadable, and headed deeper into the Mahavira Hall.

"Come along too, Minghe."

That voice sounded in Zhu Yuanzhang's ear once more.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed inwardly.

He knew he had no choice but to enter this unfathomable, eerie Mahavira Hall.

Imperial Awakening Temple, Mahavira Hall.

Red silk draped the hall. The floor was paved with bluestone, and the walls had all been painted creamy white.

Zhu Yuanzhang caught a rich, heady fragrance. In a daze, he seemed to see a vision.

Countless celestial maidens descended from the heavens, their shoulder sashes half undone, bearing delicacies and smiling as they invited him to cultivate dual cultivation with them.

"Minghe, recite the Great Wisdom Sutra. Only then can you attain the Perfection of Wisdom, realize supreme enlightenment, and cast off the influence of Mingguang's human-fat lamp."

"Yes..."

After the dried corpse on the Lotus Platform reminded him, Zhu Yuanzhang put his palms together and instinctively began to circulate the [Great Wisdom Zen Technique]. In an instant, his mind cleared, and the vision before him vanished.

Even his body seemed more agile.

"What fine talent. Master Minghui truly is the foremost monk of the Southern Dynasties."

Watching Zhu Yuanzhang recite the Treatise on the Great Wisdom, Yang Lianzhenjia spoke in a strange, mocking tone.

"What do you mean?"

Hearing Yang Lianzhenjia's words, Zhu Yuanzhang—who had just been marveling at the wonders of the Great Wisdom Zen Technique—immediately grew wary.

"Is something wrong with this technique?"

In truth, Zhu Yuanzhang had already been puzzled ever since he first saw Mingguang.

They were both monks of the "Ming" generation, so why did Mingguang and Minghui possess such power?

Meanwhile, he, Minghe, was as useless as a nobody, easily killed by others.

Though Zhu Yuanzhang had his suspicions, he knew this wasn't the time to confront them. So after dispelling the illusion, he stood aside as if he hadn't heard.

Like a stone statue.

Since he seemed to be on the side of the dried corpse before him...

Perhaps, under Minghui's protection, he could make it through the night alive.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself.

But for some reason, he still felt uneasy, as if he had overlooked something.

"When can Master Minghui read Crown Prince Zhenjin's fate?" Yang Lianzhenjia asked urgently, looking at the dried corpse seated on the Lotus Platform.

This was the first time Zhu Yuanzhang had seen the demon monk from Tibet act so impatiently.

"So, Yang Lianzhenjia and Minghui support Crown Prince Zhenjin."

Standing where he was, Zhu Yuanzhang watched the two from the corner of his eye, his thoughts in turmoil.

On the surface, Crown Prince Zhenjin, as Kublai Khan's eldest legitimate son, had the strongest faction. In the struggle among the Han, Mongol, and Hui, he had firmly sided with the Han Confucians.

But when Zhu Yuanzhang thought of how history had actually unfolded, his eyes darkened.

According to the histories, Zhenjin was indeed the crown prince, but he died of illness before he could ascend the throne.

In the end, it was Crown Prince Zhenjin's third son, Temür, who inherited Kublai Khan's throne.

He became Emperor Chengzong of Yuan.

In other words...

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at the two preparing to read Crown Prince Zhenjin's fate.

If they had come to petition Heaven for the throne on Crown Prince Zhenjin's behalf—

They were in for trouble!

"The temple has been preparing for this day for a long time," the dried corpse known as Minghui replied calmly. He then pointed at the altar table bearing a statue of pure gold. "Move the Maitreya Treasure Statue, and we can begin drawing lots."

"There's no time to lose. Sangha has already petitioned the court to reclaim the golden seal of Prince of Anxi. The other side will surely strike back within days."

Yang Lianzhenjia replied. He took out a bone bowl from his robe, encrusted with turquoise, pearls, and jade, and poured all the bone lots from behind the golden statue into it.