"Not enough! It's nowhere near enough!"
A voice echoed through the hall like rolling thunder.
But it wasn't Yang Lianzhenjia who had spoken.
It was Master Mingguang, whom Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't seen since entering the hall.
The white-haired, youthful-faced monk was still holding a candle as he walked in from the doorway, step by step, toward Minghui at the center of the hall.
The candlelight pierced the darkness, forcing a path through the gloom of Mahavira Hall.
"For people like you, Senior Brother, you must be hoping the Great Yuan court falls as soon as possible."
"Nonsense."
As Mingguang entered Mahavira Hall with the candleholder in hand, the corpse on the Lotus Platform shut its eyes completely.
Not even the slightest crack remained.
But its mouth continued to open and close. "If this reaches Prince of Anxi's ears, I'm afraid the temple will be plunged into turmoil again."
"Senior Brother has already brought trouble upon us. Yesterday, Chancellor Sangha submitted a petition to the Zhiyuan Emperor to abolish the 'one fief, two princes' system. His Majesty has agreed to Chancellor Sangha's request and issued an edict stripping Prince of Anxi of the Qin Prince Glazed Seal."
At this, both Minghui and Yang Lianzhenjia exchanged shocked looks.
"How could this happen... Crown Prince Zhenjin can no longer possibly inherit the throne."
Yang Lianzhenjia involuntarily took two steps back, his expression panicked. "Why would His Majesty also take away Prince of Anxi's seal?"
Borjigin Mangala.
Kublai Khan's third son, renowned for his martial prowess and deeply favored by Kublai Khan.
Of all the princes, he was the only one to receive two princely titles. He held the seals of "Anxi" and "Qin," and was entrusted with defending Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Tibet.
"The edict was formally proclaimed throughout the realm yesterday. The matter is settled."
Mingguang's tone was mild, but when his gaze fell on "Minghe," Zhu Yuanzhang's assumed identity, his expression shifted with surprise.
Surprised I'm not dead?
Zhu Yuanzhang wondered.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Why is the Qin Prince Glazed Seal so important?"
"The Maitreya Descends Sutra?"
Mingguang raised an eyebrow as he looked at the scripture in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand, recognizing the cultivation method Zhu Yuanzhang had switched to.
Then Master Mingguang turned to Minghui. "Senior Brother really does make the most of everything."
There was another trap, wasn't there?
Zhu Yuanzhang had grown used to it by now.
He had completely given up on this cursed world.
Ha! You wretch! Don't think you can unsettle my Daoist heart again!
Even if I stumble upon the Secret History, I'll just keep my real body out of it!
Minghui said nothing. Mingguang, as if deliberately trying to ruin his plans, wore a mocking smile. "It's a fine scripture, but I'm afraid it'll be a full sixty years before you have a chance to attain enlightenment."
Zhu Yuanzhang continued to uphold his fine principle of silence being golden.
He had realized that among these shrewd men from a century ago, the more he said, the more mistakes he made—and the more openings he gave them.
When Zhu Yuanzhang didn't reply, Mingguang didn't lose interest in him, even though he should have been a dead man beyond all hope. On the contrary, he seemed even more intrigued.
"The Glazed Seal is the seal of the Glazed Dragon. The Glazed Dragon is a hornless dragon. It may not be a true dragon, but it is still one of the greatest auspicious signs throughout history."
"The Qin Prince Glazed Seal belongs to one of the few fiefs whose holder might contend for the throne. By taking the Qin Prince Seal from Prince of Anxi, His Majesty has effectively ended his hopes of claiming the throne."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.
He still said nothing, maintaining his aloof air.
But he quietly stored the information away.
"This monk has always hated to see living beings in the temple suffer. I cannot abide petty fools misleading disciples at the Buddha's sacred ground and ruining their spiritual paths. So, taking advantage of this opportunity, I shall grant you a chance."
As Mingguang spoke, the candle in his hand burned brighter and brighter.
A golden light rose behind Zhu Yuanzhang. He turned to look and saw yet another ancient Buddha breaking through the dim veil of light in Mahavira Hall, revealing its true form.
The Buddha's light was so brilliant that Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't make out the figure within the radiance.
He could only see a line of text painted on the lotus seat beneath the Buddha, written in the Slender Gold Script invented by Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song.
"Dingguang Buddha!"
Zhu Yuanzhang recognized the Buddha.
This was clearly the source of Master Mingguang's lineage.
Dingguang Buddha, also known as "Dingguang Tathagata," "Dipankara Tathagata," and "Puguang Tathagata," was called "Tihejiello" or "Tihengjie" in Sanskrit.
The faith arose during the Song dynasties. Over the course of two hundred years, it received five imperial edicts of investiture from the Zhao Song imperial house.
He was granted the title "Dingguang Dingguang Yuanying Puci Tongsheng."
He was revered by the eminent literati of the Song dynasties, such as Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, and his faith flourished for a time.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The most important thing was—
"Dingguang Buddha had a real-life prototype."
"The historical Dingguang Buddha... wasn't actually a Buddha, to be precise. He was a man."
"His name was Zheng Ziyan. His family had served as officials in the Tang dynasty. He entered Jianxing Temple at the age of eleven and studied under Master Qiyuan..."
Looking at the Buddha before him, bathed in golden light but with its features concealed, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a chill run through him.
At first, he had thought that the gods and Buddhas of this world were beings beyond humanity.
Humans could wield their power, but the beings themselves were probably not closely connected to the mortal world.
But now, whatever Dingguang Buddha really was, it was certainly no "god" like those in the Lovecraftian myths—beings ignorant of human affairs, neither living nor dead.
Zhu Yuanzhang calmed himself.
Whatever the gods and Buddhas of this world were, they were still far beyond his reach.
As he looked at Mingguang Buddha's form, he could feel two gazes fixed unblinkingly on him from behind.
One belonged to Minghui, the corpse seated on the Lotus Platform, who hadn't risen once since Zhu Yuanzhang entered the temple.
The other belonged to Mingguang, whose expression was calm but whose gaze brimmed with anticipation.
Clearly, both were waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to choose.
Would he continue cultivating the Maitreya Descends Sutra?
Or turn instead to Dingguang Buddha?
"On the surface, Minghui is clearly the stronger one."
Zhu Yuanzhang thought back to how Mingguang hadn't even been able to enter Mahavira Hall before Minghui read his fate.
"But... what does that have to do with me?"
Zhu Yuanzhang reached for the Dingguang Demon-Subduing Scroll on Mingguang Buddha's Lotus Platform.
"If I die this time, I can just start over next time."
"But if I get the chance, I'm definitely taking the skill book!"
The instant Zhu Yuanzhang's hand touched the Dingguang Demon-Subduing Scroll—
The two gazes behind him vanished abruptly.
Just before one disappeared, it turned cold.
It clearly belonged to the monk Minghui, whom Zhu Yuanzhang had resolutely abandoned.
"Night has fallen, honored guests. Please move to the Zen Courtyard behind the mountain. The monks have prepared a vegetarian meal and hot water. Tomorrow morning, the monks of this temple will hold a ceremony in Mahavira Hall, praying to Heaven for blessings upon our Great Yuan."
Minghui's voice came from behind him.
But unlike Mingguang, Monk Minghui hadn't offered Zhu Yuanzhang any warning to "beware the Dingguang Buddha lineage."
Almost as soon as Minghui's voice rang out, a cold, piercing wind swept in through the main entrance. Dingguang Buddha's radiance wavered in the gust, then dimmed once more, its form becoming indistinct.
Zhu Yuanzhang clutched the Dingguang Demon-Subduing Scroll tightly in his hands.
But what happened next took him by surprise.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked up in astonishment. Mingguang Buddha's radiance was gone, leaving only a vague shadow of a Buddha in the dim candlelight before him.
He was still alive. Minghui hadn't killed him.
"Why?"
"Was it because of Mingguang? No, he's injured. He can no longer suppress the hundreds of Buddhas in the temple."
Zhu Yuanzhang understood the situation at once.
He followed Yang Lianzhenjia and Monk Mingguang out of Mahavira Hall.
A surge of joy welled up in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, as if even Heaven and Earth were celebrating his success.
The [Doomed] status vanished from the status section of the system panel.
Only [Bad Luck] remained.
He'd made it through!
Zhu Yuanzhang watched the black, ink-like text appear before him and felt a rush of joy.
[Mission Complete: Survive the Night] [Reward: Permanently fix one skill]
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