Zhou Yan glanced at Monk Mingjing. Monk Mingjing's expression did not change, and his eyes remained clear.
After a moment, Zhou Yan nodded. "Very well. I'll await your arrival in the Northwest, Mingjing Grandmaster."
With that, he turned and left without lingering for a moment.
Only after Zhou Yan had disappeared into the distance did Zen Master Hui Shuo say anxiously, "Grandmaster Uncle, why did you agree so quickly?"
Monk Mingjing watched the direction Zhou Yan had gone, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Zen Master Hui Shuo tried again. "I know you have the heart of a bodhisattva, Grandmaster Uncle, but you should at least give this more thought. This is far too important, and it concerns our White Horse Temple..."
Monk Mingjing shook his head slightly, cutting him off.
"If I hadn't agreed on the spot, neither you nor I would have survived. Even White Horse Temple might have been destroyed."
Zen Master Hui Shuo started in shock, then disbelief spread across his face.
"Grandmaster Uncle, are you saying His Highness King Zhou would dare..."
He caught himself and hurriedly changed his question. "No. Does His Highness King Zhou have the strength?"
Clearly, he had realized there was little that King Zhou would not dare to do.
In a thousand years, King Zhou had been the first to topple a millennia-old noble family.
He had also destroyed the sacred prestige of the noble families with his own hands.
He had shown some restraint in recent years, but no one doubted the steel in his bones.
Yet this was Capital City, territory of the Kun Kingdom, not the Zhou Kingdom.
King Zhou might be powerful, but with the Zhou Kingdom's armies nowhere near, they seemed to have little to fear.
Monk Mingjing's face grew solemn. "The whole world has underestimated His