Strip Away the False, Preserve the True; Trace the Rise of the Hu and Han, North and South

"The Master of Rise and Fall?"

The monk narrowed his eyes. "Your Excellency, do you have a grievance with him too?"

"No grievance." The young man shook his head and said with grave sincerity, "We both contend for the Dao. One of us must live and the other die." Then he changed tack. "But I do know he has no small grievance with the Buddhist School. On that count, we could work together."

The monk gave no indication either way. "He is an Incomplete Dao Master, after all..."

The young man shook his head again, his smile returning. "His Dao is not far from death. Like other Incomplete Dao, it will gradually return to the River of Time, with neither vigor nor Life Breath."

"But as far as this poor monk knows, the Way of Rise and Fall was born only forty years ago," the monk said. "How could it perish so soon? Just because Chen Cuo has yet to step beyond the chessboard?"

"Because he has yet to find a Legalism for testing and comprehending his own path," the young man said without concealment. "A path cannot grow complete by adding Dao Marks without end. It needs a Legalism that allows for sustained contemplation. The Way of the Sole Self, for instance, concerns the self and All Under Heaven, and the affairs of All Under Heaven are everywhere. But the Way of Rise and Fall has shown no such avenue. Its death is only a matter of time."

At that, he asked, "I have told you everything I know. Will the Living Buddha join forces with me?"

The monk remained silent.

"There's no hurry." The young man glanced south and smiled. "Before long, the Living Buddha will have made his decision."

Neigh!

Warhorses cried out as a thousand steeds