Qiqi entered the Zen Room and saw Master Yuanmu sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion. Even her arrival did not prompt him to rise in greeting, but she took no offense. After all, Yuanmu commanded great respect at the Heavenly Dragon Temple. An enlightened monk who stood apart from worldly affairs could not be treated like an ordinary subject. She smiled. "I hope you have been well, Master!"
"Have you come today to fulfill that wish of this humble monk, benefactress?" Yuanmu asked. His expression was peaceful and serene, his eyes full of compassion, like those of a kindly elder.
Qiqi nodded and sat on the meditation cushion opposite him. "The entire Heart Sutra is recorded in here," she said softly, pointing to her head. Then she smiled gently. "If you need it, Master, I can write it out right now."
Yuanmu sighed. "There is no longer any need."
Qiqi gazed at him, her eyes filled with confusion. Hadn't Hu Xiaotian said Yuanmu wanted to exchange her mother's secrets for the Heart Sutra? Now that she was here, why was the old monk saying there was no need? Did he no longer want the sutra?
"What would Your Highness like to ask?" Yuanmu said.
"Did you know my mother, Master?" Qiqi asked.
"We met once. I could hardly claim to have known her well."
"Why did you destroy Minghui's Buddhist Pagoda with a single palm strike at the Great Xiangguo Temple that day?"
"Without destruction, there can be no creation. Without death, there can be no extinction!" Yuanmu said.
"What exactly happened between Minghui and my mother back then?" Qiqi asked.
Yuanmu looked at her quietly. "Why must you dig down to the roots of matters long past, benefactress?"
"There is so much that troubles me. I hope you will