True Person Xuanwei let his horsetail whisk hang loosely, his tone flat.
"The Buddhist light hurts my eyes."
Jiang Shouzhuo laughed, his shoulders shaking.
"I'd say it's not the Buddhist light hurting your eyes, but those bald heads."
True Person Xuanwei gave him an indifferent look.
"Jiang Shouzhuo, mind your words."
Jiang Shouzhuo immediately nodded.
"All right, all right, I'll mind my words."
Yet the smile on his face suggested, no matter how one looked at it, that he too had some "opinions" about the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land.
Yun Qing followed everyone's gaze.
On the western side of the Sea of Clouds, eighteen Golden-Body Arhats formed ranks to clear the way. A nine-tiered Lotus Platform approached, and a monk clad in a Pure White Monk Robe slowly stepped down.
His face was lean, his smile gentle, with a cinnabar Buddhist mark between his brows. His left hand fingered a string of Bodhi Prayer Beads, while his right stood upright before his chest in greeting. The Buddhist light surrounding him was warm and substantial.
He was the second abbot of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land, Zen Master Mingjing.
Zen Master Mingjing bowed slightly, pressing his palms together in greeting to all present.
"Amitabha."
"On behalf of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land, I have come at the Yun Clan's invitation. May all your endeavors go smoothly, benefactors, and may your hearts be settled and your paths peaceful."
"The Western Region is far away, and this humble monk has arrived late. I hope you will forgive me."
True Person Xuanwei finally turned his head.
He said coolly, "The missionaries of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sacred Land have always been remarkably swift of foot. How rare to see one arrive late today."
Zen Master Mingjing's smile remained unchanged.
"When all