Master Kurong

Perhaps because Duan Yu had been steeped in Buddhist teachings since childhood, he did not become hysterical upon seeing Nalan Sheng, the man who had killed his mother. Instead, he appeared remarkably calm, rather like an enlightened monk.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Duan Yu led Nalan Sheng and the others to meet Master Benyin, the abbot of Heavenly Dragon Temple.

By their secular family relationships, Duan Zhengchun would have had to address Master Benyin as his uncle.

But monks observed neither the formalities between sovereign and subject nor the seniority of family relationships, so the two greeted each other as equals.

After bowing to Abbot Benyin, Duan Zhengchun gestured toward Nalan Sheng beside him and introduced him. "Abbot, this is my worthy son-in-law, Nalan Sheng. With his help this time, we will surely make Jumozhi recognize the difficulties ahead and retreat."

"Amitabha."

Abbot Benyin pressed his palms together. "Benefactor Nalan, sorry for troubling you with today's matter."

"You are too kind, Abbot. I am now a member of Dali's Imperial Family, after all. Naturally, I cannot allow anyone to bully Heavenly Dragon Temple."

Hearing Nalan Sheng say this, Duan Zhengchun immediately looked gratified.

Since Duan Yu was not Duan Zhengchun's biological son, and had moreover become a monk, Duan Zhengchun certainly could no longer pass the throne to him.

At present, Duan Zhengchun had only his two daughters, Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling, and both sisters were betrothed to Nalan Sheng.

In Duan Zhengchun's eyes, his son-in-law Nalan Sheng was already much like a son.

Although Duan Zhengchun would not pass the throne directly to Nalan Sheng, he would certainly pass it to his own grandson.

"In that case, benefactors, please follow this old monk to meet my martial uncle Kurong first!"

Abbot Benyin was also very pleased with Nalan Sheng's answer. Smiling, he told them, "Jumozhi has come with such menacing force this time that even Martial Uncle Kurong has emerged from seclusion."

"To think even that venerable elder has been disturbed."

Duan Zhengchun could not help looking somewhat surprised.

Elder Kurong was the most senior master in Heavenly Dragon Temple. He was said to have spent decades in seclusion in the Twin Trees Courtyard, contemplating the meditation of withering alone.

Duan Zhengchun had only heard his name and had never paid his respects to him. He had even assumed the elder had long since passed into nirvana.

Under Abbot Benyin's guidance, Nalan Sheng and the others soon arrived at Muni Hall, where they met four eminent monks led by Elder Kurong.

Elder Kurong and the others sat cross-legged with their backs to the visitors. Six scrolls hung on the wall before them.

The silk of those scrolls had turned a scorched yellow with age. Each bore the image of a naked man, with acupuncture points marked on his body and red and black lines tracing the circulation pathways of the six meridians.

At the sight, Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling pretended to look around curiously, while secretly memorizing the energy-circulation routes depicted in the images.

Under normal circumstances, only someone who had cultivated the One Yang Finger to the fourth rank barely qualified to practice the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

However, if a practitioner's internal energy was sufficiently profound, they could practice the Six Meridians Divine Sword directly.

Although Mu Wanqing had only recently switched to cultivating the Northern Darkness Divine Skill, she had already met the basic requirements for practicing the Six Meridians Divine Sword after absorbing the internal energy of the Three Great Evildoers.

With the Six Meridians Divine Sword for ranged attacks and the Lingbo Steps for both pursuit and escape, Mu Wanqing could leap into the ranks of the martial world's finest experts.

"Martial Uncle Kurong, Benefactor Nalan and the others have arrived."

After leading Nalan Sheng and the others into Muni Hall, Abbot Benyin bowed to Elder Kurong from a distance.

At these words, Elder Kurong, who had been sitting with his back to Nalan Sheng and the others, slowly turned around, revealing a peculiar face: one half was rosy as an infant's, while the other was withered and gaunt as a skeleton's.

"This old monk is Kurong. Greetings, benefactors."

"Greetings, Master Kurong."

Once both sides had exchanged bows, Master Kurong began discussing how to deal with Jumozhi with Nalan Sheng and the others.

Master Kurong's plan was simple: he would first lead Heavenly Dragon Temple's four eminent monks to probe Jumozhi's capabilities.

If Master Kurong and the others could defeat Jumozhi outright, Nalan Sheng would not need to act.

If even their combined strength could not defeat Jumozhi, they would exhaust as much of his internal energy as possible before Nalan Sheng stepped in to defeat him.

Naturally, Nalan Sheng had no objections. He had never considered Jumozhi worth worrying about in the first place.

Shortly after they settled on their strategy, a young novice suddenly entered through the doorway and bowed to Abbot Benyin. "Abbot, the Great Wheel Wisdom King has arrived."

"Benyin, go and invite the Wisdom King to Muni Hall."

Master Kurong spoke with an impassive expression.

"Yes, Martial Uncle Kurong."

With that, Abbot Benyin hurried away with the young novice to meet Jumozhi.

After Abbot Benyin left, Master Kurong said to Duan Zhengchun, "Zhengchun, you and the others should withdraw for now as well."

"Yes, Master Kurong."

Duan Zhengchun nodded and led Nalan Sheng and the others into Muni Hall's rear chamber, where they waited silently.

"Wisdom King, please come this way to Muni Hall."

Only after quite some time did Abbot Benyin's voice sound outside Muni Hall.

"Thank you for showing the way, Abbot."

Another voice followed, courteous and modest. A group of people then entered Muni Hall behind Abbot Benyin.

At their head was a monk in yellow robes who appeared to be in his early fifties. He wore plain cloth garments and straw sandals, yet his face shone with radiant vitality, as though a precious light faintly flowed across it.

Eight or nine men followed him, most with fierce, fearsome faces unlike those of the Central Plains. They were all attendants Jumozhi had brought from the Tubo Kingdom.

After entering Muni Hall, Jumozhi merely swept his gaze over everyone before fixing it on Master Kurong.

"This junior, Jumozhi of the Tubo Kingdom, pays his respects to the venerable master."

Jumozhi pressed his palms together. "Permanence and impermanence, the twin trees withered and flourishing; south, north, west, and east, neither illusion nor emptiness!"

They all say this Great Wheel Wisdom King possesses profound learning. Seeing him today, he truly lives up to his reputation. To think he would reveal the origins of my meditation of withering at our very first meeting.

Master Kurong was inwardly startled, but his expression remained unchanged. "Please sit, Wisdom King."

After offering his thanks and sitting down, Jumozhi began using Murong Bo as a pretext to request the Six Meridians Divine Sword from Master Kurong.

Of course, Jumozhi was no fool. He knew Master Kurong would never readily surrender the Six Meridians Divine Sword, so he had specifically prepared three finger techniques to offer in exchange.

Those three finger techniques were the Flower-Plucking Finger, the Pattra-

Leaf Finger, and the Formless Calamity Finger. All belonged to the Shaolin Seventy-Two Supreme Skills, and their power was not much inferior to that of the One Yang Finger.

The monks of Heavenly Dragon Temple had initially thought Jumozhi overbearing, but now that they saw he was willing to exchange three supreme finger techniques for the Six Meridians Divine Sword, they felt he was quite reasonable after all.

Apart from Master Kurong, all four eminent monks, including Abbot Benyin, looked somewhat tempted.