Perhaps...
His senior brother had long since glimpsed a fragment of the future.
He had known that neither of them would ever have a chance to rise in the Buddhist Cultivator Society again.
And so, after giving him this guidance, he had drifted away.
"Seek opportunity in the city."
"Golden skin, bone foundation."
Along the way, Konghai had recited those eight words of verse tens of thousands of times.
He recited them before sleeping.
He recited them after waking.
He recited them while traveling.
He recited them while resting.
"Seek opportunity in the city" was easy enough to understand...
Go to Mechanical City and seek an opportunity.
But what about "golden skin, bone foundation"?
Skin made of gold?
A foundation made of bones?
Throughout the journey, Konghai had tried every sort of method, approaching those eight words from every angle to uncover their meaning.
Yet no matter what he tried, he could not understand them.
Buddhist verses like these always sounded plausible yet elusive.
When the right opportunity came, a single glance could bring enlightenment.
Without that opportunity, even ten or a hundred years of fruitless thought might not unravel them.
Monk Konghai had remained silent throughout the journey.
He had pondered throughout the journey.
Finally...
As he approached Mechanical City, he learned that a Bone City had suddenly appeared three days earlier.
At that moment, everything became clear to Konghai.
Gold.
Skin.
Bone.
Foundation.
Every one of those four words pointed to the same place.
Gold was Buddha Light.
Skin was the outward appearance.
Bone was what lay within.
Foundation was the bedrock.
Going to the city did not mean going to Mechanical City, but going to Bone City.
Seeking opportunity did not mean seeking some ordinary opportunity, but seeking something hidden within this city built of white bones.