Let's call it Shaolin Temple

When the Song father and son heard this.

No wonder.

No wonder Ye Qingyun had seemed like a manifestation of the Buddha that day.

It turned out he was a Buddhist Holy Son through and through.

Now, the Ye father and son felt an even deeper reverence for Ye Qingyun.

They also became even more determined to spur their horses into a gallop down the path toward Buddhism.

"Father, since we're wholeheartedly devoted to the Buddha, why don't we just take the tonsure?"

Song Chenglong suddenly spoke, his eyes lighting up.

Song Xiaotian paused, then also saw the light.

Right.

Previously, the Heavenly Martial Dynasty had no temples, so even if the father and son had wanted to leave worldly life and become monks, they had had no way to do so. They could only eat vegetarian meals, recite Buddhist scriptures, perform Buddhist rites, and do good deeds on their own.

Now things were different.

The Buddhists from the Western Realm had arrived.

And they were going to build temples here. Didn't that give the father and son the perfect opportunity to enter Buddhism?

Seize the opportunity.

Change their lives.

It was right before their eyes!

The father and son immediately sought out Huikong.

"Master Huikong, we want to become monks!"

Standing before Huikong, the father and son spoke excitedly.

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought leaving worldly life was something joyous.

Huikong paused, somewhat surprised.

"Benefactors, do you truly wish to become monks?"

"We do! We're wholeheartedly devoted to the Buddha. Now that you're here, of course we want to become monks!"

"That's right. Only by becoming monks can we fulfill the value of our lives."

"Please grant our wish, Master Huikong!"

"As long as we can become monks, we won't complain or regret it even if we have to give away our entire fortune!"

The Song father and son's resolve was utterly firm. They were one step away from shaving their own heads.

Huikong was deeply moved.

He couldn't help bowing toward Floating Cloud Mountain.

"As expected of the place where the Holy Son chose to stay. The Buddhist atmosphere here is so strong that even the head of such a great lineage is willing to join our faith!"

"Master, please grant our wish!"

Song Xiaotian pleaded.

Huikong nodded.

"Since you are both so determined and wholeheartedly devoted to the Buddha, the gates of Buddhism will naturally stand wide open for you."

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

The father and son were incredibly excited.

We can finally become monks!

Afterward, the monk Huikong personally performed the tonsure ceremony for the Song father and son.

The Song father and son soon became two bald heads.

"Having entered under my tutelage, you are now my disciples."

"Upon entering Buddhism, you must have Dharma names."

"From now on, the two of you shall be called Xuhai and Xuzhu."

Xuhai was Song Xiaotian's Dharma name.

Xuzhu was Song Chenglong's Dharma name.

Once they entered Buddhism, there was no distinction between father and son, only between generations.

But because both had become Huikong's disciples, they were considered members of the same generation within Buddhism.

"Thank you, Master!"

The two bald heads of the Song Clan bowed in unison.

At that moment.

The father and son seemed to have attained complete enlightenment, with not a single worldly attachment left in their hearts.

"By the way, Master, what's our temple called?"

Song Xiaotian asked.

Huikong paused.

He really hadn't considered that question.

Now that Song Xiaotian had brought it up, he really needed to give it some serious thought.

With the Song Clan's help, construction of their temple was progressing astonishingly fast.

In roughly ten more days, a brand-new temple would be complete.

Before then, they absolutely had to decide on a name.

Otherwise, they wouldn't even know what sign to hang in front of the temple.

"No, the Holy Son must personally name the temple. Otherwise, this temple will have no reason to exist."

Huikong decided to go up the mountain himself to pay Ye Qingyun a visit.

And ask for a name for the temple.

Huikong immediately headed up the mountain.

He didn't want anyone else to beat him to it.

If someone else asked for a good temple name first, there wouldn't be any good names left for his temple.

Upon reaching the mountain.

Huikong saw the courtyard where Ye Qingyun lived.

It was tranquil and elegant, ordinary and unassuming.

Huikong marveled inwardly.

"The Holy Son truly is an expert beyond the mortal world. Even his place of cultivation is so tranquil and elegant. He truly is a model for us monks!"

He arrived in front of the courtyard just as Ye Qingyun was picking pears from a tree.

"Holy Son?"

Huikong called out.

Ye Qingyun turned to look.

At that sight, Ye Qingyun's head began to ache.

Why had this monk come all the way up the mountain?

He really was a ghost that wouldn't go away.

"What do you want?"

Ye Qingyun asked irritably.

Huikong, however, was all smiles. "This humble monk is building a temple at the foot of the mountain, but I don't know what to call it. So I've come up the mountain especially to ask you to give it a name, Holy Son."

"What?"

"You're building a temple at the foot of the mountain?"

Ye Qingyun looked shocked.

"Yes. Not just this humble monk, either. Other fellow Buddhist practitioners are building temples at the foot of the mountain too."

Huikong nodded as he spoke.

Ye Qingyun felt a little dizzy.

"Wait, what's going on with you people?"

Huikong explained, "Ever since you told this humble monk about the difference between Mahayana Dharma and Hinayana Dharma last time, Holy Son, I decided to remain here and follow you in cultivation."

"After the other fellow Buddhist practitioners learned of this, they made the same decision as this humble monk."

"They have all begun building temples so they can be a little closer to you, Holy Son, and so it will be easier for us to protect you."

The corners of Ye Qingyun's mouth twitched.

Good grief.

If they built a ring of temples around the foot of this mountain, what would his place become?

Wouldn't it really become a Buddhist holy land?

"Take me to have a look, quick."

"Yes!"

Ye Qingyun followed Huikong and hurried to the foot of the mountain.

From a high vantage point, Ye Qingyun could already see a magnificent sight in the distance.

More than a dozen temples under construction formed a circle.

They encircled the entire foot of Floating Cloud Mountain perfectly.

From then on, anyone going up or down the mountain would inevitably have to pass these temples.

Ye Qingyun looked utterly bewildered.

"Why don't you go back to the Western Realm? If you don't return, the Buddhists will come looking for you."

Ye Qingyun tried to persuade him.

Huikong, however, stubbornly shook his head.

"Rest assured, Holy Son. If any Buddhists come, this humble monk and the others will persuade them to stay as well."

"Wherever the Holy Son is, that is where true Buddhism lies."

Ye Qingyun: "..."

What was this supposed to be?

Had he inexplicably been saddled with the title of Buddhist Holy Son for good?

Forget it.

Let it be.

Ye Qingyun lost interest and turned to head back.

"Holy Son, you haven't named this humble monk's temple yet."

Huikong hurriedly stopped him.

Ye Qingyun was in no mood for that.

"Just call it Shaolin Temple."

Ye Qingyun tossed out the words, then turned and left.

Huikong stood where he was.

He murmured the name Shaolin Temple under his breath.

He repeated it for a long time.

Suddenly, his eyes blazed with light.

"The Holy Son truly is brilliant!"

"Shaolin Temple! Hahahaha! My temple shall be called Shaolin Temple!"

Huikong scampered happily down the mountain.

The Heavenly Martial Dynasty.

The capital.

Martial Emperor Dongfang Su was discussing affairs with his officials in court.

Suddenly.

"Urgent report from the border army! Urgent report from the border army!"

The court immediately erupted into an uproar.

Dongfang Su's gaze sharpened.

"What has happened to the border army?"

A guard knelt on the floor, presenting a battle report with both hands.

Someone immediately delivered the report into Dongfang Su's hands.

Dongfang Su opened it, read it, and abruptly rose to his feet.

His face was filled with fury.

"The Nebula Dynasty, the Purple Sun Dynasty, and the Phoenix Dance Dynasty have actually formed an alliance and attacked our Heavenly Martial Dynasty's border pass in the Eastern Realm."

"As of now, the border pass has fallen, and the three dynasties' allied army of one million has charged into our Heavenly Martial Dynasty's territory!"

At these words, everyone was utterly horrified.