Volume Two: Inherited Honor, Bloodstained Brocade Chapter 129: The Purity Pavilion

Jingkong pressed his palms together and said, “Lady Chi, when the Island Lord of White Cloud came here years ago, he was unable to enter the mountain. Clearly, the time and opportunity were not yet right. There is no need for everyone to dwell on it.”

Jingneng, however, sneered. “What? Have you come to avenge him? The Island Lord of White Cloud is said to possess extraordinary martial skill. I have also heard that the three disciples beneath him are all peerless experts. But if you intend to cause trouble at the Great Bright Temple, you should not expect to run wild here.”

“Rest assured, Master. If we had come deliberately to provoke trouble, we would not have openly allowed Lord Su to escort us up the mountain.” Chi Danmei smiled seductively. “Although the Great Bright Temple is heavily guarded, if we truly wished to enter the mountain without a sound, I am afraid the monks stationed before your temple gate would be unable to stop us.”

Jingneng was about to speak again, but Jingkong said, “Junior Brother Jingneng.” He turned his head and signaled for Jingneng to say no more.

Jingneng was evidently still deeply wary of Jingkong. Though his face was filled with anger, he ultimately fell silent. By then, the deacon monks within the main hall had lit the lamps. Bathed in lamplight, the solemn and majestic Hall of Illumination was bright indeed.

“Lady Chi, you said that you wished to fulfill the late Island Lord of White Cloud’s lifelong ambition. May I ask what that ambition was?” Jingkong remained calm and composed, his tone gentle. “If he wished to view the Three Pavilions, Six Towers, and Eighteen Halls of the Great Bright Temple, this old monk would be willing to accompany you personally.”

He had quietly changed the way he referred to himself from “this poor monk” to “this old monk.” The change seemed inconspicuous, yet that single alteration made it clear that the Great Bright Temple would not permit outsiders to behave recklessly within its grounds.

Chi Danmei slightly thrust out her voluptuous chest. Her full breasts strained against her clothing as she replied in a honeyed voice, “Your temple is vast and magnificent. To visit the Three Pavilions, Six Towers, and Eighteen Halls one by one would take more than a moment or two. We have not been granted much time during this journey to your country, so there is no need for us to view so many places.”

She gave him a charming smile. “The body is impure, sensation is suffering, the mind is impermanent, and all phenomena are without self. If your temple permits it, we would instead like to spend some time studying the Pure Mind Pavilion.”

Reciting Buddhist scripture should have been a solemn matter, yet spoken in her soft, coquettish, and alluring voice, the words produced a distinctly strange effect. Still, her effortless explanation of the Buddhist principles underlying the Pure Mind Pavilion showed that she knew the place extremely well.

Jingkong smiled. “Lady Chi wishes to study the Pure Mind Pavilion?”

“We ask only that your temple make an exception.” Chi Danmei giggled coquettishly. “My master’s lifelong wish is either to receive instruction in your temple’s True Scripture of Illumination or to enter the Pure Mind Pavilion and study there for three days. Since your temple’s True Scripture of Illumination is not transmitted to outsiders, forcing you to teach it would be unreasonable. We can only settle for the next best thing and spend several days examining the texts within your Pure Mind Pavilion.”

“Forget it!” Jingneng could not restrain another cold laugh. “Do you not know that the Pure Mind Pavilion is a forbidden ground of the Great Bright Temple? It houses the temple’s many martial manuals. How could we possibly allow you to enter?”

Chi Danmei’s beautiful eyes glimmered as she smiled lightly. “My master knew that if he made the request directly, your temple would certainly refuse. But his lifelong wish cannot simply be disregarded.” After a pause, she continued in a seductive voice, “Our nation of East Qi enjoys friendly relations with your own. We have no desire to damage the friendship between our two countries. Therefore, although we wish to enter the Pure Mind Pavilion, we naturally will not force our way inside.”

Jingneng snorted. “You may wish to. Whether you possess the ability is another matter.”

Chi Danmei tilted her phoenix eyes slightly. “Are you saying that our East Sea White Cloud Island lacks such strength?” She glanced at Baiyuhe beside her and smiled. “Senior Brother, did you hear that?”

Baiyuhe’s eyes remained closed. He merely said, “We are leaving.”

His words were brief and decisive. But Jingkong was shrewd beyond measure. He knew that if these people turned and left, the Great Bright Temple would effectively have torn away its last pretense of cordiality with East Sea White Cloud Island.

He knew all too well how formidable East Sea White Cloud Island was. If these people walked away today, the Great Bright Temple would face endless trouble in the future.

“Lady Chi, you have said that you do not wish to force your way into the Pure Mind Pavilion. However, that pavilion is a forbidden ground of our temple. Let me put it plainly: whether you are disciples of East Sea White Cloud Island or even monks of our own temple, none may enter it casually.” Jingkong remained composed. “Have you already devised a way to prevent either side from being placed in an impossible position?”

Chi Danmei pressed her palms together. “The Great Bright Temple’s reputation today is clearly not undeserved. Master, your cultivation is profound, and this humble woman admires you greatly.”

At those words, some present could not help thinking that with her flirtatious manner, no one knew how many men she had taken to bed. Yet here she was, shamelessly calling herself a humble young woman. Still, her jade-like face and extraordinary beauty stirred the hearts of all who saw her.

“As far as this humble woman knows, your temple possesses three arts renowned throughout the world.” Chi Danmei spoke slowly. “Formation techniques, unarmed combat, and swordsmanship.”

Jingkong smiled. “Disciples of the Buddhist faith cultivate the mind above all else. What Lady Chi describes is merely a means by which the monks of our temple strengthen their bodies.”

Chi Danmei said, “Today, East Sea White Cloud Island wishes to seek instruction from your temple in these three arts. The contest shall be decided by two victories out of three. If your temple wins, we shall leave at once. From this day onward, no disciple of White Cloud Island will ever set foot inside the Great Bright Temple again. Furthermore, whenever our disciples encounter those of your temple, they will not engage in conflict.”

She smiled seductively, her beauty impossible to describe. “If we are fortunate enough to prevail, we hope that your temple will open a convenient path and permit us to enter the pavilion and seek enlightenment.”

Jingneng sneered. “And if we refuse, will you then make trouble for the Great Bright Temple?”

Chi Danmei gave a tinkling laugh, swaying like a flower in the breeze as her ample breasts trembled. “This master has such a fierce temper. I am truly frightened.” She lifted a hand and lightly patted her chest, causing her generous bosom to rise and fall. “But my master taught us from childhood that whenever difficulties arise, we must meet them head-on and never retreat. We are people of the martial world, and many matters are settled according to the ways of the martial world. Right and wrong, gratitude and grievance—these are subjects that will never disappear from our world.”

Her lips still curved in a seductive smile, but a trace of coldness appeared in her captivating, limpid eyes. “We have received our master’s kindness since childhood. If we cannot even accomplish this small matter for him, we would have no face to return to White Cloud Island.”

Her voice turned pleading and coquettish. “Master, please be kind. Do not place us in too difficult a position. At the very least, let us give our master an answer.”

Though her tone was coy and beseeching, her words were filled with threats.

The Minister of Rites, Su Luo, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke. “Masters, the East Qi delegation has come on this journey for the sake of friendship between our two countries. For the sake of the imperial court, I ask both of you to show them some consideration.”

Jingneng sneered. “Most of our senior brothers have gone to the palace, and yet you chose this precise moment to arrive. You certainly know how to choose your timing.”

Chi Danmei immediately replied, “This humble woman has heard that the Great Bright Temple is filled with experts. Could it be that after a few have left, no one remains capable of holding the situation together? The Great Bright Temple is known as the foremost temple beneath heaven, yet when two insignificant disciples of White Cloud Island arrive, your temple already wishes to retreat. That is something I never would have expected.”

She giggled. “If that is truly the case, then we have clearly overestimated your temple. There is no need for a contest today. Once everyone has returned, we can come to pay our respects again.”

Jingneng’s face darkened. Clenching both fists, he said coldly, “Very well. If you want a fight, then we shall oblige...!”

He was a blunt and quick-tempered man. Jingkong wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

Yang Ning watched all this and thought that Jingneng must usually neglect his Buddhist studies. His temper was astonishingly explosive. Chi Danmei had plainly been provoking him, yet the old monk had fallen into her trap in an instant.

Before Jingkong could say anything, Chi Danmei’s beautiful eyes brightened. Smiling, she asked, “Can this master speak for the temple? This humble woman thinks we should let him decide.”

As she spoke, her eyes turned toward Jingkong.

Yang Ning sighed inwardly. This seductive beauty was not merely a woman with a large bosom and an empty head. On the contrary, she was extremely cunning. She had clearly seen through Jingneng’s temperament and deliberately provoked him. Once his anger drove him to agree without thinking, she had immediately struck another blow. With that single sentence, she had made it impossible for Jingneng, given his nature, to change his mind, while simultaneously placing Jingkong in an awkward position.

If Jingkong refused, Jingneng would lose face before everyone present. A rift would inevitably arise between the two eminent monks of the Jing generation, and with a powerful enemy at the gates, internal discord would only make matters worse.

If Jingkong agreed, he would be playing directly into the hands of the White Cloud Island disciples.

Yang Ning now felt certain that Chi Danmei and the others had planned this visit long in advance. Of the Thirteen Monks of Illumination, ten had gone to the capital to conduct the Water-and-Land Grand Ceremony. The abbot of the Great Bright Temple was engaged in seated meditation. Yang Ning did not know precisely what that meditation entailed, but one thing was certain: the abbot could not appear at this moment. Otherwise, there would have been no need for the two monks of the Jing generation to receive the guests.

Chi Danmei had chosen her moment perfectly. This could not possibly be a coincidence; it had clearly been arranged deliberately.

From this, it was also evident that Chi Danmei and the others had come fully prepared and were determined to achieve their goal, while the Great Bright Temple faced an ominous situation.

Jingkong remained tranquil and unperturbed as he said slowly, “Those who have entered monastic life possess no desire to compete for victory or supremacy. Lady Chi says that our temple wishes to retreat; that may be so. We are people removed from worldly affairs, and we seek only to put an end to disputes and prize harmony above all.”

Jingneng’s brows drew together, and his expression immediately grew even uglier. Several monks within the hall also looked displeased. They assumed that Jingkong was shrinking back, and dissatisfaction rose within them. They thought that the Great Bright Temple was known as the foremost temple beneath heaven, yet now, with only a few disciples of White Cloud Island before them and hundreds of their own monks gathered in the hall, they were actually willing to bow their heads. Such a loss of prestige would surely cause others to look down upon them in the future.

“However, the Great Bright Temple has always been united in purpose and virtue. Since Junior Brother Jingneng has already accepted your challenge, there is no reason for the temple to retreat.” Jingkong’s voice remained even. “Lady Chi, you and your fellow disciples have come from afar to exchange techniques here at the Great Bright Temple. You are our guests. If we refused you, that would hardly be the conduct of a proper host.”

The tension between Jingneng’s brows eased, and he said loudly, “Senior Brother Jingkong is absolutely right. Since White Cloud Island has come to our door, the Great Bright Temple has no reason to retreat.”

Chi Danmei immediately broke into delighted laughter and clapped her hands. “That is the bearing one expects from the foremost temple beneath heaven. In the end, you have not disappointed me.”

Then she asked, “Masters, you agree to the arrangement of two victories out of three?”

Jingneng and Jingkong exchanged a glance. After a brief moment of thought, Jingkong said, “Since this concerns the fulfillment of the Island Lord’s lifelong wish, if you prevail, our temple will open the Pure Mind Pavilion. However... the Pure Mind Pavilion is a forbidden ground of our temple. Even if you win, only one person may enter, and only for three days. Once the three days have passed, you must descend the mountain.”

Before Chi Danmei could respond, Baiyuhe opened his eyes and nodded.

“Agreed.”

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