With the ancient trees grew so high, the paG.o.da had also been built tall, straight through the clouds. The place had been illuminated by green lamps for a long time, and the occasional sound from the use-up clock was quite deafening. The Shaolin Temple was worthy of being called a millennium ancient temple. Just by standing at the entrance and looking up at the golden signboard which was several zhangunit of length equal 3.3 meters¹high, caused people to be filled with deep respect.
"This is a very important place of Buddhism, so women are not allowed to enter. Please go back, patroness."
As soon as Murong Yunshu stepped on the steps, she was stopped by a little monk who was sweeping the floor at the door. She chuckled and asked, "How did Little Master so sure that I"m a woman?"
The little monk scratched the back of his head and asked with a simple smile, "With patroness looking like this, it shows you are really a woman, how can you be a man?"
"What if I"m really a man?"
"Impossible. Men don"t dress up like this," said the young monk while shaking his head.
Murong Yunshu smiled as she said, "Little Master is a devoted person, so Little Master should have known that when there is something false, there will also be something true. Sometimes, what the eyes see is not necessarily true."
"You mean, you are not actually a woman?" The young monk asked with a confused face.
Murong Yunshu didn"t say anything. She just smiled.
"But you are obviously a woman, how can you not be a woman?"
"There is still a lot of hard work and a long way to go for one to properly practise Buddhism. As long as Little Master devotes himself to Buddhism, I believe Little Master will understand this truth one day. Amitabha, indeed, this is very good lesson for Little Master!" Murong Yunshu leisurely said as she walked into the interior of the temple, with her profound and indifferent tone sounded quite superior to the young monk.
Lu"er followed suit as she ran in, while bowing her head and snickered. She left behind the young monk alone, as he leaned on his broom, pondering over Buddha"s principles.
As soon as Lu"er walked quite far away, she burst out laughing. "Ha, ha, ha, ha…..Miss, that young monk looked so stupid just now."
"That is called having a pure mind."
Lu"er was stunned speechless, wasn"t that the same as being called stupid? He was indeed extremely stupid, since he was much easier to be tricked than her. However, he was not entirely to blame for his stupidity. It could only be said that Miss" deception skills were on a high level, where when she talked, thirty percent of it would be the truth, while the other seventy percent would be false. Those who heard it couldn"t help but seriously take the false parts as the truth, while the truth as something false.
*
The ground in Shaolin Temple was made of huge blue gray marble, which was clean and tidy, without any stain left behind. Murong Yunshu stood in the center of an open circular Buddhist platform and looked around the solemn temple. She was wondering where to find Chu Changge, when she suddenly heard a loud fighting sound. The sound was getting closer and closer. Before she could pinpoint the direction of the sound, she saw Chu Changge flying towards her side, followed by a dozen of monks holding staffs behind him.
"Guyeson-in-law (used by wife"s family)²!" Lu"er loudly cried out, "Miss, look, it"s Guyeson-in-law (used by wife"s family)², it"s Guyeson-in-law (used by wife"s family)²!"
When Chu Changge heard these loud cry, he chuckled, as he turned around and hit the eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³with his palms, then landed beside Murong Yunshu. "Is Madam here to save her husband?" he asked in a very pleasant tone while he broadly smiled. .
"Do you need my help?" Murong Yunshu lightly asked, as a beautiful and angry face was reflected in his pretty eyes. When she saw that his face was not red and he was not gasping for breath, she was sure that he could handle the situation easily. Her heart that had been feeling troubled finally settled down. She should have known, as arrogance as she was, if she tried to help him without any skills, it wouldn"t be long before she laid dead on the street.
Chu Changge smiled and replied, "Of course. They are so many of them that this husband of yours is currently unable to withstand them with just his bare hands."
The dialogue between the two acted as a gap for the eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³to tightly surround them. It was also unknown to both of them that Master Xuankong, Shaolin Temple abbot, had arrived on the Buddha platform and he loudly said, "Patron Chu, you have been found guilty of trespa.s.sing into the scriptures depository and burning the scriptures. Today, I will lift the ban of killing other humans to get rid of you for the Jianghu. Eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³, arrange yourself into formation!"
As soon as the voice died down, the eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³were already in their formation and ready to attack Chu Changge.
Chu Changge laughed sardonically and shouted, "When I kill people, I kill them indiscriminately, while you people kill people to get rid of evil people. Wonderful, really wonderful! " Once he had done saying those words, with his face immediately turned solemn, he growled ferociously, "Qinglong, unsheath!"
In an instant, a streak of light flashed in the air. Just as a dragon swooped down, Chu Changge leaped up in the air to hold a handle. With a roar of the dragon, the sword trembled, and when the light finally faded, it was revealed that a long sword had appeared in Chu Changge"s hand.
"Qinglong Sword!" Master XuanKong was so surprised that he accidentally broke the Buddha beads in his hand. With a face of disbelief, he exclaimed, "Qinglong Sword is made of the bone and blood of ancient spirit beast. It is absolutely impossible for it to take orders from people with a bad mind. How is this possible...how is this possible…"
Chu Changge"s eyebrows were cold, as his arm waved the long sword back. With the help of the magic sword, his deep internal power burst out. In a moment, a giant pillar situated behind him immediately collapsed and made a huge bang. "Yes, I did burn the scriptures. I will not only burn your scriptures, but I will also make blood washes the Shaolin Temple, as I kill all the evil monks who claim to be just, but make other people bear the crime of being a murderer!"
As the eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³saw this situation, they all immediately took two steps backwards as their staffs started to become unstable in their hands. Just now, Chu Changge was unarmed. Although he did not crack open their formation, he also did not hurt them using his personal power, and yet now, he had Qinglong Divine Sword in his hand. The outcome of this battle would be...very dangerous to them.
Bodhi leaves on a Bodhi Tree
Inage CreditEric Guinther via Wiki (CC-BY-S3.0)
When the two sides were in a deadlocked, dark clouds suddenly appeared on the horizon, and the fierce wind swirled around wildly, blowing down bodhi tree leaves all over the place, and blew up Chu Changge"s long hair, making that angular face appeared more three-dimensional and dignified, as it sent forth the arrogance of not fearing any spirits and the feelings that he wasn"t tolerated like he was an evil spirit in this common world. Rather than saying that he wasn"t tolerated, he was actually being disdain by others. Murong Yunshu quietly looked at the person who was smiling a moment before, and now he suddenly turned into a demon covered with murderous aura. Her heart became speechless.
When Lu"er saw her master looking grave, she tried to sooth her, "Miss, don"t worry. With such great skill, Guyeson-in-law (used by wife"s family)²will surely be fine."
Murong Yunshu sighed. For him to have such a great skill was exactly the thing that made her so worried. Chu Changge was uncompromising and would do what he said. If the eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³could not subdue him, he would truly flood the Shaolin Temple with blood. It was normal for people in the Jianghu to fight and kill, but for Shaolin Temple, to be stained with blood, was totally different. It was not only leading in the martial arts circle, but it also represented a belief. To kill a monk was like killing G.o.ds and Buddhas, which was seriously condemned by the public. .
The Martial Arts Congress would be held tomorrow, and if he flooded the Shaolin with blood today, wasn"t this the same as forcing himself to a dead end?
When Murong Yunshu"s train of thoughts whirling around, the other side had already begun fighting, with the light of the knife and the shadow of the swordfig. to be in a battle, a violent conflict or war (between groups of people)⁴and there was a line between life and death between them.
"Miss, look, they are coming." Lu"er pointed to the group of "heroes" who wanted to kill them in the inn.
Murong Yunshu"s heart sank. All of these people had extraordinary skills. If they joined the battle and fought together with the eighteen arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³against Chu Changge, then he...would surely die.
After pinching her eyebrows and pondering, suddenly, a light flashed in her mind. The corner of Murong Yunshu"s mouth gently hooked up as she smiled at Lu"er. "Lu"er, do you want to help your future Guyeson-in-law (used by wife"s family)²?"
"I suppose!" Lu"er nodded heavily, "but I don"t know martial arts. I will only be more of a hindrance than a help though."
"I want you to be a hindrance than a help." Before Lu"er could respond, Murong Yunshu gave her a hard push into the arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³formation.
Lu"er had not yet been able to stand straight when she saw a staff coming towards her head. She immediately held her head in her hands as she shrieked, "Don"t kill me--"
The arhatBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³who almost accidentally injured her quickly stopped. When the arhatBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³stopped, the formation immediately fell into chaos. Chu Changge took the opportunity to stab the arhat with his sword, injuring his shoulder blade. The staff slipped down from the arhatBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³"s hand and the arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³formation broke.
"Brother Qingyuan!" The arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³stopped in succession and surrounded the injured arhatBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³, Qingyuan, with concern.
"You don"t have to worry about me. It"s more important to kill that big devil," said arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³Qingyuan.
"But, the arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³formation has already broken, so, without it, we can"t beat him."
Qingyuan shook his head. "He was lucky just now." After he said that, he looked at Master Xuankong, "Senior Brother Abbot, I will have to ask you to take my place in the formation to kill the enemy."
"Okay." Master Xuankong jumped into the battle circle with his law enforcement staff in his hand and instructed, "Set up the battle formation!"
"Yes." The arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³formation took shape again.
Murong Yunshu immediately pulled back the frightened Lu"er and retreated five meters away, as she continued to worry. She just now had made use of Lu"er to disturb the arhatsBuddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices³formation by catching them off guard, and yet, to use the same trick again wouldn"t work. So how should she help him break the battle formation?
As she was thinking of the way to deal with it, she suddenly sensed something ice-cold on her neck. Before Murong Yunshu could recover from her absent-mindedness, she heard Li Dao, who had suddenly stood beside her, shouted, "Chu Changge, if you don"t surrender, I"ll kill Murong Yunshu!"
Noob Translator"s Note
I"m sorry. I can"t translate this novel from the beginning because the former translators had done a good job (much better than me) in translating previous chapters. To respect their hard works, I will translate from this chapter onwards (I love this story!). Please forgive and direct me if you find any mistakes in meaning, spelling and grammar for this chapter and future chapters. And sorry, if my translation is not on par with what you used to.
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