Urban Martial Saint

”Bodhi?” Everyone was shocked; nobody expected that such secrets existed between Dalin Temple and Xiaolin Temple.

”Master Puti? Isn’t he the master of Sun Wukong in Journey to the West?” Ye Qing wondered, ”Could such a figure actually exist?”

”Of course, it’s different. Although Bodhi existed, he was merely a living person, not like the mythical figures in legends,” Shijia said. ”Naturally, many myths are results of real figures being mythologized. Bodhi existed in the same era as the Buddhist and Taoist magic. All were people with great wisdom and strong will, creating sects and changing history. However, as Bodhi often contemplated with Buddha, the sects they founded were nearly identical, both being first-rank in the Buddhist sect. The Buddha established Dalin Temple in Tianzhu, while Bodhi was initially reluctant to establish a sect. But later, in the great war of Buddhist, Taoist, and demons, although the Great Demon King was eradicated, the Buddhists and Taoists also paid a heavy price. To continue the Buddhist legacy, Bodhi then established Xiaolin Temple to perpetuate the Buddhist flame.

Shijia’s speech left everyone dumbfounded. They had only heard of such history, without knowing the specifics. But now, hearing Shijia’s account completely overturned their previous understanding, leaving them utterly astonished.

”Are you making this up?” Ye Qing couldn’t help but ask, finding Shijia’s account hard to believe.

”You can think I’m making it up, or you can believe it; either way, I’ve said what needed to be said, and it’s up to you to listen,” Shijia said. ”As I mentioned earlier, in Tianzhu, there’s a saying: ’One flower, one world; one leaf, one Buddha’. The latter phrase refers to the ruler of Dalin Temple after Buddha, the Ancestor Buddha Shakyamuni.”

”After Buddha, Ancestor Buddha Shakyamuni presided over Dalin Temple. For a period thereafter, Bodhi, in order to spread the teachings left by Buddha, allowed Ancestor Buddha Shakyamuni to also become the head of Xiaolin Temple. From then on, Shakyamuni became the joint leader of Dalin and Xiaolin Temples. Upon Shakyamuni’s nirvana, he left an imperial edict at Xiaolin Temple, advising later generations that a person, born with a vision and spiritually linked to Buddha, would emerge, and they should take this person as a disciple of Buddha,” Shijia glanced at everyone, ”And that person is me, the Buddha Master. When I arrived at Xiaolin Temple, heavenly phenomena descended, and all things paid respect. So, the Master of the Five Directions followed Shakyamuni’s edict by taking me as a disciple of Buddha on his behalf.”

The crowd exchanged bewildered looks; Shijia’s words were so astonishing that they couldn’t digest them all at once.

”Are you kidding?” Ye Qing blurted out, ”Are you really a disciple of Buddha?”

Shijia said, ”I’ve told you, believe it or not. If you’re curious, I’ll tell you. If not, that’s your choice. If you don’t want to listen, I won’t say another word!”

”Alright, just keep going,” Ye Qing muttered, ”I’m curious to see how far you’ll stretch this tale!”

”You want me to continue because you think there’s a chance I’m telling the truth,” Shijia chuckled, ”Actually, a monk never lies, so why would I deceive you?”

”Oh, give me a break. Haven’t you lied enough already?” Ye Qing replied irritably, having been fooled by Shijia on numerous occasions.

”I won’t argue with you!” Shijia ignored Ye Qing, turning his head away, ”I’ve explained my origins, so now I should address the origins of my little master uncle. As said earlier, Xiaolin Temple was founded by Bodhi. Upon Bodhi’s passing, he left an imperial edict saying that in future times, a monk named Wuhua would emerge—and that Wuhua Monk is Buddha’s Son!”

”Buddha’s Son?” Everyone was taken aback, unclear about the meaning of these words.

”Buddha has a son?” Ye Qing asked in surprise, ”Aren’t monks supposed to be celibate?”

”I don’t know what it truly means either,” Shijia shrugged, ”I don’t know the specific reason, but according to Bodhi’s words, this Buddha’s Son should be of the same rank as them. So, by calculation, Wuhua is my master uncle. In fact, this whole situation has left me puzzled too. Think about it, if he’s Buddha’s Son, how can he be of the same rank as Buddha? Isn’t that nonsense?”

Everyone looked at Shijia, then at Wuhua Monk, all wearing expressions of astonishment. Regardless of how much of Shijia’s earlier statements could be believed, the notion of being Buddha’s Son itself was enough to astonish everyone.

”Master Wuhua, are Shijia’s words true?” Ye Qing softly asked.

Wuhua Monk smiled lightly; at last, he spoke, ”If you believe him, it’s true. If not, it’s void. Reality or illusion, it’s all within a single thought.”

Ye Qing found himself speechless; this response was just as good as no answer at all. If belief made it true and disbelief made it false, then should one believe or not?

”Then who taught Master Wuhua all of this?” Shen Tianjun suddenly asked.

”No one could teach him!” Shijia said, ”The Great Freedom Purifying Heart Sutra is a long-lost Buddhist Secret Technique, the unique skill personally created by Bodhi. Just like the Heart Demon Technique of the Demon Sect, it’s been lost for years. Everything he learned, he realized on his own, with no external guidance possible!”

”No way?” Ye Qing frowned slightly and said, ”The Demon Sect’s Heart Demon Technique is right inside the Demon Hideout Cave. Didn’t the Corpse Ghost Dragon learn it all? Isn’t that not considered lost?”

”What he learned is merely scratching the surface of the Heart Demon Technique. Can that even count as the real Heart Demon Technique?” Shijia sneered and said, ”The real Heart Demon Technique is on par with the power of the Great Freedom Purifying Heart Sutra. If he had mastered even ten percent of the Heart Demon Technique, with his strength, he wouldn’t have to go to such lengths to deal with you all. Just one move of the Heart Demon Technique, and you would all be under his control. As for Wuhua’s Great Freedom Purifying Heart Sutra, it’s different. It’s the complete version, not only can it completely overpower the Corpse Ghost Dragon’s Heart Demon Technique, but it also suppresses the Corpse Ghost Dragon. The difference is like night and day.”

Everyone was shocked. Ye Qing looked at Wuhua and said, ”Master Wuhua, where did you learn this Great Freedom Purifying Heart Sutra?”

”I realized it myself,” Wuhua replied.

Shijia shrugged and said, ”Don’t bother asking him. Can I really deceive you?”

Ye Qing ignored Shijia. Coming from Wuhua, the words carried much more credibility than from Shijia. So, is Wuhua Monk truly so mysterious? Could it be that everything Shijia said is true? But Ye Qing still couldn’t bring himself to trust this old trickster Shijia.

The crowd asked many more questions, but Wuhua mostly didn’t answer, and Shijia was the one doing the talking. People couldn’t discern the truth from the lies, so they just stopped asking. Many things Shijia said were too fantastical to believe.

The group chatted here for several hours, until the sky began to brighten. Only then did they realize they had been sitting here all night.

After looking outside, Helian Tiehua called his subordinates inside and inquired about the situation of the Corpse Ghost Dragon’s party. After the Corpse Ghost Dragon left, Helian Tiehua immediately had someone tail them. The Corpse Ghost Dragon didn’t harm any ordinary people, so they were still able to investigate the situation on his side.

According to the reports from Helian Tiehua’s people, after leaving the manor, the Corpse Ghost Dragon caught up with his own group of subordinates first. Having killed several of them in a row, it was clear the Corpse Ghost Dragon was trying to make an example out of them. He then led them away from Shenchuan City, returning to the villa on the outskirts where they had stayed before, hiding there temporarily without making any moves.

”Looks like he was scared off last night!” Helian Tiehua was quite pleased and said, ”With Master Shijia and Master Wuhua here, no matter how strong the Corpse Ghost Dragon is, he cannot do anything. At last, someone can hold him in check!”

”Don’t be so optimistic,” Shijia quickly said, ”The two of us can merely block his attacks, but we cannot kill him. The Corpse Ghost Dragon, after all, has lived for over three hundred years; his cultivation power far surpasses ours. To truly resolve this, it all depends on Ye Qing.”

”Depend on me for what?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

”You’ve forgotten again!” Shijia said helplessly, ”To see if you can find the secret technique left by Patriarch Bodhidharma from where he reached nirvana!”

”Oh!” Ye Qing suddenly realized. Last night’s ramblings by Shijia had almost made him forget about this.

”Can the secret technique left by Patriarch Bodhidharma really solve the problem of the Corpse Ghost Dragon?” Shen Tianjun asked, curious.

”It should be close,” Shijia said, ”I heard that Patriarch Bodhidharma combined the Buddhist Secret Technique to create a unique move of great power. This technique should be able to annihilate the Corpse Ghost Dragon.”

”What do you mean by ’should be close’?” Ye Qing asked in doubt, frowning at Shijia. ”You said this place is very dangerous. Can you give me a more definite answer? If you send me to take this risk and I end up with nothing, wouldn’t that be cheating me?”

”I don’t know for sure what’s inside, but if you go, you might find a way to destroy the Corpse Ghost Dragon. But if you don’t go, then you’ll never have the chance to defeat the Corpse Ghost Dragon,” Shijia said, staring at Ye Qing. ”What I’m giving you is not the result; it’s hope. What’s most important in life? Hope is the most important, this...”

”Okay, okay, stop talking. I’ll go, won’t that do?” Ye Qing quickly waved his hand. Let Shijia continue, and who could stand it? Are all monks this long-winded?

”Go, then go, but why not let me speak? What right do you have to take away my right to speak? You can say I’m wrong, but you can’t stop me from speaking, can you? Who can stop me from talking?” Shijia started to mumble again, and everyone was speechless.

Suddenly, Wuhua Monk stood up and left the room directly. Everyone was taken aback and immediately followed Wuhua Monk; nobody wanted to stay and listen to Shijia’s ramblings anymore.

(Something’s come up at home; my cousin has skipped school and gone missing, so I have to go look for him... I’ll post two chapters tonight. The remaining two chapters will be made up either tomorrow or the day after. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.)