A man in the martial world, a reincarnated sword immortal.

Chapter 40 The Zen Master!

"This is not the place to talk."

"Young Master Zhong, please follow this humble monk."

The monk Miaoguang spoke up, gesturing for Zhongyuan to follow him.

Then, he turned around and walked towards the back of the main hall.

Although Zhong Yuan was unaware of the details, he already had some guesses in his mind.

Shuanglin Temple is deeply rooted in the Yiwu area.

There was no animosity between the Ming Cult and Shuanglin Temple.

There was no malice shown by the monk Miaoguang.

Let's follow them and see what's going on.

……

Outside Shuanglin Temple.

The Heavenly Child Granny landed on the horse's back.

An old woman dressed in black appeared before the horse's head and reported to the Heavenly Child Granny: "Your Excellency!"

"I have arranged for ten men to stay behind and wait near Shuanglin Temple."

Tianshan Tonglao nodded slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

"As long as everything is arranged properly."

"Mei Jian and the others cannot have died in vain."

"Is there still no news of Ma Ruoyan?"

The old woman in black said, "My subordinates have sent people to Yiwu City to investigate."

"Ma Ruoyan did not return to his coffin shop."

"It seems she was rescued."

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny.

"Have there been any monks from Tianlong Temple appearing in Fotang Ancient Town in the past few days?"

The old woman in black said, "I have inquired, but I have not found any monks from Tianlong Temple."

"People from Shaolin Temple and Xiangguo Temple have come."

"However, for now, we are all staying in Yiwu City."

Tianshan Tonglao nodded slightly.

"It's unlikely that Monk Miaoguang is lying, but we can't trust him either. Buddhist monks are known for lying without batting an eye."

"Just because you couldn't find any trace of the monks from Tenryu-ji Temple doesn't mean they weren't here!"

"Mei Jian and the others died from invisible sword energy!"

"Those sharp wounds weren't ordinary sword wounds, but rather caused by an invisible sword aura shot from a distance!"

"Only the Six Meridians Divine Sword of the Dali Duan Clan can cause this kind of wound."

"Everything was already taken care of on this trip."

"But after this incident, we can't just go back to the mountain so easily."

"It seems I have no choice but to make a trip to Tenryu-ji Temple!"

"Have those who stay behind keep a close eye on Shuanglin Temple and Ma Ruoyan's coffin shop!"

"Once any trace of Ma Ruoyan appears."

"We must capture him immediately!"

"Where is that idiot Xun Siyan now?"

The old woman in black said, "Your Excellency."

"Xun Siyan is waiting in Yiwu City."

"Right now, he is the only one who has seen Ma Ruoyan's true face."

A cold glint flashed in Tianshan Tonglao's eyes.

"Once Ma Ruoyan is captured, kill Xun Siyan immediately!"

"If it weren't for that idiot, how could Mei Jian and Lan Jian have lost their lives!"

Immediately.

Tianshan Child Granny pulled on the reins and gave a deep shout.

"Walk!"

"Let's go to Dali immediately!"

"Whoever killed someone from my Lingjiu Palace, I, your grandmother, will make them pay with their blood!"

……

Inside Shuanglin Temple.

Led by Zen Master Miaoguang, Zhongyuan arrived at the Revolving Sutra Repository on the back mountain.

With Zen Master Miaoguang leading the way, the journey was naturally smooth.

The guarding monks let them pass.

The two successfully entered the nine-story brick tower.

As soon as Zen Master Miaoguang entered the room, he took out a candle from a wooden cabinet to the side.

After lighting the candle, he held it in his hand and gestured for Zhong Yuan to follow him upstairs.

The two of them, one in front of the other, went up the narrow staircase.

After reaching the fourth floor.

Zen Master Miaoguang pushed open the door to the fourth-floor pavilion and lit the candles inside one by one.

What comes into view are rows of bookshelves.

The bookshelf, made of pine wood, emitted a faint fragrance.

The original multi-layered lacquer coating on the bookshelf must have oxidized and become brittle over time, forming fine, irregular cracks.

The wood is partially warped and peeling, revealing the underlying wood color, with a clear distinction between the old and new layers.

The edges and corners have a warm patina, a deep and restrained color, and some small holes.

It must have been a long time ago.

The bookshelf was filled with countless books.

Then, Zen Master Miaoguang led Zhongyuan to a wooden table next to the bookshelf.

He gestured for Zhong Yuan to sit down first.

After Zhongyuan took his seat, he saw Zen Master Miaoguang walk to the tallest bookshelf in the third row, shine a lamp on it, and carefully search through it before finding a sutra.

Blow the dust off the scriptures.

Then, he returned to the table and sat down, looking at Zhong Yuan, and said leisurely, "I already know the purpose of Young Master Zhong's visit."

"Young Master Zhong, this is the [Heart King Sutra] you have been looking for."

Immediately.

Master Miaoguang calmly pushed the scroll of scriptures in front of Zhongyuan.

Zhong Yuan was somewhat taken aback, not expecting the scriptures to arrive so easily.

He saw that the cover of the book clearly displayed the three large characters: "心王铭" (Xin Wang Ming).

Instead of turning the pages of the book, he looked at Zen Master Miaoguang and asked his question.

How did the Zen master know my identity?

Zen Master Miaoguang said softly, "Right Envoy Dugu was originally a disciple of the Maitreya sect."

"We have known each other since we were young. According to seniority, he is my senior uncle."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yuan felt certain that it was indeed related to Dugu Xian.

This guy definitely deliberately didn't mention this relationship in the letter.

No wonder this old fellow was so confident in letting me come to Shuanglin Temple without giving me any hints.

It turns out that he and Zen Master Miaoguang were originally from the same school.

I was so careful in everything I did, so it turns out the monks at Shuanglin Temple were one of my own.

"The Maitreya School has two patriarchs."

"The first patriarch was Fu Dashi, and the second patriarch was known as Changtingzi!"

"Strictly speaking, I am a descendant of Master Fu."

"Master Dugu is a descendant of the Changtingzi lineage!"

"Since the late Tang Dynasty, the Maitreya sect and the Ming Cult have had a deep connection."

"He practically became a member of the Ming Cult."

"However, the Maitreya sect under the Ming Cult is only the lineage of Changtingzi."

"Changtingzi is also known as the Cloth Bag Monk. Throughout history, only one disciple has truly inherited the mantle of the Cloth Bag Monk."

"More than 30 years ago, the Dongping Prince's uprising failed, and the imperial court launched a large-scale crackdown on the Ming Cult."

"The main altar of the Maitreya sect, Yuelin Temple, was raided and confiscated by the imperial court."

"Some of the disciples of the Maitreya sect remained at Shuanglin Temple."

"If it weren't for the imperial court's large-scale crackdown..."

"The Ming Cult was severely weakened. The disciples of the Maitreya Sect either died or fled. How could the Heavenly Child Granny of Lingjiu Palace easily establish a foothold in Zhejiang and Fujian?"

"How could the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny have come here so arrogantly tonight?"

As they were talking.

The old monk Miaoguang looked at Zhongyuan with a scrutinizing and considering look in his eyes.

When Zhong Yuan heard what the Venerable Master Miaoguang said, he felt that the Venerable Master Miaoguang had something in mind.

Could it be that this old monk knew he was the one who killed the Lingjiu Palace people?

That old monk probably isn't that magical.

Although Shuanglin Temple is the old monk's territory, no one should have seen him kill someone.

Zhong Yuan composed himself and said to the Venerable Master Miaoguang, "Thank you for your explanation, Zen Master. Otherwise, I would not have known the origin of this matter."

The old monk Miaoguang nodded slightly and said softly, "Uncle-Master Dugu said that Young Master Zhong is a sword prodigy; at such a young age, he can already wield invisible sword energy!"

"If Young Master Zhong learns the Heart King Sutra, he will surely be able to lead the Ming Cult to regain its glory."

"Originally, this humble monk was not quite convinced."

"After all, while there are martial arts prodigies in the world, being able to release sword energy from one's body signifies that one has already reached a transcendent level in the way of the sword!"

"It's almost impossible for Young Master Zhong to have such achievements at such a young age."

"But... after what happened tonight, this humble monk truly believes that there are indeed extraordinary talents like Young Master Zhong in this world."

At this point...

A hint of excitement flickered in the eyes of the Venerable Master Miaoguang.