Chapter 42: Temple

Chapter 42: The Temple

In Li Huowang's memory, the vast majority of temples were built upon mountains, making those nestled within cities a rare sight.

Yet this was not what occupied his mind; his thoughts were fixated on the name the pilgrim had just uttered: "Zhengde Temple?"

Li Huowang immediately recalled Zhengkun's dying words to Danyangzi—it seemed they had once been hunted by the monks of this very Zhengde Temple.

His heart began to race; he had found the right place, and after enduring so much along the way, he had finally arrived.

Just then, as the path rounded a bend, the view before him suddenly opened up.

Clean, neat flagstones paved the way to the foot of a broad staircase, and at the end of these hundreds of steps, a solemn temple with jujube-red walls and wreathing incense smoke came into view.

Above the towering temple gate hung a black plaque inscribed with three large vermilion characters: Zhengde Temple, flanked by a couplet: "Cultivating virtue and sowing causes, the Dharmakaya is perfectly wondrous; when the water is clear and the moon appears, the jade canopy stands in solemn dignity."

Bathed in the thick smoke of flourishing incense, the entire temple was shrouded in a white haze, lending it a profoundly ethereal air.

"Little Daoist Master, I shan't accompany you inside; please feel free to proceed at your leisure. Oh, and remember, Xijing City is unlike Jianye—there is a curfew at night, so be sure to return before dark."

Taking a deep breath, Li Huowang walked toward the steps surging with crowds of pilgrims.

Following the worshippers, he made his way into the temple, where several grand halls stood before him.

At this moment, Li Huowang stood like a reef amidst the tide of people, observing everything around him.

He had found the temple, but the next problem stumped him: how should he approach the monks here?

Should he simply declare himself a disciple of Danyangzi? He would likely be struck dead by a single palm strike.

Before Li Huowang could devise a plan, a monk from Zhengde Temple approached him first; after all, even in the crowded throng, his Daoist robes were far too conspicuous.

The moment the monk spoke, the pure essence of his Buddhist bearing was something the previous old monk could never match. "Amitabha, this humble monk Jiandun greets you."

Seeing the portly monk before him press his palms together, Li Huowang promptly returned the gesture. "Reverend Master, it is an honor. I am Xuanyang."

"As a disciple of the Mystic Gate, the benefactor surely did not come to our temple merely to burn incense and worship the Buddha, did you? Please, this way."

Glancing at the bustling crowd around them, Li Huowang nodded and followed the monk toward a side gate.

Watching the monastic precept scars on the monk's head ahead of him, Li Huowang began to ponder how to broach the subject.

The two wove their way through the majestic temple grounds, the clamor of the crowd at the entrance gradually fading. Finally, they stopped beneath a brilliantly golden ginkgo tree, before a set of stone tables and stools.

"Please, have a seat, benefactor," Monk Jiandun said as he sat down, his hands unhurriedly turning a string of prayer beads.

He asked no more about Li Huowang's sect or lineage, perfectly embodying the serene detachment and lack of worldly desire expected of a Buddhist disciple.

After a moment of thought, Li Huowang looked at the monk before him. "Danyangzi is dead."

With a clatter, the yellowish-brown prayer beads scattered in all directions.

Seeing the stout monk rise to his feet, Li Huowang gave a subtle nod.

There was no mistake; the monks here had indeed had dealings with Danyangzi.

"That old Daoist priest is truly dead? This matter is of grave importance; I beg the benefactor to recount everything in detail."

Since he sought answers, he naturally had to provide the other party with sufficient information.

Concealing only the fact that he had taken the so-called Heavenly Book, Li Huowang told the monk everything that had transpired at Qingfeng Temple.

"Reverend Master, under those circumstances, could Danyangzi truly have achieved immortality?"

As he spoke, Li Huowang leaned forward slightly, his expression grave as he continued, "Or perhaps, what he became was something else entirely?"

A gentle breeze swept past, rustling the golden leaves of the ginkgo tree beside them.

"Did the benefactor truly hear Danyangzi speaking in your ear?" Jiandun asked again to confirm, his expression equally solemn.

"Yes, absolutely certain, and it was not merely an illusion; there was also the anomaly of the Joyous God."

Recalling the scene from that time, a trace of irritation flickered in Li Huowang's eyes.

"That Joyous God, which could not be looked upon directly, was about to crawl out of the darkness to devour me, but its body hidden in the shadows seemed to be pulled back by something."

"Though I have no proof, I harbor a suspicion that what dragged the Joyous God back into the darkness was Danyangzi—Danyangzi after his ascension."

Jiandun pondered with a grave expression before standing up. "Benefactor, please wait a moment; this matter is of great consequence."

With that, Jiandun pressed his palms together toward Li Huowang, turned, and hurried away.

Though the monk had said nothing more, his attitude had already conveyed certain information.

Li Huowang raised his head, gazing at the clouds in the sky. "As expected, the matter of Danyangzi won't end so easily."

Jiandun returned faster than Li Huowang had anticipated, in less than half a stick of incense, hurrying back with a new string of prayer beads in hand.

"Benefactor Xuanyang, please come this way; the Abbot wishes to see you in person."

Zhengde Temple was vast, and after navigating through the temple grounds for quite a while, Li Huowang finally arrived before a magnificent grand hall.

Through the eight-panel doors of the hall, Li Huowang saw five colossal, awe-inspiring golden Buddhas, each over ten zhang tall, seated cross-legged in various majestic postures.

On a cushion before the five golden Buddhas sat a figure clad in a kasaya, his back to the door, wearing a Five-Buddha crown reminiscent of Tang Sanzang.

As Li Huowang stepped inside, he heard the monk chanting sutras; the hall was so vast and empty that the chanting produced an ethereal, echoing resonance.

Under the gaze of the five colossal golden Buddhas, Li Huowang involuntarily began to slow his pace.

The chanting ceased, and the monk seated on the cushion slowly turned around.

Upon seeing the monk's appearance, Li Huowang was immediately taken aback.

He was an elderly abbot with white eyebrows and a white beard; what was surprising was not his exceptionally kind countenance, but his eyes.

They were a pair of pink eyes, and after spending so much time in close company, Li Huowang recognized at a glance that, like Bai Lingmiao, he suffered from albinism.

"Amitabha, this old monk Xinhui greets you," Abbot Xinhui said, pressing his palms together in a calm tone.

"I am Xuanyang, paying respects to the Abbot," Li Huowang replied, returning the greeting before sitting down opposite him.

"Abbot, regarding Danyangzi—"

Li Huowang's words were cut short halfway as the other raised a hand to stop him.

"Benefactor Xuanyang, are you familiar with the five Buddhas in this hall?"

Seeing Li Huowang shake his head, Xinhui gently stroked his long white beard and explained, "In the center is Vairocana of the Diamond Realm, in the east is Akshobhya of the Fragrant Accumulation Realm, in the south is Ratnasambhava of the Joyful Realm, in the west is Amitabha of the Ultimate Bliss Realm, and in the north is Amoghasiddhi of the Lotus Realm; together they are known as the Five Wisdom Tathagatas."

Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety; what on earth did the monk mean by telling him these seemingly irrelevant things?

"Abbot, we can discuss these matters another time when there is leisure; may I ask what exactly Danyangzi has become now?"

Xinhui pressed his palms together, looking at Li Huowang with renewed calm. "He has become a Buddha."