All The Female Disciples Want To Kill Me-Chapter 733: .1

Su Bei's expression was solemn as he stared at the person before him, his eyes narrowed. The young monk simply smiled, meeting Su Bei's gaze without evasion.

Tall, dense pines, cloaked in snow, resembled an ice palace. Snowflakes, like chaotic catkins, fluttered down.

Su Bei took a deep breath and then smiled. "It seems I was blind, to have a Living Buddha with the Wisdom Eye before me and not even know this young elder's dharma name."

The young monk brought his hands together slightly, twirling the prayer beads in his hand, and said with a smile, "This humble monk dares not claim to be a Buddha. As for my dharma name, if the benefactor is fated to know, you will learn it in time."

Su Bei turned to Mo Li, who shook her head slightly. She had never seen this person before.

Observing the prayer beads in the man's hands, however, a suspicion formed in her mind. After sheathing her longsword at her waist, she clasped her fist and said to the young monk, "It seems I was impertinent. Young Elder, you appear to know a great deal about us, suggesting you are no ordinary elder of the Buddha Gate. If that is the case, you must surely know what my husband and I seek here. May I be so bold as to ask if you, Elder, are from the Buddha Gate's Dunkong Pavilion?"

The Buddha Gate possesses four Sacred Lands. Besides the renowned Jinzu Court on Mount A'Zu, one Sacred Land is famed for its secrecy. This place is not open to the public, nor does it engage with the cultivators of the world.

If this man, with his level of cultivation, hailed from any of the other three Sacred Lands of the Buddha Gate, Su Bei would undoubtedly recognize him, even if Mo Li did not. The Twenty-One Provinces are, after all, only so large, and the prominent cultivation circles comprise merely a few thousand individuals.

Therefore, the person before them could only hail from that one place: the Dunkong Pavilion on Xuanhu Cliff in Hua Province.

The handsome monk regarded Mo Li, a faint smile playing on his lips as he answered cryptically, "If there is affinity, even a short distance is near. If there is no affinity, we are worlds apart. Today, you two benefactors have met this humble monk here; this is a karmic connection through the Buddha. Why not inquire about this Buddhist affinity?"

Su Bei brushed the falling snow from his shoulders, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said with an amiable smile, "Elder, both good and ill fortune are forms of destiny. Might I ask if this encounter is a fortunate one or an unfortunate one?"

The handsome monk was visibly taken aback, his expression showing he hadn't anticipated Su Bei's response. Then, he couldn't help but chuckle. "The benefactor is indeed interesting. In his time, Shangguan Bieli, the Sword Ancestor of the Sword Sect, often said something similar."

Mo Li ran her hand over the longsword at her waist, fingers tracing the hilt, and suddenly asked, "Then, was the Sword Ancestor's connection with the Buddha Gate a fortunate one or an ill-fated one?"

The handsome monk brushed the snow from his knees and shook his head slightly. "The Buddha said, 'It cannot be spoken of.'"

Mo Li frowned, gazing at the man before them, and transmitted to Su Bei, "Master, this person must be from the Buddha Gate's Dunkong Pavilion. That Sacred Land of the Buddha Gate has always emphasized detachment from worldly affairs. Yet now, for the hundred-day celebration of the Zhenbei Wang's son, he has openly violated their ancestral teachings and involved himself in secular matters..."

Before Mo Li could finish, Su Bei raised a hand, interrupting her. He looked at the handsome monk, pondered for a moment, then said, "There is an old saying in Buddhism's Diamond Sutra: 'If a Bodhisattva cherishes the notion of a self, a person, a sentient being, or a life-span, they are no true Bodhisattva.' How then, Elder, can you remain true to your original aspiration while present in Jinzu Court?"

The handsome man kept his palms together, glanced at Su Bei, and after a long pause, replied, "Benefactor, you are quite right. Disciples of the Buddha should embody compassion, practice detachment from the world, and not cling to worldly appearances. That is precisely why this humble monk has traveled thousands of miles to Jinzu Court: to question why worldly people must disturb the tranquility of the Buddha Gate with secular affairs."

He paused, gazing towards the distant, resplendent golden dome where the twenty-eight-character maxims on the stone stele seemed exceptionally jarring.

With a long sigh, he continued, "Suffering, the Origin of suffering, the Cessation of suffering, and the Path to cessation—these are the Four Noble Truths. Disciples of the Hinayana, hearers of the teachings, relinquish life and death, enter Nirvana, and transcend the cycle of rebirth through the Three Realms and Six Paths. Our Buddha should be detached from worldly affairs, not immersed in them. It is Jinzu Court that has overstepped its bounds..."

Su Bei's mouth fell open. Then, his expression turning solemn, he rose from the ground and offered a fist-and-palm salute. "Then it is I who have misjudged you, Elder! May I inquire as to your dharma name?"

The handsome monk looked deeply at Su Bei, then recited a Buddhist phrase, brought his palms together, and bowed. "This humble monk's dharma name is Wu Wei. It is an honor to meet Elder Su of the Sword Sect."

Su Bei and Mo Li exchanged a glance, both recognizing the astonishment in the other's eyes.

Their surprise stemmed not only from the fact that this man could discern Su Bei's identity but also from the profound significance of the dharma name Wu Wei.

Wu Wei, Wu Ji, Wu Wo, and Wu Ta. These are the names of the four great monks of the 'Wu' generation from the Four Sacred Grounds of Buddhism. Their seniority is paramount within the Buddha Gate. Each of these four monks is stationed in one of the Buddha Gate's Sacred Grounds. They are esteemed figures, comparable to the Sect Masters of the world's top ten sects.

Wu Wei should be enthroned upon a lotus dais as the abbot of Dunkong Pavilion. Yet, he had appeared before them in the guise of a young monk.

And he had recognized Su Bei instantly?

Sensing Su Bei's astonishment, Wu Wei smiled faintly. "Who would have thought that so many centuries after the Blood Calamity, Elder Su would awaken once more? However, since Elder Su and Miss Mo can attend the Jinzu Court's banquet disguised as Loose Cultivators, why can this humble monk not appear in such a manner? Besides," he added, a hint of warmth in his voice, "I have long wished to meet this junior martial brother of mine."