Chapter 72

In the solemn and awe-inspiring Great Hero Hall, under the benevolent and kind-faced golden Buddha, several old monks with white hair and beards bowed their heads and closed their eyes, remaining silent, creating a very oppressive atmosphere.

In front of them were several items: a bent Zen staff, a broken precept knife, a half-ruined copper bowl, an iron lotus seed, a removed door panel, and a few other unremarkable small items.

After a while, hurried footsteps were heard from outside the hall. Several high-ranking monks of the Xuan generation quickly approached, clasped their hands together, and greeted the abbot and the chief monks, saying in a deep voice, "Abbot, you summoned us in such a hurry. Has something serious happened?"

Xuan Ci turned to the chief monk of the Precept Hall, Xuan Ji, and said, "Xuan Ji, my junior brother, please explain the reason to the other junior brothers."

Xuan Ji replied, "Yes." He took two steps forward. As the head of the Precept Hall, he had always been impartial and stern, and all the monks in the temple feared him. His words carried more weight. He said clearly, "I wonder if you remember that the court once sent someone to notify us at Shaolin to discipline the monks, strictly enforce the precepts, and abide by the thirty-six martial prohibitions."

Xuan Yin bowed and said, "The court's strict investigation of lawlessness is indeed the case."

Xuan Ji sighed, "Before this, Zen Master Zhiguang sent a letter to the abbot, informing him of a matter of utmost urgency. The court suspects that someone at Shaolin is colluding with the remnants of the Xianbei clan, the Murong family, intending to incite a war between Liao and Song. The commander of the Martial Prohibition Hall, Chen Ang, has been entrusted by the emperor to visit Shaolin on the 15th of May. At that time, most of the renowned martial artists from across the land will gather at Shaolin to witness the event."

The monks all fell silent upon hearing this, and only Xuan Yin sighed, "We have been deceived. This matter can be clarified with the court. Alas! First, the Indian monks and the great virtuous ones from Wutai Mountain questioned us about the theft of the scriptures by Poloxing. Then, the Martial Prohibition Hall came to investigate the Yumen Pass incident. Shaolin is not at peace!"

Xuan Ji picked up the Zen staff in front of him and said, "It's not just that! Do you know Xugong?"

"Is he the one who broke the precept of chastity and became a lay disciple named Zhang Lie?" Xuan Du asked, frowning.

"Indeed, he is. In the secular world, he has built a considerable fortune. He was originally a true disciple of Shaolin, diligently practicing martial arts, and was considered one of the best in the Dharma Hall. He even received your approval, Xuan Nan, to learn the true essence of the Precept-Breaking Sword. Unfortunately, his six roots were not pure, and he left the temple, gaining some fame in the martial world with his Tiger Fierce Sword." Xuan Ji sighed.

"Rogue!" Xuan Nan clasped his hands together, sighed, and closed his eyes, saying nothing more.

Xuan Yin hesitated and said, "According to the investigation by the Six-Fan Men, he secretly killed his father-in-law's family, forced his wife to commit suicide, and took over their property. He also committed many other crimes, using his martial arts to eliminate local powerful families, thereby amassing a large fortune. Upon hearing this, the abbot immediately sent Xuan Nan to clean up the mess."

Xuan Nan said bitterly, "On that day, I heard that Qiao Feng was causing trouble for our temple, so I left to investigate and asked Xuan Su to take the rogue disciple for me. I thought the rogue disciple would not dare to resist. However, Xuan Su has a fiery temper and got into a conflict with the experts from the Martial Prohibition Hall who came to arrest the criminal."

"Xuan Su was also thinking of Shaolin's reputation. It's one thing for the Martial Prohibition Hall to arrest our disciple, but they wanted to behead him and display his crimes to the public. The ignorant masses, upon learning that Shaolin has such a rogue, would look down on us. Xuan Su only wanted to capture the rogue and hand him over to the Precept Hall, but..." Xuan Nan hesitated.

"What happened?" Xuan Shi, with a fiery temper, asked impatiently.

"The Martial Prohibition Hall refused and insisted on a public trial and execution, compensating the victims and confiscating the remaining property. The Dragon Xiang Guard even mocked Shaolin, saying that Shaolin is like a vulture feeding on carrion, living off the people's fat. They also said that Shaolin would take the property of the rogue and keep it for themselves, and other such disgraceful words. Xuan Su, in a fit of righteous anger, started a conflict."

"Nonsense!" Xuan Shi slammed his hand on the table, furious, "Those ill-gotten gains, Shaolin would use to help the poor. What use do we, who have left the secular world, have for them?"

Xuan Ji continued, "Xuan Su thought the same. He and the Dragon Xiang Guard got into a conflict, and even Xugong did not take the opportunity to escape but came to help."

Xuan Nan said, "That rogue still had a conscience." The other monks nodded, agreeing that although Xugong deserved death, he still had a glimmer of conscience.

"Xuan Su's Pumen Staff Technique is very powerful, and Xugong's Precept-Breaking Sword is also very fierce. But..." Xuan Ji lifted the Zen staff and the precept knife, indicating, "Look at these."

The thick copper Zen staff, hard and heavy, had a clear handprint deeply embedded in it, about three inches deep, as if it had been cast. On the cold, sharp precept knife, at the broken part, there was a clear thumbprint, every detail visible.

The monks drew in a sharp breath. Xuan Ji asked, "Xuan Kui, can your Great Vajra Finger leave a finger mark on this tempered steel? Xuan Chan, can your Great Vajra Palm leave a palm print on the copper staff?"

Xuan Chan and Xuan Kui looked at each other, gathered their strength, and pressed their hands on the two items. After a while, they stepped back, sweating. The others examined the items and found that there were indeed new finger and palm marks, but the finger marks were blurry, and the palm print was only about half an inch deep.

The hall fell into a dead silence, and all the Shaolin monks had serious expressions.

After a while, Xuan Yin said solemnly, "The court's experts are indeed formidable. How is Xuan Su?"

"Xuan Su was imprisoned in the Six-Fan Men's prison for obstructing official duties, and Xugong..." Xuan Nan paused, then said slowly, "was defeated in one move, his sword broken in two moves, and his life taken in three moves."

"Amitabha!" The monks chanted in unison.

"Xugong was one of the best among the Xus at Shaolin and a top expert in the martial world. The name Tiger Fierce Sword was well-known in the Central Plains. I never thought, I never thought..." Xuan Yin sighed, then asked, "What about Xuan Su?"

"Also in three moves." Xuan Nan said with difficulty.

Xuan Yin closed his eyes, and Xuan Shi continued, "Who is the leader of the Martial Prohibition Hall who came?"

Abbot Xuan Ci raised his head, and all the monks looked at him. Xuan Ci picked up the half-ruined copper bowl and said, "This is the copper bowl found under the hands of the outer disciple, Iron Palm Fang Chi, whose palms and bones were shattered."

The monks looked at the marks and imagined a scene of a fist and a palm colliding.

"This is the iron lotus seed dug out from the forehead of the outer disciple, Eight-Armed Arhat Luo Zhenzhang." The Eight-Armed Arhat was a Shaolin expert known for his skill with hidden weapons. Although he did not train at Shaolin, his father was one of the best outer disciples. Even Xuan Nan had been taught by him. Luo Zhenzhang, with even greater talent than his father, was feared by bandits for his hidden weapon skills.

However, the Six-Fan Men revealed that he was the most powerful bandit leader in the Central Plains, controlling dozens of strongholds and mountains, and was known as the supreme leader of the Central Plains bandits.

"Also, the door panel that Ghost Shadow crashed into, the chopsticks in the hands of the layman Zhou Chongguang, and the jade pendant on the chest of the outer disciple Liu Chang'an." Xuan Ci pointed to each item.

Ghost Shadow, a master of lightness, died by crashing into a door panel. Iron Palm Zhou Chongguang was pierced through both hands by a chopstick. Liu Chang'an, known for his agile and swift movements, was struck in the chest, breaking thirteen ribs without shattering his jade pendant.

"Were these all done by the leaders of the Martial Prohibition Hall?" Xuan Shi asked, pointing at the pile of items, "This, this is impossible. The Martial Prohibition Hall is so terrifying..."

"No." Xuan Ci sighed, "Most of the leaders of the Martial Prohibition Hall have gone to Xixia to suppress the First-Class Hall. Even one of the two grand commanders, Tong Guan, personally went, leading thirteen leaders to pursue the Xixia Empress to Tianshan. The other grand commander, Huang Chang, is suppressing the martial world in Jiangnan. And their commander, Chen Ang..."

Xuan Ci hesitated, and the monks' eyes narrowed, as if the name had some magical power. He said, "is at the Murong family in Gusu." He did not say what Chen Ang was doing, just vaguely glossed over it.

"In the Central Plains martial world, there are only two leaders, both staying at our Shaolin." Xuan Ci could not help but smile bitterly. These two leaders, staying at the lower temple of Shaolin, were more like monitors than guests. As the Shaolin Conference on May 15th approached, their monitoring became even tighter. The Shaolin monks were dissatisfied, and someone snorted.

Xuan Yin pretended not to hear and asked, "If it wasn't the Martial Prohibition Hall, then who? The four divine detectives of the Six-Fan Men, Cold Blood, Heartless, Iron Hand, and Pursuit of Life. But aren't they chasing blacklisted fugitives?"

"You don't need to guess!" Xuan Ci sighed, "It was just ordinary Dragon Xiang Guards."

"How is that possible?" The Shaolin masters, their Zen meditation destroyed, stood up, their faces ashen. Although they had considered this possibility, none of them dared to believe it. Now, with Abbot Xuan Ci revealing it, how could they believe it?

Before they could sort out their thoughts, a disciple rushed in and reported, "Abbot, chief monks, something serious has happened. The Venerable Master Shen from Wutai Mountain and the Venerable Master Jialuoxing from India are leaving the mountain and have come into conflict with the Martial Prohibition Hall."

PS: Resuming two updates.

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