Chapter 82

Abbot Wujing?

Upon hearing this name, Meng Qi was startled, his heart rate involuntarily accelerating, for Wujing was the head of the Discipline Hall!

He was the youngest among the Wu generation, yet his cultivation was extraordinary, not much inferior to the heads of the Dharma and Bodhi halls, and he was a well-known figure on the Earth List. Moreover, he was known for his hatred of evil, keen insight, and unwavering principles, making him the most feared high monk in the temple.

The fact that the head of the Discipline Hall had to personally handle his inquiry suggested that they suspected something about him.

Amidst Meng Qi's shock and suspicion, the door of the meditation room opened with the wind. Zhen Miao entered first, followed by Xuankong, whose appearance and demeanor exuded a sinister aura. They then stood on either side, respectfully welcoming a monk in a yellow robe and a red kasaya.

This monk was around forty years old, with a bronze complexion, ordinary features, and a chiseled face.

As the head of the Discipline Hall, he did not have the ruthless demeanor typical of other sects' enforcers. Instead, he was steady and reserved, rarely smiling, with only his eyes displaying a sharp and stern gaze.

"This is the head of the Discipline Hall, Wujing," Zhen Miao introduced to Meng Qi and Zhen Hui.

After paying respects, Meng Qi immediately felt Wujing's gaze scrutinizing him and Zhen Hui, like a sword piercing through his body or the sun melting snow, making him feel as if all his inner secrets were laid bare.

Wujing retracted his gaze and stared into Meng Qi's eyes, speaking in a low voice:

"Zhen Ding, where did you learn the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique'?"

"Ah?" Meng Qi was shocked, his heart racing with disbelief that a seemingly ordinary wound could reveal such a secret.

Xuankong turned to look at Wujing, seeing him nod slightly, then turned to Meng Qi and said sternly, "How can a frog at the bottom of a well know the vastness of the world? The Heavenly Eye and Heavenly Ear are not mere legends!"

"You left a completely unmasked strike on Zhen Chang, how could the head of the Discipline Hall not recognize it as the first move of the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique,' 'Severing Purity'?"

"Confess, where did you steal the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique'? Did you collude with Zhen Chang and Zhen Yong to steal the scriptures, and then turn against each other due to unfair distribution? Is the copy of the 'Sinew Metamorphosis Scripture' hidden by you?"

A series of questions struck Meng Qi like thunder, making him realize he had underestimated the Shaolin Temple, which was guarded by high monks with supernatural abilities, and his actions were too careless!

"I, I..." Meng Qi's mind raced, searching for excuses and reasons, as the danger of being the "Master of the Six Realms" was like a thorn in his back, and he could not reveal the truth.

"Senior Brother learned it by chance after seeing Master practice the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique'," Zhen Hui said calmly beside him, seemingly unaware of the severity of the situation and showing no fear.

"By chance?" Xuankong asked, emphasizing each word, then sneered, "Who can casually see someone practice a sword technique and instantly grasp its true meaning, mastering a peak-level outer realm technique?"

To injure Zhen Chang, who had achieved a small success in the "Arhat Subduing Demons Divine Skill" and the "Prajna Palm," Zhen Ding must have grasped the true meaning of "Severing Purity."

Zhen Miao, who had never heard of this before, looked at Meng Qi with a mix of realization and shock. No wonder he could injure Zhen Chang! But the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique' was a secret technique, and for him to grasp its true meaning so quickly, his talent in swordsmanship was truly astonishing!

Meng Qi, who had faced life and death before and encountered danger several times, quickly suppressed his shock and bravely said, "Abbot, Uncle Xuanku, it is indeed as I said. Perhaps I have a special connection with the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique.' After accidentally seeing Master practice, I grasped the true meaning of 'Severing Purity' while cultivating the Golden Bell Cover in the relic tower, understanding that the world is a furnace that forges my Buddha heart."

To be honest, he wouldn't believe Zhen Miao's explanation either, but he had to argue his case.

"Does cultivating the Golden Bell Cover have any connection with the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique'?" Xuankong's face was full of disbelief.

Wujing, however, nodded slightly, "How did you grasp the true meaning?"

Meng Qi quickly described the situation in detail, as it was his personal experience and thus very vivid.

As he spoke, Wujing's eyes seemed to have a golden glow, staring intently at him.

When he finished, Wujing slowly nodded, "This is indeed your true experience of grasping the true meaning, but the part about seeing the practice by chance is a lie. No one can grasp the true meaning of a technique by just seeing it once."

He spoke with certainty, whether based on common sense or from using supernatural abilities to see through Meng Qi's lie.

"Abbot, indeed it is as you say," Meng Qi dared not meet Wujing's gaze.

Wujing fell silent for a moment. Just as Meng Qi thought he would use supernatural abilities or techniques like the "Thirteen Soul-Searching Hands" to interrogate him, Wujing suddenly spoke, "The truth of the matter is already determined, and no amount of sophistry can change it. Follow me to the Great Hero Hall to face the abbot and other elders. On the way, think carefully and put down your weapons; you can achieve enlightenment instantly."

With that, he turned and walked out, while Xuankong's sinister face broke into a smug smile, as if confirming Meng Qi's guilt.

Facing Wujing, who was a first-rate figure even among outer realm practitioners, Meng Qi dared not resist or flee. He had to suppress his emotions and follow, comforting himself that matters related to the Master of the Six Realms would not be detected by the Heavenly Eye, and he had nothing to fear regarding his collusion with Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang.

Zhen Hui, dazed, followed as well, not noticing that Wujing was only questioning Meng Qi.

The night breeze was cool, and Meng Qi walked slowly, his mind gradually settling, dispelling his fear and anxiety.

At this moment, Wujing suddenly turned and looked at him, as if sensing a change in his state.

...

In the Great Hero Hall, Meng Qi met the legendary "Dragon Subduing Arhat" Abbot Kongwen for the first time.

His face was tinged with a faint golden hue, his white eyebrows long and drooping, his appearance gaunt, a string of dark prayer beads around his chest, and a nine-ringed staff in his hand, exuding a transcendent aura.

Among the monks in red kasayas in the hall, Meng Qi recognized few, only the head of the Bodhi Hall, Wusi, and the elders Wuxiang and Wude, and his own master, Xuanbei.

After paying respects to the abbot, Wujing recounted the entire incident, including his use of supernatural abilities to determine that Meng Qi was lying.

Elders and heads like Wuxiang and Wude nodded, believing Wujing's words. Even if the Bodhidharma Patriarch were to return from Nirvana, it would be impossible to grasp the true meaning of a technique by just seeing it once before achieving the Dharmakaya.

"May the Buddha show mercy and save all beings. If you sincerely repent, your sins can be absolved," Wujing turned to look at Meng Qi, his gaze like lightning.

Meng Qi glanced at his master Xuanbei, who had a blank expression, and was about to speak when another elder entered.

"Amitabha, reporting to the abbot, we did not find the copy of the 'Sinew Metamorphosis Scripture' at the bottom of the Corpse Cliff, nor any other secret techniques. It might have been dissolved in the poisonous pond."

"That place is filled with toxic creatures, a favorite spot for practitioners of poison techniques. We let them be, only advising them to avoid causing unnecessary harm," the head of the Bodhi Hall, Wusi, said calmly, his appearance like a withered tree.

His meaning was clear to Meng Qi: a practitioner of poison techniques might have received a "heavenly gift."

"Amitabha, Wuding, take ten elders to ask those practitioners," Abbot Kongwen said calmly.

Wuding, the head of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, also oversaw the Guest Hall and the Labor Hall.

Xuankong suddenly spoke, "Abbot, elders, the package might not have fallen off the cliff."

He was implying that Meng Qi had hidden it.

"Zhen Ding, where did you learn the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique'?" Wujing asked again, more sternly, "Did the 'Sinew Metamorphosis Scripture' really fall?"

The inability to find the copy of the 'Sinew Metamorphosis Scripture' made Meng Qi break out in cold sweat. Could he not escape the accusation?

He steadied himself and, under the gaze of the abbot and the elders, said, "Abbot, elders, the 'Sinew Metamorphosis Scripture' did indeed fall."

"Then where did you learn the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique'? A monk does not lie!" Wujing's tone grew even more severe.

Meng Qi's heart raced, unsure whether to persist or fabricate another excuse, his palms sweating.

Under such pressure, he could not help but feel nervous.

Just as he was about to find another reason, he suddenly saw his master Xuanbei step out of the elders' ranks and bow before Abbot Kongwen:

"I admit my fault. I privately taught Zhen Ding the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique.'"