Ye Qing had also heard of the story of Patriarch Bodhidharma crossing the Yangtze River with a reed. It is said that at that time, Bodhidharma was being pursued by the Emperor's men and, upon reaching the Yangtze River without a ferry, he broke off a reed and crossed the river with it, just as those behind were closing in.
Ye Qing had always listened to these tales as legends, never taking them seriously. But now, with Shen Tianjun recounting the event, it seemed more likely than not to be true. Crossing the River with a Reed—just how profound must Bodhidharma's Qinggong have been to achieve such a feat?
"Really, can a single reed enable one to cross a river?" Ye Qing couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know," replied Shen Tianjun. "In any case, none of the people I've seen could achieve it."
