"Abbot... the plaque has been delivered, but shouldn't we reconsider this whole plaque-mounting business?"
"Why? I already promised them earlier."
Yuan Kong's eyes seemed half-open, half-closed, everything before him a blur, as though he'd just awoken from a long, long sleep. His eyelids refused to lift, yet there seemed to be something urgent he needed to do—something that demanded he rise.
But his memories were hazy. It was as if in his dream, he'd remembered something with absolute clarity, something he'd been told a thousand times over that he must do.
Yet the moment he got up to use the privy and tried to recall, everything had slipped away.
Yuan Kong looked toward the hall's entrance, catching sight of a somewhat familiar silhouette, and blurted out:
"Senior Brother..."
The blurry figure slowly turned around. That face Yuan Kong could never forget now wore a trace of reluctance.
In an instant, Yuan Kong's hazy vision sharpened completely, and Yuan Jing's faintly troubled expression melted into a warm smile.
"You're finally awake." Yuan Jing's voice was gentle and calm.
Yuan Kong stood up, small hands rubbing his eyes, and mumbled a response. "Mm..."
As if waking from a great dream, Yuan Kong lowered his pale hands and looked at Yuan Jing's warm gaze. For some reason, a sudden ache welled up in his heart, and he stepped forward unbidden, embracing the aged monk.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Yuan Jing's voice came from above his head.
"Then that must have been one terrifying nightmare—not even the Buddha could protect you from it."
Hearing this, Yuan Kong had wanted to let go, not wanting to be teased by his senior brother. But when he actually tried to release his grip, he found that he couldn't.
After a moment, he answered softly, "Mm..."
He didn't know why, couldn't trace the reason, but Yuan Kong simply wanted to hold onto Yuan Jing. It felt as if letting go would bring a regret that would last a lifetime.
Irreversible. Inexplicable.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Senior Brother is here."
Yuan Kong listened to his senior brother's words, feeling that aged hand gently patting his head.
After holding on for a while, Yuan Kong lifted his head without releasing his embrace, meeting Yuan Jing's compassionate gaze. For some unknown reason, his eyes stung, and tears began to stream down his face.
"Why are you crying?" Yuan Jing looked slightly surprised, but reached out and wiped away Yuan Kong's tears.
Yuan Kong shook his head slightly, then let go. He looked beyond the great hall of Chanlin Temple, where his martial nephews were clustered at the entrance.
"What are they talking about?"
Yuan Kong's tone lifted, as if trying to cover up his somewhat embarrassing display of emotion just now.
Yuan Jing turned back and answered, "Oh... the Dharma Assembly is about to begin, isn't it?"
"Someone paid to have Senior Brother mount a plaque this year, and it was delivered today."
Yuan Kong blinked, suddenly feeling a sense of familiarity. It was as if... he'd encountered this in a dream before.
A plaque...?
Don't fight me for the nun...?
The thought flashed through his mind. Then Yuan Kong watched as his martial nephew brought out the plaque, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
The plaque didn't read "Don't Fight Me for the Nun," as had suddenly popped into his head.
Instead, it read—My Buddha is Merciful.
Yuan Kong stared at the plaque. For some reason, despite it being perfectly normal, he suddenly felt something was deeply wrong.
He couldn't say why, but a voice in his heart kept insisting that this plaque should read—Don't Fight Me for the Nun.
Yuan Kong stood rooted in place, suddenly feeling sounds grow distant again, as if time itself was isolating him.
He watched Yuan Jing walk out of the hall, receiving the [My Buddha is Merciful] plaque, lifting it gently above his head, speaking softly as though murmuring something.
Is... that how it was?
Yuan Kong felt dazed. After a moment, he decided—it must be that way.
Senior Brother was such a good person. How could he possibly want to mount a plaque like that?
Yuan Kong hurried out of the hall, about to ask more, but the moment his feet crossed the threshold, the bright daylight instantly gave way to darkness.
Lanterns hung high—the Dharma Assembly had officially begun.
Yuan Kong stood before the great hall, momentarily stunned. Just as he was about to turn back, a voice came from beside him.
"Junior Uncle, why are you still standing here? Didn't the Abbot ask you to receive the honored guests?"
He couldn't tell whose voice it was, only that it sounded familiar. Yuan Kong's face cleared with sudden understanding as his gaze swept across the decorations of the Dharma Assembly, and he hurried toward the temple's main gate.
Right, there were honored guests today...
Yuan Kong quickened his pace, but just as he squeezed his way to the entrance, he spotted three people who stood out from the crowd—two women and one man.
For some reason, he felt they looked familiar too.
One of the women, with an icy expression, he couldn't quite place. But the names of the other two surfaced unbidden in his mind—Li Yingling, Li Xingtian.
He found it strange, but hurried forward to greet them regardless.
"Are you Miss Yaoqin?"
The cold-faced woman looked down at him and spoke evenly. "Xie Lingyu."
Yuan Kong froze, his mind growing hazy again. For some reason, even though she'd clearly said Xie Lingyu, Yuan Kong felt certain that Xie Lingyu was Yaoqin—two completely unrelated names, yet somehow linked in this moment.
He looked at Li Yingling, only to find her expression steeped in sorrow, without the slightest hint of joy. For some reason, Yuan Kong felt this wasn't how Li Yingling should be.
He turned his gaze to Li Xingtian, only to find him radiating murderous intent, his eyes bloodthirsty, the corners of his mouth curled upward as if he'd spotted a satisfying target.
"No, that's not right..." Yuan Kong looked at the three and suddenly sensed something was wrong. His mind was a chaotic fog, but he just knew they shouldn't be like this.
Yuan Kong's eyes filled with confusion as he quickly pressed, "Is there someone else who hasn't arrived yet?"
Li Yingling's voice was low, tinged with grief.
"There's no one else. Show us the way."
Yuan Kong stared, unwilling to believe it. He looked past the three of them, searching behind.
"No... no." Yuan Kong's gaze locked onto Li Yingling as he demanded, "Where's your master?"
"My master?" Li Yingling looked calmly at Xie Lingyu, then her expression grew confused as well.
Yuan Kong's brow furrowed. Without knowing why, the words tumbled out:
"Not her. Your master isn't her."
Li Yingling turned to look at him. "Then who?"
A name suddenly surfaced in Yuan Kong's mind, and he blurted it out instinctively. "Chu..."
But the moment that single syllable left his lips, the name was instantly erased from his mind, vanishing completely.
Yuan Kong felt a throb of pain in his head and lowered it slightly. When he raised it again, the three people were no longer before him.
Instead, a Buddha sat atop a golden lotus, gazing down at him with a compassionate expression, speaking in a gentle voice:
"Yuan Kong, you have attained the Dharma. Today, I shall cleanse your meridians and set you back upon the path of cultivation."
Yuan Kong blinked, only now realizing he was kneeling on the ground. He glanced to his side and saw Yuan Jing kneeling beside him.
"Your senior brother has been rewarded for nurturing the Buddha Child—he has been elevated to Arhat status."
"Once I cleanse your meridians, you shall both go to the Great Thunderclap Temple for ascetic practice and share in the great fruit of enlightenment."
The Buddha's voice thundered like sacred resonance, vibrating through Yuan Kong so intensely that he could not continue his thoughts.
Yuan Kong looked up at the Buddha, voices in his mind constantly urging him to agree. Yet for some unknown reason, his heart refused to let his mouth open.
"Junior Brother, accept it, and Senior Brother can stay with you forever."
Yuan Jing's voice suddenly rang out from Yuan Kong's right side.
That single sentence shattered every last defense and every reservation in Yuan Kong's heart.
Yuan Kong obediently bowed his head, his mouth easily opening, ready to accept.
But then, from his left side, Yuan Jing's voice rang out once more.
The voice was aged, feeble.
"Why seek the golden lotus beneath the Buddha? You are you."
Yuan Kong's eyes went wide, his gaze slowly shifting to the left.
There sat Yuan Jing, looking weak and haggard, a forced smile hanging on his face, seated in meditation with a pill in his hand.
Yuan Kong looked at his senior brother, then at that pill.
"Ascend the golden lotus! Senior Brother can share the great fruit with you! And never leave again."
The Yuan Jing on the right spoke once more, his voice pleading.
Yuan Kong didn't turn back, because his senior brother had already attained the great fruit—in his heart.
He reached out and took the pill from Yuan Jing's hand.
It was something Chu Xingchen had refined. He'd said that if Yuan Jing ever truly reached the point where he couldn't hold on, they should try this pill. Since he was going to die anyway, what was there to lose in taking a gamble?
But... Yuan Jing hadn't taken it. Instead, he'd saved it for Yuan Kong.
Perhaps Yuan Jing thought it was something precious—the only thing he could leave behind for Yuan Kong.
"Senior Brother, you've never tasted it." Yuan Kong's voice carried a sob. "This thing is really damn awful."
Yuan Kong looked at his own hand—dark and enlarged—and without hesitation, swallowed the pill.
"Senior Brother knows. You told me." Yuan Jing's voice was calm, full of tender affection. "But don't forget Senior Brother's words again."
"When Senior Brother is gone, you must take good care of yourself."
Yuan Kong lifted his head, tears blurring his vision.
Making it hard to see his senior brother one last time.
"Hold on. They're on their way."
Yuan Kong heard that familiar voice and smiled through his tears, wiping them away:
"Chu Xingchen, you're so annoying... coming to bother me at a time like this. Don't you know I'll never see Senior Brother again?"
[
Dear Readers,
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