Chapter 63: Heavenly Master's Residence Young Heavenly Master (Part 2)

Zhao Ningyun, one of the foremost disciples of the Ning generation on Longhu Mountain, said grimly, "You little bald donkey, how dare you impersonate a monk from Liangchan Temple? You're asking for a beating!"

As soon as Zhao Ningyun finished speaking, he brazenly attacked the young monk Nanbei. His words were cunning: he first leveled a serious accusation and then struck without giving any chance for explanation. His intention was not to seriously injure or cripple, but merely to teach a lesson and vent his anger. If, by chance, the young monk later proved to be a genuine monk from Liangchan Temple, it would simply be dismissed as a misunderstanding. Zhao Ningyun was full of petty cleverness, yet he hadn't considered how the young monk and young girl had managed to reach the main entrance of the Tianshi Mansion without any obstruction. The young monk stood firm in front of the girl, not making a move and with no intention of fighting back. He was there to discuss Zen with the Grand Celestial Master on the mountain, not to pick a fight. Moreover, constant brawling was not his strong suit; the young monk's skills were limited to trivial tasks like washing clothes, cooking meals, covering for his master, and selecting rouge for his mistress.

A wisp of clear breeze swept past, subtly deflecting Zhao Ningyun's practiced palm strike. Li Zi saw a young Taoist emerge from the imposing gate of the Tianshi Mansion, holding a whisk. He wore a simple boxwood hairpin to secure his topknot, and his robe was not the distinctive yellow and purple unique to the Tianshi Mansion, looking no different from those worn by ordinary Taoists in temples at the foot of the mountain. On his feet were a pair of faded, worn hemp sandals. Were it not for the fact that he emerged from the Immortal Capital Tianshi Mansion, his stern face and humble attire would likely deter even pilgrims from approaching him for a divination stick. The Taoist, no older than thirty, subtly waved his white horsehair whisk. It was the unassuming "Siskin's Tail Embrace," one of Longhu Mountain's sixteen whisk styles, and it effortlessly neutralized Zhao Ningyun's clever offensive.

In battlefield skirmishes, it's always best to steer clear of peerless warriors wielding halberds. In the martial world, however, if you encounter a monk or Taoist, especially one carrying a whisk, be wary, regardless of their age. It is a well-known adage passed down by older generations of martial artists: those who wield a whisk are never ordinary. Just as Wudang's Sect Leader Wang Chonglou once cleaved a river with a single finger, a divine legend on Longhu Mountain tells of Celestial Master Zhao, who, in the capital, once broke through one hundred and sixty armored imperial guards with a single flick of his whisk. Upon seeing this stern-faced Taoist, who was a generation senior to him, Zhao Ningyun immediately adopted a fawning smile, his eyelids lowered. "Junior Uncle," he said, "I was just jesting with the young monk."

The Taoist ignored his nephew, Zhao Ningyun. He quietly bowed to the young monk, who was draped in a green-edged, light red kasaya, and said stiffly, "Please follow me."

The young monk turned to look at the girl. After receiving her approving glance, he was the first to ascend the steps and enter the Tianshi Mansion. Only after passing through the main gate did he realize there was another gate beyond it. The white jade floor was inlaid with an astonishingly large Eight Trigrams and Taiji diagram, brimming with cosmic mystery and inspiring an involuntary sense of awe. The couplet on the second gate was no less imposing than the main one: "So lofty is the Dao, even dragons and tigers bow their heads; So profound is the Virtue, even ghosts and spirits show reverence."

Unfortunately, years ago, Xu Xiao had remarked at the foot of the mountain that he would "press down the dragon and tiger's head," which, to those with discerning minds, made this couplet seem a veiled slight against the Tianshi Mansion. Inside the second gate stood a bell tower housing a bell weighing nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine jin. Beyond the bell tower was the magnificent Jade Emperor Hall, built in the double-eaved hip-and-gable style, the tallest and largest among all Taoist temples and palaces on Longhu Mountain. It enshrined a statue of the Jade Emperor, with the Twelve Heavenly Monarchs enshrined on either side. Eight golden dragons, just one less than the nine dragons symbolizing the emperor, coiled around the pillars, so lifelike they seemed ready to ascend to the clouds and ride the wind if their eyes were dotted. The young girl looked up once and became visibly nervous, following the young Celestial Master and "Stupid Nanbei" through the corridor lined with ancient steles.

Finally, they reached the third gate. One more step beyond this meant entering the private inner quarters of the Tianshi Mansion, a privilege usually reserved for emperors, generals, and prime ministers in the mundane world. Yet, the whisk-wielding Taoist, whom Zhao Ningyun called "Junior Uncle," continued without stopping, leading the young girl and young monk inside. On the courtyard wall, ten vermilion characters read: "Unparalleled land in the South, foremost family east of the river." The young girl saw the horizontal plaque above, which read "Immortal Capital of the Prime Minister," and quietly stuck out her tongue. While peeking from outside, she hadn't found it particularly impressive, but having entered the Tianshi Mansion, even she had to admit it was indeed much grander than her own home. Even if it lacked the joyful sight of red carp leaping around boats in the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion, she mused, "Alas, the abbots at home, who only know how to freeload, haven't bothered to repair the temple. After all, my home is the foremost holy land of Buddhism; judging by its reputation, it certainly isn't smaller than the Tianshi Mansion!"

The third gate opened into three halls. Behind the front hall stood a massive circular green jade boulder, too large for a strong man to encircle with both arms, known as the Welcoming Stone. It was here that the Celestial Master would stop when welcoming or seeing off distinguished guests. The Taoist led the two directly to the central hall and invited the rare visitors to sit. Two refined young Taoist acolytes then served tea. In the hall hung portraits of the first three generations of Longhu Mountain's patriarchs. In the center was the first-generation Tianshi, Zhao Lingzun, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of Taoist immortality. A couplet hung beside it: "With a demeanor to emulate, demons and monsters are put to flight; Entering through no door, one knows the Dao penetrates the heavens."

To the left and right were the portraits of the second and third-generation Celestial Masters, Zhao Chuyu and Zhao Jiqing. One sat sternly, leaning on a sword, while the other stood holding a whisk, each exuding their own unique spiritual aura.

Once the two were seated, the whisk-wielding Taoist, whose appearance closely resembled that of the three ancestral Celestial Masters, calmly stated, "This humble Taoist will now go and invite the Celestial Master to emerge from seclusion."

"Emerge from seclusion?" This implied that the Celestial Master was undergoing an immortal's seclusion, a true master in deep meditation and fasting.

Even if the young girl wasn't usually one to consider propriety, she wasn't so foolish as to ask the Zhao family's Celestial Master to break his seclusion just to greet them. She quickly waved her hands in a panic, a faint blush spreading across her face, and chuckled awkwardly, "Honored master, please don't trouble the Celestial Master. We'll just have some tea and then head down the mountain."

The Taoist, perhaps a man of rigid principles, calmly replied, "It's no trouble."

The young monk was the exact opposite of the young girl. He was always absent-minded about small matters, constantly being called an "idiot" by the girl and her parents, whom he liked, and had toiled like a beast of burden for years as a monk. Yet, for some reason, he always showed remarkable composure when it came to important matters. Joining his palms, he said, "This humble monk can just discuss Zen with you."

The unruffled Taoist, for the first time, offered a slight smile. He slowly said, "You can discuss Zen, but I cannot expound on the Dao. If you don't mind, I can call out Mr. Bai Lian to speak with the venerable master."

The young monk respectfully replied, "Very well."

The young girl kept a straight face, not daring to speak or laugh, but inwardly she was already delighted. "See?" she thought, "Stupid Nanbei may be clumsy, but in some situations, he can really hold his own." She knew the name of Mr. Bai Lian, Bai Yu, who had received a prestigious purple robe bestowed by the emperor. Years ago, it was this very Taoist who had argued and won against her family's old abbots on Lotus Peak. "When they returned to the temple," she recalled, "they were so angry they couldn't even manage a smile when they saw me! It's a pity Dad was busy drinking that time and was punished by Mom, forbidden from leaving the mountain for a whole year. Otherwise, who knows who would have won or lost." She mused, "Stupid Nanbei can't even argue with himself, so of course he won't win an argument with Mr. Bai Lian. But it doesn't matter if he loses; at worst, we can find an opportunity to bring Xu Fengnian here later, hehe. Xu Fengnian is really good at arguing with those feisty village girls!"

This unnamed Taoist master was far more polite than Zhao Ningyun, who wore yellow and purple. He actually went to the back hall to call for Mr. Bai Lian, who was rumored to have a grander demeanor than Longhu Mountain itself. The young girl had just finished a cup of tea when the Taoist master returned with a man in a white robe. She guessed he had ruined his eyes from reading too much, as he walked very carefully and habitually squinted; his eyes were probably not large to begin with, and when squinted, they became mere slits. However, he had a very pleasant and gentle smile on his face, which reminded her of Xu Fengnian. The young girl felt at ease and immediately thought Mr. Bai Lian was a good person. "Dad said that there are always good people better than her and bad people worse than her down the mountain," she recalled. "When you meet good people, you should be polite and ladylike; when you meet bad people, you should run far away." So, Zhao Ningyun outside the Tianshi Mansion was definitely a bad person, while this white-robed Taoist and the one holding the whisk could be considered good people. Therefore, the young girl properly stood up and respectfully greeted him, reverently calling out, "Mr. Bai Lian!"

Mr. Bai Lian, who was not wearing a Taoist robe, first bowed respectfully to the young monk from a distance. He then took a few steps closer, only then clearly seeing the young girl's face, and chuckled softly, "Young lady, you have the look of someone who brings prosperity to her husband. Whoever becomes your husband will have immense good fortune."

The young girl let out a small gasp, and her face instantly flushed crimson.

"What should she do?" she thought. "You don't hit a smiling face, and this Mr. Bai Lian was simply too direct, even more unreserved than she was."

The Taoist holding the whisk had a smile in his eyes and said with a hint of helplessness, "Mr. Bai Lian, please don't startle the young lady."

Mr. Bai Lian, wearing a Taoist headscarf, reached up and touched its band, realizing belatedly with a hint of shame. He slowly sat down on a purple bamboo chair, then, with his blurred vision, turned his head to look at the young monk who had come to the Tianshi Mansion to discuss Zen.

The young monk did not seem to have any intention of debating. He merely asked curiously, "This place is called the Fox Immortal Hall; are there truly fox immortals here?"

Mr. Bai Lian shook his head. "No," he replied.

The young monk murmured, "Oh." Then he asked, "Are there immortals on Longhu Mountain?"

Mr. Bai Lian chuckled. "I don't believe so," he said.

The young monk nodded. "Then I have no more questions," he said.

Mr. Bai Lian showed no disappointment or anger; he truly had an easy-going and good-natured temperament. The young girl felt that people from down the mountain were often not entirely straightforward in their speech, but she thought, "How could Mr. Bai Lian be arrogant? He's a very amiable uncle!"

The young Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, whom the young girl now regarded as an amiable uncle, smiled and said, "Have some tea, have some tea."

The young girl quietly said, "After we finish our tea, we'll head down the mountain."

It was hard to imagine that Mr. Bai Lian, who had once expounded on the Great Dao to the Emperor in the imperial palace, nodded and said, "I have no sense of direction, and my eyes aren't good either, so I won't see you off, young lady. When the time comes, I'll have to trouble this exceptionally ill-tempered Junior Brother Qi beside me to lead me back."

After finishing her tea, the young girl led the young monk out of the central hall. They walked straight out through the main gate, and at the foot of the steps, she exhaled a long breath and patted her chest.

The young monk touched his bald head; it was covered in sweat.

The young girl teased, "Stupid Nanbei, are you scared too?"

The young monk said sheepishly, "I'm not afraid of arguing; I'm just afraid of being locked in and beaten."

Inside the central hall, Junior Brother Qi asked, "Did you discuss the Dao and Zen?"

Bai Yu lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and said in amusement, "Probably not."

The stern Taoist simply murmured, "Oh," and said nothing further.

Bai Yu teased, "What's the point of arguing back and forth? Look, I'm in a good mood for tea right now; isn't that better than anything? A not-so-clever young girl and a not-so-stupid young monk—isn't that already Great Zen?"

The whisk-wielding young Celestial Master frowned. "You know I don't understand such things," he said.

Bai Yu chuckled, "Being vague and indistinct is the Heavenly Dao; being muddled and confused is Zen. Not understanding *is* understanding. Those who claim to 'understand' understand nothing at all. As for whether I understand, I think I don't."

The Taoist named Qi, his face still utterly expressionless, asked, "Grandfather Xituan said that the Tianshi Mansion has to pay for the renovation of Xiaoyao Temple. And in the future, if someone from Northern Liang comes up the mountain, the Tianshi Mansion must also step forward to receive them. But the Sect Leader is in seclusion, and that one in the capital said to just leave this matter alone. What do you say?"

Mr. Bai Lian chuckled, "Just leave it be. At worst, there'll be another farce of a horse trampling the dragon and tiger. I like excitement anyway, and all the fighting will be handled by you at the forefront. In a few more years, you'll be a whole 'Chonglou' realm higher than our Sect Leader Tianshi. Who would you be inferior to then?"

The Taoist remained calmly silent.

Mr. Bai Lian squinted at the portraits of the three ancestral Celestial Masters and sighed. "Joking aside," he said, "if my 'crow's mouth' really makes that happen, it won't be easy to handle. 'The Xu family has a phoenix, a horse trampling the dragon and tiger'—this is a prophecy from the Heavenly Book."