The White Lotus Temple case sent shockwaves throughout the martial world. Beyond that, Gongsun Bai was also exposed for an atrocity he had committed fourteen years prior. Condemned universally by pugilists, he became a target for everyone to strike down.
The other monks of the White Lotus Temple, knowing of Gongsun Bai’s actions yet condoning, sheltering, and participating alongside him, were handed over to the authorities alongside Gongsun Bai. Naturally, their fates would be far from pleasant.
From that day onward, control of the White Lotus Temple was returned to Fu Yunming.
Wei Jia was eccentric, but he was certainly not a fool. Fu Yunming possessed letters from both the medical expert and Gongsun Bai, which proved he had long been aware of the infant abuse and murder. Yet knowing about it, why had he not exposed it sooner?
Because Fu Yunming could not locate the exact whereabouts of the children.
His Ink Block possessed extraordinary spiritual intelligence, and its sense of smell was sharper than a hound’s. Seen in that light, he had clearly been utilized by a junior.
However, the news of the Hatred-Hating Ancestor escaping prison was not false. Ten years prior, the Hatred-Hating Ancestor had been imprisoned by the White Lotus Temple, and since Wei Jia could not gain access to him, he had been unable to exact his revenge. With that hope dashed, Wei Jia had retired from the rivers and lakes. Had he not heard the rumor of the Hatred-Hating Ancestor’s prison break this time around, he never would have emerged from seclusion.
Come to think of it, he actually owed that junior a note of thanks.
Inside the study, Wei Jia and Fu Yunming sat opposite one another. Wei Jia cut straight to the point, asking, “Regarding the Hatred-Hating Ancestor, what news do you have?”
Instead of answering, Fu Yunming countered with a question. “Senior, might this junior ask what grievances exist between you and Hatred-Hating?”
“That old thing?” Wei Jia tilted his head with a smile. “After the Hatred-Hating Ancestor turned to the demonic path back then, he killed anyone he crossed paths with. My parents were terribly unfortunate to run into him.”
And then his parents had died. Covered in fresh blood, they had perished right before his eyes.
Understanding dawned on Fu Yunming.
“Did Hatred-Hating truly break out of prison?” Wei Jia asked.
“Indeed,” Fu Yunming replied, before pivoting slightly. “Though a skeleton was discovered in the subterranean stone chamber of the White Lotus Temple. It is uncertain whether it belongs to Hatred-Hating.”
The White Lotus Temple actually contained numerous underground stone chambers. Unknown to outsiders, Fu Yunming was intimately familiar with them. In his youth, Abbot Tang had occasionally brought him there to cultivate, leaving Fu Yunming well-versed in the layout of the subterranean tunnels.
Fu Yunming quickly activated the mechanism and led Wei Jia down into the stone chamber.
True to expectations, a withered skeleton of an old man rested inside the chamber. The four walls surrounding the chamber were made of thick stone, etched with numerous deep gouges and slash marks. Half of the old man’s remains clung tightly against the stone wall, as though he had desperately sought an escape right up until his dying breath.
The moment he laid eyes on the skeleton, Wei Jia surged with excitement.
Without a doubt.
That build and skeletal structure! There was even a gold tooth embedded in the jaw!
This was Hatred-Hating!
Wei Jia strode forward and brought his foot down heavily upon the white bones. Exerting tremendous force, he shattered the skeleton into pieces with a single stomp.
What a joy! Back then you slaughtered my parents, and today you can only lie obediently beneath my feet! Hahaha!
Hatred-Hating, what a pity you are already dead. Otherwise, torturing you while you were alive would have been even more delightful!
Still, this was more than enough.
Learning that Hatred-Hating was already dead, and even getting to trample his bones to dust, was entirely sufficient.
Moments later, the bones were reduced to a pile of white powder.
A narrow opening sat at the very center of the chamber’s ceiling. Fu Yunming ventured a guess, “Hatred-Hating must have dug a tunnel leading into this place. However, the walls of this stone chamber were far too thick, making it impossible to tunnel out. He likely tried to return the way he came, but the chamber was too high and the walls too slick with no footholds whatsoever. Because of that, even with formidable lightness skills, Hatred-Hating could never get out.”
“He was trapped to death,” Wei Jia concluded.
The two emerged from the stone chamber and returned to the study.
Re-entering the pugilistic world this time, Wei Jia was overjoyed to discover that the Hatred-Hating Ancestor was dead, and that he had personally destroyed the villain’s remains.
For the first half of his life, bitterness had weighed heavily on his heart. Now that Hatred-Hating was gone, an extraordinary sense of lightness filled his chest. Those sordid, agonizing memories of the past seemed to vanish into the dust alongside Hatred-Hating’s ashes.
Returning to seclusion after this, he could finally let go of his obsessions for good.
“I must thank you for this today, junior. If I recall correctly, your name is Fu Yunming? Ranked thirteenth among the experts of the rivers and lakes, truly demonstrating how the waves behind drive forward the ones ahead. Perhaps in another decade, the older generation of martial artists will all step down, replaced entirely by the rising generation. It has truly been a very long time since I last walked the pugilistic world, so long that many people no longer recognize me, and modern martial heroes can no longer verify my identity,” Wei Jia mused aloud.
“Still, a life in seclusion is not bad at all. The mortal affairs of the rivers and lakes are filled with vexation and endless trouble. Once this matter concludes, I plan to return to seclusion. If you ever have need of assistance, you may come find me in the peach grove.”
Before departing, Wei Jia glanced at Fu Yunming and remarked offhandedly, “Since your heart has been stirred by mortal attachments, seize the opportunity. Who knows, one day that person might end up belonging to someone else.”
“This junior understands,” Fu Yunming replied calmly.
Yet inwardly, he let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
What if his heart was stirred by mortal attachments?
Lesser love and greater love were both simply forms of love within this mortal world; there was nothing unusual about it. Even with a stirred heart, he remained fully capable of practicing Buddhism, with no need to force a definitive outcome.