Winter of the thirty-first year of Jianing, Luhun Villa.
Wind and snow filled the sky, covering the world in ten thousand miles of silver.
At dawn, the villa was still brightly lit. The high gray walls and gray tiles looked like overlapping mountain ranges, resembling a massive cruise ship quietly sailing through the silver-white sea of snow.
From afar, passing pedestrians seemed to be able to hear the sound of the ice layer cracking, as if it was slowly breaking through the permafrost of the polar regions.
The melodious sound of a tolling bell echoed out with a "dong".
Two young monks stood at the entrance of Luhun Villa, keeping watch with their hands tucked in their sleeves. Hearing the bell, one of them looked back toward the depths of the villa and said softly, "Another person from the Daoist Court has been defeated. Which one is this?"
"The eighth. If they lose one more, there will be no one left."
"The Daoist Court is arrogant, but we came prepared."
A young monk tucked his hands in his sleeves, looked out at the wind and snow beyond the gate, and sighed with emotion, "After a day and a night of debating scriptures, it's finally coming to an end."
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from within the wind and snow.
Standing beneath the plaque of Luhun Villa, the young monk shielded his eyes with his hand, squinting into the wind and snow. Only after looking for a long while did he see a few gray silhouettes gradually become clear.
A young man, with his head lowered, gripped three reins in his hands and braved the wind, trudging laboriously through the snow. The fierce wind blew the hem of his clothes backward. Behind him, people were hunched over on three horses to resist the cold wind.
The young monk asked warily, "Who is it?"
The newcomer quickened his pace. "Seekers of lodging."
"Seekers of lodging?" The young monk was puzzled. Seeing the newcomer walking faster and faster, he suddenly shouted, "This is a solemn and precious land of Buddhism; halt, newcomer!"
"Buddhism?"
The newcomer raised his head, revealing the face of a young man. "Isn't this the mountain-foot temporary residence of the Mount Laojun Daoist Court? How did it become a precious land of Buddhism?"
The young monks exchanged glances, and one hurriedly explained, "Ma Yiming, the chief disciple of the Mount Laojun Daoist Court, lost in a scripture debate against our Great Senior Brother. The Daoist Court has already lost this Luhun Villa to our Yuanjue Temple."
The young man was taken aback. "Playing for such high stakes?"
He looked up at the lintel of Luhun Villa. This villa occupied hundreds of acres, stretching endlessly. Its construction cost must have been at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.
An estate like this, just lost simply like that?
The young monk said, "This originally was our Zen Sect's property, won from us by the Daoist Court in the twelfth year of Rende. Now it's merely returning a thing to its original owner. Today, there's an even bigger wager. If the Daoist Court loses all nine matches, the nineteen Daoist priests participating in this literary gathering's scripture debate will all have to shave their heads, become monks, and strike the bell in our temple for the rest of their lives."
The young man was dumbfounded. "Which match are you debating down to now?"
The young monk answered, "The eighth match has just concluded. They might rest for half a shichen. If you are merely passing by to seek lodging, please go back. Today, Luhun Villa is only receiving guests of the literary gathering."
The young man looked back behind him. On one of the horses, a young girl was slumped over unconscious. Turning back, he spoke politely to the young monk, "Among us are the Prince Heir and Commandery Princess of Prince Jing's Estate, as well as the Second Miss of the Zhang family, the Prefect of Luo City. Please take the trouble to announce our arrival. We encountered mountain bandits on the way and lost our invitations."
The young monk was startled. "The Prince Heir and the Commandery Princess? You are..."
The young man said, "I am just a little apprentice from the medical clinic of Prince Jing's Estate, Chen Ji."
The young monk asked, "Do you have a token of the Prince's Estate?"
Chen Ji shook his head. "No, but in this literary gathering, there must be someone who recognizes the Prince Heir and the Commandery Princess."
"Wait a moment," the young monk lifted the hem of his gray monk robe and trotted into the villa with small, quick steps to make the announcement.
Chen Ji turned back to the horses and said softly beside the Commandery Princess, "Commandery Princess, don't worry. With the Daoist Court and the Buddhist Sect here, there must surely be medicine to treat your chill."
With a piece of clothing wrapped around her head, the Commandery Princess lay slumped on the horse and let out a low "mhm." She couldn't straighten her body, and it was unclear whether she had heard Chen Ji's words or not.
Chen Ji reached out and touched her forehead; it was burning hot.
In the next moment, the young monk came rushing back. "I apologize, benefactors. Right now, the heavy snow has blocked the roads, and we have no way to verify your identities. Please go back."
Chen Ji frowned slightly. "Did you announce who is here?"
The young monk said patiently, "I did, but Great Senior Brother said that since everyone brought neither tokens nor invitations, you had all better go back."
Chen Ji suddenly realized that the Buddhist Sect was just looking for an excuse!
For a literary gathering at Luhun Villa, even an ordinary scholar could get an invitation as long as they were willing to come. How could such a lenient threshold suddenly deny him entry?
The other party must know what happened over at Longwang Village. Because they didn't want to get involved in the affairs between the Liu Family and Prince Jing's Estate, they were unwilling to let them in.
What a way to avoid karma.
Riding on Zaozao's back, Zhang Xia asked, "What do we do now?"
Chen Ji reached out and gripped the Whale Blade by the Commandery Princess's saddle, but the Commandery Princess weakly raised her hand and pressed it over the back of his hand. "Don't do anything foolish."
He smiled. "Don't worry, I'm just checking if the blade is still there. I'm not foolish enough to go seek death from the Grand Guild Agents of the Daoist Court and Buddhist Sect."
Chen Ji looked back at the couplet under the plaque of Luhun Villa. The first line read, "Matters depend on human effort; do not say that everything is entirely up to fate." The second line read, "The environment is created by the mind; take a step back and it naturally widens."
But.
This step, he could not step back.
Chen Ji pulled the clothing wrapping Bai Li's head a bit tighter to prevent the cold wind from blowing into her collar.
He turned around and walked back to the entrance of Luhun Villa. "Is this a literary gathering?"
The young monk replied, "Yes."
"Are you debating scriptures?"
"Yes."
Chen Ji asked, "What is the topic of the scripture debate between the Daoist Court and the Buddhist Sect this round?"
The young monk curled his lip. "Why should I tell you?"
Chen Ji said calmly, "I also want to go in and debate scriptures."
The young monk was amused and looked him up and down. "What scriptures are you going to debate?"
As his words fell, Zhang Xia swung down from her horse, braved the wind and snow, and led Zaozao to the entrance. "Could it be that Yuanjue Temple is afraid of us going in and debating you into defeat?"
Leaning against the gray brick wall under the plaque, the young monk rolled his eyes. "Using the method of goading won't work either!"
Zhang Xia's voice hardened. "I am Zhang Xia, the niece of Xu Shu, the Vice Director of the Imperial Observatory. If you don't go and announce us, I will return to the Capital City and tell everyone that the monks of Yuanjue Temple were afraid of being debated into defeat, so they didn't let us into Luhun Villa! Hurry up and announce us; you cannot bear the responsibility for this matter!"
The young monk shrank his neck and turned around, entering the villa to make the announcement.
A short while later, he ran back with snow falling on his shoulders. "You can debate the scriptures, but you must answer the question we gave the Daoist Court this round!"
Chen Ji glanced at him. "Speak."
The young monk asked, "Daoism says that the Dao generates all things. Is this Dao sentient or insentient?"
Chen Ji was about to answer when Zhang Xia gently tugged his sleeve and whispered, "Debating scriptures is not that simple. The answerer must be meticulous about the source of every sentence in the classics. If it has a source, it's true scripture; if not, it's forged scripture..."
Chen Ji thought for a moment. "How about you debate with them instead?"
Zhang Xia's expression dimmed. "I can't. They won't debate scriptures with a woman. You answer their questions; I'll teach you how to answer."
"Alright."
The wind and snow flowed between the two of them, small cyclones swirling around them.
A few breaths later, Chen Ji turned back and stepped forward. "The
Daodejing
says: 'Man models himself on Earth, Earth on Heaven, Heaven on Dao, and Dao on Nature.' The Dao is the law of Heaven and Earth, the exemplar for all things; naturally, it is sentient."
The little monk took the answer and trotted back inside to report again.
When he returned a moment later, he brought a new question: "My Great Senior Brother says, since the Dao is sentient, then it should only generate good people. Why does it also generate evil people? Since the Dao does not distinguish between good and evil, it should be insentient. Since it is insentient, how can it generate all things? How can it become the exemplar for all things in Heaven and Earth to follow?"
But behind him, Zhang Xia's lips moved slightly, and she whispered a few words.
Chen Ji looked at the young monk and answered, "The
Mahaparinirvana Sutra
says: 'The self is the meaning of the Tathagatagarbha; all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, and all sentient beings possess the meaning of self.' Even the Buddha said that everyone is born with Buddha-nature; how can you decide who is born good and who is born evil?"
The young monk was stunned. "How are you so well-versed in our Buddhist sutras?"
Chen Ji said exasperatedly, "Human life is of paramount importance; hurry up and go report back!"
The young monk hastily ran into the villa once more.
This time, the young monk did not return quickly. It seemed the monk from Yuanjue Temple who posed the question had fallen into deep thought.
It was unknown how long had passed when a melodious and resonant strike of a bell rang out from within the villa again.
Zhang Xia's eyes lit up. "When the bell rings, the other party shelves this question, which is equivalent to admitting defeat. Chen Ji... Chen Ji?"
She turned to look, only to see Chen Ji with his head lowered, pondering something unknown.
At this very moment, Chen Ji discovered that the furnace fire within his body suddenly leaped for an instant at the exact moment the bell rang, and then the pale red furnace fire grew a fraction brighter!
Strange. Was it because Zhang Xia had won the scripture debate against the other party in his name just now?
Previously, he thought that for the furnace fire to transform, he needed to do good deeds and win the hearts of the people. But looking at it now, the reason for the furnace fire's color change was perhaps much deeper and broader.
Chen Ji looked at Zhang Xia.
Zhang Xia touched her cheek. "Why are you looking at me?"
Chen Ji shook his head. "It's nothing. Second Miss Zhang's broad knowledge and strong memory are truly admirable. No wonder you look down on people without learning."
Zhang Xia was somewhat embarrassed. "I only win in terms of memory, that's all."
As they were speaking, the little monk came running back in a hurry. "You've won this round, but..."
"But what?"
The young monk said in a troubled tone, "I'll be honest with you two. Our Buddhist Sect remains tranquil and free, not forming karma, and truly unwilling to entangle ourselves in the affairs of the mortal world. You two have worldly matters on you and your karma is unresolved; it is not suitable for you to enter this Luhun Villa. Please go back."
Chen Ji looked at him calmly. "Could I at least beg for a single alchemical pill?"
The young monk shook his head. "No. Please do not make things difficult for me, benefactors. I am just a young monk."
Chen Ji was about to force his way in, but was grabbed by the arm by Zhang Xia, who silently shook her head. "You mustn't force your way."
"Even if I mustn't, I still have to!"
However, right at this moment, a song drifted over from outside the wind and snow.
Chen Ji and Zhang Xia abruptly turned to look, only to see a person sitting backward on the back of a green ox, flipping through a book while humming: "If your heart harbors wicked intentions, even burning incense will be of no benefit. If you conduct yourself upright and grandly, what does it matter if you see me and do not bow..."
The sound of the rustic song rolled into the wind and snow, swept far away by the snowflakes.
Seeing the green ox arrive at the gate, the young Daoist priest on the ox's back leaped down nimbly.
With a smile on his face, he walked past Chen Ji and Zhang Xia to the gate. Reaching out, he rubbed the little monk's bald head. "Zhang Li, the chief disciple of the Yellow Mountain Daoist Court, representing my master 'Shi Tuzi' to come debate scriptures. Little monk, hurry up and scram, otherwise watch out or this Daoist master will slap you."
(End of Chapter)