Chapter 271: Journey To Shaolin (2)

“Oh my, monk. Are you okay?”

Qing crouched in front of the fallen Wolbong.

Qing’s eyes curved prettily. Or it could be called bewitching and enchanting.

“I-I’m fine. It’s, it’s fine.”

“Then why don’t you get up quickly? Here.”

Qing straightened up and held out her hand.

Wolbong obediently took her hand and got up-

“Huk.”

Suddenly Wolbong abruptly shook off Qing’s hand, then averted his gaze with a somewhat miserable, troubled and shameful look. His posture as he was about to stand up became awkwardly frozen in place.

“Monk?”

“Go, go on ahead. I’ll follow.”

Thinking he must be embarrassed for falling while using qinggong. Qing caught up to the group of Shaolin monks who had already gone far ahead, making crisp clop clop sounds with her training shoes.

“Haha, that guy. Don’t tease him too much. Being in the mountains, he’s not used to women. Don’t get angry. It’s all natural phenomena.”

Is it natural to become a bumbling fool?

Qing tilted her head, but Wuxue just laughed mischievously and muttered something cruel about adding twelve shichen of horse stance.

But isn’t twelve shichen of horse stance a whole day? It seems like something to pray for his soul even for a master.

“But, is it okay to just leave that Bodhisattva like that?”

There was another person who could hardly be called part of the group.

Ice Snow Flower Seol Iri was following with her gaze fixed only on Qing while keeping her distance.

“Hmm. Wherever she goes is Miss Seol’s freedom, so I don’t think there’s any particular problem?”

“Doesn’t one usually request to accompany? What an unusual character.”

Isn’t it common sense that when tailing someone, you maintain stealth and follow without being detected?

However, whether she thought she couldn’t escape the eyes of the world’s greatest expert, or whether she didn’t care about others’ common sense, Seol Iri was boldly following Qing.

Anyway, Mount Song is a stone’s throw from Kaifeng, not even 300 li in distance.

In Qing’s homeland, even scrawny youths without inner force or muscles walk around 100 li carrying heavy loads.

In that situation, 300 li for masters.

Since it’s not even a distance worth calling a distance in the first place, it’s a light distance where if you run slowly with qinggong for half a day at a leisurely pace, you arrive just when you’re starting to sweat a bit and your muscles are starting to stretch a bit.

Of course, this was when you were Transcendent Realm or above, or confident in your qinggong.

Thanks to this, Seol Iri gradually fell behind from the middle, and her persistent gaze also fell behind beyond the ridge in the back.

But Seol Iri took an ambiguous attitude that was more than a stranger but less than a companion.

So it was really awkward to take care of her, and since the destination was Mount Song anyway, that huge mountain didn’t have the mobility to run away as a moving object, so they thought she’d follow along.

Thus, Mount Song!

There are five famous mountains in the Central Plains, called the Five Sacred Mountains. The Central Plains people’s classification and indexing spirit couldn’t be avoided even for mountains.

Thus, in order of east, west, south, north there existed Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Heng, Mount Heng.

Since famous mountains are always occupied by martial arts sects, they became the sword-using Daoist sects called the Four Directions Sword Sects.

And Mount Song is the Central Sacred Mountain. Because it’s in the center.

If even Shaolin used swords, all the martial arts of the Five Sacred Mountains could have been swordsmanship, but it was ultimately ruined because of those tactless monks.

Thus, Shaolin Temple!

The most famous temple in the Central Plains and also the center of the orthodox martial arts world as the world’s greatest sect.

First, Shaolin’s entrance, the mountain gate, is impressive in its majesty. It’s said that admiration naturally bursts forth from its grandeur, closer to a military fortress than a temple.

And inside are located the famous Shaolin Receiving Guests Hall, Discipline Hall, Eight Great Protective Halls, Heavenly Kings Hall, Great Buddha Hall, Sutra Repository and others, but Qing doesn’t know anyway.

Not only does she not know, she doesn’t need to know.

Anyway, Shaolin is a holy land forbidden to women, so it’s useless knowledge since Qing will never see it with her own eyes in her lifetime.

But for some reason, there was a crowd gathered at Shaolin’s mountain gate with loud voices going back and forth.

“How dare you! When the Empress wants to enter, how can you insolent ones block the way! Even if there’s no law in the world, where are there children who block their mother’s comings and goings!”

“Amitabha. You already know well Shaolin’s precepts. Please withdraw your words.”

“What are you doing! Open the way immediately!”

When Qing arrived, a not-so-fierce battle was unfolding between monks blocking the gate and government troops trying to force their way through.

Saying it wasn’t fierce is accurate.

The Shaolin warrior monks’ clothing revealed rock-like muscles with just a strip of kasaya wrapped around their upper bodies exposing half their chests, showing they were masters of external martial arts just by looking.

It’s widely known that Shaolin monks train both internal and external arts, so the Shaolin warrior monks in their shameless clothing allowed for men were masters the government troops could hardly dare to face.

Meanwhile, the Shaolin monks had not the slightest desire to see blood at the sacred mountain temple.

So a strange scene unfolded where the government troops pretended to charge and the Shaolin monks just pushed back, resulting in bodies just rubbing against each other without much intensity.

“What’s this now. Oh my. Amitabha…”

Wuxue Dashi seemed to mutter the sutra briefly, then immediately-

“GAL!!!”

The Shaolin lion’s roar, the original “Gal!” was let out.

Gal means to shout, similar to the expression “You bastard!”

The reason for shouting “Gal” instead of just “You bastard” is because martial artists’ face can easily make enemies if they carelessly shout “you this” and “you that”.

Originally, the lion’s roar comes from the Buddhist sutra Vimalakirti Sutra.

It was a phrase saying that just as all beasts submit to the lion’s roar, the Buddha’s sermon subdues all demons. Therefore, the lion’s roar refers to the Buddha’s great words.

The Shaolin martial art Lion’s Roar created by focusing on this imagery had the ability to erase the fog in the mind and calm excited hearts, a profound music therapy, no, sound art.

At that pure sound, the commotion stopped abruptly.

Since it was the world’s greatest expert’s lion’s roar, it was the most powerful lion’s roar among lion’s roars.

However, the one most affected by the lion’s roar was not the Shaolin monks or government troops, but Qing.

For a moment her mind went blank and with pain like her insides were being squeezed, bitter fluid refluxed from her throat, so thinking “What’s this, did I get indigestion?” Qing swallowed with a gulp and her eyes were exceptionally clear and bright.

“Namu Amitabha. Everyone, this is a Buddhist temple. Though Shaolin has leaned towards the secular world, it is nominally a place where those who have left home recite sutras, so how can you not keep quiet and make such a commotion?”

“Abbot!” “Great monk!” “Master!”

At this, the Shaolin monks’ expressions brightened.

It could be said to be the expression of children who met their father while fighting among peers.

The unexpected point was that the government troops’ expressions were also bright. The calculation that surely they wouldn’t order a suicide charge now that the world’s greatest expert had appeared.

“Hmm.”

Then one person among them appeared and made an arrogant chin gesture. At this, someone who looked like an adjutant waved a flag, and the government troops withdrew from the mountain gate and formed ranks behind.

The one who stepped forward was arrogant and dignified, but only for a moment as his expression changed completely when he opened his mouth.

“This lowly one is called Wan Lixing, a eunuch of the Capital Supervisory Agency. I am a humble eunuch serving the Empress Chai, mother of all under heaven who is the nation’s mother. The nation’s mother wishes to offer devotions at the world’s foremost temple for three months starting today.”

It wasn’t quite the coquettish, feminine aegyo-like tone unique to eunuchs.

But the high-pitched voice closer to a woman than a man didn’t match at all with the rather manly angular face.

Separately from that, what the eunuch called the Capital Supervisory Agency was saying was not light at all.

The nation’s mother, that is, the Emperor’s wife the Empress had come in person.

Indeed, behind him was placed an incredibly splendid carriage, dazzling to the eye with the unique sparkle of gold.

“Ahem. Devotions are not determined by the size and fame of the temple. Moreover, though Shaolin may be called the world’s foremost temple, this is famous for individual martial prowess, so in Buddhist studies it would rather be a disgrace to the eminent Buddhist monks. Please consider this and withdraw your words.”

What’s the big deal about offering devotions at a good temple? Don’t come to a place that doesn’t welcome you, go somewhere else.

“But how can you tell the nation’s mother to kneel at an obscure nameless temple when she’s offering devotions? Shaolin’s merits are so lofty thanks to the imperial family’s grace, so wouldn’t it be good to share even a bit of that?”

It’s not just anyone but the Empress who came, are you going to refuse? And weren’t all the fields around you given by the imperial family? When receiving land it was the glory of all under heaven, but now when she wants to offer some devotions you’re refusing?

“But the words passed down by the Bodhisattva forbid women’s entry and tell us to practice diligently. This is because we are lacking and foolish and unable to pray for women’s merits too. If you desire the wondrous merits of a nunnery, wouldn’t the virtues of Emei in Sichuan be lofty?”

What efficacy would there be in a woman praying for merits in a place with only men? Go to Emei instead. They specialize in women there.

“Of course I know the words of the ancestors are precious. But isn’t this a monastic rule, not a secular law? How can one walking the Buddhist path so harshly turn away wandering sentient beings?”

I know you secretly let them in sometimes.

Won’t you let her in while I’m asking nicely instead of refusing?

In fact, the precept forbidding women’s entry is not a national law stamped saying all women in the world can’t enter, no exceptions.

Shaolin’s precepts are rules for Shaolin monks to follow, so it’s closer to not bringing women into the sacred monastery.

Of course, this is Wuxue Dashi’s interpretation as a moderate on precepts.

In reality, there were three or four women who entered disguised as men each year, about one per season.

If that many were caught, there must have been quite a few women who offered devotions without being caught.

“Ahem.”

Wuxue Dashi let out an uncomfortable groan.

When innocent commoners entered with sincere hearts, they couldn’t harshly punish them so they just chased them out saying don’t do it again.

Of course, it was different for martial artists.

“That may be so, but how can it become an event known to all under heaven by mobilizing so many troops despite the attitude of offering devotions? The government must not interfere with religion, the pure mountain temple must not be used for other purposes.”

Then why come so openly, why not come secretly?

If you came secretly we would have let you in secretly to offer some devotions and that would be it. It looks like you want to clearly show and announce to all under heaven that Shaolin’s rules are being broken, so how can we let you in now?

And so the argument between the two proud leaders continued on and on endlessly.

Of course, martial artists should fight with their bodies, not words.

But the government troops would not escape annihilation if they fought immediately.

However, even if Shaolin won and killed them all, it wouldn’t end there, as afterwards cannon fire would pour down like heavy rain and history would sadly repeat itself, so they couldn’t carelessly use force either.

In fact, Wuxue Dashi was already sensing defeat at this point.

No matter how much the government must not interfere with religion and the imperial palace’s power was a toothless paper tiger, they couldn’t directly challenge the Emperor’s authority.

So thinking this has become truly nasty, the imperial family is clearly revealing their ambitions towards the martial arts world again like this, he was about to let out a deep sigh at the vague intuition that perhaps great bloodshed would break out in the martial arts world again.

Click. And thud.

It was the small sound of a door opening, and the low noise of something rolling and spilling out.

However, the result caused by that tiny noise became a huge wave sweeping through the venue-

“The nation’s mother, the Empress has come out! Quickly, show proper etiquette!”

At this, martial artists, soldiers and commoners alike hurriedly put their palms together and bowed deeply, knelt and pressed their foreheads to the ground, and put both hands to their foreheads and bowed.

Qing also hurriedly imitated Wuxue Dashi, then thinking “Ah, this is the monk style” she naturally transitioned her movement to press her knees to the ground and make a full bow.

Then someone poked her side so she turned her head, and Seol Iri who was kneeling demurely with her waist curved shook her head as if to say that’s not it.

Ah, not a full bow? Qing followed Seol Iri and made an awkward court bow.

Actually Seol Iri didn’t know well either, so it didn’t matter for both of them.

The greeting method differed slightly according to status, age and gender, but one thing was clear.

Anyway, the Empress is the nation’s mother, everyone’s mother, so one must not dare to meet her eyes.

So in front of Shaolin’s mountain gate that had become so quiet you could hear ants crawling, only weak, powerless footsteps echoed, tap, tap.

What’s this? It seems to be getting closer?

And then a voice is heard.

“Child. Would you, raise your head?”