Chapter 83: Punishment
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
All people fixed their eyes on Xuan Bei. Some were suddenly Enlightened, some were puzzled, and some were frowning.
“What?” Meng Qi looked at Master with astonishment and did not understand why he had to bear the sins that had nothing to do with him. Should Master not be even more eager to figure out where his “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p” was learned from?
“Amitabha, guilty of sin.” Kong Wen said “Amitabha Buddha” in a low voice with drooping eyelids, there was no joy on his face, but a plain and merciful expression.
Wu Jing, as the President of the Commandment Hall, looked sharply at Xuan Bei. “Xuan Bei, why did you privately impart ‘Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p’ to Zhen Ding?”
There seemed to be other golden pupils condensing in his eyes, looking like Buddha or a G.o.d.
Xuan Bei raised his head and frankly looked at Wu Jing. “Zhen Ding loves bladesmans.h.i.+p, so I studied a lot of bladesmans.h.i.+p to instruct him later, but he saw me practicing ‘Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p’ by chance and he highly respected and desired for this bladesmans.h.i.+p, he also showed talent in this bladesmans.h.i.+p. I cherish the talent and couldn’t bear delaying his blade cultivation. I also considered the progress of his Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld so that Enlightenment should also be done reasonably. Thus, I lost my head for that moment to privately impart the ‘Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p’ to him.”
Wu Jing did not seem to discover some clues, while Xuan Bei spoke fairly and reasonably. Everyone knew that Zhen Ding completed the first four levels of Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld within three months and Enlightenment was only a matter of time. Borrowing Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p in the Sutras Depository to read would privately cover the things in the past, but n.o.body could think of the fact that Zhen Ding would encounter the need to use “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p”. Under normal circ.u.mstances, he would never need to attack without reservation, even after he stayed in the temple for 100 years.
“Is that right?” Wu Jing turned around, looking at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi was aware that lying could not conceal anything from Wu Jing, so in that case, he followed the words of Master and looked at Wu Jing without timidity. “President, thanks to the love of Master, I could grasp the ‘Peace Quietude Split’ preliminarily, which absolutely had nothing to do with Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang.”
His every word was true, but his candid meaning would be completely misunderstood by other people who heard that—Meng Qi meant that if Xuan Bei did not drill the bladesmans.h.i.+p for speculation in the practice of Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld, the incident of grasping “Peace Quietude Split” would have never happened. After hearing that Xuan Bei told the story of private instructions to him, they would only think that he was saying that one could master the first movement of “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p” only with the private instruction of Xuan Bei.
As for the collision between Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang, Meng Qi had a clear conscience and put it openly.
Wu Jing lightly nodded without any other words, turning around and saying to Kong Wen, “Your Abbots.h.i.+p, Xuan Bei violated the commandments to privately instruct esoteric skills, which should be heavily punished. And although Zhen Ding knew he shouldn’t, he still practiced the ‘Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p’, which should also be punished.”
“Wu Jing, you are the President of Commandment Hall, what’s your opinion on how to punish them?” Kong Wen calmly asked.
Wu Jing pondered and said, “Xuan Bei should be flogged 100 times and copy down the Prajna Sutra 100 times. He shall not be admitted into the Sutras Depository for five years and not learn other new skills or Kung Fu.
“Zhen Ding should be flogged 20 times and copy down the Prajna Sutra 10 times. He shall not be allowed into the Sutras Depository before the opening of the Four Apertures.
“Zhen Ding and Zhen Hui discovered the theft of Zhen Chang and Zhen Yong, which was a feat. Please determine the reward, Senior Brother Wu Si.”
His consistent idea was that errors must be punished and merits must be rewarded, but merits could not counteract errors to avoid knowingly breaching the precepts.
As for this punishment, Meng Qi, who indeed “stole” the “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p”, secretly took a breath. If the matter of the “Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms” was discovered, he would die without a burial ground. And if he did not confess the matter of the “Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms” and the theft of Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang, then he must be involved in these things. Therefore, it did not matter if he was to be flogged 20 times and had to copy the scriptures 10 times because, after all, he was equipped with Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld.
Not being allowed to enter into the Sutras Depository before opening the Four Apertures was a relatively heavier punishment. Meng Qi wanted to read through the experience of practicing “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p” before when he finished Enlightenment, and then pick two or three secondary skills such as acupoint-sealing, Point Punching, and Soul-Removing. It seemed that the plan had to be postponed, which was not as serious as revealing secrets or being “wronged”.
Kong Wen glanced at the president and other Elders and slowly nodded. “Amitabha, I consent to this appropriate punishment. Wu Si, you decide the reward.”
Wu Si, the President of the Bodhi Yard, who looked like a dead wooden Buddha Bodhisattva, declared “Amitabha Buddha” and said, “Zhen Hui is practicing the ‘Flower-pinching Finger’ and cannot be distracted by other skills, so I reward him with a string of ‘Salvation Buddha Beads’ to purify his heart and spirit and to protect him; Zhen Ding is not admitted into the Sutras Depository before opening the Four Apertures, so I reward him to choose a move or technical supreme art.”
Part of the “exterior 54” supreme arts belonged to the moves, skills, the chapter regardless of spirit sphere or the chapter of Enlightening all the Apertures, and so on. Each of the total five moves just like “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p” were of the Exterior Level and practicing could be started during the process of energy focusing, but they could only be learned a little and whose energy could not be used fully. It was rare to see somebody like Meng Qi, who realized the Gist of Trueness in one move.
Of course, there were some moves or technical supreme arts with high demands, which could be learned after opening the Apertures or even reaching the Exterior Realm.
Meng Qi was perturbed when first hearing that Zhen Hui was rewarded with Buddha Beads, which obviously was a Refined Weapon. If President Wu Si had rewarded him with a Refined Weapon, the Buddhist Commandment Blade, it would not have been necessary for him to exchange for the “Red Sun Evil Blade”. Fortunately, the words of Wu Si relieved him, and then he began to struggle between picking acupoint-sealing, the supreme art of Points Punching, and the dharma-mukha of Skysc.r.a.ping Devil disintegration.
There was no need to repeat the moves of image removal or spiritual intrusions when picking only one move, for he owned the Transformation Strategy.
Pondering for a moment, Meng Qi suddenly mocked himself in secret. “I couldn’t even figure out the components of ‘exterior 54’, what am I worried about now?”
“If there is the dharma-mukha of Skysc.r.a.ping Devil disintegration, then choose it!”
“Amitabha, I have no opinion.” Wu Jing agreed with the reward of Wu Si, President of the Bodhi Yard.
The President of the Commandment Yard, who was responsible for reward and punishment, had no comments, other Elders and the president nodded one after another without objection.
Then Wu Jing said to Xuan Bei and Meng Qi, “Xuan Bei and Zhen Ding privately imparted a supreme art which must be punished in front of the abbot. Xuan Kong and I will not show mercy.”
There were Xuan Kong and him, two monks of the Commandment Yard, staying in the Great Buddha’s Hall.
“I am willing to be punished.” Xuan Bei knelt upright after taking the clothes off of his back.
Meng Qi also did the same thing as him and knelt down, exposing his back upright.
Wu Jing grabbed his hands and the light of colored glaze in front of him seemed to emerge and converge into an imaginary Buddha’s stick, then he flogged hard on the back of Xuan Bei.
“Clank!”
The flogging made a sound just like the morning bell and evening drum. Xuan Bei did not try to resist it with strength, so a scar occurred on his back immediately.
Although he showed a still serious and self-condemned expression without any pain, his face turned pale. Obviously, Wu Jing really did not show any mercy.
Xuan Kong went behind Meng Qi and beat him heavily with a copper stick borrowed from outside the hall.
His Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld could not be wielded when Meng Qi was punished. He could only endure it hard, which turned his skin a little dark golden, and the acute pain went straight into his forehead.
One stick after another led to a few of bloodstains on Meng Qi’s back. His skin would have been split and flesh torn, or even his heart hurt, without the Golden Bell s.h.i.+eld automatically protecting him.
But he still kept his back straight without any weakness in his heart.
What did this pain matter to him? He had been shot like a hedgehog by crossbow arrows and had been stabbed by Cui Xu again and again. When his thorax and abdomen had been slit by a long blade, what did this pain matter?
The 20 strikes one after another soon came to an end. Meng Qi got dressed and slowly rose to his feet, looking at his Master who was still being tortured. He really appreciated him sincerely.
Thanks to my Master who bore the responsibility this time, or it would cause serious consequences.
But why is he so good to us, willing to bear the inexplicable sin?
So how should I explain the matter of “Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p” to him in secret…
Xuan Bei also ended his punishment in a mix of emotions. Kong Wen asked him to lead Meng Qi and Zhen Hui to the yard to take a rest.
The moonlight was bright in the sky in the slightly cold autumn. Meng Qi had been thinking about how to explain it to Master on the way back to the yard.
All of a sudden, Xuan Bei in the front said softly, “Zhen Ding, let bygones be bygones, don’t think about it anymore.”
“Master?” Meng Qi looked at him questioningly.
Xuan Bei walked in the front without turning around. “No matter how you acquired ‘Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p’, it has pa.s.sed by. I will not ask you about that, just bear the commandments in mind later.
“But I have to remind you, through the matter of Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang, to not be greedy, or you will easily fall into an endless sea of suffering once you are greedy.
“I saved you once but cannot save you forever.”
“Yes, Master,” Meng Qi replied with blurred vision. No matter what his Master thought about and whether he was doubtful or not, he was really touched, at least for this moment.
…
In the Great Buddha’s Hall—
“Wu Si, how to deal with the matter of Jin Gang Temple?” Kong Wen asked Wu Si, President of the Bodhi Yard, like an ordinary chat.
Wu Si pondered for a while and said, “Abbot, we Shaolin sect always act upright, the same goes for this matter. Firstly, monks should be sent to each major sect and aristocratic family to explain the matter and expose it in public. Then, an Elder should be invited to the Jin Gang Temple to interrogate them and figure out how they replied. Finally, whether conquering demons to defend the principle or not could be determined.”
“Unfortunately, I was not there when Zhen Yong and Zhen Chang were killed, or I could inquire about the remnant soul so as to show irrefutable evidence.” Wu Jing, President of the Commandment Yard, without being slightly regretful, said, “But the channels, acupunctures, and flesh of Zhen Yong were left with traces of Kung Fu of Jin Gang Temple, which was undeniable.”
Kong Wen smiled. “They can say that we deliberately made a fake impression or killed the disciples of Jin Gang Temple to pretend to be traitors of Shaolin. However, Wu Si was correct and just did as he said.”
“Abbot, which Elder should be sent to Jin Gang Temple?” Wu Ding, President of the Sundries Yard asked, who was responsible for arranging tasks for monks.
Kong Wen muttered to himself, “Just send him.”
…
“Sacrifice Formula”. Meng Qi selected for a long time in the Sutras Depository, giving up the other magical Kung Fu like “Ananda Finger” and choosing this supreme art.
It was similar to the Sky Demon Butchering Mighty Art, one of the 72 Ultimate Arts, which would not only burn essence and blood, and restore capability, or even improve 30 percent of the strength, but could also concentrate all the strength to hit at once, exerting a horrible effect to conquer demons.
But one would get a severe illness and his Kung Fu would regress, or even break meridian vessels like a disabled person, after wielding that art.
Of course, it would not be a matter if there was a teammate equipped with the “Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms” or other medical skills.
After transcribing a Sacrifice Formula, Meng Qi returned to the small courtyard of Xuan in elation and without any pressure. He saw Xuan Bei waiting there as he stepped into the yard.
“Zhen Ding, pack up,” Xuan Bei ordered.
“Eh?” Meng Qi was confused.
Xuan Bei slightly nodded. “Abbot sent me to Jin Gang Temple to inquire about the robbery, and you and Zhen Hui are important witnesses, so come with me.”
Meng Qi was surprised and delighted. “I can go out of the temple right now?” He thought.
(End of volume one)