Chapter 53 Past Events and Eight Years of Tribulations
The shopkeeper was hiding in the shadows, while dozens of people gathered inside. At the center of the hall, three people were sitting at a square table.
Standing next to his senior brother, Ye Can said impatiently, "What are you competing in? Just say it."
Ling Qieting instructed, "One must not be rude."
“It’s very simple. Compare—” Wang Yan looked the two people in front of him up and down, “their appearance.”
Slippery immediately shouted, "No! This isn't fair!"
Yuan Tie turned around and kicked Hua Zi, "What are you yelling for? I might not even lose!"
Wang Yan followed up with, "I declare: The Righteous Alliance has won."
Yuan Tie immediately jumped up, "It's too arbitrary for one person to make the judgment! We need to have everyone's input, don't you think!"
The White Tiger Gang members responded enthusiastically. Wang Yan also compromised; for the sake of fairness, everyone present participated. Half an hour later, the shopkeeper's tally showed a draw. The White Tiger Gang clearly had significantly more members than the Righteous Alliance, yet it was a tie.
Yuan Tie was furious, "Who betrayed me?!"
Wang Yan was not satisfied with the result and suggested that the shop owners also participate, but this was immediately rejected by Yuan Tie.
"How can a fair judge get involved?"
“And me.” Li Changling carried Ling Cang into the store. Although he had washed his hands, the moment he stepped inside, a stench of blood quickly permeated every corner. “I choose—you.”
Ye Can shrugged, looking as if he had expected it, and said, "We won."
The White Tiger Gang members were already itching to make their move, just waiting for Yuan Tie's order.
"Take them all!"
Hua Zi tugged at Yuan Tie's sleeve worriedly, "Boss, Li Changling is here too."
Yuan Tie drew his sword and charged towards Ling Qieting, shouting, "What are you afraid of! There are more of us!"
Wang Yan pulled Shen Minghuai to hide behind the shopkeeper, "They should be able to beat us, right?"
"You heartless brat, you only care about protecting him and don't even care about me." Li Changling appeared behind the three of them without them noticing, startling the shopkeeper.
Wang Yan pulled Li Changling behind a wooden pillar. It was dimly lit, and she couldn't see clearly, so she had to feel around with her hands. "How could this be? I was just looking for you, and here you are. Are you alright?"
"What are you doing, getting handsy?" Li Changling suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a sinister gaze out of the corner of his eye. Then Shen Minghuai pushed Wang Yan's hand away and personally examined him.
"I'll do it."
"Alright, alright, I'm not hurt." Li Changling leaned half his body out. "It looks like it's almost over, let's run."
Wang Yan pulled him back and said regretfully, "Why didn't you run just now? It was too late."
The White Tiger Gang members left the inn in no time, leaving behind a mess of scattered tables and chairs. The innkeeper ran out, knelt on the broken wood, and cried out. Qu Zhen waved his hand and gave him a silver ingot, which calmed him down a little.
Wang Yan clasped his hands in thanks, but before he could speak, Ling Qieting spoke first to Li Changling, saying, "Now can we talk about how to cooperate?"
Ying Ming looked at the three leaders sitting inside, turned around and sighed, "They used the Righteous Alliance and then ran away, but instead of running away, they came looking for them. They all say these gangs hold grudges very much."
"Aren't we still here for each other?"
Hua Xin gazed at the carriages and pedestrians below, each finding their place. The once magnificent scene had long been lost to the river of time. Although this place was far less prosperous than the capital, it inexplicably brought a sense of peace.
Ying Ming stiffly turned his head, "Are you planning to fight ten against one, or should I learn the art of creating clones?"
“It’s not impossible.” Hua Xin’s expression suddenly changed, and he immediately walked inside. “What I say comes true.”
Ye Can kicked the door open, and Qu Zhen glanced at Ling Qieting before rushing forward to stop him, "Second Senior Brother, don't be rude."
"Fine! You promised cooperation, but you disappeared as soon as we entered the city. Do you really think our Righteous Alliance is easy to bully?" Ye Can was interrupted midway through his speech. Although his anger subsided slightly, it didn't stop him from venting the remaining half of his rage.
Li Changling twirled his teacup with his index finger and calmly said, "I've already shared all the information we know, so how can it not be considered cooperation?"
"Inform me? Give me a heads-up—"
Ling Qieting interrupted Ye Can's cursing, "Tranquility is not found here."
Wang Yan finished the last bite of the floating rice ball. "We never said Jingxin was here, did we? It happened several months ago. No matter how fast you travel, she would be long gone."
Before Ye Can could speak, Shen Minghuai continued, "Since you've been here, you must have left clues. Just look for them."
"When will you be able to find it?" Qu Zhen felt that this trip would be a long way off.
Wang Yan blinked her charming eyes and looked at Ling Qieting, "Do you perhaps have a better idea?"
Following their trail, only three people were able to elicit clues about the Tranquil Mind Sutra. Either they were too proud to act due to their sect's reputation, or they lacked the strength. Otherwise, with so many people wanting the Tranquil Mind Sutra, how could there have been no activity?
Ling Qieting said, "Since you have agreed to cooperate, Madam Wang must be of one mind with us."
"Of course. When did I sell information to others?" Wang Yan thought to himself. The White Tiger Gang members aren't stupid. Do you think I could stop them?
Shen Minghuai steered the conversation back on track, "Besides this, have you made any other discoveries?"
The Righteous Alliance inquired throughout Cixi County and only learned that Jingxin had come to find a Master from India. The monks of Wulei Temple said that Master Tianzhu was buried in a mountain outside the western suburbs of the city. Because Prince Ning had a grudge against the previous prefect, very few people went to pay their respects to him after Prince Ning passed away.
The following day, Wang Yan and his group split into two groups with the Righteous Alliance, heading west out of the city to search different areas. They had hired experts to accompany them, and shortly after leaving the city gate, a group of people began to sneak up behind them.
"Chief Bai."
Yuan Tie was walking ahead when suddenly a woman's voice came from above. Looking up, he saw Wang Yan sitting in a tree wiping fruit. The brothers immediately became alert, and the girl threw down a few fruits, which landed precisely in the hands of Yuan Tie and Hua Zi.
"Want some? It's very sweet."
"Don't even think about plotting against me, the gang leader." Yuan Tie flung the fruit to the ground. "Also, my surname is Yuan, not Bai."
Hua Zi picked up the fruit from the ground, wiped it clean, and brought it to Yuan Tie's lips. "Boss, it's really sweet."
"You!" Yuan Tie's eyes widened as he watched Hua Zi pop another red fruit into his mouth. "...How could the poison take effect so quickly? Are you an idiot?!"
Slippery immediately put his hand to his throat and bent over to gag. Wang Yan leisurely ate one in front of everyone, only to be reminded by the brothers behind him that the fruit was not poisonous.
Yuan Tie yelled at her, "Stop pretending! Where is Li Changling hiding? Come out now!"
Wang Yan smiled and said, "Don't be in a hurry, Chief Yuan Baihu. I'm here on his behalf to negotiate with you. Once we've reached an agreement, I'll naturally take you to see him."
"What are you talking about? You've already cooperated with the Righteous Alliance, are you still trying to fool us?" Yuan Tie said disdainfully and angrily. "What Yuan Baihu Gang Leader? Let me say it again, my surname is Yuan, and my given name is Tie. I'm not called Yuan Baihu!"
Hua Zi whispered, "White Tiger Gang Leader... White Tiger Gang, leader, the boss is indeed the leader of our White Tiger Gang."
Yuan Tie slapped Hua Zi's tumor with his palm, "You have to say it!"
"I've heard that your gang has many capable people. So, I'll tell you all about this trip, and you'll help me achieve my goal." Wang Yan leaped down, startling Yuan Tielian into taking three steps back.
"We didn't bring a single member of the Righteous Alliance on this trip, which is enough to prove our sincerity in cooperating."
Nyako agreed, "Boss, she makes a good point."
Wang Yan's eyes darted around, and his tone became even more sincere, "I guarantee you will find Jingxin before the Righteous Alliance."
Yuan Tie winked and pondered for a while. Seeing that the woman's eyes no longer held the hostility he had shown during their first meeting, he agreed. Wang Yan led them to the other side of the woods. When the White Tiger Gang members saw Li Changling, none of them dared to get too close.
Yuan Tie stopped nine feet away from him. "What do you need our people for?"
"Tomb raiding".
One day sunny, one day rainy, they were led by the White Tiger Gang over one mountain after another, to one village after another, and discovered a large number of graves, the deceased of various identities, as well as many nameless graves, but none of them were the one they were looking for.
On the fourth day, upon returning home, Li Changling suddenly remembered that he had seen a travelogue in a secret room in the Xu residence. He had searched every bookstore in the city but couldn't find a single copy. On the morning of the seventh day, Shen Minghuai woke Wang Yan, who finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"I'm not going! At this rate, how long will it take?"
Shen Minghuai went downstairs and said to everyone, "We've been searching for so many days, why don't we rest for a day before setting off again?"
Li Changling raised both hands in agreement, but Yuan Tie said, "No! We can't let the Righteous Alliance beat us to it! They're so spoiled. Let's go!"
After Yuan Tie and the White Tiger Gang left, Wang Yan finally stretched and went downstairs.
"How about we eat at the morning market today?"
Wang Yan sat down, holding a bowl of wontons. Looking up, he saw his senior brother from the Righteous Alliance, whom he hadn't seen for several days, sitting in the steamed bun shop across the street. Just as the man was about to turn his head, Wang Yan quickly pulled Li Changling closer to the table, instructing them both, "Sit closer! Don't turn around."
Unfortunately, Li Changling's red dress was so eye-catching that she couldn't help but attract attention. Before she could even swallow a wonton, Ling Qieting naturally sat down next to her, while Qu Zhen and Ye Can behind her were still holding steamed buns that they had only taken two bites of.
Has anyone noticed anything?
Wang Yan shook his head and sighed, "If I had, I wouldn't be sitting here."
Ling Qieting nodded. “You’re not too stupid. This method is not feasible; it’s too broad. We’ve been investigating for several days and have a general understanding of Lotus Wisdom’s life.”
An Indian, he entered the Central Plains three times to spread his teachings, and was a guest of honor of officials and princes. He left behind a book called "Journey to the West" which has been passed down to later generations.
Ling Qieting placed a book on the table. "Take a look and see if there are any other clues."
It turned out that the "Journey to the West" they had been searching for for two days was in the hands of the Righteous Alliance. Wang Yan snorted, "It seems the Righteous Alliance is not truly cooperating with us."
Ye Can scoffed, "It's already generous of us to tell you now, Senior Brother."
“You may go into the mountains and search for another seven days.”
Ling Qieting seemed to have achieved his goal, and left after uttering a single sentence.
"How did we end up being led by the nose by the White Tiger Gang, spending seven days walking through the mountains for nothing?" Wang Yan walked toward Shen Minghuai, who was sitting at the table. The book "Journey to the West" had been almost completely read.
"Any discoveries?"
Shen Minghuai closed the book. "It's all about my experiences on my journey to the west, yet it seems as if it was written for someone else."
Li Changling hurriedly asked, "Was the Central Plains not mentioned?"
"Yes, but the book only mentions Cixi in one sentence."
"I wonder if Venerable Narayana ever drank the Rizhu Snow Bud tea from that teahouse?"
Wang Yan read it again, "Where does it point to the two characters 'Cixi'?"
Shen Minghuai had already gotten up and was walking outside. "It is said that Narayana was the founder of Wulei Temple."
When they arrived at Zhanyun Tea House, the triennial storytelling performance was about to begin. Li Changling found the manager, and as soon as he uttered the words "Lotus Wisdom," the manager claimed to know nothing and turned to attend to other matters.
"They really did come."
Shen Minghuai said, "That's not right." Even if someone asked, the shopkeeper shouldn't have this attitude.
“Perhaps this is just his nature,” Wang Yan suggested. “But since you think there’s a problem, why don’t you sit down and listen to the whole story before you ask him?”
This storytelling session revolves around the life of a princess. This princess was born in the capital and buried in a remote mountain area. Wang Yan had no interest in life in the capital, but was deeply attracted by a romantic tale.
The princess once discussed Buddhism with a monk in this teahouse. They found themselves very congenial. Knowing that he was only temporarily residing at Wulei Temple to preach and would eventually leave, they agreed to meet again in three years to discuss the Dharma. Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and the monk did not keep his promise. The princess had no choice but to obey her father's arrangement and, with tears in her eyes, marry a layman. Five years later, she died in despair. Truly: Ten years have passed, life and death are separated by a vast distance; though I try not to think of him, I cannot forget him.
"Although entering Buddhism means leaving the mortal world, that monk was too heartless, even breaking his promise to discuss the Dharma."
Wang Yan listened intently, tears welling in her eyes without her realizing it. Gently wiping away her tears with her sleeve, she then noticed that Shen Minghuai had been lost in thought for quite some time.
Shen Minghuai clenched the hand waving in front of him. "This person might be Princess Changping."
Princess Changping… that name sounds familiar. Wang Yan exclaimed in a low voice, “Princess Changping?!”
Li Changling summoned a waiter and inquired about the storybook. The waiter explained that the storybook was unique to his teahouse and had been reviewed for decades. The three of them then chose a private room and, citing doubts about the storybook, asked the waiter to fetch the manager. Manager Xu opened the door and, seeing the three of them, quickly closed it, only to be blocked on either side by Ying Ming and Hua Xin.
"What do you want to do! This is my teahouse!"
Shen Minghuai opened the door again. "We don't mean to make things difficult, we just want to ask you something. Have you heard the story of Princess Changping and Lianhua Zhi?"
They followed Manager Xu to the backyard, where he took out dozens of yellowed pages of manuscript paper from a locked box. The paper was covered with densely packed small characters and numerous revisions, a testament to the author's painstaking effort.
"This is the storybook my grandmother wrote back then, which she also heard from my great-grandmother."
Wang Yan hurriedly asked, "Lotus Wisdom has returned to the Central Plains, why don't they meet again?"
Shopkeeper Xu stroked the patina pattern on the box. "He didn't return for two years."
Padmasambhava did not intentionally break his promise, but rather traveled westward at the behest of the King of India, where he wrote this renowned travelogue based on his experiences over ten years. He then returned to China, where he stayed for seven years. Padmasambhava had told his disciples that after the eighth year, he would leave China, either returning to India or embarking on another westward journey. However, fate intervened, and Padmasambhava passed away on New Year's Eve.
Wang Yan murmured, "Why eight years?"
Shen Minghuai looked towards that spot from back then, "Eight years of calamity, eight years of history."
Shopkeeper Xu paused for a moment, then put the storybook back into the box. "It was all due to the Buddha's mercy."
Shen Minghuai lowered his eyes slightly, "One should dwell nowhere, yet let one's mind arise."
Li Changling couldn't help but comfort him, saying, "People in the Buddhist order always see things more clearly than we do."
Shopkeeper Xu's eyes were filled with unconcealed disappointment. "He once told my great-grandmother that he had visited Changping, that it was a very good location, and that if he had nowhere else to go in the future, his body could perhaps rest there forever. He stayed there for seven years, and my grandmother thought..."
"I thought that those who entered the Buddhist order must have developed worldly desires, but I didn't expect that they never had any." Wang Yan's gaze fell on the dark rose petals, drifting away with that past memory.
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Changling asked, "Does the shopkeeper know where they are buried? If only we could go and see them..."
Shopkeeper Xu shook his head. "After my great-grandmother passed away, none of the younger generation ever went to pay their respects to Princess Changping, let alone Lianhua Zhi."
Shen Minghuai seemed to have a solution: "We can only try our luck."
The next day, before the morning mist had dissipated, the three of them returned to Princess Changping's tomb without any difficulty, thanks to Shen Minghuai's amazing memory.
"The inscription also contains Sanskrit, and the princess is a devout Buddhist." Wang Yan circled the tomb again, but couldn't find anything particularly special about it.
"The three of you are quite capable."
Ye Can's voice arrived first, but the first person she saw was Ling Qie Ting.
"The information we cracked in three days, you cracked in just one day."
Wang Yan smiled silently. "It's half a day."
Qu Zhen asked in surprise, "You found this tomb based on just that one sentence? But what is the relationship between the tomb's occupant and Jingxin?"
Ling Qieting proposed to Shen Minghuai, "Shall we cooperate? This time, I'm serious."
“Then you’ll have to ask her,” Li Changling said, pulling Shen Minghuai to stand behind Wang Yan. “We’ll all listen to her.”
"stop--"
An arrow shot towards Wang Yan, cutting off his words. Li Changling reacted quickly, pulling Wang Yan back and then kicking him back, the arrow striking the enemy squarely in the chest.
"You've alerted the enemy, you fool!"
Wang Yan looked closely and saw dozens of masked men in black leap out of the nearby woods, wielding long knives and attacking them.
Ling Qieting drew his sword and walked ahead, saying, "I'll help you solve these problems in exchange for your cooperation."
"No need."
A rustling sound came from the woods behind him. Wang Yan turned around at the sound, drew his soft sword, and leaped away. In the blink of an eye, a person clutched their bleeding wrist and knelt down. Wang Yan dodged the falling longsword and thrust his sword at the person's leg.
"Aying!"
Wang Yan swiftly grabbed Shen Minghuai's left arm, swept her legs around, and the masked man who attacked from behind fell asleep instantly. Her snow-blue hair ribbons fluttered in the wind as all the black-clad men on Wang Yan's side collapsed. If these men were to fight Li Changling, it would be tantamount to throwing eggs against rocks, but Wang Yan dealt with most of them. The other side was also quickly dealt with, but Li Changling was surprised when Qu Zhen helped Ling Qieting walk over.
"How did you get hurt?"
Qu Zhen helped Ling Qieting sit down and bandaged his wounds. "Senior Brother did this to protect me. Otherwise, how could those people be a match for him?"
Ling Qieting raised his eyes and glanced silently at Wang Yan. "I was just lost in thought."
Yunyi was still bleeding, Wang Yan was sweating profusely and her lips were pale. She was able to walk more steadily with the help of Shen Minghuai.
Qu Zhen finished treating her wounds and stood up, glancing at the two people walking hand in hand. "The King's wife said it's unnecessary."
Ling Qieting leaned weakly against the tree, his face pale. "The knife was poisoned. I was injured protecting you, so we can cooperate now, right?"
Wang Yan gave a weak snort, "Protect me? Don't talk nonsense. Isn't it only natural for you to protect your junior sister?"
Ling Qieting slowly stood up and looked her in the eye. "They came for you. If anyone gets hurt because of this, it's because of you."
The smile froze on his face. Wang Yan's eyes darkened, and he gripped the menacing Shen Minghuai tightly as he walked toward the men in black lying on the ground.
Li Changling stood there with his sword in his arms, frowning and scoffing, "He tried to show off by making a move, but ended up getting injured because his martial arts were lacking. That's his own fault."
Ling Qieting ignored Li Changling's words, turned around and walked to Wang Yan's side, plunging his sword into the chest of the man who had just injured him. "You can't be soft-hearted towards the enemy."
Looking around, all the people lying on the ground were corpses. Blood seeping from their chests was reflected in her suddenly widened dark eyes, and Wang Yan's trembling fingers clenched into two fists. This whole affair was because of her; if one day she couldn't even protect those closest to her…
Shen Minghuai wrapped his large hand around hers and gently comforted her, "You did nothing wrong."
Hearing the sound, Ling Qieting lowered his eyes and looked over, becoming even more curious about who had committed the deadly act. Qu Zhen went to pick some fruit and returned. Seeing the corpses all over the ground, he quickly hid behind his senior brother, grabbing his robe and taking several steps back.
Shen Minghuai and Li Changling searched the group of assassins thoroughly but found nothing unusual.
Qu Zhen muttered under her breath, "To take money and do things this way, they actually went to such lengths."
"They don't seem like assassins trained by any organization; they've most likely been threatened. Hmm—"
Li Changling looked down and saw a man in black, who had not taken any poison but was severely injured, grabbing his sleeve as if he had something to say.
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Author's note: *Tomb raiding is the same as tomb robbing.
*度: In Sanskrit, 度 means to reach the other shore. 度皆苦厄 (to transcend all suffering and distress).
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