Chapter 385: A Timely Arrival

Over the years, Ji Yuan had traveled to many places and seen many temples, but he had to admit that, in terms of scale alone, none of them could compare to Daliang Monastery.

In Ji Yuan’s blurry vision, the Daliang Monastery complex stretched out for a considerable distance to either side, with tallest towering structures resembling pagodas.

“Dong…dong…dong…”

The bell continued to ring. Even an ordinary person would be able to feel a sense of Buddhist tranquility upon hearing it, but Ji Yuan could faintly hear chanting that accompanied the bell.

As he focused his mind, the Buddhist sound even briefly drowned out the noise of the surrounding pilgrims and pedestrians, lingering alone in Ji Yuan’s ears.

“Indeed, this Daliang Monastery is quite remarkable. It is worthy of being the Buddhist monastery to produce such a skilled monk as Huitong. Although this site does not hold the concentrated Dharma of the Mingwang Buddha, it is still extraordinary!”

Ji Yuan murmured his praise. He didn’t expect that, in such a noisy environment, he would be heard by a middle-aged man with keen hearing nearby.

“Sir, you are correct. This Daliang Monastery is an ancient temple, with a history going back over two hundred years. It is the foremost Buddhist monastery in our country. Mastery Huitong, the renowned monk, is a prominent figure of our Daliang Monastery today!”

Ji Yuan walked without any intent or spiritual energy, yet as he walked, a gentle breeze caressed his face, sweeping his sleeves and hair. The way he moved betrayed an air of elegance that was far beyond that of an ordinary scholar, without the imposing majesty of an official.

Such a distinguished figure in white robes attracted considerable attention. Some discerning individuals guessed that that he must be some renowned scholar, but they only glanced at him a few times before turning away, for fear of causing offense.

This man stood closer to Ji Yuan, and upon seeing the latter’s gaze, he bowed slightly as he walked beside him.

“Judging from your clear and articulate accent, are you from the vicinity of Nanshan Prefecture?”

In the country of Tingliang, Nanshan Prefecture was widely recognized to have the most accurate and standard dialectic pronunciation of the national language. Although learning their patterns of speech was very popular, unfortunately, while the language was similar across most parts of the country of Tingliang, regional accents were quite strong, making it difficult for anyone who wasn’t truly from the south to speak it so fluently.

Ji Yuan noticed that, although the man wore a loose robe, he had wrapped his wrists with studded arm guards, and his stride was neither too long nor too short, but very powerful. If he wasn’t of the military, he was likely a master of martial arts.

Ji Yuan bowed slightly in return, without stopping his walk. Then he shook his head and smiled.

“I am neither from Nanshan Prefecture nor from the country of Tingliang, but rather from Dazhen. With what I have heard, I have long admired Daliang Monastery, and have come here today to visit.”

Upon hearing that Ji Yuan was actually from Dazhen, the man’s eyes widened slightly. He looked Ji Yuan up and down and then left and right, confirming that he was alone, before introducing himself with clasped hands.

“So you are a refined gentleman from Dazhen! My apologies for not recognizing you. I am Tie Feng, Tie as in ‘unshakeable,’

1

Feng like the character in the phrase ‘furious storm.’

2

I am from the capital of Tinglian!”

“I am Ji Yuan, Ji from the phrase ‘a plan born of the heart,’ Yuan like the phrase, ‘a fate that unites no matter the distance.’”

3

Ji Yuan gave a brief reply then looked back towards Daliang Monastery. Less than a hundred paces away, numerous stalls and vendors lined the streets outside the monastery. Many had even set up makeshift sheds, making it look like a veritable market outside the monastery.

Tie Feng was clearly very curious about the distant land of Dazhen. After striking up a conversation and getting to know Ji Yuan, the two walked together, chatting and laughing.

Both were tactful individuals, so they kept their conversation superficial and didn’t delve into anything in depth. They mostly discussed the customs and traditions of their respective hometowns. Tie Feng also told Ji Yuan about the current state of Daliang Monastery, from the various pagodas inside to the eminent monks in the monastery, and even when those eminent monks would give lectures.

As they passed through the market in front of the monastery, Tie Feng bought a small bundle of incense. Ji Yuan did not buy any incense or candles. Tie Feng believed that this might be because this this scholar from Dazhen did not believe in ghosts, gods, immortals, or Buddhas.

Compared to the bustling market outside, the monastery, though also teeming with worshippers, was noticeably much quieter and more orderly. There were very few people making loud noises, and monks were present throughout the monastery to help worshippers with any problems.

Whether it was getting lost, not being able to find the exit, needing to go to a specific hall, to see a certain monk, or to understand what behaviors might violate monastery rules, monks would help or stop people as needed.

The liveliness of Daliang Monastery was evident throughout these actions.

“Haha, Mr. Ji, Daliang Monastery is quite nice, isn’t it? Does Dazhen have any similar famous temples?”

After entering the monastery, Tie Feng noticed Ji Yuan looking around frequently and pausing from time to time. He felt a little proud.

“Haha, Dazhen does not have any monasteries or temples of this scale. In my opinion, this Daliang Monastery, in terms of scale alone, is not only the largest temple in the country of Tingliang, but it could also be considered the largest in all three countries, both Tingliang, Zuyue, and Da Zhen.”

“Oh? You’ve been to Zuyue, sir?”

Tie Feng grew even more curious. Since this man could make this claim, it must not have been merely a place he visited passing through by chance.

“Yes, I’ve been there. Aside from a few places, the people there are living in dire straits!”

Looking at the prosperity of this region, and thinking back to the state of the country of Zuyue, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but sigh.

The two followed a group of pilgrims to the Mingwang Hall in the temple. Tie Feng was about to go in to offer incense when he took a few steps and realized that Ji Yuan had not followed. He turned around and saw that Ji Yuan had not stepped forward.

“Mr. Ji, what’s wrong?”

Ji Yuan bowed slightly.

“Brother Tie, please go and offer incense and pay your respects to the Buddha. I will not be going in to worship the Mingwang Buddha. I happen to have an old friend here at Daliang Monastery, so let us part ways now.”

“This… this is so sudden! I was hoping to invite Mr. Ji to visit my Tie family’s villa…”

Tie Feng and Ji Yuan got along very well, and Tie Feng considered the man before him a truly learned and refined gentleman. He did not want to part ways so soon.

“How about this, Mr. Ji, you can first come with me to pay respects to the Mingwang Buddha, then I’ll accompany you to search for that old friend…? Um, if that’s alright!”

Ji Yuan smiled and waved his hand.

“No, no, that might be a little inconvenient. As for paying my respects to the Mingwang Buddha…”

Ji Yuan looked at the magnificent Mingwang Hall. Through the wide-open hall doors, he could see a huge statue of a Mingwang Buddha, his hands forming mudras.

4

“Haha, better to put that out of mind!”

Ji Yuan cupped his hands in a respectful bow, nodded to Tie Feng, then turned and strode away in another direction without any hesitation.

Tie Feng stood on the steps of the main hall for a while, hesitated for a moment, and finally continued into the Mingwang Hall, since Mr. Ji had said it was inconvenient.

5

From his previous conversation with Tie Feng, Ji Yuan was already aware that most of the eminent monks of Daliang Monastery practiced in the inner courtyard. Huitong was no exception, so his next destination was clear.

He walked north, around the various buildings that made up the monastery, and finally arrived at an archway in front of a courtyard wall. However, a carriage was parked in front. It should be noted that, regardless of status, all other pilgrims were required to descend from their carriages before walking inside, but this carriage had actually driven directly into the depths of the monastery.

However, Ji Yuan didn’t think much about it and walked straight towards the archway, where a sign that read “No Pilgrims Allowed” hung behind two burly monks standing guard.

As Ji Yuan approached, one of the monks chanted a Buddhist prayer and reached out a hand to block the archway.

“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha. Benefactor, this area ahead is the backyard of our monastery, where eminent monks practice meditation. It is inconvenient for pilgrims to go here.”

Ji Yuan returned the greeting with cupped hands.

“I am not a pilgrim, nor will I force my way in. I have come to meet a friend. Please inform Master Huitong that Ji Yuan has come to visit, and he will see me.”

Although Tie Feng had repeatedly claimed that Master Huitong was definitely not in the temple, at such a close range, both his sense of his chess pieces and his divinations indicated that Huitong was indeed in Daliang Monastery.

“Uh, sir, Uncle Huitong is not here…”

“Master, monks should not lie. Please inform him.”

Ji Yuan stood there calmly, his words carrying a gentle and refreshing aura that made the two monks subconsciously more willing to believe him. They didn’t say anything more, and after exchanging a glance, the other monk spoke.

“Please wait a moment, benefactor. I will go to the back courtyard to inform him immediately. If Uncle Huitong refuses to see you, please do not be angry.”

“Thank you!”

Ji Yuan responded, and watched one of the monks hurriedly leave.

…

In a secluded monastery hall in the inner courtyard of Daliang Monastery, Monk Huitong sat on a prayer mat, his eyes lowered, his hands clasped in prayer, chanting sutras in a low voice.

In front of him was a low table with a small incense burner filled with sandalwood, a plate of fruit, a teapot and tea set, and several dishes of pastries.

On the opposite side of the low table, a woman in a peach-colored dress with a pearl hairpin sat cross-legged, leaning slightly forward, with her arms resting on her calves, watching Monk Huitong as he chanted.

The chanting stopped after a while.

“Master Huitong, I still can’t learn this ‘Buddha Seal Sutra.’”

The woman spoke. Monk Huitong could only sigh and repeat the chant of the sutra from the beginning.

At this moment, a burly monk hurried over from outside the hall, but before he could get close, he was stopped by a female official.

“Halt! Don’t go any further!”

The monk’s expression turned strange. He was clearly a monk from Daliang Monastery, yet he was being stopped by an outsider. However, he knew the gravity of the situation and understood that this person was not to be trifled with, so he spoke truthfully.

“Esteemed benefactor, an old friend of my Martial Uncle Huitong has come to visit. I need to inform him.”

“An old friend? Who is it? I’ll go and tell them for you!”

“Uh, that benefactor’s name is Ji Yuan. He said that once he hears his name, my martial uncle will meet him.”

The female official repeated the name and then asked again.

“Which character for Ji, and which for Yuan?”

“Uh, well, this humble monk does not know.”

“So unreliable! Wait here, I’ll go and inform him!”

“Yes, yes! Thank you for your trouble…”

The female official nodded, turned around, and walked towards the inner monastery hall, reaching the entrance in just a few steps.

“Knock knock knock…”

“What is it?”

“Young Miss, a monk said that someone claiming to be an old friend of Master Huitong has come to visit the Master. His name is Ji Yuan.”

Before the woman could finish speaking, she saw Monk Huitong, who had been chanting sutras, suddenly look up.

“Mr. Ji?”

The monk Huitong’s voice was filled with surprise, but his heart was filled with joy. The master had come at just the right time!

铁 (tiě): iron/weapons/violent/unshakeable/determined

狂风暴雨 (kuángfēngbàoyǔ): “howling wind and torrential rain,” can also mean “difficult circumstances.” The character for his name, 风 (fēng), means wind/a manner of being. The full meaning of his name thus comes out to roughly “unshakeable in a crisis”

T/n: And now we see the true origin of Ji Yuan’s name! There’s a common belief that an individual either grows into their name or their name in some way represents them. This phrase is the very essence of who Ji Yuan is in this story, and, I believe, the whole crux of the story itself: fate (and Ji Yuan as its agent) brings people together, even if far apart, with intentions born of the

heart

.

Mudras are symbolic hand gestures used in to guide energy flow. You might commonly see it in meditation with people pressing their middle finger and thumb together, extending the rest of their fingers, but there are many different kinds.

T/n: aww, bb got abandoned