The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 360: Bodhi Temple’s Clever Breaking of the Trap

“It is not my wish that all martial arts in the world come from Murong, but collecting all the books in the world and transforming into a family of scholars is the direction of my Murong family’s progress, so…” Murong Fu made a request that made Abbot Xuanci a little embarrassed, which was to copy the books from Shaolin Scripture Pavilion.

“Master, there is a saying in Buddhism that opens the door to convenience. What I seek is nothing more than Buddhist classics and the notes of eminent monks throughout the ages. The Shaolin Temple’s martial arts secrets are not included. What’s more, I am not planning to enter the Shaolin Sutra Library. I will just find a guest room in Shaolin and copy the Buddhist scriptures brought by the Shaolin monks with four maids.” Murong Fu said that it was necessary to avoid suspicion. After all, he was also a talented man, and having a photographic memory was the most basic requirement.

"As the saying goes, the truth should not be spread lightly. I am not the kind of person who does not know the rules. I offer you three thousand taels of silver as a token of my gratitude." Murong Fu also said that he did not have that much time. He would not stay in Shaolin for too long. He had to go back to Gusu and settle the little girl Zhong Ling in Gusu Academy. Finally, he had to rush to Yazhou within the specified time.

Abbot Xuanci and Gang Leader Qiao Feng smiled at each other. Everyone in the world knows that you, County Magistrate Murong, are the most free official. You spend less than half of the year in office, but your talent keeps your jurisdiction in perfect order. You are truly an outlier among officials.

"You are slandering me. I work diligently and conscientiously. Although I am flexible in my methods, I still have to abide by the necessary rules. At the very least, I must not miss the various stipulated time points, otherwise I will truly be severing my official duties." Murong Fu waved his hand impatiently and said, "Let's not talk about such troubles. Master Abbot, one should not be too greedy. Three thousand taels is not a small amount, and it's just for copying Buddhist scriptures and the monks' notes, which were handed over by you."

Abbot Xuanci chanted a Buddhist name, indicating that there was no inconvenience in copying the Buddhist scriptures. The real inconvenience was for the four female donors who were going to live in Shaolin Temple. It would be very bad if you got excited at night and did something that insulted Buddhism.

Murong Fu's face darkened at this. "Do I look like someone so impatient?" You have to know that this world has the reincarnations of Ling Meng and Ling Yue. Before getting married, I was a virgin, never transgressing the law.

Murong Fu promised to stay in Shaolin alone, while the other maids and guards, as well as Cao Yi, Zhuge Xiu, and Zhong Wanchou's family of three, could choose to stay in the inn at the foot of the mountain. After all, the competition between North Qiao Feng and South Murong was over, and they had no reason to stay any longer.

Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, Murong Fu and Qiao Feng had another big fight in the Shaolin martial arts training ground. This time, they were competing with weapons. One of them held a long sword and wielded the Dragon City sword technique like the endless waves of a river, while the other held a dog-beating stick and moved it nimbly and delicately, and there was no clear winner.

However, there were not many people who were lucky enough to witness their private martial arts competition. There were only the Shaolin monks who did not attend the morning class and a group of people brought by Murong Fu. They saw them fighting yesterday, but it was mostly hand-to-hand combat. Today, they saw how powerful their weapons were, and they were all very excited.

Murong Fu's three thousand taels of silver were not wasted. The vegetarian food in Shaolin Temple tasted pretty good. Although it was not as good as Murong's home-cooked meals, it was also not comparable to those restaurants and inns outside. After breakfast, Abbot Xuanci and Master Xuanku took Murong Fu, Qiao Feng, Cao Yi, Zhong Ling and others to visit Shaolin.

Murong Fu was born into the Murong family, which developed rapidly after he came to power. Although he was not rich enough to rival a country, he was still wealthy. Whenever he went to a Buddha, he would make a donation, ranging from thirty to fifty taels each time, and sometimes as much as one or two hundred taels of silver, which made the two accompanying monks and all the monks in the temple smile.

Cao Yi also came from a wealthy family, but he was a rising star in a military family. He was not interested in Buddhist things and was only entangled with Zhuge Xiu. Their kissing made people want to beat him up. The young girl Zhong Ling was curious about everything in her youth, and she kept pestering Murong Fu and chattering non-stop.

Murong Fu was knowledgeable and talented, and had a good understanding of Buddhism. He introduced the origins of those Buddha statues in a very clear and logical way, which made Abbot Xuanci and Master Xuanku nod their heads frequently. He would add to his explanations from time to time and tell some classic stories of Buddhism, which made Zhong Ling listen with great interest.

They walked through the hall and into the Bodhi Courtyard. After paying respects to the three Buddha statues and casually exchanging thirty or fifty taels of silver, Murong Fu suddenly became interested in a screen before the Buddha statues in the back hall. Mounted on the screen was a large bronze mirror, polished to a crystal shine. It reflected his own reflection. Inscribed on the mirror were four sutra verses: "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; like dewdrops and lightning, they should be viewed in this way."

"This sentence comes from the Diamond Sutra, also known as the Diamond Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Diamond Prajnaparamita Sutra, one of the most important sutras of the Mahayana Buddhist Prajnaparamita section and widely circulated within the Buddhist community. It means that all phenomena arising from causes and conditions are like dreams, shadows in foam, and mist, unfathomable and ever-changing. At the same time, they change as swiftly as lightning. We must constantly view everything in this world in this way."

Upon hearing this, Abbot Xuanci chanted a Buddhist name and said, "Donor Murong has a good Buddha nature. The Buddha's words are telling us not to cling to it, as it would restrict our originally liberated and free nature."

Murong Fu glanced at him and said, "Master Abbot, even if you talk a lot of nonsense, don't even think about getting me to become a monk. My Murong family has only one son for five generations. I will definitely marry three wives and four concubines to expand the Murong family."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ling immediately became alert, staring intently at Abbot Xuanci, causing him to frown. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "There is a collection of Buddhist scriptures in the Bodhi Courtyard. These are Mahayana sutras and treatises written by senior monks of this temple to expound the Dharma and enlighten the world. If a Buddhist disciple were to obtain them and recite and study them, they would certainly benefit greatly. However, if an ordinary person were to obtain them and disrespect them, it would be a serious sin."

"This scripture is hidden here. If you can find it, Mr. Murong, you will be given half an hour to read it. If you can't..." Before Abbot Xuanci finished speaking, Murong Fu interrupted him, "If you can't find it, you can donate another 100 taels of silver."

"Amitabha." Abbot Xuanci hastily added, "It will take half an hour. Please handle it with care and don't damage the Buddhist instruments."

Murong Fu laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "Master Abbot, you have a good plan. I originally planned to bribe a few novice monks in the temple and ask for some tips, but now it's no longer possible. After all, such things can only be done privately, not openly. The master gave me a hint, only here..."

Having said that, Murong Fu swept his eyes across the area, and whenever he looked at a place, he quietly observed the reactions of the monks around him. Abbot Xuanci's smiling face remained unchanged, and Master Xuanku had a blank expression, but the other monks could not remain so calm, and he soon discovered the clues.

"So that's how it is. The secret is hidden in these four verses?" Murong Fu fixed his eyes on the screen. Abbot Xuanci chanted the Buddha's name, and Master Xuanku looked up at him. The reactions of the two were seen by others, which meant that Murong Fu was not looking in the wrong direction.

"Brother Murong, how did you find this?" Zhong Ling was extremely curious. "This screen is so large, it doesn't meet the abbot's requirement for Buddhist instruments to be handled with care, right?"

"Haha, Sister Ling'er, this is a rare Buddhist artifact. The abbot didn't lie, he just misled you into thinking that a Buddhist artifact meant to be handled with care must be a small one. Actually, that's not the case. For masters like us, this screen can be handled with ease." Murong Fu tapped it gently a few times, listened carefully, and nodded slightly, saying, "It does have a mechanism, but it's not difficult for me."

"There are many methods for breaking mechanisms. Gusu College is well-versed in hundreds of schools of thought, and Mohism ranks among the foremost." Murong Fu explained while carefully observing everything, looking forward, backward, left, right, and up and down. "Medical science emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. However, if you understand the Dao, the principles of mechanisms can also be applied. The first is observation, or looking. By observing the shape, you can determine its general type and find the mechanism's activation point."

"Hearing is listening, and listening to the sound to determine the position is not just about identifying the position. You also need to listen while operating to determine whether the operation is correct and effective. Asking is also a great skill. As I said before, I plan to ask the young monks in the temple later, but..." Murong Fu said this, glanced at Abbot Xuanci, and said, "The Master Abbot has set a time limit, but this shortcut to Nanshan has been cut off."

"There are risks in using it on the mechanism, which is also known as knocking the mountain to scare the tiger. Just one careless move may cause an accident. Therefore, if you cannot be sure of the safety of the mechanism, this method should not be used casually. Well, if the abbot does not blame me for breaking this technical mechanism, this is the most convenient and quickest method." Murong Fu had just finished speaking when Abbot Xuanci chanted the Buddha's name and asked him to cherish the Buddhist instruments.

Next, Murong Fu demonstrated to everyone how the orthodox Mohist descendant cracked the delicate mechanism. He pricked up his ears and tapped almost the entire screen with his fingers. Then he lifted up the words on the bronze mirror one by one. He listened and paused after each one, then closed it and lifted up the others. After trying them all, he quickly selected a few combinations and tried them one by one. After a while, a light "click" sound was heard.

Murong Fu laughed heartily and turned behind the screen. In full view of everyone, he took out a bulging cloth bag and said triumphantly to Abbot Xuanci and Master Xuanku, "Master Abbot, I've won this time. Let me see which master created this masterpiece."

Abbot Xuanci and Master Xuanku chanted Buddhist scriptures at the same time, their eyes turned to the cloth bag, their expressions slightly amiss.