Chapter 2132: Chapter 1995: Helai?
More than twenty young warriors remained silent as they cleared the path by moving all the scattered skeletons to the side. When they reached the center, they found Master Benwu sitting upright in a sand pit, his entire body enshrouded in dried blood, motionless, without a trace of life.
Mr. Zhao, the young Taoist, and the old Taoist all stared motionlessly at the corpse of Master Benwu. Song Xiaodong, Sun Yiyi, Chu Xianling, and Zhao Ruonan also bowed their heads in silent mourning, and the young warriors uniformly removed their hats to pay their respects.
After a while, Mr. Zhao said to the warriors, "Bring it out."
The warriors touched Master Benwu’s corpse, the dried blood encrusting on the body had long hardened, forming a tough shell, and the body itself was as hard as a steel sculpture. Several warriors exerted strength together to lift the mage’s corpse and placed it on the sandy ground beside them.
Master Benwu still maintained his sitting position.
Mr. Zhao and the young Taoist peered into the sand pit and discovered a decaying heart, pierced through with a hole.
This was caused by Master Benwu’s Zen Staff.
But it was not enough to affect the singing woman.
The young Taoist pulled out his golden Dharma Sword, ready to stab downward.
Mr. Zhao waved to indicate to the young Taoist not to do it.
The young Taoist stopped the Dharma Sword an inch away from the heart.
"She is just a woman with a bitter fate," Mr. Zhao said.
The young Taoist didn’t stab it, but instead struck the heart with the back of the sword.
"Ah!——"
From the depths of the desert came a woman’s mournful scream.
"Let us send the little monk off," Mr. Zhao turned to look at Master Benwu’s corpse.
The young Taoist also turned around, and with a shake, the entire Golden Sword erupted like a blazing torch.
The young Taoist used the flame from the Golden Sword to ignite Master Benwu’s mortal body.
With a "woosh", Master Benwu’s body and the encrusted blood burst into flames like being drenched in gasoline, producing splendid flames which, in an instant, consumed Master Benwu entirely.
Anyone who has burned a corpse knows that it burns slowly and requires gasoline for thorough incineration over a long time.
Yet Master Benwu turned to ash almost instantaneously, leaving a pile of multicolored, translucent stones amid the ashes.
The young Taoist, as if seeing a treasure, took out a silk handkerchief, and without minding the heat from the ashes, carefully gathered the beautiful stones and wrapped them in the handkerchief.
"Hmph, the little monk can give them up, and yet you treat them as treasures," Mr. Zhao said disdainfully to the young Taoist.
"A monk’s depth of practice can be seen from this pile of ashes, taking it back to Fayu Temple allows for veneration," the young Taoist replied.
"Fayu Temple, it’s been nearly thirty years since anyone has achieved the Golden Body Dharma Manifestation. Had Monk Benwu lived another ten years, he could have surpassed Chan Master Huiru," Mr. Zhao said.
"The Mysterious Gate has declined, and in my Zhengyi Dao, the Dharma seals are being used to prop up table legs," the young Taoist said with self-mockery.
Mr. Zhao pondered for a moment, then turned to Song Xiaodong and said, "Mr. Song doesn’t have to be too concerned, this is simply what Fayu Temple owes your Dragon Gate."
The young Taoist also nodded to Song Xiaodong and said, "The Mysterious Gate hasn’t produced a grandmaster-level figure in nearly a hundred years. If your father had lived another twenty years, he might have become a leader uniting the Mysterious Gate."
"Alas, Heaven is jealous of talent, undone by the treachery of the Dark Night Sect," the young Taoist sighed.
"I hope Mr. Song strives hard, so as not to lose your father’s esteemed name," Mr. Zhao said.
Song Xiaodong felt his face heat up with embarrassment.
"Mr. Song, don’t be discouraged, Dragon Gate Taoism is a unique path, valuing foundation building requires slow progression initially, but let me remind you not to lose sight like Liu Bai, building a foundation for the sake of foundation. Strengthening the body should support the consumption of Taoist Arts, not just for the sake of being strong," the young Taoist said to Song Xiaodong.
"I humbly accept the master’s teachings," Song Xiaodong bowed his head.
The young Taoist turned to Mr. Zhao again and said, "If you have the time, send a message to Yama, to arrange a good family for Monk Benwu."
The young Taoist certainly knows how to talk.
Mr. Zhao gave the young Taoist a sidelong glance, pinching his fingers to calculate something, then smiled and said to the young Taoist, "If it doesn’t happen in this life, we’ll continue in the next. The little monk has already decided where to go."
"Alright, would you have time to accompany me to visit Fayu Temple?" the young Taoist asked Mr. Zhao.
"Sure," Mr. Zhao replied.
Speaking of Fayu Temple, half a month later, a young girl around seventeen or eighteen years old came, carrying a baby boy, tears streaking her face. After burning incense and bowing in the temple, she hurriedly left, leaving behind a baby boy.
A little monk from Fayu Temple, cradling the child, went to find the Abbot. Master Chuan Deng was meditating, slowly opened his eyes, uncovered the baby’s swaddling to take a look, and gently asked, "Where are you from?"
Benwu, where did you come from?
...
A group of people returned to Zhao Ruonan’s camp to rest.
The next day brought sandstorm weather again.
Zhao Ruonan wanted to venture to Lop Nur for another investigation, but the sandstorm was too severe, leaving her at a loss.
Early in the morning, the young Taoist was meditating in the tent, appearing lifeless, while Mr. Zhao snored away, and the old Taoist, following the young Taoist’s instructions, set up a ritual in the camp.
The old Taoist arranged an altar, set up incense tables, bathed, lit incense, formed seals with his hands, performed a foot-stomping ritual dance with disheveled hair, chanting incantations, and soon the sandstorm ceased, revealing clear skies again.
The young Taoist regained consciousness, Mr. Zhao also awoke, and Zhao Ruonan led a group of people, along with more warriors, to conduct a comprehensive investigation in Lop Nur.
