After arriving in Dali, Ye Qiu and his two companions took a bus to Wuliang Mountain.
Tianlong Temple is situated within Wuliang Mountain.
An hour later.
The bus reached Wuliang Mountain, and as Ye Qiu and his companions disembarked, they heard a bell ring out.
“Dong—”
The bell’s sound was melodious, instantly calming the mind.
Ye Qiu looked up and saw a staircase of bluestone steps winding upwards, stretching all the way to the mountain’s peak.
The three began ascending the steps.
Each bluestone step was three feet long and one foot wide, weathered by years of wind and rain, leaving them mottled and uneven, uncomfortable underfoot.
After climbing a thousand steps, the staircase showed no sign of ending.
Not a single pilgrim was seen along the way.
Qian Duoduo grumbled, “Cousin, there are so many temples in Suzhou and Hangzhou you could’ve visited, but you had to come to Tianlong Temple. Aren’t you just torturing us? I’m exhausted.”
“Did I ask you to come?” Ye Qiu replied. “If you don’t want to climb, you can wait at the foot of the mountain.”
Qian Duoduo chuckled, “I’m already here. If I don’t go up and pay respects to the Buddha, he’ll surely blame me.”
Ye Qiu said irritably, “You’re overthinking it. The Buddha would rather you didn’t bother.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because the Buddha doesn’t like bootlickers.”
“Sister-in-law, listen to how harsh my cousin is!”
Qian Duoduo had hoped Lin Jingzhi would back him up, but to his surprise, Lin Jingzhi smiled and said, “Ye Qiu’s just telling the truth. How is that harsh?”
Qian Duoduo: “…”
On either side of the bluestone steps, green peaks loomed faintly, streams cascaded, emerald birds chirped, and the scent of grass and trees filled the air.
It was refreshing and uplifting.
The staircase had three thousand steps in total.
At the top, a temple appeared before the trio.
“This is Tianlong Temple?” Qian Duoduo asked, dumbfounded. “Cousin, are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?”
“It… should be, right?”
Even Ye Qiu sounded uncertain.
The temple was small, its gate dilapidated, overgrown with weeds, nestled among the mountains as if cut off from the world.
Qian Duoduo was deeply disappointed. “Master Jin Yong wrote in *The Eightfold Path of Tianlong* that Tianlong Temple is the royal temple of the Dali Kingdom, grand and solemn, known as the ‘City of Buddha.’ How is this just a lonely, rundown temple?”
Ye Qiu explained, “Jin Yong never visited Dali before writing *The Eightfold Path of Tianlong*.”
“What?” Qian Duoduo was shocked. “So the Tianlong Temple in *The Eightfold Path of Tianlong* is fictional?”
Ye Qiu nodded.
“Damn, I always thought Tianlong Temple was real, full of martial arts masters. Turns out I was fooled. Bloody hell!” Qian Duoduo cursed.
Ye Qiu said seriously, “Although the Tianlong Temple in *The Eightfold Path of Tianlong* is fictional, the Tianlong Temple we’ve come to today does indeed have martial arts masters.”
“Cousin, you’re saying there are masters here?”
Pointing at the dilapidated temple, Qian Duoduo laughed, “This temple’s smaller than my family’s villa, and you’re saying there are martial arts masters inside? How’s that possible? Sister-in-law, do you believe him?”
“I… believe Ye Qiu,” Lin Jingzhi said, though she hesitated.
Clearly, to her, such a run-down temple seemed unlikely to house martial arts masters, let alone residents.
“Cousin, we’ve seen Tianlong Temple. Can we go now? If we stay any longer, the mosquitoes will carry me off.”
Qian Duoduo didn’t want to linger a moment more and turned to leave.
At that moment, a hearty laugh came from inside the temple gate: “Amitabha! When friends come from afar, is it not a joy?”
Hearing this voice, a smile finally appeared on Ye Qiu’s face.
Qian Duoduo turned to see an old monk emerging from the dilapidated gate.
The monk, in his sixties, wore a red kasaya, with a round face, broad ears, and a dignified, serene appearance.
His attire stood in stark contrast to the temple’s decrepit state.
“Eh, there’s really a monk here?” Qian Duoduo exclaimed, looking at the old monk. “Old monk, tell me, is this Tianlong Temple?”
“Duoduo, don’t be rude to the master.”
Ye Qiu scolded him, then bowed slightly to the monk, saying, “Master Du’e, it’s been a while!”
Indeed, this old monk was none other than Master Du’e, the abbot of Tianlong Temple, whom Ye Qiu had met in the capital—a martial arts expert ranked fourth on the Dragon List!
Master Du’e approached Ye Qiu, smiling, “Benefactor Ye, ever since we parted in the capital, this old monk has been waiting for you here. At last, you’ve come.”
“My apologies, I’ve been tied up with mundane affairs and only just found time to visit you,” Ye Qiu said apologetically.
Master Du’e laughed, “I understand, I understand.”
“Oh, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Lin Jingzhi.”
“And this is my cousin, Qian Duoduo.”
Ye Qiu introduced Lin Jingzhi and Qian Duoduo to Master Du’e.
“Greetings to both benefactors,” Master Du’e said with a smile.
“Greetings, Master. I hope we’re not intruding,” Lin Jingzhi said politely.
She could tell this old monk was no ordinary figure.
“Benefactor Lin is too kind,” Master Du’e replied with a smile.
Qian Duoduo grinned, “Hello, Master. If you ever have time, come visit me in Suzhou or Hangzhou.”
“Duoduo, mind your manners,” Ye Qiu reprimanded, then said to Master Du’e, “My cousin is always like this. Please forgive him, Master.”
“Hahaha, Benefactor Qian’s sincerity and frank nature delight this poor monk.”
Ye Qiu thought this was mere politeness, but to his surprise, Master Du’e removed a string of bodhi seed prayer beads from his left wrist and handed them to Qian Duoduo.
“Benefactor Qian, a small gift for our first meeting. It’s but a token—please accept it,” Master Du’e said with a smile.
“Thank you, Master,” Qian Duoduo accepted without hesitation.
Ye Qiu immediately recognised the beads’ immense value and said, “Duoduo, return the beads to the Master at once.”
Qian Duoduo was reluctant. “Cousin, you know the saying: a gift given is like water poured out—it can’t be taken back.”
“Hahaha, Benefactor Qian speaks plainly and rightly. How could this old monk take back what’s been given?” Master Du’e looked at Qian Duoduo, smiling broadly, and asked, “Benefactor Qian, this old monk has a question for you. Please answer truthfully.”
“What’s that, Master?” Qian Duoduo asked curiously.
Master Du’e asked, “Do you know of the Buddha?”
Qian Duoduo nodded. “Of course I do.”
“Then what do you think the Buddha is?” Master Du’e asked, gazing at Qian Duoduo with a gentle smile.
Ye Qiu was surprised, sensing that Master Du’e was posing a Zen riddle.
“Master, you’re asking the wrong person. Duoduo doesn’t understand the Buddha…”
Before Ye Qiu could finish, Qian Duoduo answered, “The Buddha is me, and I am the Buddha.”
