Chapter 37: A Thunderous Wake-Up Call
Old Man Ma’s chest heaved, his emotions clearly unsettled. He said coldly, “I cut off my own arm and sent it to the Great Thunderclap Temple, returning the divine abilities of the Great Thunderclap Temple. Why did you still hunt me down, forcing my wife and child to scatter? Since you insist on my death, why can’t I pass on the divine abilities of the Great Thunderclap Temple to others?”
The old monk shook his head. “Junior brother, one arm does not represent all divine abilities.”
Old Man Ma let out a low, bitter laugh. “The divine abilities I possess do not all come from the Great Thunderclap Temple. Do you intend to cripple the other abilities I have as well? I was born from the Great Thunderclap Temple, but back then, I fought my way out with my own hands. You didn’t dare stop me at the time. Only after I had a wife and child did you come knocking again. For the safety of my family, I willingly cut off one arm and returned the divine abilities of the Great Thunderclap Temple!”
His face darkened. “And then? You hunted me down, tore my family apart, and destroyed my home!”
The old monk’s white brows twitched. “Rules are rules. If they change, they are no longer rules. The mundane world interferes with cultivation. Junior brother, we never intended to kill you, but to save you from the bitter sea of the mortal realm and bring you back to the Great Thunderclap Temple to cultivate and attain true enlightenment. If you had not been swayed by worldly desires back then and fought your way out of the Great Thunderclap Temple, the seat of the Tathagata at the Great Thunderclap Temple would now be yours. If you are willing to return to the temple with me, the old Tathagata will surely be very pleased. The seat of the Tathagata will still be yours.” (Author’s note: In folk belief, Tathagata refers to Shakyamuni, but in Buddhist doctrine, Tathagata means Buddha—any Buddha is a Tathagata. The sutras say, ‘Thus come, thus go,’ hence Tathagata, referring to the state of Buddhahood.)
“Return?”
Old Man Ma said woodenly, “I fought my way out back then. If I am to return, I will naturally have to fight my way back in!”
The old monk’s expression darkened, and he sighed. “The Tathagata will be very disappointed. That boy on the platform—he is your disciple, isn’t he? You taught him the Eight Forms of Thunderclap, but you did not teach him the heart-method of our Great Thunderclap Temple, the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra.”
He looked toward the platform, where Qin Mu was locked in battle with a young man. “The Tathagata Mahayana Sutra is a method for subduing demons. Without cultivating this heart-method, the Eight Forms of Thunderclap, no matter how strong, are merely an empty shell. Today, I have brought my disciple with me. Mingxin, come and meet your uncle!”
Behind him, a tall, thin young monk stepped forward, a string of prayer beads in his hand. He pressed his palms together and bowed. “Uncle.”
The old monk’s white brows rose. “Mingxin is also a martial artist at the Spirit Embryo realm. My staff is placed here as a wager. Junior brother, do you accept the bet?”
Granny Si raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Old Man Ma said expressionlessly, “Monastic precepts are all bullshit. I’ll bet with you. How does my head compare to your Khakkhara staff?”
The old monk nodded. “About the same weight.”
Blind, Granny Si, and Medicine King frowned deeply, about to dissuade him, but Old Man Ma said decisively, “If Mu’er loses, take my head back to the Great Thunderclap Temple to see the Tathagata. If Mu’er wins, leave the staff behind and get the hell out of here.”
“Well said.”
The old monk said to the young monk Mingxin, “Today, your master will reclaim the divine abilities of the Great Thunderclap Temple from the one who betrayed the temple. If you win, it will be your merit.”
Mingxin acknowledged the order and walked toward the platform.
On the platform, the young man fighting Qin Mu was a master of swordsmanship, following the path of Qu, one of the Five Masters of Li River. His flying sword never left a range of three feet. Unlike Qu, his sword was small, more like a dagger—eight inches long, small, but far more dangerous!
This small sword would occasionally strike from strange angles, such as from under his armpit or crotch, and would even burrow into his clothes, emerging from his sleeve when Qin Mu clashed palms with him!
His skill in controlling the sword with qi was already on par with that of Qianqiu, a disciple of Li River, and far surpassed Qu’s.
Moreover, this man also had remarkable skill in combat techniques. His palm techniques were profound, his aura as majestic as a towering mountain. When the force of his palm was unleashed, mountain patterns would appear in his palm.
But by now, the outcome on the platform was clear. Qin Mu’s strength was immense, and his footwork was swift. The young man suffered a great loss when he clashed palms with Qin Mu for the first time. Qin Mu’s vast primal energy directly crushed his!
Qin Mu executed the Nine Dragons Riding Wind and Thunder. Although only three of the nine layers of power had been unleashed, it had already injured the young man’s internal organs. Despite his exquisite swordsmanship, his defeat was certain.
Qin Mu’s steps were erratic, like a thousand snakes slithering through the grass, darting east and west, forward and backward, making it impossible for the young man to predict where his attack would come from. The next moment, a sharp pain struck the young man’s back, and he was sent flying by a palm strike from Qin Mu.
The young man landed, stunned for a moment, then bowed to Qin Mu on the platform. “Thank you, young master, for showing mercy.”
The palm strike Qin Mu had just delivered to his back was powerful but not fierce, not damaging his heart or lungs. Otherwise, with Qin Mu’s strength, he could have shattered all his internal organs!
“Does junior brother need to rest?” Mingyue had been standing quietly, waiting. Only after Qin Mu defeated the young man did he speak.
Qin Mu’s gaze fell on him. This young monk was dressed in white monastic robes, spotless, even his shoes were white, and his skin was fair. Despite his shaved head, he was still quite handsome, naturally inspiring goodwill.
He was about to say no when Granny Si’s voice came, “Rest! You must rest!”
Qin Mu didn’t understand why, but he followed Granny Si’s advice, sat down to rest, and regulated his breathing. His “Three-Dan Art of the Overlord Body” was suited for cultivation while moving. Although he had already faced over a dozen martial artists, his primal energy had not been significantly depleted and remained at its peak. He was just a bit physically tired.
Granny Si brought a cup of water onto the platform and handed it to Qin Mu, whispering, “Mu’er, no matter what means you use, you must win this time. You absolutely cannot lose! Your Grandpa Ma has bet his life against that old bald monk!”
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked at Old Man Ma, who wore a calm expression. Old Man Ma’s voice came, “Mu’er, the Overlord Body is unmatched and will never lose! I believe in you.”
Despite his words, Qin Mu was still panicked. Although everyone in the village was his family, the ones closest to him, besides Granny Si, were Old Man Ma. It was Old Man Ma who, using one arm to carry a stone statue, had gone out of the village with Granny Si, picked him up from the riverbank, and saved his life!
If he lost, wouldn’t that cost Old Man Ma his life?
At this moment, Medicine King was also frowning deeply. Old Man Ma believed Qin Mu was the unmatched Overlord Body and had confidence in him, but Qin Mu was not the Overlord Body after all.
He now somewhat regretted helping the village chief conceal that well-intentioned lie. If he had told them the truth earlier, Old Man Ma wouldn’t have staked his life.
It was precisely because of his trust in Qin Mu that Old Man Ma had bet his life against the old monk!
Suddenly, a murderous glint appeared in Medicine King’s eyes. “If Mu’er loses, I’ll kill both the old bald donkey and the little bald donkey. I won’t let Old Man Ma die!”
On the platform, Qin Mu desperately wanted to calm his mind, but with the life of his dearest relative at stake, how could he steady his heart?
Mute gestured and made a few sounds. Blind leaned on his staff and said leisurely, “No need to remind him. This temple fair is a test. If he gets through it, he’ll grow up. If not, he’s still a child.”
After a moment, Qin Mu slowly stood up, looking at the tall, thin young monk across from him. He said slowly, “Monk, do you have the Buddha in your heart?”
Mingxin pressed his palms together solemnly. “The Buddha is always in my heart.”
Whoosh—
Qin Mu exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. The primal energy within him became fierce and intense, and a lawless, heaven-defying aura surged from his small body.
“I!”
He took a step forward, and the aura emanating from his small body gave a stirring sense of heroic spirit, as if a god stood tall. His voice was thunderous and deafening: “Have no gods, no Buddhas, no demons in my heart! I am the god, I am the Buddha, I am the demon!”
As these words were spoken, the old monk sitting across from Old Man Ma showed a look of shock and turned his head to look at Qin Mu!