67: The reflection in the pool empties the heart.

In the days after the investigation team took the water samples, Yuntai Mountain indeed became deserted.

The once endless stream of pilgrims on the mountain paths had thinned significantly. Occasionally, a few villagers would come up, but most only lingered outside the temple for a moment, sighing as they looked at the Spirit Well—now sealed for water collection and kept only for display—before turning to leave. The courtyard, once crowded with people queuing for water, was now left with only the sound of wind and birds, along with the lonely figure of Zhao Xiaowen carrying her camera to shoot everywhere.

As promised, Li Muchen no longer provided the spirit well water for drinking. However, before and after his daily morning and evening recitations, he would still draw water from the well to personally water the increasingly lush Spiritual Plant garden and several ordinary vegetable patches around the house.

Water droplets traced crystalline arcs in the morning light and evening dusk, seeping into the soil to nourish those silently growing plants, as if everything were normal.

Zhao Desheng was consumed with anxiety, coming up the mountain almost every day to grumble with a long face about the dwindling incense offerings and the panicked state of people's hearts. Li Muchen, however, remained his usual self, keeping a regular schedule and remaining perfectly composed. He even found the leisure to clear out an old side room in the backyard used for storage, setting up a simple wooden table and two futons, and lighting a burner of light sandalwood incense.

“Abbot, you are...” Zhao Xiaowen was puzzled.

“Preparing a quiet room for guests.” Li Muchen placed the last roll of yellowed Daoist scriptures onto the wooden shelf against the wall and clapped the dust off his hands. “The Mountain Gate is quiet and lonely, just right for reading. If guests come, we can also sip tea and discuss the Dao here.”

Looking at his serene manner, Zhao Xiaowen's anxiety dissipated somewhat for some reason. She remembered the Abbot's words, “Let them see,” and vaguely felt that this might not be entirely passive waiting.

Sure enough, the quiet days did not last long. On the morning of the seventh day, an unexpected guest stepped through the dew and ascended the mountain.

The visitor was the abbot of Lotus Temple, Master Huiming.

He did not bring any accompanying Disciples, nor did he wear the solemn bright yellow cassock from the day of the debate. He wore only a set of washed-out grey Haiqing robes and ordinary monk shoes, holding a string of lustrous Bodhi prayer beads as he walked alone from Green Lotus Peak.

Upon reaching the Mountain Gate of Qingfeng Temple, he paused for a moment, looking up at the slightly mottled “Qingfeng Temple” plaque. Then, he straightened his clothes and stepped inside slowly.

Li Muchen was watering the dragon beard grass in the backyard. Hearing the sound, he turned around. Seeing it was Huiming, he showed no surprise, only nodding slightly. “Master, you have come.”

“Amitabha.” Huiming pressed his palms together in greeting, his gaze sweeping over the scene in the courtyard. The ancient cypress tree was vigorous, the courtyard was clean, and the spiritual garden was full of life. Though it lacked the bustle of flourishing incense offerings, it possessed a unique, tranquil charm of a mountain Daoist temple. A flash of complex emotion crossed his eyes before he regained his composure. “Coming uninvited, I have disturbed the Abbot's quiet cultivation.”

“Master is too polite.” Li Muchen put down the water ladle and led him toward the newly prepared quiet room. “My humble abode is simple, with only a cup of clear tea. If the Master does not mind, please come inside and sit for a while.”

The quiet room was small and simply furnished, but it was bright and clean. The window faced a bamboo forest on the back mountain, which rustled in the wind, adding to the tranquility.

The two sat on futons as host and guest. Li Muchen took out a set of plain white stoneware tea tools, boiled spirit well water on a small red clay stove, and skillfully warmed the pot, rinsed the tea, and brewed it. The tea was made from wild tea leaves hand-picked and roasted in the mountains; the infusion was clear and the aroma elegant.

Master Huiming took the teacup, took a small sip, and praised, “The water is good, and the tea is also extraordinary. The charm of the wilderness is better than famous brands.”

“Mountain spring and wild tea are just to quench thirst.” Li Muchen poured a cup for himself. “Master, coming here alone today, I presume it is not just for tea.”

Master Huiming put down his teacup and placed both hands on his knees, falling silent for a moment. The rustling of bamboo outside made the room seem even quieter. After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion. “During the previous debate at the temple, This old monk's words were quite offensive. I have come today specifically to apologize.”

“Master, you overstate it. In academic discussion, everyone expresses their own views. How can there be offense?” Li Muchen's tone was flat.

Huiming shook his head, his gaze fixed on the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window. “It is not just for the debate. Recently, down the mountain... the wind and rain have been fierce. Many rumors and slanders, though not the original intention of Lotus Temple, have a source for which... This old monk cannot shirk responsibility.”

He did not say it explicitly, but the meaning behind his words was already clear—the online rumors targeting Qingfeng Temple, the so-called “fake-busting” videos, and even the public pressure driving the official investigation, even if not directly orchestrated by Lotus Temple, were certainly inseparable from certain people under its gate or related forces.

Li Muchen drank his tea quietly and did not respond.

Master Huiming sighed, the wrinkles on his face appearing even deeper. “Daoist Master Li might think that This old monk allowed or even condoned these matters for the sake of the temple's incense or out of sectarian bias. Admittedly, Lotus Temple has a thousand-year Foundation, but with the incense declining in recent years, the monks in the temple inevitably feel unsettled and worry about the future. As the abbot, I also feel heavy pressure.”

He paused, his tone turning somber. “However, This old monk is not here today to explain or show weakness. It is truly because... my heart is uneasy, even terrified.”

Li Muchen looked up at him.

“After returning from the debate that day, This old monk thought deeply about what the Abbot said: ‘Incense follows fate, the Dao follows nature,’ ‘Cultivation lies in one's own heart, Karma is invisible’... Every word was like a hammer, striking my heart.”

The prayer beads in Master Huiming's hand moved a bit faster. “This old monk prided himself on decades of cultivation, strict adherence to precepts, and eloquence in debate, yet unknowingly, I have conflated ‘propagating the Dharma’ with ‘prospering the temple,’ and equated ‘saving people’ with ‘gathering crowds.’ Seeing Qingfeng Temple rise and believers flocking to it, my first thought was actually ‘it harms my Foundation’ rather than ‘another good method has been added.’ This state of mind... is no longer the purity of the Buddhist gate, but has fallen into the traps of ‘self-attachment’ and ‘Dharma-attachment’.”

His voice carried a hint of hoarseness. “What alarms This old monk even more is that there are actually people in the temple who, to achieve their goals, resort to any means, engaging in such slander, framing, and manipulation of public opinion. When This old monk first heard of it, for a split second, I even felt... perhaps it could be an ‘expediency for the Protector’? As soon as this thought arose, I broke into a cold sweat. If I sit by and even permit such behavior, even if Lotus Temple has golden halls and ten thousand volumes of scriptures, what difference is there between it and those worldly places struggling for fame and profit? Wouldn't the compassion of the Buddha's teachings and the solemnity of the precepts become empty talk?”

Having said this, Master Huiming stood up and bowed deeply toward Li Muchen. “This old monk has failed to teach his Disciples and lacked control, leading to such troubles that have stained your temple's clean reputation and shamed the Buddhist gate. This sin, This old monk should bear. I have come today, firstly to apologize, and secondly...” He straightened up, his gaze earnest, “to hope the Abbot can point out a way through the maze.”

This gesture was truly unexpected.

Li Muchen looked at This old monk, who was highly respected in the Buddhist circles of Jin Province but now appeared somewhat aged and bewildered. He remained silent for a moment.

He could feel that the guilt and unease in the other's words were not entirely feigned. At least at this moment, Master Huiming was truly shaken by the actions of those under his gate and was self-reflecting on the deviation of his own thoughts.

“Master, please sit.” Li Muchen gestured with his hand. “I wouldn't dare to offer guidance. Since the Master has already self-reflected, why is there a need for others to say more? As the Buddhist saying goes: The sea of suffering is boundless, turn back to the shore. The Master's current thought is already turning back.”

Huiming sat down slowly and said with a bitter smile, “Though you say so, the accumulated problems in the temple are deep, hearts are unsettled, and there are those radical ones... This old monk fears I am already somewhat powerless. That bad Disciple Release Void has become increasingly extreme and perverse in his actions since the debate. This old monk has reprimanded him several times, but he only feigns compliance. Although there is no firm evidence for this current turmoil, This old monk suspects it is inseparable from him.”

Release Void. Li Muchen remembered that guest-welcoming monk with the sinister gaze and blatant hostility toward him.

“This old monk also has one more presumptuous request today.” Master Huiming hesitated for a moment but still said, “If possible, I hope the Abbot... can show a bit of... leniency toward that unworthy Disciple.” He spoke these words with difficulty, clearly feeling the request was excessive himself.

Li Muchen put down his teacup and looked at Huiming with a calm gaze. “Master, individual Karma is an individual burden. If your Disciple remains obsessed and persists in his ways, he will naturally face his own retribution. Whether to be lenient is not up to me, but whether he is willing to self-reflect and turn back. As for the matters in the temple that the Master worries about...”

He paused, his tone tightening slightly. “I'm afraid it is not just the fault of one person, nor was it built in a day. Now that the wind and rain have come, I fear a few words may not be enough to calm them.”

Hearing this, Master Huiming's face changed slightly. He understood the unspoken meaning in Li Muchen's words—this storm against Qingfeng Temple might be deeper and more complex than he imagined. Release Void might only be a pawn on the surface.