355: Chapter 355 An Unreasonable Request, Remaining in the Heart of Buddha

Great Master Xuandu led Chu Sheng and Jiuer through the corridor beside the meditation room, walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea in the night, until they arrived before a small ancestral hall made of green bricks and grey tiles.

Hanging above the lintel was a faded wooden plaque carved with the two characters "Dharma Lineage," the handwriting already somewhat blurred, as if polished repeatedly by wind and rain for many years.

A paper lantern hung from the corner of the eaves, its light swaying gently in the evening breeze, casting flickering shadows on the stone path in front of the ancestral hall.

Great Master Xuandu pushed open the door of the ancestral hall and stepped aside to let Chu Sheng and Jiuer enter first.

"Offer a stick of incense first. Consider it settling a piece of Karma for my elder brother."

His tone had not changed much compared to before; it remained steady, yet it lacked the easygoing nature he had shown in the meditation room.

Chu Sheng did not ask further and stepped inside.

The interior of the ancestral hall was not large, and the furnishings were simple.

In the center was an old offering table, upon which sat a few plates of vegetarian fruit; three thin sticks of incense were inserted into an incense burner, with smoke rising in curling wisps, carrying a calm scent of sandalwood in the dim light.

Hanging directly above the offering table was a portrait of a thin, elderly monk sitting cross-legged with a calm gaze.

On both sides of the portrait were rows of neat spirit tablets, arranged by seniority, from top to bottom, from ancient times to the present, densely packed; a rough count revealed no fewer than several dozen.

Chu Sheng took the three sticks of incense handed to him by Great Master Xuandu, lit them with the candle flame, inserted them into the incense burner, and bowed three times.

Jiuer followed suit and offered incense, her movements simple and efficient, without saying a word.

When Chu Sheng rose, his gaze swept across the rows of spirit tablets again, and suddenly, it stopped.

He had already taken a rough look earlier, but now, amidst the swirling incense smoke, he confirmed it again, and that faint sense of something being wrong in his heart became clearer.

He counted silently in his mind, starting from the top row and going all the way to the most recent one; Master Xuandu's Master, Grandmaster, and Junior Martial Granduncle were all there, as were the Disciples of various generations, but he did not see the name of Master Xuan Yin.

He withdrew his gaze calmly, without revealing any abnormality on his face.

Great Master Xuandu stood behind him, whispering something.

A moment later, Chu Sheng turned around and asked naturally, "Great Master Xuandu, the ones enshrined in this ancestral hall are all high monks of past generations, right? There are quite a few."

Great Master Xuandu nodded, "Since the founding of the temple on Jinchan Island, every monk who has practiced on the island, passed away from old age, or sacrificed themselves for the Dharma has a tablet erected here."

Chu Sheng nodded slightly without pressing further, only saying, "However, I did not see the spirit tablet of Great Master Xuan Yin just now."

Great Master Xuandu's movements paused for a moment.

He had been about to turn around, but upon hearing these words, his figure froze for an instant before he resumed his natural posture.

A moment later, he said, "My elder brother's spirit tablet has not yet been returned to its place."

His tone remained steady, yet he did not offer further explanation, as if this sentence alone was enough to explain everything.

Chu Sheng did not reveal any abnormality on his face, but his mind was racing.

"Not yet returned to its place."

This explanation was too vague. After a monk dies, it is only natural for their spirit tablet to be placed in the ancestral hall, unless there was some special reason.

He did not continue to press the matter, only nodded as if accepting the explanation.

But deep down, he vaguely felt that this matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Great Master Xuandu did not seem to intend to linger on this topic either; he turned and walked outside, saying as he walked, "The wine and food have been prepared. Please follow me, Benefactor."

Chu Sheng glanced at the rows of spirit tablets, then turned and followed Great Master Xuandu out of the ancestral hall.

When they returned to the meditation room, several dishes were already laid out on the table, steaming hot.

There was fish, meat, and vegetarian dishes; they looked good and smelled fragrant.

When Chu Sheng sat down, his gaze lingered on the dishes for a moment, but he did not speak immediately.

Great Master Xuandu sat down opposite him, picked up the wine pot, and poured himself a cup.

He then poured a cup for Chu Sheng and Jiuer each, and said in a normal tone, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart. Benefactor, there is no need to be restrained."

Chu Sheng picked up his wine cup, not rushing to drink; he first took a sniff, and then took a shallow sip.

The wine was mellow, with a hint of lingering sweetness.

He put down the wine cup, picked up a bite of food, ate it, and without commenting, simply nodded as if to express approval.

After eating a few bites, Chu Sheng put down his chopsticks and stated the purpose of his visit.

He did not beat around the bush and directly spoke of Master Xuan Yin being attacked at the Dragon Palace birthday banquet and entrusting him to bring out the fragment and the token.

He recounted the general process of how he passed through the Formation on the outskirts of the Heavenly Pond, how he arrived at the Phoenix clan, and how he traveled to Jinchan Island.

He omitted some details, but all the key points were mentioned.

Great Master Xuandu listened without interrupting, nor did he show any expression of surprise; he just sat quietly opposite him, occasionally picking up a bite of food.

After Chu Sheng finished, he added, "I have fulfilled the request of Great Master Xuan Yin. As for how the Wanfo Sect will handle this matter subsequently, it is not my place to ask."

Great Master Xuandu nodded, his tone still steady, "That you were able to deliver it personally is already doing more than enough."

He did not continue to ask for details, nor did he mention anything more about the fragment.

Chu Sheng noticed that the attitude of Great Master Xuandu was always maintained at a perfectly appropriate sense of distance.

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, as if weighing his words, then said, "Junior came this time not only to return the token, but also to ask Great Master Xuandu for a favor."

Great Master Xuandu put down his wine cup, "Please speak, Benefactor."

Chu Sheng did not beat around the bush, "I have some intelligence regarding the Dragon Palace and the Snake King, which I obtained by chance while in the Western Regions. Although it cannot be considered top secret, it should be useful for understanding the situation in the Western Regions."

He did not get too specific, only briefly mentioning the source and general scope of the intelligence.

Then he changed the subject, "I would like to trade this intelligence for something."

Great Master Xuandu looked at him without immediately responding.

Chu Sheng continued, "My Dao Palace is nearing Perfection, but there is still a final sliver of a gap that I have been unable to mend. If Jinchan Island has any spiritual items or methods that can mend the Foundation of the Dao Palace, I am willing to exchange this intelligence for them."

He was not entirely lying; his Dao Palace indeed had a slight flaw, but Chu Sheng knew in his heart that this trip had already cost him a great deal, and if he were to leave empty-handed, it would truly be a wasted journey.

His tone was steady and neither humble nor arrogant; he neither revealed eagerness nor deliberately lowered his posture.

After listening, Great Master Xuandu did not answer immediately, but held his wine cup, as if thinking about something.

After a while, he put down the wine cup, his tone calm but with a hint of seriousness, "Which layer do you refer to when you speak of the Dao Palace fissure?"

Chu Sheng did not hide it, "The third layer. The three layers of the Dao Palace are nearing Perfection, but there is an extremely fine fissure at the very bottom of the third layer, like a hidden injury left over from a past Breakthrough that has never been able to heal on its own."

Great Master Xuandu nodded, as if he had confirmed something, and then said, "This meal was not eaten in vain."

He did not give a direct promise, but he did not refuse either.

Chu Sheng heard the loosening in his words; he did not press for the specific item, nor was he in a hurry to speak again.

The atmosphere at the table was a few degrees more relaxed than before; Chu Sheng picked up another bite of food and cast an inadvertent glance out the window.