Chapter 76 — The Fourth Chapter
劍問蒼天 · Page 2 of 8
The Perfected One Daoyan could not neglect the proprieties, and naturally had to name all those illustrious figures one by one, but Zhang Qingyue had no heart to listen further. For a time his gaze was fixed on the two kindly-faced old monks seated at the very front, in their red cassocks sewn with gold thread, their white brows like snow, who were at that moment looking back at him.
The Venerable Monk Pucheng ranked among the Fanyin Temple's Four Great Divine Monks, and in the world at large was always counted alongside the Perfected One Daoyan of the Canglan Sect and the master of the Fenxia Valley as one of the three great masters; his station was so high none could compare. For an ordinary cultivator, even one glimpse of him was harder than hard, yet this time he had unexpectedly broken a century-old precedent, and his peerless carriage had come to Mount Canglan.
It was not only Zhang Qingyue who was astonished; the Canglan Sect itself had been startled when the news arrived. From this alone one could see how gravely the Fanyin Temple regarded the unexpected transmission of the true dharma of the "Great Brahma Prajna" to an outsider!
In the great hall, the Perfected One Daoyan's voice had fallen silent at some point, and all was still; every gaze was fixed on the figure kneeling on the ground.
Zhang Qingyue slowly lowered his head and gazed at the green brick before his knees, and deep in his heart he thought faintly: Are these monks the same kind of men as that Puzhao of those years?
In the distance, the Black Iron Staff lying quietly on the tea table beside the Perfected One Daoyan seemed to sense its master's mood as well; a faint green light flickered softly across it.
"Zhang Qingyue," the Perfected One Daoyan said slowly, "now I will ask you a few things, and you must answer honestly."
Zhang Qingyue said in a low voice, "Yes."
The Perfected One Daoyan seemed to weigh his words; after a long moment he said slowly, "On this journey to Liubo Mountain in the East Sea, a fellow cultivator of the Fanyin Temple identified the dharma you used when you fought the strange beast Kui as none other than the 'Great Brahma Prajna,' the true dharma the Fanyin Temple never transmits outside its walls. Is this so?"
Zhang Qingyue did not speak, and at once the atmosphere in the Yuheng Hall seemed to grow faintly tense. Tian Buhui turned his head uncomfortably, and found that everyone was silently staring at Zhang Qingyue.
In the air, something invisible seemed to throb softly.
After a long while, Zhang Qingyue's voice came slowly: "Yes."
"What?"
At once the great hall was in an uproar. Though they had anticipated this answer, now that it had come from Zhang Qingyue's own mouth the Fanyin Temple monks were still visibly agitated; only Pucheng and Pukong seated in front, and Facheng standing behind them, showed not the slightest change of countenance, silent and wordless.
On the Canglan Sect's side, Tian Buhui's face grew uglier still, and Tian Lingsu and the others had gone deathly pale. Amid the general astonishment, only Lu Xueqi gazed at that silent figure and said not a word.
The Perfected One Daoyan frowned, and his gaze flicked briefly toward the Venerable Monk Pucheng of the Fanyin Temple, only to see that amid his disciples' agitation, the Venerable Pucheng had slowly closed his eyes, plainly showing that for the moment he would not speak.
The Perfected One Daoyan snorted coldly in his heart, turned back to Zhang Qingyue, and raised a hand to signal the clamoring crowd to be quiet.
His station was no small thing, after all, and soon both the Canglan Sect's disciples and the figures of the other schools fell silent; then the Perfected One Daoyan said slowly, "Moreover, some say that this Black Iron Staff in your hand"—and with that he reached out and took up the black rod—"bears the Blood-devouring Bead, evil relic of the demon cult. Is this true as well?"