Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 261: Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect

Ding Songyan was not at all surprised hearing Liu Cheng say he wanted to kill his godfather.

Given Liu Cheng’s ambitions and how the two ”father and son” got along, it was only a matter of time.

If they were regional warlords or members of a sect, they might still be bound by Confucian propriety and jianghu reputation. But they were in a low-rung gang that heroes had no regard for, where infighting happened from time to time. They naturally had fewer scruples, and so long as they left little evidence and no one reported to the authorities, a few rumors did no real harm.

So finally stepping up to be a real man who refuses to stay under another’s thumb for long... Ding Songyan asked with a smile, his expression unchanged, ”Why?”

Seeing that Brother Ding had not rebuked him, Liu Cheng knew the matter was half won, but still kept his voice low.

”My godfather wants to hand all the dirty work to me. I’ve kept your warning in mind, Brother Ding, and have been stalling with my wounds not being fully healed, but that’s no long-term plan.

”Now there’s nothing I can do but strike first. Only when I truly control the Sea-Treading Gang can I put into practice the way of harmony bringing wealth.”

That won’t go smoothly. It will surely be a bloodbath... Ding Songyan did not say it aloud.

Liu Cheng had been involved with the Sea-Treading Gang for over ten years. How could he not know better than Ding Songyan what lay ahead?

Everyone understood such things, and they needed no reminding.

Ding Songyan asked with a smile, ”Why did you suddenly have such resolve?”

Liu Cheng had meant to offer some casual excuse, but after a moment he said honestly, ”I saw my godfather weak and afraid...”

In your mind, your godfather was once ”formidable and hard to beat.” You were resentful, but so long as you weren’t driven to the wall, you wouldn’t dare resist. Once you saw that he had grown old and could be weak too, your old impression gradually crumbled, and the thought of replacing him took root? Does that count as a change in ”name”? After all, Hu Chaohui’s strength hasn’t really weakened that much in substance, except when facing me in the Jade Maiden mask, posing as the Celestial Thearch, but that was his inner demons being stirred... Ding Songyan gained a little more insight from this.

Just like the Ghost Yu Way renegade Ge Heng. In his mind, Senior Ling Donglai was at least a Heaven-Man, able to help him fight the Ghost Yu Way; thus, he wouldn’t easily develop second thoughts. But if he learned that the Supreme Master ”Ling Donglai” was a Great Proliferation Realm martial artist in disguise, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn’t start scheming, even though he had never figured out what the ”reality” was.

Often, a ”name” in other people’s eyes was itself a kind of ”reality.”

Though he had not manifested Mirror Lake Divine Reflection, Ding Songyan judged from his own experience that Liu Cheng was telling the truth.

He nodded slightly.

”What do you plan to do?”

Liu Cheng looked uneasily out the window again, as if wanting to seal the room with his own Essentials of Heaven’s Decrees, but seeing Brother Ding’s firm, calm manner, he held back the impulse.

”My godfather is now in quiet retreat at Shilin Temple. I want to kill him before Divine Monk Dazhi enters the capital.

”Shilin Temple is a Zen monastery of the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect, on Miaoxiang Street on the north shore of Golden Pool. It has at least four Dharma Realm Grandmasters, and its abbot, Monk Fumo, is a first-rate fighter.

”At Shilin Temple my godfather is quite relaxed, no longer worrying about attacks. And since he’s long been addicted to wine and women, he specially picked a rather secluded courtyard so he could summon his favored concubines and courtesans to keep him company. For me, that’s the opportunity.

”Brother Ding, normally you needn’t act. Just guard the outside of the courtyard for me. If by luck my godfather escapes and runs out, I’ll trouble you to rid the people of the Flame Capital of this scourge. Once I take over the Sea-Treading Gang, I’ll give up the businesses that harm people and let harmony bring wealth.”

Liu Cheng paused.

”If the experts at Shilin Temple notice and come, delay them if you can, and if you can’t, take me and flee. I’ll thank you handsomely afterward.”

The Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect, a top Buddhist force with Supreme Masters, and Divine Monk Dazhi is one of them... Ding Songyan pondered and did not respond right away.

He had no objection to killing Hu Chaohui. It would even keep Twelfth Madam’s hands clean. But killing in the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect’s territory was a real risk, even though there was no Heaven-Man at Shilin Temple at the moment.

Still, it was indeed an opportunity. Once Hu Chaohui left Shilin Temple, he would be on high guard, and he wouldn’t leave Shilin Temple lightly.

Ignoring price, if he went to the Ghost Yu Way to hire an assassin, the back and forth would take a lot of time, and that Divine Monk Dazhi would soon enter the capital.

Seeing that Brother Ding neither refused nor agreed, Liu Cheng smiled wryly.

”I can’t utilize the Grandmasters in the gang. They aren’t my confidants, and afterward I’ll have to take over the Sea-Treading Gang in my godfather’s name. They must never learn I killed him.

”Of everyone I know, only you, Brother Ding, are far beyond the Great Proliferation Realm, not a member of the Sea-Treading Gang, an upright young hero with a chivalrous heart, whose word is always kept and whose actions always see results...”

Hold on, isn’t this exactly how I had buttered up Twelfth Madam? Don’t you dare say, ”If you don’t mind, I’d be honored to call you Godfather”... Ding Songyan was still silent, as if choosing his words.

Liu Cheng also knew Brother Ding was wary of offending a major sect, even if he concealed his identity.

He exhaled.

”Brother Ding, I know you have no interest in money.”

Who says? Ding Songyan rebutted instinctively in his heart.

”And the beauties I might pick, you may not fancy,” Liu Cheng said, changing tack. ”Two years ago, I came upon a divine item. I meant to take it myself, but it wasn’t of much use, so I kept it, thinking I could use it to repay a favor someday.”

Ding Songyan opened his mouth and closed it again.

”It’s a fruit of the li tree,” Liu Cheng said the divine item’s name.

The contents of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas naturally flashed through Ding Songyan’s mind: The li tree: square stem, round leaves, yellow flowers, and hairy. Its fruit is like the chinaberry. Eating it prevents forgetting.

Liu Cheng continued, ”Before the heaven-earth severance, the li tree’s fruit lets one remember everything seen. After, it only works when one has full concentration. It’s not particularly worth much for me, but I wonder whether it’s of use to you, Brother Ding? Even if not, it could be traded for other divine items.”

Isn’t that a substitute for forced memorization with the Celestial Heart Art? It fits my idea of using the Celestial Heart Art and the Celestial Heart imprint less and eventually giving them up... It would be very useful in sparring, combat, and watching others’ bouts too... Ding Songyan finally spoke, ”This involves the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect. Give me a night to think it over.”

”Of course.” Liu Cheng did not mind.

If Brother Ding had agreed too readily, he would have suspected something was wrong.

Then the Young Boss tactfully took out a stack of papers and set it on the desk.

”This is the rough situation of the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect and Shilin Temple, for your reference only, Brother Ding.

”I won’t disturb you further. You can find me at the Silver Hook Gambling House tomorrow afternoon. Whether you agree or not, I’ll still count you a friend.”

After seeing Liu Cheng off, Ding Songyan picked up the papers and went through them carefully.

The Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect had a relatively thin history among the top forces, but its strength was not to be underestimated. It had three Heaven-Man divine monks and dozens of Dharma Realm Grandmasters.

In Great Zhao, Buddhism was not mainstream. The sect’s main temple was in Dan Province, and it had been in operation for two or three hundred years in southern Dan to build a Buddhist holy land, with a great many believers, able to stand against the True Spirit Sect in northern Dan.

Carrying the name of a top force, the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect still had some believers outside Dan Province, but not many. When Ding Songyan was in Dingjiang Prefecture, he had seen one Buddhist temple, a few monk huts, and no more than ten disciples of the sect, counting Constable Chief Xue’s family, so his understanding of it was quite superficial.

According to Liu Cheng’s materials, the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect cultivated ”body and will as one”: where the body exists, the will remains, and when the body dies, the will perishes, emphasizing the ”indestructible vajra.”

Ding Songyan knew little about Buddhism from his last life and wasn’t sure which school this belonged to. He even suspected that this world’s Buddhism might differ considerably from the one in his last life.

Buddhism differed from Daoism in being an import that later merged many local ideas and legends. In the Great Wilderness, the source of Buddhism was a single man, Dao’an. There was no tale of a journey west for scriptures and no other teachings brought in. After years of development, it must be only superficially like what Ding Songyan knew. Some schools would be alike, and others would strike out on their own.

”The two root scriptures are the Buddha-Spoken Nine Realms Sutra and the Wondrous Dharma Arising and Ceasing Sutra. Under the latter is the fairly famous Glazed Immaculate Sutra, corresponding to the Immaculate Divine Art. That’s what Constable Chief Xue in Dingjiang Prefecture cultivated. From its manifestations, it seems to come from the Ti fish: it has a long-tailed monkey’s limbs and long spurs, with white feet in pairs. The result of consuming it? Prevents disease and wards off weapons...

”That can’t support a top force... Other martial arts include golden lotuses springing from the ground, will-and-spirit reincarnation, expelling evil and destroying demons, and one called the Great Impermanence Seal... Some lean more toward ”will,” and I can’t tell which deity or divine beast they descend from...”

After reading the stack, Ding Songyan still had no sufficiently clear understanding of the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect.

He thought for a moment, and despite the late hour, left the estate, went to Tiger Tail Alley, and knocked on the back courtyard’s side door.

Twelfth Madam Luo tilted her head slightly and looked at him, saying nothing, her eyes somewhat numb yet tinged with irritation.

”Didn’t a day of quiet mean tomorrow?” Ding Songyan spoke first.

Before she could respond, he quickly added, ”Liu Cheng asked me to kill Hu Chaohui, and Hu Chaohui is in quiet retreat at Shilin Temple.”

”Hu Chaohui...” Twelfth Madam Luo remembered this was someone she wanted dead.

She turned and walked back into the courtyard, saying in a low, slow voice, ”What do you want to find out?”

”The Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect’s legacy.” Ding Songyan followed her to the stone table.

Twelfth Madam Luo rolled her eyes at him and scolded wearily, ”You come here more often than you go home. Why not just move in? The east wing’s still empty. Save you the trouble of the wasted trips.”

Seeing Ding Songyan’s expression waver and his mouth open, Twelfth Madam Luo’s heart tightened and she quickly said, ”That was just anger talking. Don’t take it seriously!”

She was truly afraid that if she gave this shameless Second Bull Ding an inch, he’d take a mile.

Ding Songyan smiled.

”Without a proper reason, I would decline. I can’t let my senior sister misunderstand.”

Twelfth Madam Luo relaxed, sat on a stone stool, and nodded.

”The Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect’s legacy comes mainly from the deity Jiang Yi.”

Jiang Yi: raises wind and clouds, wields strange rain, roams the nine heavens, expels evil spirits... Ding Songyan sat too and said, puzzled, ”A bit similar, but not quite.”

Twelfth Madam Luo recalled, ”At first, a martial artist who had received Jiang Yi’s legacy entered Buddhism. Two generations later, a brilliant person who mastered Buddhist teachings sublimated the legacy with them. He changed ”roaming the nine heavens” into ”roaming the nine realms,” merged in Buddhist ideas leaning more toward ”will,” found a new exterior aperture, and changed the original aperture forging and viscera installation methods.

”Many generations later, someone who attained the Arhat Golden Body used Body-and-Will Buddhist teachings to revise and fold in the Immaculate Divine Art, which already conflicted little with it, and that became the Body-and-Will Heterodox Sect we have now.

”If you deal with the sect’s monks according to the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, you’ll only suffer terribly.”

The Buddhist title of Arhat corresponded to the Spirit Platform Realm.

”Nine realms?” Ding Songyan did not understand.

In the world’s eyes, there were only three realms: the Heavenly Realm, the Great Wilderness, and the Netherworld. The nine realms of the Nine Realms School referred to the nine celestial divisions above.