Chapter 1304: Glimpse of Precious Light

The clear-countenanced young monk wept like rain, whilst Jiang Wang beside him remained silent for a long while.

Jing Li had been dejected alone for ages, forcing a smile in front of others, appearing solemn and dignified before believers. Only upon encountering his junior brother could he no longer suppress it, and grief welled up from the depths of his heart.

Yet, Jiang Wang merely thought... breathing with such gasps, and still able to thrive to this day, verily is he blessed with profound fortune.

Jing Li cried for a long time, weeping heartbrokenly, but noticed his junior brother remained expressionless.

Unable to help but purse his lips, he said, "Junior brother, why are you not sad?"

Jiang Wang spoke languidly, "You cried whilst delivering news delayed by over half a month. It is difficult for me to feel sorrow."

The old monk Ku Jue, to save him, had not hesitated to leave his sect. This matter had indeed touched him, else he would not have thought to contact Ku Jue first upon escaping peril. But that was in August...

"Has so much time already passed?" Jing Li choked, "Yet I am still very sad..."

Jiang Wang inquired, "What saddens you the most?"

Jing Li pursed his lips again, "I no longer have a master!"

"Master Ku Jue left the sect, so you no longer acknowledge him?" Jiang Wang asked.

"I do." Jing Li blinked his eyes.

Tears had washed his eyes crystal clear, with lingering pearls trembling on his eyelashes.

He truly appeared a pitiable young monk.

Jiang Wang sighed, "Then you still have a master, do you not?"

Jing Li frowned in thought, then suddenly brightened, smiling, "That's right!"

Jiang Wang felt utterly weary, yet seeing him smile, for some unknown reason, he also felt happy.

"Do you have a way to contact your master?" he asked, "I have something to discuss with him."

"Yes! There is a secret way to contact him!" Jing Li nodded vigorously.

Then he grabbed Jiang Wang's hand, "Junior brother, come with me."

At this moment, he seemed to possess the self-awareness of a senior brother, flying ahead, cleaving the wind to clear a path.

Jiang Wang was tempted to say, can you not call me junior brother anymore, but knew it would be futile, so he simply remained silent and followed him.

The two quickly flew to a bare little mountain, where stood only a dilapidated temple.

Upon alighting on the mountaintop, Jing Li happily exclaimed, "Junior brother, we are home!"

Home?

That word indeed touched one's heart.

Looking at the dilapidated temple standing proudly in the wind on the mountain, Jiang Wang was at a loss for words.

"This is Mount San Bao!" Jing Li said, pulling Jiang Wang towards the dilapidated temple, "Come with senior brother."

Jiang Wang looked left and right, truly unable to discern where the "treasure" of this small hillock lay. Three Treasures? There wasn't even one treasure.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wang paused. Suddenly, he thought, Ku Jue, Jing Li, and adding himself, there were exactly three people. Could these Three Treasures...

He bared his teeth, a shiver of revulsion passing through him.

The mountain was truly small; after only a few glances, he was already pulled into the dilapidated temple by Jing Li.

The small dilapidated temple was also divided into front and back halls.

Jing Li led him on a tour inside and out, introducing everything with great enthusiasm.

The front hall housed a wooden Buddha statue with a blurred face, completely devoid of incense offerings.

The back hall contained only a wooden plank bed, and naught else besides.

"Come, sit!" Jing Li patted the wooden plank bed, saying warmly.

"Er, no need." Jiang Wang said, "Let's contact Master Ku Jue first. He is outside... suffering greatly."

Jing Li had always been very protective of his master. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up, first shushed Jiang Wang, then whispered softly, "Do not make any noise."

Jiang Wang expressed his疑问 with his eyes.

Jing Li spoke in a very furtive voice, "He... has now left... Hanging Empty Temple, so we... contact... him, we must be... a little... sneaky..."

Truly sneaky indeed!

Jiang Wang was utterly speechless.

You, with a gleaming bald head, swaggered over to find me, and shouted "junior brother" loudly. How sneaky can you possibly be?

If I hadn't stopped you then, everyone in Hanging Empty Temple would probably already know I was here!

But Jing Li paid no mind to such things. After instructing his junior brother, he flipped up the bed board.

Behind the bed board, a circle of intricate array patterns was clearly inscribed. Upon being revealed, phantom images flickered, resembling dragons and elephants.

Jing Li became serious, instantly appearing solemn and dignified. He formed a Dharma seal with his right hand, which glowed with radiant light, and pressed it directly onto the array patterns.

In the center of that circle of array patterns, the radiant light rippled like water, spreading outwards in waves.

This was the so-called "secret way to contact him"?

Just beneath the bed board?

Jiang Wang found it increasingly difficult to be surprised when facing Jing Li.

In a sense, hiding behind the bed board of a dilapidated temple on a bald mountain was indeed rather secret.

Jiang Wang was still silently trying to find excuses for Jing Li, when a voice already rang out, "What's up?"

Ku Jue's voice!

On the radiant light on the bed board, a round mirror had formed, and the face of the yellow-faced old monk was reflected within.

He seemed to be sitting on a mountaintop, with a tree beside him, looking quite spirited, saying casually, "I'm looking for your junior brother! Very busy!"

He paused, then asked, "After I left the sect, those old bald donkeys didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"

Due to the angle, he had not noticed Jiang Wang beside him, only examining his beloved disciple Jing Li.

But Jiang Wang could see him, could see the fatigue that he could not hide in his brows.

"Old... No." Jing Li said, "There were a few young bald donkeys."

"Outrageous!" The yellow-faced old monk in the radiant mirror roundly glared, "What did you do?"

Monk Jing Li grinned, "I've put cloth bags over their heads and clubbed them senseless!"

"Good! Possessing profound wisdom root!" Ku Jue praised loudly, "Truly worthy of being my Ku Jue's good disciple!"

Monk Jing Li first smiled, then pouted, "But didn't you say you didn't want me anymore?"

"Foolish child, what nonsense are you spouting!?" The yellow-faced old monk glared at him, "Let me ask you, within Hanging Empty Temple, who is the most brilliant and mighty, who is the most virtuous and respected?"

Monk Jing Li hesitated, "...Master?"

"Be more confident, remove the tone of doubt!" The yellow-faced old monk splattered saliva, "You are merely stating a fact!"

Monk Jing Li had by now completely forgotten about his junior brother, only meekly saying "Oh."

The yellow-faced old monk sighed deeply, his face full of worry, "Alas, Master is so brilliant, if I do not leave, how will you compete for the position of Abbot in the future? How can you compare to Master? You cannot compare from head to toe! Do you understand?"

Jing Li shook his head, "Not quite."

"Foolish child, Master is doing all this for you, in order to leave the position of next Abbot for you, I had no choice but to leave the sect. Among my several disciples, Master dotes on you the most, you must remember Master's kindness, understand? When you become Abbot in the future, be more filial! As for sariras and such, steal... procure a few more for me!"

The old monk was misleading the young monk excessively.

Jiang Wang could no longer bear to listen. Most importantly, when would this lively chat between the two bald heads, one old and one young, finally reach himself?

Therefore, he took the initiative to step forward, "May I say a few words?"

The yellow-faced old monk in the radiant mirror was stunned.

Through this radiant mirror, he looked at Jiang Wang on this side.

He blinked, then looked at Jiang Wang on this side again.

Suddenly, he grinned, revealing a mouth of yellow teeth still stained with vegetable leaves.