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  I asked Master: Master, I just want to know what's going on in the temple.

  The master said: That time I and Fangzhang and your senior fellow disciple happened to return from a place and saw this scene.

  So it seems that neither Fang Zhang nor Shixiong have anything to do with this matter.

  The master said: The other party's husband is recuperating from illness. He has been hit too hard and can no longer be comforted by Buddhist scriptures.

  I said: How is it possible for someone to achieve such a thing in one night? There are many predecessors with very high martial arts skills, unless he poisoned them.

  Master said: It's poisonous. It's a more potent version of the city-destroying poison than before.

  How did you get down?

  The master said: I don't know. The imperial court is investigating.

  I said: That time I heard something was up and went with Xǐlè ——

  When it comes to Jile, my heart suddenly becomes flustered. I wonder what Jile is doing at this moment, perhaps she's stubbornly resisting, being splashed with cold water by the enemy again and again, saying "I'd rather die than surrender". But what does she have to confess anyway? She should be fine.

  I continue: This time I also didn't know until later that there was such a martial arts competition, just wanted to go and take a look, learn some things. Didn't think it would end up like this.

  The master said: What is called an alliance is just one mind, but since there are many minds in the rivers and lakes, there is no such thing as an alliance leader.

  I asked: Who did it this time?

  Master said: Everyone thought it was Wudang, but now it seems not to be and also impossible to be any other small sect. I feel that suddenly many things in the Jianghu are more difficult to know the truth than before, as if there is some mysterious great power intervening. Who knows?

  I asked: Master, when you first told me to go down the mountain, I went down and went to Chang'an. I also went to Zhuo City, but many people chased and killed me, and I didn't know what I was going to do.

  Master said: Don't do anything, just let you out.

  I asked: You are my master after all, what should I do now?

  The master burst out laughing and said: Be your own master!

  I burst out laughing and said: What kind of alliance leader is this? He just waved his sword.

  Master said: Let me see your sword.

  I handed the sword over. The master carefully examined the scabbard and said: It was made by that person.

  Who?

  Master said: You should know.

  I said: He is an old man who is very strange but has good skills and is extremely quick. He doesn't seem to care about many things and appears to be a bit confused.

  Master said: If he wasn't confused, wouldn't this sword be in Wan Yong's hands?

  I suddenly remembered something and said: I was on my way to Chang'an Road, not far from where I met Wan Yong. At that time, I fell into his trap and stayed in his mountain villa for a few days. I didn't think it would be like this today.

  The master said: Wan Yong has a great relationship with the imperial court. His father is an important person in the imperial court. As for what the key point is, no one can say clearly.

  I muttered: The imperial court...

  Master said: I'll tell you something that you've never known for over a decade. Your senior fellow disciple's matter, he also didn't know about it. Now is the time when everyone can know.

  There's even rumors that he is the prince.

  Master said: That's right. The story begins many years ago. Shikong is the son of the current emperor and a beloved concubine. This concubine was deeply hated by the empress. When Shikong was about to be born, the concubine learned that the empress planned to poison the child, so she sent someone to entrust him to the temple. The emperor also knew about this matter, but the empress was a princess from a neighboring country, so the emperor couldn't do anything about it. He told the imperial physician to announce that the fetus had died in the womb, and thus narrowly escaped disaster. Later, the empress gave birth only to daughters, and she was not satisfied, eager to give birth to a son. According to legend, later on, the emperor did not visit her for almost a year, but another incident occurred, and an scholar was invited to say that the empress was blessed by heaven and did not need to give birth to children. The matter was dropped. Later, when the neighboring country declined, the empress was finally deposed. Now is the time to bring Shikong back.

  I was taken aback and said: Oh.

  Master said: The emperor's body is weak and may not have much time. Your senior brother is now the crown prince, but he must also make some achievements to inherit the throne because there are many princes and he has been growing up outside the palace since childhood, it is inevitable that he will be questioned.

  I said: No wonder he was different from us since childhood and didn't love eating vegetables, it turns out he is a prince.

  The master said: His life is extremely confidential, but rumors are inevitable.

  I said: And it's very accurate, almost exactly like this, I even suspect that Master, you've heard it before.

  Master smiled and said: Yes, it's not until the tenth generation that it can be passed down. Legends are just passing on a story, but in fact, many times the essence still exists. Besides, how can you achieve word of mouth if it's not big?

  I said: Then I can go to the palace to find my brother and ask him to help me find Xi Le.

  Master said: I knew since you were a kid that you're not the material for being an alliance leader. Those who can only play with women but cannot be controlled by women.

  I said: I never thought about it anyway. I've always been very dazed.

  Master said: Your life is like this, we don't know who your parents are, we only found you based on the records in the Buddhist scriptures. At that time, you had just been born and couldn't take refuge in Buddhism, it was destined. You can change many things, everyone hopes to be able to change things and not be changed by others.

  I felt even more dizzy.

  Master said: In the end, you are a person who is not changed by anything. Shaolin will not use this power. Shaolin found you just to hope that other factions do not have this power. Peace and tranquility, long years of good times, it's always a good thing.

  I said: So be it——

  Master said: There is no such thing as saying. You are a destined number of days.

  I said: If I am destined for one thing, then isn't everything else also already destined?

  Master said: It's not that the space-time is different, you can see many things because your space-time is different from others. Space-time is not time and space, it's a space that removes time. In this space, you are eternal, immobile, and forever reincarnated, and there is only one person in this space, so it's said that you are destined. When you go to a deeper space, you can see more things, you can see people's hearts, you can see people's souls, you can see the dead laughing at their own corpses, not the dead corpses laughing at the living. Buddha is a person in this space, and he can change other spaces because he can talk to ghosts. You are the only one in the middle space.

  I said: What if I go blind?

  Master said: You can try digging out your own eyes now. You are destined to be blind.

  I said: But I think this is something I can control myself.

  Master said: Do not fight.

  I said: I'm not arguing, it's just that I think I'm an ordinary person, not as you described, nor sacred. After getting this sword, I was very happy to kill many people without guilt, almost no different from the scum in the rivers and lakes. Also, I'm anxious about the outcome of joy and sorrow.

  Master said: Slowly you will know. Including He Xi Le is also like this.

  I asked: What is the relationship between me and Xile?

  Master said: The emotions between men and women, we say are worldly affairs because they are not specific and will disperse. You and Xile's relationship is not a romantic one, it's a reliance. Relying on each other isn't necessarily bad, most of the time it's even more important than romance.

  I said: I also can't take care of so many things. Master, I want you to go with me to the Alliance Hall, I think there should be news about Xile there.