Upon hearing the elder's question, Ci Yuan only pressed his palms together and uttered a chant of Buddha, indeed not asking further about the medical book, while Mr. Ying scoffed coldly.
He had been fiercely struck in the eye socket by Ci Yuan's Great Vajra Fist which carried the intent of "All Dharmas are Non-Dharmas, Severing All Afflictions," and he was feeling a bit irritated in his heart. Just then, Wu Changqing, unfortunately, touched upon the sore point, adding to his irritation. He glanced coldly at the elder, whose face beamed with warmth, then, with a wave of his sleeve, he vanished without a trace.
Wu Changqing stroked his white beard, smiling without speaking.
He whispered to himself.
It seemed that during the bout, Mr. Ying had not employed his full authority; otherwise, he would not have ended up so disheveled.
In such matters, the master was indeed quite stubborn, unlike usual days.
With a couple of sighs, the old man's gaze returned to Ci Yuan. Yet, his mind envisioned the scholar's swollen eyes, his thoughts drifting to past conflicts between the two, where every injury the scholar sustained was always on his face, recalling the rumors in the Jianghu that the chief greatly cared about his own demeanor.
Although he had long been absent from Jianghu, he was aware of this tale; Masters Ci Yuan and Mr. Ying were close friends who traveled Jianghu together; they must know more about it …
With this thought, Wu Changqing couldn't help but lift his eyes to look at the monk in tattered robes, still sitting dignified on the bluestone, his demeanor solemn, his gaze rather peculiar as he reflected inwardly.
Unexpectedly, Master Ci Yuan was also a... uh.
The old man paused in his thoughts, searching his mind for a fitting description, then shook his head in reflection and said:
"A remarkable man indeed…"
Realizing the change in the elder's expression, Ci Yuan opened his eyes and spoke,
"Does Elder Wu have something to discuss with this poor monk?"
Wu Changqing was slightly surprised at hearing this, but he soon realized that the monk before him was no ordinary person, but rather, a Wrathful King of the Upper Third Rank.
Shaolin Martial Arts, when cultivated to the later stages, could manifest all sorts of incredible Divine Skills. The thoughts he had just entertained had probably already been perceived, but he remained composed, simply stroking his long beard, his facial expression showing no signs of abnormality, and smiled, saying:
"The old man was just thinking, Anfeng's martial arts are becoming increasingly profound, so I should teach him some advanced skills; yet, I'm worried about duplication with what the master has provided, which might not be advisable."
"After all, although the martial arts of Medicine King Valley are quite effective, if compared to Shaolin in terms of striking skills, they are still far from equal."
Ci Yuan shook his head and said,
"Elder Wu is too modest."
"The martial arts of Medicine King Valley use poison as their blade, their power unpredictable; it's merely that they differ from Shaolin Martial Arts, each having their own strengths."
"As for Anfeng's martial arts… I have taught him the Prajna Palm of Shaolin, if Elder Wu wishes to teach him martial arts, please wait a few days until he has fully mastered this set of palm techniques."
Upon hearing this, Wu Changqing's heart skipped a beat and said,
As he spoke, his volume was noticeably higher than usual, the elder realized he had been startled but he couldn't suppress his astonishment.
He had considered many martial arts in his mind, thinking that Ci Yuan might teach Wang Anfeng the fundamental martial arts of Shaolin, such as Arhat Fist, Vaisravana Palm, or even speculated about the Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills like Maha Finger, Great Vajra Palm, or Vajra Finger Force, but he had never thought that Ci Yuan would directly impart this profound Buddhist skill.
As far as he knew, the newly prominent master of Shaolin Temple, Ci Yuan, had traversed Jianghu with the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, suppressing many evil sect's experts without any mercy by often displaying the Wrathful King's fierce aspect, earning him the title of Wrathful King, his expertise mostly within the Vajra Lineage, with little involvement in Prajna Palm.
Ci Yuan nodded slightly and offered no explanation.
Wu Changqing stroked his beard and turned to read a book, but he couldn't concentrate. He simply put the book down and turned to look at the monk who was chanting with his eyes closed, hesitating slightly before saying,
"Master Yuan Ci, forgive my presumption, but isn't your sect's martial arts all about gradual progression?"
"Although Anfeng bases his Inner Strength on the Golden Bell Shield, just now he was still practicing foundational Shaolin Changquan. Isn't it a bit too hasty to teach him the Prajna Palm so suddenly?"
Wu Changqing's concerns were not without reason.
In the eyes of Jianghu, Shaolin's Martial Arts are known for their systematic progression and solid foundation, progressing from one Martial Art to another, eventually building a base so solid it makes one's scalp tingle and is virtually flawless. Cases like Wang Anfeng, who had just laid the foundation and was directly taught a martial art that's considered the pinnacle of the sect's teachings, were exceedingly rare and almost unheard of.
Hearing this, Yuan Ci fell silent for a moment before saying,
"...There's no time."
Wu Changqing was slightly startled, then saw the monk shake his head, a tone of regret in his voice as he sighed, "There's no time indeed..."
"As Shaolin disciples, if we follow the rules, one should start with practicing Shaolin Changquan to grasp the basics of Martial Arts. After mastering Changquan, one should then cultivate Arhat Fist, followed by Subdue Tiger Fist, Vaisravana Palm, and Scattering Flowers Palm. By the time one can engage in something as profound as Prajna Palm, easily three or five decades would have passed."
His voice paused slightly as various thoughts flashed through Yuan Ci's mind, eventually settling into a long sigh.
"There's no time indeed..."
Wu Changqing somewhat understood.
If Wang Anfeng continued practicing according to Shaolin's rules, his foundation would indeed be incomparably solid, but he would have missed the most radiantly youthful years of a martial artist. Moreover, the more one delves into Shaolin Martial Arts, the more Buddhist principles one needs to comprehend.
By then, if Wang Anfeng's state of mind hadn't reached the profound and mystical realm of 'No-Self Aspect, No-Person Aspect, No Living Beings Aspect, all aspects are Non-Aspects,' his Martial Arts would at most reach Third Rank, marking him as a master, but not enough to support his dreams.
If he did reach such a realm, he would not be much different from an Arhat or Buddha walking the earth. His mind would be perfectly at peace and non-leaking, perceiving all beings as one, with no distinctions, having long disdained deeper martial arts practices. Although his Inner Strength would grow richer, without deliberate cultivation, it would be difficult to reach the pinnacle.
Even if enlightened, he would uphold the monks' principle of asceticism from secular life, untouched by karma.
For Wang Anfeng's dreams, following the orthodox path of cultivation was essentially a dead end.
Even considering the young man's insightful nature and Buddha heart, it was not impossible that, after forty or fifty years, he could comprehend Buddhist principles and integrate all his knowledge to the extent of advancing into a dao, pioneering a new school in this realm.
But that would be the Buddha named Wang Anfeng.
Not the fervent hero, not the young man who once furrowed his brows over his appetite for meat.
Realizing this, Wu Changqing felt a wave of emotion and said,
"Master, your action is indeed wise..."
His voice trailed off, but then he thought how the young man would react to hearing about his future. The first thought might not be fear, but a worry that he might have to survive on vegetarian meals for life...
As for the rest... ah, he probably would never believe he could become that person.
The old man stroked his beard and chuckled softly.
After all, he still looked like a youth.
Still the same Yi Nanping.
PS: Today's second update...