Chapter Ninety-Three: Inside White Cloud Temple

"Oh!" the abbot of White Cloud Temple and several elders exclaimed with great joy upon hearing this, "That is wonderful! We shall go out to greet him at once!"

To be honest, White Cloud Temple had enjoyed peace for many years, and this time they could be said to have been implicated by Liaochen. However, within the Daoist fold, all branches share the same breath and branch; this matter concerned the rivalry between Daoism and Buddhism. As the ancestral courtyard of the Dragon Gate Sect of Daoism and the place where Master Changchun attained ascension, White Cloud Temple naturally had to uphold the will of Master Changchun and avenge the humiliation of the Daoist-Buddhist debates from a century ago. Therefore, come what may in the Daoist-Buddhist conflict, White Cloud Temple was bound to bear the brunt of it.

Yet this clash was purely accidental, and most of those trapped were visiting disciples who happened to be staying temporarily at the temple, which was why White Cloud Temple was in such a rush. Unfortunately, intimidated by the influence of both Daoism and Buddhism, the local government refused to show the slightest leniency, adopting a rigid posture of going strictly by the book, leaving White Cloud Temple entirely at their wits' end.

Now, hearing that the Protector of the Country Daoist Master was visiting, it felt just like sweet rain after a long drought or joyful news in times of desperate poverty. How could they not be overjoyed to welcome him? After all, the Protector of the Country Daoist Master possessed an extraordinary status and boundless cultivation. With him here, those "bald donkeys" would surely be unable to stir up any major trouble.

"Immeasurable Life and Longevity to the Heavenly Venerate! With the compassion of the Protector of the Country Daoist Master, all members of White Cloud Temple respectfully welcome the arrival of the Daoist Master's Dharma carriage. May the Daoist Master live for ten thousand years!" The abbot of White Cloud Temple quickly led a group of elders, deacons, the three capitals, five lords, eighteen heads, and numerous Daoist priests to the entrance to welcome Liaochen.

"Immeasurable Life and Longevity to the Heavenly Venerate!" After returning the courtesy, Liaochen followed the abbot and the others back into White Cloud Temple.

In the Hall of Ancestor Qiu, after Liaochen, the abbot, and several elders had taken their respective seats as honored guests and hosts, temple acolytes respectfully served fragrant tea.

"I wonder if the Daoist Master's visit today is on account of the conflict between our sect and Buddhism?" The abbot asked first after inviting Liaochen to partake of the tea.

"Come to think of it, this matter arose entirely because of this poor Daoist's entry into the capital. The various temples in the capital have merely suffered like fish in a dried-up pond, so this poor Daoist naturally cannot stand by with folded arms. However, this incident happened so suddenly—how did it actually originate?" Liaochen picked up his teacup and asked slowly.

"This whole affair was stirred up by Buddhism. Those Buddhist disciples used their power to bully others, insulted our Daoist sect, and beat our disciples..." As soon as Liaochen finished speaking, an elder of White Cloud Temple with a white beard and hair spoke up with indignation.

Hearing this, Liaochen smiled without replying, simply sipping his tea.

No matter where one is, speaking up for one's own people is nothing strange; being a cultivator does not mean one does not protect one's own, otherwise White Cloud Temple would have fallen apart long ago.

When Liaochen did not take up the thread of conversation, making it clear that he did not believe these words, the speaking elder was left in a brief and awkward silence. It suddenly dawned on him that Liaochen was neither a government official nor an outsider; there was no need for biased rhetoric. What Daoist Master Liaochen wanted was simply the truth!

"Immeasurable Life and Longevity to the Heavenly Venerate!" Realizing that Daoist Master Liaochen's silence indicated his dissatisfaction with White Cloud Temple for concealing the facts, the abbot hurriedly chanted a greeting to break the awkwardness and said, "Actually, the cause was nothing more than a few sticks of incense. In our Daoist tradition, it is common knowledge that sandalwood is never used for revering gods and worshiping the Dipper, let alone in incense and candle shops! This time, because many Daoist disciples from various regions had arrived, the morning and evening chanting classes exhausted the temple's supply of incense and candles. Therefore, the temple sent disciples to an incense shop to make purchases, and the other disciples merely tagged along to sightsee in the capital. Who could have known that the owner of the incense shop was manipulated by others and intentionally mixed sandalwood in with the rest? When our purchasing disciples discovered this, naturally they refused to accept it, leading to a dispute between the two sides. Soon after, a large group of monks strode over, accusing our temple disciples of bullying and extortion, and before long, both sides came to blows."

At this point, the abbot of White Cloud Temple sighed and continued, "Among the temple disciples who accompanied the trip, a few were young disciples from Mount Wudang. They possessed martial arts skills and were hot-blooded, so they lost control for a moment. Unfortunately, they beat a monk to death and injured several others, though our disciples were also wounded. Originally, it was just an ordinary brawl between two parties, but unexpectedly it drew the involvement of the government. Things have reached this state; no matter what, our temple can no longer extricate itself!"

Hearing this, Liaochen felt a wave of internal emotion: if there had been a few Shaolin warrior monks among that group of monks, it would have turned into a martial arts tournament!

"Winning the fight is what matters!" Liaochen nodded in approval.

Yet who would have thought that Liaochen's remark would startle the abbot and elders in the hall? Their mouths hung wide open, clearly unable to grasp what Liaochen meant by those words.

"Could it be that you would rather have our sect's disciples beaten to a pulp by monks?" Liaochen's mindset was clearly different from the traditional era's emphasis on "gentleness, kindness, respect, restraint, and yielding." Influenced far more by his past life, he naturally had no fear of the accusation of partiality, nor did he pay much heed to Confucian ritual propriety. One only had to look at Liaochen's own disciples to know that every single one of them was "lawless and unruly," acting more like pampered family members than disciples toward a master.

"We dare not, we dare not!" The eminent Daoists in the hall immediately shook their heads in denial. Since the Daoist Master himself had said so, how could the abbot and elders of White Cloud Temple possibly object? It was just that their expressions were somewhat peculiar.

"The Daoist Master is unbound by vulgar rituals, possesses a genuine nature, strips away falsehood to reveal the truth, and is truly a person of supreme attainment. He is indeed different from ordinary worldly folk!" The abbot and the elders unanimously interpreted Liaochen's words through the lens of "extraordinary actions of an extraordinary man."

In truth, they were truly misjudging Liaochen. These were merely the universal perceptions of someone from future generations!

"Have the owner and the manager of that incense shop been found?" Liaochen asked.

Anyone with half a brain could figure out that this matter was not that simple. The incense shop was effectively smashing its own signboard. Merchants value harmony above all else, and even with different religious beliefs, no one would ever do something so foolish as to injure others while harming themselves. It was clear as day that this entire affair was a trap.

"Our humble temple naturally thought of this layer, but the owner, manager, and workers of that incense shop have already hidden themselves inside Guangji Temple. At this juncture, apart from us marching over to confront them, what else can we do?" the abbot sighed.

"Guangji Temple?" Liaochen inquired.

"We dare not deceive the Daoist Master!" the abbot and the elders said, bowing with cupped hands.

"This poor Daoist will personally go to Guangji Temple to reason with the abbot of that temple. However, with the recent strife between Daoism and Buddhism, the capital is somewhat unsettled. Please exercise restraint over your disciples and ensure they do not leave the temple without cause. I also ask the abbot to convey these words to all the palaces and temples in the capital. Before Celestial Master Zhang and the patriarchs of the Three Mountains enter the capital, everyone must endure for now! Save the reckoning for a later day," Liaochen said.

Liaochen did not wish to provide the imperial court with an excuse to suppress both Daoism and Buddhism, especially at a time when the matter of the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs remained unsettled, and the civil officials throughout the court were glaring at him with dissatisfaction.

In a conflict between Daoism and Buddhism, how could Confucian disciples possibly let slip such a fine opportunity?

"We shall strictly obey the Daoist Master's Dharma decree!" The abbot and elders of White Cloud Temple had clearly acknowledged Liaochen's position as the leader of the Daoist sect. Not daring to show any disrespect, they accepted the command very submissively.

Liaochen nodded, uttered the phrase "Immeasurable Life and Longevity to the Heavenly Venerate," and then took his leave of the Daoist friends of White Cloud Temple. The abbot and the disciples once more escorted Liaochen all the way to the main gate of the temple before turning back.

Clearly, White Cloud Temple placed immense expectations on Liaochen's journey, treating him with the utmost courtesy and reverence—after all, it was their White Cloud Temple that had provoked the trouble!

Guangji Temple was not far from White Cloud Temple, as both were located in the western sector of the capital. Therefore, in very little time, Liaochen arrived before the gates of Guangji Temple.

Guangji Temple was bustling with flourishing incense trade, as Buddhism apparently accepted incense offerings regardless of the day, unlike the Daoist tradition which observed taboos such as avoiding rituals on "Wu days." Today happened to be a Wu day, so White Cloud Temple had not opened its gates to welcome worshippers, whereas the area in front of Guangji Temple was a continuous stream of believers coming to offer incense.

Clad in a Daoist crown and a azure Daoist robe, Liaochen was unmistakably a Daoist priest. Yet here he was, standing right before the gates of a Buddhist temple. How could it fail to astonish the crowds of worshippers? One after another, they stopped to watch, speculating whether this Daoist priest had come to Guangji Temple to pick a fight.

"Immeasurable Life and Longevity to the Heavenly Venerate! This poor Daoist is Liaochen. I request an audience with the abbot of your esteemed temple!" Instead of stepping through the Buddhist temple's gates, Liaochen stood right at the entrance and spoke to the two welcoming monk guards.