The Shaolin Abbot Born in the 1980s

Chapter 29: The Disciple Guan Shanyue

Old Man Guan grew increasingly alarmed as he followed behind; this young abbot’s lightness skills were simply too extraordinary. With a single tap of his toes on a treetop, he leaped nearly ten zhang forward, his monk’s robe fluttering through the air as he soared like a divine eagle through the mountains and forests. His own martial arts were quite good; he had already reached the Perfect Post-Heaven realm. One more step forward, and he would be a Pre-Heaven master—the kind of figure capable of founding his own school. Although he wasn’t particularly strong in lightness skills, he never would have imagined that he would lose to this abbot who looked to be under twenty. Even if he’d started training while still in his mother’s womb, how far could he possibly have progressed by now? How could he be this formidable? Shocked as he was, the old man still gave chase with all his might—for no other reason than that if he could witness the Buddha’s divine miracle unfold with his own eyes, he would die content. No matter how devout a believer’s faith may be, without witnessing a miracle with their own eyes, they cannot help but doubt whether the deity they worship truly exists. Old Man Guan was a devout Buddhist, but he had never witnessed a miracle—he hadn’t even managed to find a single sacred artifact imbued with the Buddha’s nature. At times, doubts would occasionally creep into his heart as to whether the Buddha truly existed. So he absolutely couldn’t miss this chance to clear up the doubts in his mind. He’d chase after him even if it killed him! Old Man Guan chased after him with all his might, following Huo Yuanzhen’s figure all the way to the foot of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain lay a path leading up—the bluestone steps Yuanzhen had recently built. When building the steps, Huo Yuanzhen had specifically cleared a space at the open entrance to the mountain, setting aside a spot for the mountain gate in advance. Back then, when the craftsmen suggested building the mountain gate at the same time, Huo Yuanzhen refused—precisely because he believed he would eventually draw the token required to construct it, so there was no need to build it separately. Moreover, what was actually built was fundamentally different from what he would draw. Having frequently entered and exited the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas recently, Huo Yuanzhen had already noticed some clues. Not only was the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas exquisitely beautiful, but it was also extremely sturdy. He had once secretly tried striking the wall a couple of times with an axe and chisel; though he hadn’t used much force, not even a speck of dust had come loose. The mountain gate, in particular, had to be of the highest quality; otherwise, if it collapsed one day, it would be a laughingstock. When Huo Yuanzhen reached the open area, he looked back and saw Old Man Guan had shrunk to a tiny black speck, struggling to make his way over. This was exactly what Huo Yuanzhen intended: to let Old Man Guan witness a divine miracle, but without letting him see that he was the one who produced the Construction Token. As Old Man Guan gradually drew nearer, Huo Yuanzhen took out the Construction Token and confirmed its use. A faint image of a temple gate began to form in the air, gradually taking shape. Huo Yuanzhen, meanwhile, sat cross-legged to one side, palms pressed together, putting on a solemn act as if he were respectfully inviting the Buddha’s miracle to descend. Old Man Guan finally arrived. He had intended to ask Huo Yuanzhen when the divine miracle would occur, but when he suddenly saw the phantom of the mountain gate growing increasingly solid in the air, he was so startled that he forgot to use his lightness skills to land. He simply fell straight down from mid-air, landing with a thud and getting covered in dust—he didn’t even have time to care. The Mountain Gate Archway was a massive archway, carved entirely from white marble. It was adorned with stone carvings of celestial beings, statues of the Buddha, and a scene depicting “Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage to the Supreme Buddha.” At the center of the archway, the three characters “Shaolin Temple” were written in a sweeping, flowing calligraphy—a grandeur that even the finest calligraphers of today could not replicate. On either side of the archway hung a pair of couplets. The upper couplet reads: “In the deep mountains, one contemplates Buddhist teachings; the Enlightened One sees right and wrong without attachment.” The lower couplet reads: “In this ancient temple, one comprehends the essence of Chan; only then does one realize that form and appearance are inherently empty.” The Mountain Gate Archway grew increasingly solid and gradually stabilized completely; after a flash of radiance, it finally took the true form of a mountain gate. Over there, Huo Yuanzhen finally opened his eyes, bowed toward the sky, and said, “Farewell, Buddha. Please visit us again when you have time.” Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears; over there, Old Man Guan was staring at the archway, drooling with anticipation. Trembling all over, Old Man Guan approached the archway and suddenly cried out, “A miracle of the Buddha! This old man has finally witnessed a miracle!” After saying this, Old Man Guan knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly while chanting “Amitabha Buddha” over and over; he was so overcome with emotion that his words became slurred. Huo Yuanzhen stood quietly by, watching. It was quite a while before Old Man Guan raised his head to look at the couplet inscribed on the archway. “In the deep mountains, I contemplate the Buddha’s teachings; with great enlightenment, I see right from wrong without attachment; in the ancient temple, I grasp the essence of Zen; only then do I realize that form is inherently empty—the ancient temple, inherently empty…” Suddenly, Old Man Guan’s eyes lit up, and he said devoutly, “Buddha in heaven, this disciple has understood: form is inherently empty; everything is an illusion. How ridiculous that this old man still presumed himself to be a devout believer! All these years I’ve been wallowing in the mundane world—I’ve truly wasted my time! Starting today, this old man will be tonsured as a monk, enter the monastic life, and serve before the Buddha forever. I will have no further connection with the affairs of the secular world.” After speaking, Old Man Guan turned to Huo Yuanzhen, pressed his palms together, and said, “Abbot, this disciple is Guan Shanyue. I humbly request that you ordain me. From this day forward, Guan Shanyue shall be a disciple of Shaolin.” Unexpectedly, Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand: “You are already quite advanced in years and are not suited for life at Shaolin. Now that you have witnessed the Buddha’s miracle, you should depart at once.” With that, Huo Yuanzhen turned and began walking up the mountain. “Joining our Shaolin Temple isn’t that easy. Even if I wanted to accept you, if it came too easily, I’m afraid you wouldn’t know how to cherish it.” Huo Yuanzhen thought to himself, his footsteps never faltering. Over there, Guan Shanyue grew frantic. Having witnessed the Buddha’s miracle descend upon the Shaolin Temple with his own eyes, he believed this was the Buddha’s mercy toward him. His faith immediately soared to new heights, and he was determined to become a monk at Shaolin. He never expected to be rejected by the abbot—something Guan Shanyue simply could not accept. He quickly hurried after him, trailing right behind Huo Yuanzhen. All traces of his former arrogance had vanished, and with a forced smile, he pleaded, ““Abbot, please take me in. Don’t let my age fool you—I’m skilled in martial arts and have already reached the Great Perfection of the Post-Heaven Realm. Recently, I’ve even sensed the flow of the primordial energy of heaven and earth; I expect it won’t be long before I enter the Pre-Heaven Realm. I see the Shaolin Temple is still recruiting lay disciples and needs someone to teach martial arts. What do you think of this old man…?” “Do you think I’m incapable of teaching?” Huo Yuanzhen retorted coldly. “Of course, of course. Abbot, your divine martial arts are unrivaled under heaven,” Guan Shanyue quickly flattered him, then added, “But given your exalted status, how could you possibly teach those good-for-nothing greenhorns yourself? Such a trivial matter—this old man can certainly handle it on your behalf.” After thinking for a moment and realizing he hadn’t promoted himself strongly enough, Guan Shanyue added, “Besides, even though I’ve taken monastic vows, my secular identity remains that of my son Guan Tianzhao’s father. After all, he is a military governor. If any officials in the future are so blind as to cause trouble, I’ll naturally handle them myself.” Huo Yuanzhen chuckled inwardly; in fact, he had deliberately arranged for Guan Shanyue to witness his appearance at the temple gate precisely with this in mind. Guan Shanyue was an old man; his taking monastic vows wouldn’t disrupt his secular family. Moreover, with his martial arts skills and connections, he was exactly the kind of talent the Shaolin Temple urgently needed—especially since he had witnessed the divine miracle with his own eyes, so his loyalty was beyond question. However, Huo Yuanzhen still felt this wasn’t enough. He said coldly, “No means no. This Humble Monk must return now. You may go.” After speaking, Huo Yuanzhen soared into the air once more, heading straight for the temple gate. Seeing the abbot fly away again, Guan Shanyue was in no mood to give up; once more, he followed like a shadow. This time, Huo Yuanzhen didn’t move too quickly, allowing Guan Shanyue to keep up as best he could. The two arrived at the Shaolin Temple one after the other. After Huo Yuanzhen landed, he strode toward the temple entrance. Guan Shanyue, panting heavily, caught up from behind, knelt with a thud before the gate, and cried out, “Abbot! If you refuse to take this old man in… this disciple—this disciple will kneel here until I die!” Huo Yuanzhen turned back and said helplessly, “You have no karmic connection with the Buddha—why force the issue?” “No, Abbot! This disciple believes that while I had no karmic connection to the Buddha before, things are different now. You are a divine being capable of communicating with the Buddha. This disciple has had the good fortune to follow by your side and witness the Buddha’s miracles with my own eyes. Now I have a karmic connection to the Buddha—and it is a tremendous one! You have the greatest karmic connection to the Buddha in all the world, and this disciple is second only to you. How can you say I have no karmic connection?” He never expected this stubborn old man to come up with such a twisted line of reasoning. Huo Yuanzhen couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, but he still shook his head and walked into the temple. Seeing that the abbot still refused to agree, Guan Shanyue suddenly reached into his robe and pulled out a short dagger! “What are you doing?” Huo Yuanzhen stared coldly at him, his words imbued with the power of the Lion’s Roar. In an instant, a rolling wave of sound surged forth, crashing directly toward Guan Shanyue. Guan Shanyue possessed profound internal energy, yet he still felt slightly dizzy from the abbot’s roar. He found himself even more unable to fathom Huo Yuanzhen and felt a sense of fear welling up within him. Still, he had to speak. Guan Shanyue said, “Abbot, this disciple means no disrespect to you. I merely wish to…” Having said this, Guan Shanyue picked up a short knife and, with a few swift strokes, actually shaved off his own hair. As is typical of martial arts masters, his speed was remarkable, and in no time at all, Guan Shanyue had become completely bald. “Abbot, I have shaved my head to declare my resolve. If I am not allowed to become a monk at Shaolin, I will kneel here at the Shaolin Mountain Gate until I die. I implore you, Abbot, to grant my request!” After speaking, he was about to kowtow again. Seeing things had reached this point, Huo Yuanzhen could no longer hold back. He hurried over to support Guan Shanyue and sighed, “Ah, why put yourself through this? Never mind, never mind. You may stay at Shaolin for the time being. This Humble Monk will observe you for a while; if you sincerely convert to Buddhism, This Humble Monk will accept you as a disciple.” “This disciple thanks the Abbot!” Guan Shanyue’s eyes welled up with tears of emotion; ignoring Huo Yuanzhen’s attempts to stop him, he frantically kowtowed three times with a loud thud. After finishing his prostrations, Guan Shanyue stood up with a beaming smile on his face and scampered over to Huo Yuanzhen’s side. Seeing that Huo Yuanzhen was about to enter the temple, he hurried over and eagerly pushed the temple door open for him. Huo Yuanzhen’s expression remained unchanged as he stepped through the door, as if all of this were perfectly natural; the Abbot’s bearing was truly second to none.