"Kill the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon! Avenge our fellow brothers!"
In that instant, the monks surged forward in a fury, swarming to kill. Quinn Shepherd frowned slightly, his body flickered, and Thousand‑Hand Buddha erupted—the Buddha light blazed, echoing through the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard with thunderous Buddhist chants.
Quinn stood unmoving like a colossal Buddha, meeting attacks from all directions head‑on. Explosions boomed—monks were flung away in all directions, crashing into dragon pillars, some snapping apart into three or five pieces.
Quinn flicked his body; the thousand arms vanished from before and behind him, and the Buddha light from earlier faded away as well.
Quinn swept his gaze over the monks sprawled across the ground and flicked his sleeve. "This is your Great Thunderclap Temple's Thunder Chant Eight‑Form. Is it also a demonic art? Any technique is righteous if used righteously; if used for evil—even Thunder Chant Eight‑Form, even the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture—then it is demonic!"
King Ma coughed and said to Old Monk Brightmirror, who was staring in shock beside him, "Senior brother, your Heavenly Dragon Courtyard is a mess. Let's go visit the Heart‑Zen Courtyard instead."
Old Monk Brightmirror looked at Quinn, seething with anger. Most of those injured or killed were his disciples, but with King Ma and Grandpa Blind right beside Quinn, he dared not make a move.
Especially that blind old man next to him—though his eye sockets were empty, any slight movement made Brightmirror feel the killing intent from Grandpa Blind's body, always circling his throat.
If he really dared to attack, Grandpa Blind's bamboo staff would pierce his throat in the very next instant.
His Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture had a flaw—right at the throat—no matter how he tried, he could never fix it.
The other old monks of the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard also dared not move. Standing next to King Ma and Grandpa Blind, they felt as if two Sumeru Mountains were pressing down on them—if they so much as budged, they’d be crushed to pieces!
Cold sweat broke out on Brightmirror’s forehead. He said, "Junior brother, your disciples killed my monks here in the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard, and they even damaged the Hundred Dragon Diagrams..."
King Ma said nothing.
Grandpa Blind, unfazed, leaned on his bamboo staff and said, "Senior Brightmirror, the mess in Heavenly Dragon Courtyard today is your own doing. If you hadn’t pointed out that Quinn is the demon cult master, none of this would have happened. Don’t let this get any bigger—if you do, it’ll only get harder to clean up."
A bead of cold sweat slid down Brightmirror’s forehead. He coughed, his voice booming like a bell: "Cult Master Quinn has come from afar as our guest. Monks, do not act recklessly. Stand down!"
As soon as he spoke, the other monks in the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to help their fallen brothers up.
King Ma called out, "Quinn, come here."
Grandpa Blind grinned, "You’ve fought, you’ve smashed things, you’ve spoken your piece. But we’re guests here—let’s not go too far. King Ma said we should visit Heart‑Zen Courtyard. Aren’t you coming?"
Quinn replied, then bowed to Monk Brightheart: "Little monk, if you ever can’t get by in Great Thunderclap Temple, come find me at the Cult of the Heavenly Saint."
Brightheart looked puzzled. "Why wouldn’t I get by? My master treats me very well, and my brothers look after me too. I’ll never turn to evil, and you shouldn’t either. Stop being a demon cult master. Wouldn’t it be better to give up evil for good? As the Buddha says, the sea of suffering is boundless—turn back and you reach the shore..."
Quinn shook his head, his expression serious. "You’re a true monk. Sometimes, true monks aren’t tolerated by the false monks in their own temple. When the temple can’t hold you anymore, you’ll have to go out into the world to seek your own true suchness, your great awakening. Read fewer sutras—the ones who wrote them, few are World‑Honored Ones themselves. If they can’t achieve Buddhahood, how can they guide you to it? Destroy the Buddha in your heart, destroy the Great Thunderclap Temple in your heart—then you will be your own Buddha, the world will be your Thunderclap Temple, and all beings your fellow Daoists and seniors."
He extended a finger and tapped Brightheart’s chest, smiling: "There, a true Buddha lives inside you."
Then he tapped between Brightheart’s brows: "Here, a false Buddha lives. Don’t let faith become your demon, your fetter, or your blind spot. What you should do is face heaven and earth with a clear conscience."
Brightheart’s mind buzzed, lost in thought.
Quinn turned and walked over to King Ma, saluting Old Monk Brightmirror and the others. "Forgive me, masters, for disturbing your peace."
Brightmirror and the others returned the salute. "Cult master, you’re too polite. Their cultivation is lacking, and your demonic nature is too strong—skilled at bewitching hearts and ruthless in your methods. You’re a born old devil."
Quinn shook his head. "My mental realm is shallow. When others try to kill me, I can only strike back. You masters have deep cultivation—if someone tried to kill you, would you fight back?" With that, he drew the Grand Guardian’s Sword with a metallic ring, his gaze unfriendly.
Brightmirror and the others stared at the gleaming blade, then slowly shook their heads one by one.
Quinn sheathed the sword and let out a breath, laughing. "I thought you were fearless of life and death, beyond concern for honor and disgrace. Turns out you’re just like me—ordinary mortals with heavy ‘demonic’ instincts. I’ll take my leave. Grandpa Ma, Grandpa Blind, what is Heart‑Zen Courtyard?"
King Ma led them out. "Heart‑Zen Courtyard is where monks cultivate the heart; the training there is different. Monks first cultivate the heart, and many in Heart‑Zen Courtyard practice ‘closed‑mouth Zen,’ not using their tongues to debate."
Grandpa Blind sighed in relief and smiled. "Monks who don’t argue are better. Otherwise, you’ll point out how monks act in real life and they’ll quote Buddhist doctrine at you; you’ll talk about reforming temple rules and they’ll quote doctrine; you’ll reason with them and they’ll quote doctrine; you’ll talk doctrine and they’ll use their fists. Even basic unity of knowledge and action—these believers can’t achieve it."
King Ma hesitated, then stopped. "On second thought, let’s not go to Heart‑Zen Courtyard."
Quinn was surprised. "Are the monks in Heart‑Zen Courtyard like that too?"
King Ma shook his head. "There are some who don’t practice closed‑mouth Zen there. Lucky you came with me—if I’d come alone, they’d lecture me endlessly. Now that you’re here as demon cult master, they’ll want to harangue you even more. When they lose in words, they’ll repeat the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard debacle."
Grandpa Blind shook his head. "Then let’s not go. Most monks in Great Thunderclap Temple are fake. Few achieve consistency inside and out or unity of knowledge and action. Criticize them and they’ll argue loudly. They love to complicate simple truths and tangle you up in rhetoric; if you follow their argument tracks, you lose."
King Ma said, "No matter how fine words sound, they’re still just words; in the end, only actions matter. There are very few true monks in the world; most are empty talkers, spouting dazzling quotations and citations while doing nothing. Having even one genuine monk out of a hundred is a blessing. The World‑Honored One is old and has grown lax; in recent years he seems to lack strength to truly teach."
He used to be laconic, but revisiting old ground made him talk more without realizing it.
Brightmirror and the other elders watched them walk away, each exchanging glances.
"Sinister. This Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon is truly sinister."
An old monk sighed, "If the World‑Honored One keeps him in the temple, it may not be a blessing for Great Thunderclap Temple."
Another presiding elder said, "I don’t understand why the World‑Honored One wants to keep him. He’s the demon cult master—when has a Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon ever been easy to handle?"
Brightmirror said, "No need to guess. The World‑Honored One’s intention is to use Buddha‑dharma to influence him, let him see its vastness, turn from evil to good, and join the Buddhist fold. The World‑Honored One once favored him and wanted to accept him as a disciple, but the Heavenly Demon Patriarch snatched him away first."
The old monks were astonished. Knowing Brightmirror was close to the World‑Honored One, and privy to many secrets, they asked in a rush, "Is that true?"
Brightmirror replied, "The heavy monk’s staff Xiqiluo was meant as a token of fate, but he casually gave it to a monkey. The World‑Honored One saw this as a severing of karmic affinity and never sought him out. In fact, there’s a second intention for keeping him—the Cult of the Heavenly Demon is showing signs of revival with Cult Master Quinn. He’s close to the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire; in the recent snow disaster, he foresaw the situation and ordered the cult to aid the emperor in disaster relief. With the emperor and Imperial Preceptor as arms, the Cult will surely flourish."
The old monks’ faces changed dramatically. "How could that be allowed?" they cried, stamping their feet.
Brightmirror said, "If Cult Master Quinn remains trapped in Great Thunderclap Temple, the cult loses its leader, its resurgence is broken, demons wither and Buddhas thrive—it’s a blessing for our temple. Even if the cult tries to find another cult master, they likely cannot find one as exceptional. As for a third intention..."
A flicker of Buddha light flashed in Brightmirror’s eyes. He said quietly, "It’s about the next World‑Honored One. The current abbot lacks the Heavenly Demon Patriarch’s boldness to choose a mere youth as sect master; he still favors King Ma as his successor. What a pity..."
The other old monks exchanged glances and all sighed, "What a pity."
Monk Brightheart wandered over, dazed, and said to Brightmirror, "Master, I..."
Brightmirror saw his lost expression and tried to comfort him. "Good child, you’ve been bewitched by the demon cult master’s words. Devils are best at seducing minds, and the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon is no exception."
"But I think what he said makes sense..." Brightheart replied.
Brightmirror laughed. "Good child, our temple’s sutras contain many treatises on demons. Go read what your predecessors wrote—you’ll understand on your own, no need for my guidance."
Still, Brightheart couldn’t calm his mind.
Brightmirror frowned, knowing the shock Quinn brought was too much for the young monk. He decided to keep Brightheart busy: "Go tend to your brothers, then help re‑erect the dragon pillars. They’re broken, but they can still be repaired."
Brightheart agreed and hurried to help his brothers in the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard, tending the wounded. But the other monks gave him cold faces and brushed him off.
Brightheart tried to help lift the fallen dragon pillars, but some monks shoved him aside.
He pushed forward, but someone slapped him to the ground. Sitting dazed, Brightheart watched the others, then quietly got up and went to the scripture repository to read. Yet he found he could no longer absorb the meanings of the sutras.
Brightmirror was helping tidy up the Heavenly Dragon Courtyard when he suddenly saw Brightheart, a small pack on his back, walking down the mountain path. He called out, "Brightheart, did you bring any scriptures?"
Brightheart stopped. "Master, I brought a copy of the Heart Sutra."
Brightmirror nodded. "Go down the mountain, and return early. The sea of suffering is boundless—turn back and it will become Sumeru Mountain and Great Thunderclap Temple."
Brightheart knelt and kowtowed twice, then turned and left.
Behind him, Great Thunderclap Temple’s bell tolled, the sun was high in the sky, and the little monk’s shadow stretched long down the mountainside.