Chapter 2: Surveillance

Because he is not a Buddha

He does not know

Xia Xiaosu, feeling helpless, had no choice but to hand over the cloth bag

There is not much ambition, but there are quite a few obsessions

The eyes of Lord Mei moved slightly, "This truly opens our eyes; the Seventh Prince is indeed wholeheartedly seeking the Buddha"

The voice is calm and composed, reminiscent of a high monk who often sits before the ancient Buddha under the green lamp, bringing a sense of tranquility to the palace maidens.

The scriptures that can truly extract divine skills are only those three books; the rest mostly extract some skills such as "Little Arhat Fist," "Tiger Subduing Power," "Iron Cloth Shirt," "Golden Bell Shield," "Mantis Claw," "Overlord Finger," and "Iron Bull Strength." He didn't even glance at these skill pearls, simply stuffing them directly into his primordial spirit

It can be considered as temporarily stored for other uses

The body is the Bodhi tree, the heart is the bright mirror stand. Constantly and diligently wipe it clean, lest dust settle upon it

Therefore, he only selected three subjects: the Body of the Immovable Wisdom King, the Nine Yang Heart Sutra, and the Eighteen Town Prison Techniques

Xia Ji shook his head with a smile, sitting by the window

Xia Ji has studied Buddhist scriptures for two years

Xia Xiaosu was so frightened that her eyes were filled with tears. She hurriedly said: "Master Mei, this is merely the current Sutra of the Tathagata from Thunder Sound Temple. My elder brother asked me to borrow it for a look."

Upon seeing Grand Eunuch Mei, Xia Xiaosu lowered her head and slightly turned her body to make way. Although she was a princess, she felt she could not provoke a prominent eunuch. She thought to approach and greet him, then pass by.

Subhuti! Those who aspire to the Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi mind should know, see, and have faith and understanding in all dharmas in this manner, without generating the characteristics of dharmas. Subhuti! What is meant by the characteristics of dharmas is that what the Tathagata refers to is not the characteristics of dharmas; this is called the characteristics of dharmas

In the past two years, Xia Ji has sat here, and the once bustling scripture pavilion has now become a cold palace.

Master Mei opened the cloth bag, and indeed, there was an ancient scripture inside.

However, it was evident that Master Mei was not prepared to let her pass. He held a whisk in his hands, blocking the way, and shouted in a sharp voice, "The Emperor has ordered the Seventh Prince to recite Buddhist scriptures for reflection. The Ninth Princess must not bring any miscellaneous books that could disturb the Seventh Prince's meditation. If the Emperor finds out, he will surely be greatly enraged"

The "Now Tathāgata Sutra" is indeed a Mahayana scripture of the Thunder Sound Temple

While saying this, the eunuch quickly searched through the scriptures. The atmosphere of Buddhism was strong in the Great Shang Dynasty, and since the Thunder Sound Temple was located near the imperial capital, this eunuch, skilled in his craft, could naturally discern whether it was a form of martial arts or not

He has only one younger sister

Let us take a look at it.

He flipped through it from beginning to end, and looked back several times. After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he truly could not find any flaws, so he returned the scripture along with the wrapping cloth, smiling with his round face and said: "Princess Jiu, please go in quickly. After all, these siblings can only see each other for a day."

He is merely a prince who has lost his mother, imprisoned in the depths of the palace, and neglected by all.

But he no longer has any extra choices

Brother, it is me

Come in

But can Xiaosu bring it to him

The Buddha said: All phenomena are devoid of self, all sentient beings suffer. From where does suffering arise? It arises solely from attachment. Only by severing attachment can one realize the true nature of the mind and attain enlightenment.

There is not even a single volume of martial arts techniques left here, yet he has read through almost all the Buddhist scriptures.

Xia Ji expressed her gratitude in a gentle manner. After finishing her meal, she intended to help the palace maid return the empty bowl to the food box, but the palace maid hurriedly snatched the empty bowl back, for although the prince was down on his luck, he was not someone she could afford to offend

The deep winter sky of the northern imperial capital resembles a battlefield where thousands of troops and horses clash. The falling snowflakes, like severed limbs and broken arms, flow like rivers of snow.

Xia Ji set down the recitation of the "Diamond Sutra"

Moreover, these skill orbs have not disappeared; they exist within the primordial spirit and can be utilized at any time. Furthermore, they can be activated with a mere thought, and their effects will be immediately apparent.

But he did not hear a single word

As the palace maid had only taken a few steps, she heard the calm recitation of scriptures coming from the Sutra Repository by the Seventh Prince

Be careful, father-in-law. I borrowed this from the abbot of Leiyin Temple with great difficulty, and I need to return it in three days

Yet, for some reason, the presence of the other princes is overwhelming; even being slightly closer feels suffocating

In the palace filled with grandeur, the Second Princess, Fourth Princess, and Eighth Princess he just mentioned, although quite exceptional, collectively do not compare to a single strand of hair of Xia Xiaosu

Kṣitigarbha once had a great vow, stating that he would not attain Buddhahood until hell is empty. He does not possess such a grand aspiration; if he did, it would not be this one.

He needs this scripture

Xia Xiaosu nodded repeatedly: "My elder brother is kind-hearted and compassionate; he has been reciting scriptures for the past two years..."

Xia nodded slightly, and he did not ask how Xia Xiaosu had come to be here, as he assumed the process had not been easy. He simply rubbed her fine, soft hair and said gently, "Three days is enough."

The Thunder Sound Temple emerged at the beginning of the establishment of the Great Shang Dynasty

In the evening, Xiaoshu arrived hurriedly at the Sutra Repository, clutching a cloth bag containing Buddhist scriptures. Before she could approach the pavilion, a smiling eunuch with a round face came to greet her.

Subsequently, he recited the "Kṣitigarbha Sūtra" for nine days and nine nights, extracting the skill orb "Eighteen Towns of Hell Power (Ninth Layer)"

This eunuch has secretly monitored for two years

Currently, he is waiting for the present-day Lotus Sutra, as the Thunder Sound Temple is a large temple near the capital of the Shang Dynasty. Over the past two years, he has discovered that the older the texts containing supreme philosophical thoughts, the easier it is to extract divine skills from them

It also caused the eunuch in a four-cornered pavilion three hundred meters away to nod slightly in agreement

He again recited the "Diamond Sutra". The Diamond Sutra states, "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow; they are like dew and lightning; one should contemplate them in this way." He disregarded this, yet still recited for nine days and nine nights, extracting the skill orb "Nine Yang Heart Sutra (Ninth Layer)"

Just such a relative

The snow fell throughout the night

He has already gone through all the scriptures in the entire Sutra Repository

Xia Xiaosu did not understand the meaning of this eunuch, nor did she think to ask. She felt a sense of relief, hurriedly wrapped up the scriptures, passed through the corridor, and knocked on the door of the attic

Only this Seventh Prince is approachable, but although the palace maids feel this way in their hearts, they do not dare to offend him by initiating conversation. There are many rules in the palace, and no one has forgotten the hierarchy and distinctions of nobility and commonality, for those who have forgotten have already lost their heads

Our family is aware, there is no need for the princess to remind us

He has translated the "Heart Sutra of Prajna", reciting it for nine days and nine nights, and has extracted the skill orb "Immovable King Body (Ninth Layer)". This skill orb is hidden in the mud pill palace at his brow. If he wishes to use it, he can simply extract it; if not, it can remain stored.

Brother, this is the "Sutra of the Present Tathāgata" that you requested. The abbot of the Thunder Sound Temple has agreed to lend it to me for three days. You must return it to me after three days

Before his journey, he had read some martial arts novels, such as the Murong family of Gusu, and was well-versed in the martial arts of the world. Every time Murong Fu raised his hand, he could employ different techniques with each change of move, but so what?

The eunuch is a skilled individual, referred to as Master Mei by the people in the palace. He serves as the chief steward to the emperor's close attendants.

The next morning, the snow had stopped, and the palace maid brought simple white porridge along with some small snacks to accompany the meal