Chapter 182: Gathering in Shaolin
The next morning, the heavy rain gradually stopped after the thunder and lightning that had lasted all night. When Liu Xunyi and his companions left Tianlong Inn, the clouds had cleared and the sun had risen. The rain had stopped and the sky was clear.

Walking on the mountain forest trail, it is a warm spring day when everything is renewed. Looking around, you can see mountains stacked up, lush and green, thousands of rocks competing for beauty, and thousands of valleys competing for streams. On both sides of the mountain trail are green pines, exotic flowers and plants, and in the deep valleys, warblers are flying and swallows are dancing, and butterflies and bees are frantic.

Liu Xunyi and his party breathed in the pure fragrance of soil, flowers and plants, and felt the vigorous vitality of all things reviving, which made them feel refreshed and unobstructed. They all felt that this place was worthy of being a Buddhist pure land, and it was indeed a picture created by heaven and spring was everywhere.

After walking on the winding mountain path for about two hours, the Shaolin Gate finally appeared before everyone.

At this moment, two monks, one old and one young, one tall and one short, were already waiting respectfully outside the mountain gate.

Liu Xunyi had seen these two people in the Lu Mansion in Jiangnan. The older one was Master Yuankong from Shaolin Damo Temple. The younger one was the best master of the younger generation of Shaolin, the young monk Wuchan.

"I am here on the orders of the abbot to welcome the donors of the Pan family." Upon seeing Liu Xunyi and the others, Yuankong stepped forward quickly, clasped his hands together and asked, "May I ask who is the donor Pan Chuba?"

"It is me." Pan Chuba had just arrived, so he naturally did not dare to be arrogant. He quickly returned the greeting and said, "How dare we bother you two monks to come out and greet you? I am really ashamed of myself."

"Don't be polite, Mr. Pan. The abbot, Lord Luo, Lord Qin and others have been waiting for you in the temple for a long time." Yuankong glanced at the crowd, and when he saw Liu Xunyi's figure, a hint of suspicion emerged in his eyes, but he didn't say much.

"The Palace Master has arrived?" Murong Bai was surprised and chuckled. "A few days ago, the Palace Master sent me to Luoyang City to go ahead, but I didn't expect him to arrive first and be even faster than me."

"Palace Master Luo arrived last night," Wu Chan explained, "Palace Master Qin arrived early this morning."

"Young Master, how many people from the Qin family have come?" Pan Yuyin asked subconsciously.

Maybe it was because he was frightened by Teng Qin'er last time in Lu Mansion in Jiangnan, but when Wu Chan heard the woman's voice, his face turned red immediately. He wanted to look but didn't dare to. He stammered, as if he was hesitant to speak, and seemed extremely nervous.

Pan Yuyin was stunned for a moment when she saw the little monk's strange reaction. Then she was amused by Wuchan's funny look and burst out laughing.

This smile made Wuchan even more at a loss, his cheeks flushed like a ripe apple.

“There are only a dozen or so people from the Qin family accompanying them.” Yuankong glanced at Wuchan with dissatisfaction, as if blaming him for being useless, and then spoke for him, “Palace Master Qin is also traveling with Donor Song from the Golden Sword Dock.”

"Song Yu?" Liu Xunyi raised his eyebrows. Ever since he learned in the Western Regions that Song Yu was secretly colluding with the Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace, he had always looked down on this person. But since they parted at the Lu Mansion in Jiangnan, the two had never met again. Now that they had "run into" each other in Shaolin, Liu Xunyi wanted to see what Song Yu was up to this time.

"Where is the master of the palace?" Murong Bai suddenly asked.

"I'm in the Zen room in the back mountain, drinking tea with the abbot and Palace Master Qin." Yuankong responded, turned around and led the way, leading everyone into Shaolin.

Shaolin Temple is worthy of being called the ancestor of martial arts, with its ancient, dignified, solemn and majestic grand style everywhere.

The temple does not have the exquisite red pillars and carved rafters, painted buildings and carved beams of the Jiangnan Lu Mansion. It is also not as gorgeous as the Tianshan Yulong Palace with carved railings and jade bricks, red pavilions and green buildings. It also does not have the artistic conception of the wind pavilions, moon terraces, fog pavilions and cloud windows of the Jinjianwu.

In the Shaolin Temple, there are only meditation rooms, large and small Buddhist halls, morning drums and evening bells, and morning and evening conversions.

Looking around, you can see houses connected to each other, and there are many mansions. Listen carefully, you can hear the sound of Buddhist music and the sound of wooden fish. Whether it is civil or martial arts, everything is simplified, and everything is quiet and comfortable.

Every brick and tile, every blade of grass and every tree in the temple contains the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This place does not pursue the gorgeous appearance, but seeks the natural charm. From the moment you step into Shaolin Temple, there is no more worldly affairs, great undertakings, only tranquility and inaction, and solitude.

"No wonder those who have seen through the mundane world want to convert to Buddhism. This place has order from morning till night, and the mind is pure and desireless. There is no wine or meat, and there is no fighting or robbing. It is really a good place to eat and wait for death..."

"Cough cough!" Without waiting for Tang Cong to finish his joke, Murong Bai suddenly coughed twice and glared at him coldly, instantly stopping Tang Cong's nonsense.

Walking from the mountain gate to the back mountain, they met many monks along the way. Some of them were carrying water and chopping firewood, some were sweeping the floor and washing vegetables, some were driving piles and practicing, and some were silently reciting scriptures... But what surprised Liu Xunyi and his companions the most was that when these monks saw them, they all stopped what they were doing immediately, stood up, and respectfully clasped their hands together and bowed to Liu Xunyi and his companions.

Liu Xunyi sighed repeatedly: "Shaolin is indeed Shaolin, the strict rules and regulations are truly extraordinary."

After a while, Yuankong led everyone to the door of the Zen room.

Murong Bai ordered Xu Heng, Liao Chuan, Liao Hai, and Tang Cong to escort Li Lao Hu to wait outside the door. Pan Yun, Pan Yuyin, Pan Feng, and He Hu, accompanied by Wu Chan, went to the side room to rest. Only Liu Xunyi, Murong Bai, and Pan Chuba followed Yuan Kong into the Zen room.

The Zen room is quite large, but very empty. There are only a few cushions, the word "Zen" written on it, a square table, and a few round stools. That's all.

When Liu Xunyi and his companions entered the Zen room, they saw several familiar figures. Three of them were sitting at a square table, leisurely sipping tea. Another three stood behind them, carefully serving them.

The three people sitting were "Northern Sage King" Luo Tianjin, "Qin Family Head" Qin Ming, and "Shaolin Abbot" Master Xuanming.

Qin Ming is a heroic man with a golden appearance and jade-like body, a phoenix-like figure and a dragon-like figure. He is about forty years old, with a tall and sturdy figure. If he is a pound more, he is fat, and if he is a pound less, he is thin. He has a square face, big ears, clear contours, bright eyes and sparse eyebrows, and a bright face. He is like a swan standing on the ground with a phoenix resting on his head, and he is in a clear and bright mood. When he sits there, he is full of heroic spirit. There is a sense of harmony in his every move. He does not show his emotions on his face, and he is powerful but not angry. He is worthy of the name of "Ba Dao".

Xuanming is nearly 80 years old, with white beard and eyebrows, kind eyes, and a smiling face. He looks very approachable. He wears a gray monk's robe and twirls faded Buddhist beads in his hands. He is very simple. But he is energetic, bright-eyed and bright-minded, and has a sense of elegance and Taoist spirit. The three people standing behind them are Lin Fangda, Qin Da, and a monk of the "Guo" generation, Guoshan.

"Master of the Palace!"

As soon as they saw Luo Tianjin, Murong Bai and Liu Xunyi hurried forward to salute. Taking this opportunity, Lin Fangda also winked at Liu Xunyi as a greeting.

Luo Tianjin nodded gently, stood up and walked to Pan Chuba, bowed and greeted: "Master Pan, how are you!"

"Thanks to Palace Master Luo, my old bones are still strong. Haha..." Pan Chuba was in a good mood when he saw Luo Tianjin in person. He took Luo Tianjin's arm and laughed, "It's been many years since we last met. I miss Palace Master Luo very much."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Luo Tianjin smiled slightly, turned and led him to Xuanming and introduced him, "Mr. Pan Chuba, this is the abbot of Shaolin Temple, Master Xuanming." Since Pan Chuba and Qin Ming already knew each other, there was no need for Luo Tianjin to make any unnecessary efforts.

While Pan Chuba was greeting Xuan Ming, Qin Ming slowly put down his teacup and asked nonchalantly, "Senior Pan, did you bring 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan'?" Qin Ming's voice was as bright and clear as his name.

"Humph!"

Pan Chuba snorted unceremoniously, then glared at Qin Ming and asked, "How dare you, a thief, mention 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan'? You have humiliated the Qin family's reputation and done such a despicable thing. Aren't you afraid that your ancestor Qin Gang will come after you?"

"Old man, be careful with your words!" Qin Da was furious and hit back without any hesitation, "Don't think you can take advantage of your age? If you dare to disrespect my master again, I will make sure you, an old man, never come back!"

"How dare you!" Lin Fangda refused to give in and started to retort. He stared back at Qin Da with his eyes wide open and fearless, and shouted, "Qin Da, who the hell do you think you are? When do you have the right to speak here?"

"I have no right to speak, and I will not allow a dog like you to bark!" Qin said angrily.

"You dare to curse again? I'll chop you up right now..."

"I'm scolding you..."

"Cough cough!"

Faced with the sudden conflict and the two people who were swearing at each other, Xuanming's face darkened slightly. Seeing this, Guo Shan, who was standing behind him, immediately coughed twice and stopped Lin Fangda and Qin Da from swearing at each other.

"This is a pure land of Buddhism. I hope you two donors will stay calm and not create more karma." Guo Shan reminded.

"Master, you saw it just now. It was obviously Pan Chuba, the old man, who was the first to insult my master..."

"Shut up!" Without waiting for Qin Da to explain, Qin Ming suddenly shouted coldly, causing General Qin to swallow back the rest of his words.

Qin Ming stared at Pan Chuba, who was both sad and angry, with a cold gaze, and said quietly: "Master Pan, I respect you as a senior, and you are a fellow disciple of my grandfather, so I don't want to argue with you too much. But everything must be based on evidence. Even if you are a senior, you can't speak nonsense and slander others. You and I had agreed to fight today ten years ago, and Lord Luo was present to witness it. Why do you want to go back on your word today? And you even call me despicable and shameless? Disgracing my ancestors?"

"Qin Ming, stop pretending to be ignorant!" Pan Chuba was furious when he thought of the Pan family's previous experiences. He pointed at Qin Ming and said angrily, "I'm not talking about the ten-year agreement, but what you did to my Pan family by sending people to Yingchuan secretly."

Qin Ming frowned, a hint of suspicion flashed across his eyes, and he asked back: "What do you mean? I don't understand!"

"You sent people to Yingchuan, secretly colluded with the East Lake Gang, harmed my Pan family, seized my foundation, and killed my son. You still dare to call yourself a man of integrity. Don't you dare to take responsibility for what you did?"

"What did you say?" Qin Da scratched his head anxiously, and couldn't help shouting, "Are you afraid of fighting? That's why you want to smear us? Put the blame on us? You are so disrespectful and frame us, aren't you despicable and shameless?"

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but move his eyes, and a hint of hesitation gradually emerged in his heart. He looked at Qin Da's reaction and it didn't seem like he was deliberately shirking responsibility, so his doubts became even greater.

Qin Ming waved his hand to stop Qin Da who was about to speak but hesitated, and said sternly: "There is the blue sky above and the thick earth below. Today, Master Xuanming and Lord Luo are here. It can be said that the heaven and earth are clear and the sun and the moon are our mirrors. Senior Pan, you should think twice before you say anything. If you are making a fuss and deliberately insulting my reputation, don't blame me, a junior, for being ruthless."

"You really won't cry until you see the coffin." Pan Chuba laughed angrily and nodded repeatedly, "You want evidence? Okay! I'll show you the evidence, and see what else you have to say?"

Seeing that Pan Chuba's words were so sure and didn't seem to be false, Qin Ming couldn't help but feel depressed and said suspiciously, "I would like to hear the details."

"Mr. Pan, is there any misunderstanding here?" Luo Tianjin pretended to be an outsider and asked in confusion.

Pan Chuba waved his hands repeatedly and said angrily, "Lord Luo, there is no need to plead for him. My son must not die in vain! I will take out the hard evidence and confront him face to face. Let's see how he denies it."

After saying that, Pan Chuba turned to look outside the Zen room and shouted angrily, "Bring that bastard Li Lao Hu up here!"

……

(End of this chapter)