The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 254 Your Majesty, spare your life
Zhao Ti looked at the girl in purple, whose hair was styled in a single bun, with strands parted to the side and the ends stubbornly sticking up. This style is said to be called a scorpion hook, signifying that she is not to be trifled with and that she is an evil person.

Looking at the girl's face, she was as beautiful as a spring flower, pretty and delicate, with exquisite features. Her big, dark eyes were full of cleverness and intelligence, and there was a hint of a smile that seemed to hide endless changes and calculations.

With her hands behind her back, she was cleared a path by those around her. She was beaming with pride. Once out of the crowd, she immediately changed into a docile demeanor, took a water bottle from someone beside her, and walked to the old monk who was competing with the Jokhang Temple. She said respectfully, "Please have some water, Master."

Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows. It was A Zi! A Zi had actually come to Luosuo City. It seemed she was doing quite well here, and she didn't seem worried at all about the Phantom Yin Finger flaring up inside her.

He sized up the dozen or so people around Azi. Their clothes were unlike those of the locals in the city, but they all possessed martial arts skills. He wondered where they came from.

The old monk seemed quite thirsty while reciting the sutra. He took the water bottle and drank it all in one gulp, then handed it back to Azi. Azi stood behind him, watching him continue his debate with the three people in front of him, including Kumārajīva.

Zhao Ti then said calmly, "That girl in purple is A'Zhu's younger sister."

The two people beside him were taken aback upon hearing this. Tong Guan scratched his head and said, "Your Highness, so you are Miss A'Zhu's younger sister. You do look somewhat alike, but this, this..."

Zhu Chuyi said, "It seems their personalities and temperaments are too different. Miss A-Zhu is very gentle and mild-mannered, but this girl..."

Zhao Ti said, "A'Zhu is also mischievous and clever, but you don't know that. But her younger sister... is cunning, scheming, and ruthless."

"Is that so?" The two were surprised to hear this. Zhu Chu said, "He looks innocent on the surface, but I can tell that he is actually quite ruthless. I didn't expect him to be so vicious."

Zhao Ti said expressionlessly, "Don't be fooled by appearances. She's very cunning. A'Zhu said she could take her back and discipline her. You're naive. How could she possibly discipline her? Let's just throw her into Dali after we catch her."

Zhu Chuyi asked in bewilderment, "Young Master, why do you want to leave Dali?"

Zhao Ti said, "Everything has a cause and an effect; you'll see when the time comes."

The debate in front had ended, and it was clear that Kumārajīva and his two companions had lost. Kumārajīva slowly stepped down from the platform, and without saying a word, turned around and walked towards the temple gate. The other two monks looked indignant, but they also did not say anything and followed him.

The old monk did not step down; he remained seated, chanted the name of Namo Dingguang Buddha, and then began to preach to the people around him.

He then switched to Tibetan, speaking it with great vividness, and it became known as the Ekottara Agama.

The old monk said that in the distant past, there was a king named Dizhu. His minister Shanming's first wife, Riyueguang, gave birth to a son named Dengguang. At the age of twenty-nine, he left home to study the Way and became a Buddha that very night. He was the ancient Buddha Dipankara, also known as Dengguang Tathagata or Dingguang Tathagata. He was also a Buddha of the past, in charge of the heavens and saving all beings in the world.

His words were vivid and reasonable, and the people around listened with rapt attention, chanting "Namo Dipankara Buddha, Namo Dipankara Buddha" in unison.

As Zhao Ti listened, he observed A Zi. He noticed that although A Zi was also chanting Buddhist prayers with her palms together behind the old monk, she showed a slight impatience on her face, clearly indicating that she did not believe in these things at all.

The people she brought with her, however, were either devout or skeptical, but all of them had fierce expressions.

Zhao Ti pondered, noticing that these people weren't from Luosuo City, could they be remnants of the Xingxiu Sect? After Ding Chunqiu of the Xingxiu Sect disappeared, and the Divine Wood King Cauldron was stolen by A Zi, the sect almost collapsed. Perhaps A Zi left Xingzhou, first went to Xingxiu Sea to gather some remnants, and then came here.
At this moment, the old monk finished chanting the sutra and stepped down from the platform. He had the demeanor of a high monk. Azi hurriedly said, "Master, why don't you go back and rest for a while?"

The old monk nodded and gestured to the crowd listening to the sutra. Then, the crowd made way for him as he walked out, with Azi following behind, head held high and chest out.

Seeing this, Zhao Ti couldn't help but laugh and said, "Let's go with them, we can just catch them in a bit."

The three followed at a distance, watching as the old monk walked towards the city gates, not staying within the city. Once outside the city and heading towards Red Mountain, they saw two rows of abandoned halls on the side of the mountain. These were originally the guard halls of the Red Mountain Palace, long since deserted. The old monk and his party entered them.

Tong Guan said, "Your Highness, shall we go and arrest them now?"

Zhao Ti glanced at the sky; it was already afternoon. He nodded and said, "If we catch them, we might be able to go into the city to rest. We don't have to wait until dark to make our move."

Tibet was not as peaceful as the Song Dynasty. Almost everyone carried a knife. Although the streets were bustling, fighting was constant. Since they were not in the city, Zhao Ti gave the order.

They then headed towards the ruined temple. Two guards stood in front of the temple gate; they were the same people Azi had brought with her. They shouted, "Where did you come from? Leave quickly and don't disturb the master's meditation!"

Zhao Ti asked, "What master?"

The two were taken aback and said, "Of course it's Master Wensheng. Didn't you come here to become his disciples?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "So the old monk's name is Hearing Sound."

"How dare you address the master by his Dharma name! You're all tired of living!" One of them drew his sword and charged forward.

Tong Guandao: "Your Highness..."

Zhao Ti said, "There's no need to leave any survivors."

Tong Guan responded and went to meet him. With a flick of his sleeve, a flying needle shot out, piercing the man's throat in a single exchange and killing him instantly.

Seeing that things were not going well, the other man turned to run into the hall, but Tong Guan's figure flashed like a ghost and he was right in front of him. The man was so frightened that he hurriedly shouted into the hall, but he only got halfway through his shout before Tong Guan raised his hand and killed him as well.

Inside the hall, they heard a commotion outside and hurried footsteps. Several more people came out, and Zhu Chuyi also rushed to the front to make his move. He used an iron mirror, which was an unusual weapon, but his martial arts skills were actually quite ordinary. Tong Guan had killed the others, but his side was not yet finished; he had only gained the upper hand.

Tong Guan's flying needles flashed, finishing off the man. Zhu Chuyi, filled with shame, returned to Zhao Ti's side and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, this subordinate..."

Zhao Ti said, "Every inch has its shortcomings, and every foot has its strengths. Each has its own use. Your strengths are not in martial arts combat, so don't feel sorry for yourself."

Zhu Chu nodded in agreement. Just then, a soft shout came from inside the hall, and a purple figure flashed out. It was A Zi.

She had a furrowed brow and a cold expression, but as soon as she stepped out of the palace, she saw Zhao Ti and her face immediately froze. Then, her eyes flashed quickly, and she turned to run back into the palace.

But Zhao Ti was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and sneered, "Where are you going to run off to?"

Azi was shocked and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, spare my life! I didn't mean to run away."

Zhao Ti said, "If you didn't intend to run, why did you turn around?"

Azi's face involuntarily showed a fawning expression: "This humble servant, this humble servant just saw that Your Majesty was happy, and wanted to go inside to tidy up before inviting Your Majesty in..."

(End of this chapter)