Tianlong: Starting with Mantuo Manor as fertilizer

Zhengdaoyuan is located on the west side of Shaolin Temple, hidden in a bamboo forest, quiet and secluded, and is the place where the eminent monks of the temple meditate on Buddhism.

Xie Buruo followed Xuan Yin, the head of the Medicine King Academy, and others to the entrance of the Proof of the Dao Academy.

The wooden door was tightly closed, but lively shouts and the whooshing sound of the wind could be heard coming from inside.

Xuan Yin's expression changed, and he looked embarrassed. He then said to Xie Buruo.

"Young hero, please wait here for a moment. Senior Brother Xuancheng is giving a sermon. This old monk will go inside to inform him."

His words suggested that he was unwilling to thank them and would rather go in.

Xie Buruo, however, had other ideas.

He practiced the Yi Jin Jing, but he didn't know if he could master it. When he thought that Shaolin martial arts needed to be based on Buddhism, a thought struck him.

"Today I happened to encounter a high-ranking monk giving a sermon; listening to him might greatly benefit my practice of the Yi Jin Jing!"

Xie Buruo smiled and said, "I have always admired Buddhism. Now that Master Xuancheng is giving a sermon, how can I miss such an opportunity? I will follow the Master inside and respectfully listen to Master Xuancheng's teachings."

Xuan Yin's expression changed several times before he finally sighed, pushed open the door, and entered the Zhengdao Academy with Xie Buruo.

As soon as I entered, I heard a loud shout.

"You cheated!"

A Shaolin monk, his face covered in white ash, was kicked in the face by another monk and flew straight toward the door.

Monk Xuanyin shook his head and sighed. With a flick of his sleeve, his robe billowed, and a gentle force was sent out, steadily supporting the monk.

The young monk, his face covered in lime, couldn't see who had helped him. He was seething with anger, pointed ahead, and shouted loudly.

"Grandmaster, this is unfair! He cheated! He used lime!"

Xie Bu Ruo looked in the direction he was pointing and saw an old monk with a fierce expression sitting on a lotus throne.

Upon hearing this, the old monk immediately flew into a rage.

He grabbed the wooden fish from the preaching platform and hurled it at us.

Seemingly due to a lack of strength in his hands and an unsteady aim, the wooden fish drifted and flew erratically toward Xie Buruo.

Xie Buruo didn't wait for Xuan Yin to stop him; he turned his longsword and thrust it out from its sheath.

He placed it precisely beneath the wooden fish, gently twisted it to dissipate the force, and then scooped it up with his left hand.

The old monk on the platform paused slightly, seemingly lost in thought, before pointing to the monk whose face was smeared with lime.

"He can't even spread lime properly, how can he be worthy of being a Shaolin monk! Drag him away and wash his eyes with vegetable oil!"

The young monk could only shut his mouth in frustration and let the two monks drag him away.

The old monk continued on the stage: "Buddhism is like martial arts! If you want to understand Buddhism deeply, you need to master martial arts."

"You must practice martial arts diligently. As your martial arts skills improve, your Buddhist teachings will naturally flourish. This is my secret to practicing Buddhism!"

"I heard that outsiders stormed Shaolin Temple yesterday and tried to steal the scriptures?"

The monks listening to the sutra all lowered their heads, their faces filled with shame.

The old monk grew increasingly agitated as he spoke: "Shaolin is truly declining with each generation! Back in the day, it was always me who blocked the gates of other sects, but now it's Shaolin's turn to be invaded! You are the worst class I've ever led!"

Upon hearing this, the monk Xuanyin covered his face with his sleeve, unable to bear to look any longer.

So this is Buddhism!

Xie Buruo had already guessed that the old monk must be Xuancheng.

Back then, this person possessed extraordinary martial arts skills and was hailed by the monks of the temple as the number one martial artist in Shaolin for the past two hundred years.

Xie Bu Ruo recalled the Sweeping Monk's comments and secretly shook his head.

"With such a strong sense of malevolence and having practiced so many extraordinary techniques, no wonder you suffered a qi deviation and your meridians were all severed!"

The monk Xuancheng had already noticed someone entering.

He glanced at Xuan Yin, completely ignoring him.

His gaze lingered on Xie Buruo and Xuzhu for a moment.

He pointed at him and said, "Little monk, I see dissatisfaction on your face, and you seem hesitant to speak. Do you think your grandmaster is wrong?"

The monks listening to the sutras in the courtyard all turned around and stared at Xuzhu.

Some admired his courage, while others gloated.

Xu Zhu hesitated for a moment before saying, "This humble monk believes that Buddhist disciples learn martial arts to strengthen their bodies, protect the Dharma, and subdue demons. When practicing any martial art, one should have compassion and benevolence in mind. Fist techniques are Buddhist teachings, which are perhaps too fierce and domineering."

The monk Xuanyin nodded slightly, finding his words quite appropriate.

But when he saw Senior Brother Xuancheng's gaze piercingly fixed on him, he had no choice but to suppress his expression.

Xuan Cheng rebuked, "Little monk, you speak so lightly! When weapons are at your side, can you withstand them with a compassionate heart? Martial arts are inherently methods of killing. How dare you speak of compassion when fighting? Unless your martial arts are far superior to your opponent's, what makes you think you can protect the Dharma and subdue demons!"

The monk Xuancheng spoke sternly and, being an elder, made Xuzhu afraid to raise his head.

Xie Bu Ruo listened to the other party's Buddhist teachings and felt that every word was a Zen koan, as if listening to celestial music and his ears were suddenly enlightened. He nodded repeatedly.

This is a highly respected monk!

Seeing Xie Bu Ruo nod, Xuan Cheng pointed and exclaimed with delight, "Hey, this benefactor has great potential!"

He then spoke for a while from the preaching platform.

"I've shared so many Zen insights and Buddhist principles today, I don't know if you've all taken them in. Next time I give a lecture, everyone must be present, and we'll compete against each other, a real battle. I want to see who has the best aptitude and whose understanding of the Dharma is superior!"

As he spoke, Xuan Cheng specifically pointed at Xu Zhu: "Little monk, you want to come too!"

Xu Zhu was taken aback for a moment, then put his hands together and said, "I will obey my grandmaster's decree."

The monks shook their heads inwardly, all saying, "Xu Zhu has offended Grandmaster Xuan Cheng; he's going to suffer for it."

After the sermon was finished, the monks put their palms together in respect and left one by one, leaving only Xie Buruo and two others.

Xuan Yin stepped forward and explained the whole story.

Xuan Cheng listened calmly.

"I'm a useless person anyway, it doesn't matter who gives me the acupuncture."

"I see that the young man is very talented and has learned the acupuncture techniques of Doctor Xue. It would be fine for him to perform acupuncture on me."

Xuan Yin had long known of Xie Buruo's "exquisite medical skills" from Doctor Xue, and dared not underestimate him, repeatedly saying no.

He helped Xuancheng to a quiet meditation room.

Then he summoned all the physicians and monks of the Medicine King Academy to gather together, in preparation for observing the acupuncture technique.

The monks first found a dummy, on which meridians and acupoints were densely marked.

Xie Buru spread out the white cloth and took out the silver needles.

His set of silver needles was thicker and longer than those used by ordinary doctors, and shone brightly with silver light.

The monks of Yaowang Temple were horrified when they saw this, thinking to themselves that such thick silver needles inserted into the body were no different from torture.

Xuan Cheng had already been treated by Doctor Xue many times and was no longer surprised.

Xie had practiced acupuncture for a long time and often gave acupuncture to livestock, so his technique was already very proficient.

With nimble hands, the needles were applied to the dummy in a few moments.

While administering the acupuncture, he explained in detail the location and depth of the needle insertion.

The monks and doctors at Yaowang Temple were all experts, and those listening in all nodded in agreement, feeling that his acupuncture technique was indeed ingenious and extraordinary.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that each of his stitches was either half an inch or an inch deeper.

It was truly terrifying to watch.

Only then did everyone fully understand why Doctor Xue had not allowed Xie Buruo to personally administer acupuncture to Xuan Cheng.

The monks of Yaowang Temple are all exceptionally talented individuals, and they are already highly skilled in acupuncture.

After reading this entire acupuncture technique, it didn't take long to learn it.

Among the monks, the monk Xuanyin was the most skilled in medicine, and he immediately performed acupuncture on Xuancheng.

But he moved slightly, his movements were graceful, and he put the needles down and then put them down. In the blink of an eye, he had already tried three needles.

The accuracy in identifying acupoints and the precise insertion of the needle are exactly as described in Xie Buruo's formula, without the slightest error.

The monks watching all praised it.

Xuan Yin asked, "How are you feeling, Senior Brother?"

Xuan Cheng raised his arms and legs, but they were still numb. He shook his head.

Xuan Yin's heart sank.

He heard from Doctor Xue that he would feel something after being pricked with one or two needles.

He had already administered three acupuncture needles, but Xuan Cheng felt nothing, indicating that his efforts were about to fail.

Fortunately, there were many renowned doctors here, so Xuan Yin let his other junior brothers try again.

The monks tried the needles one by one, but there was absolutely no improvement.

Xuan Yin lowered his head in shame and said, "We are dull-witted. Even if we learn the acupuncture technique, we will not be able to alleviate your injuries. We are truly utterly useless."

Xuan Cheng said nonchalantly, "It's no wonder. Actually, the first two times Doctor Xue performed acupuncture on me, I already felt that it wasn't as effective as before. This isn't a problem with your abilities; it's just that my meridians are too severely damaged. It's fate, and there's nothing we can do to change it."

The monks were dejected, knowing that even if Doctor Xue recovered, there was probably nothing more they could do.

Xuan Cheng looked at Xie Buruo: "Young brother, I see that your acupuncture strength is not bad. May I try it for you?"

"Me?" Xie Buruo was taken aback.

This needle of mine could kill you!

Xuan Yin and the others tried to dissuade him.

Xuan Cheng waved his hand and said, "It's alright! I've been incredibly lucky to have survived for decades without dying or being bedridden."

He saw Xie Buruo's concerns, smiled slightly, and said loudly.

"What joy is there in living, what sorrow in dying? Young brother, please try me, it's no trouble!"

Xuancheng had no official position in Shaolin Temple, but he was the senior disciple of everyone, holding a transcendent status.

The other monks were unable to stop him.

Xie had no choice but to force the needle in and ordered his men to hand Xuancheng a towel to suck on.

"Master, the needles are hurting a lot, please bear with it!"

Xuan Cheng was amused by his words and laughed heartily.

"When I practiced the Maha Finger Technique, I endured the excruciating pain of three descents into hell, yet I regarded it as nothing. Now, what do I have to fear from your mere needle?"

Seeing his composure, Xie admired his courage.

With the silver needle in hand, he uttered the words "Life-saving needle," and plunged it into the Lingtai acupoint on the back of the man.

"Holy crap!"

Xuan Cheng let out a piercing scream and jumped up from the chair.