The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

Upon hearing Bu Huo's words, Zen Master Lingxuan did not speak, but simply shook his head slightly and uttered a Buddhist saying softly.

"A single moment of foolishness extinguishes wisdom; a single moment of wisdom gives rise to wisdom."

……

While Bu Huo was talking to Zen Master Lingxuan.

The Sutra Repository.

A figure walked out of the library.

Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi, who were waiting outside the Sutra Pavilion, were overjoyed to see the figure they had been waiting for.

"Junior brother!"

"Senior brother!"

It was late October, and the weather was starting to cool down. Even the sun in the sky wasn't very hot, and its warm light shone on the earth and on Jiangning.

Jiang Ning raised his hand to shield his eyes as he looked up at the sky. Having not left the Scripture Pavilion for a month, he found the outside light a little too bright, but it got much better after a while.

Upon hearing Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi's voices, Jiang Ning looked over, quite surprised.

"Junior Brother Lin, what brings you here too?"

Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi ran over.

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Lin Pingzhi quickly said, "Senior brother, you and senior brother haven't returned to Fuzhou for many days. I was worried about you and senior brother, so I came here. Later, I heard from senior brother that you were reading in the Sutra Pavilion, so senior brother and I have been waiting for you to come out here every day."

At this point, Linghu Chong laughed and said, "Junior brother, I thought you weren't coming out."

Jiang Ning smiled.

"Let's go, let's go back quickly. Junior brother, take a good shower when you get back. You haven't been out for a month."

Linghu Chong greeted him.

Jiang Ning hadn't showered in the Sutra Repository for a month, and his body already smelled.

"Ok."

Jiang Ning nodded, and then left with Linghu Chong and Lin Pingzhi. But before leaving, Jiang Ning looked back at the Sutra Repository. He saw an old monk smiling at him from the shadows inside the Sutra Repository. When Jiang Ning looked over, the old monk put his hands together in greeting. Jiang Ning nodded in return, then turned and left without lingering.

"How are the children?"

Jiang Ning asked.

Lin Pingzhi replied, "They are living very well now. They are basically all healthy, except for their physical disabilities. They have been doing well for the past month."

Jiang Ning nodded and said nothing more.

After returning to the guest house, Jiang Ning first washed up and changed his clothes before feeling refreshed.

By the time Jiang Ning finished all this, it was almost night.

Jiang Ning said, "Senior Brother, let's go and say goodbye to Zen Master Lingxuan."

"Huh? Are we getting ready to leave?"

Jiang Ning nodded: "I'll tell Zen Master Lingxuan today that I'll take my leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Linghu Chong exclaimed in surprise, then nodded.

"Very well, it's time to leave."

The two, along with Lin Pingzhi, headed towards Master Lingxuan's Zen temple.

They were not stopped on their trip and the three of them soon met Zen Master Lingxuan.

The current Lingxuan Zen Master looks much older than when Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong last saw him.

"How has Young Hero Jiang's experience been in my Scripture Pavilion over the past month?"

Zen Master Lingxuan smiled and looked at Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "I've gained a lot."

He has indeed gained a lot from the third floor of the library over the past month.

"That's good."

Lingxuan nodded, then suddenly asked, "Are the three young heroes preparing to leave?"

Jiang Ning nodded. "Indeed, my two fellow disciples and I have been fortunate to receive your care these past few days, and we will be leaving tomorrow."

Master Lingxuan nodded and looked at Jiang Ning, saying, "Young Master Jiang, our temple's promise still stands. If you ever come to our Southern Shaolin Temple again, our Scripture Pavilion will still be open to you."

Jiang Ning nodded: "Thank you, Zen Master."

Lingxuan glanced at him, then at Linghu Chong, and finally at Lin Pingzhi. His gaze faltered for a moment, but quickly returned to normal before finally looking at Jiang Ning.

"I wonder if Young Hero Jiang has found a martial arts technique he likes during his visit to the Scripture Pavilion?"

Upon hearing Master Lingxuan's words, Jiang Ning said, "To be honest, Master, among the Shaolin skills I have seen in the past month, I am quite interested in the Buddhist Lion's Roar Skill."

Master Lingxuan was surprised and nodded slightly.

"Actually, I am also very interested in a martial art. I heard that this martial art was once in the possession of your temple. I wonder if it is still there now."

Jiang Ning suddenly said.

Master Lingxuan smiled and asked, "What is the name of the martial art that Young Hero Jiang mentioned?"

"The Sunflower Manual"

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Zen Master Lingxuan's smile faded slightly. His cloudy eyes turned to Jiang Ning, scrutinizing him intently, as if trying to discern something from his expression.

Jiang Ning's face remained expressionless, making it impossible to discern his inner thoughts.

Zen Master Lingxuan smiled and said softly.

"I see."

Master Lingxuan's voice was very soft, and his lips barely moved. No one else knew the four words he was saying.

Master Lingxuan said nothing more, but said, “This martial art was indeed once owned by my Southern Shaolin Temple. However, the original of this martial art was burned before the death of my former abbot, Master Hongye. My temple did not keep any copies, so my temple does not have this precious manual.”

Upon hearing Master Lingxuan's words, Jiang Ning nodded as if he had just asked casually, and then stood up.

“My two fellow disciples and I are preparing to leave tomorrow, and we came tonight specifically to say goodbye to the Zen Master.”

Master Lingxuan smiled slightly and nodded. As Jiang Ning and the other two prepared to leave, his gaze remained fixed on Lin Pingzhi.

Lingxuan Zen Master only looked away after Jiang Ning and the other two left the meditation room.

After a long while.

Zen Master Lingxuan let out a long sigh.

After an unknown amount of time, Zen Master Lingxuan suddenly stood up, went to a cabinet, opened it, and took out a letter.

The inscription reads: "To be opened by Zen Master Lingxuan, written by Fangzheng."

Zen Master Lingxuan stared at the letter in a daze, speechless.

The letter arrived in February.

Master Lingxuan held the letter in his hand, went to the meditation room, lit it in front of a candle.

The letter was engulfed by flames and quickly burned to ashes.

Looking at the pile of ashes on the ground, Zen Master Lingxuan's gaze suddenly became lost in thought, as if he were immersed in memories. Then, he walked shakily to the futon and sat down.

He looked much older than before.

……

"Junior brother, is the Sunflower Manual you mentioned the one that Dongfang Bubai, the current leader of the Demonic Sect, practices?"

On the way back to the guest house, Linghu Chong couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Ning nodded.

Linghu Chong asked curiously, "How do you know that the Sunflower Manual is in the hands of the Southern Shaolin Temple?"

Linghu Chong was unaware of the origin of the sword energy dispute.

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "I heard this rumor when I was traveling around the martial arts world before, so I came here to ask about it."

"I see."

Linghu Chong, without suspicion, nodded in understanding.

After returning to the guest house, Jiang Ning and the other two went to bed early. The next morning, they got up and prepared to bid farewell to Zen Master Lingxuan once again.

But when the three arrived at Zen Master Lingxuan's monastery, they found a group of monks gathered there, including eminent monks such as Bu Huo.

At this moment, the monks all looked like they were weeping, and even the eminent monks like Bu Huo had a sorrowful expression on their faces.

"Master Bu Huo, what has happened?"

Linghu Chong was filled with curiosity and stepped forward to ask.

The man, now in his forties, looked deeply saddened, and his voice was filled with grief.

“Our abbot, Zen Master Lingxuan, passed away last night.”

Chapter 515: Lion's Roar

"what?"

When Bu Huo said this, not only was Linghu Chong shocked, but Jiang Ning and Lin Pingzhi were also very surprised.

When they met Master Lingxuan last night, he looked old but was otherwise fine. How could he have passed away so suddenly? Did he die of exhaustion after meeting them?

However, with so many monks gathered around Master Lingxuan's monastery at this moment, seeing their sorrowful expressions, it was obvious without a doubt that what Bu Huo said was true.

"Please accept my condolences, esteemed masters."

Jiang Ning said.

Linghu Chong's heart tightened at this moment.

Last night, when they met with Zen Master Lingxuan, he was perfectly fine. After they met him, he died. Will the monks of the Southern Shaolin Temple blame Zen Master Lingxuan's death on them?