The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 121 Delayed
The sun sets in the west, and in the blink of an eye it is already dark, and it is time for the second watch.

Li Miao climbed over the courtyard wall, entered Shaolin, and walked towards the place where he had agreed to meet Yongjie.

After a while, they entered a courtyard. Yongjie was standing in the courtyard with his head lowered and his shoulders slumped.

"Master." Li Miao greeted.

Yongjie looked up, his eyes were bloodshot, and there were still traces of tears on his face. When he saw Li Miao, he forced a smile and said, "Sir."

Li Miao looked him up and down and said, "But what happened to Master Xingchi?"

"Master is seriously injured and has only three days to live." Yongjie said.

"Is that so... My condolences."

Li Miao sighed in his heart. Xing Chi was one of the few people in this world that he truly respected. He had been thinking that when the task at hand was completed, he must meet him.

Who would have thought that this first meeting would also be the last.

"Sir, I have already asked the master. The master said that he is... about to die, and he can't bear to sleep, so he just wants to talk to someone more."

"I told Master about how you saved the people in Tai'an City, and Master said he must meet you."

"I'll take you to see him now." Yongjie said.

Li Miao cupped his hands and said, "Thank you."

Yongjie nodded, turned around and took Li Miao towards the depths of the temple.

Arriving at a small courtyard, Yongjie knocked on the door: "Master, Master Li is here."

But then I heard a cheerful old man's voice coming from inside, saying with a smile: "Come in quickly, I'm getting tired of waiting!"

Yongjie pushed open the gate and saw a mat placed under a tree in the yard.

An old monk was sitting cross-legged on it, holding a little girl. The little girl was clutching the old monk's beard with one hand and holding the other hand in her mouth. The old monk was patting her back gently. She was so sleepy that she could not open her eyes.

Looking at the old monk again, he had white hair and a youthful face, with two eyebrows about a foot long hanging on his shoulders.

The cross-legged posture was also casual, with one leg bent and the other straight, the cassock wrapped around the little girl, and he was only wearing an inner garment. At this time, he looked at Li Miao with a smile, not like a high monk at all, but like a cheerful old man coaxing his granddaughter to sleep.

Yongjie quickly stepped forward, hugged the little girl in his arms, and apologized to the old monk: "Master, Ling'er is here to disturb you again, I must..."

"Hey!" The old monk waved his hand and said, "Yongjie, you are talking nonsense again."

"You are my disciple, and Ling'er is my granddaughter. It's okay for me to disturb you when you are helping your granddaughter sleep!"

"If you keep saying these polite words, don't think I can't beat you just because I'm dying!"

Li Miao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

How could he not know that this old monk was the Shaolin abbot, Xingchi? But judging from his behavior and words, he was far from the image of a great monk in his imagination.

However, Li Miao could clearly feel the old monk's rock-hard bones and muscles - "Vajra".

Although Li Miao could see that his heart meridians were damaged and his body was covered with hidden injuries, and that what he said was true, he could also see that the "Vajra" in this old monk was stronger than the perfect "Vajra" he had achieved in Taishan Sect that day.

This is even more unreasonable than the day when Li Miao gave up "Vajra" and turned to practice "Sumeru".

What is perfection? One point more is too much, one point less is not enough. The so-called perfection is not more than others, but "just right". After perfection, there is no way to go, Li Miao is very sure of this.

It seems that this is the foundation of Shaolin, and the reason why Xingchi was able to survive under Ji Tianrui.

Li Miao stepped forward and bowed: "Junior Li Miao, greetings to Master Xingchi."

The old monk laughed heartily and said, "Master Li, you are polite!"

"I heard from my inferior disciple that the Lord has done a great good deed in Tai'an City!"

"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. With your merits, I will pay you my respects as a monk!"

After saying that, Xing Chi actually stood up and bowed to Li Miao. Li Miao quickly stepped forward and held Xing Chi's arms: "Master, there is no need to be polite. I am a government employee and I am just doing my job."

Li Miao was afraid that it would shorten his life if he had to let a 90-year-old monk, who was about to die, pay homage to him.

"Hahaha, then I won't be polite. Sir Li, please take a seat!"

Xing Chi didn't force it. He winked at Li Miao and asked Li Miao to sit down with him.

"I never thought that before I died, I could talk to a hero like Lord Li. I can rest in peace now!"

He did not shy away from talking about death at all and spoke with a hearty smile.

"Master Li, if you have any questions, just tell me! I will tell you everything I know!"

Li Miao knew that Xing Chi was already exhausted and had not much time left, so he should not delay him for too long. Besides, he had to meet Zhu Zai later, so he got straight to the point.

"Master, was it Ji Tianrui who injured you to such an extent that day?"

He has never figured this out.

The Jinyiwei went to Miaojiang to kill Ji Tianrui in full force, with Zhu Zai leading the team personally.

Yun Zelin was able to fake his death and get away with it because he was just a scoundrel back then and did not attract the attention of the Jinyiwei at all.

But how could the Jinyiwei not verify the identity of a person like Ji Tianrui after killing him? If he had not died that day, how could the Jinyiwei let it go?
Sure enough, Xing Chi said calmly: "He said he was Ji Tianrui."

"He has a similar body shape, but his martial arts skills are stronger. He is also the leader of the Ming Cult. But he is not the same one as before. The monk is not sure."

"After all, he, like Lord Li, is at the state of Three Returns to One, but he doesn't know how to avoid the 'Five Deteriorations of Heaven and Man'."

"I, a monk, have only reached the pinnacle. Relying on the legacy of my predecessors and sacrificing my life span, I can barely fight him for a few moves. For more, I, a monk, am powerless to explore."

Sure enough, Xing Chi also saw through Li Miao's realm at a glance.

Those who have cultivated martial arts to the highest level have all reached the end of their own path. Those who cultivate "Vajra" can see the bones of others at a glance; those who cultivate "Sumeru" can see the true qi of others at a glance; those who cultivate "Jie Zi" can see the moves and mental methods of others at a glance.

Xing Chi's martial arts were originally only at the top level, but he relied on the secret techniques of Shaolin to forcibly push his realm higher.

He only has three days left to live, not only because of the injuries from the fight with Ji Tianrui, but more because of the price of this method.

Li Miao continued to ask: "Why did the man who called himself Ji Tianrui attack Shaolin?"

Xing Chi said casually: "Yi Jin Jing, Xi Sui Jing, Da Huan Dan."

"As a monk, I can only do my best to protect my disciples. These three things were taken away by Ji Tianrui."

Before Li Miao could say anything, Yong Jie stood up suddenly and said in shock: "What!?"

"What should I do?!"

"Why are you panicking?" Xing Chi shouted, "I am the only supreme being in heaven and on earth. All external things are empty. Where is your Buddhist practice?"

"Sit down, don't wake Ling'er up."

Unexpectedly, Yongjie's actions did not wake up the little girl, but Xingchi's voice scared her awake and she started crying immediately.

Xing Chi quickly got up, took the little girl over, patted her back gently, and coaxed her to sleep for a long time.

He lowered his voice again, turned to Yongjie and said, "Just give up some external things."

"The secret manual can be rewritten, and the elixir can be refined again. Remember, the foundation of my Shaolin is not martial arts, but Buddhism and the human heart."

"'The temple of empty flowers, water and moons must be built at all times. If there is one person who has not been saved, do not escape.'"

"The purpose of building a temple is to save people. We can build it and we can also let it go. As long as people are still alive, what does the temple mean?"

"If you are obsessed with external things, you are a heretic. Don't call yourself my disciple anymore!"

(End of this chapter)