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

Chapter 157: The Sweeping Monk of the Ice Palm
Zhao Ti nodded and looked at Xuan Ci.

Xuan Ci pondered and said, "I have heard of Master Jin's great name for a long time, and I also know that he was born in Shaolin. Several decades ago, Master Jin returned to secular life and left the mountain. At that time, I had not yet shaved my head, but since he ventured into the martial arts world and entered the imperial court, he has not returned to the temple."

"Hasn't he been back to Shaolin?" Zhao Ti tapped the table with his fingers. Xuan Ci was the abbot of Shaolin, so if Jin Tai returned to the mountain to retire, he would definitely know about it, but why did Zhou Tong say that Jin Tai had returned to the temple?
"According to the monk genealogy in the temple, old Master Jintai is a monk of the Ling generation. His Buddhist name before he returned to secular life was Lingtai. So he should be my uncle. If he really returns to the temple, I would not be unaware of it." Xuan Ci looked at Zhao Ti and said.

Zhao Ti thought about it, and asked Tong Guan to call Zhou Tong in. When he told him about this, Zhou Tong was stunned: "My Lord, the last time I saw Master, he did say that he was going back to Shaolin to practice meditation, and asked me and other disciples not to disturb him and not to come and see him."

Xuan Ci frowned upon hearing this and said, "Donor Zhou, can you describe Master Jin's appearance?"

Zhou Tong described it, and Xuan Ci listened and said slowly: "I have been in Shaolin for these years. Even if I have never spoken to some monks, I still remember their appearance. There is no one in the temple as described by Mr. Zhou. Master Jin should not have returned to the temple."

Zhou Tong was puzzled: "This is strange. Where did Master go if he didn't go back to Shaolin?"

Zhao Ti shook his head: "Perhaps he fears being disturbed, so he is cultivating in another place. His statement of returning to Shaolin is just a perfunctory reply to you disciples."

Zhou Tong smiled bitterly and said, "Master really likes quietness, but I can only make this guess."

Zhao Ti pondered Xuan Ci's words for a moment, and said, "Master Xuan Ci, can you take me for a walk outside and introduce the scenery inside the temple?"

"Of course." Xuan Ci stood up, and Xuan Nan and Xuan Ji also stood up and walked out of the door with Zhao Ti.

It was deep autumn, the scenery was bleak, and the leaves were falling in the wind.

The group first visited the Main Hall, then went to the Hall of Heavenly Kings, followed by the Bodhidharma Hall, Arhat Hall, Vinaya Courtyard, Thousand Buddha Hall, Bodhi Courtyard, and finally headed towards the Sutra Repository.

The Sutra Repository is located deep inside the temple. From a distance, it looks simple and solemn, with flying eaves and brackets, covered with green tiles, and mottled gray stone exterior walls. It is surrounded by high walls and is extremely silent, looking quite mysterious.

Zhao Ti nodded and said, "It's a good place."

Xuanci said, "Yan Wang, most of the scriptures in the temple are here, including Buddhist scriptures and martial arts books. They are not open to the public on weekdays. Would you like to go in and take a look?"

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "You don't have to go into the pavilion, just take a look outside."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Ci chanted the Buddha's name, bowed slightly, made a gesture of invitation, and Zhao Ti walked forward.

There was some open space in front of the Sutra Repository, with a few big trees planted on both sides. However, at this time, nearly half of the trees were bare, and the leaves were blown to the ground by the autumn wind. They were yellow and thin, and swirled on the ground.

At this moment, there was a skinny monk in green robes in front of the pavilion, sweeping the ground with a broom in his hand.

The monk was not young, and his sparse long beard had turned completely white. He moved slowly and seemed weak, and did not look like he had any martial arts skills.

Zhao Ti stopped and looked at the monk. The monk did not look up or look in their direction. He was still slowly sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground.

Xuan Ci thought for a moment and said, "This is the old monk who sweeps the floor in the Sutra Library. I don't know how many years he has been here, but I have never spoken to him."

Zhao Ti nodded and glanced at Zhou Tong beside him. Zhou Tong looked normal and clearly did not recognize the old monk, but he still asked, "Guangzu, do you find this monk familiar?"

Zhou Tong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I have never seen this master before, and I don't recognize him."

At this time, the old monk who was sweeping the floor stood up, propped up the ground with the broom, and looked over here. Zhao Ti looked at him carefully and saw that he had a haggard face and was wearing a worn-out blue monk's robe. The color of his clothes showed that his position was very low, just the attire of a handyman who made tea and swept the floor.

Looking at the other person's eyes again, they were dull, as if he was looking straight ahead but not seeing anything, but he was not blind. His face was dull, with no expression of joy, anger, sorrow or happiness.

Zhao Ti smiled slightly and put his palms together: "Master, please."

The old monk's eyes were blank and he looked listless. He leaned the broom against his body, slowly clasped his hands together, and muttered, "Please, benefactor..." Then he turned around and continued to sweep up the fallen leaves on the ground.

Zhao Ti looked at the old monk for a moment, and there was no doubt that this was the monk who swept the Sutra Library.

At his current level, he couldn't see any sign of the other party having any internal strength, nor any trace of martial arts skills.

Xuan Ci didn't know why Zhao Ti had been staring at the old monk. He looked up at the sky and said, "Prince Yan, it's dinner time in the temple. I wonder if the prince will eat in the temple or go out..."

Zhao Ti withdrew his gaze from the old monk and nodded, saying, "It's fine if you eat."

Xuan Ci then led the way, and the group turned around. Zhou Tong was puzzled as to why Zhao Ti had just asked whether he was familiar with the old monk, so he turned back and saw the old monk looking at them with a hazy expression on his face, as if covered by a layer of mist.

Everyone went to the dining hall. The Shaolin dining hall was very large. The monks and ordinary monks did not eat in the same hall. The abbot, the supervisor, and the heads of each temple had their own room.

After finishing the vegetarian meal, it was already dark. Zhao Ti said, "Master Xuanci, please prepare yourself. I will copy the scriptures."

Xuan Ci said, "I will make arrangements now. Please take a rest, King Yan."

Zhao Ti nodded and went back to the meditation room. An hour later, Xuan Ci came to invite him to go directly to the Bodhi Courtyard.

Arriving at the Bodhi Temple, passing through the front hall and entering the back hall, you will see a screen placed in front of the Buddha statue in the back hall. On the screen is a huge bronze mirror, which is polished to a crystal clear shine. At this moment, a few oil lamps are lit on the Buddha niche, and the light is dim like beans.

Xuan Ci whispered, "Should the King of Yan copy it in the palace or go up to the attic?"

Zhao Ti looked forward and saw that there were wooden steps on the right side of the hall that led to the upper level. He asked, "What's on that upper level? Is it like the Sutra Library, with scriptures?"

Xuan Ci shook his head and said, "There are no scriptures, but it is elegantly decorated, with the meaning of neither a tree nor a platform, and is usually used to nourish the mind."

Zhao Ti glanced at the bronze mirror in front of the Buddha statue and said with a smile, "The mirror should be here, so let's go upstairs. There is nothing here, so don't collect dust here."

Xuan Ci said, "I'm ashamed that the layout of this palace is inferior. I'm sorry that the King of Yan laughed at me."

As he spoke, he walked to the front of the bronze mirror and stretched out his right index finger, tapping the mirror a few times. With a creaking sound, the bronze mirror flipped up. He reached inside and took out a cloth bag.

Afterwards, Xuan Ci said nothing, but carefully presented the cloth bag to Zhao Ti.

Zhao Ti opened it and saw a small booklet inside. Both the cover and the inside of the book were in Sanskrit. He nodded and said to Tong Guan and Azhu behind him, "Follow me upstairs."

Xuan Ci lowered his voice at this time: "Prince Yan, there are all kinds of writing brushes, inkstones, and paper upstairs, and the surroundings of the Bodhi Courtyard are well arranged. However... if the person who stole the scriptures is really hiding in the temple, and his martial arts are superb, the King of Yan should put his own safety first, and don't worry about the loss of the scriptures, even if it is destroyed."

Zhao Ti groaned and said, "If it is destroyed..."

Xuan Ci said: "My two junior brothers Xuan Ji and Xuan Nan and I have each memorized more than 30% of it in our hearts, so it will not be lost."

Zhao Ti smiled and walked upstairs. When he got up there, he saw that although it was called a attic, it was actually very spacious, with windows on three sides. It was decorated quietly and elegantly. On the wall hung a verse written by the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, and there was also a long table, four treasures of the study, and even a zither and a harp.

He walked to the window and saw that the Sutra Repository was not far away, separated from the Bodhi Temple by only a road. It was dark over there at the moment, but there were faint lights and twinkling stars.

He walked to the back of the desk and sat down. Ah Zhu fetched water and ground ink. Tong Guan took out one of the blank books on the corner of the desk and placed it in the middle.

Zhao Ti leaned back in his chair and opened the Yi Jin Jing to read it.

This sutra is written in Sanskrit. Its content is profound and obscure, and contains many quotations from Buddhist scriptures, which must be studied in conjunction with each other.

At that time, the Second Patriarch Huike first understood the Buddhist content in the Yi Jin Jing. Many years later, when he met Li Jing on the Chang'an Road and talked with him, he realized the martial arts therein.

There are three difficulties in practicing the Yi Jin Jing. The first difficulty is that one must be proficient in Sanskrit. This proficiency does not mean just knowing the Sanskrit characters. One must have a thorough understanding of the meaning of the Sanskrit words. Even if one is 80% or 90% unsatisfied, or even slightly inconsistent, one's understanding of Buddhism will be far off, and the meaning expressed in martial arts will naturally be incorrect.

The second difficulty is that if you want to learn the Yi Jin Jing, you must have a certain foundation and understanding of Buddhism. Originally, it is impossible to learn it without a profound Buddhist teaching. However, after the Second Patriarch Huike learned this sutra, he annotated it word by word in Sanskrit below, so you can understand it if you have a certain foundation. As for understanding, this thing is ethereal and if you cannot comprehend it, it is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

The third is that cultivation is difficult, and one needs to see through the "self-image and the image of others". One must not have the thought of practicing martial arts in one's mind, and must not have any distracting thoughts. One must not have the thought of practicing martial arts to gain power or defeat others. One must not have utilitarian thoughts such as seeking victory or strength, and one's mind must be free from attachment.

Among them, "I-image" refers to the self. To achieve the state of selflessness, one should not be attached to one's own identity, gains and losses. "Human-image" means that all spirits in heaven and earth are the same, and there is no difference between people and all things.

This requires the most advanced mentality. Over the past thousands of years, there have been many Shaolin monks, but few have been able to achieve this level of cultivation. They are unable to see through the "self-image and the image of others" and cannot get rid of the desire to win or lose.

After reading the Yi Jin Jing, Zhao Ti could not help but remain speechless.

He didn't know if Zhao Xu could master it, but if he was given the chance to practice, it would take more than a moment for him to master it, and he would not be able to understand it immediately, because he might not be able to easily let go of his thoughts. At this time, Ah Zhu had prepared the pen and ink, and Zhao Ti began to copy the scriptures.

The Yi Jin Jing does not have many words, only a little over a thousand, but the annotations by the Second Patriarch Huike still have another thousand or two thousand words. It was also copied very quickly, in less than an hour.

Afterwards, he looked at the Yi Jin Jing book and thought for a few breaths, then said to Ah Zhu, "Bring me a basin of clean water."

Upon hearing this, Ah Zhu fetched some clean water, and then Zhao Ti reached out and dipped his hand in the water and wiped it on the pages of the Yi Jin Jing, but there was no display on the pages.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. The Shenzu Sutra was written and drawn with invisible grass liquid from India. He thought it would be visible with clean water, but it seemed that this was not the case.

Zhao Ti recalled that You Tanzhi got the scripture because he was poisoned by vipers, ice silkworms and other deadly poisons. When the poison took effect, his tears and saliva flowed onto the pages of the book, reacting with the invisible grass liquid, causing the graphics and words on the Shenzu Sutra to appear.

Since plain water wouldn't work at the moment, he had to try another method. He silently used his inner strength to force out from his fingertips a drop of the ice silkworm's innate cold poison that he had absorbed and couldn't use.

The cold poison was pale in color, making a hissing sound and emitting a chilly air. The air around the table suddenly turned cold. Ah Zhu's eyes flashed, she bit her lip, and took a step back while holding the crystal pot.

Zhao Ti flicked the cold poison lightly into the basin. The clear water in the basin immediately changed color and was no longer clear and transparent. White mist began to rise.

He reached out and dipped some of the water mixed with methamphetamine, then smeared it on the pages of the Yi Jin Jing. In just one or two breaths, patterns and words appeared.

The corner of Zhao Ti's mouth curled up slightly, and he looked carefully to identify it. It was indeed the Shenzu Sutra!
He wrote down the pattern and words, then began to erase the cold poison on the second page. The pattern and words also appeared on the second page. After remembering them again, he continued to erase them. After about a quarter of an hour, all the patterns and words appeared, and he remembered them all in his mind.

At this time, the patterns and texts on the first few pages had disappeared and returned to their original appearance. The ones at the back also began to gradually fade away. Zhao Ti took a breath and slowly closed the book of Yi Jin Jing.

He closed his eyes slightly and pondered the Shenzu Sutra in his mind.

The Shenzu Sutra does not have any profound requirements for cultivating one's mind and character, nor does it require any special understanding of Buddhism. You Tanzhi knew nothing about Buddhism, and his mind and character were even extremely poor, but he was able to begin cultivation simply by getting this opportunity.

This skill is extremely easy to master, and is extremely powerful, making a person immune to all poisons.

After You Tanzhi's finger was bitten by an extremely cold ice silkworm, he used the method in the Shenzu Sutra to dissolve the ice silkworm's poison, and absorbed the ice silkworm's cold poison into his body for his own use. After mastering it, he became immune to all poisons and transformed the ice silkworm's coldness into a unique icy energy.

The speed at which this technique increases internal strength is astonishing. One can improve his skills day by day without even realizing it, and increase his internal strength rapidly.

You Tanzhi originally had no martial arts foundation, only some superficial methods. After practicing the Shenzu Sutra, his internal strength increased greatly, and his fighting power increased dramatically. He was even not inferior to Qiao Feng, Xuan Ci and others. Relying on the Shenzu Sutra, he fought with Qiao Feng for dozens of rounds without losing the upper hand, and even defeated Ding Chunqiu.

The Shenzu Sutra can also improve one's speed and reaction.

When You Tanzhi was fighting against many masters, his speed in moving, dodging and approaching opponents was very fast. In the fierce battle with Xiao Feng and others in Shaoshi Mountain, without any body skills, he almost mastered a very high level of lightness skill just by relying on the blessing of the Shenzu Sutra.

It is conceivable that if one already has superb lightness skills and uses them with a body blessed by the Divine Foot Sutra, how fast would the speed be.

Zhao Ti took a deep breath and didn't want to wait any longer. The requirements for practicing this technique were extremely low. He didn't need to find a quiet place with fresh air and no one to disturb him. He could practice it now.

He said to Tong Guan, "Watch your surroundings while I practice martial arts."

Tong Guan was shocked: "Your Highness, practicing here? Isn't it possible that someone..."

Zhao Ti waved his hand: "It's okay, this skill won't be a problem, just keep an eye on the outside."

Ah Zhu said: "Your Highness, why don't you go back to the meditation room? Here..."

Zhao Ti shook his head. It made no difference whether he went back or not. If someone really came to steal the Yi Jin Jing, they must have gotten the news that he had copied the scripture. There were two copies of the scripture, one in the Shaolin Temple and one with him. After weighing the pros and cons, anyone would come to him first instead of confronting the Shaolin monks. After all, it would be easier to get it from him than from the monks.

He then began to practice breathing according to the method described in the Shenzu Sutra, then drew the air into the body, visualizing the body and moving it along a specific meridian route.

The route of the Shenzu Meridian is extremely strange and special. Even the Huanyin Qi does not go through those places, because it is extremely difficult to pass through some of the intersections of the meridians, and there is even the possibility of direct explosion and injury.

However, the Shenzu Meridian has external limb movement diagrams to coordinate the breathing and guide the internal force to flow through the meridians.

Those movements were extremely strange, twisting and bending the body in almost impossible places. Even if one tried hard to think of them, it would be difficult to come up with these bizarre movements.

But it was these strange movements that actually made the meridians in the body that were difficult to flow become somewhat unobstructed.

Zhao Ti was no longer sitting in the chair. He was sitting on a large cushion against the wall at the back. He did not pose in the common five-hearts-facing-the-sky postures for exercising his Qi, but twisted back and forth continuously. Every once in a while, he would make a movement that would make people astonished.

Ah Zhu, who was watching from the opposite side, blinked her eyes, opened her mouth, and had an expression of disbelief.

Tong Guan was even more shocked. He saw Zhao Ti twist his legs from behind his body to behind his head, and then use his arms backwards as if they were dislocated, and then stand upside down and walk with his shoulders swaying from side to side. His heart was beating wildly, and he wondered what kind of evil martial arts was this? It was even weirder than the Sunflower Manual.

At this moment, Zhao Ti only felt that both the Huan Yin Qi and the Sunflower Qi, and even the internal strength of the Xiao Wuxiang Gong, were constantly soaring, and the one percent of the Ice Silkworm's innate coldness that was originally unusable was also beginning to stir.

After a brief thought, he began to follow the methods of the Shenzu Meridian, guiding the ice silkworm cold poison in his body to merge with part of his own qi and blood. Immediately, he felt internal ringing coming from several acupuncture points in his body, and his tendons and veins instantly began to swell with pain.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of strong energy breaking through the air outside the building, and Xuan Nan's voice was heard shouting outside: "Who dares to break into Shaolin!"

Tong Guan and Azhu were both shocked and a little panicked. They glanced at Zhao Ti but did not dare to disturb him.

Tong Guan whispered, "Miss Ah Zhu, you go to the prince's place and protect him. I will guard the window. Do not let anyone in to harm the prince."

Ah Zhu nodded and ran to the wall where Zhao Ti was. She saw that Zhao Ti was no longer using those strange movements. His whole body was covered with a layer of ice, and outside the ice was a layer of white frost. He exuded a cold breath and looked like a snowman built in winter.

Tong Guan quickly walked to the window and looked down. He saw torches lit inside and outside the Bodhi Temple, and there were hundreds of monks gathered there.

These monks set up a large formation, and in the middle, nine monks of the Xuan generation, including Xuan Ci, Xuan Nan, Xuan Ji, etc., set up a small formation, trapping a masked woman in white.

Tong Guan's eyelids twitched when he saw this. Could this woman be the one that Lingjiu Palace had mentioned as stealing the scriptures? She didn't even wear night clothes, but a conspicuous white dress. She was too arrogant. Now that all nine monks of the Xuan generation had taken action, and there were formations of all sizes surrounding her, it would not take long for her to be captured!
Just as he thought of this, he saw the woman slap the air with her palm. A white rainbow light flashed, and Monk Xuansheng was obviously not covered by the palm, but he screamed, flew backwards, and spat out a mouthful of blood, which was caught by the monk behind him.

Tong Guan's expression changed. How could this woman be so powerful? Then he was stunned again. Why did the palm technique used by this woman look familiar? It seemed that he had heard of it somewhere.

At this time, Xuan Du pointed a finger at the woman as if picking a flower. The woman did not avoid or give way, but also pointed a finger at him. Her finger technique was exactly the same as Xuan Du's. When the two fingers touched, Xuan Du screamed, and with a "crack" sound, all the bones in his fingers and wrists were broken. He spurted out blood and staggered to the ground.

Tong Guan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw this. This is, this is... the woman who assassinated his godfather Li Xian!
Zhao Ti went to see Li Xian. Li Xian told him about the assassination attempt during the five-way attack on Xia. Tong Guan heard it nearby. Later, Li Xian passed Tong Guan the Sunflower Manual and told him the story in detail. Tong Guan compared the palm technique like white rainbow and the unique ability to imitate the opponent's martial arts, and he immediately felt certain.

His lips trembled. Oh no, no, why did this woman come to Shaolin? This man is extremely skilled in martial arts, and even his godfather is no match for him. Now these Shaolin monks are no match for him either. What should he do?
Tong Guan couldn't help but look back at Zhao Ti, and seeing that Zhao Ti seemed to be unconscious and motionless under the frost, he immediately gritted his teeth and thought to himself, never mind, just carry the prince away first, as for the Yi Jin Jing and the like, just leave it here. He thought that after this woman got the scripture, she would not chase him and kill him.

He ran towards Zhao Ti, but just when he was halfway there, suddenly a window on the right side made a "boom" sound and was smashed to pieces, and a man in black jumped in.

The man in black was tall and had a black scarf on his face. After he came in, he quickly scanned the room and then went straight to the desk.

Tong Guan was stunned when he saw this. How come there is someone else? Oh no, there is more than one person stealing the scriptures!
At this moment, he saw the man in black running towards the table to practice Yi Jin Jing, but he had no intention of caring about him. He just wanted to carry Zhao Ti and escape quickly.

Just as he approached, the man in black had already reached the table and was about to extend his hand when suddenly a cold voice came: "How dare you!"

The man in black paused when he heard this, but still grabbed the scripture on the table.

At this moment, there was a loud explosion near the wall, and frost flew up and splashed everywhere. Zhao Ti came out from it, leaped over like lightning, and slapped the man in black with a palm filled with white mist and cold air.

The man in black hurriedly raised his palm to meet the attack, and the two forces collided, making a "hissing" sound. Zhao Ti did not slow down, and he crushed over like a snow mountain. With a "bang", his palms collided with the man in black. A layer of white frost quickly spread on the palm of the man in black, and in the blink of an eye it reached his shoulder.

The black-clothed man's eyes opened wide in horror, and then he screamed. Cold air came out of the black scarf. Zhao Ti exerted his icy palm power, and there was a loud "boom". The black-clothed man flew backwards, smashing the wall of the building, and fell out of the building.

Zhao Ti did not pursue him, but took a moment to adjust his breathing. He had just used the Shenzu Sutra to fuse the ice silkworm's innate cold poison and had already practiced the Ice Palm. He did not expect it to be so powerful. Although the man who came had extremely high martial arts skills, he was no match for him with just one palm.

He turned around, picked up two copies of Yi Jin Jing from the table and put them in his arms. Just as he was about to call Tong Guan and A Zhu to come downstairs, at this moment, he saw a white shadow flash by the window and a person suddenly appeared.

The person was dressed in white, with flying black hair, a graceful figure, and fairy-like clothes. A snow-white veil covered her face. She was actually a woman with an elegant and graceful temperament.

(End of this chapter)