Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 239 The Eloquence of the Wise King
After Jiang Mingzhe led Murong Fu and others away from Gusu, he used the Toad Devouring Heaven Fist to defeat the Iron Ox Blocking the River Fist of the senior disciple of Pumen Temple.

Jiang Mingzhe once imagined that if this were a comic, there should be a phantom rising up, and the content would be a giant frog knocking over an old cow.

Now, not long after, the fantasy has actually come true.

Wherever the fists and feet went, the surging energy evolved and took on different forms, the images of the five poisonous creatures condensing and dispersing, increasing their ferocity.

His Five Elements Battle Immortal Technique was created by Ding Chunqiu himself. It was hastily passed on to him before it was fully perfected. Compared to Tong Lao's Six Yang Palm and Plum Blossom Hand, it was naturally a step weaker.

But now that she has the ability to transform her true energy into form, her moves have become increasingly fluid, and with her advantages in speed and power, the old woman, with her short arms and legs, can hardly gain any advantage.

However, Tong Lao was extremely experienced. After a few exchanges, she immediately switched to a defensive stance, using the Plum Blossom Hand to counter each move. As her inner energy surged, it subtly transformed into specks of cold plum blossoms, demonstrating that she had pushed her ninety years of honed skills to their limit.

Although Murong Bo's martial arts skills were inferior to these two, his eyesight was not much worse than that of Tong Lao and far surpassed that of Jiang Mingzhe. He immediately shouted, "Be careful, the old monster is deliberately wearing down your internal energy!"

His statement wasn't simply for Jiang Mingzhe's benefit.

With such a loud voice, the five words "Kun transforms into Peng" were shouted so loudly that Murong Bo was completely taken aback.

It was clear from the beginning that Jiang Mingzhe had learned this divine skill that even Tong Lao and others did not know, which was why he was so powerful.

Furthermore, having witnessed Jiang Mingzhe absorbing people's energy, Murong Bo deduced that this skill was extremely taxing, but Jiang Mingzhe's possession of the Northern Darkness technique allowed him to sustain it for a long time.

However, there are only a few people in the arena at this moment. If Jiang Mingzhe is unable to continue, in order to save his life, who can he capture to absorb the power of others?
If he could have captured the Child Granny, there would have been no need to fight her. But this old monk dealt with the Child Granny without even moving a muscle. His skill was astonishing.

If Jiang Mingzhe fails to capture Tong Lao and the old monk, wouldn't Murong Bo's situation be extremely awkward?

Jiang Mingzhe was startled by his reminder, realizing that he had been somewhat careless.

He was only thinking about tricking Tong Lao to save Li Qingluo, but he forgot that his battery was limited and that the worst thing he could do was to fight a master in a deserted place.

Even if someone like Tong Lao is suppressed by him, it would probably take hundreds or even thousands of moves to truly defeat her.

He immediately launched a palm strike and a claw strike, then leaped away, laughing, "Uncle, you're overthinking it. The Heavenly Mountain Child Granny is a peerless genius, proud and upright. Why would she deliberately entangle herself with a junior like me?"

Granny Tong raised an eyebrow, about to retort with "Can't you keep bothering me?", when she saw Jiang Mingzhe's eyes darting around, subtly gesturing towards the nameless old monk: "Besides, with this eminent monk by my side, I have no idea whether he's friend or foe. Granny Tong and I are fighting like fishermen, how do we know he doesn't have the intention of profiting from the conflict?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Tong became alert and frowned at the old monk, saying, "What you said, you little bastard, is quite right. Our sect has an extremely secretive reputation. Our disciples all have their own identities when they roam the martial world and never mention our sect's name. Therefore, many of our sect's unique skills have always been little known. Hmph, you monk know so much about our sect's martial arts, just who are you?"

A hint of helplessness flashed in the old monk's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "This old monk is just a servant monk who sweeps the courtyard, how could I be any powerful person?"

Jiang Mingzhe, intrigued, declared loudly, "I fought with Granny Tong from the Shaolin Temple gates to the Sutra Pavilion. So many renowned monks of the Xuan generation, famous throughout the martial world, couldn't see through Granny Tong's martial arts. Your insight is far superior to theirs, like a firefly in the night, bright and outstanding. Your melancholy eyes, your stubble, your miraculous martial arts skills, and that cool broom all betray you. Even if you remain unknown in this temple, you must have been a famous figure before entering!"

The old woman immediately said, "That's right! The skill you just used is not a Shaolin secret technique."

The old monk pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "I have been here for over forty years, sweeping and cleaning every day, gradually sweeping away my ego. Why must you blow back the dust that I have swept away?" Before he finished speaking, Kumārajīva's voice rang out: "Heh heh, you cultivate with altruism, willingly humbling yourself to subdue your arrogance, and yet you value others' needs to achieve a state of selflessness. This is hardly a profound method."

As they spoke, Xiao Yuanshan, Duan Yu, Murong Fu and others walked up together. As for Xiao Feng, he was mindful of his master-disciple relationship with Xuan Ku and stayed on the first floor to prevent others from taking advantage of the chaos to steal the Shaolin books.

The old monk looked at Kumārajīva in surprise, shook his head and said, "There is no high or low in the Dharma, only the suitable one cherishes it. I am naturally foolish. Forty-three years ago, I was enlightened by Zen Master Lingmen and was taught this Dharma. I have practiced it every day for forty-three years without ceasing, and gradually I have felt my body and mind become pure. It can be seen that this Dharma is the superior Dharma of this old monk."

Duan Yu also said, "That's right. The Vinaya Pitaka of the Mūlasarvāstivāda school records that the Buddha personally swept the Jetavana Monastery and explained the five virtues of sweeping: it removes the defilements of one's own mind, removes the defilements of others, eliminates pride, subdues the mind, and increases merit. It can be seen that this method is a Dharma personally transmitted by the Buddha. How can it be said to be not profound?"

The old monk nodded repeatedly, and a hint of kindness appeared in his eyes as he looked at Duan Yu.

The term Vinaya is a Buddhist term, also known as Vinaya or Vinaya-vibhātu, which is the Vinaya Pitaka in the Buddhist Tripitaka that regulates the behavior of the Sangha.

The "Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya" mentioned by Duan Yu was translated by a high-ranking monk of the Tang Dynasty and belongs to the category of scriptures that stipulate precepts.

The "Miscellaneous Matters Collection" contains rules for various miscellaneous matters, down to the specifics of how to place lanterns, how to take a bath, and how to fasten buttons.

Duan Yu was originally a bookworm, and when his bookworm nature came out, he couldn't distinguish between friend and foe, and reason came first.

Enraged, Kumārajīva glared at him and shouted, "Young Master Duan, since you have read the Vinaya, do you not know that its commentary specifically points out that in cultivating the Five Virtues, one must remember to avoid three major mistakes? First, being impatient for quick results, which is a utilitarian mind; second, being perfunctory, which is a lazy mind; and third, distinguishing between purity and impurity, which is an attachment mind."

He looked at the old monk and sneered, "This master remembers sweeping the floor for forty-three years clearly. This shows his eagerness for quick results and his utilitarianism. He also said that the old woman asked him about his past identity, which is like blowing the dust back after sweeping it away. This shows his attachment to distinguishing between purity and impurity. Haha, the master describes his eagerness for quick results as working tirelessly every day, and he is worried that the dust will come back and all his work will be in vain. This is his perfunctory and lazy attitude. He has committed all three major faults. Even if he sweeps the floor for another four hundred and thirty years, he will probably never be truly pure!"

The old monk trembled and stared intently at Kumārajīva. Jiang Mingzhe's eyebrows danced with excitement as he finally witnessed Kumārajīva's true nature—his profound knowledge of Buddhist teachings and his eloquent speech.

He quickly replied, "This is the Tibetan National Preceptor, the Great Snow Mountain Great Wheel King Kumārajīva."

The old monk nodded slowly, looked at Murong Bo, and said in a low voice, "So the copy of the seventy-two unique skills recorded by Layman Murong was actually passed on to this Great Wheel King."

After everyone went upstairs, Murong Bo stood behind Jiang Mingzhe. As soon as the old monk uttered those words, everyone followed his gaze.

At this moment, Murong Bo had already washed away his disguise. Kumārajīva blinked and exclaimed with wild joy, "Mr. Murong, you are still alive..."

Before he could finish speaking, Murong Fu rushed forward and exclaimed, "Father, so you...you're not dead!" He knelt down in front of him, his face full of joy and surprise.

Murong Bo clasped his hands in a fist salute to Kumārajīva and said, "Back then, I had no choice but to fake my death to escape. I never expected that the King of Ming would be so righteous and remember me so well. He actually went to Tianlong Temple in Dali to retrieve the sword manual and offer it as a sacrifice at my grave. In my life, I, Murong Bo, have finally made a true brother like you."

Kumārajīva laughed loudly, "To have made friends with you, sir, is the second greatest joy of my life. As for the greatest joy, it is that you are still alive today!"

The two laughed heartily for a while. Murong Bo reached out and patted Murong Fu's head, saying with satisfaction, "Good child, you are better than me. I already know the plan that my nephew Mingzhe devised for you. Who else but my son can be the ancestor of the Great Yan's revival?"

When he faked his death, Murong Fu was just a teenager. Before that, Murong Bo had been traveling all over the world and hadn't paid much attention to him. When he occasionally came back to test his martial arts skills, he would often criticize him harshly. Therefore, Murong Fu was very afraid of his father. Now, hearing his father's gentle praise, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

(End of this chapter)