Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

At noon the next day, monks from Tianlong Temple came to the inn where Zhou Feng and the others were staying to invite him.

After following the monk to Tianlong Temple, Zhou Feng got off the carriage alone, while Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang drove both carriages to the shade of a tree in the distance.

Kumārajīva was not like ordinary martial arts practitioners. Even though Zhao Pan'er and the other women possessed the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), they did not practice any internal energy cultivation.

Facing ordinary martial arts practitioners wouldn't be a problem, but against a master like Kumārajīva, they might be captured in an instant, without even a chance to escape.

Therefore, they had no choice but to leave the girls outside the temple to wait.

"Sister Pan'er, can't we go in? I've been to Tianlong Temple several times, but I've never been able to go in. I don't know what's inside."

Zhong Ling curiously peeked out of the car window and looked at the towering walls of Tianlong Temple.

She wasn't interested in any martial arts manuals; she was simply curious about what they looked like.

"Zhou Lang said that Tianlong Temple will encounter a powerful enemy today, so we should just watch from the outside. Even if we go in, it will only cause trouble for Zhou Lang."

Zhao Pan'er smiled and explained, and Zhong Ling immediately nodded her little head repeatedly in agreement.

Although Zhao Pan'er is considered gentle among these older sisters, Zhong Ling always had a strange feeling that this older sister was the most frightening when she got serious.

After parking the carriage, Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang remained on guard, Qin Ming was above the carriage, and Lin Yin had another task.

After entering Tianlong Temple with the monk who had come to invite them, Zhou Feng and Duan Zhengming went to the backyard, where Duan Zhengming was waiting.

"Young Master Zhou, thank you for coming to help us today. The Duan family of Dali will forever remember this!"

From Duan Zhengming's attitude and tense body, it was clear that the ruler of Dali was not at peace at this moment.

Zhou Feng smiled and nodded: "Your Majesty is too kind. I will rest in that pavilion. Please feel free to ask if you need anything from me."

With that, Zhou Feng walked toward the pavilion.

He also knew that in the original story, Ku Rong and the others practiced the Six Meridians Divine Sword at the Muni Hall.

In other words, at this moment, Zhou Feng and the Six Meridians Divine Sword manual were only separated by a wall.

But it was almost impossible for him to get in.

Even if he had only expressed such thoughts, he would probably have been kicked out of Tenryu-ji Temple before he could even fight Kumārajīva.

Noticing Zhou Feng's actions, Duan Zhengming breathed a sigh of relief. The Six Meridians Divine Sword was indeed renowned, and he had feared that Zhou Feng and his group might have ulterior motives.

Now that Zhou Feng has made his stance clear, he is naturally very happy.

After leaving the two monks there to "receive" Zhou Feng, Duan Zhengming apologized and returned to the Muni Hall.

Kumārajīva will arrive today, and they must seize every moment to familiarize themselves with the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

Zhou Feng glanced at the two young monks behind him. They stood with their hands at their sides at the foot of the pavilion's stone steps, one holding a tea tray and the other carrying a whisk.

Although his expression was respectful, his eyes would occasionally glance at Zhou Feng. Whether he was concerned about Zhou Feng's needs or had other purposes was unknown.

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, Zhou Feng leaned against the stone railing of the pavilion, casually glancing left and right as if admiring the scenery.

But just as he picked up the teacup, intending to blow on the tea, he suddenly coughed softly.

The next second, a nanodrone the size of an ID card slid out of his pocket.

"Young monks, I see the camellias behind the temple are blooming beautifully. Would you mind taking a look?"

Zhou Feng put down his teacup, smiled at the two monks, and asked them in a gentle tone.

As he spoke, the drone silently departed from the pavilion and flew towards the Muni Temple.

The monk on the left hesitated for a few seconds before bowing and replying, "I'm sorry, Benefactor Zhou. Although the camellias in the backyard are in full bloom, the abbot previously instructed that the area within a 50-zhang radius of the Muni Hall should be kept quiet and not be visited. If you wish to see the flowers, you can go to the camellia garden to the east, where there are more varieties."

Although Zhou Feng was invited by Duan Zhengming to help with the fight, he naturally had to be extra cautious since it involved the territory of the Muni Hall.

"It's nothing, I was just asking casually."

Zhou Feng nodded casually, a hint of regret on his face, and then sat down again, picking up his teacup.

A moment later, Lin Yin's voice came through the miniature earphone in his ear: "The bees have entered the room. Begin filming. The picture is clear and the lighting is sufficient."

Upon receiving this report, Zhou Feng's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile, and he brought the teacup to his lips again.

Once today is over, perhaps he will be able to master the number one attack technique in the game "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils"!

The Black Bee drone is not just for taking pictures!

At this moment, in the Muni Hall, Master Kurong sat in the center, while Benyin, Benguan, Benxiang, Bencan, and Duan Zhengming sat in the five corners. In front of each of them was an open scroll of silk, which was densely covered with diagrams of human meridians and markings of the sword finger movement.

The drone hovered silently in the shadow of the crossbeam at the top of the Muni Temple, its camera slowly rotating to capture the map clearly, even the tiny, mosquito-like annotations on it.

At the same time, every conversation inside the Muni Temple was recorded into a miniature microphone.

In particular, Master Kurong explained the power circulation route and principles of the Six Meridians Divine Sword to Duan Zhengming and others, which are strategies that Zhou Feng will be able to use in the future.

"Remember this: Kumārajīva has come for the sword manual and will not leave empty-handed. You need not hold back, nor should you try to detain him. If he insists on taking the Six Meridians Manual and we cannot handle it, then burn it without hesitation!"

Master Kurong's hoarse voice rang out, instantly silencing the hall.

Zhou Feng didn't think too much about it; he simply sat in the pavilion and quietly enjoyed his tea.

Through the miniature earpiece in his ear, Lin Yin's reports kept coming: "Leader, the image acquisition is complete. There are 36 images in total across all six channels. The resolution is clear enough, and the audio has also been recorded. After some post-processing, you can use it as a reference to aid your cultivation."

Zhou Feng then let out a soft breath, finished the last sip of tea in his bowl, and waved to the monk below the stone steps: "Little monk, please refill my cup."

Just as the monk was holding the teapot and preparing to pour water, Zhou Feng shifted uncomfortably, as if adjusting his shoes and socks.

But he simply put the Black Bee drone that had already returned into his pocket.

Half a day later, Zhou Feng, who had been sitting in the pavilion, suddenly smelled a faint sandalwood fragrance wafting in from outside the courtyard. Immediately following this was the sound of chanting in the distance, growing louder as it approached.

The door to the Muni Hall immediately opened from the inside, and Duan Zhengming came out.

He was wearing a gray monk's robe, and his crown had been removed, replaced by a brand new bald head.

Faced with Zhou Feng's question, Duan Zhengming put his hands together and performed a Buddhist salute: "Young Master Zhou, you have been waiting for a long time. Please follow me into the hall."

Zhou Feng stood up and calmly followed Duan Zhengming inside.

By this time, the diagrams in the room had long been put away, and the walls of the hall were bare.

Master Kurong sat on a low couch at the very back, his face as withered as an old pine root, his eyelids drooping, and he didn't even lift them when Zhou Feng entered.

The four monks, Benyin, Benguan, Benxiang, and Bencan, sat on either side. After Zhou Feng greeted them, he went to the last seat.

After all, he was just there to help out; it would be better to let the monks of the Celestial Dragon Temple handle the direct confrontation with Ash.

Shortly after Zhou Feng took his seat, Abbot Benyin got up and walked out of the Muni Hall.

A clear and gentle voice came from outside the temple: "This humble monk, Kumārajīva, from the Tubo Kingdom, has come to pay respects to all the senior monks!"

After a while, Abbot Benyin's voice came from outside: "The Venerable King is here, please move to the Muni Hall."

"Thank you for leading the way, Abbot."

To be honest, judging from his voice, Xiao Zhi should have been a kind, humble, and polite person, but who knew he would later be portrayed as a martial arts fanatic.

After a few steps of footsteps outside the hall, a monk in a gray robe walked in.

The man appeared to be in his early forties, with a lean face and a gentle yet sharp demeanor.

Dressed in simple clothes and straw sandals, he entered the hall and first looked at Master Kurong, bowing slightly before slowly scanning the rest of the people in the hall.

But when he saw Zhou Feng, his gaze did not linger for a moment.

Perhaps in Xiao Zhi's mind, Zhou Feng was just a junior member of the Dali Duan family.

"The junior Tibetan, Kumārajīva, pays his respects to Master Kurō. The existence and the impermanence, the twin trees of withering and flourishing, north, south, west, and east, are neither false nor empty."

Kumārajīva clasped his hands together and bowed to Master Kurong, but what he was reciting was the origin of the meditation on withered Zen that Master Kurong had been practicing.

Although his attitude was very humble, he gave a strong show of force.

After they were seated, Kumārajīva once again clasped his hands together and glanced at the monks: "I have come here with a request. Years ago, I received guidance from Master Murong of Suzhou for several days and benefited greatly. However, Master Murong's lifelong regret was that he was unable to see the true form of the Six Meridians Divine Sword of Tianlong Temple in Dali. Now that Master Murong has passed away, I am mindful of our old promise and wish to take him on this trip to Suzhou to bring the diagram of the Six Meridians Divine Sword to his grave, so that we may burn it there to fulfill his last wish. I ask that you masters grant my request."

These words were sincere, but Abbot Benyin stepped forward directly: "The friendship between King Ming and Mr. Murong was a matter of fate. Now that the fate has run its course, why force it?"

Kumārajīva sighed, "The abbot's guidance is indeed profound, but this humble monk is stubborn by nature and finds it difficult to sever my longing for my good friend. Since I have already promised Mr. Murong to retrieve the Six Meridians Divine Sword, I have made this promise and cannot break it!"

As he spoke, Kumārajīva clapped his hands, and his attendant brought in a sandalwood box from outside the door and placed it on the ground.

Kumārajīva was still more than ten meters away from the wooden box, but with a slight flick of his sleeve, the lid of the box opened by itself without any wind.

Inside was a small, gleaming golden box, which Kumārajīva carefully took out.

"My King, although Dali is a small border country, it is not lacking in gold and silver. If Your Majesty has such intentions, I'm afraid you will be disappointed."

Duan Zhengming's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and he bluntly stated his thoughts.

Kumārajīva quietly shook his head: "These are not gold or silver objects, but rather a handwritten book by Master Murong, explaining the essential techniques, methods, and countermeasures of the seventy-two Shaolin arts. If the esteemed monks have no objections, I would like to exchange these three volumes of extraordinary books for the Six Meridians Divine Sword Manual. I hope the masters will grant my request so that I may fulfill my promise from years ago. I would be eternally grateful."

After these words were spoken, everyone at Tenryu Temple fell silent.

Putting everything else aside, the allure of the 72 Shaolin Arts was immense, even causing several high-ranking monks to catch their breath.

Zhou Feng, however, didn't seem to care much about these special skills.

The sweeping monk said that Shaolin martial arts should be learned in conjunction with Buddhist teachings. With so many wives following him, why would he go and learn Buddhist teachings?

Now that the Northern Darkness Divine Art has been nourishing his body, Zhou Feng feels his condition has improved, and he gets an erection every morning.

Why would someone go back and practice the martial arts monks teach at this time? That would be insane!

But Zhou Feng's disapproval didn't mean others didn't. Several monks from Tianlong Temple exchanged glances, their hearts wavering.

Kumārajīva noticed their expressions and took a deep breath: "Masters, we can learn from others' experiences. The Seventy-Two Arts of Shaolin Temple definitely have their unique features. For example, the three finger techniques of the Flower-Picking Finger, the Doro-Leaf Finger, and the Formless Calamity Finger have a mutual corroboration effect with your school's One-Yang Finger. Why not agree to this? Both this humble monk and your temple can benefit from it."

Ben and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

After receiving Kumārajīva's letter, they initially thought he was trying to forcibly seize the temple's most prized treasure, which is why Duan Zhengming invited Zhou Feng to come and help.

But looking at Kumārajīva's attitude now, it makes some sense, and even exchanging with him would be of great benefit to Tenryū-ji!

Especially Benxiang, who was always happy to help others, but since he was neither the abbot nor the Master Kurong above him, it was inconvenient for him to say anything.

But Kumārajīva was a shrewd man. Noticing the expressions of the people from Tianlong Temple, he knew that things were about to fall into place. He smiled slightly and said, "Back then, I only dabbled in martial arts as a hobby, and my skills are only rudimentary. I hope you can all give me some pointers on this Flower-Picking Finger technique."

As he spoke, he put his right thumb and forefinger together, making a flower-picking motion, and flicked his left hand with his five fingers.

After flicking the sleeve more than ten times, Kumārajīva raised his right sleeve and blew on it.

The next second, pieces of cloth the size of Go stones floated down from the sleeve, revealing more than ten holes in the sleeve.

It turned out that his dozen or so finger-plucking gestures had all landed on his own sleeve, using gentle force to damage the garment. At first glance, it appeared perfectly fine, but the damage was only revealed after the wind blew it out.

This move astonished all the monks of Tianlong Temple.

Their One-Finger Divine Skill could naturally shoot these holes in the sleeves, but they couldn't do it with such ease.

The One-Finger Divine Skill is incredibly powerful, and the Flower-Picking Finger Skill, which uses gentle force, does indeed have something to learn from each other.

Not to mention the monks of Tianlong Temple, even Zhou Feng couldn't help but purse his lips when he saw Kumārajīva using the "flower-flicking finger" technique.

If even the Flicking Flower Finger technique is this powerful, how powerful must the colorless and formless Six Meridian Divine Sword be?