Lanke Chess Edge-Chapter 357: Where Is Zhao Long?

After returning the seal, Ji Yuan had no intention of staying any longer. After giving a few words of advice, he got up and bid farewell to everyone.
Ji Yuan declined everyone’s attempts to persuade him to stay and stepped directly into the night. In just a few steps, his figure had already vanished far into the distance.
Faced with such a master, Du Heng and Wang Ke were at a loss for how to see him off. They only managed to take two steps forward before they could no longer see Ji Yuan’s silhouette, and had no choice but to give up and return to the campfire.
At this moment, Wang Ke was extremely excited, just like when had received his first wooden sword as a child. He played with the seal in his hands with great affection. At the same time, he also felt that the seal had indeed become much heavier, that the weight was not entirely an illusion.
…
Yi Province was located between Ji Province and Bing Province, and Xining Prefecture lay at the heart of Yi Province. In fact, Lu Shan Jun had passed through here once before when he had come from Ji Province, but he had flown to his destination directly, and did not know exactly where Zhao Long was.
Actually, Lu Shanjun initially intended to find Zhao Long first, but in following the direction of his senses, he accidentally left Yi Province and instead ended up where Wang Ke and Du Heng were. Since the two happened to be together, he decided to go find them first.
Now that he knew Zhao Long had become a monk at Luming Monastery, things were much easier. Lu Shan Jun once again rode the wind to Yi Province, heading straight for Xining Prefecture.
Upon arriving in Xining Prefecture, Lu Shan Jun, relying on his vague sense, landed outside Daokuan County and directly entered the bustling town.
Daokuan County was quite lively. As soon as he entered, he could see stalls everywhere, with people carrying bundles of goods and selling trinkets as they walked around.
Lu Shan Jun looked around and saw an old man with bandages tied around his trouser legs, covered in mud and grime, selling some dried mountain herbs in a basket. He walked over to him.
“Ah, scholar, are you looking to buy herbs? The herbs here are all hand-picked from the mountains, much cheaper than in the pharmacy. If you have a prescription, I can show you the ingredients. If anything is missing, you can go to the pharmacy to get the rest of the herbs, saving you a lot of money!”
The old man was clearly very familiar with the herb business; before Lu Shan Jun could even speak, he had already rattled off all the information.
Lu Shanjun smiled and took out a five-wen coin from his pocket. Having entered the mortal world, he had naturally already exchanged some of his large sums of silver for coins. He handed it to the old man and asked:
“Old man, I have a question for you. Do you know where the Luming Monastery on Xiaoliang Mountain is located?”
The old man took the five-wen coin, weighed them in his hand, and didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he rummaged through his basket, finally taking out a small packet wrapped in unknown dried leaves.
“Here you go, dried goji berries. In the pharmacy, they call these wolfberries. They’re good stuff. There is enough here for you to make seven or eight cups of tea. They’re very nourishing. Eating them regularly can strengthen your bones and muscles and make you more resistant to cold and heat. Hey, they can also enhance male virility. Young people can use them too. Five-wen’s worth, I won’t cheat you. If you went to the pharmacy to buy a whole pack like this, you wouldn’t have found it for anything less than two five-wen coins.”
Lu Shan Jun watched as the old man placed the medicinal herbs in his hand. He glanced at the man and then at the herbs, waiting for the him to continue.
The old man, having successfully made a sale, stroked his beard and smiled.
“I know that there are two mountains with similar names in Xining Prefecture. One is Xiaoliang Mountain in Yongtong County, and the other is Xiaoliang Mountain south of this county. The former is rich in epimedium,
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eucommia,
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cornus officinalis,
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tuber fleeceflower,
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and polygonatum.
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The latter mountain range has herbs much deeper in the mountains, but there you can also dig up old ginseng — even King-grade ginseng.
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The Luming Monastery that you asked about should be the temple in the Xiaoliang Mountain south of this county… but it is no longer what it used to be.”
The old man kept Lu Shan Jun in suspense, but seeing that Lu Shan Jun’s face was calm and almost expressionless, he continued.
“This Luming Monastery has long since been renamed, and it is now called Daming Monastery. Few people knew of it before, and even fewer went there. Now, that number is even smaller. It’s strange, though. It’s as if the monastery doesn’t care much about incense offerings, having been built so deep inside the mountains.”
Lu Shan Jun pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing, before thanking the old man.
“Thank you for informing me, sir.”
“You are very welcome. Take care, scholar. If you find these dried goji berries effective, come again next time!”
Lu Shan Jun simply said “definitely” twice and then quickly left. Once outside the county town, he flew away, heading south of the county with a vague sense of direction.
At the same time, Lu Shan Jun was also considering that since Zhao Long had become a monk, his life was probably comparable to Luo Ningshuang’s, who chose to be a good wife and mother. A diverging life path was not a sin. Either way, he figured he should at least meet him.
The distance wasn’t too far, and with Lu Shan Jun able to ride the wind, he soon arrived at Xiaoliang Mountain. After searching for a while, he finally saw the outline of a temple hidden in Xiaoliang Mountain from his position high in the air.
The temple looked quite extraordinary, nestled deep in the mountains and blending seamlessly into the landscape, making it easy to overlook.
After descending from the sky and concealing his presence, he headed towards the present-day Daming Temple. Although it was located deep in the mountains, there were steps starting far away from the temple, roughly a thousand in total.
“Dong…dong…dong…”
The faint ringing of bells drifted over. Lu Shan Jun frowned and looked up in the direction of the temple. With each chime, a halo of light emanated and flashed, and at the same time, the sound of the bells seemed to grow louder.
“It seems this Buddhist temple no ordinary place of worship, but rather a place where the Dharma of the Mingwang Buddha
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is truly practiced!”
Lu Shan Jun knew quite a bit about worldly affairs, having learned a great deal from his many assembled spirits, from peddlers to scholars and hermits. However, he knew little about the cultivation world, and what he did know was mainly from his mentor Ji Yuan.
He also knew a bit about Buddhist temples, understanding that they were divided into two primary categories: the first were mainly for show, displaying statues of Mingwang Buddhas but lacking the Dharma; some were simply temples that deceived believers, existing solely for the purpose of making money.
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However, a small number were genuine places of cultivation, and it was even possible for there to be a Mingwang Buddha incarnated within the temple.
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Since this might truly be a place of spiritual practice, Lu Shan Jun became much more cautious. As he climbed the steps, he adjusted his mind and straightened his clothes, approaching the temple gate with a more respectful attitude. There, a monk who looked to be over fifty years old was leaning against the gate, dozing off while holding a large broom.
“Dong…”
The bell rang again, startling the monk awake. When he opened his eyes, he saw a scholar in a blue robe standing outside the door.
“Uh, good sir, praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha, is the benefactor here to offer incense at our Luming Monastery?”
The monk glanced around behind Lu Shanjun and saw that there was no one else there. It seemed that the young man had come alone, and he didn’t seem to be some lumberjack. It was a little strange for him to be walking alone in these deep mountains wearing such clothes.
Lu Shan Jun bowed respectfully.
“Master, I am Lu Shan Jun. I have come to your temple to visit an old friend. He is a monk here, his secular name is Zhao Long.”
“Zhao Long?”
The monk scratched his head.
“Do you know what his Dharma name is?”
Lu Shan Jun shook his head. Du Heng hadn’t mentioned, and he hadn’t paid attention to it or asked about it.
“Oh, then come in first, have some tea and rest. I’ll go ask around for you.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Lu Shan Jun smiled and replied, then stepped into the temple.
“Lu-wu…”
A melodious deer call echoed out from the temple.
Whoosh—
A white light flashed and directly struck Lu Shan Jun. In the blink of an eye, Lu Shan Jun seemed to have been hit by an enormous wave, and was sent flying back towards the monastery gate.
The monk at the entrance was startled. He watched as Lu Shan Jun was suddenly flung into the sky, his body suspended in mid-air. Below him stretched countless steps. If he were to fall and tumble down like this, he would definitely be seriously injured.
“Ah, be careful, benefactor…”
Before the echo of that shout had faded, the monk was astonished to see the scholar gliding backwards in the air, as if standing on ice. After retreating seven or eight zhang, he turned and landed lightly on the steps.
“You wretched creature… what brings you to my Daming Monastery?”
A booming voice came from inside the temple, along with the sound of footsteps, as if many people were rushing towards the temple entrance.
Before long, two rows of monks, each holding a keisaku
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or or khakkhara, lined up on either side of the temple entrance. Three old monks then stepped out, and the ensemble gazed solemnly at Lu Shan Jun, who stood dozens of steps below them.
“Hmm? No demonic aura?”
The old monk in the middle looked slightly surprised, but then immediately realized what was going on.
“No, it’s not that there’s no demonic aura, but rather that your cultivation is far superior to mine! Who exactly are you? Are you a demon, a monster, or some other spirit? Why have you come to my Daming Temple?”
Lu Shan Jun glanced at the large array of monks, smoothed his sleeves and robes, then spoke.
“Masters, there is no need for apprehension. I’m just here to find someone whose secular name is Zhao Long. He became a monk here. He made a promise with me many years ago, and now I’m here to fulfill it.”
The old monk’s eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stared intently at Lu Shan Jun.
“Master Huitong once said that Jueming was still burdened by a calamity. So it turns out that it manifested as you?”
“Jueming? A calamity?”
Lu Shanjun narrowed his eyes as he looked at the old monk.
“Hahaha, so you mean Zhao Long must have done something heinous before he became a monk?”
With just one sentence, Lu Shanjun deduced a couple things. If it had been otherwise, the high monk would not have deduced that Zhao Long’s fate was to be a calamity, but rather a good destiny. Of course, it was also possible that Zhao Long’s fate was full of trials and tribulations, and there were other hardships yet to come, but Lu Shan Jun didn’t believe there would be such a coincidence, or at least not now.
“Where is Zhao Long? Is he in the temple? Let him come out and talk to me face to face! Otherwise, even if your mere Buddhist temple has the incarnation of the Mingwang Buddha, it might not be able to stop me…”
As soon as Lu Shan Jun finished speaking, the temple bells rang again.
“Dong…”
At the very moment when the Dharma light was spreading, Lu Shan Jun opened his mouth and roared.
“Roar—”
The deafening roar of the tiger, accompanied by a fierce gale and billowing monstrous energy, shattered the temple bells and swept across the buildings and mountains.
T/n: me as a reader: FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Me as a translator: *starry-eyed* so many research rabbit holes…
Also known as barrenwort, or (get this) “horny goat weed.” Used for…
fatigue.
🙂
Also known as Du Zhong, a small tree native to China. The bark is traditionally used for strengthening bones, muscles, livers, and kidneys, and treating the associated medical conditions.
Also known as the Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry. Used to tonify liver and kidney, treat urinary issues, diabetes, etc.
Also known as he shou wu, or Chinese climbing knotweed. Used for anti-aging, boosting vitality, gray hair, fatigue, etc. Lab studies suggest potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects.
Also known as King Solomon’s seal or sealwort. Used for vitality, fatigue, dryness of skin, lung tonics, wound sealing, and as a cough drop. Also has anti-inflammatory properties.
i.e. really
really
old ginseng. I forgot exactly how old this indicated
You can refer back to chapter 85 footnote 4 for my notes on how I chose to translate this.
LSJ is looking at temples from a “cultivator” mindset, so he only really cares about the spirit of the place, but he overlooks the other vital parts temples might play even if they don’t necessarily have the “true cultivation spirit.” Temples serve as community centers for worship, education, social gatherings, cultural hubs, festivals, traditional ceremonies, schooling, healthcare, and housing.. With my limited understanding (and please, correct me or add more information!!! I am certainly NOT an expert in this, I just want to offer a more nuanced understanding), monasteries and temples often play the part of charity organizations, particularly in countries where the government is not stable enough or just simply doesn’t provide that kind of service. They provide food and funding to local schools or other organizations, organize social services, and a lot of them depend on tourism as the main part of their income. Temples in more tourist areas fulfill a vital part of the economy, as any surplus revenue generated from tourists that does not go back into the upkeep of the temple usually goes to local schools and other temples that might not get as much funding. Their function as a religious place of worship has certainly shifted over the years, and especially with globalization, but they often fulfill a necessary niche in local societies, both historically and in the current day.
This has come up a lot, I thought I would make a mention of it here: the Mingwang Buddha (plural can be Buddha or Buddhas) are also called the Vidyaraja, or Wisdom King. They are a class of wrathful deity in East Asian Buddhism, and have a counterpart in Wisdom Queens. There are a large number of Vidyaraja (I highly recommend looking up the history and evolution), but in Chinese esoteric Buddhism there are the Five Great Wisdom Kings, each of which have the suffix “Mingwang.” So the “Mingwang Buddha” is not referring to a specific buddha, but rather most likely one of the five. LSJ notes that this particular monastery is trying to nurture the avatar/manifestation of
one
of these Mingwang Buddha. Hope this helps!
This is technically the Japanese name for this implement. The Chinese name is 香板 xiāng bǎn and literally translates to “incense board”