Chapter 139: A Single Character Seal in the Palm Reveals the Mysterious Mechanism

Jia Maoer had lived in Chang'an for a long time and had dealt with many Japanese envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty, so he recognized their identities from the accents of the two short monks.

"Wa people?" Ye Chang asked calmly.

"Japanese," the two monks pressed their palms together in a greeting.

"What is Japan?" Ye Chang asked in surprise.

"It is taken from the meaning of the place where the sun rises," the two monks replied with a very respectful attitude.

"As far as I know, even in your esteemed country, the sun still rises from the east," Ye Chang said with a smile, shaking his head. "The scorching sun blazes fiercely; if the sun were to rise from your country, then your esteemed country would have long since become a fiery hell. How could two eminent monks still be here?"

At this, he remembered something and blinked meaningfully. "However, since your esteemed country so fervently hopes for the scorching sun to rise from your land, sooner or later, that wish will be fulfilled."

The two Japanese monks looked at each other in dismay.

They could not understand why Ye Chang seemed somewhat... hostile toward them.

The two sides had never met before, and the two monks believed they had been respectful and courteous ever since they met. Yet Ye Chang was nitpicking the name of Japan and adopted a very disrespectful attitude.

However, the two monks had stayed in the Tang Dynasty for quite a while. Several times, they had even been reported as pirates and had experienced being locked up in Tang official prisons, so they hardly cared about this slight disrespect.

Therefore, the two bowed again. "We thank Lord Ye for your auspicious words. We have come precisely for this."

"Ah?" Ye Chang was stunned. What he meant by the sun rising from Japan was not what these two were talking about; rather, it referred to the two nuclear suns that would one day rise in the skies over Japan in another lifetime.

"Without Buddha in the world, it is like a dark night without the sun. We in Japan yearn for the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist realm where Manjushri preached the Dao and Avalokiteshvara manifested holiness. In the past, your esteemed Master Xuanzang traveled west to Tianzhu in search of true scriptures, and we too are determined to seek the true teachings from your country. If the true precepts of our Buddha reach Japan, they will surely rise over our country like the red sun."

Ye Chang looked the two monks up and down suspiciously, then tentatively asked, "Master Jianzhen?"

This time, the complexions of both Japanese monks changed drastically, and they could no longer maintain their previous deference.

As it turned out, ever since Buddhism was introduced to Japan from the Central Plains and Goguryeo, it had flourished greatly, yet not a single monk in Japan was capable of transmitting the monastic precepts. At this time, Buddhism in Tianzhu was in decline, whereas the Tang Dynasty, blessed with the manifestations of bodhisattvas like Manjushri and Avalokiteshvara after the Buddha's passing, attracted monks from all directions to pay homage, with Tianzhu monks arriving one after another. To a certain extent, the Tang Dynasty had become the center of Buddhism. Therefore, Japanese monks such as Puzhao and Rongrui, who had accompanied the envoys to the Tang Dynasty, traveled everywhere earnestly petitioning eminent monks of the Tang to travel to Japan and transmit the precepts.

The first to accept their invitation and successfully journey eastward was the monk Daoxuan from the Dabei Xiansi Monastery. However, Daoxuan lacked widespread fame and profound mastery of the Dharma; although he became a temporary sect leader upon arriving in Japan, some people remained unconvinced. Consequently, Puzhao, Rongrui, and the others set out once again to invite Master Jianzhen of the Daming Temple in Yangzhou, who was renowned as "matchless in his solitary brilliance, winning the hearts of both clergy and laymen."

Jianzhen was a celebrated eminent monk and was already in his twilight years. Moved by the two monks, he actually conceived the desire to travel east. However, Emperor Li Longji did not permit it. Although Jianzhen managed to win the support of Li Linfu's older brother, Li Linzong, internal strife ruined their first attempt at the eastern voyage, and even the specially built seafaring vessel was confiscated.

At this moment, Jianzhen was preparing for a second eastern voyage, having purchased a retired old ship from the Tang navy, while Puzhao and Rongrui had slipped secretly into Luoyang, hoping to secure more support.

No matter what, Jianzhen's eastern voyage was not permitted by the Emperor of the Tang, and at this time very few people knew about it. How could the two Japanese monks not be shocked when Ye Chang abruptly uttered the name of Jianzhen?

They looked at Ye Chang, mumbled a few evasive words, and hastily took their leave. Seeing that the two had originally been so eager to see Ye Chang, yet were now in such a hurry to leave after meeting him, Shanhui was also greatly astonished. After bidding farewell to Ye Chang, disregarding his old age and slow pace, he chased after them and asked, "Two junior brothers, why are you in such a rush?"

"Is this Lord Ye perhaps a spirit or a deity?" Puzhao asked, turning back.

"Why do you say that? I have also spoken to you both about his deeds. Senior Brother Chunxin of the Shifang Temple says he is a figure akin to a scattered immortal, with deep ties to our Buddhist school."

"Indeed, no wonder there is nothing in the affairs of the world that he does not know..." Puzhao sighed.

The other monk, Rongrui, also chanted a Buddha's name. Their original interest in Ye Chang had been piqued by Shanhui, and furthermore, the two of them had constantly been gathering various intelligence about the Tang Dynasty during their stay—these Japanese envoys inherently shouldered such tasks. Therefore, the two of them had been extremely interested in Ye Chang, who had risen to fame over the past year. They had paid a night visit hoping to see what kind of person he truly was, never expecting that at the very first encounter, their cover would be blown by the other party.

With a guilty conscience, they naturally dared not stay long in Ye Chang's presence.

Their departure also left Ye Chang's companions looking puzzled. Jia Maoer scratched his head and said, "Of all the envoys we've seen in Chang'an, the Japanese are usually the most cautious and courteous... But these two Japanese monks are rather bizarre."

"They are thoroughly insincere. This monk feels they don't look like disciples of the Buddha at all," Shanzhi nodded.

There is no one less like a disciple of the Buddha than you, monk, right? Ye Chang smiled and said to Shanzhi, then added in a low voice, "They just have guilty consciences... Hehe, Jianzhen's eastern voyage..."

Those two Japanese monks did not know that Ye Chang's knowledge of Jianzhen's eastern voyage was limited only to what was mentioned in history textbooks: that it succeeded on the seventh attempt, left him blind, and that he built the Tōshōdai-ji in Nara, Japan. As for the specific details, he knew nothing of them, nor did he know that Li Longji currently forbade Jianzhen's eastern voyage.

Yet these two Japanese monks had a guilty conscience and acted in such a suspicious manner, which made Ye Chang unable to resist the urge to meddle: Should he disrupt this affair?

However, there was no rush. After pondering for a moment, he decided it was better to proceed step-by-step and finish the plans currently on his own hands first.

The following day, the Dabei Xiansi Monastery was exceptionally lively. Those young aristocrats had arrived early, simply waiting for Cao Shaokui to appear.

Cao Shaokui was in no hurry at all, leaving him stuck idly in the monastery. The young gentlemen therefore called upon their friends and companions to pay a visit to Ye Chang, and Ye Chang turned no one away, greeting them one by one. Later on, the small courtyard where he was temporarily staying could no longer hold them, and the crowd moved outside the temple.

Winter was now approaching; the surrounding trees were withered and desolate, and the scenery was bleak. The conversation of the crowd inevitably turned to poetry. Ye Chang's poetic fame had already spread, so some people brought their own written poems for Ye Chang to critique. Ye Chang was unceremonious; while it might have been difficult for him to compose original poetry, critique was easy—there was nothing easier in this world than being a critic. As long as one phrased things smoothly and tactfully, even words of criticism would force people to accept them with feigned humility in order to maintain a favorable image.

However, seeing that everyone was eager to present their poems, Ye Chang felt a stir in his heart. He smiled and said to the group, "Speaking of poetry, I am reminded of an eccentric character. This man was an oil peddler named Zhang, commonly known as Zhang Dayou. Last winter, when there was a heavy snow, he chanted a poem that can truly be called an unparalleled masterpiece through the ages."

Everyone was stunned. Everyone present had heard of Ye Chang's reputation; far from being a Li Taibai whose tongue flowed with lotus blossoms, he was somewhat acerbic. For him to rate something as an "unparalleled masterpiece through the ages," while the author was merely a lowly oil peddler—the contrast was simply too vast.

Their appetites whetted, the crowd repeatedly urged him to share Zhang Dayou's magnum opus. Ye Chang smiled and recited:

"The whole world is covered in a blur,
A black hole on top of the well, and nothing more.
The yellow dog's body is white,
The white dog's body is swollen."

The whole assembly fell silent at first, and then everyone collapsed with laughter.

This Zhang Dayou indeed existed as a historical person, and he lived around this period, perhaps slightly later. However, the surrounding people did not think so; clearly, Ye Chang had grown tired of critiquing those truly mediocre poems and had trotted this out merely to brush them off. Yet he did it so cleverly that not only did no one feel angry, but they all found it immensely amusing.

"Truly a five-character quatrain, a quatrain indeed..." amid the loud laughter of the crowd, someone remarked.

Noticing that it was none other than Cao Shaokui, Ye Chang stood up and bowed. "Grand Music Master Cao has arrived!"

"Better to arrive opportunely than early; if I hadn't arrived at the right moment, I wouldn't have heard the joke you were telling," Cao Shaokui said.

"Since Grand Music Master Cao has arrived, Ye the Eleventh, you may now write characters in your palm." The lingering ripples of laughter had not yet faded when someone urged him again.

"How could I dare disobey?" Ye Chang smiled.

To address him directly as "Ye the Eleventh," much like calling someone Old Li or Little Wang in another lifetime, was a sign of intimacy. For these young aristocrats of Luoyang to call him that meant, to a certain extent, that they had accepted Ye Chang. This was of great help to Ye Chang in truly establishing an entertainment and commercial center in Luoyang, so he was naturally delighted.

Wuguli brought him a brush—not a writing brush, but a quill. Under the gaze of the crowd, Ye Chang remained calm and unhurried, wrote a character in his palm, and then clenched his fist shut.

"Lord Cao, it is your turn."

The crowd began to clamor once more. Cao Shaokui also had a fondness for lively spectacles, and upon hearing this, he shook his head repeatedly. "It is not yet my turn, not yet my turn... Where is Master Shanhui?"

"This monk is right here. This... I wonder what you want with me?" Shanhui asked from the side with a distressed expression.

The rumors of a malevolent spirit haunting the Dabei Xiansi Monastery had originally been carefully concealed by these monks, who wished to prevent outsiders from knowing. But today the commotion was simply too large, with dozens of people—all young scions of wealthy and influential families in the Eastern Capital of Luoyang—having arrived. These busybodies would inevitably spread the word everywhere, which was the source of Shanhui's anxiety.

"Has the vegetarian meal been prepared?"

"It is ready. Whether the matter succeeds or not, Lord Cao will not be shortchanged," Shanhui replied.

"Very well then, watch me go subdue the demon."

As Cao Shaokui spoke, he grabbed Ye Chang and pulled him along. Ye Chang followed with a smile. The crowd threaded through doors and courtyards, quickly arriving in front of that Buddhist hall.

Because there were many people, no one felt afraid; on the contrary, they all stared curiously at Cao Shaokui.

Not far away, atop the sixteen-zhang-high relic pagoda of the Dabei Xiansi Monastery, the two young ladies of the Li and Cai families were also watching this side intently.

They had also come today, but being too embarrassed to squeeze in among the frivolous young gallants of Luoyang city, they had gone up the Buddhist pagoda to observe. Given their special identities, someone had naturally instructed the monastery to temporarily prohibit pilgrims and tourists from ascending the tower, so the entire pagoda was occupied only by the two of them and a few attendants.

"Look at that Ye the Eleventh. I always feel his smile isn't quite right," the young lady of the Cai family whispered to the young lady of the Li family, blinking her eyes twice.

"Good sister, don't lie. Whenever you lie, you blink your eyes frantically," the young lady of the Li family teased. "Could it be that you've taken a fancy to this Ye the Eleventh? No wonder, he is a dashing young gentleman with a fine reputation, and his age is quite suitable..."

"What nonsense is elder sister talking about? My Daoist heart is already firm, and my ambition lies with immortals. How could I ever care for this mundane, turbid dross?" The Cai lady's face flushed slightly. "Instead, elder sister, why don't you invite him to walk past your family's window?"

"My Daoist heart is firmer than yours." At this point, the Li lady furrowed her brows slightly. "Of all the glory in the world, is there anything that does not perish... Only the great Dao of longevity is the ultimate truth."

The Cai lady nodded, and for a moment, both of them fell silent.

Then they saw Cao Shaokui drag Ye Chang into that Buddhist hall. Although the young gentlemen were numerous, they all crowded around the doorway to peer inside. Immediately afterward came a chorus of astonished cries, and then Cao Shaokui was seen dragging Ye Chang back out again, shaking an iron object directly in his other hand.

"What is that?" the young lady of the Cai family asked in bewilderment.

"I have no idea... What on earth is that?" the young lady of the Li family echoed. "It doesn't look like a Buddhist Vajra pestle, nor a demon-subduing sword... Could it be a mace? But if so, it's far too small, isn't it?"

Both of them had been raised in luxury and pampered; how could they have ever seen such an item? Fortunately, one of their attendants chimed in, "My two mistresses, that is a file."

"That's a file?" Both young women were startled. "That thing... can subdue a demon?"

While the two of them were astonished, the crowd surrounding Cao Shaokui and Ye Chang was equally amazed, everyone staring fixedly at the two men.

"Like this... and it's done?"

The first to voice the question was still Shanhui, who asked blankly.

"Didn't you say before that whenever the temple bell rings, this demon is bound to stir? The midday bell will ring shortly; just listen for yourself," Cao Shaokui said loftily.

Sure enough, a moment later, the temple bell rang, yet the bronze chime inside the Buddhist hall made not a single sound.

"This... to have such miraculous results! Lord Cao, could that iron file perhaps be some kind of celestial artifact from the heavens?"

"Ha, what celestial artifact? It's nothing unusual once explained; it's simply a commonplace principle among musical instruments—sometimes when one instrument sounds, other instruments resonate along with it." Cao Shaokui did not know the underlying scientific principle; he had merely dealt with musical instruments so often that he had summed up such an experience.

His explanation left the crowd unconvinced. Everyone began to chatter and question him at once, making Cao Shaokui's head spin. Unable to explain it clearly, he waved a hand. "Why ask so many questions? I am curious myself about the character written in Ye the Eleventh's palm... Ye the Eleventh, can you reveal the answer now?"

The attention of the crowd immediately shifted back. Indeed, there was still one more matter waiting for them to enjoy the spectacle.

Ye Chang smiled and extended one hand. As he flashed his palm, the crowd let out a series of exclamations, and the two ladies atop the relic pagoda also stretched out their necks to see. However, the relic pagoda was far away, separated by several courtyards; how could they possibly see anything?

"It looks like... there is no writing on his hand at all?" the young lady of the Li family muttered to herself, straining her eyes to the utmost.

Then she heard the frivolous youths in the courtyard jeering, "Ye the Eleventh, you're playing tricks! There's nothing written in your palm at all."

Ye Chang smiled without defending himself. Over there, Cao Shaokui stared with wide eyes and bristling beard, shouting, "Shut up, all of you, be quiet!"

The crowd quieted down slightly. Cao Shaokui raised the hand of Ye Chang that he had been gripping. "The character was written in *this* hand just now, not the other one!"

Only then did Ye Chang laugh and flash his palm, on which the character "锉" (file) was neatly and clearly written. Although it was not large, everyone around could see it distinctly.

"Ah!" The young aristocrats of Luoyang, who had been preparing to curse Ye Chang for his shameless trickery, instantly replaced their scoldings with cries of shock and admiration, uttering it in a single exclamation of awe.