Chapter Thirteen: The Four Noble Truths

When the crowd saw the ferocious creature lying dead, only then did their terror subside, the memory of the violent struggle still sending chills down their spines. Qingzhi, Qingkai, and Ling Yun’er had all collapsed, poisoned and helpless.

Bai Shisong’s figure flickered and appeared beside the beast’s body. His sword fell, splitting open the monster’s skull. With a swift movement, he drew out a smooth, lustrous inner core from the beast, then quickly moved to Ling Yun’er’s side. “Junior Sister, Junior Sister!” he called anxiously.

Ling Yun’er slowly regained consciousness, her voice trembling, “Senior Brother, I… I can’t move, my whole body is numb!”

“Don’t worry, Junior Sister, I’ll draw out the poison for you,” Bai Shisong assured her, then turned to Ye Hua. “Junior Brother, fetch water from the pond. In a moment, you’ll need to wipe down your brothers and sister.”

Ye Hua hurriedly tore a piece of cloth from his robes and rushed to the water’s edge. Bai Shisong gazed at the demon core for a long moment, channeling his energy into it until it emitted a dazzling light, enveloping Ling Yun’er. Wisps of black vapor began to drift from her body, drawn into the demon core.

After some time, the black mist faded and finally disappeared entirely. Bai Shisong then repeated the process for Qingkai and Qingzhi. Only when he had treated all three did he finally exhale in relief.

Qingxia and Qingyu anxiously asked, “Senior Brother, how is it? Is everyone alright?”

Bai Shisong nodded, “By rights, the demon’s toxin should be purged. As long as there’s nothing unusual about it, the three of them should recover movement soon.”

Qingkai and Qingzhi, suppressing their dizziness, gave a wry smile. “Who would’ve thought this beast was so formidable? We grew careless and fell right into its trap.”

Ouyang Tai added, “Best if you two brothers rest and speak as little as possible.”

Qingkai muttered, “If we’d died just like that, we’d never have another chance to speak of flowers and poetry—what a loss! Better say everything now… cough, cough!” His words ended in a fit of coughing.

Ling Yun’er opened her eyes and smiled faintly, “It’s alright, Second Brother. We’re not going to die. Save your words for later!”

As they spoke, the numbness in Ling Yun’er and the others gradually faded, their bodies regaining feeling. Though still weak, they managed to stand, finally easing the worry that had plagued the group.

After their ordeal, everyone realized just how close they had come to disaster. If not for Bai Shisong’s Golden Lotus trapping the beast, they would surely have perished beneath its claws. Having survived by a hair’s breadth, their spirits now lifted.

Ye Hua, curious, asked Bai Shisong, “Senior Brother, how did you know the demon core could cure your siblings’ poison?”

Bai Shisong gave a rueful smile. “It was a guess. The white light must have been the beast expelling a phantom form of its core—the core itself stores lethal poison, used to harm enemies with great effect. While not all demon cores are the same, most function like this. So I split the skull, removed the core, and used it to draw out the toxins from their bodies. It’s their good fortune they survived.”

Ye Hua murmured in understanding, but his mind drifted to the time he’d been poisoned by a demon serpent. “Surely my uncle and the master of Changsheng Palace would know this method. My case must have been unusual. And yet, the serpent core I wore around my neck mysteriously shattered—how strange! If the demon core is so poisonous, why was I unharmed? I can’t make sense of it…”

Bai Shisong said, “Alright, let’s rest a while and then return. There may be other beasts nearby—if we encounter another, we may not be so lucky.”

Ouyang Tai and Li Yulin agreed, “Wise words, Senior Brother. We’ll stand guard nearby.”

Bai Shisong nodded. “Good. Once you’ve all recovered, we’ll leave immediately.” He glanced around and, seeing the beast’s corpse in the distance, suddenly recalled something. “The beast’s horn and hide can be used as medicine—I’ll go retrieve them.”

Qingxia and Qingyu grinned. “Senior Brother, butchering monsters is our specialty! Leave this to us.” With that, they hurried over, hands already at work. Soon, Qingxia was waving a massive pelt, “Done! This thing’s heavy!” Qingyu, wiping sweat from his brow, held up a solitary horn.

Bai Shisong smiled. “Good! Let’s sneak these back to the alchemy room at the temple.” Qingxia and Qingyu nodded and, with a gesture, made the items vanish from sight.

After a short rest, and once Qingkai, Qingzhi, and Ling Yun’er were somewhat recovered, the group took to the skies, flying straight toward Biyun Mountain Temple.

Ye Hua, feeling both guilty and grateful, said to Ling Yun’er, “Senior Sister, I’m the one who brought trouble. If I weren’t so unskilled, none of this would’ve happened.”

Ling Yun’er smiled, “Junior Brother, don’t say that. You’ve only just joined and know little of the Dao. If you’d been struck by that white light, you’d have perished instantly. My skills may be meager, but I’m much stronger than you—I could hold out a while.”

After about half an hour, they arrived at Biyun Mountain Temple. Bai Shisong said, “Junior Sister, I’ll fetch some Azure Water Pills from the alchemy room—once you take them, your energy will recover quickly.” With that, he left for the medicine hall. The others saw Qingkai, Qingzhi, and Ling Yun’er to their rooms.

A few days passed. Ling Yun’er and the others healed completely, and their master, the monk Zhiku, returned from Dafulingjiu Temple. Finding nothing amiss, and with no one recounting their ordeal, the incident faded into the past.

Ye Hua now spent his days idly wandering the temple. Apart from the Sutra Library and the Kalan Hall, which he had yet to visit, he had seen most of the grounds. One day, he found himself in the Hall of the Three Saints, studying a couplet hanging on the wall:

“Bestow coolness, as auspicious snow falls through the four seasons, conjuring a silver-clad world;
Enlarge bliss, as lotus blooms unfold in June, transforming the realm into golden radiance.”

Ye Hua mused to himself, wondering if Senior Brother’s Golden Lotus had its origins here. As he pondered, Monk Zhiku emerged from the hall and, seeing Ye Hua, said, “Ye Hua, come with me.”

Startled to meet his master here, Ye Hua quickly bowed, “Yes, Master.”

The two walked to the Grand Hall, where Monk Zhiku said, “Ye Hua, you’ve been at our temple for more than ten days now. From today, I will teach you the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths. Though the Five Terraces Way boasts nearly a thousand methods, deep and shallow, if you master any one of them, great power can be attained. But at their root, most derive from these Four Noble Truths.

“Our Biyun Mountain Temple specializes in the Truth of Suffering. If you master one path, all other paths open. Do not be greedy for many; focus on diligent practice and do not slacken.” Ye Hua replied respectfully, “Yes, Master.”

“Sit,” Zhiku instructed. He fixed Ye Hua with a long gaze. “The Dharma of the Four Noble Truths contains four realms: Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner, and Arhat.

“These are twelve stages of cause and effect. The first realm, Stream-enterer, is the gateway—when you realize the third stage of causality, you are ready to enter the stream of the saints. At this level, you can fly, vanish, ascend to the heavens, descend to the earth—nothing is impossible.

“The Once-returner, upon realizing the sixth stage, escapes birth and death, stepping onto the path of the infinite. The Non-returner, at the ninth stage, dwells in the Five Pure Abodes, with meditation deepened, able to extinguish sensation and perception. To reach Arhat, you must realize the twelfth stage—at this level, one can ascend to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the West.”

Having finished, Monk Zhiku sighed, “Over the millennia, only three at Five Terraces have attained Arhatship, and three hundred fifty-eight have reached Non-returner. Thus, reaching the Five Pure Abodes is our mountain’s highest achievement. Today I will teach you the first three stages. Tomorrow, you will go to the practice caves in the rear mountain to cultivate.” “Yes, Master,” Ye Hua replied.

Monk Zhiku extended his hand, and with a flash of spiritual light, produced a jade volume. Ye Hua received it with reverence. “Do not disappoint my hopes for you. Go on now.” With that, he closed his eyes and began to meditate, saying no more.

Behind the mountain lay several practice caves: Fortune Cave, Little Western Heaven Cave, Guanyin Cave. Each of Ye Hua’s senior brothers had their own cave. Noting that the entrance to Guanyin Cave was unsealed, Ye Hua guessed it was unoccupied and entered, closing the stone door behind him. Settling in one of the side chambers, he opened the jade volume and began his studies in earnest.

Thus commenced his seclusion. Except for brief pauses when food and water were left at the entrance, Ye Hua did not rest. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed.