Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 89 The Nine Syllable Mantra of Esoteric Buddhism, My Father-in-Law's Letter of Appeal

"Your Majesty, please speak plainly!"

Li Zhaoting got straight to the point.

"Young Master Li, why are you in such a hurry?"

Kumārajīva remained unmoved, a smile on his face.

“One of the men in black who went to the Daxiangguo Temple to steal the secret manual that night was you. I don’t care that you stole the manual, but I want to know who the other person was.”

"What does this have to do with Young Master Li?"

"Your Majesty needs to prove one thing to me: Qiu Batian was brought here by that person, not by you. Otherwise, Your Majesty will have to go to the Six Doors prison."

"How could this humble monk have come to know such a wicked creature!"

Kumārajīva detests spitting.

Kumārajīva was extremely well-mannered and rarely used harsh words to hurt others. However, Qiu Batian had committed too many evil deeds, and Kumārajīva felt extremely disgusted at the mere mention of his name.

Theoretically speaking, Kumārajīva was a bad person. He possessed all three poisons of Buddhism: greed, anger, and ignorance. But so what? At least he had a basic conscience.

Kumārajīva pursued martial arts skills, fame, and fortune; he had fixed goals and devoted countless efforts to achieving them.

Qiu Batian is pure "evil".

Pure evil without any disguise.

Kumārajīva looked down on this kind of person.

Because of their mutual dislike for Murong Bo, they became suspicious of him after thinking about how he recruited someone like Qiu Batian.

Today, Kumārajīva invited Li Zhaoting, and he made two preparations: one was to directly exchange the Nine-Character Mantra hand seals, and the other was to lure Li Zhaoting outside the city, where he and Murong Bo would besiege Li Zhaoting and force him to reveal his sword technique secrets.

Upon seeing Feng Suzhen, Kumārajīva knew he could not win and immediately abandoned the latter option.

"Young Master Li, does the deal from back then still stand? How much leverage do you have?"

Kumārajīva took out the secret manual from his sleeve.

Detailed Explanation of the Hand Seals for the Nine Syllable Mantra

The martial arts manual compiled by Kumārajīva not only contains the hand seals of the Nine Syllable Mantra, but also many variations of the seals, as well as Kumārajīva's understanding of them.

From the perspective of sincerity, Kumārajīva's compilation of this secret manual demonstrates utmost sincerity.

Li Zhaoting poured a cup of vegetarian wine for Kumārajīva.

Monks are permitted to drink vegetarian wine.

Tang Sanzang really liked vegetarian wine made from grapes.

What is vegetarian wine?

First, it must not be brewed with grains or meat, and must not compete with the people for food; otherwise, it would be tantamount to committing a crime of killing.

Secondly, it eliminates the need for distillation, which requires manpower and resources and results in significant waste.

The most common are various kinds of fruit-based wines.

Kumārajīva picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Zhaoting said leisurely, "Your Highness, your martial arts foundation is Tantric Buddhism, the martial arts techniques you use come from Zen Buddhism, and the internal energy cultivation method you mainly practice is the Xiaoyao Sect's Xiaowuxiang Gong."

"So what? This humble monk is fond of martial arts and has studied all kinds of martial arts in the world. Is that not allowed? Does that mean that swordsmen who practice swords are not allowed to use precious swords?"

"Did the King of Light really not sense anything was wrong?"

"no!"

"There is no point in deceiving yourself. Ignoring the problem will only make the illness worse. That's all I have to say. If Your Majesty says there's no problem, then I'll take it as no problem."

"What martial arts skills will Young Master Li use in exchange?"

"What does the King of Light want?"

"Six Meridian Divine Sword".

"To be honest, I don't know the Six Meridian Divine Sword. I use the Finger Flick Sword Qi, which is a sword qi skill. The Six Meridian Divine Sword is a qi sword, a method of condensing qi into a weapon."

"Your swordsmanship."

There are no secret manuals; you can only learn it yourself.

"There should be some internal energy cultivation method, right?"

"The Longevity Manual is one of the Four Great Mysterious Books. Only three people throughout history have mastered it. If Your Majesty desires it, I can give you the original. Are you sure you want to practice it?"

"Young Master Li, this humble monk is full of sincerity, yet you are joking with me. This is going a bit too far!"

"I have a secret manual here that would be beneficial for Ming Wang in mastering the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts. Have you ever heard of the Five Great Divine Skills in the Shaolin Scripture Pavilion?"

"This humble monk has heard of the Golden Bell Cover, the Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Skill, the Yi Jin Jing, the Xi Sui Jing, and the Za Āgama Skill. These five divine skills are unfathomable. Does Young Master Li possess the secret manuals?"

"The Golden Bell Cover and the Vajra Indestructible Body Divine Skill are advanced body-refining mental techniques and protective qi. Almost no one can master the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing. In my opinion, the most extraordinary of the five great divine skills should be the Miscellaneous Āgama Skill!"

While the power of the Miscellaneous Āgama Kung Fu is not particularly strong, it has one most invincible characteristic: once you master the Miscellaneous Āgama Kung Fu, you will achieve twice the results with half the effort in practicing the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts.

The Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts are the culmination of the hard work of all the monks since the founding of the temple. They are not the work of one person, one time, or one generation, but span hundreds of years.

Most of the seventy-two unique skills left by Bodhidharma were replaced, and a few were modified and improved. Many of the mental techniques and secret manuals were not even based on Zen Buddhist concepts. For example, the Maha Finger technique was created by a wandering monk who stayed at Shaolin Temple for forty years, and its concepts are contradictory.

If a Shaolin disciple practices the Maha Finger, he/she is not allowed to practice other finger techniques, and vice versa.

The Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills encompass everything, whether hard or soft, yin or yang, including punches, kicks, grappling, pressure point strikes, and all kinds of martial arts techniques, from sharp and thorny to bladed.

Even so, the Samyakṣāgama can still act as a universal catalyst, amplifying all Shaolin skills.

The profound mystery of the Samyukta Agamas is self-evident.

Kumārajīva admired the Shaolin skills and had heard of the great reputation of the Samyakṣṭā Gāṣṭh ...ṭhā�

Upon hearing Li Zhaoting's words, Kumārajīva slowly loosened his clenched fist, a thought of exchanging hands forming in his mind.

Trading the Nine Syllable Mantra for miscellaneous Agamas is a worthwhile exchange!

That being said, Kumārajīva coveted the secret manual and always wanted to make more profit, so he asked Li Zhaoting to raise the price.

"Young Master Li, you didn't say that in our last transaction. Why have you changed your mind? Trading a Shaolin manual for my ultimate skill is rather shameless!"

“Specific matters should be analyzed specifically. The Seventy-Two Arts are meaningless to me. I would never publicly use Shaolin Arts. It’s different for Mingwang. Mingwang has used them publicly many times. He probably wants to challenge Shaolin a long time ago.”

"Young Master Li, aren't you afraid I'll spread this around?"

"Do you think anyone would believe that? I've almost never used Buddhist martial arts. My foundational internal energy is Taoist profound art. I'm skilled in swordsmanship, enjoy killing, and am a reincarnation of a demon!"

"You...what do you want to say?"

"These evaluations prove that I have never practiced the Seventy-Two Arts. Shaolin will not believe you. Instead of trying to frame me, you should think about what techniques you would use to escape if you were captured and bound by Shaolin monks."

"Young Master Li's sincerity is too low."

"Because my needs for you are far less than your needs for me, of course you can ask for whatever price I want."

"I can exchange a few secrets for it."

"What secret?"

"Treasure!"

"What treasure? Is it very valuable?"

"Emperor Liang Yuan's treasure!" Kumārajīva looked at Li Zhaoting mysteriously. "As far as I know, Emperor Liang Yuan left behind a treasure before his death, a treasure that could rival the wealth of a nation."

"I have neither the desire to rebel nor the ambition to become the richest man in the world. What would I do with a treasure trove? Instead of trying to lure me with a treasure, give me a few beautiful women!"

"Really?"

"Of course... Ah! My lady, spare my life!"

Li Zhaoting raised his hands in surrender. Feng Suzhen released her foot without changing her expression.

Li Zhaoting said, "Your Majesty, be decisive. Why think so much? The more you think, the more mistakes you make. Rather than being indecisive, you should take a gamble."

"This humble monk... agrees to the deal..."

Kumozhi gritted his teeth, handed the compiled "Detailed Explanation of the Hand Seals of the Nine Syllable Mantra" to Li Zhaoting, and then personally explained the various changes of the hand seals by forming his hands.

This move is meant to show that the manual was not tampered with, to demonstrate that everything is aboveboard, and to express the hope that future transactions can continue.

Li Zhaoting took out the secret manual of the Miscellaneous Agamas.

The original manual found from the Southern Tang Dynasty treasure.

The cover was yellowed, and the pages were clearly marked.

It's clearly an antique that's been sealed away for decades.

It's impossible to fake something to this extent.

Kumārajīva asked curiously, "Young Master Li, where did you obtain this manual? Have you been to the Sutra Repository?"

Li Zhaoting smiled without saying a word and lowered his head to eat his food.

Kumārajīva did not press further, but instead read the manual word by word, reading it completely once.

With Kumārajīva's martial arts foundation, he did not notice anything unusual. After reading it once, he felt much lighter, as if he had taken off wooden shackles.

The two put away the secret manual and discussed Buddhism and martial arts.

The meal was a great success, and both hosts and guests enjoyed themselves immensely. Before parting, Li Zhaoting reminded him, "If the Ming King senses any signs of demonic possession, I may have a solution. Please do not hesitate to seek medical help."

"Is Young Master Li threatening me?"

I'm just trying to be helpful.

Why not just state the solution directly?

"Because you definitely won't accept it."

How do you know I won't accept it?

"Can you burn the Samyakṣāgama?"

"Of course not."

"So, you can't accept that."

Li Zhaoting waved his hand and turned to leave.

Kumārajīva looked at the manual, seemingly lost in thought.

After walking a distance, Feng Suzhen asked, "My lord, I feel that Kumārajīva is full of the five poisons, with greed, anger, and ignorance deeply ingrained in his bones. Can such a person ever be liberated?"

"of course can."

"I can't think of a solution."

"Kumārajīva's greed, anger, and ignorance are entirely due to his martial arts skills. As long as his martial arts skills are eliminated, the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance will lose their support, and he can restore his original nature as a high monk."

"What if he fails to overcome the demonic obstacle?"

"Possessing the profound skills of Tantric Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism, one will either die from conflict with these three schools, lose all martial arts skills, become crippled, or die."

"Why does my lord desire the Nine-Character Mantra?"

"By analogy, the Nine Syllable Mantra is a very complete and perfect secret method. Do you remember Lei Sun, my lady? Lei Sun's main practice was the Tantric Nine Syllable Mantra, which is fast and slow. Given Lei Sun's personality, could he have recited Buddhist scriptures?"

"I still feel unsafe."

“The last practitioner of the Longevity Technique, Xu Ziling of the Twin Dragons of Yangzhou, used the Longevity True Qi to activate the Nine True Words Hand Seal and never suffered any backlash.”

"The Longevity Formula has this effect?"

"Otherwise, why would they be called the Four Great Classical Books?"

Li Zhaoting smiled smugly and flipped through the manual.

The Nine Syllable Mantra hand seal is profound and extensive. Although it is not the strongest hand seal in Tantric Buddhism, its potential is to reach the pinnacle.

Even at the level of the Red Sun Dharma King, the Kundian Master, or even the Eighth Master Ba, it can still be used as a martial art to defeat enemies or to comprehend the Dao of Heaven.

The nine syllable mantras of Tantric Buddhism are:
Lin: Immovable King Seal, Effect: Remain calm and composed in the face of adversity, maintaining a strong will that is unwavering and unconfused;

Soldier: Great Vajra Wheel Seal, Effect: Subdues inner demons internally and eliminates all demons and evil spirits externally;
Fight: Outer Lion Seal, Effect: Courageous and decisive, when encountering difficulties, a resolute fighting spirit emerges;

Product: Inner Lion Seal; Effects: Repairs the physical body, heals internal injuries, and rapidly restores vital energy and blood.

All: External Binding Seal, Effect: Crisis Sensing, Detecting Weaknesses, Observing Heaven and Earth, Controlling Yin and Yang;

Formation: Inner Binding Seal, Effect: Borrowing force and deflecting force, concealing one's own presence, thus allowing for stealth and concealment;
Example: Wisdom Fist Seal, Effect: Shatters all obstacles that hinder one, breaking through illusions with great wisdom;

In: Sun Wheel Seal, Effect: Controls the Five Elements, allowing for precise and nuanced exertion of power and true energy;

Front: Vase Mudra, Effect: Union with Brahman, perfect accomplishment, body like a vase, without leakage or defilement;
Kumārajīva was a high-ranking monk of the Nyingma school. He studied Tantric mudras from a young age and had a deep understanding of the Nine Syllable Mantra. His commentaries were full of wisdom and insight. He truly deserved the title of Great Wheel King.

To be honest, if Kumārajīva had only provided the method of hand seals for defense or the mental techniques and formulas, without detailed annotations, Li Zhaoting might have practiced it incorrectly.

Of course, given Li Zhaoting's personality, he would definitely consult Master Yanhui about Buddhism before practicing, have Yanhui explain the special vocabulary, translate the mantras and secret manuals into a language he could understand, and delete the obscure and difficult parts.

Given Li Zhaoting's relationship with the Daxiangguo Temple, finding a few annotated dictionaries should not be a problem.

For the next few days, Li Zhaoting focused on practicing martial arts.

……

"Sir, a letter has arrived from Hangzhou."

Meizhu delivered a letter from her father-in-law, Feng Shaoqing.

This is not a letter home, but a plea for help.

Feng Shaoqing has a classmate and friend, Cheng Yantang, who was recently promoted to the position of prefect of Jingzhou. Unfortunately, the previous prefect was killed when he left office. In the following ten days, a series of murders occurred in Jingzhou, and more than thirty people have died so far.

Cheng Yantang had just been promoted and was worried that the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate would impeach him. So he used his connections to cover it up while seeking help from experts to solve the case.

After much pleading, they finally turned to Feng Shaoqing for help.

One of the four "iron bonds" between men is studying together in school. Cheng Yantang and Feng Shaoqing were childhood friends, attending school together as classmates and participating in the autumn and spring imperial examinations together.

Such relationships naturally make them allies in the court.

In terms of ability, Cheng Yantang was slightly better than Feng Shaoqing, but he was not promoted as quickly as Feng Shaoqing. This was partly because he was not good at interpersonal relationships, and partly because he had extremely bad luck!

Three years ago, Cheng Yantang could have been promoted to the position of Prefect of Jingzhou. However, the Prefect of Jingzhou, Ling Tuisi, was a fool. He could have been promoted back to the capital and become the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites or the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, with a bright future ahead of him. Instead, he used money to refuse the promotion, sending more than 100,000 taels of silver in total, and even sought help from Grand Tutor Pang.

The appointment and removal of officials has far-reaching consequences.

In order to conceal Ling Tuisi's achievements and prevent him from being promoted, many people were implicated, with Cheng Yantang being the one who suffered the most.

Years later, Ling Tuisi could no longer hide his true colors; he was either promoted, transferred, or resigned.

Ling Tuisi chose to be promoted.

He had just left Jingzhou when his entire family was murdered.

Subsequently, a large number of skilled fighters appeared in Jingzhou, and murders occurred every night. Fortunately, most of these people fought at night, and no one made a move during the day.

This gave Cheng Yantang the opportunity to seek help.

The urgent message for help was delivered to the capital at top speed.

When his father-in-law asked, Li Zhaoting felt obligated to help.

He rode to Jiangling that day.

(End of this chapter)