The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 496 - 388. Love Letter to the Empress (6,000 words)_3

"Master!"

A Western Regions monk approached a carriage adorned with strange totems on its curtain, respectfully explaining the situation.

The curtain was lifted, and out came an elderly monk with dark skin, resembling an old monkey. He was dressed in a red monk's robe and wore a red monk's hat, yet the style was different from the other travelers.

Around his neck hung a string of beads made of white ivory.

In his sunken eye sockets, his pupils radiated with the light of wisdom.

"Master, should we enter the temple now?"

From inside the carriage, a young monk, about a teenager, climbed out.

Dressed in the same red monk's robe, he had the typical three-dimensional facial features of Western Regions people, but his manners and movements were more akin to those of the citizens of Great Yu Dynasty.

At the moment, he was busy stuffing a flag box into a chest.

"Yes, let's go into the temple," said the chief of the Western Regions mission, a high monk from the Red Sect who smiled as he adjusted the young monk's hat.

"Let's wait for the Princess."

The young monk, named Dan Che, looked toward the end of the caravan.

It turned out that the mission from the Western Regions was divided into two parts; at the front were these monks, and at the back was another group who wore curved swords and dressed as warriors from Western Regions.

They all surrounded a carriage, from which a strong Western Regions female warrior had just emerged.

She wore leather armor, was tall in stature, her hair braided loosely, her skin rough and reddish, her curved sword adorned with gems, her eyes sharp and alert.

After the warrior stepped down from the carriage, she said something, and then another woman emerged from the carriage compartment.

She was a typical Yu person.

This woman, in her forties, wore a dress in the style of the Yu people, her black hair pinned up and adorned with numerous colorful gems.

Yet, the gems could not hide the woman's mature but still refined features.

The woman's demeanor was gentle, yet she commanded a presence that made even a group of warriors respectfully salute her without intimidation.

"Princess Wen Zhu..."

The old monk with the red hat and ivory beads sighed, "Traveling with the Princess who is visiting her homeland is significant, Dan Che. Do you understand what this means?"

The young monk, carrying a bamboo mesh box, honestly shook his head:

"I do not know."

The old monk said, standing with his hands behind his back,

"In previous years, discussing trade with Yu Country required only sending a Western Regions official.

This year, Princess Wen Zhu is personally returning, and it must be related to the struggles for the throne within the Yu royal family. Ah, a princess married off should not interfere in her birth family's affairs, but blood is thicker than water, how could she remain indifferent?"

Dan Che was confused: "Disciple does not understand."

The old monk smiled and did not explain further.

He merely brought his hands together in a salute toward the Princess, who had become a leader in the Western Regions after being married off during the reign of the late Emperor, due to the Old Emperor's displeasure.

Princess Wen Zhu smiled back and saluted him.

Neither party exchanged words; after saluting, both groups walked into the vast temple.

Snowflakes fluttered down, and the biting wind howled.

As the monks and warriors entered the temple, they occupied distinct areas and started making fires and boiling water with practiced ease.

The old monk glanced at the broken statue of the Earth God in the temple, shook his head, and waved his hand lightly, making the dust on the ground clean itself.

Soon, fires were burning, and outside the temple, snow fell as the sky darkened.

Dan Che set down the bamboo mesh box, took out a Go board, and two boxes of black and white pieces.

Then, kneeling on the floor, he picked up the pieces one by one with both hands, reconstructing the game they had played in the carriage based on his memory.

If a Go master were present, they would be immensely surprised.

This Western Regions-raised young monk had frighteningly strong memory skills. His seemingly chaotic reconstruction of the game perfectly matched the previous moves played with his master.

Moreover, the game was nearly in its final stages, and the complexity of the board would demand cautious consideration even from a grandmaster in the Capital.

However, the surrounding monks, knowing Dan Che's formidable skills in the local area, did not find it strange.

But nobody knew exactly how formidable he was.

Considering that Go was introduced by Yu Country, they subconsciously felt that Dan Che's skills could not compare to those of Yu people.

Only the old monk knew how terrifying Dan Che's understanding of the game was, akin to his own profound study of Buddhist Law.

"Master, you said it is strange for Princess Wen Zhu to lead the mission, but it is also strange for you to lead a mission to Yu Country," Dan Che whispered while reconstructing the game:

"Usually, you are unwilling to leave the mountains.

This time in Yu Country, everyone says it is because the Divine Dragon Temple's debate failed, leading to a decline in influence. Therefore, our orthodox has to go there to debate scripture and show the Yu people that it wasn't Buddhist Law that was defeated, but merely the Divine Dragon Temple, with the true Buddhist teachings residing in Zu Ting...

And your knowledge of the Buddhist teachings is among the deepest in the Five Directions, probably second only to the Dharma King, but I always feel there is another reason for you to leave the mountains."

The old monk sat cross-legged on the ground, drinking milk tea, and looked at his disciple in surprise. After a moment, he nodded solemnly:

"Yes, my journey to Yu Country is partly to debate scriptures, but more importantly, it is to find 'Wisdom.'"

Dan Che knelt by the Go board, confused,

"Master, what exactly is this 'Wisdom' you speak of?"

As a disciple, the young man knew that his master had suddenly emerged from seclusion around spring or summer, claiming he had "seen" the arrival of "Wisdom" in the east.

Since then, the "Holy Monk," a leading figure in the Five Directions of the Western Regions, seemed possessed with the idea of traveling to Yu Country.

The old monk looked out at the snowy wind outside the temple and said softly,

"In Buddhism, the supreme deity is 'Buddha,' the deity who governs wisdom. Its incarnation that descends to the mortal world is 'Wisdom.'"