Chapter 17 - Gray Haired Monk

Lu Na’s restraints were taken off. She was gently lifted from the ground and saw the monk standing beside her.

“Thank you.”

“Amituofo, it is our destiny to meet and for me to help you. Think nothing of it,” Hen Li said.

“Why did you let the woman go? We need to bring her back to the sect leader.” The woman talking was Wong Yoong, the senior disciple from earlier. How did she find her? Did the sect have some system to communicate with each other?

The man and woman disciple both bowed when they saw Wong Yoong.

“We don’t dare oppose Hen Li, Senior Wong,” the man said. The man looked very stiff. He didn’t even dare to look toward Hen Li as he talked with Wong Yoong.

“Hen Li? The traitor?” Wong Yoong walked over to Hen Li and stared at his face. “How dare you show your face to me?”

“Amituofo,” Hen Li said. He made a small bow of his head.

“You’ve already broken your vow to me. Now you’re breaking your vow to our sect, too?”

“Amituofo.”

“Is that all you can say? It’s because of you I’m in this position. If you didn’t leave the sect, you would be the future sect leader. I would be an elder. Instead, you now wear these rags, begging for money everywhere. You’re pathetic.”

“Amituofo. I apologize for my past misdeeds. I am trying to rectify them with loving kindness such as helping this poor woman.”

Wong Yoong looked between the two.

“No, she’s off limits. She’s ours. You can’t start helping now. You promised to never disrupt our sect’s business if we let you pursue your path to Buddhahood.” Wong Yoong took a step in Lu Na’s direction.

Lu Na wasn’t sure what was going on, but she already had a hand on her earth ward. She was glad she had made a few early in the morning.

“Oooh, it’s a lover’s quarrel,” her spirit said. “You wouldn’t know what that is. You’ve never had a lover. But I agree with your posture. Run at the first sign. You wouldn’t want to be caught up in whatever that is. I’ll be right back. I have to recharge before you get into a bigger mess.”

“Amituofo. Your Wintersweet Sect also promised to not get in my way yet here we are, in my path as I am traveling back to my Buddhist temple.” Hen Li pointed with his staff at a Buddhist temple down the street. “As you can see, I did not meddle in your affairs. Yet I will not stand idly by as an innocent woman is begging for help. All those who suffer under heaven deserve a reprieve. I know that better than most.”

Wong Yoong stepped up to Lu Na, but didn’t lay a hand on her. Her jaws were clenched and eyes narrowed. Her right hand became a fist, shaking visibly.

“Look, just this once could you please give her to us? If you do, we’ll call it even between us.”

Hen Li paused for a moment as he stared down Wong Yoong. He then turned to Lu Na.

“Do you wish to go with them?”

“No. For all I know, they killed my brother and my friend,” Lu Na said. Besides which, she didn’t want to give this woman the satisfaction of capturing her. She claimed she wouldn’t harm her, but this Wintersweet disciple had the worst temper Lu Na had ever seen.

“Your brother is fine,” Wong Yoong said. “He escaped when he saw you and your friend leave the compound. We also invited and healed anyone that was injured by our attack. So if you come, you can see that they are all treated well and will be allowed to leave our sect when the Mid-Autumn Festival is over. They’re treated as our guests. Even your maids have that respect from our disciples.”

“You see, I would like to believe you, but I still can’t get over the words you used: ‘allowed to leave’ as if we were caged animals. I would not like to be one, thank you very much. I would like to spend my Mid-Autumn Festival outside where I am free to do as I please without the constant threat of you people.” Lu Na looked at the Buddhist temple. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind spending my night admiring the moon from Hen Li’s temple. I think that would be more cozy than your sect compound.”

Wong Yoong’s eyes looked like she would throw knives at Lu Na at any moment. Or worse, she would summon her rooster spirit and shred her to pieces. Her left hand was clenched, but nothing happened yet. Lu Na took a step or two back behind Hen Li just in case.

The other two disciples looked like two ghosts. The man looked like he was about to bolt as quick as he could.

“Hen Li,” Wong Yoong said in a quiet voice. “I swear, if you don’t give me this woman in peace, I’ll haunt you even if you become a Buddha.”

“Amituofo. I must decline and apologize. This young woman wishes to join me for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I cannot allow her to be taken against her wishes.”

“Fine, then I’ll settle for her death instead.” Wong Yoong clenched her left fist and a large metal rooster appeared beside her. Its claws were already lifted in the air for a strike, coming down with such fierce spirit energy.

Lu Na had only a second to admire the technique’s make up before realizing it was coming straight for her. She released her two earth wards and they formed a wall around her before the claws reached her. She was ready this time, or at least that’s what she thought.

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The metal claws tore through the front of the earth wall like tofu. Yet, it stopped inches away from Lu Na’s face.

“Amituofo.” Hen Li’s staff stopped the claw from slashing Lu Na into two.

“Now, take her!” Wong Yoong yelled.

The two other disciples that were standing in front of Lu Na disappeared in a puff of mist. They appeared right behind Lu Na and broke through her earth wall. They grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back a few steps before they stopped.

“What are you two doing? Run now! I can’t hold him any longer,” Wong Yoong said. Her face was stuck in a grimace as she pushed her spirit’s technique against Hen Li’s staff.

“Senior Wong, sorry we failed you,” the man said.

The pair of disciples let go of Lu Na and collapsed to the ground.

“What happened?” Lu Na couldn’t see any injuries on the two.

“That brawny monk knocked their spirits out. I go away to recharge for a little bit and you find another muscular guy? You have all the luck, Na Na.”

“What are you talking about? I see nothing.”

Wong Yoong released her technique and took three steps back. She started rubbing her wrists before she dismissed her rooster spirit.

“If I hadn’t already been fighting with that stupid beggar, I would have given you a better match.”

“Amituofo. Maybe.” Hen Li nodded his head. A large five colored hound appeared beside him. It was as tall as he was with the head of a puppy. “Now, please leave this young woman alone.”

Wong Yoong laughed, her voice bringing back the memories from when she attacked her Lu compound, her home.

“You know as well as I do I can’t give up. I’m coming back with all my elders to take that girl back. She’s the last one in this city. We need her or else something bad is going to happen to our sect. You know how that works. You were a part of our sect not too long ago.”

Hen Li looked between Wong Yoong and Lu Na.

“Then you know better than I do. I would never allow your sect to achieve its goals. Not now or ever.” Hen Li’s calm Buddhist mood changed. His words came out in a clipped, harsh tone. “What your sect has done to me and others is unforgivable. Even if you all converted to Buddhism today and recite the heart sutra for the next fifty years, would it wash away your sins. So you tell your sect leader this young woman is under my protection. Go tell my father and bring him here and I will do the same to him as I did to your previous sect leader if he thinks that will change my mind.”

Wong Yoong laughed again.

“The last fight you had with our sect has crippled you. Now you fight with this miserable dog spirit. You think it can equal the power you had before? Fine, I’ll bring everyone down on you and your stupid temple. I gave you a chance and you didn’t take it. Don’t blame me when all you have tomorrow is ashes to pray in.”

Hen Li took a deep breath.

“Amituofo. Please let the sins pass.” He looked up at Wong Yoong. “You will do as you must. Karma shall dictate how we move forward.”

Lu Na thought that was the end. The two sides looked like they were backing off and unlike with the large beggar Hung Rong, it didn’t seem like Hen Li was going to attack unprovoked.

Behind Wong Yoong, an army of summoners arrived. All of them summoned their spirits. They approached Hen Li and Lu Na from all directions, surrounding them.

Wong Yoong chuckled.

“She’s the last one we need to take with us. The entire sect is out in force trying to capture her in the city and we even have the magistrate’s blessing. As long as we can get her, we leave the rest of the city alone. So give her to us, or I will attack you with the full force of our sect and I can’t guarantee what else we will destroy in our way.”

Hen Li looked around and placed his hand on his dog’s head. The puppy was panting with its tongue hanging out. It looked like it was about to frolic with Hen Li.

Lu Na instead saw a unique sight. She wasn’t sure why it was happening now, but her spirit’s technique turned on and she saw the different spirits in a whole new light. Other than the monk’s spirit, every other spirit showed off different bits and pieces just like her brother’s. Every one had a different configuration almost as if they were all puzzle pieces. If Lu Na had the time, she would have loved to ask each summoner what their spirits did and possibly copy their techniques.

“Are you seeing this, spirit?” Lu Na whispered.

“Of course. Who do you think is giving you the power to do so? It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” her spirit said.

“It’s mind blowing. There are so many types of techniques, unique elements churning within these spirits that I can only guess what we can make in the future.”

Lu Na’s spirit technique faded and she only saw the spirits as they were.

“That’s enough for now. I thought you’d appreciate that view from all the different types of spirits and not just admiring your brother’s spirit only. I would suggest you take out some more of your wards and prepare to defend yourself.”

Lu Na looked between Hen Li and Wong Yoong and her entire sect surrounding them.

“I already know what’s going to happen. It’s fine if you give me up.” Lu Na tapped Hen Li on the shoulder. “You can’t take on all these people and it wouldn’t be fair for us to endanger the people who live around here.”

Hen Li bowed his head.

“Amituofo. Your compassion for others is admirable, but I can’t allow this Wintersweet Sect to succeed. Their plots cause the deaths of many. If that means I have to protect you against them, then I will.”

“But—”

Wong Yoong reached into her chest pocket and took out a pill. It looked brown from this distance, but with a quick glance with Lu Na’s spirit’s technique she saw it glowing purple. The Wintersweet disciple swallowed it whole and the purple within the pill started spreading throughout her body.

“How are you doing this?” Lu Na asked her spirit.

“When we have time after this, I’ll explain all my skills to you. But that pill she took will replenish her spirit energy and give her spirit a great boost in power. We have to do something about that. Take out the piece of null metal and prepare to connect it again to your spirit wall ward this time.”

Lu Na reached into her chest pocket and revealed the piece of metal. It was glowing and warm to the touch.

“Tell the monk that when you activate this to not allow any physical attacks near you because you can’t set up the earth wall simultaneously.”

Lu Na was about to tell Hen Li what her spirit said but he smiled and nodded.

“Don’t worry, I will protect your physical body as your spirit requests,” Hen Li said. “I just hope whatever it is you’re about to do will protect you from my spirit’s energy bursts.”

“He’s definitely at stage 3 if he can hear me and yes, her ward will protect her from any spirit energy attacks. Just protect her.”

“Amituofo. I will do my best.” Hen Li picked up his staff in both hands and stood I in a defensive stance. “Panhu, it’s time to get to work. We’ll play later.”

The dog spirit yipped and stood up straight. It looked straight at Wong Yoong and its puppy head turned into a frightening bone-mouth head with large fangs. Its snarl made Lu Na shiver. Its body flared in all five colors of the elements.