Chapter 41: General Rong Manor

"Hahaha~" A碧 couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Who on earth treats the emperor like their own son?

With his mouth gagged, Duan Yu looked at 慕容兴, also feeling that this person had very strange thoughts.

Kumazhe glanced at 慕容兴 and said, "As expected of the late Lord Murong's son, you truly possess spiritual roots!"

A碧 gently punted the boat, and the small craft slowly glided away. The black-awned boat rippled across the emerald-green river, and after a few turns, drifted out into a vast, sprawling lake.

Looking as far as the eye could see, the misty expanse blended water with the distant sky. The entire lake was dotted with lotus leaves, water chestnut leaves, reeds, and wild watercress. As a breeze swept by, the boat felt as though it were drifting right through a traditional painting.

Being young and high-spirited, 慕容兴 was flattered by the praise and said smugly, "Great Monk, you are the Imperial Preceptor of the Tubo Kingdom, so naturally, you are a wise man."

Kumazhe replied, "This humble monk wouldn't dare."

With his level of self-cultivation, he naturally wouldn't take a youth's disrespect to heart.

"Buddhism emphasizes the Five Precepts, but human desire is the Heavenly Dao. For a man to love a woman is something that cannot be avoided, no matter what!" 慕容兴 said,

"Does your sect have a method that satisfies both, allowing one to fail neither the Tathagata nor one's beloved?"

The word beloved did not necessarily refer only to a woman; it could also point to other desires harbored within one's heart.

Kumazhe shook his head and said, "Naturally, there is no such method, nor is one needed. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; cultivation is perceiving that the five aggregates are all empty, giving rise to one's mind without abiding anywhere."

"Once one understands 'form' and 'emptiness', the notion of a method that satisfies both vanishes."

慕容兴 asked, "Then, Great Monk, have you understood form and emptiness? Is there any woman you love?"

To someone of Kumazhe's status, such a question was undoubtedly immensely discourteous.

Yet Kumazhe merely fell silent for a moment, let out a sigh, and said, "What virtue or ability does this humble monk possess to reach such a realm? I am merely a traveler upon the path of cultivation."

慕容兴 looked at Kumazhe with a look of intrigued interest.

A碧, standing nearby, chimed in, "Brother Xing, you really should learn fewer of those bizarre, eccentric questions from the Young Master. Look at him; all day long he's either sleeping, or acting out of his mind and banging his head against the wall."

"Him!" 慕容兴 sighed and said, "How on earth did I end up with an older brother like that?"

Kumazhe asked curiously, "Murong Gongzi has an older brother? Why has one never heard of him in the Jianghu?"

In the previous generation, the head of the Murong family, Murong Bo, had shaken the martial arts world with his "Transferring Stars over Pivots" technique, carving out a formidable reputation.

In this current generation, however, the Murong family had kept a much lower profile.

A碧 said, "National Preceptor, you must bear this in mind: within the Murong family, there is only one Murong Gongzi!"

***

慕容兴 continued, "And that is my headache-inducing older brother, Murong Fu!"

He went on to say, "Throughout the entire Murong family, the one with the highest status is him! Second is A朱, followed by A碧, then mute Bao and the cat he keeps, and only after all of them comes me!"

"I am truly so pitiful!" The way he shook his head made him look thoroughly amusing.

Duan Yu also found this person immensely interesting.

Kumazhe chuckled and said, "Oh? This humble monk cannot help but wish to meet this Murong Gongzi!"

"If he isn't sleeping, you'll meet him shortly." 慕容兴 pointed ahead and said, "We're almost there."

Kumazhe looked in the direction indicated and saw a small island nestled amidst a gathering place for swallows.

It was none other than Swallow坞 (Swallow Workshop).

Within a quarter of an hour, the black-awned boat docked. Near the boathouse, a middle-aged man was currently fishing. He had a lean face and wore a long grey cloth robe.

Seeing the man, 慕容兴 called out, "Bao Dage, how is the catch today?"

The middle-aged man ignored him and simply focused on his fishing with his head bowed.

"One look and you can tell he caught nothing!" 慕容兴 shook his head and said.

The man addressed as Bao Dage was none other than Bao Butong, a retainer of the Murong family.

Hearing someone accuse him of catching nothing, Bao Butong immediately hoisted the fish basket beside him and shook it—a gesture meant to show that he had indeed caught fish.

"Heh!" 慕容兴 laughed. "Does that mean we'll be having raw sliced fish later?"

Bao Butong made a hand gesture indicating that it was not a problem.

Led by 慕容兴, Kumazhe finally set foot within Canhe Manor.

Canhe Manor was exceptionally elegant, and its six-bay grand entrance was quite majestic. Before Kumazhe could examine it closely, he followed 慕容兴 through the gates, took a hurried glance at the courtyards inside, and arrived at the main reception hall.

Inside the main hall sat a young maiden of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a light-crimson gauze tunic. She had an egg-shaped face and bright, nimble eyes that made her look extremely sharp and capable.

What came as a surprise was that the young girl had a wooden-scabbarded curved saber strapped around her waist.

The saber was deeply curved, resembling a waning moon, unlike ordinary swords and sabers.

"A朱 meimei, I'm back! And we have two guests! They said they are passing through and wish to pay their respects to my father!" Upon seeing the girl, 慕容兴 added, "I wonder what delicious food A朱 meimei has prepared today?"

Despite her youth, the young maiden before them was decisive in her actions and already served as the chief steward of the Murong family.

Looking at 慕容兴, A朱 said, "Since guests are present, why doesn't Brother Xing go call the Young Master?"

***

With guests having arrived, it was naturally necessary to summon the person capable of making decisions.

Within Canhe Manor, only Murong Fu could make the final decisions.

Clearly younger than 慕容兴, the tone of her speech made her sound much more like an older sister.

"Uh..." Mentioning calling Murong Fu, 慕容兴 shook his head and said, "A朱 meimei, you'd better go call him instead!"

"You!" A朱 said. "Very well, I will go call him. You stay here and entertain the guests. Someone, serve tea and pastries!"

Turning back to Kumazhe, she added, "Please sit for a moment, honored guest; I will go fetch the Young Master!"

Kumazhe pressed his palms together in a greeting and said, "Please go ahead."

A朱 turned and headed to the inner hall to summon Murong Fu.

No sooner had Kumazhe taken a seat than servants brought in tea and pastries.

The clear tea was Biluochun, and the four varieties of pastries were rose and pine nut candy, tuckahoe soft cake, emerald sweet cakes, and lotus root starch ham dumplings. Their shapes were exquisitely refined, making each pastry look less like something meant to be eaten and more like a piece of art to be admired.

Pointing at Duan Yu, 慕容兴 said, "Great Monk, since visitors are guests, why are you still tying him up? What on earth is going on?"

After pondering for a moment, Kumazhe untied the ropes binding Duan Yu and removed the cloth from his mouth, saying, "Crown Prince, this humble monk has been discourteous."

"Crown Prince? Is there really someone named 'Persimmon'?" 慕容兴 asked curiously.

"I am not a persimmon, I am Duan Yu, the Crown Prince of Dali. I was abducted to this place by this wicked monk!" Duan Yu rubbed his body and said.

"Ah?" 慕容兴 was baffled. This bound individual was actually the Crown Prince of the Dali royal family?

Could it be that monks weren't good people after all?

"This is a long story..." Kumazhe repeated his standard justification about burning the sword manual.

Anyone would be moved to tears upon hearing that the other party was a friend of one's elder, keeping a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold and fulfilling an agreement.

Yet 慕容兴 was somewhat eccentric. He listened in utter astonishment, never imagining that a monk who looked so dignified and solemn could act with such ruthlessness.

No wonder people always said that bald men without virtue were the most venomous of all, and that bald donkeys were the most poisonous.

"National Preceptor, is burning living people a custom in Tubo?" 慕容兴 asked. "We certainly don't go around burning people here!"

"Tubo doesn't burn living people; we merely turn them into Thangkas!" A slightly sleepy voice drifted out from the inner hall.