Ao Haiping's reason for wanting the little koi to show him her guagua hammer was that he immediately recognized it not as a weapon, but as the kenchiz used by the Bodhi Monk to strike his wooden fish.
This kenchiz also had an extraordinary origin, said to be an old possession of Chan Master Baozhi.
Chan Master Baozhi, also known as Baozhi Gong, Zhigong, or Bodhisattva Baozhi, was a highly esteemed monk during the Qi and Liang dynasties of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. In his youth, he became a monk at Daolin Temple.
To commemorate Chan Master Baozhi, Emperor Wu of Liang built Kaishan Temple, the predecessor of Linggu Temple.
During his lifetime, Chan Master Baozhi was known for various miraculous deeds, such as not needing to eat, foreseeing events, and appearing in multiple places simultaneously.
Chan Master Baozhi's secular surname was Zhu. Legend has it that a woman named Zhu heard an infant crying from an eagle's nest, took him down from the tree, and raised him. Therefore, scriptures describe his appearance as: "His face was square and radiant like a mirror, and his hands and feet were like bird claws."
Zhang Sengyou of the Southern Dynasties, by imperial decree of Emperor Wu of Liang, was commissioned to paint Chan Master Baozhi. In a moment of inspiration, Baozhi lightly brushed his face with his fingertip, revealing twelve manifestations of Guanyin, each with a beautiful and serene countenance, radiating compassion or solemnity.
Thus, this small kenchiz was a supreme treasure of Buddhism in Linggu Temple at that time.
The reason it came into the hands of the Bodhi Monk was mainly because, before becoming a monk, he was already a celebrated scholar of great talent. Coupled with his innate intelligence and profound understanding of Buddhist scriptures, he became a renowned monk in just a few years.
Some even compared him to Chan Master Baozhi of ancient times.
The elders and abbots of Linggu Temple placed great hopes on him, essentially designating him as the next abbot.
Whether the "Twelve Manifestations of Sentient Beings" created by the Bodhi Monk and the "Twelve Manifestations of Guanyin" of Chan Master Baozhi were the same Dharma practice, no one could say for sure.
Some speculated that the Bodhi Monk inherited the legacy of Chan Master Baozhi.
Others guessed that the Bodhi Monk was the reincarnation of Chan Master Baozhi, leading to much debate.
However, the Bodhi Monk suddenly abandoned monasticism to enter the Dao, dealing a severe blow to Buddhism.
Why is this said? Because the Bodhi Monk's status in people's hearts was no less than that of Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty.
If Master Xuanzang were to suddenly renounce his monkhood and become a Daoist, it would completely shake the foundations of Buddhism, and the damage to its reputation would be unimaginable.
The Bodhi Monk's case was similar. Buddhism regarded him with immense hatred, hence they directly erased this part of history.
As time passed, the Bodhi Monk was forgotten, and no written records of him remained.
However, some other "beings" did not forget. Their lifespans were long, and although these events occurred hundreds of years ago, they were still fresh in their memories.
Ao Haiping stopped halfway through his swim.
What would be the use of him finding Zhu Yin'e? To question her relationship with Feng Zhirun?
In fact, over the years, their Dragon Clan had long confirmed their suspicions. After all, since the loss of the Dragon Gate, she was the only "one" who had successfully transformed into a dragon. It was unbelievable that she had nothing to do with the Dragon Gate.
Therefore, the Dragon Clan had once clashed with Zhu Yin'e, but Zhu Yin'e possessed protective artifacts, and the Dragon Clan gained no advantage. The outcome was mutual destruction, leading to a tacit cessation of hostilities.
The final outcome was that the Dragon Clan let the matter rest, while Zhu Yin'e was confined to the Yangtze River, never to go ashore.
However, the Dragon Clan could not give up on retrieving the Dragon Gate, as it was crucial for their species' propagation.
Thus, Ao Jiangyue was punished by being sent to the Yangtze River, ostensibly as atonement, but actually to monitor the mother and daughter, especially the little koi, hoping to find clues about that person from her.
With this thought, Ao Haiping swam to the opposite bank and landed.
Then, gazing across the Yangtze River towards the other bank, as if he could see everything柳南风 (Liu Nanfeng) and the little koi were doing.
"How is it, Second Brother, are you sure it's him?"
Sometime later, Ao Jiangyue appeared behind him.
Ao Haiping shook his head and said, "Not yet sure, still need to investigate carefully. But that little koi is definitely his daughter."
"Oh, are you sure?" Ao Jiangyue asked with some surprise.
They had their suspicions before, but suspicions were just suspicions; they had no concrete evidence.
"Did you notice the little hammer in that little one's hand?"
Ao Jiangyue nodded. Every time she angered the little koi, the child would grab her guagua hammer and want to fight her; how could she not be familiar with it?
"That is the kenchiz used by Feng Zhirun after he became a monk."
"Are you sure?"
Ao Haiping turned around and looked at her, saying, "I am absolutely sure. During his time as a monk, I visited him many times and saw it on numerous occasions."
"That kenchiz was originally sandalwood-colored, but after being held by Feng Zhirun and constantly imbued with power day and night, especially after he comprehended the Twelve Manifestations of Sentient Beings, it was infused with Buddhist dharma and turned golden, possessing all sorts of miraculous abilities."
"Moreover, the little koi herself said that it was a defensive item left to her by her father."
"So what should we do now?" Ao Jiangyue asked, somewhat lost.
"I will investigate Liu Nanfeng further. If he is indeed the reincarnation of Feng Zhirun, with Feng Zhirun's talent, he would not have left without a contingency plan."
Ao Jiangyue looked up at her second brother.
Ao Haiping was naturally proud and unruly, coupled with being born a dragon, his arrogance was immense.
However, after encountering Feng Zhirun, he was willing to follow in his footsteps, his arrogance completely smoothed away. Even after hundreds of years had passed, he still admired the man's talent when speaking of him.
This showed how exceptionally brilliant and peerless Feng Zhirun was in his time.
"If all else fails, when Father returns, we can retrieve the Three Lives Book and test it," Ao Haiping added.
But at this moment, Ao Jiangyue frowned, showing a look of worry.
"What's wrong? What are you still worried about? With me here, even if Feng Zhirun saw through the mystery of his mother's womb and recovered his past memories, he wouldn't do anything to you," Ao Haiping reassured her.
Ao Jiangyue couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. He was so fearful of Feng Zhirun.
"I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about the Heavenly Palace matters. Recently, Jiangcheng..."
Ao Jiangyue told Ao Haiping about the recent gathering of demons in Jiangcheng.
Ao Haiping also frowned upon hearing this. Although the Dragon Clan was powerful, confronting the entire demon race would be beyond their capabilities.
But the Heavenly Palace concerned the future of all demons, and no one was willing to give up this opportunity.
Feng Zhirun was the only person in three hundred years to have entered the Heavenly Palace and returned to the human world.
It was unknown who spread this news, and it was also unknown why Feng Zhirun returned to the human world.
However, regardless of the reason, the Heavenly Palace disappeared thereafter, and no one could go there anymore. It was said that this was also related to Feng Zhirun.
And the last place Feng Zhirun appeared was Jiangcheng, after which he completely vanished.
A hundred years passed quietly. Jiangcheng welcomed waves of "people" and saw waves of "people" depart.
However, since Bai Xinghe predicted the Heavenly Palace's return to the mortal world through astrology decades ago, Jiangcheng had become lively once more.
And many people knew that Feng Zhirun had taken the Dragon Gate from the Dragon Clan back then.
Now, if they could find the Dragon Gate, it would mean they had found a clue to the Heavenly Palace.
"It seems we'll have to wait for Father to return to discuss this. We need the Dragon Gate, and we also need the Heavenly Palace," Ao Haiping said.
Ao Jiangyue nodded; it seemed that was the only way for now.
She looked across the river at Liu Nanfeng, who was chatting and laughing with the little koi.
He was so carefree, unaware of the storm approaching. How would he respond?
She suddenly wondered if the contingency plan left by Feng Zhirun could allow him to emerge unscathed from this storm.
ps: More to come