Amidst the snowstorm, a young Taoist priest in a deep blue robe stood beneath a plaque. He caressed a young novice monk’s bald head with one hand, while holding a scroll in the other, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

The young Taoist priest’s topknot was secured by only a crude twig. Despite being the dead of winter, his blue Taoist robe was a single, alarmingly thin layer.

The young Taoist, calling himself Zhang Li, smiled at the novice monk. He curled his fingers and rapped loudly on the monk’s forehead: “Are you still standing here? Did you not understand me, or has the name Zhang Li lost its influence in the jianghu?”

The novice monk stammered, “Oh, so it’s Patron Zhang Li. Please, come in.”

Zhang Li patted his shoulder with the scroll: “Lead my green ox inside. Make sure to find it a clean stable and feed it three *jin* of vegetarian buns, with a mushroom and green vegetable filling.”

The novice monk paused, “Huh? Feed it buns?”

Zhang Li eyed him askance: “Is there a problem?”

The novice monk quickly shook his head: “No, no. I’ll instruct the kitchen shortly. It’s just that green vegetables might be hard to find at this time of year.”

Zhang Li waved his hand dismissively: “Then a sour cabbage filling.”

The novice monk quickly agreed: “We have those. This humble monk ate sour cabbage buns last night.”

“Who asked you?”

Without looking at Chen Ji and the others, Zhang Li walked into the manor with its grey walls and grey tiles.

He brushed the snow from his robes, as the novice monk humbly followed with small, hurried steps.

Just inside the entrance, he saw a stone screen facing them, intricately carved with the eighteen Arhats, depicted as majestic and fierce-eyed.

As Zhang Li passed the stone screen, he remarked, “When the Taoist court won this manor from the Chan sect back then, they utterly refused to re-carve this stone screen. They insisted that all visitors, upon seeing this place, should know it was won from the Chan sect.”

He casually asked, “I just heard a bell ringing in the distance. Who won this round?”

The novice monk hesitated: “Those behind you won.”

Zhang Li stopped short: “Won against whom?”

The novice monk said bitterly, “They defeated our second senior brother, Wu Zheng. He debated on the nature of good and evil, basing his argument on the *Mahaparinirvana Sutra*.”

At this point, the novice monk still seemed unconvinced: “However, we still have several senior brothers remaining. The Taoist court only has one person left; they still don’t stand a chance.”

Zhang Li ignored him. Instead, he walked back to the entrance and eyed Chen Ji from the side: “You won?”

Chen Ji did not answer.

Zhang Li asked again, “Have you thoroughly read Buddhist scriptures?”

Chen Ji still did not answer.

Zhang Li glanced back at Bai Li on horseback: “She caught a chill, didn’t she?”

Chen Ji hummed in assent.

Zhang Li pulled a gourd-shaped white porcelain bottle from his sleeve and poured out a black pill: “This is a Purple Void Yuan Dan, personally refined by my junior sister to strengthen one’s vital essence. While it’s not a specific cure, it’s potent enough to save a life.”

With a cheerful chuckle, he added, “You just defeated the monk, so I’ll give you this pill.”

Chen Ji’s eyes lit up. He immediately thanked Zhang Li, took the pill, and turned to give it to Bai Li.

Zhang Li unhurriedly poured out another Purple Void Yuan Dan from the white porcelain bottle and called out to Chen Ji: “I see this young lady’s chill has settled deep within her bones. One pill definitely won’t be enough; she’ll need to swallow two to fully recover.”

Chen Ji turned back and asked, “What’s the condition?”

Zhang Li chuckled, “Smart man. To get this second pill, you’ll have to come with me and debate Buddhist scriptures. You just need to answer one question, or pose a question that stumps a monk.”

Chen Ji asked, “What if I fail?”

Zhang Li chuckled, “This pill wasn’t easy to come by. My junior sister watched over the furnace fire for forty-nine days before it was ready. If she hadn’t felt pity for me, her senior brother, roughing it outdoors, she would never have brought it out.”

“So?”

“Therefore, this item is precious. If you can’t meet my conditions, I cannot give you the pill.”

The gray-robed novice monk’s eyes widened: “How can the Taoist court bring in an outsider to assist?”

Zhang Li grew displeased. He rapped loudly on the shiny bald head with his finger: “When the Buddhists brought Confucian scholars to aid them in battle back then, did my Taoist court say anything?”

The novice monk quickly said, “But they don’t have invitations, nor tokens to prove their identity.”

Zhang Li scoffed, “That’s probably just an excuse your senior brother came up with because he doesn’t want to incur bad karma. Never mind, I’ll take on this karma. Let them pass.”

The novice monk pouted, “Why do you get to order me around? This Luhun Manor already belongs to our Yuanjue Temple. What you say doesn’t count.”

Zhang Li caressed his bald head, remarking, “Even your senior brother wouldn’t dare speak such nonsense to me. Shut up quickly, or this Taoist master will slap you.”

The novice monk cringed.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Li: “Let me test the medicine’s efficacy first.”

Zhang Li smiled, “Be my guest.”

Chen Ji walked out into the snow and wind, gently holding the pill to Bai Li’s lips: “Quickly, take this and see if it helps.”

Bai Li bit the pill and swallowed it with difficulty. Instantly, her complexion turned rosy, and her eyes were no longer weak and dull.

Bai Li propped herself up and dismounted, though her steps were still a little unsteady.

The pill’s miraculous effect seemed to defy natural creation.

The young lord’s eyes lit up: “Is this from the medical branch of the Huangshan Taoist Court?”

Zhang Li answered with a smile, “Precisely.”

Chen Ji stood in the snow, pondering for a moment. Then, he turned, handed the horse’s reins to another novice monk at the entrance, and said to Zhang Li, “I do have a question I can try. As for whether it can stump those monks, I don’t know.”

Zhang Li gave a carefree smile, “Give it a try.”

Chen Ji and the others followed Zhang Li into Luhun Manor, passing between tall gray walls, as if traversing a dark valley.

Looking up, the brightening sky was reduced to a mere slit.

Noticing Chen Ji looking up, Zhang Li then said, “I don’t know what those monks wanted to hide here back then. They built this Luhun Manor like a canyon. My Huangshan also has a ‘Gorge of a Thread of Sky’ scenic spot, located below Wenshu Cave, visible when crossing the Immortal Bridge. When you walk through it and look up at the vast sky, only a sliver of blue sky remains; unless it’s precisely noon, neither the moon nor the sun can be seen.”

He glanced back at Chen Ji and said with a smile, “The Huangshan Taoist Court is located on the most wondrous peak in the world, and it’s said to be where an immortal refined a sword pill and ascended!”

Chen Ji paused, “Sword pill? Is it a sword seed from the Jing Dynasty’s Martial Temple?”

Zhang Li shook his head. “That, I wouldn’t know.”

Chen Ji pressed further, “What was that immortal’s name?”

Zhang Li also shook his head. “I don’t know either. I only know there’s a ten-thousand-year-old cave dwelling beneath Fuguan Peak, and the characters ‘Xuan Yuan’ are carved inside. That immortal might have been called Xuanyuan. Hahaha, just my guess.”

A shock ran through Chen Ji’s heart.

Xuanyuan!

He had finally heard the name Xuanyuan from someone else’s lips.

His dreams finally had a tangible basis in this world.

Concealing his excitement, he calmly asked, “Does the Huangshan Taoist Court have any records of Xuanyuan’s history?”

Zhang Li shook his head. “No, he’s not from our Taoist court. When our Taoist court established its temple on Huangshan, his cave dwelling was already there. Huangshan has many wonders. If you can win against the monks this time, you’re welcome to be a guest in Huangshan.”

Chen Ji’s expression was peculiar: “What if I don’t win?”

Zhang Li chuckled cheerfully, “Then don’t bother coming.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

After walking for an unknown duration, sounds of commotion gradually became audible ahead.

Emerging from the ‘canyon,’ they saw a spacious dojo filled with scholars and gentry, all whispering to each other.

The oval dojo was surrounded by more than ten tiers of stone steps, where the scholars and gentry sat, allowing the heavy snow to fall upon them.

The Bagua diagram in the center of the dojo was covered by snow. Only the yin-yang ‘fish eyes’ each held a meditation cushion, and on one of them, a young monk in a gray robe sat cross-legged.

On the other side, the Taoist court’s meditation cushion remained unoccupied.

Zhang Li led Chen Ji and the others to a group of Taoist priests and asked curiously, “Why is no one stepping up to challenge?”

A young Taoist priest turned and saw Zhang Li, immediately ecstatic: “Senior Brother Zhang Li is here! Quick, make way! Senior Brother Zhang Li, go quickly and teach that arrogant bald man a lesson!”

“Why is Senior Brother Zhang Li a day and a night late?”

Zhang Li raised a hand to quiet the young Taoist priests’ voices: “Wait, wait. How many have our Taoist court lost so far?”

A young Taoist priest hesitated: “Eight people have already lost. One last person can still go up.”

Zhang Li asked again, “How many opponents are left?”

The young Taoist priest hesitated again: “There are four opponents left.”

Zhang Li raised an eyebrow: “You young Taoists from Mount Lao Jun are up to no good. If I go last and lose, won’t I take all the blame alone?”

“How could Senior Brother Zhang Li possibly lose?”

“Senior Brother Zhang Li, you will surely win!”

Zhang Li retorted exasperatedly, “Stop flattering me. How can I win one against four? My Huangshan Taoist Court won’t take this blame.”

The young Taoist priests grew anxious. “If you don’t go, our Taoist court is sure to lose. Then all dozen of us will have to go to Yuanjue Temple to shave our heads and become monks! Huangshan and Mount Lao Jun are like branches of the same tree; why distinguish between us?”

Zhang Li let out an annoyed chuckle: “Hold on. Earlier, when my junior sister asked you for a pill recipe, why didn’t you mention being branches of the same family?”

“Uh…”

However, Zhang Li didn’t press them further. In Buddhist-Taoist debates, the Taoist court’s fate was shared by all.

He glanced around, then looked at Chen Ji and smiled, “You go. If you win, I’ll give you the pill.”

Chen Ji answered readily, “All right!”

The young Taoist priests looked surprised: “Senior Brother, who is this person?”

Zhang Li spread his hands. “I don’t know either.”

“What?”

The young Taoist priests were shocked: “How can such an important matter be entrusted to a stranger? What if he loses?”

Zhang Li slapped him on the back of the head, interrupting him: “He’s the one who just defeated the monk outside the door. You’re usually arrogant and unwilling to read Confucian and Buddhist scriptures. How can you win without knowing yourselves and your opponents? Those monks have read all our Taoist scriptures and came prepared. If we don’t find someone who has thoroughly read Buddhist scriptures, we won’t win.”

When the young Taoist priests heard that Chen Ji had defeated a monk, they immediately exchanged glances.

A young Taoist priest asked, “Then, Senior Brother, have you read Buddhist scriptures? Why don’t you go up?”

Zhang Li stated matter-of-factly, “I’m a Taoist priest; why would I read that stuff?”

The young Taoist priests were speechless.

Zhang Li leaned down and whispered to the young Taoist priests below the stone steps: “Let an outsider go up. Even if they lose this final match, it’s an outsider who lost, which saves some face for the Taoist court. If the Taoist court itself loses, there’ll be no face left at all.”

Only then did the young Taoist priests understand that Zhang Li knew the Taoist court was bound to lose, so he found an outsider to serve as a shield.

They lowered their heads in shame: “But what if he loses?”

Zhang Li said leisurely, “As for the matter of becoming monks, if you really lose, just be monks for a month. Then simply say you wish to return to secular life.”

The young Taoist priest froze: “Huh? Return to secular life?”

Zhang Li said righteously, “What? Do Buddhists not allow returning to secular life?”

The young Taoist priests exchanged glances, and finally steeled themselves: “Then let him go up.”

Zhang Li looked at Chen Ji: “You go and ask. Ask them fiercely.”

At this moment, Zhang Xia whispered from the side, “This kind of scripture debate can only have one participant. I can’t assist from the sidelines. And being a woman, I can’t step forward to debate.”

Chen Ji fell silent, contemplating.

The young lord suddenly said, “How about I go up? It wouldn’t be glorious for them even if they won against me.”

Chen Ji, Zhang Xia, and Bai Li slowly turned to look at the young lord, their faces expressionless. For a moment, they were at a loss for words.

A moment later, Chen Ji pulled Wu Yun from his robes and placed him into Bai Li’s arms. “I’ll give it a try,” he said.

The next moment, he walked to the meditation cushion and sat cross-legged.

A monk opposite rose and asked, “This is a Buddhist-Taoist scripture debate. How can an outsider participate?”

Zhang Li said lazily, “This is a registered disciple of my Huangshan Taoist Court!”

The monk glared and pressed, “When was he registered, and what name was registered?”

Zhang Li froze. He had just forgotten to ask the young man’s name.

Just as the scene reached a stalemate, Chen Ji asked in a clear voice, “Venerable monk, if a ship named ‘Ship of Universal Salvation’ is repaired and patched over several years, eventually having every plank and every part replaced, is it still the original Ship of Universal Salvation?”

The dojo suddenly fell silent. The monks exchanged glances, and a profound silence descended, broken only by the snowflakes falling from the sky.

Zhang Li, who had been lazily leaning on the stone steps, found himself pondering the question. The more he thought, the more traps he perceived within it.

He gradually sat up straight, looking at the young man sitting cross-legged in the dojo amidst the snow and wind.

Chen Ji had not thoroughly read Buddhist scriptures, but he had read about the world’s ten greatest paradoxes.