From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Ye Qingya watched intently, tracing with her hand as she admired the art of calligraphy.

Xu Chunliang didn’t disturb her. He turned around and saw Monk Tonghui approaching. Over there, Pu Jian and Ge Guangming were taking pictures on the site, planning to return with these photos to draft a detailed maintenance plan. Ge Guangming initially wanted to give up, but Pu Jian promised him a twenty percent increase from the original budget. For the money, Ge Guangming decided to give it a try. In fact, the project wasn’t very difficult; the main issue was that it was too labor-intensive.

Tonghui greeted them, "Two benefactors, please join me inside for some tea."

Ye Qingya was still lost in the ocean of calligraphy art and couldn’t extricate herself. She softly said, "You go ahead first, I’ll join you later."

Xu Chunliang followed Tonghui into the cave, where Tonghui was busy boiling water to brew tea.

Xu Chunliang asked, "Master, was the rain heavy a couple of days ago?"

Tonghui replied, "The mountain here is different from the area below. In the past, our Du Yun Temple was a place with great feng shui. I’ve been here for many years, and though the mountain floods were frequent, they always bypassed Du Yun Temple. I don’t know what happened this year. The rain a couple of days ago caused a flood from the east side, destroying several Zen rooms. The Manjushri Hall completely collapsed, and one corner of the Great Hall was destroyed. If not repaired, it could also be at risk of collapse."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself that the scale of Du Yun Temple wasn’t large, so normal maintenance shouldn’t cost much. However, the main problem was its location deep in the mountains, making the transportation of materials inconvenient.

Tonghui said, "It’s also my fault. I’ve been lax in maintenance due to my illness over these years, otherwise the loss wouldn’t be this great."

Xu Chunliang said, "I saw you drying some books earlier. Were many of the Buddhist scriptures water-damaged?"

Tonghui said, "The waterways were blocked, otherwise they wouldn’t have been submerged. I feel truly ashamed of my master. Some scriptures, after drying, are fine, but others need to be rewritten."

He handed a cup of brewed wild mountain tea to Xu Chunliang, who accepted it with both hands, smiling, "Master, how is your health recently?"

Tonghui said, "Thanks to Donor Xu, I’m basically recovered now."

Xu Chunliang asked, "Have you gone to the hospital for a recheck?

Tonghui shook his head, saying, "No need, what’s past is past. Perhaps Buddha doesn’t want me to remember."

Xu Chunliang said, "Master, would you like me to check your pulse?"

Tonghui smiled slightly and extended his hand. His pulse was taut and slippery, tongue red with a thin coating.

Xu Chunliang asked about his recent rest. Although Tonghui had regained his sanity, he still experienced palpitations, little sleep, and restless dreams. Last time, Xu Chunliang helped bring Tonghui back from madness with acupuncture, but he didn’t completely cure his condition.

According to Mo Han, Master Yuanbei, the former abbot of Du Yun Temple, found Tonghui at the foot of a cliff twenty years ago, injured in the head. After Master Yuanbei saved him, Tonghui stayed and became his disciple.

Since then, Tonghui has forgotten everything from the past. Based on his pulse and symptoms, it’s likely that when he fell off the cliff, he suffered an intracranial hemorrhage, resulting in a clot due to the trauma.

Medical classics state: All incurable diseases are caused by poor circulation. Tonghui’s retrograde amnesia results from the blockage in his brain; his madness is due to the same cause.

When Xu Chunliang last visited Du Yun Temple, he hadn’t yet fully understood the mysteries of the Tianyang Chapter of the Dragon Bone scripts. Now he has mastered the art of unblocking the channels and nourishing the marrow, and he can even remove the parasitic eggs in Elder Ye’s brain. With Tonghui, he is confident he can help clear the blockage.

Xu Chunliang said, "Master, if you’re willing, I can try to help you clear your channels and regain your memory."

Tonghui shook his head and withdrew his hand, smiling, "Thank you for your kind offer, Donor Xu. I’m living very peacefully and happily now. I trust your medical skills, but if you heal me and my memories turn out to be joyous, it’s all the same, but if they are all painful, isn’t it equivalent to stepping into hell?"

Xu Chunliang looked at Tonghui. Although this monk had lost his memory, he hadn’t lost his wisdom. Before coming to Du Yun Temple to become a monk, he must have had a painful past. Over these twenty years, he has become accustomed to such a life.

Xu Chunliang asked, "Master, don’t you want to know if you still have family in this world? How are they doing?"

Tonghui said, "I am a monk. Letting go of worldly attachments and cleansing oneself are the practices of a monk. Buddha arranged for me to come to Du Yun Temple and lose my memory, that is to help me cut off worldly attachments. This is my fortune."

Xu Chunliang continued, "Do you not want to know if your fall was an accident or caused by someone? Don’t you want to find out?"

Tonghui said, "Whether it was an accident or man-made, the person I was died long ago, only Tonghui lives in this world. My heart is set on Buddha, and I won’t be troubled by grudges. Besides, everything in this world follows the law of cause and effect, and Buddha will arrange it. Why should I be troubled?"

Chunliang sighed and said, "Alright, since Master Tonghui has made such a choice, I have nothing more to say."

Tonghui poured more tea and smiled, "The female donor who accompanied you today seems to have a great passion for calligraphy."

Chunliang said, "Her name is Ye Qingya, she is a leading figure among the younger generation in the domestic painting and calligraphy community."

Tonghui softly repeated, "In Heaven, no one recognizes Chang’e; it’s believed she resembles a pear blossom as pure and elegant as Ye Qingya."

At this moment, Ye Qingya happened to walk in from outside the cave, coincidentally hearing Tonghui’s recitation, and she was somewhat surprised, "Master, you also know this poem?"

The poem recited by Tonghui is called "Pear Blossom," written by Fang Hui, a poet of the Yuan dynasty. This poet was not very famous, so his works did not spread widely. Ye Qingya was born at the end of March, in the season when pear blossoms bloom, so when she was named, this poem was cited.

Tonghui said, "In my leisure time, besides copying sutras, I also enjoy sorting out poems from various dynasties. Fang Hui made significant contributions to poetic theory, proposing the ’theory of state of mind,’ advocating that poetry should highlight realism and a sense of the times, emphasizing the unity of ’personality’ and ’poetic character,’ and promoting a style that combines ’lean, hard, vigorous, and charming’ with ’clarity and naturalness.’ He opposed the ’Xikun style’ of couplet and coquettishness."

Ye Qingya said, "The poetry of Fang Hui and his conduct in life are entirely different. He had no moral integrity, which attracted scorn from the world, yet he was good at discussing poetry and prose. He rose to prominence during the reign of Emperor Lizong of Southern Song, initially flattering the powerful minister Jia Sidao with ’A Hundred Poems of Plum Blossoms,’ but when Sidao’s power waned, he submitted a list of ten faults of Sidao, which led to his appointment as Prefect of Yanzhou. As the Yuan soldiers approached, he sang loudly of holding fast and defending the land, yet upon their arrival, he promptly surrendered and was appointed Commander of Jiande Road. He was simply a chameleon."

Tonghui praised, "The female donor has profound research on Fang Hui."

Ye Qingya said, "I became interested because I knew my name came from his pear blossom poem, so I collected his historical materials and poetry to study. My favorite poem is not ’Pear Blossom’ but ’Two Poems for the Minister Gao’."

Tonghui said, "’What does Wuan mean by sharp-headed generals, and Zhen’guan only with luckless people. In the world, there are many people who are titled lords, but titled lords are killers.’"

Ye Qingya’s beautiful eyes lit up; this Master Tonghui truly was talented, she hadn’t expected such a character to be hidden in this ancient temple in the deep mountains, "Yes, it’s this one."

Chunliang had no impression of Fang Hui at all, as Fang Hui was not yet born in his lifetime. But from Ye Qingya’s description, this Fang Hui was an opportunist who pandered to both sides; it was somewhat strange how such a person could write such profound poems.

Chunliang said, "This line is excellent. In the world, there are many people who are titled lords, but titled lords are killers. It perfectly reflects the bureaucratic reality of ancient and modern times."

Ye Qingya said, "A person who could write such verses, yet had no moral integrity."

Tonghui said, "If one looks at Fang Hui’s life, indeed, he was not an open and straightforward man. However, if you understand the other side of him, you might find his contradictions were actually reasonable."

Ye Qingya said, "Please enlighten, Master."

Tonghui said, "I wouldn’t call it enlightening; I’ll just share some information I’ve checked from historical books for your consideration."

He took a sip of tea and continued, "Fang Hui was not only a poet but also came from the Jue sect. It is said that Jue sect is one of the eight sects of Jianghu, and the founder was the famous strategist Master Guigu, who had two famous disciples, Su Qin and Zhang Yi. These two were known for their eloquence, skilled in the Art of Cross and Vertical, which, with the development of history, became a means of officialdom in bureaucratic circles."

Chunliang said, "Are you implying that this Fang Hui was also a disciple of the Jue sect?"

Tonghui said, "That’s right. Fang Hui’s origin in the Jue sect determined that he employed the Jue sect’s methods in dealing with many matters. In today’s terms, this means adopting bureaucratic tactics, which naturally do not measure up to integrity. As the female donor said, this person was extremely contradictory; on one hand, he went along with the flow, using Jue sect methods to gain official titles; on the other hand, he aspired to a pure and lofty ideological realm. I think he lived a life both conflicted and troubled."

Chunliang said, "No matter when you’re mixed within the system, you can’t be too concerned with integrity."

Ye Qingya said, "You can’t generalize; most people are still good."

Chunliang chuckled, thinking Ye Qingya was not suited for the system.

Tonghui said, "Within the system, one must be capable of advancing and retreating. To be fair, Fang Hui also encountered setbacks in reality, which gradually changed him. In the third year of Jingding, Southern Song, he ranked first in the court exam, but due to Jia Sidao’s suppression, he was demoted to the top ranking of the second class. Fang Hui probably hated Jia Sidao from that time on, but on the surface, he managed to flatter, composing ’A Hundred Poems of Plum Blossoms’ to curry favor with him. When Jia Sidao lost power, he immediately kicked him when he was down. Such people are not uncommon in bureaucracies from ancient times to the present. Jue sect promotes appraising the situation and adapting to change."

Ye Qingya said, "Anyway, I don’t like this person. When I later discovered the origin of my name and Fang Hui’s character, I immediately had the idea of changing my name."

Chunliang laughed heartily, and Tonghui also couldn’t help but smile. Ye Qingya had the thought of changing her name based on a poet’s character; such matters were rare.

Tonghui said, "The characters Qing and Ya aren’t exclusively Fang Hui’s."

Ye Qingya said, "My dad said the same. He also said that my name was chosen by his best friend..." Saying this, she paused and shyly smiled, "I’ve digressed."