Chapter Twenty-Three: The Arrival of the Wajin (Part One)

Kou Li thought of this method not only because he was standing on the shoulders of giants, but largely due to Young Master Huang’s identity.

For ordinary people, trying to establish a connection with high-ranking court officials was as difficult as ascending to the heavens, let alone trying to reach the old Emperor himself.

However, for the person right before him, she herself was the connection.

Moreover, once this chain of interests was forged—encompassing pirates, chambers of commerce, government troops, imperial relatives, and even the one at the very pinnacle of power—Young Master Huang’s position in Lingnan would truly become unshakable.

No one would ever dare to challenge her position, because within this interest chain, Young Master Huang herself was that indispensable, unique link.

She was the representative of the imperial relatives, the imperial court’s black-gloved enforcer in the southeast!

Therefore, upon hearing Kou Li’s proposal, even Young Master Huang, who prided herself on being exceptionally clever and resourceful, couldn't help but let her eyes light up, feeling that this was a brilliant strategy tailor-made just for her.

She was so thrilled she almost summoned the chief steward to attend her bedchambers—though, naturally, the steward firmly rejected the notion.

Of course, amidst all this, there was another crucial figure: the other Princess.

Kou Li had to persuade her first, so that through her, he could establish contact with the Shinkage family and Zhu Baozai behind her.

Inside the Phoenix Residence—

"Are you begging this sovereign?" Hearing how things unfolded, Zhu Ying'er lifted her little chin high, assuming an expression that seemed to say, "Quickly come and please me." "Very well, put that flowerpot on your head and stand aside."

Kou Li said unperturbedly, "If you are willing to cooperate, I can find an opportunity for you to give Princess Feng a thorough beating."

"Really?" Zhu Ying'er’s eyes instantly lit up.

"Of course," Kou Li said, feigning hesitation. "Yet even so, she remains the most noble Princess of the Central Plains dynasty, while you are merely a lord of the trifling Wa nation and the granddaughter of the Shinkage family. The gap between you two is simply immeasurable. What good would it do even if you beat her?"

"Darn it, of course it would, darn it!" Zhu Ying'er thought about it seriously, her little face instantly twisting into a conflicted expression. Then, prostrating herself fully on the ground, she said with utmost earnestness, "Please teach me the method to defeat my enemy, sir."

"There is indeed one way. As long as the Shinkage family is willing to lend us a hand, once the matter succeeds, the Shinkage family will become our representative in Wa. You will have sufficient supplies to conquer the entire country. Once the Wa nation is unified, you will be the Queen. By then, naturally, you will be far more noble than any Princess."

"It makes sense!" A light seemed to turn on in Zhu Ying'er’s mind, and her eyes sparkled. "Very well, since that is the case, this sovereign will temporarily trust you for a while. Once the family elders arrive in the Middle Kingdom, I will formally propose this suggestion to my grandfather."

After thinking for a moment, Princess Sakura added, "Considering your scheme, this sovereign has decided that the day I master swordsmanship, I shall spare your life for the time being."

"Then I am truly grateful," Kou Li twitched the corner of his mouth and said.

"However, considering that you have offended this sovereign after all, I have decided to emulate the behavior of the Central Plains princesses by having you castrated to serve by my side."

"..."

Kou Li remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "You haven't done your punishment for trying to run away earlier today, have you?"

Zhu Ying'er’s face fell. She obediently balanced the flowerpot on her head and then cried out indignantly, "Darn it, this sovereign will not let you go!"

***

After finally managing to handle this little girl with somewhat abnormal thought processes, Kou Li couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. These days, preoccupied with the affairs of the Wa nation's envoy delegation and facing a bottleneck in his martial arts, his Eagle Claw training seemed to have stagnated. Yet at the thought of Young Master Huang’s pointers, he couldn't help taking out the incomplete manual of the Divine Eye Technique.

Perhaps this would be the key to his breakthrough.

Tantric Eagle Claw was, in truth, a martial art from beyond the frontier—or more precisely, Tibetan Buddhist boxing. Although it shared a monastic origin with the Lohan Temple, their styles were completely different. According to Young Master Huang, although the Lohan Temple was a Buddhist monastery, its thirty-six arts incorporated elements of many Central Plains martial arts and still followed the path of the internal elixir.

The Tantric sect was different. They did not subscribe to the principles of the internal elixir—the notion that the human body itself was a piece of raw iron requiring repeated tempering to forge true gold.

Instead, they believed the human body was a vast, hidden treasury. Only by invoking secret incantations and drawing out the miraculous mystical powers within could one unleash unimaginable, mighty power.

According to the interpretation of the Divine Eye Technique, once this method was mastered, one’s internal spirit and courage would be greatly fortified, the eyes would become sharp as lightning, and one could use the gaze of an eagle to directly pierce an enemy’s martial spirit and shatter their will.

Its training method was also extremely peculiar. It featured only a single contemplative diagram that was half-eagle, half-human, and half-Buddha: its two arms transformed into wings with complex feather patterns; it sat cross-legged atop a twelve-petaled golden lotus; its face was that of a black eagle with a red dot between its brows; and behind it hovered the characteristic halo of a Buddha.

According to the instructions of the Divine Eye Technique, one was to contemplate this diagram using the intent of a Buddha, comprehend the essence of the Buddhist eagle, and then assimilate it into one's eyes.

There were no stance exercises, no striking drills, and no breathing methods—only a bizarre diagram. Kou Li had never seen such a training method before.

Of course, perhaps the complete version of the Tantric Eagle Claw possessed explanations for these, but it had long since been lost.

'According to Young Master Huang, Tibetan Buddhism has eighteen special Tantric stance methods, equivalent to the combination of Central Plains boxing stances and combat techniques. Once the stances are comprehended, one naturally masters Buddhist boxing.'

'And the biggest difference between these Tantric stances and Central Plains martial arts is that the stances must incorporate the Vajra Diagram and the Garbhadhatu Diagram. The Vajra diagram governs the physical body, while the Garbhadhatu controls the spirit. Therefore, this Eagle-Buddha Diagram should be a form of the Garbhadhatu Diagram.'

'Garbhadhatu—the treasury inherent in the human body at birth, with the Buddha-nature hidden within all sentient beings—'

Kou Li pondered slowly. He did not believe that frontier martial artists—or rather, these Tantric monks—could be fundamentally any different from the people of the Central Plains. Since they all fell within the realm of martial arts, it was even less likely to have anything to do with some illusory aptitude and foundation.

The crux of the problem, then, should lie within this diagram itself.

Kou Li gently traced his fingers over the paper and suddenly discovered several uneven spots—specifically around the feather wings and right between the eyebrows.

Moreover, this contemplative diagram was a cloth painting rich in colors. By repeatedly tilting it against the light, one could clearly see that as the colors shifted, the hues of the pattern seemed to rotate as well.

The red dot between the brows continuously reflected red, cyan, blue, indigo, and purple colors like glazed glass. According to Buddhist teachings, glazed beads were the foremost of the Seven Buddhist Treasures, casting shadows and flowing with a shimmering radiance.

As for the pair of wings, amidst the shifting and turning of the colors, they appeared like 3D graffiti, transforming into different shapes. Vaguely, a faint golden arm manifested from within the twin wings, marked with slender patterns. It seemed to twist and turn with every movement of the wrist, the curling flesh blending into the Buddha-light, revealing a unique splendor.

'Between the eyebrows, arms, wings,' Kou Li pondered for a long time, then his heart stirred. The spot between the eyebrows seemed to be an acupuncture point, didn't it?

Without another word, Kou Li sat cross-legged, his hands forming a virtual grip, his fingers curling and releasing segment by segment as if holding an invisible ball—not clenching into a tight fist, but bending and relaxing joint by joint.

With this flexing and releasing, the blood within his body suddenly began to flow with a rushing sound, and a rich surging vitality started to permeate the room. The blood circulated throughout his entire body, and upon passing between his eyebrows, its speed suddenly surged, washing over the area repeatedly.

His forehead grew tight and ached, then slowly relaxed. In his inner vision, washed repeatedly by the rushing blood, a bright little dot suddenly lit up within the dark void.

This little dot was none other than the Yintang acupuncture point!

***

So the Tantric stance method was actually a skill for exercising acupuncture points through special means!

Utilizing his mastery of internal martial arts, Kou Li had comprehended the true meaning of the Tantric sect.

The patterns on the golden wings were actually the meridians and tendons of the Hand Taiyin and Hand Yangming. The reversed hand gestures were the secret methods by which Tibetan Buddhism exercised the body's acupuncture points through the twelve principal meridians.

So that was it! Once one principle was understood, all principles became clear. Kou Li’s gaze shifted back to the Eagle-Buddha Diagram, and suddenly it looked completely different. That intent, that fierceness, that profound charm seemed to leap right off the paper.

Kou Li instantly felt a familiar sensation—was this the infusion of beastly nature into the body?

Yet the Garuda bird did not even exist in the eyes of mortal men.

So this was the true essence of the Tantric sect!

***

To the common people of Guangzhou, today was an uneventful day, but in Princess Feng’s camp, it was of vital importance.

Because on this day, the envoy delegation of the Wa nation had arrived!

"Are everyone's arrangements properly settled?" Kou Li asked without turning his head.

"From here to the official post house, the posting stations and guard posts along the route have all been secured by our men. No one will be able to cause trouble," the Ghost of Malice said in a low voice.

"Xichuan, Owari, Bitchu, Shinkage, Yagyu, Nagato..." The Consumptive Ghost took a sip of wine and muttered to himself, "These are all major overlords within the Wa nation."

"During the Wa civil war, everyone wanted to obtain material aid from the Central Plains. Look at the Shinkage family—originally a minor clan with less than three hundred koku of land, look to what heights they have grown just because they had Zhu Baozai supporting them from behind. Everyone wants to be the second Shinkage family."

Today, Young Master Huang wore a phoenix-tailed silver helmet, donned a lotus-leaf purple-gold interlocking armor, and carried a treasured sword at her waist, looking exceptionally heroic and dashing.

This was no ordinary diplomacy. To the court ministers, with the pacifying of the seas accomplished, this was actually a disguised ceremony of surrender.

"Huh?" The Consumptive Ghost put down his wine gourd, looked at the roster sent by the protocol official, and muttered, "Why have so many ruthless figures arrived? Monks of the Incense Divine Way, the Four Heroes of Guanzhong, the Jujutsu Ghost, Yagyu Jubei, Miyamoto the Sword God, the foremost wandering swordsman of half the country, the master of the hard-and-soft style, along with successors of Kickboxing, Ninjutsu, and the Yin-Yang schools... No way, did more than half of the Wa nation's top martial artists rush over here?"

Young Master Huang sneered a few times. "The ministers of the court consider this a matter-of-course surrender, but within the Wa nation, they believe this trip to the Central Plains is akin to Bodhidharma's journey."

Back then, Bodhidharma crossed the river on a single reed and displayed Buddhist mystical powers before Emperor Wu of Liang, causing that Emperor to hold him in absolute reverence. Consequently, the Emperor exhausted the imperial treasury and heavily patronized the construction of over two thousand Buddhist temples during his reign, allowing Zen Buddhism to flourish greatly in the Central Plains.

Clearly, these people from the Wa nation believed they had likewise come to the Central Plains to propagate their doctrines.

"Rest assured, we won't even let them pass the first hurdle," Kou Li said with absolute certainty.