The fourth basement level was half Pure Land Buddhist realm, half living hell on earth.
Sun Yu had divided all the masters into two groups: one half underwent various examinations and experiments, while the other served as a control group for comparison.
The masters in the control group spent each day meditating in silence and chanting scriptures. In their half of the sector, Buddhist radiance manifested, phantom lotuses bloomed across the walkways from time to time, and a faint Buddhist light seeped from the walls and ceilings. The grand array Sun Yu had set up could barely suppress the anomalous phenomena.
In the experimental area on the other side, there were none of the ceaseless screams echoing from the level above—only scripture chanting, sandalwood incense, and gentle words urging people toward goodness and imploring them to lay down their butcher blades, spoken in soft voices.
All the experimental personnel on this level wore specialized robes, with talismans affixed to their bodies and pills held beneath their tongues, taking precautions to the absolute limit. Even so, every one of them seemed on edge. After all, these sounds slipped into their ears from time to time, and listening to them too much would turn one into a monster.
Wei Yuan swept his divine sense across an adjacent laboratory. The master inside appeared to be only in his early thirties. By now, his internal organs had been completely eviscerated, his lower body was nowhere to be seen, and of his two arms, one was bare bone while the other remained intact.
Yet his hands formed distinct mudras as he smiled serenely, peacefully expounding the scriptures and explicating their subtle, profound truths to everyone present. One of the young women among them seemed somewhat enthralled, a contemplative look appearing in her eyes from time to time.
Sun Yu barged in immediately and grabbed the young woman by the collar, only then discovering that she had stealthily removed her earplugs at some point and had listened to who knew how much of the scripture.
Sun Yu sealed her sea of consciousness on the spot and ordered, "Send her up to the floor above."
The girl initially wept and pleaded, but suddenly choked back her tears. Her face took on a solemn, tranquil expression as she said, "Master Sun, you and I shared intimacy three times, forging the fleeting bond of a morning dew. For the sake of that bond, I cannot bear to see you sink deeper and deeper into the demonic path.
"As the saying goes, lay down the butcher's blade and become a Buddha on the spot. The Buddha said—"
A layer of frost coated Sun Yu's face. He immediately sealed her mouth with Dao power and barked harshly, "Take her to the third floor and list her among the experimental consumables!"
Only then did several disciples and attendants step forward to drag the girl away.
Sun Yu said coldly, "No matter who it is, and no matter what relationship they have with me, whoever touches this stuff dies! Unless you can crawl into the Domain Lord's bed, there are no exceptions!"
Wei Yuan frowned slightly, knowing that Sun Yu was truly not joking.
Sun Yu led Wei Yuan to a tightly sealed laboratory. Upon entering, they saw seven or eight masters sitting cross-legged on a couch against the wall. Men and women alike, none wore a stitch of clothing, yet each bore a solemn, sacred countenance. They appeared to be quietly meditating, but were in fact nothing more than empty shells—their seas of consciousness withered and their souls vanished without a trace.
Just then, a stirring rippled through Wei Yuan's heart as he caught the sound of scripture chanting. The verses sounded vaguely familiar, like the scriptures recited by Buddhist disciples before their passing, yet subtly altered.
Wei Yuan immediately extended his divine sense and locked onto a master in the control area. This master was middle-aged, somewhat pudgy, and plain in appearance. He sat with eyes closed, seemingly asleep, but was in fact reciting the Rebirth Mantra.
Halfway through the scripture, his flesh, blood, and vital essence suddenly collapsed inward, whereupon his innards ignited like a drum of hot oil, bursting into flames in an instant! Amidst that sudden surge of life force, his sea of consciousness boiled away, his soul transformed into light, and in the end, it condensed into a single lotus seed!
The lotus seed broke straight through his cranial gate and shot out toward the heavens beyond.
Wei Yuan gave a cold snort, and his divine sense formed a giant hand to lightly grasp it. But as if immaterial, the lotus seed passed straight through Wei Yuan's hand and vanished into the outer heavens.
Wei Yuan's expression turned grave. With a flicker of his figure, he appeared inside the master's chamber. The master sat naked and upright, a peaceful, joyful smile upon his face. His interior was completely hollowed out; he had already reincarnated into ultimate bliss.
Seeing this, Wei Yuan understood the gravity of the situation. This was no petty spell or trick; it was likely a supreme art ranked among the highest even within the Pure Land. He only wondered what purpose that lotus seed served.
Only now did Wei Yuan comprehend why Sun Yu had insisted on calling him here.
Only then did Sun Yu speak: "You don't need to give an order, much less lift a finger yourself. Whenever you feel the time is ripe, just give me the word. I will handle all of it cleanly."
Wei Yuan gazed at the master's physical body. After contemplating for a long time, he said, "Wait a bit longer."
Leaving the Xuanming Medical Clinic, Wei Yuan returned to his immortal estate. Seated behind his desk, he took up his brush and wrote swiftly, producing a letter. He then ordered it dispatched to Eastern Jin, stipulating that the King of Jin must open it personally.
***
In the third month of the second year of Zhaoning, spring was just beginning to stir, and the weather remained cold.
The imperial court of Eastern Jin was deathly still. The ministers' faces were frosty enough to hang rime. King Jinxuan wore a look of deep distress, his eyes sunken, showing he had not slept well the night before.
"What should we do? What can be done? My beloved ministers, come up with an idea!" King Jinxuan urged several times in succession, but none among the civil and military officials spoke.
Amidst the silence, an official who looked not yet forty stepped forward from the ranks and memorialized, "Your subject has something to say!"
The official stood far to the rear; King Jinxuan had to narrow his eyes to make out his face before saying, "Speak your mind freely."
The official was among the youngest in the hall and held the lowest rank, yet his voice now boomed like a bronze bell: "Linshuang, Qinghe, Jincheng—eight entire commanderies! That Wei Yuan opened his mouth and demanded eight full commanderies!
"Your subject said long ago that Wei Yuan has the ambition of a wild wolf and is insatiably greedy. We must never compromise with him! Otherwise, if we cede one commandery today and another tomorrow, how much longer can our Great Jin survive?
"Yet Chancellor Wang spoke with such ringing conviction back then: 'Measure the material strength of Great Jin to court the favor of Qingming!' Today, Qingming demands eight commanderies. Your subject wishes to ask Chancellor Wang: how else do we court Qingming's favor?! And just how many times can such favor be bought?!"
The civil and military officials throughout the court turned pale. Over these years, Wang He had wielded supreme power over the court; whoever dared utter a single word of dissent was sure to have their family ruined and their household destroyed. For this petty official to dare point fingers and scold him right in open court was truly courting death.
King Jinxuan had not expected this either, and a hint of fluster showed on his face. Still, he kept his composure and said slowly, "Minister Wang, do you have something to say?"
Wang He first adjusted his robes and cap before stepping out of the ranks. He wore a long, wispy beard and exuded an aura of refined clarity, his bearing like that of an immortal. Looking only at his outward appearance, no one could tell that he was a ruthless, all-powerful chancellor whose influence dominated the era.
Wang He's voice was clear and his cadence deliberate: "In just several decades, Wei Yuan developed Qingming from a barren wasteland into today's colossus. Before fifty, he attained Scenery Command, his talents crowning this entire era!
"With a person like this, we may speculate about him however we please, but we must never consider him foolish, nor may we consider him purely domineering. Before refusing, we might as well consider: these eight commanderies are arrayed in a single line from west to east, cutting our Great Jin into northern and southern halves. What does he actually want these eight commanderies for?"
King Jinxuan had a rare flash of wit, his eyes lighting up as he said, "He wants a path to attack Qi!"
Wang He immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise! When Wei Yuan demanded land, he did not carve away the fertile lands of the southwest, but rather wanted these eight commanderies connecting east and west—five of which have always been barren. What he wants is not the land, but a corridor leading to Northern Qi!"
The young official cried out, "Does that not still amount to carving away our Great Jin's territory?"
Wang He smiled faintly and said, "Lord Liu is young after all, and his insight is just a touch shallow. Wei Yuan effectively occupies the majority of Western Jin, yet he did not expand his territory as Military Commissioner over all of it, still honoring the king as sovereign. What he wants is a passageway, and for our Great Jin not to interfere with his campaign against Qi.
"Therefore, your subject believes that ceding land is absolutely out of the question, but taking up arms is equally a path to national ruin. Your subject has a method that can satisfy both sides!"
King Jinxuan asked hurriedly, "What method is it?"
"Change the cession to a lease—for a term of ninety-nine years!"
King Jinxuan clapped his hands and praised, "Brilliant!"
Chapter 1218