Green Mountain

Bodhisattva Wuzhai, discarded at Yuanjue Temple’s Manjusri Hall in the winter of the 10th year of Jianing, with only a string of Star Moon Bodhi beads, one hundred and eight beads.

Wuzhai recited the Heart Sutra silently at age three, and the Middle Discourse at age seven, attaining understanding without a teacher. Originally a rare prodigy of Yuanjue Temple, he refused the Bhikkhu Precepts, setting out as a novice monk at age twelve to travel and debate scripture with the Dao Court.

His journey lasted seven years, and upon returning to Yuanjue Temple, he had won back seventeen Daoist temples and thirty-three thousand acres of fertile land for the Buddhist Sect. In Jianghu, it was widely known that Wuzhai posed three questions: one to break scriptures, two to break forms, and three to break the heart.

But in the winter of the 31st year of Jiajing, Wuzhai led one hundred and eight novice monks across the south to Luocheng City, participating in the Literary Meeting at Lu Hun Manor beneath Laojun Mountain Dao Court, aiming to win a match at the foot of the Taoist Ancestor Court Mountain.

This scripture debate drew worldwide attention.

Before Wuzhai’s departure, over a hundred scholars from the Imperial Capital composed poems and verses outside Yongding Gate to bid farewell, such as Green Ox Listening to Scripture Introduction, Sending Monk Wuzhai to the South, and Breaking Mystic Song, filled with fiery zeal.

However, such a grand occasion of crossing southward, Wuzhai ended up losing to an unknown young man at Lu Hun Manor with "no ego, have ego."

Wuzhai returned quietly to the Imperial Capital, and half a month later, when storytellers began recounting the tale of Lu Hun Manor, people realized what had happened.

Only then did Qi Zhenwu, Qi Zhaoning, Shen Ye, and others come to know that the person who had previously defeated Wuzhai was inside Pellucid Tower.