That day, details of this court assembly spread immediately.

After presenting the seal, Wu Sheng made another shocking statement—he requested death.

He first explained why he had traveled west years ago.

When his master, Dongfa, came from the Western Regions to Luoyang, he had brought eighty-one volumes of scriptures, but they suffered damage en route. When he arrived, less than half remained—this became Dongfa’s lifelong regret. After Dongfa’s death, Wu Sheng made completing what was lost his life’s mission, thus embarking on the western journey. All along the way, he witnessed the misery of living beings. When he returned after nine brushes with death and was passing near Yunluo, he was captured along with a merchant caravan by Di cavalry. After suffering every humiliation and receiving severe injuries, when his life hung by a thread, he was rescued by General Changning, thus saving his life.

After this great calamity, he deeply felt human suffering and realized he had not yet achieved enlightenment. Thus, he viewed this disaster as a trial for the great awakening, for clarity of mind, and to complete his master’s wish early. He settled in a cliff-cave mountain at the disaster site to cultivate and translate scriptures. Unexpectedly, his sins were too heavy. To this day, not only has he failed to achieve proper results, but he has also become a deceptive symbol for others’ evil deeds, causing endless harm.

Dongfa had passed on his mantle to him. Years ago, he had made a vow that after returning from the west and completing the scriptures, he would spread them widely to clarify their true meaning.

Now that he had finished translating the scriptures, to prevent Dongfa’s legacy from being lost, he would establish a platform to expound the dharma. After completion, he would burn himself as a sacrifice to eliminate all sins and prove the great way.

This news caused unprecedented sensation—not only in Chang’an, but the message also reached Luoyang.

Wu Sheng’s name had been known to everyone in Luoyang. Countless believers made the long journey from all directions to Chang’an. The people finally understood that the Jin prince currently causing such celebration in the north was not only a complete imposter, but that Northern Emperor Chi Shu was extremely treacherous and despicable. Unable to defeat the female general on the battlefield, he sent spies to spread rumors and slander extensively, attempting to shake people’s hearts. If the female general were truly attacked by her people due to this, or if military morale wavered, wouldn’t that play right into the Di people’s hands? We people of Great Wei must never be deceived.

If at this time there were still people who half-believed this explanation, then several days later, when Wu Sheng completed his fast and appeared at the scripture platform set up in the wilderness of Chang’an’s western suburbs to begin expounding the dharma, all doubts completely disappeared.

The scripture platform rose several zhang high like a pagoda. That day, wearing clean robes, he sat cross-legged at the platform’s top. The people observed his handsome features and solemn expression—he seemed to carry divine light, awesome and inviolable. They couldn’t help but first feel somewhat defiled. When he began speaking, his wonderful voice was continuous and captivating. Even those around who initially came just to watch the excitement gradually became entranced by listening. Later, people became either entranced or enlightened or deeply comforted, as if human suffering had finally found redemption.

Wu Sheng expounded dharma for seven days and nights. Devout men and women who came successively from various places filled this wilderness outside the western suburbs.

On the final day, it was rumored he would burn himself to eliminate sins.

This day finally arrived.

On the jiazi day of the sixth month in the third year of Tianhe, Chang’an was deserted of people. Besides believers, early in the morning, ordinary citizens also rushed to the western suburbs. Not only that, the court also sent officials from the Ministry of Rites to the scene.

The wilderness was windless—today was extremely fine weather. When the sundial’s gnomon cast its shadow directly north below, the sun reached the southern upper meridian.

At exactly noon, Wu Sheng appeared before the world, accompanied by a group of monks who had come from Jialan Temple in Luoyang.

He still looked as before—wearing monk’s robes, walking toward the scripture platform in the wilderness, as if he would sit high upon it and continue expounding dharma like the previous days.

However, today was different.

At this moment, when the covering cloth over the scripture platform was removed, everyone discovered that burning wood had already been arranged below.

It turned out that during these seven days, while he tirelessly expounded scripture meanings, layers of burning wood had been stacked beneath his seat.

Everyone around was moved.

Wu Sheng faced the wind, walked to the base of the scripture platform, and without any pause, began ascending the steps as usual, walking toward the platform top. Finally, he came to his life’s final resting place and sat cross-legged.

Soon, beneath him, fierce fire would ignite and then consume him.

He lowered his head slightly and closed his eyes.

From the moment he closed his eyes, he seemed to isolate himself from everything outside. The gusts of wind circling the wilderness; the various noises from believers following his seating; the crackling sounds of the bottom layer of burning wood being lit—all began entering his ears… Yet everything was no longer related to him. Even though he had begun feeling the heat of fire from below, the rising black smoke surrounding him, along with the increasingly loud clamorous sounds from the wilderness, it seemed women were crying… Like ocean waters, external demons gathered from all directions, seeming to want to devour him.

He remained unmoved.

His identity was now public knowledge. As a remnant of the former dynasty that had implicated people to this degree, death was the only solution.

For him, it was also a kind of liberation.

Ending his life in this manner today was not due to others’ coercion. He was willing.

Throughout his life, he had painfully cultivated seeking the so-called realm of complete enlightenment.

Being able to die thus, dying where he belonged—this moment should be the fulfillment he pursued. He embraced it gladly, calmly welcoming it.

He thought of nothing, making his mind space, waiting for fulfillment’s arrival. After a moment, in the gradually rising smoke and fire, amid the clamor filling his ears, he seemed to hear the suddenly resonant, unified sutra chanting from monks around the scripture platform for his sake. He followed in his heart, silently reciting the scripture texts flooding his mind.

Suddenly, his heart skipped slightly and stopped.

He discovered that what he was reciting at this moment was the scripture text he had chanted for her that night before she married into Chang’an when she came to bid him farewell!

Not only that time—the previous time he had chanted for her was also this same scripture text. Because the first time, when he chanted this passage for her, she said it was extremely pleasant and she liked hearing it. He remembered this, and later every time she came, he would recite this same scripture text for her.

Because of her single word of praise, somehow this most ordinary scripture text had become his favorite. He had recited it countless times, so much so that at this moment, it emerged again.

In Wu Sheng’s mind appeared the cliff cave, that scene of her sleeping peacefully in his sutra chanting…

When the kingdom fell and he fled, he was already old enough to remember. Subsequently, he hid his name, changing from Huang Furong to Wu Sheng. In the many years after, thinking back, perhaps only those days after she rescued him when he stayed in that desolate mountain cave were the years when his heart truly gained peace and joy.

He had told himself that when someday she no longer needed him to chant sutras for her, he would leave. Yet he couldn’t deceive himself. Before the blue lamp and Buddhist scrolls, how could he not have secretly hoped that this day would never come?

If there were an afterlife, he wouldn’t be a prince or a monk.

He wanted to be that mountain outside Yunluo City, that lake, that morning glow, that sunset. Even if she didn’t know of his existence, that would be fine. He could quietly await her coming, silently see her off, life after life, year after year, morning and evening.

The moment this thought flashed forth, his spiritual platform suddenly shook. Instantly, his heart pounded wildly, then he broke into profuse sweat.

The fire grew larger, beginning to scorch his exposed skin. The hot wind forced his robes to dance, and he began feeling pain. In his ears, the monks’ sutra chanting and believers’ weeping grew ever louder…

He completely awakened!

He was a monk—from the first day he entered the empty gate, all his ascetic practices and cultivation were to escape samsara and leave the sea of suffering!

In the end, at this moment with fierce fire about to consume his body, he still couldn’t cut worldly ties and longed for an afterlife. Then what were those beliefs that had supported him all along?

In an instant, like mountains collapsing, he felt his mind roaring, blood and qi churning in his chest. He swayed as if about to fall, nearly vomiting blood. He completely failed to notice that above his head, the originally bright red blazing sun suddenly seemed bitten by something, abruptly turning dark.

Without any warning, the red sun disappeared, heaven and earth darkened, and wild winds swept the four directions. Inside and outside Chang’an seemed to fall into night—only the fire blazing beneath this scripture platform remained, dancing wildly in the wind, dazzling and brilliant!

Accompanied by this suddenly descending fear that the world seemed about to fall into eternal night, monks stopped chanting, officials panicked, horses broke free of restraints and ran wildly about. The people in the wilderness also reacted, crying out in supplication, prostrating on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

Only Wu Sheng, still struggling painfully in his world, was completely unaware of all this. In the suddenly arriving darkness, a thick smoke rolled toward him. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

When Wu Sheng slowly awakened, he still kept his eyes closed, feeling that his body seemed to have hidden pain from fire burns.

He slowly opened his eyes, and his vision fixed.

He seemed to be in a horse carriage that was moving forward.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether he was alive or dead, or where he was going.

He slowly sat up. The carriage stopped, the door opened from outside, and someone came before him.

It was Cheng Chong.

That warrior who had taken him from Yunluo that day and secretly sent him to Chang’an.

The other’s attitude was no longer as rough as before—he appeared very respectful, saying that when the fire burned at the scripture platform, the sun happened to be eclipsed.

Since Heaven willed it so, the Regent Prince followed popular sentiment and would not allow his death.

“His Highness orders this humble officer to convey that from now on, you are free to go anywhere you wish, stay anywhere you wish, do anything you wish.”

“His Highness also said that in the northern lands, there is a close friend of yours who should very much want to see your face. Before that, this humble officer will first escort you to see her.”

After Cheng Chong finished speaking, he bowed to Wu Sheng and closed the carriage door. Shortly after, the carriage continued forward, racing north.