After leaving the Thousand Bamboo Grove, Medicine Tathāgata returned to Deer Garden·One Vehicle and retreated to his Medicine Master's Terrace.
However, the moment he stepped inside, he noticed another presence within.
The figure, sensing Medicine Tathāgata's return, turned to face him.
"I pay my respects to the Buddha Emperor," the figure said.
Recognizing the one who awaited him, Medicine Tathāgata bowed deeply.
"Master, where have you been?" the Nine Realms' Buddha Emperor asked.
"I visited the Thousand Bamboo Grove and borrowed the Seven Divine Needles from Tian Bugu," Medicine Tathāgata replied.
As he spoke, Medicine Tathāgata produced a wooden box containing the Seven Divine Needles.
"They may prove useful in the future, so I sought to prepare in advance," he explained.
The Buddha Emperor nodded.
"I see," he said.
Though he accepted the explanation, a sliver of doubt lingered in his heart.
Lately, the Buddha Emperor had sensed that Medicine Tathāgata and others were hiding something from him—yet he lacked any concrete evidence.
"Might I ask why the Buddha Emperor sought me out?" Medicine Tathāgata asked.
"Nothing urgent. I was merely wandering and found myself at the Medicine Master's Terrace. Noticing your absence, I decided to wait," the Buddha Emperor replied.
"It is good that the Buddha Emperor is well," Medicine Tathāgata said.
"You have traveled far, Master. Rest well," the Buddha Emperor said.
With that, the Buddha Emperor prepared to leave.
"Buddha Emperor," Medicine Tathāgata called.
The Buddha Emperor turned back.
"What is it, Master?" he asked.
"Might the Buddha Emperor instruct me in the Hundred Lamps' Binding Seal?" Medicine Tathāgata requested.
"The Hundred Lamps' Binding Seal?!" the Buddha Emperor exclaimed.
The request struck the Buddha Emperor as deeply unusual.
This formation was his own creation, designed for sealing and annihilation. Once activated, endless divine thunder would rain upon the trapped, purging all heresy.
Yet such power demanded an equally steep price—all of the Buddha Emperor's cultivation and his sacred blood. To invoke it was to sacrifice everything.
Precisely because of this, though he had disclosed its existence to the monks of Deer Garden·One Vehicle, he had never taught its method.
Thus, Medicine Tathāgata's request left him both startled and hesitant.
"I humbly seek the Buddha Emperor's guidance," Medicine Tathāgata said.
He bowed deeply once more, resolve etched into his posture.
"...Very well," the Buddha Emperor relented.
He retrieved a manual and handed it to Medicine Tathāgata.
"This contains all records of the Hundred Lamps' Binding Seal," he said.
"My gratitude, Buddha Emperor," Medicine Tathāgata said.
Accepting the text, Medicine Tathāgata watched as the Buddha Emperor departed without another word.
Only when the figure had vanished did Medicine Tathāgata's grip tighten around the manual, his eyes shadowed with remorse.
"Forgive me, Buddha Emperor," he murmured.
He began studying the text at once.
The Buddha Emperor's decision had been swayed not only by Medicine Tathāgata's determination but also by his own fear that the formation might otherwise be lost.
Despite their current advantages, the Buddha Emperor had already embraced death.
For without Yi Ye Shu's Eightfold Dragon Divine Fire, the Twin Buddha Calamities could not be destroyed.
A day later, within a vast meditation hall of Deer Garden·One Vehicle, over a hundred monks gathered.
"The Buddha Emperor has grown suspicious of me," Medicine Tathāgata said.
"If he suspects, will it hinder our plans?" another monk asked.
"Not immediately. But we must accelerate our preparations. By the time he realizes, it will be too late," Medicine Tathāgata replied.
"I have secured the Seven Divine Needles. With them, I can safeguard all lives. I ask only that each of you devote your full strength," he continued.
"Master need not worry. Even without the needles, we would gladly offer our lives," a venerable monk said.
"I have also obtained the Hundred Lamps' Binding Seal from the Buddha Emperor. In the coming days, I shall study it thoroughly. All is ready—the rest depends on your efforts," Medicine Tathāgata said.
Medicine Tathāgata clasped his hands in a solemn bow.
"Master is too kind. All for the sake of Deer Garden," the monks said.
"Indeed. All for Deer Garden," Medicine Tathāgata agreed.
Meanwhile, far away in the Fleeting Love Pavilion, Yin Shiren remained unaware of the events unfolding in Deer Garden·One Vehicle.
Presently, he sat within the chambers of the establishment's foremost courtesan—Peerless Beauty Yan Wushuang.
He had paid handsomely for her company.
"Yan Wushuang greets the honored guest," she said.
Holding a pipa, she entered with a graceful curtsy.
Only after rising did she lift her gaze to Yin Shiren—and instantly, her eyes glazed over, her cheeks flushing.
Yin Shiren noticed at once.
Swiftly, he turned his back to her.
Only then did the dazed light in Yan Wushuang's eyes dim slightly—though she still stared, entranced, at his figure.
"Ahem..." Yin Shiren coughed.
The sound struck her like a temple bell at dawn, snapping her back to awareness.
"This lowly one has behaved improperly!" she exclaimed.
Mortified, she hurriedly apologized, bewildered by her own reaction.
"What melody would the guest care to hear?" she asked.
"Do you know any Buddhist compositions to calm the mind?" Yin Shiren inquired.
"...Buddhist compositions?" she repeated.
The request stunned her. Never before had a patron come to a pleasure house seeking Buddhist tranquility music.
"How about the 'Bodhi Serenity Melody'?" she suggested.
Despite its strangeness, as a top courtesan, she was well-versed in even such pieces.
"That will do," Yin Shiren said.
Seating herself, she began plucking the pipa's strings.
At first, her unsettled heart lent the music an unsteady quality. But as she played, her mind stilled—and the melody's pacifying effect took hold.
Yin Shiren, too, felt his restless thoughts settle.
Now composed, he turned his focus inward.
He knew well that his unnatural influence over women was anything but ordinary.
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