White Horse Temple is where Duan Yu’s lonely search for Wang YuYan is interrupted by an unexpected reunion with Fu Sigui, Gu Ducheng, and Zhu Danchen. A conversation about Buddhist teaching gives way to news of his father and an errand to the Beggar Clan, making the temple a hinge between private longing and public obligation.

Setting and Conversation

Duan Yu is at the temple in LuoYang, speaking with its abbot about the Agama and the Buddhist teaching of the Seven Treasures of the Chakravartin. His interest settles on the Jade Maiden treasure, described as neither long nor short, neither black nor white, and warm in winter but cool in summer. The abbot explains that the seven treasures are an analogy and begins to invoke the Buddha’s teaching on impermanence, but his explanation is cut short when three visitors enter.

A Chance Reunion

The visitors are Fu Sigui, Gu Ducheng, and Zhu Danchen. They have come to LuoYang on an errand from Duan Zhengchun: after leaving the Ma residence in XinYang, Duan Zhengchun met Ruan Xingzhu and recovered under her care. Concerned that Xiao Feng had been wrongly accused by the Beggar Clan of killing Ma Dayuan, he wrote a letter to vindicate him and ordered the three men to deliver it.

They find no leading figures at the Beggar Clan’s main hall, then learn that the Hall of Great Wisdom is gathering nearby. In a restaurant, they hear about a daydreaming gentleman whose appearance and behavior sound like Duan Yu’s, and follow the report to the temple. The meeting thus depends on two converging searches: the three men seeking Duan Yu, and Duan Yu’s own stay in Henan.

From Longing to Duty

Duan Yu has spent the preceding month wandering around Henan under the pretense of sightseeing, while actually scanning his surroundings for any glimpse of Wang YuYan. The mountains and scenery have gone unnoticed. Reunited with the three men, he agrees to accompany them to deliver the letter and asks them to take him quickly to his father, whom he has learned is also in Henan.

His hopes remain divided. He has been longing for news of Wang YuYan and hopes to see her at the Beggar Clan gathering, but that hope comes to nothing. Seeing him sigh, Zhu Danchen assumes he is thinking of Mu Wanqing and, unable to console him, tries to redirect his attention by mentioning Mr. Intelligent, who is inviting people to play chess. The temple encounter therefore sets Duan Yu back on the path of family and political affairs without easing the romantic fixation that has brought him north in the first place.