Chapter 111 - 107: Delivering Oneself to the Door

Chapter 111: Chapter 107: Delivering Oneself to the Door

In Chunzhou, the White Cloud Zen Temple was the greatest temple.

Today was the birthday of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Thus, tens of thousands of commoners had gone up the mountain early in the morning just to burn incense for Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and pray for themselves.

In Chunzhou City.

The monks of the White Cloud Zen Temple were also extremely busy today, continuously purchasing all the incense and candles needed for the day. Because the passion of the Chunzhou City commoners for worshipping Buddha was too intense, the incense, candles, Yuanbao Candles, and Peace Talismans prepared early at the mountain gate were actually in short supply, which forced the monks to split into several groups and hurry to several major cooperative shops in the city for emergency purchases.

Monk Songyang was a disciple of the current generation in the White Cloud Zen Temple. His generational character was Song, and he had more than a dozen senior brothers of the same generation above him. Although his cultivation of his sect’s Buddhist Martial Arts was lacking, when it came to his ability to handle affairs down the mountain, no one could replace him. As a result, even though he was terrible at both Martial Arts and Buddhist Techniques, he happened to become the most favored disciple of the White Cloud Zen Temple’s Supervisor, Lotus Elder.

"Senior Brother, the way I see it, even these two carts of precious candles aren’t enough for those commoners to burn. It’s really strange. They burn them every year, yet I’ve never seen any of them make a fortune," the accompanying Monk Songmu complained. "They’re burning money, and it’s not even for us..."

Songyang sneered in response, "What do you mean it’s not for you? If it wasn’t for you, where did you get the money to secretly custom-order that bright red Kasaya for yourself?"

Songmu’s expression changed drastically as his face turned pale. "Senior Brother Songyang, how did you... you..."

Songyang only glanced at him, seemingly disdaining to expose his ’treasonous’ actions. He merely said, "In this vast mortal world, where are there truly any Immortals or Buddhas? Even if someone’s Martial Arts are the best in the world, they will eventually die of old age. The Bodhisattva needs a Golden Body to cross over, and the commoners need Silver Coins to live. Nothing can be separated from the word ’money.’ We just need to do our jobs well. The benefits you get from being a monk in the temple are no less than those of a scholar who passes the imperial examinations."

Songmu lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

At this moment, a sudden clamor arose on the main street. The commoners not far away could be seen pointing and talking.

"This young Daoist has such good looks!"

"With such a face, he’s truly like an Immortal. To think a man could be born so handsome."

Hearing the noise, several monks from the White Cloud Temple looked over. On the distant street, they saw a young Daoist wearing a Profound Daoist Robe, followed by a young man and woman who were also wearing Daoist Robes.

Even Monk Songyang, who fancied himself a Buddhist disciple, couldn’t help but reveal a hint of awe in his eyes upon looking at the young Daoist. He thought, "This Daoist is truly blessed by the heavens. Relying solely on this handsome face, no matter whose house he goes to perform rituals, people would probably believe him completely just by looking at his face." Because this Daoist exuded an otherworldly aura at all times, coupled with his handsome face, he was entirely like a banished Immortal descending to the mortal realm.

Right then, Songyang heard Songmu exclaim from behind him, "Senior Brother Songyang, quickly look at the two people behind that Daoist! Don’t they look like those two little brats who wrote ’slander the Buddha, insult the temple’ on our temple’s plaque a year ago?!"

Songyang hadn’t paid much attention to the people behind the handsome Daoist. Reminded by Songmu, he looked over, and his heart immediately skipped a beat. "It really is those two little vile spawns! They actually dare to appear in Chunzhou City again. Where did they get the sheer nerve to be so bold?"

Those walking slowly down the main street were exactly Chen Sha and his two disciples.

In the distance, after recognizing Lin Qingqing and Qii Zhengyi, Songyang immediately had the monks behind him hide. "Don’t show yourselves yet. That little girl named Lin Qingqing has surprisingly formidable Martial Arts. Even though she’s young, she can hold her own against the First-class Experts in our temple. Songmu, follow them first. I’ll return to the temple immediately to report to the Supervisor Elder. Last time, after these two little vile spawns wrote those insulting words on our Buddhist plaque and managed to escape, it was already a tremendous humiliation for our White Cloud Temple. This time, we must capture them and bring them back to the temple for an explanation!"

After instructing his junior brother, Songyang immediately headed towards the White Cloud Temple to report.

...

Ten miles outside Chunzhou City stood the White Cloud Temple.

This treasured temple covered over a hundred acres, facing south. Its majestic gates bore four large characters: "White Cloud Zen Temple."

Walking inward from the temple gates, one could sequentially see the Celestial King Hall, the Guanyin Hall, and the Great Hall—standard structures found in Buddhist temples.

To the right of the Great Hall was the Yangxin Hall, and to the rear left was the Zen Hall. There were wing rooms on both sides of the Zen Hall. Beside the hall stood a large locust tree that would take three people to encircle. It grew inside a large, square bronze tripod buried in the ground, earning it the name "Buddha Cauldron Locust Tree."

At this moment, in front of the Buddha Cauldron Locust Tree, tens of thousands of commoners and pilgrims from Chunzhou City were praying devoutly beneath it. It was a sea of people, rubbing shoulders and heels. When they bowed, all that could be seen was a uniform expanse of the backs of heads and spines.

"Namo Ami..."

Sanskrit chanting echoed, and sutra pillars swayed within the temple.

As the current Abbot of the White Cloud Zen Temple, the Zen Su Divine Monk was quite chubby. Standing in front of the Great Hall, watching the pilgrims kneeling devoutly under the tree, he couldn’t help but chant a Buddhist epithet, "Amitabha Buddha."

"Abbot Zen Su, looking at your temple’s incense offerings this year, our Blade Grinding Hall will also need to prepare some Treasure Notes and candles to sell next year."

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a saber at his waist, wearing a black robe and sporting a mustache.

At this time, the interior of the Great Hall was surprisingly filled with representatives from several major Martial Arts Sects in Chunzhou City. If any Chunzhou Martial Artists were present, they would easily recognize that four of the people here were renowned Grandmaster Level figures who dominated their respective regions, such as the Flame Sect’s Sect Leader Lei Wuyan, Sky-Breaking Spear Feng Ziyun, and Divine Whip Su Qing...

Furthermore, the Blade Grinding Hall Master Ding Daolian was an expert at the Grandmaster Level.

Abbot Zen Su smiled cheerfully. "Sect Leaders and Hall Masters, you have all participated in the Bodhisattva’s birthday here at our White Cloud Temple over the years, adding countless merits to our Buddhist Sect. This year is the same. Thanks to all of you, our White Cloud Temple’s incense offerings continue to grow stronger. Therefore, I am gifting each of you a Buddha Statue. May my Buddha bless you all."

With that, he had some monks carry in many wooden boxes.

Grandmaster Ding Daolian opened a box and his eyes twitched. Inside was a half-foot-tall Pure Gold Buddha Statue that looked to weigh around ten catties.

"Since this is a merit the Abbot has sought for us, how can we refuse?" Ding Daolian smiled faintly.

Over the years, if it weren’t for the sincere cooperation between these Martial Arts Sects of Chunzhou City and the White Cloud Temple, the temple’s business might not have grown this large.

He had come to understand it well. So what if someone’s Martial Arts were number one in the world? Even though he had practiced his Saber Technique to the Grandmaster Realm, to the point where he could establish his own sect, he still couldn’t live a comfortable and wealthy life just on that...

When it came to making money, the minds of this group of monks in the White Cloud Temple were the most flexible, surpassing even their Ancestral Masters. As a millennial Martial Arts Sect, the White Cloud Temple had once produced a First Grade Divine Monk. Yet, even when a First Grade Divine Monk was watching over them, the White Cloud Temple had not seen the booming incense offerings they enjoyed today...

On the contrary, the current White Cloud Temple only had three Grandmasters, yet they had managed the temple’s incense offerings to the highest level in its history. Each monk and Elder lived no worse than the Emperor. This could be generally seen from the Gemstones adorning the Abbot’s Kasaya.

While the heads of the Chunzhou Martial Arts world were accepting their Golden Buddhas inside the Great Hall, Songyang hurriedly squeezed through the crowd and entered the hall, finding the Supervisor Elder who was closely following Abbot Zen Su.

"Elder, those two brats who wrote on our White Cloud Temple’s plaque a year ago to curse the Buddha and insult our Baiyun Monks have appeared in Chunzhou City again. I have already sent Songmu to secretly follow them. You know that those two little vile spawns don’t have weak Martial Arts, so..."

Upon hearing this, the Lotus Supervisor was taken aback for a moment before seemingly recalling it. He said, "You mean that little girl with excellent innate talent. At the time, I offered to take her as a disciple and have her join our Zen Temple, saying we would overlook her mistakes. I never expected she would actually..."

Recalling this matter, the Lotus Supervisor’s face instantly darkened. "Very well. She actually ran back here a year later. She won’t be able to escape this time. I will personally lead the Twenty-eight Arhat Monks over."

As he spoke, his heart suddenly stirred. Something didn’t seem right. "Those two little vile spawns know they’ve offended our White Cloud Zen Temple, yet they still dare to show up. Could it be they have someone backing them? Are they alone, or is someone with them?"

Songyang paused and replied, "There really is someone with them. However, it’s just a young Daoist not much older than those two little vile spawns. I saw all three of them wearing Daoist Robes. It seems those two vile spawns have joined some unknown Daoist Temple. That young Daoist is probably their senior brother, traveling down the mountain with them."

Hearing this, the Lotus Supervisor pondered for a moment. He hadn’t heard of any formidable young Daoists in the Jianghu. Since the person was only in his twenties, at most he possessed Grandmaster Skill.

"Alright, I’ll go personally this time..."

As the Supervisor of the White Cloud Zen Temple, he was one of the three Grandmasters of the White Cloud Temple.

Although Songyang and the Lotus Supervisor kept their voices low during their conversation, everyone inside the Great Hall were Grandmaster experts of Chunzhou City. The Blade Grinding Hall Master, Ding Daolian, for instance, heard their voices crystal clear. Having just received a Great Golden Buddha from the White Cloud Temple, how could he not show his support? He immediately spoke up:

"So it’s those two juniors who insulted the White Cloud Zen Temple a year ago showing their faces again. When I heard about this matter back then, I was infuriated. Unfortunately, I found out too late, and those two juniors managed to escape Chunzhou. Since they actually dare to come back now, I will accompany Master Lianhua. I’ll personally capture these two juniors who insulted the Buddhist Sect. I really want to see which family’s juniors they are, to be so wildly arrogant, lawless, and brazen enough to play jokes on the White Cloud Temple!"

The moment Ding Daolian spoke up, the other experts in the hall naturally couldn’t remain silent. They chimed in one after another, "Since we’re all here today, I think we might as well go together. I heard those two juniors’ Martial Arts aren’t weak either. A year has passed, so perhaps they have improved. We might as well help capture them together."

Abbot Zen Su, who hadn’t spoken until now, said with a smile, "Everyone is truly chivalrous and righteous..."

Just as he was about to press his palms together in gratitude...

BOOM~~~~

An earth-shattering noise erupted from the gates of the White Cloud Zen Temple. Everyone standing at the elevated Great Hall looked over from a distance. They saw the main doors at the temple gates seemingly blasted apart from the center by an invisible, massive force, flying over a hundred feet away to the left and right.

A young, handsome Daoist strode in with his hands clasped behind his back. Behind him trailed a young man and woman, both carrying enormous bundles. The man looked eighteen or nineteen, while the girl was only sixteen or seventeen.

Inside the hall, Songyang screamed in shock, "It’s them! It’s them! Didn’t I tell Songmu to secretly follow them? How did they end up following him to the temple gates?!"

After the loud crash, the commoners’ prayers and sutra chanting below the Great Hall all ceased. Everyone turned their heads to look, making Monk Songyang’s voice echo exceptionally clearly between the several halls.

At the temple gates, Lin Qingqing looked over and giggled. "When you were secretly discussing things more than a hundred feet away from us, we already heard that you were coming up the mountain to fetch reinforcements. Afraid that the trip down the mountain would be too tiring for you all, we simply delivered ourselves to your doorstep. Would you say the three of us, master and disciples, are kindhearted enough?"