novelapdf Chapter 50 Conflict
Chapter 50 Conflict
A commotion broke out outside the temple gate, and the young novice monk was at a loss for what to do.
The person who went to inform the abbot has not yet returned.
He was afraid of being beaten if he argued back, and he dared not stop the man, who was a big and burly man.
After much thought, I decided to put my hands together, close my eyes, and silently recite Buddhist scriptures, seeking a moment of tranquility in Buddhism.
"Why waste words with these bald monks? It's obvious they don't dare to come out and confront us. Let's just smash their temple."
"That's right, smash this temple."
……
Song Quyou, standing on high ground, could see clearly that the man he was calling out to was dressed in a short brown robe with an axe at his waist; he was the same man who had helped instigate the fight behind the dark-faced giant.
Looking around, there were four or five other people like that, scattered throughout the crowd, stirring things up with their own words.
"Crack!" A piece of bluestone was inlaid on the huge plaque of Lingfo Temple.
Someone started it, and several strong young men rushed out from the crowd, suddenly holding bricks and stones, which they smashed at the mountain gate plaque.
In an instant, bricks and stones flew through the air, sparks flew from the copper nails, and the door panel was hit with a loud bang.
The plaque was inlaid with seven bricks of different colors.
To those with a discerning eye, this can be considered a connection to Buddhism, aligning with the Buddhist concept of the Seven Treasures.
……
The people's emotions were completely ignited, and shouts and banging on doors filled the air.
The young novice monk huddled behind the door, his thin body trembling like a leaf. His thin robe made him look even more pitiful, yet he kept his eyes closed and chanted scriptures in a low voice.
"stop!"
A deep Buddhist chant rang out from inside the temple. The sound was not loud, but it was as resounding as a great bell, making people's eardrums buzz.
The mountain gate suddenly opened wide, and an old monk wearing a kasaya walked out slowly, with white eyebrows reaching his shoulders and a normal expression.
The burly, dark-faced man instinctively took a half-step back, then straightened his chest, pointed his knife at the old monk, and shouted, "Old monk, you've finally decided to come out? If you don't hand over that bald monk Huiming today, I'm not done with you!"
When the woman saw the old monk come out, she, who had just been shedding tears, immediately knelt down and grabbed her husband's trouser leg, pleading bitterly:
"Master, let's go home. Don't tarnish our masters' reputation. It's all my fault! It's all my fault! I'm so shameless, so bad at refusing, and so bad for ruining the masters' reputation."
The woman cried her heart out, her arms tightly wrapped around her husband's thighs, her shoulders trembling. Her sobs were muffled by the butcher's clothes, making them sound even more heartbreaking.
The old abbot of Lingfo Temple said calmly, "Amitabha, benefactor, do you have any evidence that Huiming harassed your wife?"
"Proof?" The burly, dark-faced man grabbed his wife, pointed at the red mark on her neck, and sneered, "This isn't proof? Do you, old monk, think it's just a mosquito bite?"
The villagers watching laughed.
The old abbot glanced at the wound and slowly said, "The red spots on your body are indeed not caused by insect bites, but they cannot be attributed to my temple's disciples either."
The rough-looking man didn't say much, adopting the demeanor of a thug.
He bent down and gave the red spot a quick kiss.
The incident happened suddenly.
The villagers around could only cover their wide-eyed stares with their drafty hands.
He kept yelling "Ouch!"
"In broad daylight, what kind of behavior is this!"
What kind of behavior is this!
……
The rough-looking man wiped his mouth and pointed to two red spots, one large and one small, on his wife's neck, saying:
"The abbot called out that bald monk Huiming and had him suck on my wife's neck in front of everyone. If the size wasn't right, we'd immediately slaughter two big fat pigs and send them to Lingfo Temple with gongs and drums."
But if it's the same, we'll have to slaughter him like a bald monk.
The woman was stunned by the kiss, her sobs caught in her throat, her face flushed red, and she covered her face and shrank behind her husband. She stopped crying and instead kept hitting her husband.
"Abbot, let Huiming come out. He's already in such a state; it's really inappropriate for him to keep hiding."
"That's right, that's right. People come to Lingfo Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha all day long. What they value is the strict adherence to the rules and regulations by the monks. Are they really practicing Buddhism?"
……
They stood facing each other in front of the temple gate, when a small, bright red sparrow landed on Song Quyou's shoulder.
"That fat cat led me into the temple to steal fish, but we got cornered by a monk and can't escape. Quick, go save it!"
Song Quyou frowned slightly and said to Su Tang, who was watching the commotion, "Senior sister, Heitan was caught by the monks while trying to steal fish from the temple."
Upon hearing that her fat cat had been caught, Su Tang lost interest in watching the spectacle and, along with Song Quyou, followed Yun Que, stepping on leafless branches, and circled around to the back of the temple.
After climbing over the temple wall, I found myself in a secluded Zen monastery. The steps were covered in moss, and several old pine trees leaned against the wall, indicating that few people visited on ordinary days.
A lark flapped its wings and led the way, passing through two moon gates, where the faint sound of a cat meowing could be heard ahead.
Song Quyou and Su Tang quickened their pace.
Take the lead and go around a corner.
In an instant, what was once the dead of winter turned into the height of summer.
In that Zen temple, the trees were lush and green, the cicadas chirped noisily, and the lotus flowers in the pond stood gracefully on the blue waves, swaying gently.
Song Quyou paused, then suddenly turned around. The moon gate he had come from had vanished, leaving only an old wall covered in creeping fig vines, its tendrils intertwined, as if no one had ever set foot there for hundreds of years.
But the lark did not follow; he was blocked outside the wall and disappeared without a trace.
The charcoal-colored creature was unharmed at the moment, standing on the upturned eaves, its fur standing on end, breathing on the handsome monk on the ground.
The monk had a handsome face, clear eyebrows and bright eyes, and his moon-white robes were spotless. He was undoubtedly Huiming.
Song Quyou and this monk did not get along. Last night, the purification talisman that Song Quyou used was secretly sabotaged by this monk.
When Heitan saw someone approaching, he lightly leaped, his round body jumping from the eaves into Su Tang's arms.
She gently and coquettishly pleaded.
Song Quyou held his sword, looked at Huiming, and remained silent.
With a face full of pity, Huiming said softly, "Benefactor, I have advised you that this cat has a hidden demonic aura and that if you do not restrain it properly, it will surely cause trouble in the future."
Today, the only remaining Brahma of our temple has also fallen into the belly of this cat; this is a grave transgression.
Song Quyou frowned slightly, then changed the subject: "The woman you were frivolous with is crying in the front yard. The young monk inside said you didn't return all night. I never expected that I would run into you in the backyard of this temple."
Upon hearing this, Huiming showed no panic. He simply lowered his eyes and murmured a Buddhist chant. When he looked up again, his gaze remained fixed on the black charcoal in Su Tang's arms.
"Benefactor, this cat demon has repeatedly stolen the Brona that Buddha prayed for to bless the sea people. Today, I have caught it and it is truly fitting that it should be taught a lesson."
Hearing Huiming say that he was praying for the sea people's well-being, Song Quyou thought of the story told by the fish monster in the mountain temple and tentatively asked:
"Brona, who prays for and protects the sea people?"
I've heard that the mysterious fog and man-eating sea eyes that shrouded the East China Sea recently are inextricably linked to the Brona. After rescuing people, they took them to Little Spirit Mountain in the far west, where the sea people converted to religion and Buddhism.
Fortunately, it was eventually discovered that the foggy sea eye in the East China Sea was just a trick orchestrated by Brona himself.
"Such a harmful demonic fish, if you're going to eat it, just eat it. Why treat it like some kind of sacred treasure?"