Chapter 153: Chapter 129 Are You Worthy of Me?_2
Translator: 549690339
Though the rightful subjects had all departed, the old monk did not pause his narration. It wasn’t until the sun reached late morning that he finished expounding the scriptures. Birds and beasts seemed to awaken from a dream, recuperating surrounded by the receding echoes of Zen Meditation.
“Today’s sermon ends here. Return home now. If destiny permits, you may enter my order in the future!”
The venerable monk’s kindly gaze gentled the feuding birds and beasts. The lingering Buddhist chant in their hearts prevented them from harboring any killing intent, even the roar of hunger in their bellies wouldn’t permit them to kill the easily accessible food beside them.
Although all birds and beasts eventually dispersed, a fraction stayed, unwilling to leave. However, the old monk had no intention of continuing his sermon, vanishing under the daylight like a mirage.
“The scripture reading was excellent!”
From not far away, the scholar in the green shirt who had been listening attentively abruptly spoke.
“Amitabha!”
The old monk appeared behind the scholar, reciting a Buddhist mantra,
“Having the approval of the mountain god is indeed a great honour for this humble monk!”
“However, the fervor was short-lived. A sole scripture can hardly bear fruit!”
“For the enlightened, a single scripture is sufficient! As for the mountain’s birds and beasts, a single scripture can awaken their spirituality. Alas, to a mountain god like you, a single scripture serves no purpose!”
“Correct!”
The mountain god agreed, acknowledging the merit in the scripture but admitting it was of no use to him. It was only because he was the mountain god that he had appeared there.
“If the mountain god wishes to view the complete text, you may enter our
Bodhi Monastery. We have the entire volumes of “The Sutra of the
Wheel-Turning Sage King,” “The Mahavairocana Sutra,” “The Renwang Jing
“I and this mountain are one; hence, I cannot join the Buddhist Gate!”
The scholar interrupted before the old monk finished, clarifying his stance.
“Buddha is omnipresent. If the mountain god is willing, this frail monk can build a monastery in the mountains!”
The old monk did not give up. He had been to many places and had an exceptional worldview. He could see that the mountain god in front of him was incredibly different from common mountain gods. Bringing it into the temple would add a powerful deity in their defense.
Although he had been startled before, it didn’t overwhelm his thoughts. This mountain god wasn’t his primary objective, but was an unexpected gain. If he could win him over, the Bodhi Monastery would indeed have a firm footing in Da Jin.
“This mountain doesn’t need a temple!”
A chill crossed the mountain god’s face. His intentions were clear – if the monk did not know when to stop and continued pestering, he shouldn’t blame him for being rude.
“Since the mountain god is not interested, I will not bring this matter up again. However, I wish to seek some enlightenment from the mountain god about something.”
“Feel free to ask!”
“Does the mountain god hold any prejudice against my Buddhist Gate?”
The old monk’s face was calm, a smile plastered on his wrinkled face. Surprisingly, the prayer beads in his hand subtly changed color, and his plain monk robe transformed into a red Kasaya, adorned with Ruyi beads, dust-repelling beads, wind-calming beads, red agate, purple coral, and Buddha relics.
“If I had real prejudices against the Buddhist Gate, I wouldn’t have let you preach your Dharma here!”
The mountain god ignored the monk’s transformation and acted as if nothing happened.
“I am rather puzzled then. Why did the mountain god defame my Buddhist Gate in front of the second young master?”
The old monk’s smile had vanished some time ago, replaced by a tin staff in his hand. The spinning prayer beads had turned the fiery red, with apparitions of ghosts seemingly struggling and screaming inside.
“I just told the truth, how could that be slander!”
Even though he knew that his conversation with Feng Qing’an had been overheard by the old monk, the Mountain God didn’t care. As the god of a mountain, shouldn’t I have the right to tell the truth? The old monk may be impressive, but he’s not yet enough to make me fearful.
“The Mountain God has truly misunderstood Buddhism. Since you refuse to enter Bodhi Monastery willingly, I’ll have to insensitively insist. I strongly invite you to visit my monastery and take a look at tens of thousands of Buddhist sutras, which will correct your misconceptions.”
The old monk threw his Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, the bright red Buddha beads burst and transformed into twelve hideously fierce demons. As they appeared, the vegetation underneath wilted and its vitality was drained.
“Where is Buddha when he’s needed everywhere? Five hundred years ago, I sought the Way when my lifespan was nearing its end, yet I saw no Buddha. You invite me to the temple to read sutras? A thousand years ago, I orbited the mountain for a century without progress, why didn’t you invite me then?”
Despite questioning the monk, the Mountain God was increasingly indifferent. He did not even glance at the foul and intimidating demons, and instead turned his gaze to the old monk who no longer bore any hint of modesty.
“Amitabha, Mountain God, you have entered a business obstacle and need to chant the Buddhist scriptures to break free…”
Rumble-—
Under the sunny sky, heavenly punishment arrived in form of thunder. Its power was symbolic of the strongest and most masculine force of nature. With just one strike, the sinful demonic forces were wiped out in a flash and turned into dust. The wilted plants, engulfed by demonic aura, returned to life, without even a scratch on their leaves!
The heavens unleashed the green thunder, causing the old monk to swallow back his words in astonishment. He stunned at the gentleman in green robe in front of him. He couldn’t feel any magical energy flowing or earth vein fluctuation. The thunderbolt just suddenly descended from the sky.
“I don’t need to meet your Buddha or read any of the hundreds of thousands of sutras!”
The gentleman in green that Feng Qing’an envisioned hadn’t changed much. However, his mysterious eyes had transformed into golden vertical pupils. With utmost authority, as if a Heavenly Dragon overlooking the mortal ants, he stared at the old monk.
With just a glance, numerous precious gemstones set in the old monk’s Kasaya burst open. His tin rod broken and exploded on the spot, turned into a short stick. The old monk reverted back to his original simple appearance, but with an addition of pitifulness and laughableness.
“A god blessed by heaven?! That’s impossible!”
The old monk couldn’t believe the sight of the short stick in his hand. Although he had predicted the Mountain God to be extraordinary, he hadn’t expected him to be so remarkable.
Among the gods of nature he had come across, none, other than the one right in front of his eyes, had made him this embarrassed and lost his Zen Heart.
He had never seen such a god. Most gods of nature in this world were either cultivators who had spiritual accomplishments or demons or spirits that occupied earth veins or controlled water veins.
He had heard that in ancient times, mountains could naturally manifest spirit beings. However, these innate deities had long disappeared and only existed in classics.
The god before him was certainly not a spirit born from mountains. He walked the true path of an Earth Spirit, gaining divine approval without relying on incense and magic.
“Considering your contribution to enlightening the spirits of this mountain, I spare your life today. If you dare to offend again, I will send you to the Buddhist Pure Land earlier. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
“This humble monk has been taught a lesson. I’m grateful that the Mountain
God has spared my life and forgave me for unintentionally offending!”
At this moment, the old monk was truly humble. Even though the Mountain God had disappeared before him, he repeatedly bowed to the spot where the Mountain God had stood.
After receiving no response, the old monk left the mountain as quickly as the wind, not stopping until he reached a temple where incense was thriving. He finally let out a sigh of relief.
However, as he observed his disheveled appearance, he couldn’t help but give a bitter smile,
“The accumulation of five hundred years, destroyed in a flash by an unintentional word! The sin is truly great, how good, how good!”
But being a highly cultivated monk, he didn’t wallow in the fact that all his Buddhist treasures had been destroyed. Instead, he couldn’t help but sigh,
“This place truly warrants being the birthplace of Feng, the Governor of Zhou. It’s rich in spiritual essence, and his younger brother, as I surmised, is spiritually gifted. But I never expected that such a Mountain God would be here.
I am not capable of deciding on this matter.. I should report it to the monastery and bring my fellow brothers here!”
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