Chapter 157: Chapter 131: What Ghost is Knocking at My Temple Door?_2
Translator: 549690339
Yet, despite his tireless efforts, he has not been able to attract the attention of a single child at the village. It’s as if he has come up empty-handed like someone drawing water with a bamboo basket. This left him feeling as if his efforts were futile.
As such, he prepared lavish incense offerings and paid homage to the local deities, After gathering some useful information, he entered Green Python Mountain to promulgate Buddhist doctrine and explain the sutras.
Only a few days ago, he finally made some progress, attracting the reincarnated fairy monarch’s younger brother. Although he was frightened and suffered significant losses, in certain ways, it was indeed a substantial gain.
“At such a young age, he’s capable of taming a powerful demon? Could it be that the younger brother of this Immortal Monarch is also a reincarnation of a Heavenly person?”
“Sharing both parents, perhaps he has been imbued with the Immortal Monarch’s aura of Immortal Spirits, which makes him innately extraordinary and stunning.”
“We can’t rule out the possibility that he is also a reincarnation of a Heavenly person. After all, he is of the same bloodline as the Immortal Monarch and could have reincarnated along with him!”
The monks were talking animatedly. Their previously calm eyes now shone brightly, their interest clearly piqued.
“Regardless of his past life, in this life, he has a karmic connection with Buddhism. We should introduce him to our Bodhi Monastery, where he could learn the supreme Buddhist doctrine and achieve salvation!”
That final decision came from a fat monk, whose eyes were now ablaze with excitement.
They couldn’t get the reincarnated fairy monarch. That was impossible. But his blood-related younger brother seemed quite promising. If they could bring him back, their journey wouldn’t be a complete failure.
“However, the child currently shows no interest in Buddhism. He seems to harbor an aversion!”
“No matter! Though in his former life he might have had a great destiny, he is now untouched by wisdom, unclear of his fundamental nature, with a lingering attachment to this mortal world. It is, therefore, reasonable that he does not wish to follow the Buddhist path!”
The fat monk clasped his hands together, radiating serenity. He was not surprised by this. After all, he had seen this many times before.
In their grand monastery, there were numerous strict rules to maintain. It was normal for worldly people to resist, reluctant to become monks, unless they completely comprehended everything and let go of all attachments. Only then could they be initiated into Buddhism.
Normally, the fat monk would willingly wait ten, twenty years, or even half a Jiazi (60 years) for the child to grow up, experiencing everything the world could offer and observing all forms of sentient life. Only after experiencing everything that was meant to happen, they could lead him into the Buddhist
Gate.
Buddhism requires no specific age or capacity. As long as someone could see through everything, even if their life energy was weakening, or were on the brink of death, they could still enter the Buddhist Gate.
After all, the stories of people gaining sudden enlightenment overnight within Buddhism were numerous. However, achieving salvation overnight was extremely rare, unless one was a born Buddha.
Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones who realized this. Others had also abandoned the idea of contacting the reincarnated fairy monarch and decided to take a roundabout way by focusing on his blood relative.
Therefore, they didn’t have the luxury of waiting half a lifetime. Not even a year. Once word of the child’s extraordinary nature spread, more and more genuine Taoists and distinguished monks would target him due to his connection with the Immortal Monarch.
If they couldn’t get the reincarnated fairy monarch, they would seek the next best thing: If they could get his younger brother into their sect, wouldn’t they benefit from this relationship in the future?
“Kindly advise us, Master of the Monastery!”
The old monk respectfully asked. He knew that this seemingly rotund uncle was quite adept at luring people into Buddhism. Attracting a child into Buddhism should be a cakewalk for him.
“The worldly dust in this mundane world is quite heavy. It easily obscures one’s six senses. Even if one has a great past, they might not perceive the subtlety of Buddhism. However, this child is innately wise. A sudden blow will shock him into realising the loftiness of our Buddhist teachings!”
“That may not work; the child possesses a terrifying Saint’s Sword. If we shock him and provoke him to draw his sword, even you, Master of the Monastery, might be in danger!”
The old monk instantly raised an objection, and issued a warning.
He knew what a blow to the head meant. It was a tactic used on those with wisdom and no background. But using it on a child with a background was like going to the bathroom with a lantern in hand, i.e., courting danger.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Yixiu?”
The fat monk immediately scolded.
“Uncle, you didn’t ask!”
“Amitabha!”
“We must attend to this matter slowly, we should not rush!”
“Agreed!”
Under the cover of night, a group of monks began their discussion, sans even a single oil lamp, deliberating how to handle matters slowly until the quiet depths of midnight descended upon them.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The clear knocking sound resonated under the silent darkness of the night, drifting through the vacant monastery, and abruptly halted the passionate discussion of the monks.
It was only then that the monks noticed that the light of the stars and moon above them had somehow disappeared, and the life-brimming chirping and singing of birds and insects could no longer be heard. Yet they had been oblivious to these unusual occurrences.
“Which demon dares violate our Bodhi Monastery?!”
However, such a strange atmosphere did not frighten the monks at all. The leader, a portly monk, even wore a look of outrage on his face.
Having been monks for hundreds of years, they had encountered many things. Yet in all that time, they had always been the ones chasing demons and ghosts, never did they sit in the temple to be accosted by a ghost knocking at their door.
What an utter humiliation?!
Unacceptable!
“Sanche, go and open the door. I am curious to see who dares to knock on the door of Bodhi Monastery at midnight?”
“Yes, supervisor uncle!”
An elderly, placid monk bowed and accepted these duties. He then stood up fearlessly and walked toward the door. Despite his junior status, any of them, walking alone across the Nan Hua Continent, would be recognized as venerable monks. There was no reason for them to fear the ghostly clan who knocked at the door in the middle of the night.
Creak!
The heavy door was easily pulled open. A bone-chilling yin qi came flooding through the open door, filling every corner of the fairly large monastery.
Clearly, it was late spring, approaching the start of the sweltering summer, yet within the temple grounds, which spanned more than ten acres, everything from the stone bricks on the ground and the steps, to the pillars and even the solemn Buddha statues in the hall, everything was coated with a thin layer of frost.
The monk who had opened the door had his hands clasped together, his face stiff, while the many monks who had prepared for exorcism were all stunned and didn’t know what to do!
This was because beyond the temple’s entrance, there was only an empty void. At this moment, their monastery felt like an isolated island suspended in darkness, banished to a place of nothingness, utterly alone.
This wasn’t what shocked the monks. What they called the void was just an illusion, and as long as they eliminated the source of this demonic energy, the illusion would disappear.
What truly unnerved the monks was not the ghostly or demonic entity outside the gate they had expected, but a divine bird with a mythical beast leading the way, a snake head, a fish tail, dragon patterns, a tortoise body, a swallow chin, a chicken beak, paired wings, carrying morality in its head, righteousness on its back, compassion in its heart, loyalty in its heart and trust under its wings, respect under its feet.
Phoenix!
A giant phoenix, its wings spreading hundreds of feet wide, was hovering beyond the gate at this moment, soaring in the seemingly endless darkness. Its ink-drenched wings and tail feathers were expressing that this phoenix was no longer a symbol of peace and prosperity.
Fierce flames erupted as the phoenix soared. This overwhelmingly oppressive power made every monk’s Zen Heart tremble. This was the key factor that made them stand still, unable to move.
Unbeatable!
They, this group of monks, even if they teamed up, would likely end up as ashes under the ominous flame of the phoenix.
“Amitabha, unbeknownst to us, we have a distinguished guest visiting in the middle of the night. We failed to greet you from afar, please forgive us!”
The portly monk who initially was on the verge of displaying his demon-subduing aspect, now wore a benevolent countenance, welcoming the phoenix outside the door with a friendly smile..
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