Chapter 131: What ghost is knocking at my temple door?
"Uncle Master-Supervisor! You are finally here!"
As dusk approached, a fat monk, whose body was so broad that even loose monk's robes could hardly hide it, led a group of monks in simple clothes into the Bodhi Temple which had been built less than half a year ago. As soon as they entered the temple, the old monk who had received the news hurried over and saluted the fat monk who looked much younger than him.
"Yi Xiu, half a year ago you proposed to me that we come south here, what have you gained now?"
The fat abbot looked at the old monk and asked in a leisurely tone.
"Reporting to the uncle who supervises the temple, I have seen the brother of the governor of Fengzhou some time ago. As expected, he is not an ordinary boy and has innate supernatural powers!"
The old monk replied.
"Really?"
The fat monk already believed it, but he still asked.
"A monk does not tell lies. I saw with my own eyes that this boy has a black dog that will turn into a great demon!"
The old monk's words were shocking, and the monks following the fat monk were immediately shocked.
"I heard that the Fengzhou governor is only over fifteen years old now. How old is his brother now? He actually keeps a big monster in captivity!"
"I have asked the neighbors and found out that this kid is only twelve or thirteen years old now!"
The old monk replied with a look of admiration and a hint of complacency in his eyes.
It is said in all Buddhist temples that an immortal was born in this country. A great man said that since he was an immortal in his previous life, he should be a Buddha in this life. This immortal should be welcomed into Lingshan Mountain in his reincarnation and worshipped as the Buddha.
Therefore, the Bodhi Temple, led by the abbot, led the monks to Dajin to look for the reincarnation of the immortal king and convert them to Buddhism.
However, after they arrived in Dajin, they found that their expected beautiful vision of finding the reincarnation of the Immortal King by chance was completely shattered. As long as a Taoist master or a Buddhist monk came to Dajin, they would almost immediately identify the reincarnation of the Immortal King.
The so-called celestial beings hiding themselves and divine beings keeping themselves obscure are simply nonsense. This reincarnated immortal king is extremely high-profile in this secular world, and his fame has spread to almost every corner of this country, even to neighboring countries.
When he was less than fourteen years old, he passed the imperial examination with the top six places, entered the imperial court, and was ranked among the highest in the imperial family. He was favored by the emperor's daughter and loved by the prince's daughter. He stayed in Beijing for less than two years before he was demoted to the northern border and appointed as the governor of Gunzhou, ruling an area. Before he reached adulthood, he was already a powerful official.
Such an astonishing achievement is still only a tiny part of what mortals can see. If you seek advice from ghosts and gods, you will know this man's even more terrifying "achievements".
It is said that the reason why he stayed in Beijing for less than two years and was demoted to the countryside, setting a precedent for another dynasty, was because all the princes and ministers in the court, as well as ghosts and gods that are invisible to mortals, were terrified of him. Wherever his eyes passed, everyone was trembling with fear and anxiety, and dared not in the slightest.
Therefore, when someone wrote a letter requesting that this man be appointed as the governor of a frontier state, many ministers wrote letters in agreement, and no one raised any objection. Even the emperor was particularly happy and had no intention of arguing with the ministers. On the second day after the ministers submitted the letter, he stamped the appointment edict with his seal. His efficiency was incredibly high.
As long as one is not blind or deaf, one can basically know the existence of such a person. There is no more appropriate explanation for such a person except that he is the reincarnation of an immortal.
With this explanation, all the seemingly shocking behaviors and achievements become natural, even commonplace. What can't the reincarnated immortal do? It just depends on whether you want to.
Therefore, after the monks from the Bodhi Temple, who had traveled across half of Nanhua Continent, hurriedly arrived at Dajin, they discovered in despair that they could not even see the face of the reincarnated immortal king, let alone cross the mountain gate. There was no way they could even think about it.
This reincarnated immortal was surrounded by countless Taoist masters, and it was even rumored that some human immortals had put down their shamelessness and mingled among them.
Surrounded by so many Taoist masters and even human immortals, the monks who were able to come into contact with this reincarnated immortal king all came from the most advanced temples in Nanhua Continent.
Although the Bodhi Temple is not bad, it has declined in recent years. Moreover, this time they are led by the abbot, and they do not attach as much importance as other Buddhist temples. Some Buddhist temples even invited out the old abbots who have already retired. This is considered to be emptying out all the family's assets.
Under such circumstances, they naturally have no competitiveness and it is difficult for them to achieve anything, but they are unwilling to just go back like this. It is too unreasonable to travel tens of thousands of miles and go back without getting anything.
So, in this dilemma, the old monk named Yixiu came up with the idea of a roundabout way of salvation. Since it is as difficult as ascending to heaven to contact the reincarnation of the immortal, then let's not contact him. Instead, he should look down and contact the immortal's secular relatives.
Finally, the old monk came to Yongning County. Although in this seemingly remote small county, he also found many people who were practicing Buddhism, and even traces of Taoist masters. It seemed that someone shared the same ideas with them.
But compared to the reincarnated immortal king whom he could never even meet, this place was much better. With the idea that the one who was close to the water would get the moon first, he built a Buddhist temple not far from the village where the reincarnated immortal king was born.
Although he put a lot of thought into it, he also spread the reputation of this newly built temple to several neighboring counties, so much so that believers came from far and wide to burn incense.
However, despite his best efforts, he failed to attract any attention from the children in the village. They hardly even glanced at him, which made him feel like his efforts were in vain.
So he prepared rich incense and visited the local ghosts and gods, and then he got some useful information. After some thought, he began to enter Qingmang Mountain to preach Buddhism and explain Buddhist scriptures.
Until a few days ago, we finally got some results. We attracted the younger brother of the reincarnated immortal king and met him. Although we were frightened and suffered heavy losses, in some ways, we also gained a lot.
"At such an old age, he can actually keep a big monster in captivity? Could it be that this immortal's earthly brother is also the reincarnation of a celestial being?"
"Since they have the same father and mother, perhaps they have been infected with the immortal spirit of that immortal monarch, so they are naturally extraordinary and born with supernatural powers."
"But we can't rule out the possibility that this boy is also the reincarnation of a celestial being. After all, he is from the same lineage as the Immortal Lord, so maybe he was reincarnated with the Immortal Lord!"
Many monks were discussing the matter, their eyes, which had been calm before, were now shining brightly and they were in high spirits.
"No matter what happened in his past life, this child has a predestined relationship with my Buddha in this life. I will bring him to my Bodhi Temple to teach him the supreme Buddhist teachings and achieve enlightenment!"
The fat monk made the final decision immediately, and at this moment his eyes were shining with surprise.
Ten birds in the bush are worth one bird in the hand. There is no way around reincarnating the immortal king, there is no hope or possibility at all. But his blood-related brother seems to be quite good now. If they can bring him back, then they will not be completely empty-handed.
"But this boy is not interested in my Buddha now, and even has a resistance in his heart!"
"It doesn't matter. Even if this boy had a great origin in his previous life, his wisdom has not yet awakened, and his six senses are not pure. He is still attached to this worldly world, and it is reasonable for him not to want to join our Buddhist sect!"
The fat monk clasped his hands together with a solemn look. He was not surprised by this situation, after all, he had seen it many times.
Such Mahayana Buddhist temples have too many rules and regulations to abide by. It is normal for people in the mortal world to resist and not want to become monks. Only after they have achieved great enlightenment and have no attachment to anything anymore, can they enter Buddhism.
Under normal circumstances, the fat monk would be willing to spend ten, twenty, or even half a century waiting for this child to grow up, experience the mundane world, and see all kinds of living beings. After he has experienced everything he should, he would then introduce him into Buddhism.
Buddhism has no requirements regarding age or character. If one can see through everything, even an octogenarian with declining blood and nearing the end of his life can enter Buddhism.
After all, there are countless legendary cases of sudden enlightenment overnight in Buddhism. Of course, there are very few people who can achieve enlightenment overnight, unless they are born as Buddhas.
Unfortunately, they are not the only smart people. There are also people who, like them, know that there is no hope of contacting the reincarnated immortal king, so they choose to take a roundabout way and set their sights on his blood relatives.
Therefore, he did not have enough time to wait, half of a mortal's life, not even a year. After the news of the supernatural powers of this child spread, more and more Taoist masters and even high monks would target him because of his relationship with the Immortal King.
If you can't get the reincarnation of the immortal king, the next best thing is to bring his younger brother into the mountain gate. With such a relationship, do you still worry about not being taken care of in the future?
"Please teach me, uncle, the abbot!"
The old monk was extremely respectful. He knew that the seemingly fat and broad-bodied uncle in front of him was quite accomplished in guiding people into Buddhism. For this uncle, leading a young boy into Buddhism should be a piece of cake.
"The turbid air in this mortal world is very heavy, which can easily block the six consciousnesses and five senses. Even if one has a great origin in the previous life, he will not know the subtlety of Buddhism. However, this boy is born with divine wisdom. All he needs is a wake-up call to make him suddenly realize and he will know me, the great monk of Buddhism!"
"I'm afraid that won't work. This kid has an even more terrifying Saint's Sword in his hand. If we give him a wake-up call and provoke him to draw his sword, even the abbot would be in danger of his life!"
The old monk immediately raised his objection and gave a warning.
He knew what the so-called wake-up call was. It could be used like this for people with intelligence but no background, but for this boy with background, if he dared to do this, it would be like going to the toilet with a light.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Yixiu, you made a mistake for me?"
The fat monk immediately blamed.
"Master never asked!"
"Amitabha!"
"This matter can only be done slowly, don't rush it!"
"good!"
A group of monks discussed how to proceed under the cover of night without even lighting an oil lamp, until the dead of night and the arrival of midnight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A clear knock on the door sounded, echoing in the silent night and floating in the empty temple. The monks' heated discussion suddenly came to an end.
At this time, all the monks discovered that the light of the stars and the moon above their heads had disappeared since they did not know when. The chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects, which symbolized the vitality of all things, were no longer heard. However, they were unaware of all this abnormality.
"Who are you? You are so bold as to invade our Bodhi Temple!"
However, such a strange atmosphere did not scare these monks at all. The fat monk who was in the lead even showed an angry look on his face.
Having been monks for hundreds of years, they have seen everything, but how many times in the past did they not chase after demons and ghosts? How many times have they been knocked on the door by evil spirits while staying in the temple?
What a humiliation this is?
I can’t tolerate this!
"Sanqie, go open the door. I want to see who is knocking on the door of my Bodhi Temple at midnight."
"Yes, Master Abbot!"
An old monk with an ancient appearance bowed and accepted the order, then stood up and walked towards the gate without fear. Although his seniority was lower, any one of them, traveling alone in Nanhua Continent, was qualified to be revered as a great monk, and had no reason to be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door in the middle of the night.
Crunch!
The heavy door was easily opened, and icy cold energy poured in from the open door, filling every corner of this temple, which actually occupied a not-so-small area.
It was clearly late spring when the hot summer was approaching, but in this temple covering an area of more than ten acres, the stone bricks on the ground, the steps, the pillars, and even the solemn and majestic Buddha statues in the Buddhist hall were all covered with a thin layer of frost.
The monk who went to open the door put his hands together with a stiff face, and the many monks who were ready to exorcise the demons were also dumbfounded and at a loss!
Because outside the gate there was only emptiness and nothingness. At this moment, the temple they were in seemed to have become an isolated island suspended in the darkness, exiled into the void, isolated and helpless.
This was not a scene that shocked many monks. The so-called darkness and nothingness was just an illusion. As long as the source of this evil power was eliminated, the illusion would disappear.
What really made these monks at a loss was that the ghosts and demons they expected outside the gate were actually a divine bird with a swan head, a unicorn tail, a snake head, a fish tail, dragon patterns, a turtle body, a swallow chin, a chicken beak, and wings. Its head carried virtue, its top displayed righteousness, its back carried benevolence, its heart held loyalty, its wings held trust, and its feet walked on righteousness.
Phoenix!
A phoenix with a wingspan of hundreds of feet was now flying outside the gate, seemingly in the endless darkness. Its wings and tail feathers, which seemed to be stained with ink, were silently telling us that the phoenix was no longer the auspicious bird that symbolized peace in the world.
The blazing flames burned as the phoenix soared. This was a force full of extreme oppression that made every monk in the temple tremble in their hearts. This was the key reason why they dared not move.
Can’t beat!
If this group of monks attacked together, they would probably end up being reduced to ashes under the ominous phoenix flames.
"Amitabha, I didn't know that there was a distinguished guest coming to my house in the middle of the night. I am sorry for not welcoming you. I hope you will forgive me!"
The fat monk, who was about to transform into a demon-conquering appearance, now had a kind face and greeted the phoenix outside the door with a smile.
