Chapter 501: Changle's ingenious plan, observing the ghost fetus with wisdom
The next day, early morning.
As the red sun rises, the bell of the White Horse Temple rings on time. It is simple, heavy, clear and distant, which makes people's minds disappear and symbolizes the official arrival of a new day.
Morning bells and evening drums, worshiping Buddha and chanting scriptures.
Tourists from the mountain waited outside the temple early, waiting to light the first stick of incense, which is said to be the most effective.
Three of them attracted the attention of the people around them. One of them wore a white jade crown, dressed like a young man in brocade clothes, held a folding fan, and was very graceful. His handsome appearance made the eyes of the women who came to burn incense sparkle.
The other person was a young man with red lips and white teeth, but he was wearing a hood despite the hot weather. He had a quiet and peaceful temperament and his eyes were clear and bright.
The last person was a child who looked about eight or nine years old. He had fair skin, clear eyes, and delicate facial features that made anyone who saw him stare at him.
These three people stood out in the crowd. Many people were whispering about their identities, wondering which noble family in Luoyang they were from.
Changle, who was dressed as a man, held her master's hand and said with a smile, "Brother, it's so lively here!"
Li Daoxuan nodded and said, "After all, the White Horse Temple is a thousand-year-old temple, and its reputation in Luoyang City is still very high. It can be seen that although Huichan acts a little overbearing, he still wins the hearts of the people."
These people came to burn incense half because of the Buddha statues enshrined in the White Horse Temple, and half because of Hui Chan.
For decades, Huichan guarded Luoyang. Although he was a bit overbearing, he did keep Luoyang away from the chaos of demons and allowed the people to live and work in peace. This is an achievement that cannot be erased.
At 1 a.m., the gate of the White Horse Temple was officially opened, and people poured in like a tide. Li Daoxuan and the other two also entered the temple.
"Brother, the White Horse Temple is indeed a world-famous ancient temple. It is solemn and majestic, vast and profound. Even the stone carvings and murals that can be seen everywhere are unique and seem to be the work of a master!"
Xuanzang was indeed obsessed with Buddhism. After entering the White Horse Temple, he felt like he had found a treasure. He looked around and could hardly stop looking.
"Brother, let's hurry up, or we'll be too late."
Changle was somewhat dissatisfied with Xuanzang's procrastination and urged him on.
"Sir... I'm teaching you a lesson. Let's go quickly."
Xuanzang subconsciously wanted to call out "Her Royal Highness the Princess", but fortunately he stopped himself in time and changed his words to call Changle "little brother".
The three of them entered the White Horse Temple with hidden identities this time, so they called each other brothers. Changle originally wanted to call Li Daoxuan "Daddy", but he decisively refused.
You must be kidding. If His Majesty, who is obsessed with his daughter, knew about this, he would be so jealous that he would be overwhelmed.
The three pretended to be tourists and walked towards the main hall.
"I have calculated using Ziwei Doushu that our target this time is hidden in the meditation room of Huitong, the head monk of Bodhi Temple. Wait a minute, Changle, you wander around first, and I will sneak in with Xuanzang."
Li Daoxuan warned.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Changle shook his head and said, "Master...Brother, I want to help you too. I can't just do nothing."
Li Daoxuan said with some amusement: "You are still young and your cultivation is still shallow. It's good enough that you don't cause trouble. What can you do to help?"
Little Changle pinched his waist and said angrily: "Brother, don't underestimate me, watch out!"
She walked into the main hall and stood next to the donation box. The little person had to stand on tiptoe to be taller than the donation box, attracting the attention of people around her.
"This little donor, you are still young, it is enough to have the intention, there is no need to worry about the incense money."
The middle-aged monk who was in charge of guarding the merit box clasped his hands together and gave Changle a kind and friendly smile.
This little boy is so handsome and cute that anyone who sees him would be confused.
Changle took out a few pieces of gold leaves from his arms and said crisply, "Master, are you really unwilling to accept them?"
The monk's eyes were shocked. Gold...gold leaves?
"Is it too little?"
Changle seemed a little embarrassed and said timidly: "Then I'll add some more."
As she spoke, she took out from her bosom... a handful of gold leaves.
Plop!
The monk almost lost his balance and bumped into the donation box. He stared at the handful of gold leaves. The sunlight shone on them, flashing a dazzling light that was almost blinding.
Not only the monk, but other tourists who came to burn incense were also shocked and were stunned by the generosity of this little kid.
Whose child is this? He’s too... spendthrift.
"Isn't that enough?"
Changle blinked, and reached his white and tender little hands into his sleeves, as if to take out more gold leaves.
“Enough, enough!”
The monk's voice was so excited that even his body was shaking.
It was the first time he had seen so much money. It was a huge handful of gold leaves, enough to cover the temple's expenses for several years!
If he can accomplish this, he will definitely be rewarded and valued by the abbot!
The monk stretched out his hand, trying to grab the handful of gold leaves, but Changle smiled and took his hand back abruptly, saying, "Master, this money is not given away for nothing. I want to see Master Huitong. If I can't see him, I will never donate this money!"
The monk said with a bitter face: "This... young donor, Master Huitong is very busy and may not have time. If you have anything, you can come to me."
Changle glanced at him indifferently, and her smile instantly disappeared. Although she was young, she revealed an indescribable noble temperament, and she was majestic without even getting angry.
As the eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty, she was held in the palm of the emperor's hand and was the apple of everyone's eye. Although she was kind, she was not timid. Once she became serious, she had a kind of majesty that made people tremble with fear.
The monk gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, little donor, please wait a moment. I will report to Master Hui Tong right away!"
About a moment later, Hui Tong was also alarmed. He brought many disciples to the main hall and looked intently at the generous young boy.
Changle was worthy of being the eldest princess. She did not feel guilty at all. She made up an excuse and started a conversation with Huitong. She actually took the lead in the conversation .
She glanced at Li Daoxuan calmly, her eyebrows slightly raised, with a sense of pride.
Li Daoxuan secretly gave her a thumbs up.
At this moment, Huitong was led out of the Zen temple, and it became easier for Li Daoxuan and Xuanzang to sneak in.
Although he did not take Hui Tong seriously, this was his disciple's kindness after all, and he would not let him down. Moreover, it would be safer to lure away Hui Tong, who was in the late Yin Shen stage.
I just feel a little sorry for Your Majesty.
Although Changle is the eldest princess, her monthly allowance is definitely not that much. It goes without saying that those gold leaves were stolen from her father by Changle.
Your Majesty's small treasury could not escape the discerning eyes of your own daughter after all.
Li Daoxuan took Xuanzang and quietly left the main hall, and walked towards Huitong's meditation room using the art of earth escape.
Along the way, he discovered that there were many monks here who were on guard in secret. They all had cultivation, and the worst was in the middle stage of Fasting, and there were even a few monks in the early stage of Yin Shen.
As expected of the White Horse Temple, a cultivator in the early stage of Yin Shen is qualified to be the headmaster or elder in small and medium-sized sects, but here he can only be responsible for vigilance.
When they arrived in front of the Zen room, Li Daoxuan took Xuanzang out from underground and landed in the courtyard.
"Where—"
"jingle!"
Just when the guarding monks discovered Li Daoxuan, he had already shaken the plague bell in his hand.
No matter whether they were in the middle stage of Bigu or the early stage of Yin Shen, they all became confused and lost their minds the moment they heard the bell, their eyes turned black and they fell to the ground.
This was because Li Daoxuan showed mercy and only used one tenth of the power of the Plague Bell. Otherwise, these monks would have immediately lost their souls and spirits, and would have become the living dead forever.
This is the power of the immortal weapon. Even if it is only a low-grade immortal weapon, it is definitely not something that cultivators below the Yang God level can withstand. Even a Yang God will be greatly affected.
Xuanzang stared with wide eyes at the ancient bronze bell in Li Daoxuan's hand, which had mottled green marks on it. This seemingly inconspicuous thing actually had such terrifying power!
"Let's go. From now on, you just need to concentrate and use your wisdom eyes to look at the baby in the woman's belly. Leave the rest to my brother."
Xuanzang took a deep breath and walked to the door with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, he pushed the door open and walked in.
When he saw the woman who was as shriveled as a mummy, even Xuanzang, with his great concentration, couldn't help but gasp.
I saw that the woman was still tied up with a rope soaked in blood, and her body was covered with scriptures. It was exactly the same as what my eldest brother had said, but there was one huge difference.
The woman had almost become a mummy, except for her bulging belly that looked so white, full of vitality and lustrous. The baby in her belly with the umbilical cord as a lotus seemed to be bigger, sitting cross-leggedly, with an increasingly strong Zen spirit.
“Since you have seen the future, why don’t you worship?”
The ancient and vast consciousness invaded Xuanzang's consciousness, attempting to turn him into its fanatical believer.
Xuanzang's whole body was trembling and sweat was pouring down his face, but he gritted his teeth and stared at the bulging belly with his natural wisdom eyes, but he did not kneel down.
At this moment, even Li Daoxuan found it difficult to understand why Xuanzang, who had no cultivation at all, was so determined. You know, even Huitong, who was in the late Yin Shen stage, was completely conquered after just one look.
"cut!"
Li Daoxuan raised his sword and pointed it at Xuanzang's brow, using the Tiandun sword intent to help him cut off the illusion of Maitreya and return to clarity.
"call!"
Xuanzang took a deep breath and seemed to be exhausted. He could only stand up with the help of Li Daoxuan.
Sizzle
The palm of Xuanzang's hand felt hot, and finally a golden-red word "Buddha" was formed.
Li Daoxuan realized that it was the power of the ghost fetus that was trying to invade Xuanzang's body and leave some kind of mark.
He injected his own pure Yang Qi into Xuanzang's body, trying to help him remove the mark, but Xuanzang's body was too fragile to accommodate so much pure Yang Qi, so it was difficult to succeed for a while.
Li Daoxuan frowned. No, the power of this ghost fetus was not so strong last night. It increased by nearly twice in just one night?
This speed is really terrifying!
Also, why did the Buddha Mother turn into a mummy-like appearance? Was it because the ghost fetus in her belly sucked away her blood and essence?
This ghost fetus is so evil that it is getting stronger almost every minute and every second. If it continues like this, I am afraid that even Li Daoxuan himself will not have the confidence to defeat him.
He must be eliminated as soon as possible!
A murderous intent flashed in Li Daoxuan's eyes, and he pinched the fire seal with his hand. A hot air rose from his abdomen, merged with the fire in his heart, and rushed to his throat, ready to transform into Samadhi True Fire and burst out.
“Save… me…”
The Buddha Mother, who looked like a mummy, was not dead yet. She stretched out her hand towards Li Daoxuan, her eyes revealing a desire to live.
"I... and my mother... cannot... die..."
"I...want to live..."
Her cracked lips trembled as she uttered these words with all her might.
Li Daoxuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not spit out the Samadhi Fire.
This woman was innocent . She suffered an unexpected disaster just because she accidentally stepped on a footprint. It would be cruel to kill her like this.
The ghost fetus was born into the world through her body. In other words, she is also a victim.
"Forget it, wait until I figure out what's going on with you before I make a decision."
Li Daoxuan was a man of decisive killing character. If the ghost fetus was about to be born, he would kill the woman without hesitation, even if she was an innocent person and was so eager to live.
But according to Huichan, there are still twenty-one days before the ghost fetus is born, which means that there is still hope for a turnaround.
If we can find a way to kill the ghost fetus and save the woman's life at the same time, we can solve the dilemma.
Of course, if he can’t find a way to have the best of both worlds, Li Daoxuan will still kill this woman without hesitation and prevent the fetus in her belly from being born!
Calculating the time, some of the fainted monks should have woken up. Li Daoxuan pressed Xuanzang's shoulder and said, "Let's leave here first."
The next moment, the two figures disappeared in the room and quietly escaped to the outside of the temple along the ground veins.
…
Main Hall.
Huitong and Changle talked for a long time, and the more they talked, the more they found that the other person had extraordinary conversation and temperament.
At such a young age, he is well-read and can quote classics, history, and even some Buddhist scriptures. He is truly extremely intelligent and a genius!
Hui Tong looked at Changle silently and found that his bones were also extraordinary and he was a natural material for cultivation. There was even more spirituality between his eyebrows, and a three-foot spiritual light was almost gushing out from his body.
This boy has a connection with Buddhism!
"Amitabha, my little donor, I see that you have a deep devotion to Buddhism. I wonder what your family background is. Are your parents willing to allow you to enter my Buddhist sect?"
Hearing this, Changle quickly refused and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master, but I am from the Lu family of Fanyang. My father and mother only want me to study the Four Books and Five Classics and take the imperial examination to become an official."
What a waste!
Hui Tong shook his head and said, "It turns out that you are from a famous family. How about this? In the next twenty days or so, I am willing to go to your house and personally persuade your father."
Changle thought that if he could delay it for a while, she would have already run away in more than 20 days, so he said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Master."
As she said that, she jumped off the chair and prepared to leave.
Hui Tong stopped her.
"Little donor, you can stay in my White Horse Temple for the next twenty days. Although you don't have to shave your head, you can chant sutras and practice with the novice monks."
In Huitong's opinion, when Maitreya Buddha is born in more than 20 days, the whole world will respect Buddhism, and even Li Shimin will have to bow down to him, let alone a mere Fanyang Lu family?
Changle said angrily, "Master, my elder brother and I have other things to do, so we can't stay in the White Horse Temple for long. Goodbye!"
As the eldest princess, who dares to restrict her freedom except her father the emperor and her mother the queen?
The monks in the White Horse Temple are indeed corrupt, with Huichan being overbearing and his fellow apprentice Huitong not much better!
Several monks stepped forward, and at Huitong's signal, they stood in front of Changle with sticks in hand.
"Amitabha, my little donor, the imperial examination is a minor matter, it is not worth mentioning. What I give you is the real great fortune. You can stay here with peace of mind. I will go to persuade the Fanyang Lu family."
Hui Tong didn't realize that under the influence of the ghost fetus, his actions became more and more extreme.
Several tall and strong monks lifted Changle up by her arms, as if they were arresting a criminal.
"Let me go, my elder brother won't let you go!"
Changle struggled hard but to no avail. After all, she was too young, had only practiced for a short time, and her magic power was extremely limited, so she had no fighting ability.
"Amitabha, little donor, this is for your own good. Not to mention that your elder brother is not here, even if he were here, this monk's words would not change at all."
"It is your blessing to be able to enter my White Horse Temple."
