The Old Monk Thought You Had Some Kind of Serious Illness

With a long neigh, the tall horse snorted softly, its sandalwood-colored mane curling slightly, and its large, dark eyes looked at Tang Yuyang, who was not even as tall as it.

"Good horse, stop fooling around, wait a little longer, I'll go find you something to eat in a bit."

Leading the somewhat restless horse, a dozen or so people looked around and followed closely behind, while an old and a young monk in plain clothes walked in front.

As dusk settled, in this relatively quiet little town, the wind rustled a few pieces of withered yellow paper money, which crossed the threshold and stuck to the dusty boots of the visitors.

He looked travel-worn and weary.

The old monk in front was unhurried, while the various dressed fellows behind him were whispering amongst themselves.

"----We haven't found any signs of living people, even the dogs have stopped barking. This situation suggests either demons or a major plague; the sick have fallen ill, and the fleeing have escaped."

"Come on, brothers, wet this cloth with water, mix in this powder, and use it to cover your mouth and nose."

"Wow, this is... this is something from 'our hometown,' right? How did you bring it in?"

"Don't even mention it, there were probably some restrictions. Almost everything I brought is gone, only a few small items like military powder are left on me----"

It wasn't just empty talk; not long after entering the city, the group had already encountered more than once rotting corpses lying on the street, the stench so foul that it made people want to avoid them.

Instead, the old monk spoke up, telling the young novice to step aside, "Shifang, your cultivation is still insufficient; you cannot bear this foul stench. Let me handle this."

Then he took the initiative to approach, put down the tin staff in his hand, and recited the Rebirth Mantra several times for the corpses that were no longer recognizable as human beings. Only then, under the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd, he blew out a breath that turned into a bright flame, burning away the remains that could not be buried.

All I can say is that this old monk, whose Buddhist name is "Baiyun," was indeed a capable and kind-hearted fellow. If it were the people who came after him, if they asked themselves honestly, their first reaction would probably have been to burn him on the spot.

However, the old monk's expression had subtly changed, clearly indicating that the chanting and cremation rituals along the way after entering the city had had some effect on him.

Was it because breathing those few breaths of fire was too taxing, or was it simply because the five senses were overwhelmed by the stench?

Sigh, it's really hard to guess.

Leaving aside the unspoken complaints of those behind them.

As dusk grew ever darker, and still no living souls were encountered, the old monk couldn't help but sigh and turn back.

"Amitabha. Dear benefactors, it is already night. Please make yourselves at home. There may be some disease spreading here, so please be careful."

"Shifang, bring the things over. We'll stay here for the night and set off again tomorrow."

Seeing that his knocking and calling went unanswered, and confirming that there was probably no one left alive inside, the rather gaunt old monk casually picked up his tin staff and tapped the door lightly. The door naturally fell down, making way for him.

Upon entering the house, before they could even sweep or clean, the two monks, unsurprisingly, saw another group of people crowding in behind them.

"Master, they're here again."

Even the young novice monk couldn't help but roll his eyes. The old monk, Baiyun, immediately reprimanded him, "Shifang, monks should guard against arrogance, impatience, anger, and greed. Such rudeness is unacceptable."

"Master, I'm so sorry to bother you again."

While apologizing, Tang Yuyang simply gave a wink, and a group of "subordinates" very consciously led the horses over and took the opportunity to clean up the chores inside the house.

Just kidding! A truly extraordinary "golden Buddha" is right in front of you. At a time like this, why wouldn't you get closer to get some exposure and become a familiar face? Are you really going to just walk away like that?

Faced with this situation, the old monk could only sigh helplessly.

But watching these strange "benefactors" quickly gather firewood, dismantle a pot, take out some odds and ends from their person and throw them in, they barely managed to cook it carefully, and finally produced a pot of porridge-like stuff, and then respectfully brought over two bowls.

The old monk did not refuse.

He simply handed the larger bowl to the little monk and poured half of the paste from his own small bowl into it.

Buddhist monks are supposed to beg for alms and not accumulate wealth. Moreover, although he himself had practiced asceticism for many years and had already accumulated gold in his blood, almost to the point of not needing to eat or drink, this young disciple was clearly far from being able to do such a thing.

Moreover, even a bowl of porridge is a rare "karma" to obtain in today's world.

Life is hard for ordinary people.

The old monk shook his head and sighed several times.

After everyone had finished their dinner, he was about to instruct his young disciple to review the scriptures when he saw the Tang benefactor who had been leading the group suddenly walk over and bow.

"Zen Master, another day has passed."

"Those who travel far and wide, saving only a few people and leaving behind a few corpses, though they may have accumulated merit through arduous deeds, how many people can they truly save?"

"You must understand, the Cihang Pudu revered by the emperor in the current court is not some guardian deity at all; he is Centipede Spirit who has cultivated for a thousand years! Now, it is using Buddhism as a pretext to seize power in the court and devour the nation's destiny and dragon energy. One of the root causes of this chaos and the people's suffering lies with it!"

"Although we are not of high moral character, we know that this is a matter of great importance concerning the lives of the people. If you truly have compassion, why not come with us to the capital to see it for yourself?"

His few words, neither humble nor arrogant, only earned him a similarly lukewarm response from the old monk.

"Amitabha. Benefactor Tang, this humble monk has already stated that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, but also encounter demonic obstacles. What you all have said is ultimately just one side of the story."

"If there truly are demons and evil spirits bewitching the mortal realm, this humble monk will be aware of it. However, the capital city is under the emperor's nose, and is protected by the natural order and fortune of Humanity. If the Centipede Spirit mentioned by Benefactor Tang can truly transform into the Imperial Preceptor, the cause and effect involved cannot be lightly dismissed as merely a 'demon'."

Faced with the question, the old monk's gaze was clear, and he formed a hand seal, as if he could see through people's hearts.

"It is not that this humble monk is suspicious, but rather that you benefactors do not possess Buddhist or Daoist cultivation, yet you possess some extraordinary abilities, harbor hidden troubles, and are full of scheming intentions. In particular, your words and actions are quite different from ordinary people, as if you suffer from some kind of delusional disorder, making it truly difficult to trust you."

"This humble monk pursues the demon's trail to save those suffering and restore peace to the world, not to rashly believe such words and act recklessly."

"Amitabha Buddha, I have offended you greatly, please forgive me, benefactor."

A confession.

As the saying goes, monks do not lie, and this usually serious old monk spoke frankly about it.

However, this "frankness" was clearly not an answer that Tang Yuyang and his group could accept.

After all, after accidentally discovering this wandering old monk, they spent a lot of precious time following this White Cloud Monk, precisely to bring him into the "main storyline".

It's not something that can be resolved simply by hearing a rejection.