The next morning, Hu Xiaotian woke and opened his eyes to find Mingsheng gone from the neighboring cell. He was all alone in the jail. He yawned. He had slept fairly soundly, but remembering what had happened last night, he wondered how these monks would treat him today.
As he pondered this, footsteps sounded outside. Mingzheng entered with two monks, looked Hu Xiaotian over from outside the cell, and waved a hand. "Open the door!"
One of the monks unlocked the cell door.
Hu Xiaotian asked, "Are you letting me go?"
Mingzheng stepped inside and stared coldly into his eyes. "Count yourself lucky. The elder has ordered you sent back."
Hu Xiaotian said, "So I'm supposed to leave whenever you tell me to leave, and go back whenever you tell me to go back?"
Mingzheng lowered his voice. "Aren't you afraid we'll tell His Majesty that the Long-Life Buddha was destroyed? You won't be able to shoulder the consequences."
Hearing Mingzheng actually threaten him, Hu Xiaotian chuckled. He nodded at Mingzheng. "I certainly can't shoulder them. Do you think the Heavenly Dragon Temple can? Will His Majesty believe me or you? If His Majesty insists that you hand over the culprit who destroyed the statue, everyone in the Heavenly Dragon Temple will be a suspect."
"You..."
"You what? You're a monk. Don't you know you should cherish compassion and treat others kindly? You go around with that grim face all day, looking as though your wife just died. You're ruining the Heavenly Dragon Temple's reputation all by yourself."
"You..."
Hu Xiaotian sighed. "Just look at you. You both practice Buddhism, yet senior brother Mingsheng is so much better than you. I reckon you'll spend your whole life running errands in the Discipline Hall. Forget ever attaining enlightenment."
The veins bulged