Monk Zhaoli did not leave either. He returned to the tree, sat down cross-legged, and waited beside Ding Feixiong.
Having listened to the scripture together, Monk Zhaoli felt that he shared a special bond with this wandering monk who had taken lives. With a mixture of envy and curiosity, he wanted to see when the wandering monk would awaken.
"Abbot, I will keep watch here. Quickly send someone to the Local Government to withdraw the complaint!"
"Yes, this disciple understands!"
After bowing toward the tree, Abbot Guangji hurried back the way he had come. Outside the courtyard, the worshippers were even more excited than before.
"Abbot, what exactly is happening inside?"
"Abbot, are those two holy monks from your monastery?" "Abbot!"
"Benefactors, I have nothing to disclose for now. Please refrain from making a commotion, and step back a little!"
Escorted by several monks, the abbot walked away briskly. He soon found the Guest Monk he had sent to report the matter to the authorities a few days earlier and told him to withdraw the complaint at once.
In the county seat of Three Signs County, Su Prefecture, a monk hurried into town and made his way to the County Office.
The great drum outside the office was mostly used for official business. Ordinary citizens could not strike it casually unless they had suffered a grave injustice or had something extremely important to report; otherwise, the person who struck it would first be subjected to corporal punishment.
The complaint submitted by Xiangshan Zen Monastery was actually ambiguous. It did not clearly state whom the alleged killer had killed, where, or when. It merely mentioned a suspicious wandering monk, along with the worshippers who had disappeared from the monastery.
Had an ordinary person submitted such a complaint, the County Office