Today, in Great Autumn Temple, the abbot revered throughout the An Kingdom as the divine monk Wufa suddenly rose in his meditation room, then hurried to the doorway and looked outside.
"Master Abbot!" "Abbot, Master, what is wrong?"
The monks standing guard outside, along with the young and older novices who had been chanting sutras with the abbot in his meditation room, all cried out in surprise.
A smile appeared on Monk Wufa's face.
"Blessings, blessings! Something joyous awaits us today!"
Monk Wufa put on his monastic shoes and walked briskly outside. Along the way, the monks of Great Autumn Temple bowed to him, and many pilgrims who saw him also paid their respects.
Great Autumn Temple was held in high esteem not merely for its long-standing atmosphere of Buddhist devotion, but also because it had sheltered countless common people during the years of war. There were some extraordinary legends about it as well.
In the mouths of the villagers nearby, the divine monk Abbot Wufa was a living Bodhisattva. Many people came to Great Autumn Temple not simply to worship the clay statues in its halls, but perhaps more to pay homage to Abbot Wufa himself. Perhaps for that very reason, Monk Wufa had made fewer public appearances in recent years.
By the time Monk Wufa reached Great Autumn Temple's mountain gate, a small group was already approaching from below the steps. Leading the way was Xue Tian, dressed entirely in white.
Although Xue Tian called the abbot his master, he neither wore monastic robes nor shaved his head. He held a very special position in Great Autumn Temple. A few pilgrims knew that even some of the temple's senior elders treated Xue Tian with great reverence.
"Master-look who is here!"
Xue Tian looked up and called out happily,