The students of Changsheng Academy were quite experienced. Smiling, they merely said that some unusual changes had occurred in town and the teachers had gone to deal with them. As for the specifics, they did not know. They only asked everyone to wait at Little Gold Temple; once the teachers returned, they could leave. Though those people were naturally suspicious and chattered noisily among themselves, they were still fairly obedient, gradually moving toward Little Gold Temple.
But compared with the students of Changsheng Academy, the monks of Little Gold Temple appeared utterly lacking in composure! After Zen Master Mingyue explained the cause of the matter to Mingcheng and Mingfa, they hurriedly assigned their mere thirty-some disciples. Those disciples were no match for Mingcheng and Mingfa. Their own expressions changed drastically first, and they anxiously urged everyone around them to enter the temple. When people asked what was happening, they laid everything out without reserve, fully revealing the urgency of the situation!
The moment the crowd learned the truth, the pot exploded! Who in Changsheng Town had no family or property? How could they possibly remain quietly in Little Gold Temple to take refuge? Even if the temple monks shouted themselves hoarse, saying the Buddha would protect them and that teachers had already gone to handle the matter...
Unfortunately, no matter how much they said, nobody listened. A great many people completely ignored the monks' attempts to stop and explain to them, rushing down the hillside faster than a tidal wave and charging along the mountain path toward Changsheng Town!
"This... this..." Zen Master Mingyue and the others watched the dispersing crowd in bewilderment, utterly unable to understand!
Still, among the nearly two thousand people, fewer than forty percent remained calm. They knew that returning would accomplish nothing and would only