Qu Zan told the elder everything he had seen and heard along the Southern Route, including how he had rescued Zhulin and controlled the vengeful ghost-
After hearing Qu Zan's account.
"You chose to return to the temple by the Southern Route. Your journey was certainly full of hardships." Bei Ruogema sighed deeply and said, "Twenty golden containers were made in all and distributed among twenty people."
Bei Ruogema unscrewed the cylinder and tipped out its contents.
Sure enough, it was not the sarira they had expected, but a piece of animal bone.
It seemed Zhulin had been right. The Buddha’s Sarira belonging to Corpse Camel Temple had already been seized, so there had been no need for them to set another ambush.
This was Corpse Camel Temple's misfortune, but Qu Zan's good fortune. Otherwise, if the Buddha’s Sarira really had been inside his Golden Cylinder, Qu Zan probably would not have been capable of returning alive.
Two of the three elders had died. Qu Zan secretly swallowed. Moreover, everyone in Yueqing Monastery's monastic party except Zhulin had died.
This offered a glimpse of how terrifying Hell's Beings were.
"Although you did not bring back the sarira this time, you brought back the Golden Cylinder. Our previous agreement still stands. As I said just now, the position of Whole-Monastery Geshe that I promised you is still yours. Think about which day you would like to hold your degree-conferral ceremony."
Qu Zan pressed his palms together and bowed. "This disciple would prefer it to be as soon as possible."
"Then have you prepared your alms offering?" Bei Ruogema asked.
The heaviest expense in earning a Geshe degree was distributing alms. One had to provide a meal of porridge and rice to every monk in the temple, which was no small expense.