The Monk Willing to Feed the Fire

When!!

The bronze bell of Celebration of the Sage Temple rang.

The melodious chimes echoed for miles around.

Then came a few more drumbeats, each with a sufficient interval to allow the sound to travel clearly.

The sounds of bells and drums, with fewer bells and more drums, represent dusk at Celebration of the Sage Temple.

The sun in the western mountains had begun to turn orange-red, but the temperature was still very hot.

On the hill behind Celebration of the Sage Temple, in a square paved with white stones, there is a large pond with green lotus leaves and blooming lotus flowers.

In the center of the pool stands a high platform Baiyu marble.

Dozens of monks and nuns, dressed in white, gray, or yellow robes, sat, lay down, or huddled together, on the three-tiered stone steps surrounding the high platform.

On the high platform stood a canopy, with two beautiful maids kneeling on either side, holding large banana leaf-shaped fans made of green silk and gold thread, gently fanning the old monk under the canopy.

The old monk was hunched over, his hands tucked into his chest like chicken claws, lazily holding his prayer beads, exuding a somber air, as if he had fallen asleep even earlier than the setting sun.

He was probably too muscular when he was young, and as he got older, he lost muscle, making his skin look particularly loose.

On his brown, old face, the skin almost sagged down to the sides of his chin. The skin on his throat was loose, like a small water sac. Only a few white hairs remained on his brow bone and chin.

These few white hairs, however, are thick and long, appearing extremely resilient.

Only the sheen of these few white hairs allowed the old monk to maintain a semblance of being alive.

"Ah!"

The old monk slightly raised his eyelids and uttered a low murmur.

The people scattered on the steps each held a different object in their hands.

One of the monks holding the lotus leaf cup immediately turned around, went to the platform, and brought the lotus leaf cup to the old monk's lips.

The old monk inhaled some nectar and laughed.

"Haha, I had a dream. I woke up to find myself being taken care of so well. It's quite a contrast."

The monk knelt on the ground, placed the lotus leaf cup down, pressed his forehead to the ground, and raised his buttocks high, respectfully saying, "Holy Monk, your dream must have profound meaning. This humble monk dares to ask the Holy Monk to explain a little."

"It's nothing, just some things from many years ago."

The old monk also seemed quite interested in talking.

"At that time, I hadn't yet married the princess and was trying every means to expand my sect..."

After Buddhism was introduced to China, it underwent many schools of thought and evolution.

More than a hundred years ago, Buddhist communities in the north were rife with complex precepts, advocating strict adherence to the original intent of Buddhist scriptures and prohibiting unauthorized interpretations or explanations of the texts.

The vast majority of monks only know how to talk about etiquette and chant sutras and mantras. They don't even study the original meaning of Buddhist scriptures. They only know how to learn the pronunciation of Sanskrit by using Chinese characters to imitate the sounds of Sanskrit, which makes people feel impressed but not clear. They use their good Sanskrit pronunciation as a means of showing off.

They also divided people into three categories based on their innate innate root: primary root, intermediate root, and superior root.

Even if someone is recognized as a beginner, they can only become a lowly monk, no matter how long they practice.

At the time, many ordinary monks who were designated as "new root" monks felt dissatisfied.

Chan Buddhism even developed a sense of compassion for this, advocating that one can become a Buddha even without being literate, and promoting sudden enlightenment to break the shackles of one's birth class.

At the time, this view was considered utterly treasonous and the extreme of the extreme by the old Buddhist monks.

However, some people still see it as too mild.

These people not only advocated overthrowing the various rules established by the old monks, but also advocated breaking all the ten precepts, overthrowing the old Buddha, and having a new Buddha appear in the world.

It doesn't talk about sudden enlightenment, compassion, or outdated customs and social status.

Judging whether a person deserves respect solely based on their familiarity with the deeds of the new Buddha and their level of devotion to the new Buddha.

Among these emerging sects, the one led by the Monk Qingsheng was the most famous.

Even if someone is just a beggar, and their ancestors for three generations were all servants under the manor, as long as they are fortunate enough to hear the story of the new Buddha at Celebration of the Sage Temple, memorize every word, and be able to tell it to others, they can receive special treatment.

In order to compete in their devotion to the new Buddha and gain more respect.

The followers of the Qingsheng often go so far as to engage in competitions in front of the public, such as inserting bamboo skewers into fingers, cutting flesh with blunt knives, tearing ears, driving nails through palms, and putting hands into boiling oil.

The various horrific scenes often sent chills down the spines of ordinary people, but the victors in these frenzied competitions would still be overjoyed, making it even more terrifying.

If they can go this far even in their own internal competitions, then when the higher-ups of a sect use the pretext of verifying piety, they can easily drive them to do many things that others would consider inhumane or demonically possessed.

It was under these circumstances that Celebration of the Sage Temple grew to its zenith and made all the necessary preparations for rebellion.

When the Monk Qingsheng also attained Attaining the Dao, everyone believed that the Northern Dynasty rebels would inevitably have an additional force.

But at this very moment, the emperor of the Northern Dynasty did something that no one expected.

He actually married both of his daughters to the Monk Qingsheng.

Celebration of the Sage Temple broke the ten precepts, the first of which was to break the precept against sexual misconduct.

In the eyes of Celebration of the Sage Temple, taking wives and concubines was a perfectly legitimate and proper thing to do.

However, the fact that two princesses were bestowed upon a monk who clearly harbored rebellious intentions makes any single sentence in this decree seem absurd.

However, the wedding preparations did indeed begin as planned.

On the eve of the wedding, Celebration of the Sage Temple used the Great Sumeru Formation to defeat 30,000 elite soldiers of the Northern Dynasty rebels, making it famous throughout the world.

The imperial forces joined forces with Celebration of the Sage Temple to salvage the situation.

Celebration of the Sage Temple suddenly became the state religion of the Northern Dynasty.

He was both a member of the royal family and a religious leader.

The Monk Qingsheng did not have to go through the various procedures of first rebelling and then suppressing the rebellion before he could ascend to the throne.

He only contributed to suppressing the rebellion and got married, yet he became a figure who truly held power in the Northern Dynasty.

"That was so many years ago!"

The old monk remarked with emotion, "Now, I don't have to do anything myself, and I even miss those days of scheming, power-hungry ambition, and boundless enthusiasm."

He knew that his desires had not diminished, but had simply begun to focus on one or two specific goals.

Without that much enthusiasm for other things, there's also a lack of enjoyment.

I remember back then, he not only wanted to be a peerless master and the great master, but also a living Buddha, and even an emperor.

Unfortunately, the old emperor, being his father-in-law and quite sensible, was not going to live much longer.

The Monk Qingsheng gave him a perfect reputation and did not force him to abdicate in the two years before his death.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, Monk Qingsheng looked at all the imperial relatives and civil and military officials who were extremely respectful to him, while the young emperor stood before him like a chick.

Even the thoughts in the young emperor's mind could not escape the Attaining the Dao monk's discerning eye.

The Monk Qingsheng suddenly lost interest in the emperor.

He has already transcended worldly and base desires.

"Where's the little beauty the Xiao Clan said they were going to give me?"

The old monk asked, "I heard there was some trouble at Denglai Mountain Market before, what's the situation now?"

The monk holding the lotus leaf cup said, "Two Attaining the Dao have emerged from the Southern Dynasty, and our abbot has also sent a highly accomplished Attaining the Dao from our Dai Clan to them."

Just then, a monk wearing a rooster-comb hat and a bright red robe like a rooster descended from the sky and landed on the lotus leaves in the pond.

"Holy Monk!"

The abbot, Master Wubei, had a voice that was somewhat high-pitched, like a rooster's crow.

"Something went wrong at Denglai Mountain Market. We just received news that the three Attaining the Dao masters who went to pressure the other side have all been defeated and killed!"

Even the disciples of Celebration of the Sage Temple were shocked upon hearing this news.

The hand holding the incense burner trembled, and when the person who was curled up looked up, everyone on the steps showed surprise.

The old monk slowly closed his eyes, and after a short while, he opened them again.

"It is true. On our Primordial Heart Transmission, two heroes have perished and their spirits have collapsed."

Judging from his tone, he Fa Wendao and Song Zixian, who belonged to the Hou Clan, equally.

"Since those two are defeated and killed, the last one remaining should be a Xiao Clan, who naturally won't escape either."

The Monk Qingsheng sighed, "This man is even more ruthless than Xiao Liang. Xiao Liang had an excuse of family feud, but what excuse does he have?"

Master Wubei said, "No news has come out yet; he probably isn't planning to make up any excuse."

Upon hearing this, Monk Qingsheng's loose skin twitched, revealing a hint of anger.

Wubei then said, "This matter absolutely cannot be left unresolved, otherwise the dignity of our Celebration of the Sage Temple will be tarnished..."

What are you going to do?

The Monk Qingsheng interrupted him, his tone slow and deliberate, "So, you mean the two of us should go and kill him together?"

"He can prevent three Attaining the Dao beings from escaping, and if he chooses to flee, his skill in escaping will far surpass that of those three."

"Are the two of us sure we can keep him here?"

Wubei said, "Shall we invite the Xiao Clan, the Hou Clan, and the Ascetic Hall in my temple?"

Celebration of the Sage Temple is no longer what it was when the sect first grew strong; many things no longer need to be done so crudely and directly.

However, the Ascetic Hall still exists in the temple, inheriting the original style of the sect, which does not ask about one's background, but only about one's piety.

Those extremely fanatical individuals were surprisingly compatible in their cultivation of Demonic Dao.

Although breaking through to the Attaining the Dao seems exceptionally difficult, quite a few masters have come close to Attaining the Dao over the past century.

"Heh, do you think that given the losses they've suffered, their family heads would necessarily be willing to participate in this battle?"

Monk Qingsheng countered with a question, then added, "And the Ascetic Hall Ascetic Hall, its best use is to intimidate those forces that control large armies and have a large number of people."

"Instead of sending them to face top-tier experts and wasting so many years of training, we shouldn't waste their lives."

Wubei lowered his head. "It was my fault for not thinking things through properly. But what should we do about the matter at Denglai Mountain Market? Are we just going to keep quiet and suffer in silence?"

"Of course not."

Monk Qingsheng's anger subsided, he instead revealed a smile, and his spirits seemed to have lifted.

"This new fellow Daoist is so powerful, he is probably invincible and worthy of being called number one."

"I, this old monk, am so frightened that I can't eat or sleep. Wubei, you're scared out of your wits too."

"To get a good night's sleep, why don't you quickly prepare a generous gift and send someone who doesn't practice demonic arts and is known for their kindness to help us transfer this to Denglai Mountain Market, hoping to resolve this feud?!"

Wubei paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Like oil being poured over a raging fire... but the prestige of my Celebration of the Sage Temple..."

Monk Qingsheng said Wubei, "This is just icing on the cake. As for prestige, Wu Bei, you must know that our new Buddhist lineage is not like those outdated old Buddhists. We may learn and use any good things."

"For example, Daoism has a saying, 'The highest good is like water.' What we strive for is to be like flowing water, never ceasing. If one has a reputation as fiery as fire, what harm is there in temporarily giving it away?"

Wubei thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense. Besides, we're still preparing for that big event. Doing this might force them to agree more quickly."

Wubei thought of this, but then felt a little troubled.

Finding a well-known and kind person to pass on the gift is no easy task.

Who in this world would become famous and still be kind-hearted, especially in the Northern Dynasty?

Fine, I'll just pick one that will do.

(End of this chapter)