From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 286 What is the Demon Monk?
The gate of Lanruo Temple is majestic, and there are many pilgrims coming and going, and each of them is very pious.

It was the New Year's Day, and many people from Ping'an Prefecture came to Lanruo Temple to burn incense. Some even traveled hundreds of miles to burn incense just to pray for a peaceful year.

This is a place for receiving ordinary pilgrims for offerings. It is called Baoqing Hall. It is a four-courtyard Buddhist temple located halfway up the mountain.

Now that all the heroes in the world have gathered at Lanruo Temple, it should have declined offerings from pilgrims, but Lanruo Temple was proud enough to still accept pilgrims.

After passing the Baoqing Palace, a mountain road appeared.

The steps were made of bluestone, with dead trees on both sides. Meng Yuan and others walked up the stairs. The novice monks who were cleaning the stairs would stop and salute them, very properly.

Going further over a hill, you will see a broad platform, which is the Zen platform of Lanruo Temple, a place for discussing Buddhism and debating scriptures.

The road has been divided here. Going forward is the three peaks of Wulou Mountain. On the left is the Zhijieyuan, on the right is the Zhizhiyuan, and going straight up is the Chandingyuan.

"Amitabha." Monk Jueming put his palms together and bowed, "Everyone, just go to the Zen Meditation Hall. I will go back to the Ordination Hall first."

He looked at Meng Yuan and said, "Your Highness Wang is in the Zen Meditation Courtyard. After reporting back, you may come to the Zhijie Courtyard and sit for a while."

"I'm sorry to bother you!" Meng Yuan bowed with a smile.

Monk Jueming took Xuanbei away, and Meng Yuan and others followed the receptionist forward.

The abbot of Lanruo Temple of this generation is from the "Zhi" generation and holds the power of the temple.

There are also three abbots and many elders, who are the upper echelons of Lanruo Temple. As for the abbot, the receptionist, and the fire monk, there is no need to say more, they are all middle and lower levels.

The chief monk and the elders are of the same generation as the abbot, and only monks of high moral character can hold these positions.

Of course, the word "virtuous" is too vague, but at least the Buddhist teachings are profound. The elders must be at the fifth level, and the chief monk must be even more extraordinary, reaching the fourth level, the same level as the abbot.

The Lanruo Temple is arranged according to the generations of Yuanming Jingzhi, Liaojue Xuanchang. Nowadays, those in the "Zhi" generation are at least a hundred years old.

Therefore, the living monks of the "Zhi" generation are at least in the middle level. Because of this, there are not many monks of the "Zhi" generation in Lanruo Temple, and most of them are ancestors.

However, Lanruo Temple has a long history and has produced many eminent monks who have delved deeply into Buddhism. In addition to the elders and the chief monks, Lanruo Temple also has great virtues guarding it. It is said that there are two eminent monks with the surname "Yuan" and one with the surname "Jing", who are at the third level of Buddhism.

These two eminent monks are of different generations but not much different in age. Both of them are great virtues who have lived for three or four hundred years. Nowadays, they rarely appear in public and seldom display their magical powers. They say that they will not take action unless there is danger in Lanruo Temple.

The reason why Lanruo Temple could prosper to this extent was because of the two great virtues guarding it.

There are many rumors about the two eminent monks in the world, but few have seen them in person, even most of the monks in Lanruo Temple have never seen them.

It was only after asking Master Jueming that Meng Yuan learned that the two great monks are currently meditating facing the shadowless wall on Mount Wulou.

The abbot of Lanruo Temple is named Zhiguan, who came from the Zen peak of Wulou Mountain and is now in the Zen Meditation Courtyard.

Everyone followed the monk in charge of reception at Lanruo Temple all the way forward until they reached the top of the Zen Peak, where they saw an ancient and simple courtyard gate with the three words "Lanruo Temple" written on it.

Lanruo Temple was originally built here, and then it became more and more grand, covering areas near and far in Wulou Mountain, and evolved into three courtyards.

There is a Bodhi tree in front of the door. It is much larger than the one in Dugu Kang's yard and has already climbed all over the courtyard wall.

But now it is winter, and there is no green, which makes it look a bit bleak. If it were spring or summer, it would be a different scenery.

Passing the ancient gate of Lanruo Temple, we continued forward. There were guards along the way, including people from the Demon Suppression Bureau and monks from Lanruo Temple.

The main courtyard of Lanruo Temple is just a courtyard, simple and dilapidated, with no signs of repair, and there are no Buddha statues enshrined in the hall.

The world-famous Lanruo Temple was originally built from this small temple.

After passing this temple, not long after walking, you will see the Chan Meditation Temple.

This meditation temple is also quite old, with green bricks and green tiles, and the green moss has turned to gray.

Xiao Taotao, dressed in white, was standing outside the Zen temple, with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance. When he saw Meng Yuan and Lin Yan arriving, he waved.

"Here?" Xiao Taotao had no joy on his face, and did not even talk about business. "Did you bring your hairy wife home?"

"Commander, there is no difference between humans and monsters!" Lin Yan retorted.

"Haha." Xiao Taotao sneered, then looked at Meng Yuan and said, "I heard that you married two wives at home?"

"I dare not abandon my wife who has been with me in times of trouble." Meng Yuan said.

"You have no foresight, so you deserve to suffer with a dozen people!" Xiao Taotao made a point.

"..."Meng Yuan was speechless for a moment.

"Let's go in." Xiao Taotao pointed his chin at the Zen Meditation Hall. "The abbot of Lanruo Temple, Master Zhiguan, is giving a Zen lecture inside. Let's go in and listen."

"Why doesn't the commander go to listen?" Lin Yan asked curiously.

Xiao Taotao pointed to his ear and said, "I hate Confucianism debates, and I don't like empty learning."

He also glanced at Meng Yuan and said with a smile: "There is an acquaintance of yours."

When Meng Yuan heard this, he knew it was either Ning Qufei and Mo Tingyu, or Li Wujiu. It couldn't be the four disciples of Chongxu Temple, right?

Lin Yan did not move, but only asked: "Who is in there?"

"The abbot of Lanruo Temple and the heads of the three academies, the three Taoist families, Qingya Academy, our governor, and a bunch of miscellaneous people." Xiao Taotao had no respect for them at all.

"Commander Xiao, I wonder if the Inspector has found out anything after being here for so long?" This was what Meng Yuan was concerned about.

I heard Jie Kaiping say before that the people from Lanruo Temple also contributed to Qing Guangzi's success.

But who exactly this person is is unknown. Moreover, this person helped Qing Guangzi accomplish his mission, but no one knows what reward he received.

Meng Yuan and Lin Yan had discussed this on the way and decided that the monk who could help Qing Guangzi achieve enlightenment should be at least a fourth-grade monk.

When one reaches this level, his status must be extremely high, and worldly wealth and power will probably not be able to shake his heart.

The only thing that can truly move their hearts is probably the path of the great way, the path to becoming a Buddha.

This Lanruo Temple has a long history and is guarded by a third-grade Arhat. If one wants to move up, he will naturally be guided by his elders. But this person went out to look for Qing Guangzi, who has roots in the Western Buddhist Kingdom. I'm afraid he has big plans.

Similarly, the disappeared Prince Xin Dugu Sheng would never simply help Qing Guangzi achieve enlightenment, he must have other intentions.

Seeing Meng Yuan and Lin Yan looking at him expectantly, Xiao Taotao sighed helplessly and said, "I know you two have a close relationship with the Ying family, and your master died in Songhe Prefecture, but you can't be impatient about revenge!" At this point, Xiao Taotao patted the two men on the shoulders and said seriously, "Buddhism has a precept not to lie, but Buddhists are best at planting thoughts, planting thoughts for others and for themselves. So, if they lie, they can not only deceive others, but also themselves!"

"That means it's hard to find!" Lin Yan sneered.

"Let's get on with the work first. We'll continue investigating. Lanruo Temple should also investigate itself." Xiao Taotao's tone became a bit like an elder's. "You two already have wives, so raise a few children first. When your realm is improved, work with our supervisor and we will definitely get revenge!"

Xiao Taotao was very confident. He continued, "What's a bald donkey of the third rank? The path for our warriors to advance is to use them as rafts! Does Qing Guangzi dare to show his head now? Our governor is also holding back a lot of anger and wants to open the gate of heaven to prove his way!"

The so-called opening of the Heavenly Gate refers to the internal and external changes of a fourth-rank warrior when he advances. He uses his own strength to the fullest, burning his own flesh, blood, bones, jade fluid, and even his life fire, abandoning everything in the future, and then strengthening himself so that he can kill the upper third-rank warriors and ascend to the third-rank warrior. If he succeeds, he will ascend to the upper third-rank warrior, and if he fails, he will die.

Otherwise, even if the warrior is strong, there is a huge gap between the middle and high grades, so how can he accomplish anything easily?

Seeing Xiao Taotao say this, Meng Yuan knew that Wang Er had not found out anything.

"Commander Xiao, I wonder if Taoist Master Xuanjizi of Chongxu Temple is here?" Meng Yuan glanced towards the meditation courtyard.

"No." Xiao Taotao laughed, "He seems to be in that Yunshan Temple."

Yunshan Temple is a nunnery.

Meng Yuan once heard Taoist Xuanjizi say that he had some past with Master Lexian of Yunshan Temple.

This Taoist priest Xuanjizi did not do any serious work, but went to look for his old lover.

Now it seems that Li Weizhen is the most reliable in Chongxu Temple... But that's not right. He said he was going to eliminate the demons, but ended up in the Buddhist kingdom and didn't stop Qing Guangzi at all.

It seems that the unreliable inheritance of Chongxu Temple is passed down from top to bottom.

"Commander Xiao, is there a Master Zhitong in Lanruo Temple?" Meng Yuan asked again.

Previously, Xuanjizi went to Lanruo Temple to attend the Wuzhe Conference because he was invited by Master Zhitong.

However, this Master Zhitong had no prominent reputation in Lanruo Temple, nor did he hold the position of abbot or elder, so Meng Yuan did not ask Jueming.

"He's from the Zhijieyuan, and he's at the fourth level." Xiao Taotao said.

"Fourth level? That should at least be the position of an elder." Lin Yan asked in surprise.

"Who knows? I guess he doesn't want to be the boss." Xiao Taotao lowered his voice and said, "Master Zhitong is facing the wall. We haven't found him yet. He will come out in a few days."

After talking for a while, Xiao Taotao didn't want to say more and urged Meng Lin and the other two to go into the yard to play.

Lin Yan was obviously experienced. He took Meng Yuan with him, but asked Zhou Ying, Wang Buyi and others to stay, and said that the monk must be playing some trick of the seven sufferings of reincarnation.

Meng Yuan urged his burning heart to enter the meditation courtyard and continued forward. After passing a large hall, he heard Buddhist sounds.

"Qing Guangzi once came to Lanruo Temple to discuss Zen, but I am not very knowledgeable about Buddhism. Although my fellow monks have their own strengths, no one can defeat Qing Guangzi in debate."

They arrived at another large hall, but saw that there was no one guarding outside, and the person who spoke was inside the hall.

Looking forward, there was an old monk sitting in the middle of the hall, with monks, Taoists and Confucian scholars sitting on both sides, and Wang Er was also among them.

There were also many people standing by, all listening quietly to what the monk in the middle was saying.

There are many familiar people here, including Mo Tingyu and Ning Qufei, who were my former colleagues, and Li Wujiu from Qingyang Palace.

However, these people were not qualified to sit down and could only stand aside and listen.

"At that time, I realized that Qing Guangzi had gone astray, but it was difficult to detect at the time. Later, I was enlightened by my uncle-grandmaster’s advice."

The old monk was wearing tattered black robes and had a gentle voice. When he saw Meng Yuan and Lin Yan at the door, he smiled and nodded.

Meng Yuan and Lin Yan clasped their fists and saluted, then stepped in.

Mo Tingyu and Ning Qufei didn't dare to speak, and they nodded to Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan smiled back and stood behind Wang Er.

After not seeing each other for more than a month, Wang Er changed into a black suit. He looked neither weathered nor made-up, and looked pure and elegant.

"All phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; like dew and lightning, so we should view them in this way." The old monk looked around and asked, "Have you two new friends heard this saying? Do you know its meaning?"

The old monk looked at Lin Yan with a smile in his eyes.

"What's so difficult about this?" Lin Yan laughed. "It comes from the Diamond Sutra, which says that everything in the world that has a purpose, a birth and a death, is just like a dream, a bubble, a dew drop, or a lightning bolt. It is a saying of the great Buddhist predecessors, who want people to break away from their attachment to things, objects, and people, understand the emptiness and impermanence, and then gain the meaning of Zen and liberation!"

"Good." The old monk smiled and nodded, "You are truly a talented young man."

After saying this, the old monk looked around at everyone and continued, "I was discussing Taoism and Zen with Qing Guangzi, and I said this."

"I wonder how Qing Guangzi would explain why we should have such a view?" Wang Er asked curiously.

"Daoist Qing Guangzi has a different opinion. In fact, the original meaning of this sentence is the illusion and impermanence of 'action', but Daoist Qing Guangzi used 'illusion' to mean 'reshaping' and 'recreating'. He also said that everything is empty, so creation and destruction are also sacred things in Buddhism."

The old monk's voice slowed down, and his eyes looked outside the hall, as if he wanted to see the clouds rising and falling in the sky. "Qing Guangzi believes that we should use all destruction to reach the other shore and realize the true 'vacuum gives rise to wonderful existence'. This is to recreate the 'Buddha Kingdom'."

Everyone in the hall was an expert in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Meng Yuan and others had also read the classics of the three religions, so they naturally understood these words.

What Qing Guangzi said before really happened in the changes in Songhe Prefecture.

"Qing Guangzi is the real Buddha." The old monk sighed, "He said that the so-called precepts are just a superficial description, but his precepts have long been integrated with his flesh and blood. We worship him with our golden body, and he worships him with his internal organs, blood and flesh."

"Fellow Daoist Zhiguan," an old Taoist stroked his beard and asked, frowning as he looked at the old monk, "You didn't agree with Qing Guangzi's statement at the time, but after Qing Guangzi attained enlightenment as the Holy King of Light, did you feel a ripple in your heart again?"

Meng Yuan and Lin Yan looked at each other, and only then did they realize that the old monk was actually the abbot of Lanruo Temple.

"No." The old monk Zhiguan shook his head slightly, looked at the old Taoist priest and said, "Outsiders say that Buddhism cultivates the mind and nature, Taoism cultivates both nature and life, and Confucianism cultivates the noble spirit. In fact, although this statement is biased, it also makes some sense."

Abbot Zhiguan looked at everyone again and said, "Buddhism is based on the mind, talking about the three thousand worlds, the past and the future, and talking about emptiness. As long as you have something in your mind, and have great perseverance and courage, you can become a Buddha."

He pointed outside the hall and said, "As for whether this 'Buddha' is real or fake, the people involved have already stopped caring."

"Fellow Taoist, are you trying to say that the 'Buddha' created by Qing Guangzi has deviated from the original meaning of Buddhism?" Another old Taoist priest spoke.

"That's not the case." Abbot Zhiguan looked at the old Taoist priest, bowed his head slightly, and said, "According to Qing Guangzi, he achieved enlightenment through the eternal Buddha kingdom built by the obsessions of all living beings, which is killing to protect life. Shedding the blood of a city to achieve the wish of the Buddha kingdom, isn't this also a way to become a 'Buddha' and a way to reach the other shore?"

(End of this chapter)