Catching Monsters

Chapter 533 If your feet touch the ground, they will inevitably be stained with worldly dust.

After Tuoba Anyi left, Jiang Yun instructed Qi Da to arrange for several people to keep a close watch on Tuoba Anyi's residence.

Just as he was about to return to the Jiang residence to rest, an Imperial Guard from the Northern Garrison arrived and asked Jiang Yun to go to the Northern Garrison.

Jiang Yun knew that it was his superior, Li Wangxin, who had summoned him, so he dared not delay. He immediately followed behind several Jinyiwei guards from the Northern Garrison and arrived at Li Wangxin's study in the Northern Garrison.

Jiang Yun stepped forward and knocked on the door. Soon, the door was opened, and Li Wangxin was sitting at the desk inside, flipping through letters. When he looked up and saw that it was Jiang Yun, he smiled and said, "You're finally back, kid. Have a seat."

"Yes, sir." After Jiang Yun nodded and sat down, Li Wangxin personally brewed tea for him: "I'll give you a task."

"Take a look at this first."

After speaking, Li Wangxin handed the tea and a file to Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun was slightly taken aback. He picked up the file and began to look through it. It contained information about a person.

"Master Hongguang?" Jiang Yun looked at Li Wangxin with surprise after reading the name.

"That's right. This Master Hongguang is a highly respected Buddhist figure from the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom. It is said that he is also the national preceptor of the king of the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom, and his status is very noble."

"Recently, I don't know what got into him, but he wanted to come to our capital and discuss Buddhism with the monks of the five major Buddhist temples."

"The man is expected to arrive in a couple of days. His Majesty has instructed me to send some Imperial Guards to keep an eye on him. Jiang Yun, you are quite capable, so you can handle this matter."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun quickly put down the dossier and said with a smile, "No, Lord Li, look at me, I've been in the Demon Kingdom for so long, and I've just returned to the capital. I haven't even had a chance to rest, and you're already assigning me work again."

"How about I rest for a couple of days first?"

If they were just ordinary guards, Jiang Yun wouldn't need to refuse; he could simply have Qi Da and the others make the arrangements.

However, Master Hongguang didn't come earlier or later; he just happened to arrive at the time when the Holy Tomb was about to open.

Was he there to exchange ideas about Buddhism?
“You rascal, he won’t arrive for another two days, that’s enough time for you to rest,” Li Wangxin said. “Also, this Master Hongguang is said to have an eccentric personality, so try not to provoke him.”

"He holds a very high position in Buddhism."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun nodded slightly, sat down in a chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing Jiang Yun's solemn expression, Li Wangxin patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Alright, go back and make arrangements. This Western Buddhist Kingdom has very little contact with us, and we don't know what this guy's purpose is."

"We need to keep a close eye on them."

Jiang Yun nodded repeatedly. After leaving the Northern Garrison Command, he pondered for a while and then rushed back to the Jiang residence.

"Uncle Yun, send someone to Bailong Temple and invite Abbot Yunwu and Monk Wuhui over for dinner."

"Yes." Upon hearing this, Yun Pingchuan immediately sent someone to make the arrangements.

"Where is Suwen?" Jiang Yun searched the courtyard but did not see Xu Suwen. Yun Pingchuan, who was next to him, smiled and said, "Master, the old lady Tao Yuelan of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion is also very worried about your detention in the Demon Kingdom."

"Now that you have returned safely, Madam went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to report the good news, so that Old Madam Tao Yuelan would not worry."

"Yes, let's go and invite Abbot Yunwu and his companion over first."

As evening approached and darkness fell, the servants of the Jiang residence had prepared a large table full of food. Of course, since Jiang Yun was inviting Abbot Yunwu today, he specifically instructed the servants to prepare only vegetarian dishes.

Looking outside the hall, Abbot Yunwu and Monk Wuhui walked in. Jiang Yun smiled and stood up, saying, "You two are quite different now than before."

Now, the robes they wear are embroidered with gold thread, and their faces are radiant with health.

Abbot Yunwu touched his magnificent kasaya with some embarrassment, put his hands together and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Lord Jiang. In my opinion, it doesn't matter what kind of kasaya I wear. It's just that my disciple insists that I am already the abbot of Bailong Temple."

"It would be inappropriate to dress as shabbily as before."

The young monk Wu Hui has grown taller now, but his cleverness hasn't diminished. He said, "Clothes make the man."

"Please sit down." Jiang Yun gestured for the two to sit down. Unexpectedly, as soon as they sat down, the monk Wu Hui took out a stack of silver notes from his robes and placed them in front of Jiang Yun, saying, "This totals twenty thousand taels of silver. Please count it, Lord Jiang."

"Please don't think it's too little, Da Tou, it's all been sent to the palace..." Wu Hui said softly.

Jiang Yun accepted the money without any ceremony, saying, "I called you two here, it has nothing to do with money."

Wu Hui was slightly taken aback. He had originally thought that Jiang Yun was dissatisfied because Bailong Temple had not given Jiang Yun any dividends for a long time.

He even specially gathered 20,000 taels of silver notes.

It turned out that this was not the case?
Jiang Yun slowly asked, "I heard that a Master Hongguang is coming to our capital after some time?"

“That’s right.” Abbot Yunwu nodded and put his hands together, saying, “This Master Hongguang is a great master of Buddhism. It is said that he has been appointed as the national teacher in the Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions.”

"His Buddhist knowledge is profound; I never expected that he would now be willing to go to the capital of Zhou to spread Buddhism."

"At that time, it will surely be a grand event for Buddhism in our Zhou Kingdom."

Jiang Yun chuckled and slowly said, "Is Bailong Temple interested in letting this Master Hongguang stay?" "What?" Monk Wuhui's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly said, "Lord Jiang, you're not joking, are you?"

Jiang Yun was not a Buddhist and did not understand the true value of this Master Hongguang. It should be noted that Buddhism originally came from the Western Regions.

Although it has undergone a lot of localization over the years, it still regards the Buddhism of the Western Regions as the orthodox one.

Master Hongguang enjoys such a reputation in the Buddhist kingdoms of the Western Regions, let alone in the eyes of the Buddhist disciples of the Zhou Kingdom.

The five major Buddhist temples naturally all wanted Master Hongguang to stay at their temples during his Buddhist exchange.

We can also benefit from the master's influence.

"I'll take care of his safety, and I'll decide where he stays," Jiang Yun said with a smile.

Monk Wuhui slapped his forehead and then said, "No, we need to reserve a few more rooms for Master Hongguang to stay in."

"When pilgrims come back, the room where Master Hongguang stayed can be doubled in price for one night, no matter how much you plead."

"If Master Hongguang were to help consecrate some more items, they could probably fetch a high price."

Hearing Wu Hui's mind filled with nothing but how to make money, Abbot Yunwu wanted to say something, but then he touched the robe on his body, which Wu Hui had bought with his hard-earned money.

He took a deep breath and decided not to say anything more.

However, Abbot Yunwu earnestly said to Jiang Yun, "Don't worry, Lord Jiang. Now that we've arranged for Master Hongguang to stay at Bailong Temple, we will definitely take good care of him..."

"No, no, no, the abbot has probably misunderstood me." Jiang Yun shook his head and said slowly, "What I need is for you to keep a close eye on this Master Hongguang. You must inform me immediately of any moves he makes."

Abbot Yunwu frowned, but Monk Wuhui quickly agreed: "Don't worry, Lord Jiang, I will definitely handle this matter for you."

After saying that, he gave his master a look, signaling him not to say anything more.

Soon, after a simple vegetarian meal, Jiang Yun personally saw the two of them out the door.

After leaving the Jiang residence, the master and disciple walked back to Bailong Temple. Abbot Yunwu said in a deep voice, "Could it be that the imperial court intends to harm Master Hongguang?"

"Master, is this something we can handle?" Monk Wuhui lowered his voice and whispered, "We'll just do whatever Lord Jiang instructs."

"Alright, alright, Master, please don't interfere in this matter. I'll handle it myself." Monk Wuhui understood Abbot Yunwu's temperament; to put it nicely, he was compassionate.

To put it bluntly, that's being too old-fashioned and conservative, reading Buddhist scriptures every day and taking the things in them too seriously.

Two days later, at dawn, the Eastern Garrison Command officially received the order from above to be responsible for welcoming and protecting Master Hongguang and his entourage during their stay in the capital.

At dawn, at the north gate of the capital, Buddhist believers who had heard the news came to wait to see the true face of Master Hongguang.

The Buddhist believers on both sides probably stretch for three or four miles.

Such a welcoming scene was quite rare. Jiang Yun, along with Qi Da and more than a hundred Imperial Guards, waited at the city gate.

Meanwhile, the abbots of the five major Buddhist temples were all waiting there to welcome Master Hongguang.

On the official road, a caravan of a hundred people from the Western Regions was slowly making its way towards the capital.

The group of over a hundred people consisted entirely of young and beautiful women aged eighteen to twenty.

These girls appeared to be blonde and blue-eyed, and were all from the Western Regions, dressed in Western Region attire.

The eight women leading the way carried baskets in their left hands and scattered flowers with their right, leaving a trail of fragrance wherever the procession went.

In the center of the procession, a monk who looked to be in his forties sat cross-legged on a lotus sedan chair, his hands clasped together, chanting Buddhist scriptures.

From a distance, passersby on both sides quickly performed the Buddhist kneeling and bowing ritual.

As they approached the city gates of the capital, Jiang Yun waved his hand, signaling the musicians invited by the Ministry of Rites to play.

Immediately afterward, he stepped forward, but before he could get close, two women in the group stopped him and said, "Who are you! You are not allowed to approach the Venerable One so easily."

"Please inform Master Hongguang that I am Jiang Yun from the Eastern Garrison of the Zhou Kingdom's Embroidered Uniform Guard, and I am responsible for protecting his safety." As Jiang Yun spoke, he looked at the entire group, which consisted entirely of young and beautiful women, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

After the announcement, Master Hongguang, supported by a young girl, prepared to step down from the lotus sedan chair platform.

The girls from the Western Regions he brought with him immediately knelt down and half-prone on the ground, forming a human bridge.

Master Hongguang, barefoot, stepped over the backs of the young girls and walked step by step to Jiang Yun, saying indifferently, "I am Hongguang, hello Commander Jiang."

"Master Hongguang, is it that you can't afford shoes?" Jiang Yun asked, frowning.

"No, if your feet touch the ground, they will inevitably be stained by worldly dust."

(End of this chapter)