Catching Monsters

Chapter 593 A visit
Early in the morning, at Bailong Temple, Abbot Yunwu personally brought a vegetarian meal to a small courtyard inside the temple. After gently knocking on the door, a monk quickly emerged from inside.

"Abbot Yunwu, why did you personally deliver this vegetarian meal?" Huang Fan was dressed in a white monk's robe. His appearance was noticeably different from that of people from the Central Plains. However, if an ordinary person had such an exotic face, they might be viewed with suspicion in the capital.

It wouldn't be surprising if they were even mistaken for spies from a foreign land, but it's different for monks.

Buddhism in the Central Plains originated from Buddhist kingdoms in the Western Regions.

As Buddhism flourished in the Central Plains, it generally had a natural affinity for monks from the Western Regions.

When Huang Fan visited Bailong Temple, he merely claimed that he came from the Western Regions and had no place to stay in the capital. Abbot Yunwu warmly invited him to stay at Bailong Temple for this very reason.

Upon entering the house and setting out the vegetarian meal, Abbot Yunwu, with a smile on his face, asked, "Master Huang Fan, you have come all the way from the Western Regions. May I ask what brings you here? If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask."

Huang Fan clasped his hands together and said, "It is already a great honor for me that the abbot has allowed me to stay overnight."

At this point, Huang Fan sighed slightly and said, "Our national teacher from the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom, Master Hongguang, came to Zhou Kingdom some time ago, but unfortunately, for some unknown reason, he lost his life here."

“Master Hongguang held a high position in our Western Regions. Now that he is dead, the Buddhist community has fallen into internal strife. This humble monk cannot bear to see Buddhists killing each other.”

"So I decided to travel far away to the capital of Zhou to see if I could find a place to stay."

Upon hearing this, Abbot Yunwu frowned slightly and said, "I have also heard about the death of Master Hongguang. Amitabha."

Huang Fan then said, "By the way, Abbot Yunwu, I've heard of White Dragon Temple before. It seems you weren't the abbot. How come you are now..."

"Bailong Temple suffered a calamity before, which was also caused by the monks of Bailong Temple." Abbot Yunwu was kind-hearted and had no suspicion of Huang Fan, so he told him about the monks of Bailong Temple who had amassed wealth on a large scale and even trafficked women.

After listening, Huang Fan put his hands together and said, "I didn't expect there to be such a thing. So, the reason why Bailong Temple can still exist is entirely due to that Lord Jiang?"

"When will Lord Jiang come to Bailong Temple? His ability to protect Bailong Temple is a great contribution to our Buddhist sect..."

"If he comes, please inform me in advance, Abbot, as I would also like to pay him a visit."

Abbot Yunwu smiled and nodded: "You are a high monk from the Western Regions. Lord Jiang will surely be pleased to visit you, but Lord Jiang is very busy."

"But it just so happens that I was originally planning to go to the Jiang residence tonight to show Lord Jiang the accounts."

"Come with me."

Huang Fan was slightly taken aback. His goal was to stay in Bailong Temple and wait for Jiang Yun to come to him.

Heading to the Jiang residence?

This was not part of his plan, but Abbot Yunwu was exceptionally enthusiastic, taking his hand and saying, "It's settled then."

"A highly virtuous monk like you could go and pray for Lord Jiang's well-being; Lord Jiang would probably be pleased."

……

"The lanterns need to be hung higher."

"Xiao Liu, have you bought all the firecrackers for the backyard? Miss Qiaoqiao said she wants to set off more firecrackers this year."

"Hey, Wenchen's here, bringing all these New Year's goods."

At the entrance of the Jiang residence, Yun Pingchuan was methodically arranging the work of the servants. As the head steward of the Jiang residence, Yun Pingchuan had a lot of work to do as the year drew to a close.

Upon seeing Wen Chen arrive, he hurriedly went to greet him.

Wen Chen was dressed in a Taoist robe. Nowadays, he rarely goes to the Eastern Garrison Command anymore, as there are many things to do at the Sanqing Temple.

After opening five new Taoist temples, nearly ten more were opened.

There are now sixteen Taoist temples in the entire capital, and Wen Chen is busy running around to each one.

Hearing that Wen Chen had arrived, Jiang Yun also came to the living room.

"Master!" Wen Chen said with a smile, carrying the gifts in his hands.

"You're here, why are you bringing gifts?" Jiang Yun glanced at the gifts in his hand.

"It's not expensive, just some ordinary things." Wen Chen smiled as he put down the gifts. After a pause, he quickly put them down as well: "There's one thing that Master will definitely like."

As he spoke, he pulled out a register from among the gifts and handed it to Jiang Yun: "This is the official register of the disciples of the Sanqing Temple."

"Currently, there are 203 registered disciples of the Sanqing Temple."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's eyes lit up, and she quickly took the roster and began to look at it carefully.

"Don't worry, Master. I personally tested most of the people here." Wen Chen sat down next to Jiang Yun.

"In addition, there are now sixteen Sanqing Temples in the capital, and I manage most of them. However, the people of the capital still don't have a deep understanding of Sanqing Temples."

“Sometimes people come in, hear that the Three Pure Ones are being worshipped, and then they turn around and leave. That is a problem.”

Jiang Yun nodded: "Everything is difficult at the beginning. Nowadays, there are only a minority of people who believe in Taoism. Even among the believers, most have been worshipping the Taoist deity for many years."

Wen Chen nodded and said in a low voice, "In addition, there are already enough Sanqing Temples in the capital. I am thinking of building some Sanqing Temples in wealthy cities in the north and south that officials have promised to build for you."

"However, these officials are worried that His Majesty might have objections."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun thought for a moment and said, "Tell them not to worry. If His Majesty causes trouble, just say that I did it."

Hearing this, Wen Chen smiled and nodded, touching his hair: "Master, where did Senior Brother go? I'm so busy every day, if Senior Brother comes back, I can have some peace and quiet."

"You've had a hard time." Jiang Yun nodded and said, "I don't know where Shujian is either... But don't worry, it's not a bad thing that Senior Qu arranged for him to cultivate."

Jiang Yun had also tried to subtly inquire about Qin Shujian's whereabouts several times, but unfortunately, Qu Wushang remained unwilling to reveal Qin Shujian's location.

"The end of the year is coming soon. When you have time, prepare some gifts and send some to your senior brother's childhood sweetheart. Just say that it's from me."

"Also, is Sanqing Temple making any money lately?"

Wen Chen shook his head and said, "We can barely make a profit, but there is no surplus."

Jiang Yun thought for a moment and said, "Go get ten thousand taels of silver from your master's wife later."

"So many." Wen Chen was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Jiang Yun then took out paper and pen, wrote down a list, and said, "These adults will each receive one thousand taels of silver in the name of the Sanqing Temple."

Wen Chen, who also came from a poor background, couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Master, these adults wouldn't dare to cause us any trouble because of your influence. Why bother sending so much money?"

Jiang Yun rolled her eyes at Wen Chen and reminded him, "You can use face once or twice, but can you rely on your old face to get by forever?"

"If there's no real benefit, it'll be too late to send gifts if something really happens." "If Sanqing Temple wants to grow and expand, it can't do without gifts from officials in various places."

"Yes," Wen Chen replied respectfully.

The two then chatted for a while. Now, Wen Chen's father no longer did the job of carrying manure. He moved to a new house and remarried a young and beautiful wife.

Wen Chen didn't object to this. His father had worked hard and saved money to support his studies in his younger years. Now that he was successful, why couldn't his father enjoy himself?

It was noon soon. After having lunch, Wenchen hurriedly left to attend to matters concerning the Sanqing Temple.

Jiang Yun also had to entertain guests.

Originally, Jiang Yun didn't have many connections in the officialdom of the capital, and even fewer people came to visit him.

But now, the connections of the eldest prince Xiao Jingzhi have basically been handed over to Jiang Yun.

Many civil officials, those of lower rank, would come to visit in person, while those who were busier, like Minister Yan, would send servants to deliver a gift.

The room in the backyard was already filled with gifts.

Xu Suwen looked up at the many gifts in front of her and took notes in a small notebook.

Jiang Yun, standing to the side, laughed and said, "What are you doing?"

Xu Suwen squatted down and said, "Remember the value of these gifts and who gave them to them. Our family will have to return the favor in a couple of days. We should send them separately, so we don't return their gifts untouched."

"To be honest, we are a Marquis's mansion, and we shouldn't be giving away other people's gifts."

“But our family isn’t that wealthy. There are many places where we need to spend money. We can’t compare to the grandeur of my maternal family’s Zhenguo Duke’s Mansion.”

"We have to be careful with our money."

At this point, Xu Suwen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've had Uncle Yun give Wenchen the ten thousand taels of silver. No matter how much we try to save money, we can't let you miss out on this important matter."

Hearing Xu Suwen's words, Jiang Yun touched his nose, realizing that one doesn't know the value of money until one is in charge of the household.

Jiang Yun certainly doesn't lack money, but he still has many expenses...

The Jiang family is a large household, and their food and drink alone cost a lot of money. Moreover, Jiang Yun basically just asks Xu Suwen to pay for his expenses.

As for income, it's not enough compared to the wealth accumulated by those powerful and influential people over many years.

Jiang Yun's share of the revenue from the Eastern Garrison Command also includes a small portion for the White Dragon Temple, though not much.

The family's savings were basically the money given to them by various powerful figures during their wedding.

Like many powerful and wealthy families, they have acquired land, shops, and stable channels for making money.

These are all things that the Jiang family currently lacks.

"Oh, right, Brother Qian also sent over a thousand taels of silver." Xu Suwen paused and said, "But I didn't take it. His family has just settled in the capital and is in dire need of money."

As the two were discussing, Yun Pingchuan's voice rang out from outside: "Master, Abbot Yunwu of Bailong Temple has arrived, saying he's here to review your accounts."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's eyes lit up slightly. He did indeed own one-tenth of the money from Bailong Temple, which wasn't a small amount.

"Please."

Yun Pingchuan said, "In addition, Abbot Yunwu also brought a monk who claims to be a high monk from the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions. He has come to pray for the Jiang family."

"Huh? Huang Fan? What's he doing at my house?" Jiang Yun was slightly taken aback and frowned.

He had no intention of contacting this guy, at least not now.

"please."

Then Jiang Yun reminded Xu Suwen to stay in the backyard.

When they arrived at the living room, Abbot Yunwu and the monk Huang Fan were already seated in the guest seats.

"Lord Jiang." Abbot Yunwu stood up with a smile, put his hands together and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Master Huang Fan, a high monk from the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions. He is temporarily staying at our Bailong Temple."

"I was thinking that since it's rare to meet a high-ranking monk from the Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions, I invited him along so that he could also pray for blessings for Lord Jiang's household."

Huang Fan stood up, put his hands together, and looked at Jiang Yun calmly: "Amitabha, Lord Jiang, this humble monk greets you."

Jiang Yun slowly sat down in the main seat and calmly said, "Oh, a high monk from the Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions? Welcome, welcome. There's no need for prayers; I don't believe in that Buddha."

Then Jiang Yun asked with a smile, "Since Master Huang Fan is from the Western Regions, he should know Master Hongguang, right? I heard that Master Hongguang died a very tragic death."

Upon hearing Jiang Yun's words, Huang Fan instinctively clenched his fists.

He was a disciple personally raised by Hongguang.

As a child, I was an orphan with no one to rely on. The Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom, though named a Buddhist kingdom, was a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones.

Just when he was about to starve to death, he met Master Hongguang. From that day on, Master Hongguang took him back to the Buddhist temple, shaved his head, and personally accepted him as his disciple.

For Huang Fan, Master Hongguang was both a teacher and a father figure.

After news of Master Hongguang's death reached the Western Regions, everyone was busy vying for power and seizing the power vacated by Master Hongguang's death.

Originally, Huang Fan, as Master Hongguang's closest disciple, was able to inherit many of the powers left behind by Master Hongguang.

However, he only brought some of Master Hongguang's confidants with him and chose to come to the Zhou Kingdom to avenge Master Hongguang.

“Abbot Yunwu, you have no idea how tragic Master Hongguang’s death was.” As Jiang Yun said this, he glanced at Huang Fan out of the corner of his eye and continued, “His body was searched again and again, all his belongings were stolen, and then it was burned to ashes.”

"Hiss." Abbot Yunwu was unaware of the inside story, nor did he know that Master Hongguang was killed by Jiang Yun. Upon hearing this, he could only sigh and say, "Master Hongguang was, after all, a high monk. It is truly a pity that he met such an end."

“That’s right.” Jiang Yun glanced casually at Huang Fan: “If I were a relative or friend of Master Hongguang, I would probably try every means to avenge him.”

Huang Fan calmed down at this moment and realized that Jiang Yun was trying to provoke him.

He took a deep breath, swallowed it, forced a smile, and slowly said, "Lord Jiang, you flatter me. Master Hongguang is going to the Western Paradise to serve the Buddha, which is a fortunate thing."

"Moreover, our Buddhist community does not advocate revenge or violence."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot about that." Jiang Yun nodded, then looked at Abbot Yunwu: "Abbot, go and invite a Buddha statue over, and ask this Master Huang Fan to speak in front of the Buddha."

"This..." Abbot Yunwu was slightly taken aback. He vaguely sensed that something seemed off about Jiang Yun. Normally, Lord Jiang would not treat guests like this.

(End of this chapter)