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Chapter 531 Gluttony
Judging from his expression, he certainly didn't seem to be faking it.

But wait, we just bumped into each other this morning, how could I have forgotten so quickly?
Zhou You coughed lightly and then smiled.

"Brother, are you kidding me? I'm the one from the tea stall. You even greeted me back then."

However, the more they talked, the more confused the person became.

"I apologize, although I came down the mountain today, I did not see you. May I ask if you have mistaken me for someone else?"

Zhou You stopped talking, carefully examined the monk, and then suddenly laughed.

"I'm sorry, there was probably too much of a lively atmosphere at the time, and I mistook someone for an older brother. By the way, may I ask how I should address you, older brother?"

"Just call me Faxian."

After bowing so humbly—to be honest, the politeness of the people in this temple was a little unsettling—the monk led Zhou You away from the dining hall and headed towards the monks' quarters.

It was already quite late, and the crescent moon could be seen on the horizon. However, unlike the Wuyun Temple, which was as silent as a graveyard after nightfall, there was no curfew in this temple. The monks had already finished their evening prayers and were marching in unison toward the dining hall, strictly adhering to the precepts, remaining silent and not even glancing around.

The male believers, on the other hand, didn't have so many rules. They would bring over a pot, find an open space, and gather in groups of three or five to eat their dinner.

Zhou You only saw that the soup in the pot was similar to the one before, only a little thinner. The people were like starving ghosts reincarnated, all burying their heads in their bowls, and no one said a word except to stuff their mouths with rice.

Seeing Zhou You's gaze, Faxian calmly explained.

"I apologize for the temple's rules, but apart from guests, monks who come down the mountain to beg for alms, and those performing religious rites, the temple only provides one meal a day. This applies to both monks and laypeople. We can still strictly regulate ourselves through our spiritual practice, but these people... we can only patiently persuade them to avoid falling into the five sins."

Zhou You didn't care at all, and even praised him with a smile.

"That's thanks to the temple's good fortune. If it weren't for everyone's help, these people would probably have starved to death long ago in this godforsaken world."

As they were talking, Zhou You seemed to trip over something, his body swayed, and he accidentally bumped into a man.

The force wasn't great, but it still caused the man's bowl to slip from his hand, spilling the broth all over the floor.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't notice. I have some dry food here, how about I compensate you with some?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man suddenly raised his head.

—His eyes didn't show anger, but rather immense anxiety.
With hunger and thirst.

"My food, my food, my food!!!"

Accompanied by a shrill scream, the man ignored Zhou You and instead lay down on the ground, licking up the leftover porridge mixed with dirt and filth.

Before Zhou You could speak, Fa Xian sighed, then, disregarding the filth on the ground, struggled to help the man up. He then picked up a bowl and led him to the pot.

"Don't worry, the temple may lack other things, but there's plenty of food. Look, there's still more than half a pot left."

He ladled another bowl for the man, and seeing that he had calmed down again and was wolfing down his food, Faxian then looked at Zhou You and calmly explained.

"Please excuse our agitation, sir. This group of people are newcomers to the mountain. They are mostly refugees from the disaster area, starving and desperate, so their reactions may be a bit agitated."

Zhou You nodded with a smile as always.

However, there was no smile in his eyes.

— Two questions.

First, whether it was just his imagination or not, this group of people always reminded him of a certain common animal.

Secondly, these are all newcomers to the mountain, but the temple is only so big and can only accommodate a limited number of people. So where did the previous batch, or even the batch before that, go?

The night is getting darker.

Most of the monks had already returned to their quarters to rest, but as the abbot of the temple, Master Hongyi was far from being able to rest.

With faltering steps, he walked into the temple's meditation hall.

Several elders, some around his age or even older, had been waiting there for quite some time.

Hongyi first clasped his hands together and bowed to each of them. After they returned the bow, he found a futon and sat down with great effort.

The candlelight in the lecture hall was not bright; under the strict discipline of frugality and asceticism, it was even somewhat dark. In the dim light, one could only see a few fleeting, illusory faces.

After a long while, someone suddenly spoke up.

"Hongyi, you're a little late today."

Although he was the temple's official abbot and belonged to the most senior group, Hongyi still lowered his head and sincerely apologized.

"The cause of this matter lies with me, and I will accept punishment later, but there was indeed a reason for today."

Why?

"Chongxu's disciple has finally arrived today."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn.

After a while, an old man stroked his long beard and then spoke.

"That so-called master of both talisman and sword, the Heavenly Sword, Ling Yuan?"

"Exactly."

Then everyone fell silent again.

After a long pause, one of them finally spoke.

"I've heard about that guy's exploits; he's a rare talent among the younger generation. But Hongyi, have you verified his identity?"

The old monk Hongyi sat upright on the futon, neither respectful nor arrogant, and spoke simply.

"It has been verified that it is indeed Chongxu's token, and his physical characteristics match the image left behind, so it should not be an imposter."

The long-bearded old man nodded.

"That's good. After all, this is a turbulent time. The Tantric Sect, the Hundred Illusions Sect, the Good Mother Sect, and even several sects in the Northern Wilderness have their eyes on this place. It's always better to be cautious."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another person chimed in.

"In your opinion, Hongyi, is this person capable of being employed?"

The old monk Hongyi replied.

“I have observed the cause and effect, and it should be able to fill the last gap. Besides, I know Chongxu well; he is a shrewd and calculating man and should not do things without certainty.”

"What does Chongxu seek?"

"The temple's help, and the root that was removed afterward."

Everyone stopped talking.

The old monks looked at each other, and each saw a hint of hesitation in the other's eyes.

The temple's support is easy to talk about; verbal support is still support, but that's the real issue.
This kind of thing, if placed on the black market, would cost at least several thousand taels of gold, and more often than not, it would be priceless and unavailable; you couldn't buy it even if you wanted to.

In the end, it was the Venerable Master Hongyi who made the decision.

"If he is really as powerful as the legends say, then what's wrong with giving Chongxu a big gift? If he is just a useless person in name only, then the temple doesn't need to give too much. Just give him something to send him away."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Outside the window, the moon was high in the sky.

The old monk Hongyi looked at the sky and then spoke.

“It’s getting late, and we’ve troubled you all. How about we add a vegetarian meal tonight?” “But it’s not time to eat yet.”

"As Buddha said, there are priorities in things. Besides, the temple's rules exclude those who perform rituals, so adding a meal won't cause any problems."

The rest of the people lowered their heads and acquiesced.

Then the old monk Hongyi clapped his hands.

Soon, several novice monks, as if they had been preparing for a long time, filed in and placed the containers they were carrying in front of the older monks.

The old monk Hongyi was the first to lift the lid, and looking at the steaming, incredibly fresh food inside, he put his hands together and began chanting scriptures.

"I offer my worship to the pure Dharmakaya Vairocana Buddha, the perfect Sambhogakaya Rocana Buddha, the countless emanations Shakyamuni Buddha, the future Maitreya Buddha, Amitabha Buddha of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and all Buddhas of the ten directions and three times."

The first half is the usual "Two Times of Fasting Ritual", but the second half suddenly turns into something extremely inexplicable.

"The seven emotions are fermented, the six desires are cooked into meat sauce. Chew on greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt, and transform the seeds of the five wisdoms into Bodhi. Only by devouring all the sins of Jambudvipa can one attain supreme Bodhi."

Finally, everyone praised in unison.

"Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your grace in granting us our attainment of Buddhahood."

The old monks opened their mouths, revealing sharp teeth, and then...
Like a hyena, it began to devour greedily.

The flickering candlelight elongated and magnified these figures, finally projecting them onto the golden statue enshrined in the hall.

For a moment, it was impossible to distinguish between the monks and the Buddha.

Zhou You suddenly opened his eyes, waking up from a nightmare.

After leaving the Five Aggregates Temple, he should have been able to sleep more peacefully without the knocking noise. However, even though the sound was gone, nightmares returned immediately.

Most importantly, he has no recollection of having any nightmares that night.

All I could feel was that I was falling into an abyss, plummeting, plummeting, falling continuously until I was swallowed up by the bottomless, boundless darkness.

I wasn't afraid, but my instincts kept sending warnings.

He shook his head, trying to shake off the last bit of awkwardness, and then looked around.

The scenery hadn't changed much; it was the same dormitory I'd stayed in the day before.

Although it's unclear which of the eight schools of Buddhism Hanshan Temple belongs to, it seems to follow an ascetic path. Apart from the unusually abundant food, everything else is kept as simple as possible.

However, this did give Zhou You a sense of familiarity.

After all, the place I stayed when I went to have a wedding to bring good luck wasn't much better than this.

After a quick wash, a young novice monk knocked on the door at just the right moment.

He only said one simple sentence.

"The abbot is waiting for you in the Arhat Hall."

When I saw the Venerable Master Hongyi again, I wondered if it was just my imagination, but he seemed to look much more radiant than he had looked the day before.
Upon seeing Zhou You, the old monk Hongyi smiled and said...

"Thank you for your trouble, young friend. By the way, you probably haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Should I have someone prepare some for you?"

This place is always talking about food.

Zhou You quickly declined.

"No, I'm not really used to eating breakfast. Besides, the deadline my master gave me is almost up. How about we talk about serious matters first?"

"OK then."

It was clearly just a polite refusal, but the old monk seemed to have a great regret and sighed deeply.

"Let's get down to business first—may I ask you, young friend, what instructions did your master give you before you left the Five Aggregates Temple?"

Zhou You shook his head, then said with a wry smile.

"That old man—no, my master—didn't give me many instructions. He just told me to go to a place called Hanshan Temple and find Master Hongyi. He said you would tell me what happened after that."

"that's it?"

"that's it."

The old monk Hongyi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Well, I didn't expect your master to be so cautious. But young friend, you don't need to complain too much. After all, knowing about many things can have an impact, and it's understandable that he asked you to come over to discuss them."

Zhou You didn't waste any more words, but smiled at the old monk Hongyi.

"Now that I'm here, please enlighten me, Abbot."

However, the Venerable Master Hongyi did not give a direct answer.

The man staggered into the hall, then, with his back to the statue, spoke to Zhou You.

"Does this young friend know the reason why all sects have been able to survive, protect the people, and even govern the country on behalf of the emperor?"

Zhou You remained silent as well.

It was only then that he noticed the anomaly.

Normally, regardless of size, a temple should at least enshrine all eighteen Arhats.

But what Zhou You saw now
There was only one Arhat holding a begging bowl.

Moreover, this is not a normal Arhat holding a begging bowl.

The lower body was fine, and the upper body was also holding a bowl high, as if begging for food—however, the thing in his hand was not a food utensil, but a huge human skeleton.

As for the face, Zhou You couldn't see any face at all, only a blurry one—yet just looking at it made him feel an endless hunger rising from his stomach, making him want to devour something like crazy.

next moment.

The simultaneous beeping of Wanren and Duanyue Bow caused Zhou You to take a heavy step back, but also brought him back to his senses.

Seeing this, the old monk Hongyi smiled even more kindly.

"Young friend, you truly deserve the name of the Heavenly Sword. Your composure is indeed remarkable. And if I'm not mistaken, you have also practiced some Buddhist methods, haven't you?"

Zhou You remained silent for a long while before taking a deep breath and speaking.

"Indeed, but it's just some basic stuff. And Abbot, can you explain what just happened?"

The old monk Hongyi smiled and said...

"No rush. By the way, young friend, could you answer the question from earlier?"

"I don't know."

"Indeed, while this isn't exactly a secret, it's usually only known to the higher-ups in each sect."

The old monk tapped the golden statue of the alms bowl-bearing Arhat and then spoke.

"In fact, the reason why various sects can exist now is because they rely on the things they worship to maintain themselves."

“These things have many names: guardian beasts of the mountain, immortals of our sect, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and even the souls of our ancestors, but they are all essentially the same thing.”

"That is the strange creature, a strange creature raised on human lives, a creature that is vital to the sect's survival."

(End of this chapter)