Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 196 Encountering a Mad Monk at Lingyin Temple

After that, a few more letters were written to get the major clans to take the lead in making donations and set the tone, so that smaller and medium-sized families would have no choice but to follow suit.

The collection of funds went exceptionally smoothly. Once the logistics were completed, the dredging work in Jiangnan would be more than half done, and all that remained was to wait for the imperial court's reward.

Song Youde was probably still a little flustered and instinctively hoped to receive confidential instructions in person.

So he kept writing letters to invite his younger brother for a drink.

"Oh my, my dear brother is here."

"I also want to thank you for your help, brother. The prominent families in the city have provided manpower, money and materials, so the dredging can basically be completed before Qingming Festival. As for the reinforcement of the dike, it is scheduled for this autumn."

Xu Xuan denied any credit, saying that Xu Xuan had done all the work himself and that it had nothing to do with him.

Magistrate Song naturally objected, insisting that he drag his virtuous brother along, saying they should die together if necessary.

After some back and forth, the two decided to share the burden.

They then drank some wine together and whispered their plans.

"Are we going to do this again when it's time to repair the dike in the autumn? By then, Yu Gong will be back, which isn't very convenient."

At this moment, Song Youde was somewhat frightened because Yu Gong had not returned. He would never dare to do such a thing if he had returned.

"Don't worry, I have a second way."

"My dear brother, you are truly talented. May I learn from you?"

"Brother, where else in Qiantang do you think there are wealthy places besides the aristocratic families?"

Song Youde hadn't thought of it at the time; if he had, he would have acted long ago.

Then, following the direction my brother was pointing, I saw West Lake?

"There is only one Jintian Academy by West Lake. Not to mention that Yu Gong is the new headmaster, even when he was still the headmaster, he couldn't squeeze out much profit."

Xu Xuan had no choice but to point out the three words "Flying Peak".

"Lingyin Temple is so popular that countless people voluntarily donate every day. Wealthy families donate at least a hundred taels of silver at a time. And since the monks don't have to pay taxes, the accumulated amount over the years must be considerable."

"Besides, temple property isn't just gold and silver; the land deeds are all packed in boxes. Leaving these money-grubbers there would only hinder the monks' spiritual practice."

"There are also temples all around West Lake, all run by compassionate monks who certainly wouldn't care about money."

Magistrate Song shook his head vigorously. His reputation as an upright gentleman, maintained for decades, was still somewhat secure, but the monk was truly not someone to be trifled with.

"Don't worry, I have a very good relationship with the abbot of Lingyin Temple. Master Guangliang is a truly virtuous and accomplished monk."

"At that time, please go up the mountain with Yu Gong and reason with the other party. We should be able to reach an agreement."

Sigh... Sigh... That's quite interesting.

Yu Gong disliked people outside the secular world, especially monks who were involved in worldly affairs.

Then we can compromise and have the temple fund the dam repairs in exchange for peace. Brilliant!
Magistrate Song was secretly alarmed; his brother's plan to use one wolf to devour another was even more vicious.

Then the two of them laughed and started drinking.

"But there is one thing I am still worried about."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of files, all of which were reports from other counties, all of which involved murder cases that occurred in the water.

This is because they are worried that there may be monsters in the river causing trouble, so they want to ask the academy for help.

Could the expert who killed the Heart-Digging Assassin last time please provide protection again?

Xu Xuan laughed. What demon would dare to cause trouble by West Lake? They would be courting death.

Of course, we can't say that to outsiders. It's not unreasonable for Baoantang to charge a consultation fee for this matter.

Otherwise, where will the funds come from to hold free clinics or donate medicine in the future?

So first they sighed in distress, then they recounted their hardships, followed by costs, time, and so on.

Song Qingtian immediately understood that this was a request for money to do something, and that was perfectly acceptable.

Anyway, the funds are sufficient, and this is a normal expense. Those aristocratic families are very accepting of experts charging fees, especially the family whose young master has died, who will even offer a reward.

While the two were discussing the livelihood of the people in Qiantang, the scholars of the academy were also enjoying spring outings in various places. Thanks to the holiday handbook provided by Instructor Xu, nothing ridiculous happened.

Sanqi, meanwhile, led the newcomer Liang Shanbo straight to Feilai Peak. Liang Shanbo still didn't understand why he hadn't joined his distant cousin in the usual activities of aristocratic families, but instead gone out with his new friends.

It's probably because of Ji's enthusiasm for traditional customs, but I always feel that hanging out with these people would be a lot of fun.

In reality, Ji Rui saw his lifelong enemy privately educating a new classmate, his tone as sarcastic and biting as ever.

This really emboldened him; was he going to bully the newcomer?

Liang Shanbo was a poor student who received tuition waivers and was also a gifted student who was specially admitted, so he was the one Liang Shanbo was responsible for protecting.

So he immediately jumped out and engaged in a fierce battle with the opponent, and even pulled the other two Qi to charge together.

In the end, the couple's self-esteem was protected, and they were given extra care in terms of food and daily life.

Even when going on a spring outing, they don't forget to bring others along, for fear of being isolated.

It was hard to refuse such enthusiasm, so we ended up together at Lingyin Temple.

"What? Master Guangliang is out on business and hasn't been in the temple for the past few months."

"I see."

Ning Caichen felt somewhat regretful that he could not personally apologize to the abbot.

Then let's apologize to the others first, and sincerely express our apologies to every monk who passes by.

This "Music Demon" was quite a celebrity in Lingyin Temple. The monks were quite gratified to see that he had seen the error of his ways and returned to normalcy.

“There’s no need for that, Benefactor Ning. Those dozens of people who came down the mountain did indeed have lingering worldly ties, so it’s not your fault, nor can it be entirely your fault.”

They didn't stop until they reached the Three Lives Stone on the back mountain.

Liang Shanbo wondered why they had stopped, since there was another monk there.

On the way, he roughly learned that Ning had done something shocking—causing dozens of monks to return to secular life—so he was somewhat regretful that he hadn't accomplished the full goal.

Ji Rui naturally explained it to the newcomer.

"That is the Three Lives Stone. Master Xu advises that people with rich emotions should not go near it, or they will be entangled in karmic entanglements."

"So it would be best to invite that master over."

Liang Shanbo volunteered to go and invite someone over. When he arrived at the Three Lives Stone, he walked around it and looked around, but there was nothing unusual about it.

Then they asked the master, who had been sweeping up fallen leaves and dust, to move to a nearby spot.

“Amitabha, when this humble monk entered the temple, Benefactor Ning had already left, so there is no need for this.”

The group was overjoyed to hear that Lingyin Temple had added new monks, and Ning Caichen's guilt lessened considerably.

"How should the master be addressed?"

"His name is Qingyou."

An aged voice came from behind them.

Zao was shocked. His heart pounded, and he burst forth with unparalleled righteous energy, turning around to stand in front of the crowd.

There, a hunched-over, mad monk appeared out of nowhere, wearing a patchwork robe, a monk's hat, and holding a palm-leaf fan. He was looking at the crowd, his cloudy eyes devoid of any light.

"What is the Master's name?"

The mad monk walked through the crowd, completely ignoring Zao's question, and instead stroked the three stones with his withered hand.

"Effects arise from causes, appearances appear due to conditions, affairs are accomplished by reason, many things arise from one, existence is established on emptiness, and Buddhahood is made by man."

"Dependent origination. Emptiness of inherent existence."

Student Ji was shocked.

"Many things in the fruit of the Buddha's name are related to his appearance! What an imposing Dharma name!"

The mad monk's hand, which had been stroking the Three Lives Stone, paused for a moment, then disappeared.

　I'll be posting two updates today. I've been very busy with work, sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)