Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 346 Death with a Rod
Lin Jiang didn't need to kill the old abbot himself, so he used the Chaotic Qi Technique to completely cleanse the old abbot's cultivation.

After losing the support of his spiritual cultivation, the old abbot's skin aged rapidly at a visible speed, becoming even more withered than the one who had been bedridden before.

His life was originally obtained through improper evil magic, and after being stripped away by Lin Jiang, he was instantly on the verge of death.

At this moment, he was in a brief moment of lucidity before death, and it was estimated that he would die before dawn.

Several young monks, suppressing their nausea, entered the interior of the golden Buddha and used a fine cloth to remove all the fingernails stuck inside. They then laid them out one by one on the floor of the outer hall.

Most monks were so disturbed by the sight of these fingernails that they found it difficult to count them all.

Finally, a little girl suddenly appeared in the main hall, running her fingers along each fingernail, and finally addressed the monks:
"A total of one hundred and fifty-six pieces!"

The little girl's clear voice resounded throughout the entire hall, and the monks inside fell silent.

They didn't know if the finger was pointing at one person, and if it was...

That's over a hundred lives!

Several elderly monks staggered and nearly fainted.

At this moment, the once bright and dazzling signboard of Mingde Temple seemed to have turned bloodstained.

The three avatars, each embodying greed, anger, and ignorance, also arrived at the scene. Compared to the other monks, they were clearly more unable to confront the abbot's true nature.

When the three saw the abbot, they were about to rush closer to inquire about his condition, but Lin Jiang stopped them in advance and told them in detail what had happened earlier.

Upon hearing that they were the three evil roots of greed, anger, and ignorance separated from the abbot, the three of them were instantly bewildered and lost in thought.

For many years, although the three knew that their personalities were incompatible with Zen meditation, they always attributed it to their innate nature and believed that they were not worthy of practicing Buddhism.

I never imagined that the truth would turn out like this.

Of the three, Nianyuan was the most excited:
"This...this...I don't believe it! The abbot treated us so kindly back then. Everyone in the temple looked down on us as guests, but only the abbot was willing to make peace with us. Now you say he harmed me? I don't believe it!"

He roared twice in disbelief, but when he glanced at the abbot lying on the ground, a trace of fear suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Suddenly he turned around and ran straight out of the temple, disappearing into the night under the moonlight.

Lin Jiang did not stop him. This man was probably not going to listen to anything right now, so it was better to let him calm down on his own.

The remaining two monks remained motionless, their complex gazes fixed intently on the abbot on the ground.

The monks of Mingde Temple were the same. Facing the old abbot who was paralyzed and motionless, barely breathing, they found it difficult to muster even a trace of anger.

I am left with nothing but confusion.

The abbot usually had a kind and approachable demeanor, and over time, this created a deep-rooted impression on everyone.

These monks weren't unable to accept that their abbot was such a heinous person; at that moment, they felt that everything was like a dream, extremely unreal.

Yining, who was kneeling beside the abbot, remained silent for a long time before finally managing to stand up by supporting himself on his knees.

He lowered his head, staring at the abbot lying on the ground, his voice becoming extremely hoarse:

Where are the monks of the Vinaya Pitaka?

The monks of the monastic monastery who had stopped the three monks during the day hesitated and looked at each other before stepping forward in unison to stand behind Yining.

Yi Ning wiped away her tears with her sleeve, her eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Mingde Temple's Yichen has seriously violated temple rules and injured over a hundred people. He must be severely punished according to temple law!"

"Elder!"

The young monks of the monastery had never seen such a sight before.

If they were to follow the rules of the monastic community, they would have to beat the abbot to death with sticks.

If these young monks were to carry out this task, they would probably find it difficult to do it!

Ignoring them completely, Yi Ning walked straight to a monk from the monastery and took the long staff from his hand.

The young monk wanted to stop her, but was forced back by Yi Ning's sharp, knife-like gaze:

“Right is right, and wrong is wrong! He has committed such a serious offense. If he is not punished, wouldn’t the rules and regulations of Mingde Temple be nothing more than child’s play? How can our temple use Buddhism to save all sentient beings in the future?”

The monk was scolded until his face turned red, and he took two steps back, no longer daring to look at the abbot.

Yi Ning, holding a long staff, slowly walked to the abbot's side.

Hearing the commotion, the abbot mustered all his strength to lift his eyelids and look at Yi Ning.

There was no strength left in his eyes.

"Master...why is this happening...?"

Yi Ning's voice trembled.

Yichen closed his eyes again:
"To survive."

Yi Ning remained silent.

He raised the long stick high, trembling.

The stick crashed down.

Tonight, the abbot of Mingde Temple still couldn't pass away peacefully.

Instead, he died under the temple's rules.

……

The next day, the gates of Mingde Temple were closed, and worshippers who came early in the morning were turned away. Several young monks with dark circles under their eyes kindly persuaded them, informing them that a small accident had occurred in the temple.

The pilgrims were filled with doubt, unable to fathom what had happened at the mountain temple. They dared not force their way in, and could only inquire when Mingde Temple would reopen. The young monks, of course, had no idea, and could only vaguely reply that it would reopen once the temple's affairs were settled.

But they couldn't say how long it would take for things to happen at the temple.

Inside the temple, Lin Jiang, having resolved the abbot's issue, packed his bags, intending to head straight for Baishan.

There is little need for them to stay here any longer.

After all, the main purpose of this trip was to deal with the abbot's affairs.

Regardless of how it was resolved.

Before leaving, Lin Jiang planned to meet Ling Kong one more time. He had no idea things would turn out this way, and he felt he had to talk to Ling Kong no matter what.

After searching the temple for a long time without finding anyone, I did meet Yining, who seemed to have aged a lot overnight.

Upon seeing Lin Jiang, Yi Ning chanted a Buddhist prayer, bowed slightly, and gazed at Lin Jiang with an extremely complex expression.
"Young master, is there something you need?"

"I'm looking for Lingkong and the others."

"Those traitors are currently in the back mountain area. Go out through the back gate and you'll see a winding mountain path leading uphill. Follow that path all the way up and you'll find them."

Hearing Yi Ning's weak voice, Lin Jiang suddenly remembered how he addressed the abbot yesterday, and asked directly:
"Is the abbot your master?"

When Yi Ning heard Lin Jiang's question, she instinctively closed her eyes.

His mind seemed somewhat troubled, but in the end he only sighed softly:
"Many years ago, this place was not a prosperous land, but was occupied by some western countries. Some of them possessed the secrets of the ancient divine kingdom. Their methods were fierce and arrogant, causing many villages to suffer, including my hometown. At that time, I met the old abbot and entered the Buddhist order in a daze."

"Condolences."

“My master’s mind was consumed by obsession, and he committed a terrible crime. Even though I understand this principle well, the emotions that a human being should have are still tormenting me like a knife twisting in my heart.” Yi Ning closed her eyes tightly. “I’m afraid it will take me some time to calm these emotions down.”

If others were to say this, it would seem rather pretentious, but Yining is certainly the one most qualified to speak on this matter.

Lin Jiang didn't know how to comfort Yining, so he could only bow to him and take his leave.

Just before leaving, Yi Ning suddenly called out:

"Young master, you and that gentleman are both extraordinary beings. Before leaving the ancient temple, could you please tell us your real names?"

"Me?" Lin Jiang pondered for a moment: "Just call me Zhu Da."

Yi Ning could tell that the name was false, but he didn't care much at the moment. He simply nodded slightly and memorized the two words.

Lin Jiang did not linger in the temple, but went straight to the back mountain as Yining had pointed.

Before long, he set foot on the winding path, climbed up the mountain, and saw two monks sitting on the edge of the cliff drinking wine.

It is the understanding and spiritual emptiness.

Lin Jiang did not deliberately conceal his footsteps, and the two people on the other side naturally noticed.

The two glanced at each other. Nianwu was not very familiar with Lin Jiang, but Lingkong had already stood up and bowed to Lin Jiang.

"Nianyuan hasn't returned?"

Lin Jianghuan looked around but couldn't see the big monk who kept shouting "This monk, this monk!"

“He left yesterday and didn’t return all night. He’s probably far away from the temple by now,” Lingkong said.

He could understand Nianyuan's situation. At the time, Nianyuan said there was no reason why she shouldn't return to the mountain temple, but in the end she still came back with him.

Of the three, he was actually the most indifferent, while Nianyuan was the most warm-hearted. It was normal for him to be unable to accept that the abbot, who had been kind to him, was acting this way.

Even though they couldn't find him, the group wasn't too worried. After all, Nianyuan had been wandering the martial world for many years, so nothing bad was likely to happen to him.

Lin Jiang then turned to ask the two people in front of him:

"How do you feel now?"

Now that the abbot is dead, the three vices of greed, ignorance, and anger that he left behind will also vanish with the wind.

Upon hearing Lin Jiang's question, Nianwu simply shook his head and said:
"I didn't feel any different from before."

Lingkong paused briefly:
"But I feel an emptiness inside. It's a feeling that's hard to describe."

Seeing the two of them like this, Lin Jiang pondered for a moment and roughly understood the reason.

Nianyuan and Nianwu had long established their lifestyles, and the root of their troubles was not something that seriously interfered with their normal lives, but rather something that quietly seeped into their daily routines.

But Lingkong is different.

A strong murderous intent lurked deep within him.

This could never be integrated into daily life, and he tried his best to hide this murderous intent deep in his heart.

Even though it's an instinct as natural as growing fingernails, he firmly suppresses it and uses various methods to soothe his inner desires.

After the old abbot died, he naturally lost this desire and impulse, but this also meant that a certain instinct disappeared.

There will definitely be a sense of emptiness.

"You will eventually find something new to fill the void in your heart." Lin Jiang gently patted Ling Kong's shoulder. Ling Kong's lips trembled slightly, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Seeing that he remained silent, Lin Jiang checked the time and realized that it was almost time to leave, so he simply turned around and left.

Watching Lin Jiang's departing figure, Ling Kong instinctively wanted to say something more.

Even as the young master walked away in the brilliant morning sunlight, he never uttered a word.

He only murmured a Buddhist chant, not knowing for whom it was meant.

(End of this chapter)