Killing Monks

Chapter 139 Accumulating Virtue Through the Great Dao

Chen Jide was pretending to be a pilgrim, wandering around Jinjia Temple.

He was wearing a slightly worn silk shirt, holding a string of cheap Buddhist beads in his hand, with a devout expression on his face. He would occasionally put his palms together in prayer before the Buddha statue, muttering incantations.

If you didn't know better, you would really think he was a kind-hearted person who sincerely worshipped Buddha.

But he wasn't.

He was a notorious bandit.

They specialize in stealing from temples.

Why steal from temples? Because temples have money.

The gilding on the Buddha statues, the ritual implements on the offering table, and the money donated by worshippers—just a little of these would be enough to last for half a year.

As for whether it will offend the gods or Buddhas?

He had witnessed far too many filthy things in temples; the shady dealings those bald monks did behind the scenes were far dirtier than what he had stolen.

Those bald monks aren't afraid, so why should he be afraid of anything?

Jinjia Temple was considered a large temple in Tanhua County, but in the context of the entire Southern Tang Dynasty, it was just an ordinary small temple.

Chen Jide didn't take it too seriously at first. He just casually scouted the place and sneaked in at night to take a look at the legendary Buddha soldiers.

If you can be a thief for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?

If one of these Buddhist soldiers manages to steal even one, he can retire from crime for the rest of his life.

But now he realized he might have underestimated the place.

The guest monk, Guangfa, led him around to see the sights, introducing the various places as they went.

This is the Mahavira Hall, that is the Guanyin Hall, this is the dining hall, and that is the monks' quarters.

Chen Jide listened attentively on the surface, but in his mind he was silently memorizing the terrain.

Just then, Guangfa suddenly spoke up.

"I wonder if the layperson is interested in Buddhist weapons?"

Chen Jide almost lost his composure.

"What?" His voice trembled, and he quickly coughed twice to cover it up. "What did you say?"

"I was referring to Buddhist weapons," Guangfa said calmly, as if he were talking about cabbages rather than Buddhist weapons. "There are eight Buddhist weapons in the world, and Jinjia Temple has two of them."

Chen Jide stared at him.

No, is this something you just say out loud like that?

Buddha weapon! A treasure that so many people in the martial arts world dream of seeing, and you just casually tell a stranger about it?

He felt a tickling sensation in his heart, and tentatively asked, "Is it really convenient?"

For a thief, this news is an incredible temptation. If he could see what the Buddha soldier looked like and know where he was hiding, wouldn't it make his move at night much easier?

Guangfa smiled slightly.

"Whether it's convenient or not..." He paused, "...depends on how sincere the layperson is."

sincerity?

Chen Jide was taken aback, but then immediately understood.

These bald monks are just greedy for money!

Without saying a word, he took out his money and bought three of the most expensive incense sticks, lit them respectfully in front of the Buddha, and kowtowed several times amidst the smoke.

Guangfa nodded and led him onward.

They passed through a moon gate and entered the second courtyard. Chen Jide was about to walk in when Guangfa stopped.

"Benefactor, this is the inner courtyard. The incense for the inner courtyard needs to be replenished separately."

Chen Jide: "..."

Row.

He then took out money to add incense.

Upon entering the inner courtyard, Guangfa showed him several meditation rooms and the exterior of the Sutra Repository. Chen Jide eagerly awaited to see the Buddhist weapons, but Guangfa suddenly said:

"If you want to see the Buddhist soldiers in the library, you'll need to add some incense."

Chen Jide's face turned black.

But he looked at the door and then thought about the two legendary Buddhist weapons.

We've already spent this much money, if we don't even take a look, wouldn't all the previous money have been wasted?

He gritted his teeth and took out the money again.

Guangfa then pushed open the door of the library and led him inside.

Chen Jide's eyes lit up as he looked around, but the room was empty except for a few rows of bookshelves. There were no Buddhist soldiers in sight.

"Where are the Buddhist soldiers?" he asked.

Guangfa pointed upstairs.

"It's upstairs. But to get upstairs, you need to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Jide took out his money bag, poured out a handful of loose silver, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Take it, take it! Show it to me quickly!"

Guangfa took the silver, smiled slightly, and led him upstairs.

Upstairs is still the same, completely empty.

"Where are the Buddhist soldiers?!"

"Don't rush, benefactor," Guangfa pointed out the window, "It's in the tower across the street. But to get to the tower, you must first..."

Chen Jide almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

This is just like Pinduoduo, one cut after another, always one cut short!

Looking at Guangfa's smiling face, he felt an urge to punch him.

But then I thought, we've already spent so much money, and we're just one last step. What if there really are Buddhist soldiers inside that pagoda? What if he sees them?

So what!

He glanced at Guangfa's retreating figure, then looked at his own purse.

At worst, I can just steal the money back tonight.

"Fine!" he gritted his teeth. "Lead the way!"

Guangfa smiled slightly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Chen Jide followed behind, passing through the moon gate, going around the corridor, and crossing a small door, finally arriving in front of a tower.

The tower wasn't tall, only three stories high, with blue bricks and gray tiles, looking quite ordinary. A copper lock hung on the tower door, its surface rusted, as if it hadn't been opened in a long time.

Guangfa took out his key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

It was pitch black inside; you couldn't see anything.

Just as Chen Jide was about to take a step, Guangfa reached out and stopped him.

"Benefactor, you should add some incense before entering the pagoda."

Chen Jide: "..."

He took a deep breath and pulled out a few more pieces of silver.

Once inside the tower, it was still pitch black. Chen Jide opened his eyes wide and strained to see, but could only see a few spiral staircases leading upwards; there was nothing else.

Guangfa led him around for a while, then walked out.

"Wait!" Chen Jide stopped him. "Where are the Buddhist soldiers?"

"Please be patient, there is still one more level to go."

Chen Jide: "..."

He gritted his teeth and took out the money again.

The next floor was pitch black.

Go up another level, and it's still pitch black.

Chen Jide had gone through all three floors but hadn't seen anything.

Guangfa led him out of the tower and locked the door.

"I've finished reading it," he said.

"Finished watching?!" Chen Jide's voice cracked. "But I didn't see anything!"

Guangfa remained calm, his hands clasped together in prayer.