landbeastnovel Chapter 89 Betraying One's Master and Ancestor
Chapter 89 Betraying One's Master and Ancestor
The autumn wind is bleak, and withered leaves fall in profusion.
Fallen leaves were swept into the air by the cold wind, then blown straight towards the winding, beautiful glazed tiles that stretched across the mountains.
Several monks dressed in indigo robes and holding brooms were diligently sweeping the fallen leaves that had been soaked by the rain on the blue bricks.
The rapid hoofbeats, pounding through the mud, echoed across the fields.
The monks who were sweeping the steps all looked toward the field where the strange noise was coming from.
Zongdu spurred his horse on, cracking his whip repeatedly to increase the speed of his yellow horse as much as possible.
"Where does this monk come from? I've never seen him before..."
After dismounting, Zongdu strode over to the group of sweeping monks in a few steps. He grabbed the robe of one of the monks.
"May I ask if Abbot Zongneng of Da Ruo Temple still presides over this temple?"
"And who are you? From which temple do you come, and what brings you to my Great Ruo Temple?"
Instead of answering, the monk asked a question, a hint of greed and violence flickering deep in his eyes. Yet, his face appeared infinitely compassionate.
"As the saying goes, even Buddhas fight for a stick of incense, and people fight for a breath of air. If I appear too peaceful, these monks might look down on me."
"It would be better to be more forceful; this would be a good opportunity to test the attitudes of the monks of the various monasteries towards the Venerable One."
In the blink of an eye, Zongdu's tactful and humble words remained on his lips.
He smiled and then slowly revealed his background.
"Hui Du, Hui Ming, Hui Kong... are my junior disciples. Zong Neng and Zong Ming are my senior brothers, and Venerable Dao Yuan of Da Ruo Temple is my master. Tell me, who am I?"
In an instant, all the monks sweeping the floor were stunned.
"This...may I ask your grandmaster's Dharma name..."
The monks present were all shocked, but they did not believe it entirely. After all, people's hearts are not what they used to be, and countless people have come to Daruo Temple to swindle and deceive.
Regardless of their reasons for coming to Oirakuji Temple, their ultimate fate was always quite tragic.
"My Dharma name is Zongdu. If you do not believe me, you can inform my senior brother Zongneng and ask him to identify me."
"This matter is of great importance. I hope you will wait a moment, Grandmaster, while I inform the abbot."
The leading monk dropped his broom and hurried away.
Following his footsteps, Zongdu saw the magnificent and imposing mountain gate.
On either side of the mountain gate stand Vajrapani figures in different poses, each holding a vajra. Behind the Vajrapani is a high wall painted with vermilion lacquer.
The high wall is surrounded by lush bamboo and trees, and on the left and right, one can vaguely see the secluded paths paved with bluestone.
Above the high walls are eaves covered with glazed tiles.
The eaves are adorned with mythical beasts such as chiwen (鸱吻) and ridge ornaments. The roof tiles and drip edges are also crafted in a simple yet extremely luxurious style.
The wind chimes under the eaves sway in the wind, their copper bells echoing through the mountains.
A magnificent plaque hangs in the center of the bracket set, revealing the three powerful and ancient characters of "Da Ruo Temple" prominently in front of Zongdu.
"This facade is undoubtedly magnificent! But compared to His Holiness's 'Gazha Zunbu Temple,' it seems to have lost its charm."
Thinking about it carefully, it's no wonder that Senior Brother Zongneng was blamed. After all, building a temple right under the nose of the Wansheng Dynasty was already like dancing on a knife's edge or snatching chestnuts from a fire.
In order to fully integrate into the Wansheng Dynasty, we also have to adapt to its Buddhist atmosphere...."
"If only Senior Brother Zongneng could still care about the Venerable One..."
While sighing, Zongdu was also caught in a state of anxiety and uncertainty.
...
"By the way, you still haven't told me who the current abbot of this Great Ruo Temple is."
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Zongdu asked again, but the news he heard next shocked him.
"We don't yet know if this 'Grandmaster Uncle' is genuine or not; we can only confirm his identity when Zhibo returns. Just in case, it's best to address him as 'Grandmaster Uncle' for now... If he's a fake, we can change our address then..."
Thinking this through, Zhichao then explained the situation to Zongdu.
"Grandmaster Uncle, the current abbot of Daruo Temple is Master Huidu... I wonder if Grandmaster Uncle knows him?"
"How could it be him! There were countless people more capable than him in the past; there's no way anyone would choose him to be the abbot of this Great Temple... What exactly happened?"
...
"Abbot, that's how it is... Zongdu is still waiting for your reply at the mountain gate. If he has committed fraud, he should be punished with having his tongue pulled out and his skin peeled off."
Seeing that Hui Du remained silent, Zhi Bo understood and stepped out the door, intending to repeat his old trick and make that so-called Grandmaster Zong Du become the nourishment for the development of Buddhism at Daruo Temple.
Just then, Hui Du called him to a stop, and with a slight movement of her sleeve, the door bolt automatically locked without any wind.
"If what he said is true, then this person is indeed Master Zongdu, who serves Venerable Daoyuan. This matter is of great importance, so you should keep him calm."
Let me discuss this with the abbots before deciding how to treat him...
Wearing a Vairocana hat and a kasaya, Huidu could no longer maintain his usual calm and composed expression; even the compassionate and merciful look on his face was replaced by gloom.
This matter is so significant that he couldn't quite grasp it for the time being.
After all, Zongdu served by Daoyuan's side, and since Zongdu did not die, it meant that Daoyuan might also be alive.
For Huidu, who had devoured most of his fellow disciples' Dao Fruits, if Venerable Daoyuan were to return to his position, he would undoubtedly die, with absolutely no chance of survival!
He violated every single one of the previous doctrines of Ōwakaji, and even went further than before.
To elaborate, if Venerable Daoyuan were to criticize the doctrines violated by the monks of Daruo Temple, then the current abbots and their monks would be reduced to less than one-tenth, or even completely wiped out by the power of the "Chapathodhi Vow Mantra"!
"Impossible. Venerable Daoyuan is no longer capable of reincarnation. This has been personally acknowledged by the various Hutuktu of the Secret Treasury Domain..."
Thinking of this, Hui Du, who was originally flustered, calmed down. The gloom on his face became even more intense, and wisps of evil energy burst out from his eyebrows.
"Whether it's true or not, since Venerable Daoyuan has not yet returned to his position and has no time to cultivate again, then this time we must ensure his complete annihilation!"
Indeed, Hui Du had already made the decision to betray his master and ancestors.
For him, if he hadn't accepted the gifts and support from the Secret Realm back then, how could he have become the abbot of this Great Temple?!
"Hmph, those lamas from the Secret Realm have been waiting for this day to come... I never expected that Venerable Daoyuan would actually still be alive..."
"If the Venerable One perishes, then this Great Ruo Temple will become their venomous fang left behind in the Wansheng Dynasty; if the Venerable One returns, then we will surely break with them... What a shrewd scheme!"
"After this matter is over, we must ask them for more scriptures; the second volume of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra must be given to me!"
"Thump...thump...thump..."
The heavy yet melodious ancient bell echoed throughout the entire Daruo Temple, and even Zongdu, who was located at the mountain gate, could hear it clearly.
"What...is this intended...?"
Zongdu muttered to himself, a barely perceptible fierceness creeping into the depths of his eyes.
...