bookpub Chapter 128 Golden Peak Dew
Chapter 128 Golden Peak Dew
In the stillness of the night, the chirping of crickets and frogs blends together; the crescent moon hangs upside down, while the temple lights continue to shine brightly.
Inside the monastic college
The ferocious-looking Acala statue, holding a sword and rope, glares angrily ahead. Surrounding it are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of varying sizes arranged on the altar.
Under the altar
Enraged, Huiyin nearly went mad, sweeping away all the fruits and tea on the offering table.
In an instant, the clanging sound of cups and saucers hitting the blue bricks broke the silence of the place. The finest tribute fruits were also scattered in all directions.
"Zhiyuan... Tomorrow is the grand competition, where are you now? Why don't you return to fight for your master?! Could it be that, as they say, you have already betrayed the Discipline Hall and joined the Kitchen Hall?!"
A ferocious, monstrous elephant phantom roared to the sky, its four pillar-like hooves trampling the air, its cold, bloodthirsty eyes meeting Huiyin's gaze.
Meanwhile, the monks guarding the door were huddled together, trembling with fear.
The same scene was observed inside the fasting room.
"Zhiquan! You've been away from the temple for over a month... why haven't you returned yet... and what has become of the Nine-Aperture Stone Spirit...?"
"Hmph, you'd better not try to keep this treasure for yourself. If you do, this humble monk will make you suffer endless torment and die a horrible death!"
The ferocious lion, its fur standing on end, was whimpering and growling, its tail, as sharp as a bronze hammer, snapping all the surrounding beams and pillars.
If Huiming hadn't realized the danger in time, this house would probably have collapsed completely, leaving only ruins standing here.
...
Fang Hongxuan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. His movements disturbed Daoyuan beside him, who was also unable to sleep.
"Amitabha Buddha, Benefactor Fang...why not take advantage of the time before dawn and rest a bit more..."
"Master, there is one thing I still do not understand..."
Fang Hongxuan finally couldn't hold back and asked a question.
"Does the Zongdu you've been searching for truly still exist here?"
When Fang Hongxuan spoke of that middle-aged monk, the image of that extremely resolute and indifferent face involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
"He must be somewhere in the Great Temple. Although I myself have undergone some changes I am unaware of, my Alaya consciousness is warning me. Zongdu is still alive in this world, and right here in the Great Temple..."
Dao Yuan was absolutely certain of this, and he even interrupted Fang Hongxuan before he could finish speaking.
"Then how shall we find him?"
After a brief silence, Daoyuan stood up and stared blankly at Fang Hongxuan.
"Perhaps when Golden Peak collapses and the Buddha attains Nirvana, this humble monk will meet him again..."
...
Five figures suddenly flashed across the dimly lit windowpane.
The doors of the main hall were violently pushed open, and the entire silent hall suddenly came to life.
Of the six abbots of Da Ruo Temple, all except Hui Jing gathered together once again.
"For some reason, the Buddha Mother, sealed within Golden Peak Mountain, is unusually restless and anxious this year. Perhaps her methods of the past are no longer effective..."
Hui Du's face was ashen, his deep gaze fixed on the Buddha statue atop Golden Summit Mountain.
"In that case, let the disciples of the Zhi generation take over..."
Huiming's gloomy face slowly emerged from the darkness, surrounded by the phantom of a ferocious lion, waiting for its chance to strike.
"Hmph, that Huijing actually dared to arrange for those two to be the last ones... Does he really think we won't find out?!"
Huiyuan was also filled with anger, his beard and hair stood on end, and the veins on his body bulged out.
This left him no choice but to be furious, for in the past, only the Dharma Hall and the Kitchen had consistently ranked last in the Five Households Competition. If things were truly done as Huijing had suggested, then in this year's competition, their Kitchen might become the household that suffered the most casualties!
As for why others knew about Huijing's behind-the-scenes actions, the reason was simply that the Sutra Repository had already been thoroughly infiltrated.
Not only did the abbots of the other four branches plant spies among them, but even Abbot Huidu, who was in charge of the Great Ruo Temple, had many disciples vying to become his spies in the Sutra Repository.
Actually, no one can be blamed for this; it's just that the abbot of the Dharma Hall, Huijing, is a useless old monk who can't even kill a chicken.
Although Huijing was exceptionally talented in the past, and all the disciples in Da Ruo Temple looked up to him, that glorious achievement was more than a decade ago.
As the saying goes, people strive for higher positions, while water flows downhill. Faced with an abbot who couldn't bring them enough benefit, the disciples of the Dharma Hall naturally had other ideas.
"In that case, let's bring out the disciples of the Martial Monks Academy and have those two junior disciples fight them..."
"My disciplinary monastery also wants to join in the fun..."
"Hmph, the fasting room isn't just for show..."
Huiyuan, with a gloomy expression, lacked such confidence. On the surface, the six abbots were of equal status, but in reality, the Dharma Hall and the kitchen were inferior to the other three.
After all, the fasting room can select the best candidates first, the martial arts academy and the discipline academy will select the middle and upper-level candidates, and the remaining ones will be selected by the kitchen and the dharma hall.
As for Abbot Huidu of Da Ruo Temple, he possesses the complete cultivation method of the "Prison Crossing Tara Lock Seal Mantra." Only disciples who stand out from the five branches of the Bhikkhu have a small chance of being accepted as his disciples.
Although he only had three disciples under his command, the combat power of these three disciples was comparable to that of all the monks who were practicing at the same time in the entire Great Monastery.
Although the other four abbots also knew the "Prison Crossing Tara Lock Seal Mantra," they were bound by the "Chebadati Vow Mantra" and could not pass on their knowledge to their disciples. In addition, due to various other reasons, this led to the phenomenon that Huidu's branch of the temple stood out from the rest of Daruo Temple.
Hui Du's expression, which had previously been unreadable, could no longer be maintained. He chuckled and then stroked his beard. This continued for a few breaths before stopping.
"Since all of you senior brothers are so eager to fight, I, as your junior brother, have no choice but to offer some more treasures as a prize."
The five people, who originally had different appearances, all turned to look at Huidu upon hearing this.
"In the past, it was enough for disciples of the Guang generation to offer sacrifices to the Buddha Mother, but now disciples of the Zhi generation are required to take their place. Therefore, the quantity and quality of the Golden Peak Dewdrops born from the Buddha Mother will naturally increase."
"This old monk has made up his mind. This time, the extra Golden Peak Dew will be divided into three portions, and the top three performers will receive an additional portion... What do you all think, fellow disciples?"
The other four people all wore expressions of joy, but in their hearts they were cursing incessantly.
"Damn it...damn it...who doesn't know that your three disciples are unparalleled in combat? Such actions are truly disgraceful...now you're even disregarding any semblance of secrecy..."
...
Huiming seemed not to understand, and asked Huidu with an expectant look on his face.
"May I ask, junior brother, are all three extra portions of Golden Peak Dew Flower only allowed for one per disciple of each branch?"
The others also woke up one after another, and they all looked intently at Huidu.
Caught off guard, Hui Du couldn't easily change his mind again, so he had no choice but to continue speaking in accordance with Hui Ming's words.
"Hehe...of course..."
However, the gloom on his face was revealed without any attempt to conceal it.