The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2179 Monks Do Not Lie

While eating beef, Pang Shiwu suddenly noticed the Black Tiger Gang members in the distance. "What's going on over there? A dozen people have cornered someone by the lake. They've been there for ages, and they still haven't made a move. They're so slow."

Zeng Yong added seasonings to the three pots and said casually, "Those guys are all from the Black Tiger Gang. The one being surrounded is Li Wenzheng, who is also from the Black Tiger Gang. I think he's the second-in-command."

Pang Shiwu said, "They're actually fighting amongst themselves here? How interesting!"

Zeng Yong said, "Yes, why did they have to start fighting at this time of year? Aren't they afraid of being ridiculed by the heroes of the martial arts world?"

Pang Shiwu said, "Heroes of the martial world are quick to settle scores and turn on each other whenever they want. Why should they wait for the right time?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Your words are full of sarcasm!"

Pang Shiwu said, "If they can do it, then of course I can say it."

Bigwolf, eating his beef, said, "More than ten people can't handle one person? That seems a bit pathetic!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Maybe they just want to have some excitement."

Pang Shiwu was taken aback: "What kind of stimulation?"

Zeng Yongdao: "It drives people crazy!"

Pang Shiwu glanced at Li Wenzheng's expression. "Driven mad? I see that Li is calm and composed, as if victory is in his grasp. He doesn't seem like he's about to go crazy! On the contrary, those few members of the Black Tiger Gang want to make a move but dare not. Judging from their expressions, they are holding back. If anyone is going crazy, it's them."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "How about we make a bet? We'll bet on who will make the first move, okay?"

Pang Shiwu said, "Okay! What's the prize?"

Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "Go ahead!"

Pang Shiwu thought for a moment, "I don't lack anything, so what should I bet on?"

At this moment, Chili said, "If Young Master Feng loses, he has to carry my young lady for ten miles! If you lose, you have to carry me for ten miles!"

These words shocked everyone present!
What kind of insolent and lewd words are these?
Yuan Zishan's originally cold and beautiful face instantly flushed crimson, and she feigned anger, saying, "What are you saying, chili pepper?"

Chili laughed, "It's so boring for them to gamble. They might as well be our beasts of burden!" Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled, her cuteness tinged with cunning.

Yuan Zishan immediately understood that Chili Pepper was helping her to give Xiong Mengyan a warning!

Xiong Mengyan was taking small bites of beef. Although her expression was normal, she was secretly cursing Chili for being so meddlesome!

Pang Shiwu stared blankly at Chili, "If you want me to carry you, just say so. I'll carry you no matter if I win or lose!"

Chili scolded playfully, "Go eat your meat, you idiot!"

When Zeng Yong and the others saw Pang Shiwu's aggrieved expression, they burst into laughter!

Venerable White Lotus said, "I bet on Young Master Feng to win!"

Pang Shiwu glanced at him sideways: "You're a recluse, is gambling appropriate for you?"

Venerable White Lotus clasped his hands together, his face kind and dignified, and said calmly, "Appropriate!"

Pfft!

Chang Zijin burst out laughing!
Pang Shiwu was also amused. "Master, don't we Buddhists talk about rules and regulations? Why don't you talk about them anymore?"

Venerable White Lotus solemnly replied, "As long as there is Buddha in one's heart, I am the true Buddha. Have you ever heard this saying, benefactor?"

Pang Shiwu cooperated fully, feigning ignorance: "What are you talking about?"

"Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart!"

"Ah, I know, you ate several pieces of beef, didn't you? You mean, as long as you sincerely worship Buddha, you don't need to care about the formalities, right?"

“No! What you mean is…” His solemn expression suddenly turned sly, “Any monk who drinks alcohol and eats meat is not a true monk!”

Pang Shiwu was taken aback. "A monk who eats meat is a fake monk?"

Bai Lian said, "That's right!"

Pang Shiwu said, "You've left me speechless. I don't know how to respond!"

Bai Lian took a bite of meat and laughed, "No need for you to catch it, I'll catch it myself. Haha."

Everyone found it amusing and laughed.

Bai Lian's junior disciples had never seen their martial uncle so humorous before, and they were all dumbfounded. Could it be because Feng Jiuxiao was by their side?

Han Yuan looked at Feng Jiuxiao's face, which was always smiling and made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze. If he hadn't seen the scene where he burned a group of living corpses into ashes with the "Glassy Thunder Armor", he would have thought that Feng Jiuxiao was just a boy next door, a well-behaved student who was well-read and harmless.

But now, looking at that smiling face, he felt a sudden, inexplicable fear!
Behind that seemingly gentle exterior lies a raging dragon!

He didn't participate in the Shanghai battle, but he had heard about it!

The Demon Lord is a god-level figure on par with Zhang Tianshi!
Legend has it that Zhang Tianshi is the only Celestial Realm expert, while the Demon Lord is the most similar Celestial Realm expert to the Demon Realm. Both of them are just a little bit away from breaking through the void and ascending to immortality!
But the Demon Lord died at the hands of this young man!

Of course, some say Feng Jiuxiao benefited from the Azure Dragon's power; without it, he would have died long ago! But everyone acknowledges that luck is also a part of strength! Although the Demon Lord's physical body was ultimately torn in two by the Blood Bone Demon Dragon, most people agree on one thing: the Demon Lord died at Feng Jiuxiao's hands! Because from beginning to end, Feng Jiuxiao openly and brazenly led heroes from all over the world into the Demon Capital under the banner of "killing the Demon Lord" and "eradicating the Demonic Cult"! Feng Jiuxiao was the only one who dared to shout out the call to defeat the Demon Lord and put it into action! He was the only one who dared to confront the Demon Lord head-on!
Seeing Han Yuan staring blankly at Feng Jiuxiao, Zhan Qing whispered a reminder: "Junior brother, it's very impolite to stare at someone like that!"

Han Yuan immediately became alert and hurriedly said, "I was just thinking about some things."

Xu Ran asked, "What came to mind?"

Han Yuan smiled faintly: "It's a secret!"

Xu Ran smiled meaningfully and said, "You've got secrets, Junior Brother, after just a few days apart!"

At this moment, Venerable White Lotus drank the wine in his bowl and said with a smile, "This humble monk is eating meat today not out of greed, but to save people." This wine was barley wine from the Tubo Prefecture's military supplies, and it was extremely spicy.

"Saving people?" Pang Shiwu burst into laughter. "You drink and eat meat, and you call that saving all living beings?"

Venerable White Lotus smiled and said, “The Vimalakirti Sutra says: ‘If a Bodhisattva wishes to attain a Pure Land, he should purify his mind; as his mind is purified, so too is the Buddha-land purified.’ This humble monk drinks this wine not to indulge in a life of drunken revelry, but to use its potent nature to illuminate the greed, anger, and ignorance of sentient beings; he eats this meat not to satisfy his appetite, but to use its existence to contemplate the impermanence of the world.”

Zeng Yong also joined the debate, deliberately feigning a difficult tone: "Your Excellency is adept at quoting scriptures, but Zen Master Jiming once said: 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha sits in the heart.' Since you do not have Zen Master Jiming's level of enlightenment, how dare you imitate him?"

Venerable White Lotus smiled: "Young Master, you are mistaken. Zen Master Jiming broke his vows to enlighten the unruly; my actions today are to guide those who have strayed from the path. You are all heroes of the martial world, making a living amidst swords and shadows. Who hasn't taken lives? Who hasn't lied? If you only use the precepts to criticize others, without reflecting on your own actions, isn't that 'attachment to the Dharma'?" What? What does that mean?
A commotion arose in the crowd, and the disciples of the Huashan and Maoshan sects fell into deep thought, clearly having been hit where it hurt.

Venerable Bailian continued, “The precepts are meant to guard the mind, not to bind the body. The precept against drinking alcohol is to prevent one from breaking other precepts due to mental confusion; the precept against eating meat is due to the compassionate tradition of the Han people. However, if one’s mind is free from killing, stealing, adultery, and lying, what harm is there in drinking alcohol and eating meat? The Platform Sutra says, ‘With a peaceful mind, why bother with precepts? With upright conduct, why bother with meditation?’ This humble monk drank this wine, yet did not give rise to anger or delusion; he ate this meat, yet did not give rise to greed. This is not breaking the precepts, but rather taking the precepts as a teacher to observe one’s own mind.”

Seeing that he was getting more and more excited, Master Yichen couldn't help but want to suppress his arrogance, after all, they were once irreconcilable enemies of good and evil! He immediately asked, "Since you say you are here to save people, have you seen anyone you have converted?"

Everyone was surprised that Daoist Yichen had also joined the debate, and they couldn't help but feel a little excited!
Venerable Bailian was taken aback! He hadn't expected that the initial joke would escalate into a confrontation! If he backed down, those Maoshan Taoists would likely only think he was cowardly! After a moment's thought, he said frankly, "Years ago, when I was passing through Black Wind Ridge, I saw a band of bandits robbing and killing merchants. I used wine and meat as bait to lure the bandits into lowering their guard, and then enlightened them with Buddhist teachings, ultimately leading the five to lay down their weapons. If I were to uphold the precepts and refuse wine and meat, wouldn't I be watching helplessly as countless lives were lost?"

Everyone fell silent.

Under the glow of the campfire, the white-robed monk's face flickered between light and shadow, as if a Buddha's light was flowing around him.

"Wine and meat are inherently empty; attachment to them is the root of suffering." Venerable White Lotus's voice suddenly rose. "People often mistake form for the Dharma, yet they do not know that 'form is emptiness, emptiness is form.' My actions today are precisely to break this attachment. If you see me drinking wine and eating meat and slander me, you have already fallen into 'attachment to the Dharma'; if you see my actions and realize the mind of non-abiding, you will see the true Buddha!"

The world was desolate, with only the falling snow.

After a moment, Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "Your Excellency is right. Without decades of in-depth study of Buddhism, one really couldn't have spoken such a brilliant truth!"

Master Yichen said, "I don't believe his claim of saving people! Did those five bandits abandon darkness and embrace the light, or were they sent to their deaths by him? Who can prove what you're saying?" He, a master of orthodox Taoism, could not accept being defeated by a heretical Buddhist cultivator! He had to retaliate!
Feng Jiuxiao originally wanted to advise Daoist Yichen not to take things too seriously, but then he thought, if he was going to advise Yichen not to take things too seriously, why should he advise Yichen as well? Wouldn't that mean that he was taking things too seriously himself?
So he remained on the sidelines and watched from the sidelines. As long as the verbal battle between the two sides did not escalate into a physical fight, he would observe the situation closely.

Venerable White Lotus thought to himself: If it weren't for Feng Jiuxiao's sake, I would definitely fight you!
He smiled and said, "Believe it or not, sir."

Master Yichen's face instantly turned cold!
The air suddenly turned cold!

No one felt cold as snowflakes fell on them, but the murderous aura emanating from Master Yichen made everyone feel cold!

Feng Jiuxiao immediately laughed and said, "Venerable One, can't you provide any evidence?"

Bai Lian knew that Feng Jiuxiao was giving her a way out, so she immediately smiled and said, "Only Heaven, Earth, I, and the other parties involved know about this. If you want to prove it, you have to find those five parties involved. But the world is so big and the sea of ​​people is so vast. Where can I find those five people? I have neither witnesses nor physical evidence, so I really can't prove it."

Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "Since you can't prove that you've converted five bandits, then you can only find another example to prove that you've indeed converted people!"

Venerable Bailian pondered for a moment, “Years ago, when I traveled to western Hunan, I saw a butcher who slaughtered livestock every day, his body covered in blood, yet he suffered nightmares every night, seeing vengeful spirits demanding his life. Though frightened, he remained stubbornly deluded, believing that killing was driven by the need to make a living. Knowing that his innate nature was not yet extinguished, I disguised myself as a wandering healer and gave him a dose of ‘soothing soup,’ which was actually herbal remedies to harmonize his mind. Three days later, the butcher suddenly felt his hand tremble and his knife fall, unable to kill any more. I appeared before him and enlightened him, saying, ‘Killing is not for survival, but for being bound by greed. If you replace the knife with compassion, you will be able to make a living.’ The butcher then abandoned his knife and became a farmer, performing many good deeds, and eventually became a virtuous man in his village.”

Master Yichen coldly asked, "What proof do you have?"

Venerable Bailian said, "Hanyuan, you speak."

Everyone was surprised and looked at the disciple of the Great Bright Temple.

Han Yuan immediately put his palms together and bowed, saying, "This humble monk is Han Yuan, whose original name is Li Xiuyuan. My father, Li Maochun, is the butcher from western Hunan."

Master Yichen's face was cold as he said indifferently, "Nephew, you are here to testify for your uncle. Why should kinship be avoided when recommending someone worthy?"

Han Yuan said solemnly, "The Li family of Cuihu in Xiangxi is no nobody. We have no reason to give false testimony!" He spoke with absolute certainty and conviction!

Master Yichen thought to himself: Good! Very tough! He immediately turned around and said softly, "Canghai, you are also from Xiangxi. Have you ever heard of the Li family of Cuihu in Xiangxi?"

Daoist Canghai stepped forward. In front of several of the world's top masters, he knew the gravity of the matter and dared not lie. He solemnly replied, "I have heard!"

Have you ever heard of Li Maochun?

"I've heard of him; he is indeed a famous philanthropist!"

"Were you really a butcher before?"

"That's right! The reason the Li family is so famous is not only because they are rich, but mainly because Li Maochun is a legendary figure!"

Master Yichen's eyes flashed. "A butcher, could he have some special story?"

After thinking for a moment, Daoist Canghai said, "Li Maochun's grandfather, father, and he himself were all officials appointed by the imperial court!"

"What?!" Everyone was shocked!
Zhanqing and Xuran looked at Hanyuan at the same time, neither of them expecting that their junior brother was actually from an official family!

Master Yichen frowned: "A court official has actually become a butcher? Is this true?"

The Taoist Canghai said, “It’s absolutely true. Li Maochun was tired of the darkness of officialdom, so he resigned and went into seclusion. As for why he became a butcher, no one knows the secret. There are many legends, but they are obviously rumors.”

Master Yichen said, "Let's not spread rumors. Did he really meet Venerable White Lotus?"

Canghai said, "It is said that Li Maochun did indeed meet a white-robed monk and then gave up his butchering business to become a farmer. But who that white-robed monk was is impossible to verify. However, the Li family claims that the monk came from the Great Bright Temple in the West!"

The Great Bright Temple in the West! A white-robed monk!
Everyone immediately looked at Venerable White Lotus, as if the answer was right before their eyes!

However, Master Yichen remained unfazed. "Canghai, did you witness this with your own eyes, or is it just hearsay?"

The Taoist Canghai said, "Everyone knows that the Li family has been officials for generations..."

Master Yichen: "I'm referring to the story of the white-robed monk converting Li Maochun!"

Canghai immediately replied, "That's just hearsay!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Alright! Let's stop arguing about this. The key now is whether Master Hanyuan can prove that he is Li Maochun's son. Master Hanyuan, can you prove it yourself?"

Han Yuan smiled wryly and said, "Young master, please don't call me a master! I don't deserve it! How did I become the key figure?"

Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "If you are Li Xiuyuan, then it means what the Venerable One said is true!"

Master Yichen wanted to speak, but then held back! Since Feng Jiuxiao had intervened, he wouldn't make things difficult for them! He just needed to say one more thing: "Even if you are Li Xiuyuan, how can you prove that the White Lotus converted your father?" Hmph, he'd keep asking them until they were exhausted!
All the pressure is now on Han Yuan!

Han Yuan thought to himself: Young Master Feng, you can't just pin the blame on us nobody just to help those two big shots get away with it! That's not fair!

He chuckled dryly and said seriously, "After Li Maochun resigned from his official post, he did indeed work in the slaughtering business for a while. As for why he did it, I don't know. Anyway, his family was not short of money at all. I guess he was just experiencing life. Think about it, how could he possibly get rich by doing business? How much grain could he grow by farming himself?"

Pang Shiwu said, "Yes, how could a farmer become a great philanthropist? Unless... he's a big landowner!"

To be called a virtuous person, one must first be a wealthy person, and a generous one at that! If one is not generous, or even stingy, one can only be called a "miser" or a "skinny-pincher"!
Master Yichen pondered for a moment, then decided to go along with it: "Master Hanyuan, are you sure you're not lying?"

Han Yuan instantly sensed the other party's intention to back down, and immediately said loudly, "A monk does not lie! Amitabha!" He clasped his hands together, looking quite like an enlightened monk!

Feng Jiuxiao wanted to laugh, but he had to hold it in, otherwise all his previous efforts would be in vain and the two sides would have to continue fighting.

Pang Shiwu also suppressed a laugh. Monks don't lie? How could he say that so seriously! Everyone in the martial world knows that the Great Bright Temple is just a temple in disguise; it's not a real temple at all! So strictly speaking, Han Yuan and his group aren't real monks! Even if they have ordination scars on their heads, wear monk's robes, and have prayer beads around their necks, constantly chanting "Amitabha," it's all just for the sake of the mission!
A fake monk solemnly proclaiming that "monks do not lie" is utterly ridiculous!
Above: Venerable White Lotus