My Years in the Folklore World

Chapter 731: The Consciousness-Only Monk

"Do you want to give this special chef dragon mark to Mr. Dao?"

Jiang Xinghuo chose yes without thinking.

Rather than keeping it for myself as a collection, it is better to give it to Mr. Dao in exchange for clues about the Tiangu Leiyin Method.

"You gave the Special Chef Dragon Mark to Mr. Dao. When he learned that this dragon mark could temporarily grant him the lifelong cooking skills of a special chef, Mr. Dao could not help but be ecstatic."

"It believes that as long as it has this special chef dragon emblem, the dishes it makes will attract the attention of Pohuixian. If it and Pohuixian really become a couple, then you will be the greatest matchmaker. It will definitely invite you to be the master of ceremonies and witness the wedding between it and Pohuixian."

When Jiang Xinghuo saw the description in the text, he actually wanted to say, are you overthinking it? Others start dreaming about beautiful things before they even have their fortunes settled, but you haven't even prepared paper and pen, but you're already thinking about the future. To put it nicely, it's fantasy, to put it bluntly, it's insanity.

However, Mr. Dao was immersed in joy, so there was no need for him to go over and pour cold water on him. He could take this opportunity to get information and clues about the Tiangu Leiyin Method from him.

"Mr. Dao happily put away the special chef dragon emblem, and then he remembered to ask you what business you had today?"

"You explained your purpose truthfully, but you were more cautious. You didn't directly say you wanted the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method. Instead, you said you wanted to ask if there was any spell that could break the Heart Devouring Demonic Sound."

"The ghost of the Sandshrew said that the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method can break the Heart Devouring Demon Sound, but that doesn't mean that only the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method can break the Heart Devouring Demon Sound. Perhaps other magic methods circulated in the Taoist sect can also break this method."

"After hearing what you said, Mr. Dao pondered for a long while and said that the only way to break the Heart Devouring Demon Sound is to use the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method and the Pure Heart Demon Subduing Song. These two methods have the same origin as the Buddhist Demon Subduing Lion's Roar and Heavenly Dragon Chanting. They all use sound waves to subdue the power of the evil demons."

"However, the Qingxin Fumoqu is the inheritance of Lushan Dao. Since the Lushan Dao master disappeared from the secular world, this art has also disappeared from the secular world, but the Tiangu Leiyin method has been passed down and is within the lineage of Tianshi Dao."

"Ordinarily, this technique should never be passed on to anyone outside the lineage, but since you gave it the dragon emblem, it can pass on the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Technique to you. However, you must sign the contract with the Oath Master, swearing that you will never pass on this technique to anyone who is not related to you by blood during your lifetime, and that your descendants must follow this philosophy. Unless you obtain permission from the Heavenly Master lineage, you can pass on this technique to others."

"Do you want to agree to Mr. Dao's conditions and sign the contract of the Oath Master to obtain the secret of the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method?"

When Jiang Xinghuo read the content of the text, he thought that it was nothing, it just couldn't be passed on to others, so there was no harm in agreeing to it.

"You agreed to Mr. Dao's conditions."

"You and Mr. Dao have signed this contract together under the witness of the contract law. You will not teach the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method to others, and Mr. Dao will not hold back at all. If anyone dares to violate the contract, they will be killed by the heavenly thunder and will never be able to reincarnate."

"After signing the contract, Mr. Dao taught you the method of Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound. The so-called Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound is actually the thunder sound formed by the roar of magic power in the chest cavity, which combines with the external heaven and earth energy to form the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound that can destroy evil and kill evil."

"Ordinary ghosts and wild spirits will collapse immediately upon contact with it. Even those extremely vicious ghosts or the monsters and demons from the underworld cannot last long under the impact of the thundering sound of the heavenly drums."

"If you perform the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound on a rainy day, there is a chance that thunder will descend from the sky, turning the area within a hundred meters around the caster into a thunder field. However, there is also a chance that the thunder will accidentally injure you. The Heavenly Master has a special way to deal with this. You can use the power of thunder to temper your body. However, due to the difference in our sects, this method cannot be taught to you."

"You have obtained the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method."

"Learning, please wait..."

"You have successfully mastered the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Technique."

In reality, Jiang Xinghuo felt a coolness rushing into his mind, and a lot of information emerged, which was the secret of using the Tiangu Leiyin method.

"What are your options next?"

"Will you choose to return to Xiankong Island immediately to find the murderer who killed the sandrat? Or will you choose to go to Xisheng Temple in the south of the city to see if you can find the old monk and learn the method of the demon-subduing lion's roar from him?"

Jiang Xinghuo thought to himself, since he was already here, he might as well give it a go. It would be on the way, so he wouldn't have to come again later.

"You chose to go to the West Holy Temple."

"Xisheng Temple is located in the south of Beiping City. It is said that there is only one old monk in the temple. This temple was built bit by bit by him. But since the temple was built, no one has seen the old monk again."

"There are also people with bad intentions who want to take over the temple for themselves, but they will faint when they enter the temple, and there are many masters among them."

"But without exception, if someone wants to take over this temple, they will lose consciousness once they enter, and when they wake up the next day, they will be outside the temple. Although their lives are not harmed, such a strange thing will make people stay away from it."

"You arrived outside the Xisheng Temple and saw that the stone steps were covered with weeds and the gate had become dilapidated, as if it would break completely if the wind blew. You tried to push the door open, but as soon as you touched the wooden door, the two doors slammed to the ground and broke into pieces, turning into a pile of broken wood."

"You destroyed the gate of the Xisheng Temple. What are you going to do next? Do you choose to ignore it, or choose to repair the gate?"

Jiang Xinghuo thought to himself that you are trying to scam me. He just touched it lightly, how could it break into pieces? It would be better to block the door with a piece of tofu than this.

"What are you going to do?"

The game text asked again.

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a moment and decided to repair the door, which might trigger some plot branches.

"Go to the woods outside Xisheng Temple and chop down a few big trees, then use the local materials to make two new doors. Although you are a coffin maker, the end result is the same, both are carpentry work, so making two doors is not a difficult task."

"Soon, the gate of the West Saint Temple was reinstalled, and you put away the tools and walked into the West Saint Temple."

"When you enter the temple, you will find that the overgrown courtyard is filled with stone statues of all sizes, including the Arhats, Bodhisattvas, Vajra, and Heavenly Kings of Buddhism, as well as beggars on the street, wealthy officials, powerful officials, and brave generals who died on the battlefield..."

"Although these stone statues have different appearances, they all have one thing in common, that is, they have no mouths, but the rest of their organs are complete, revealing an inexplicable charm." "You shuttled among the stone statues and walked into the main hall of the Xisheng Temple. Do you want to explore here?"

"You explored the temple, but found nothing."

"You triggered the effect of the Delicate Eye again, wanting to see if there were any hidden mechanisms, but you still found nothing."

"According to the teahouse clerk, only when the destiny arrives can you see the old monk. You didn't see the old monk this time, maybe it's because your destiny hasn't arrived yet. Do you want to continue staying here?"

Jiang Xinghuo chose no.

He has now acquired the Heavenly Drum and Thunder Sound Method, and came to Xisheng Temple because it was convenient for him and they happened to be in the city of Beiping.

It would be best if you could find the secret inheritance of the Lion's Roar to subdue demons here, but if you can't find it, it doesn't matter. It's just icing on the cake. It's better to have it, but it doesn't affect anything if you don't have it.

"Since you found nothing to gain here, you planned to leave Xisheng Temple. But just as you walked up the steps and pushed open the door, intending to leave, you were shocked to find that the other side of the door was also Xisheng Temple!"

"It is exactly the same as the Xisheng Temple you just explored. It is not a mirror image. All the buildings and furnishings, even the direction, have not changed."

"Do you want to go in and find out?"

After seeing this text, Jiang Xinghuo thought it was interesting. It was in line with the secular worldview. If he just left here safely, he would feel that there might be something fishy.

"You enter the newly emerged Xisheng Temple and look up at the stone statues. These mouthless statues seem to come alive suddenly, turning their eyes to look at you. Moreover, the gaze of each Buddha statue is exactly the same, as if a pair of eyes were copied countless times."

"At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in your heart, inviting you to the hall for a chat. Do you want to accept the invitation?"

"You arrived at the main hall of Xisheng Temple, and saw an old monk with a haggard face sitting on a straw mat, looking at you. Although he looked extremely old, he exuded a sense of compassion."

"You have discovered it, Yogācāra."

"The Consciousness-Only Monk is a distinguished monk in the Ten Directions Zen Forest. It is said that his origin is mysterious and his seniority is very high. When the Maitreya Venerable was still alive, the Consciousness-Only Monk was already in the Ten Directions Zen Forest, and the Maitreya Venerable also treated him as a teacher. But since the Maitreya Venerable passed away, the Consciousness-Only Monk also disappeared from the Ten Directions Zen Forest, and no one has ever seen him since."

"So, later there were rumors that the Consciousness-Only Monk was actually an incarnation of Maitreya. When Maitreya's body passed away, the Consciousness-Only Monk would naturally disappear as well. There is also a saying that the Consciousness-Only Monk was killed by Ksitigarbha, because Maitreya treated the Consciousness-Only Monk as a teacher, so the Consciousness-Only Monk was equivalent to Ksitigarbha's master. Ksitigarbha was in charge of the entire Shifang Zen Forest, and he would not allow such a senior person to suppress him, so he secretly killed the Consciousness-Only Monk."

"But this statement came from the Pure World Sect. As we all know, the Pure World Sect and the Ten Directions Zen Monastery are sworn enemies, so not many people believe this slanderous statement."

"The Consciousness-Only Monk raised his eyes to look at you. Although his lips did not move, you heard his voice. The Consciousness-Only Monk's cultivation method is special. He needs to close all his senses and can only recover after cultivation. Now he has only the silent meditation left, so he cannot speak. The stone statues outside were also carved by him using the Buddhist's leakage-free ability to see through his thousands of past lives."

"And it also knows the purpose of your coming here, but the future can be known and changed, so it gave you two tests. The first is to repair the broken gate of the temple to see if you have a heart of justice. The second is to see if you will vent your anger on other innocent objects if you don't gain anything, or if you will fall into greed and search the temple desperately."

"Your reaction made the Consciousness-Only Monk very satisfied. The Lion's Roar is a Buddhist method of subduing demons. Although it is only a roar, it can resonate a hundred miles away and destroy all evil spirits. It is very powerful and only people with a kind heart can practice it. Only people with benevolence and righteousness can unleash its true power."

"You have obtained the mantra of the Demon-Subduing Lion's Roar."

"Learning, please wait..."

"You have successfully mastered the Demon-Subduing Lion's Roar."

In reality, Jiang Xinghuo also mastered the method of Lion's Roar, which is similar to the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound method. Both rely on magical power to vibrate the internal organs and chest to make the sound to subdue demons.

"You have now mastered both the Heavenly Drum Thunder Sound Method and the Demon-Subduing Lion's Roar. What do you plan to choose next?"

"Will you bid farewell to the Consciousness-Only Monk and leave Xisheng Temple? Or will you stay here for a while and have a detailed conversation with the Consciousness-Only Monk?"

"You chose to stay and talk with the Yogācāra monk."

"What question do you want to ask?"

A dialog box pops up.

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a while and typed a few words: The whereabouts of the Heavenly Soldier Map.

Since this Yogacara monk has achieved the power of the cessation of all defilements and can see through his past identities, he should also know the whereabouts of this tool.

"After the Consciousness-Only Monk learned of your question, he remained silent for a moment. Then a voice sounded in your heart, saying that the future is full of uncertainties. Even if it tells you where the thing is hidden now, the moment it speaks out, history will have changed. Even if you go to look for it, you will not be able to get it in your hands."

"The only thing it can tell you is that when the stars shift and the turtle and snake reappear, that will be your best chance to get that thing."

Jiang Xinghuo sucked his teeth and thought that this was a bit difficult. The stars shifted, and the turtle and snake reappeared. Could the latter refer to Master Zhenwu?
What does the former mean?
The stars shift.

You can't really change the positions of the stars in the universe, right?
Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a while but still had no clue, so he continued to read the game text.

"You asked about the matter of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and told the Consciousness-Only monk in front of you everything that happened in the Ten Directions Zen Forest."

"The Consciousness-Only monks had predicted this long ago. The Maitreya Master had two disciples. The eldest disciple is the current Pure Land Tathagata, and the second disciple is the Ksitigarbha Master."

"But these two people are not capable of inheriting the correct path of Buddhism. They have long been bewitched by the powerful people of ancient times and have become their spokesmen. The Consciousness-Only Monk discovered this and disappeared from the Ten Directions Zen Forest. Otherwise, they would have been killed..."

(End of this chapter)