I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 231 The Wine and Meat Monk
"My Dharma name is Jinghai. I am the elder of the meditation hall at Cizhao Temple, which is two hundred miles away. All the meditation practices in our temple are managed by me."

With a kind and benevolent expression, Zen Master Jinghai smiled and said to Xu Qing, "In my humble opinion, you possess a great deal of Buddhist nature. If you come to my temple to cultivate Buddhism, why worry about not being able to enter the gate of all wonders?"

"Me? I possess Buddha-nature?"

Xu Qing reached into his saddlebag and took out the wine he had swiped at the banquet at the Shang residence. In front of Zen Master Jinghai, he took a large gulp and said, "Master, do you still think I have any Buddha-nature?"

“Amitabha Buddha, wine is the essence of the five grains. Monks occasionally drink vegetarian wine. As long as they drink in moderation and do not act recklessly, it is nothing to worry about.”

"Hehe." Xu Qing didn't argue with the fat monk. Instead, he took out a roast chicken wrapped in oil paper.

Besides the roast chicken, Xu Qing also packed a lot of fried small fish from the banquet at the Shang Mansion, which now came in handy.

Xu Qing tore off a chicken wing, its flesh tender and bones melt-in-your-mouth, and swallowed it, his mouth glistening with oil. "Master, how much of my Buddha-nature do I still possess?" he asked.

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Zen Master Jinghai nodded and lowered his eyes, chanting a Buddhist prayer, saying, "It is a pity that you do not realize the calamity that is about to befall you, and have repeatedly shown disrespect to the Buddha. When the calamity comes, without the Buddha's protection, I am afraid you will not be able to escape it."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's face turned cold, and he said, "You bald monk, you're only after my wealth. Why do you use these empty words to curse me? Even if there is any disaster, it's probably because of your secret machinations. As for Buddha and Zen Master, as monks, they are greedy for money and possessions, and they curse people with false words. Even if there is disaster or calamity, it should befall you!"

These words completely severed all pretense of civility. The fat monk blushed with embarrassment, but as he rode away on his donkey, he still couldn't resist trying to trip up Xu Qing.

"The wealth a person is born with is predetermined. In the past, there was a merchant who bought a house and land, but attracted a karmic fire that burned down his house, resulting in a miserable end. Later, there was a woodcutter who gave away all his wealth to build a Buddhist shrine, and in the end, he was blessed with good fortune and lived a life of wealth and no disasters."

“May the Buddha have mercy. If you turn back from the turbulent waters and sincerely worship the Buddha, there is still hope for salvation.”

After speaking, the fat monk rode his donkey backwards, closed his eyes, and twirled his prayer beads. Without even glancing at Xu Qing, he walked away.

Xu Qing watched the monk leave, and when he turned around, he found Xuan Yu beside him imitating the fat monk, clasping his hands together and chanting Buddhist mantras.

Xu Qing was puzzled, so he asked it why it believed that bald donkey.

Xuan Yu then said with a serious expression, "The journey to Yunmeng Mountain is fraught with danger. I am praying to Buddha for the protection of the Xu family."

"You actually believe what that bald monk said?"

Xu Qing couldn't help but find it amusing.

He had heard of ordinary people desperately seeking medical help when they were ill, but he never expected that a demon would also believe the deceptive rhetoric commonly used by these monks and Taoists.

However, Xu Qing never considered why Xuan Yu would believe the monk. In the end, it was because what the monk said was related to him.

The saying "concern leads to confusion" perfectly illustrates this point.

“Xuanyu, you don’t know how treacherous people can be. That fat monk spouts Buddhist doctrines, but his mind may not be any cleaner than that of an ordinary person.”

"He said I was doomed, and that it would soon come true. Why do you think he was so sure?"

Xuan Yu was puzzled.

Xu Qing patted the horse beside him, making it turn around. When the black snow steed with its four hooves treading on the snow raised its hindquarters, Xu Qing reached out and stroked it.

"..." The cat was shocked.

However, what surprised Xuan Yu was not that Xu Qing reached out to stroke the horse's rump, but that on the horse's right hindquarters, a golden Buddhist scroll was being eroded and burned by the corpse energy from Xu Qing's left hand.

The aroma of burnt incense rose, and Xu Qing frowned slightly.

The incense brought by the Zen master of Cizhao Temple had a completely different smell from that of Maoxiantang.

When the golden incense of the Cat Fairy Temple burns, the aroma is extremely clean, while the red incense of the Baosheng Temple is full of vitality, like the first breath of life from the birth of all things in early spring, with a pleasant fragrance.

However, the incense smell on the Buddhist scroll in front of me had an unpleasant and strange odor.

It was like cosmetics mixed with the stench of money, or incense sticks stuck in a latrine. Even Xu Qing, who was used to the stench of corpses, felt a pang of nausea. Could this really be considered incense?

"It stinks!"

After transforming into human form, Xuan Yu, perhaps because she was a cat before, always had a serious expression on her face, or was well-behaved and quiet, rarely showing a smile.

But today, when he smelled the burning scent of the Buddhist scroll, Xuan Yu wrinkled his nose, which was unusual for him.

Xu Qing looked at Xuan Yu, still somewhat puzzled. Although the Buddhist scroll did not smell very good, it seemed to Xuan Yu to smell even worse than swill in a garbage can.
After purifying the ashes of the Buddhist scroll, Xu Qing took out a water strainer and filled it with clean water to wash the horse's rump again. Only then did Xuan Yu agree to ride the horse.

Xu Qing knew that cats were clean animals.

On the official road, Xu Qing held the reins, and behind him sat a little girl on the saddle, her hands gripping the saddle handle.

He said as he walked:
"This Buddhist scroll is a trick played by that bald monk. If an ordinary person is unaware of this and still rides this horse, they will either injure others and get into legal trouble, or they will injure themselves. Either way, it will prove that bald monk's evil words true."

"It's just that the devil is always one step ahead of the Buddha, and now that he's met me, he won't have an easy time!"

When Zen Master Jinghai was using his tricks, Xu Qing also used the Taihui Pearl to deliver a powerful blow to that bald monk.

The curse of the Buddhist inscription has now been lifted; the question now is how long Zen Master Jinghai, whose bad luck was brought by the unlucky pearl, can endure.
After a brief interlude, Xu Qing led Xuan Yu forward another twenty miles.

At this moment, a post station appeared at the fork in the road in front of us, and next to the post station was a tea stall for travelers to rest.

These tea stalls set up beside the official road sold not ordinary clear tea, but a "strong tea" with millet, red beans, barley, chestnut pieces, and dried taro.

This type of tea must be so strong that chopsticks inserted into it won't fall over, and the aroma of grains must be so intense that it's considered authentic.

As for why it was such strong tea, it was because most of the travelers on the official road were hungry and in a hurry.

For someone who is hungry and thirsty, a bowl of tea to fill their stomach would be the best thing ever.

Xu Qing and Xuan Yu rarely travel far from home and had never tasted such novelties before. The two, a stiff creature and a cat, were attracted by the aroma, so they each brought a cup of tea and sat down at a simple table outside the tea stall to savor it.

During this time, a ragged beggar monk, who walked with a swaying head and a staggering gait, came to Xu Qing's side.

The monk was about the same height and build as him, and judging from his appearance, he must have been a handsome young man in his youth.

Xu Qing ignored the other party, but unexpectedly, the strange monk started to pester him instead.

“You are clearly a kind and compassionate person. I have come from afar in the city, and have been eating and sleeping in the open along the way. I have not been able to eat a single meal, let alone a single vegetable leaf.”

If you, sir, refuse to provide me with a full meal, I fear I will starve to death in this teahouse overflowing with food.”

Xu Qing looked up and carefully examined the mad monk in front of him, finding the poor monk's words quite amusing.

Seeing that Xu Qing was only staring at him and looking him up and down, the mad monk spoke again: "Buddhism emphasizes the importance of predestined relationships. It is my duty to help you through this tribulation, isn't it?"

“That makes sense. Then I will order a bowl of tea for the elder.”

"No, no, this humble monk does not like tea. If the benefactor could offer a meal of wine and meat, that would be even better."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, and the look in his eyes as he looked at the mad monk instantly changed.

"Do you want wine and meat?"

"Yes, this is exactly what I want to eat: wine and meat. When the people here hear that I am asking for wine and meat, they either shoo me away or ignore me. Since you are so kind-hearted, I don't think you will be like them."

Xu Qing paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed:

"I have wine and meat here. Since the elder is hungry, I will go and get them for him."

(End of this chapter)