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

Chapter 232 The Master's Feeding, Sixteen Prophecies
Without exception, everyone on the official road was a traveler in a hurry.

These people traveled back and forth, and when they needed something, they would eat the flatbread hanging from their waist or the cold buns wrapped in their cloth bags. Those who were better off might even have a mouthful of pickled vegetables.

Even if you end up at a roadside inn, you can only order a bowl of mushy noodle soup at most, and that'll do!

The tea stalls and tea sheds along the official road, where they brewed mixed grain tea soup, could already be considered a hearty meal.

To put it bluntly, for travelers, their two legs are the wheels of a cart. Whether it's sorghum, cornmeal, thin porridge, or rotten rice, as long as it can fill their stomachs, that's a great blessing. Who would have the mind to indulge in fatty chickens and tender geese?

But the person Xu Qing met at the tea stall really did only eat meat and drink alcohol.

The key point is that this person is also a monk who has taken vows!

Who would want to pay attention to someone so absurd and crazy?

Normally, Xu Qing wouldn't have paid any attention to him. He had just met a greedy and delusional fat monk today, and even if this slovenly monk kept pestering him, he shouldn't have agreed to give him wine and meat.

But why did Xu Qing go against his own heart and pay attention to this monk?
This story begins when I first entered the teahouse.
As Xu Qing entered the teahouse and instructed the staff to help take care of the horses, he inadvertently saw a bird startled and crash headfirst into the teahouse sign.

The bird fluttered and rolled around on the ground, eventually ending up in the middle of the road.

None of the passersby paid any attention; if left unattended, he might be trampled to death or run over by a car in the next moment.

Xuan Yu's eyes were glued to the bird the moment she saw it. When the bird fluttered to the middle of the road, she tugged at Xu Qing's sleeve.

Xu Qing followed Xuan Yu's gaze to the middle of the road and saw the bird.

"You want to catch that bird?"

"It's not about catching it, it's about rescuing it."

"Save?" Xu Qing looked at the little girl beside him in surprise. It was the first time he had ever heard a cat say such a thing.

“You said that we should cherish this trip to Yunmeng Mountain. We may not be able to come back, but if this bird is saved, it can continue to fly.”

"."

When he said "cherish," he didn't mean it was impossible to go back!

Just as Xu Qing was about to say something, he noticed that another carriage was approaching from not far away. So he temporarily put aside his thoughts and told Xuan Yu to leave the teahouse and go save the bird.

But just then, outside the teahouse, a disheveled monk who was resting against the corner of the wall suddenly jumped up and arrived in the middle of the road before Xuan Yu could reach him.

The monk picked up the dusty thing and carefully cleaned the birdball from its body with his grime-covered hands.

The little bird was clearly frightened; its small chest was heaving like a bellows, and its mouth was constantly panting.

"Oh dear! Poor bird, you belong in the sky, how could you fall onto this dusty ground? Go away, go away, this is not a place for you."

Strangely enough, after the poor monk held the bird in his arms and stroked it for a while, the bird's violently panting chest actually calmed down!
The monk reached out and tossed the bird into the air, and the injured bird flapped its wings and disappeared!
Xu Qing saw and heard everything clearly. He immediately felt that this monk was unusual, at the very least someone with some kindness and understanding of Buddhist principles.

That's why he didn't refuse when the slovenly monk asked him for wine and meat.

It was quite a coincidence, really. Where would you find wine and meat in this teahouse? Most of the passersby only had some flatbread and steamed buns on them.

Only Xu Qing brought some wine and meat with him when he came out of the banquet.

And so, this scene unfolded in front of the tea stall—

A poor, disheveled monk, whose robes were covered in patches, sat down leisurely at the tea table.

In front of the monk sat a neatly dressed young man and a beautifully sculpted little girl.

The monk's hemp shoes had long since opened, revealing two dark toes. He didn't care about his image, stuffing a whole chicken with a missing wing into his mouth with one hand, while reaching for the tattered monk's shoes propped up on the long bench with the other hand, picking at the toes.

Not to mention Xu Qing and Xuan Yu, even the other customers at the tea stall were drawn to it.

Some of these people frowned in disgust, some shook their heads and chuckled, and some uttered foul language, but the slovenly monk paid no heed and continued to eat as he pleased.

“He seems very hungry.” Xuan Yu observed the monk in front of him.

"Xu Xian." Before Xuan Yu could finish speaking, he suddenly remembered Xu Qing's words of advice before he left—not to address each other as immortals when traveling.

So it stopped talking and said, "Your crooked-necked little phoenix is ​​almost eaten up by him. If you get hungry later, Xuan Yu can give you his little fish to eat."

"Okay!" Xu Qing accepted Xuan Yu's offer of food.

"Now the monk shouldn't starve to death."

Xuan Yu said happily, "The monk saved the bird, so the bird can continue to fly. We saved the monk, so the monk can continue to beg for food. Even if we are gone one day, the monk can still live in our place."

"."

Xu Qing's eyelids twitched as she listened. Why was this cat so pessimistic?
It seems that the past experience of losing her life is still affecting her.

Xu Qing could not comfort Xuan Yu, because if the source of the fear was not eliminated, the fear would continue to exist.

The stiff man and the cat spoke in hushed tones, whispering secrets only they could understand. However, when the disheveled monk heard the girl say that he was a monk who begged for food everywhere, he couldn't sit still.

"Amitabha Buddha, how can a monk's business be called begging? It must be called alms-begging. Young benefactor, would you like to know what alms-begging means?"

Before Xuanyu could speak, the monk continued, "So-called alms-seeking is about forming connections with all living beings, passing on Buddhist teachings, and accumulating merits among ourselves."

"Only those who eat for free are beggars."

After saying this, the monk carefully put the chicken bones in his hand into his sleeve as if they were precious treasures. Then he stood up, picked up his wine pot, and said with drunken eyes, "This humble monk has always only begged for alms, not for food."

After saying this, the monk looked down at Xu Qing, who was still sitting at the table, and said meaningfully, "It is a good thing that you have the desire to seek the Tao, but you should know that this path is also very dangerous."

“In the past, my Buddhist disciples sought the true teachings of the Dharma, enduring nine lifetimes of hardship and more than ten years of trials and tribulations before finally seeing the truth.”

"The same applies to those who seek the Dao in the Xuanmen (Taoist sect). Many people go through countless hardships, only to find it all in vain. Even if they do manage to enter the Xuanmen, it may ultimately be nothing more than a dream."

Just like this poor monk, no matter how much I cultivate, there is always an insatiable hunger and an unquenchable thirst in my heart.

Xu Qing looked at the monk in front of him; it was clear that the monk's words had a hidden meaning.

When did he ever reveal his desire to seek the Tao? He only mentioned it to the Zen master of Cizhao Temple and the abbot of Ruyi Temple when he attended a wedding banquet at the Shang residence.

Moreover, his talk of seeking the Dao was merely a test of Baiyun Laodao's words; he didn't actually intend to seek immortality or visit Daoists here.

The monk in front of him had just happened to say these words, which made Xu Qing suspect that the monk had some connection with the previous Zen Master Jinghai.

"Where is the Elder's Mountain Gate?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

The disheveled monk picked up the wine jug, took a swig, and without any semblance of decorum, chuckled and said, "A hero's origins are irrelevant, and a monk has no home. If you wish to seek enlightenment at this humble monk's gate, I'm afraid that won't be possible!"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "This won't do, that won't do either. Are you saying you're not just begging for alms for free?" The monk wasn't angry at this, but just drunkenly chuckled and said, "I'm so drunk I can't walk. I'm afraid I won't be able to get back to my lodgings until dark. If you have a kind heart, could you lend me your horse?"

This is just taking advantage of someone's kindness!
Xu Qing shook his head and said, "The horse was lent to a friend and must be returned. It can't be given to others. If you're not worried about getting back late, I can talk to the tea stall owner and ask him to make an exception for you, monk."

“I’m afraid that won’t work. I’m hated by dogs and people. The old shopkeeper won’t even let me into the teahouse. How could he possibly listen to you and make things convenient for you?”

"How about this?" Xu Qing silently took out a piece of silver and placed it on the table.

"."

The monk, who had been dazed, suddenly snapped out of his daze.

“You truly understand human nature.”

The monk sighed and said, "Very well, although I cannot ride your horse, I do know a little about judging horses. Would you be willing to let me come forward and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's heart stirred, but he calmly replied, "Elder, please proceed."

The teahouse was small, and the horses were tied to the hitching post on the east side. Xu Qing and Xuan Yu could sit still and have a clear view of what was happening on the monks' side.

The horse, being somewhat human-like, had suffered at the hands of a monk before. Now, seeing a bald man approaching, it became very uneasy, kicking its hooves and baring its teeth while tilting its head back, as if to say, "Don't mess with me."

"My horse, my horse, I'm here to help you out of your troubles. Don't be like that shopkeeper and judge people by their appearance."

The tea stall owner, who was watching the monk's every move, immediately turned pale.

However, after hearing the monk's words, the horse actually calmed down!

Xu Qing had sharp ears; even though he was sitting a little further away, he heard everything the monk was muttering.

Just as he had guessed, the monk did know some of the details!

The mad monk stretched out his oil-stained hand and touched the tall horse for a while, finally stopping at its right hindquarters, where he exclaimed in surprise.

There were traces of Buddhist incense burning on the horse's rump. Although it had been cleaned, there was still a lingering smell of incense.

The monk leaned close to the horse's rump and sniffed it. He immediately waved his hands and fanned his nose repeatedly, but it seemed to smell even worse than the smell of his own body, which hadn't been washed for over a decade.

"Oh no! If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off not seeking this karmic connection at all."

The monk muttered something, but the next moment he turned back with a grin.

"This horse is in excellent condition, benefactor. It's clear that you've taken good care of it." The mad monk thought that Xuan Yu had removed the Buddhist inscription from the horse's body. While praising the horse's good health, his gaze couldn't help but wander over Xuan Yu.

"What do you mean by that, Elder?" Xu Qing, who hadn't taken it seriously until now, suddenly sat up straight, his eyes clearly showing a hint of wariness as he looked at the monk.

“Don’t be afraid of this humble monk, benefactor. Although this young benefactor is no ordinary person, his heart is purer than that of some people. Look at that bird that flew away. There are so many people here, but only the young benefactor noticed it. This shows that all things in the world have Zen nature.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing immediately realized that the monk had seen through Xuan Yu's special abilities. Originally, he hadn't sensed much threat from the monk, but now it seemed that the monk possessed some skills he was unaware of.

Xu Qing carefully examined the monk in front of him, who seemed to lack any semblance of propriety. Perhaps this monk had awakened the Broad Vision of the Nine Senses, which gave him such keen eyesight. Of course, it was also possible that the monk had cultivated other techniques that could distinguish between good and evil and perceive discrepancies between yin and yang.

But you could say this monk was amazing, since he never realized that Xu Qing was the biggest evil in the tea stall.

But if you say he's not good, he can still see the strangeness in the girl being protected by Xu Qing.

To be on the safe side, Xu Qing decided to set off ahead of time to avoid the strange monk in front of him.

However, the monk suddenly became anxious.

"Please slow down, benefactor!"

The mad monk grabbed the reins, blocking Xu Qing's path, his words even carrying a hint of ingratiation:

“Monk, I won’t eat your food and drink for nothing. Although I haven’t been able to do a good job judging horses, I have other skills.”

"It's just a meal and drinks, I don't need you to pay back the debt. Now, just let me pass and I'll consider it a good deed."

The monk still refused to let go.

“In that case, I have sixteen words to say. If you hear them, I will no longer press you.”

Xu Qing stopped in his tracks and patiently listened to the monk's ramblings.

He wanted to see what kind of medicine the other party was selling.

The monk said, "Please remember, benefactor—avoid temples and retreat from monasteries. Part the clouds and fog, and you will see the bright moon."

"My benefactor, your path lies in that bright moon!"

Xu Qing found this strange and asked him, "What do you mean by that?"

"It cannot be said, it cannot be said. You only need to remember these sixteen words, and they will surely come true in the future. When that time comes, please do as I say, so that you may turn misfortune into good fortune."

As the mad monk spoke, he stretched out his muddy hand, trying to grasp Xu Qing's hand and pat the back of his hand, but Xu Qing pulled on the reins and used the horse's neck to block the monk's dirty hand.

The monk didn't seem to mind and casually stroked the horse's mane, showing just how thick-skinned this person was.

After reciting the prophecy, the mad monk returned the empty wine jug, began singing a popular folk song, and headed towards the city of Qianzhou.

Xu Qing recalled the mantra that Zen Master Jinghai had spoken before, and combined it with the prophecy spoken by the mad monk. The latter's words seemed to be the solution.

Could it be true, as the mad monk said, that there is still a 'destiny' waiting for him?
Thinking of this, Xu Qing felt that the monk in front of him was even more unusual.

"May I ask your esteemed name and Dharma title, Elder?"

Xu Qing asked from afar.

"This humble monk is Xinyuan!"

A connection of hearts?

Xu Qing silently memorized the name. As for whether he would encounter it again in the future, and what his situation would be then, that remained to be seen.

Meanwhile, after Monk Xinyuan left, Xu Qing took Xuan Yu and headed straight for Yunmeng Mountain without stopping.

The two, now retired from their leisurely pursuits, no longer linger to admire the scenery along the way, but instead move on with great speed.

Apart from feeding the horse and giving it a break to rest, Xu Qing didn't stop for two days in a row.

On the morning of the third day, when a thin mist was falling, Xu Qing, who was walking along the mountain path, suddenly saw a temple appear before him.

(End of this chapter)