Transcending Heavens: Starting with the Ancient Tomb Sect

Chapter 129 Killing is for the sake of protecting life; severing karma is not the same as killing a person.

Paying homage to Buddha and making pilgrimages.

Even though Li Mochou, the Red Serpent Fairy, was dressed in a Taoist robe, she still observed the proper etiquette.

These are all necessary preludes; you can skip them if you're capable, but there's no need to. What follows is what's truly important.

That is to copy scriptures in order to cleanse the body of evil energy.

In the words of the Crimson Serpent Fairy, it was about using Buddhist scriptures to ward off bad luck. Since heading north, she had always encountered some inexplicable things when she stepped into the Central Plains.

"I am guilty."

"I need to temporarily lay down my weapon!"

These are the words Yue Que said to Zen Master Wuse: "It is said that one can become a Buddha by laying down the butcher's knife. Zen Master Wuse, do you think it is possible for us to become Buddhas or Bodhisattvas?"

Yue Que was testing whether the Golden Wheel Monk's relationship with the Golden Boy and Jade Girl had been discovered by the Buddhist sects of the Central Plains, or whether it was still kept within the Tantric and Quanzhen sects.

Temporarily? Becoming a Buddha? Becoming a Bodhisattva?

Is that how you say things?

With just three sentences, Yue Que's brain was practically steaming from the sight of Zen Master Wuse.

After confirming that the Ancient Tomb Sect would come to Shaolin Temple to pay their respects, Zen Master Wuse knew that they would come with ill intentions, but he did not expect them to be so ill-intentioned.

To become a Buddha or a Bodhisattva?

However, after carefully observing the other person's expression, he realized that this did not seem to be a joke; it seemed that this was exactly what the only male disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect was thinking.

Master Wuse dared not respond to these words.

They are neither qualified nor capable, though Bodhidharma might have been able to do so.

Neither answering nor not answering is a good choice.

"Ah, this!"

"Amitabha!"

Zen Master Wuse first put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist mantra before saying, "Whether I have a karmic connection with the Buddha, this humble monk does not know."

"Why don't you gentlemen go to the scripture library, copy down some scriptures, and see if they are suitable before making a decision?"

The dignified head monk of the Arhat Hall claimed that he had gone from being a poor monk to a lowly monk. Zen Master Wuse directly arranged for Jueyuan, who was in charge of managing the scriptures in the Sutra Repository, to lead the group from the Ancient Tomb to copy the scriptures.

After a series of incidents, the current Sutra Repository no longer houses martial arts manuals; the manuals have long been moved to another location—the Dharma Hall.

Unlike before, now all the martial arts manuals you want to learn are at the Dharma Hall.

One refers to the events at the Sutra Repository during the early Song Dynasty; the other refers to the internal strife that occurred long ago.

Compared to the Quanzhen School, the Shaolin Temple has its own version of Yang Guo.

This "Yang Guo" is none other than the Fire-Worker Monk.

The incident at the Sutra Pavilion was alright; although many eminent monks were lost, two top masters were gained. However, the incident with the Fire-Worker Monk has caused the Shaolin Temple to plummet in its current state.

Shaolin Temple set an example of internal strife for the Quanzhen Sect. Compared to the Quanzhen Sect's peaceful settlement, Shaolin Temple fared much worse.

The former head of the Bodhidharma Hall died, and the former head of the Arhat Hall led his disciples to establish the Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions.

The next step was for the Shaolin Temple to make corrections, and it even had to go to extremes. This was a consequence of the chaos caused by the Fire-Worker Monk.

It's not that Shaolin Temple didn't want to follow the example of Quanzhen Sect and bet on Guo Jing's path in the Southern Song Dynasty; it's just that they no longer have the capability to do so.

At present, Shaolin Temple can be considered to be closed off in a certain sense. It has not paid much attention to the affairs of the martial arts world and has been purely defending itself on Mount Song to confront the situation outside. It has been shutting itself off from the temple.

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "jail".

Gongsun Lü'e's description in the book was correct; the Shaolin Temple was indeed in a state of extreme weakness at that time.

It was Yue Que who bragged about Shaolin Temple's past glories, even though Shaolin Temple didn't want anyone to mention them at the moment.

From above comes the oppression of the Buddhist Tantric sect, and from below comes the visit of the Ancient Tomb Sect, which commits massacres and exterminations.

If only one or two naive young people visit, Shaolin Temple will put on a show, even breathing on them to let the newcomers know their place.

But when facing the Ancient Tomb Sect, they truly bowed their heads and acted as hosts.

The Shaolin Temple was no match for this group of thugs.

Even the colorless and formless disciples, and even after discussing with the abbot, decided that, as a last resort, it was not impossible to break the temple rules again and let them see the secret manual.

However, the monks also knew that if the situation really came to that point, one of the three would have to take the blame.

Zen Master Wuse already knew that the choice had actually been predetermined long ago.

The one who should take the blame is none other than Zen Master Wuse, the head of the Arhat Hall; his junior brother Jueyuan is simply not up to the task.

"...

'

The colorless Zen master's behavior revealed to Yue Que what he wanted to know, and also provided him with additional information.

Seeing this, Yue Que, having found his answer, stopped pressuring the other party and instead gave a proper bow.

Led by the monk Jueyuan, the group went to the Sutra Repository to directly copy scriptures.

Watching the Ancient Tomb Sect members leave, Zen Master Wuse finally let out a long sigh of relief, only to find that his back was already soaked with sweat.

so close!

Having experienced the extreme and oppressive work style of the Ancient Tomb Sect for the first time, Master Wuse felt incredibly fortunate.

He thought to himself that it was fortunate that Shaolin Temple had taken the proper precautions beforehand; otherwise, if things hadn't been handled properly, Shaolin Temple would have faced a disaster even more terrible than the Fire-Worker Monk incident.

"The rest is up to Junior Brother Jueyuan."

"I hope they won't make things difficult for my junior brother."

After careful consideration, Zen Master Wuse realized that with his junior brother's pure nature, no matter how much he offended someone, he wouldn't end up doing anything too bad.

If something really happens, Shaolin Temple has legal grounds to rely on.

It seems that the Ancient Tomb Sect is a sect that knows etiquette; they can't just ignore all reason, can they?

"Amitabha!"

Thinking of this, Zen Master Wuse looked in the direction of the Sutra Repository and began to recite scriptures in his heart to pray for his junior brother Jueyuan.

The Sutra Repository! The Sutra Repository!

After the group from the ancient tomb arrived here with Jueyuan, Yue Que became very interested in this famous place.

Unfortunately, the current library is not the same as the one from the Northern Song Dynasty, and the extraordinary skills and techniques are no longer there.

Of course, this is also a fortunate thing.

Even as a librarian, Jueyuan was far inferior to the Sweeping Monk.

Moreover, Yue Que's true goal in coming to Shaolin Temple this time was not the Seventy-Two Arts, but the famous Nine Yang Divine Skill.

If I get it, then the gains from this trip to Shaolin Temple will be enough.

In Yue Que's original plan, coming to Shaolin Temple to copy scriptures might involve some back and forth, such as donating incense money;

But coming here now seems far too relaxed and leisurely.

With the overwhelming force of the ancient tomb, the Shaolin Temple practically slid to their knees before them. Without them even having to say a word, the other side would personally escort them into the scripture pavilion, serve them fine tea, and fulfill their duties as hosts.

That was because they were afraid that Yue Que and his group would suffer any injustice at Shaolin Temple.

Upon entering the Sutra Repository, Monk Jueyuan felt as if he had returned to his own territory and inquired, "May I ask which scriptures you esteemed benefactors wish to transcribe?"

As the five women looked at each other, each recited a scripture.

Then they saw the monk Jueyuan meticulously find the scriptures they needed from various places, hand them to the women, and carefully tell them what they needed to pay attention to inside. His familiar demeanor made him a qualified librarian.

After calming the other female benefactors down, Monk Jueyuan approached Yue Que and asked, "May I ask who you are, benefactor—"

""

"I have doubts in my heart, and I should seek enlightenment!" Yue Que said.

"?"

Monk Jueyuan was taken aback at first, not understanding that this was a test. After thinking carefully for a moment, he replied, "So, the benefactor wants to copy the Lankavatara Sutra."

This monk Jueyuan is familiar with it; he's been studying it for the past few months.

How could someone who desires enlightenment be truly evil?

Monk Jueyuan felt that his senior brother Wuse was thinking too badly of people.

In high spirits, Monk Jueyuan took the Lankavatara Sutra and handed it to Yue Que, even thoughtfully providing him with paper and pen.

i,

Yue Que was quite surprised by Monk Jueyuan's behavior, but he was also very pleased.

Upon handling the Lankavatara Sutra, Yue Que merely rubbed it between his fingers and knew that someone frequently read the sutra, presumably the monk Jueyuan.

Unconsciously, the monk Jueyuan learned the Nine Yang Divine Skill hidden in the scriptures.

For someone as simple and naive as Jueyuan, it wouldn't be a problem for the Nine Yang Divine Skill to fall into his hands. You should know that Jueyuan's naiveté is different from that of Zhou Botong, the Old Urchin.

In the Shaolin Temple, which was overcorrected, even if Monk Jueyuan had completely mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill, he would still be just a large punching bag.

He will become a target of the monks within the sect.

In their view, that would be the next pyrotechnician.

After all, the influence that the Fire-Worker Monk had on Shaolin Temple was simply too great.

It's not that easy to eliminate the impact in a short period of time!

Even within the Shaolin Temple, some people use this as an opportunity to seize power and vie for positions.

Even now, neither the abbot of Shaolin nor the head of the Bodhidharma Academy has appeared, yet Yue Que already knows the situation, which is far more serious than what happened within the Quanzhen Sect before.

While copying the scriptures, the monk Jueyuan kindly pointed out parts that might be confusing, fearing the other person might not understand. He also asked, "What is it that you are confused about, benefactor?"

While copying, Yue Que chatted with Monk Jueyuan. Before he knew it, he had come to talk about the doubts in his heart. Yue Que did not hide anything, but told him about the murder and massacre of his family.

These words immediately stunned Monk Jueyuan.

The five women, who were copying the scriptures, all cast pitying glances at Monk Jueyuan.

Before Monk Jueyuan could get angry, Yue Que countered, "Why does the great monk think he shouldn't have been killed?"

"Or has the abbot developed a discriminating mind? Is there no compassion in his heart?"

He first silenced the monk Jueyuan with two questions, then slowly explained the reasons for the massacre: "Great monk, tell me, should we have been killed?"

"Amitabha!"

Monk Jueyuan opened his mouth, but after hearing what had happened, he didn't know how to answer. He could only put his hands together and chant a Buddhist prayer.

"hehe!"

Yue Que didn't stop there, but continued, "Why don't you answer? Or is your Buddha, monk, turned away from all living beings, unable to see the common people beneath your feet?"

Monk Jueyuan: "————"

"If that's the case, then your Buddha has a discriminating mind, instead of the idea of ​​equality for all beings!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Monk Jueyuan's internal energy went astray, and his face turned red as he spat out a mouthful of blood, which inadvertently landed on the Lankavatara Sutra.

At the same time, Yue Que finished copying the last character, then rubbed his wrist and put down the brush.

"Has the benefactor attained enlightenment?" Monk Jueyuan asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Um!"

"What is that?"

"Killing is for the sake of protecting life; cutting off karma is not the same as killing a person!"

Yue Que lowered his brows, as if a demon had opened its eyes.