Chapter 257: Pilgrims Going up the Mountain

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

[With the 2nd Level Buddhist Disciple cultivation, you knew your own strength. Even if you were to face some fierce beasts, you could still kill them.

[Therefore, you searched in the mountain, trying to find some small animals for your lunch.

[After searching for a few hours, you were surprised to find that there was not a single beast on this mountain. Not to mention tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, you could not even find rabbits, squirrels, snakes, and other common animals.

[You came to the spring where the water was drawn every day.

[The water here was very sweet and extremely clear. It had already formed a very large lake.

[Normally, the fish in this kind of water was the most delicious.

[You took off your monk robes and jumped into the lake. After swimming around for a while, you unwillingly went ash.o.r.e. Your expression was extremely unsightly because there wasn’t a single fish in the entire lake.

[There were no beasts in the mountains and no fish in the water. Even if these two situations weren’t superimposed on each other, it would still make one feel incredulous. Moreover, these two things were superimposed here.

“It must be related to the demons that are suppressed under the temple.”

[You came to a conclusion immediately. Without thinking further, you returned to the temple.

[At midnight, you and Monk Void had already finished your vegetarian meal and were reciting scriptures in the main hall.

[At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside the temple.

[You and Monk Void looked over at the same time and realized that it was actually Monk Virtue who had returned.

[However, Monk Virtue’s appearance was somewhat dusty. His originally clean yellow monk robe was now full of holes, torn into strips, and covered in stains.

[You couldn’t help but step forward and ask, “Senior Brother Virtue, what happened to you?”

[When Monk Virtue heard this, he first revealed an awkward expression, and then he said helplessly, “Junior Brother Emptiness, the villages nearby are too poor…”

[It turned out that Monk Virtue was full of confidence when he left the house this morning. He had practiced Buddhism for many years, so he naturally knew how to show his divinity in front of others.

[Moreover, Monk Virtue’s cultivation was not low at all. It was very easy to fool ordinary people.

[However, when Monk Virtue came to the nearest village, he was dumbfounded. What kind of situation was this? There were only a dozen families in such a big village, and all of them were old, weak, and sick.

[Many people did not even have clothes and relied on their gra.s.s skirts to hide their shame.

[When they saw Monk Virtue enter the village, a bunch of disgruntled children instantly surrounded him. All of them opened their eyes wide and looked at Monk Virtue with longing.

[Monk Virtue was very helpless, so he gave these children the few copper coins he had collected.

[Only then did he successfully leave the village.

[Following that, Monk Virtue went to a few other nearby villages; without exception, they all were in the same situation.

[His clothes were also coveted by a group of children in a village. They said that they would not let him leave. Later on, they even came up to tear him apart, causing him to be in such a sorry state.

[Monk Virtue was a monk. Although he also had diamond eyes, he could not attack a group of children.

[Just like that, Monk Virtue escaped from the village in a sorry state and returned to the temple helplessly.

[When Monk Void saw Monk Virtue’s appearance, he was not surprised at all. He had already expected this outcome when Monk Virtue left the temple in the morning. In the past, he had also thought of going to a nearby village to seek fortune.

[However, after going there a few times, Monk Void gave up this idea. There was no other reason. This group of people was too poor.

[The villages here were all honest farmers. However, there were no wild beasts in the mountains and no fish in the water. Even the grain that was planted was not very profitable.

[If they encountered a bad year, they would not be able to harvest even a single grain.

[Just like that, it continued on. Who would still have the spare money to donate to the temple?

[Currently, the people who maintained the operation of the temple were all relying on big families from far away. They would come to the temple when the new year came to offer incense and worship.

[Clearly, Monk Void was still scheming. He had specially made Monk Virtue suffer.]

…

[On the eighth day, you continued to fetch water as usual. Beside the stream, you happened to see an eight-carried palanquin slowly heading up the mountain. On this mountain, there was only one temple. It must be the wealthy family that Monk Void had mentioned.

[Your walking speed is obviously faster than the palanquin. After fetching water, you returned to the temple ahead of time and said to Monk Void, “Senior Brother Void, a sedan came down the mountain. It should be the devotee of the wealthy family you mentioned.”

[Monk Void heard this and instantly became spirited. Seeing that the temple was about to run out of rice to cook, the devotee naturally had to be warmly entertained at this time.

[Thus, Monk Void hurriedly laid out some props and warned you not to do anything excessive.

[Since this was the first time you met a devotee going up the mountain, you did not continue to fetch water. Instead, you waited in the temple for the devotee to arrive.

[Not long after, the eight-carried sedan slowly stopped at the entrance of the temple. The sedan curtain was pulled open, and a middle-aged man wearing an official green robe and a cap came down.

[When you looked at the middle-aged man’s face, you could not help but feel a little confused. This guy was obviously not a good person. Just the sinister aura and unique temperament his body exuded allowed one to judge him at a glance. He was a bad person.

[A bad person came to the temple to offer incense? No matter how you thought about it, it made you feel a little strange.

“Haha, Master Void, I, Li Gang, have come to pay my respects to Buddha. Hmm? Another Master?”

[When Li Gang saw you, he was obviously stunned. Presumably, he came to this temple often and was very familiar with the environment there.

[Monk Void hurriedly explained, “Benefactor Li, greetings. This is my Junior Brother, and his dharma name is Emptiness.”

“So it’s Master Emptiness. Greetings.”

[Li Gang didn’t look down on you just because you’re a Junior Brother. Instead, he bowed to you respectfully.

[Naturally, you couldn’t be arrogant and returned the bow.

“Junior Brother Emptiness, Benefactor Li is a great benefactor. Moreover, he’s our local official. In the past few years, he has often come to our temple to offer incense, donate some incense money, and give some clothes. He’s a person who sincerely pays his respects to Buddha.”

[You immediately understood that this official was the parent of this small temple. No wonder he looked at the Monk Void with such solemnity.

[Monk Void brought you and led Li Gang to the main hall. Li Gang knelt in front of the Guanyin statue sincerely, muttering something.

[Then, he respectfully kowtowed and inserted three long incense sticks into the incense burner.

[At that moment, you saw the clear jade bottle in the Guanyin statue flash with light and enter Li Gang’s body.

[Your eyes lit up. You didn’t expect that this world could really offer the protection of Bodhisattvas by coming to the temple to give alms.

[However, before you could snap out of your surprise, you saw a green light appear on Li Gang’s body again.

‘This aura seems to be demonic energy?’