Chapter 775: Abbot

Chapter 775: The Abbot

Beneath the towering and solemn five Buddhas, two elderly abbots clad in crimson robes sat cross-legged on their meditation cushions. One turned prayer beads between his fingers while murmuring sutras under his breath.

One of them was the abbot of Zhengde Temple that Li Huowang had met several years prior. His features were unmistakable—like Bai Lingmiao, both his pupils were pink, indicating they suffered from albinism. The other abbot appeared entirely normal, yet his face bore an uncanny resemblance to the monk beside Li Huowang. This was the abbot of Zhengde Temple in Great Qi. Compared to their previous encounter in Niu Xin Village, he had clearly gained weight.

“Namo Amitabha Buddha.”

“Namo Amitabha Buddha.”

Seeing the other man look at him and recite the Buddha's name, Li Huowang approached the cushion before them and sat down.

“Mr. Li, since you have come to the temple, surely it would be improper not to offer incense to the Buddha,” said the abbot of Great Qi’s Zhengde Temple.

Li Huowang looked up at the five immense statues of the Buddha, nearly touching the rafters, then raised his hand and produced three burning incense sticks. He waved them carelessly before thrusting them into the stone floor, cracking several fissures.

“Abbot, it’s been a long time,” Li Huowang addressed the man who had once tried to kill him. “We didn’t expect to meet again after our last parting, did we?”

Li Huowang hadn’t forgotten how this very man had duped him shortly after leaving Qingfeng Monastery. When his trickery failed, he even sent assassins after him. If not for the protection of Dan Yangzi within him, he wouldn’t have survived.

“Namo Amitabha Buddha. As monks, compassion is our virtue. What I did back then was merely to save more lives.”

“Bullshit! Still pretending now? I’ve known exactly what kind of scum your Zhengde Temple is! You just wanted me because of my Heart Essence!”

“That is incorrect. At the time, I was saving lives. You are Heart Essence, but Heart Essence is a source of countless calamities. Mr. Li, am I wrong? Did you not harm many people, either intentionally or unintentionally, after escaping?”

“Shut up, you damn fool!”

As both sides seemed about to erupt into argument, the abbot of Great Qi’s Zhengde Temple, Chan Du, quickly interjected. “Enough with old grievances. Mr. Li, do you have something important to discuss today?”

Though he desperately wanted to kill this monk, Li Huowang had to consider the bigger picture. He couldn’t help the Fa Sect against his own allies.

Seeing that Chan Du offered a way out, Li Huowang decided to drop the past. He had come here for a reason.

He glanced at both men before speaking directly. “Let’s cut to the chase. Did Xuan Pin ever contact the Five Wisdom Buddhas through Zhengde Temple?”

Li Huowang quickly explained his purpose to the two abbots.

After hearing everything, their faces changed instantly. Then, Li Huowang suddenly raised his head and noticed the five massive statues in the hall seemed to shift slightly in expression.

“Wasn’t it obvious whether Xuan Pin ever visited Zhengde Temple? Are you blind? Or are you going to pretend ignorance like the Grand Master too?” Seeing the abbot of Great Qi, who kept his eyes closed and focused inward, Li Huowang’s expression turned cold.

“No, the Celestial Observatory did indeed come, but it wasn’t him. It was me.” Hearing the voice, Li Huowang turned toward the abbot of Great Qi, Chan Du.

“Xuan Pin did indeed seek me out and paid homage to the Buddha through me.”

“What did they say? How did Xuan Pin assist the Five Wisdom Buddhas?” As the conversation reached its critical point, Li Huowang’s heart began to race.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you, Mr. Li. The secrets of the Buddha are not meant to be revealed. If the Buddha did not wish for me to know, then I naturally don’t know what was said.”

Li Huowang clenched his teeth. “You don’t know? Fine! Then I’ll go straight to the Five Wisdom Buddhas! If Xuan Pin could see the Buddha, then so can I! Let me meet the Buddha!”

Just as he finished speaking, a sharp rebuke echoed, “How absurd! Can anyone just walk in and see the Buddha?”

“I will find a way to defeat the Fa Sect! What? Aren’t Buddhist disciples supposed to do good deeds? If I defeat the Fa Sect, how many lives can I save?”

“Even that won’t happen? Didn’t you just say you’d do anything for good deeds, even kill me? Now that such a great opportunity presents itself, you refuse? What? Do you think doing good for me will earn you merit?”

Li Huowang used the man’s own words against him.

“No! I don’t trust you! Who can just see the True Buddha? And if we disturb the Buddha, who will bear the blame?”

“Brother, let me handle it. If the Buddha truly punishes us, I shall take the karma,” Chan Du’s words extinguished the fire in Li Huowang’s chest.

He had expected resistance, but the quick agreement surprised him.

“Really? Not lying to me?”

“Namo Amitabha Buddha. Monks do not lie.”

Hearing that, Li Huowang found the abbot before him far more tolerable. Though both were abbots, their personalities were starkly different.

“Fine! When do we begin?”

“The preparations for the Bhikshu Assembly are extensive. Mr. Li, rest here tonight. Tomorrow at noon, my brother and I will escort you to meet the Buddha.”

“Alright! Agreed!” Li Huowang stood from his cushion.

As he prepared to leave, he turned back with a mocking smile. “Abbot, this time won’t be like last time, right? Haha.”

With his fingernails, he slashed open his belly and pulled out the spindle that had nearly fused with his intestines. With a sudden tug, the thread attached to the spindle snapped.

Throwing the spindle to the ground, his identity as Heart Essence became glaringly obvious to the two abbots.

“I think it won’t be. After all, we’re facing a great enemy. An abbot wouldn’t act so recklessly. Besides, I’m no longer the weak, helpless fool who could only run from danger.”

Li Huowang turned and left the hall. The two abbots silently stared at the spindle on the floor.

“This Mr. Li has a heavy suspicion,” one said.

“Yes, yes,” the other agreed.

“Tomorrow… at noon…” Li Huowang muttered to himself as he walked between the temples. This was the first time he had actively sought out the Fates. To claim he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

As memories of his time in Baiyu Jing flooded back, his expression twisted into something monstrous. His body trembled uncontrollably, and the world around him began to warp unnaturally.

(End of Chapter)