Chapter 823: Bodhisattva

Chapter 823: The Bodhisattva

Standing in line, Feng Wanba had already licked his lips for the sixth time. The aroma of grain drifting from the soup pavilion made him involuntarily swallow saliva.

Seeing that the person in front of him hadn't moved for ages, Feng Wanba finally experienced what it meant to have days drag on like years.

But he didn't dare to cut in, fearing that the senior monks might be angry and send him home without giving him any soup.

After enduring an endless wait, it was finally his turn. There was only one spoonful of porridge.

But as soon as that spoonful of millet porridge was ladled into the bowl, he didn't care about the heat anymore and reached out with his hand to grab it.

This millet porridge was cooked very clear, and some wood shavings and minced meat were added to it.

Yet in Feng Wanba's mouth, this was an incredibly delicious delicacy. Though nothing seemed to be added, he felt the richness and smoothness of yellow rice, with lingering aftertaste and full flavor in his mouth—better than anything he'd ever tasted before.

When Feng Wanba, eyes closed, sucked each of his fingers clean with force, he slowly opened them and let out a long sigh.

He was still hungry, extremely hungry, but the warm current in his stomach told him he wouldn't starve to death.

After licking the bowl until it gleamed, Feng Wanba still didn’t leave. He moved as close to the soup pavilion as possible, inhaling deeply the scent wafting out.

Feng Wanba had a secret he never told anyone—the more you inhaled the aroma of the soup, the more essence would be drawn from it, according to his grandfather’s method.

Just then, he saw a senior monk come out of the temple and call for people to carry things. Feng Wanba immediately forgot about breathing and ran over.

Helping the senior monks move things was unpaid work. Anyone who still had strength could participate. Come and go freely.

But Feng Wanba noticed that the senior monk who called out was surrounded by many people, all with excited and exhilarated faces.

When selected by the senior monk, some even jumped with excitement.

Feng Wanba knew what these people wanted—they competed to help carry things because they all wanted to see the living Buddha.

Since the people who brought supplies returned, word had spread far and wide. This grain was brought by the compassionate living Buddha who saves people from suffering! The Buddha had descended to save them!

Everyone wanted to see the real living Buddha, to receive blessings from the Buddha's presence. It was said that those who had seen the Buddha before returned and their minor illnesses and misfortunes were all cured.

He also wanted to see, so Feng Wanba squeezed in forcefully, raising his hand high.

"You, you, and you!" Seeing the big monk point at him, Feng Wanba became overwhelmed with excitement.

Once inside Zhengde Temple, Feng Wanba still couldn't calm down. He followed the chatter around him with excitement.

"Is the Buddha really bringing grain? A lot of grain? Will we no longer be hungry?"

"What does the Buddha look like?"

"I heard this time the Buddha is male? Why is the Buddha a man?"

"I heard the Buddha was originally male, then became female. Maybe the Buddha is genderless."

"You're asking for death! How dare you disrespect the Buddha! What if he gets angry and stops bringing grain? Kneel and bow now!"

While they were still talking, suddenly a hole appeared in the sky, and a sack was thrown out of it.

When the sack hit the ground, the rustling sound made Feng Wanba's ears perk up instantly—it was the sound of millet!

Then more sacks followed one after another, and one was torn open, spilling corn that made them realize for sure, the compassionate, merciful, saving-the-world Buddha had truly arrived!

Looking at the bags of grain, Feng Wanba knelt down along with everyone else, bowing to the grain reverently.

At that moment, every hole appearing in the sky was seen by them as the Buddha manifesting, a miracle.

Watching everything unfold before him, Feng Wanba didn't know what he was shouting, just excitedly yelling.

When the red-robed Buddha descended from the heavens, everyone cried out in tears.

There was a god who could do anything watching over them—they weren't abandoned, they could survive!

"The bags marked with a line are seeds! Bags without a line are food. Quickly select people to start planting." Li Huo Wang said to the approaching monk.

The crying and shouting around him annoyed Li Huo Wang greatly. He turned and roared at them, "Shut up! All of you stand up!"

With a sudden movement, everyone on the ground stood up. "Move the grain to the granary! If it rains, it'll all get soaked!"

Everyone began moving. Even though they were still wailing, they worked while crying.

"Where is your abbot?" Li Huo Wang asked the monk in front of him.

"May the Buddha bless us. The abbot is having lunch in the kitchen." Li Huo Wang frowned and walked toward there.

"Buddha! What's your name? I'll set up an altar for you when I return! I'll offer incense daily to worship you!" Feng Wanba shouted loudly from behind.

"Zhang Ke Yuan!"

Soon, Li Huo Wang found the abbot in the kitchen. He was sitting at the stove, eating meat from a large bowl, one bite at a time.

Some monks beside him skillfully peeled skin and removed bones, preparing offal, which slid into the steaming pot.

"You still eat these?"

Chan Du put down his chopsticks. "Wine and meat pass through the belly, but Buddha remains in the heart. The Buddha won't blame us."

"I mean, since we now have grain, why do you still eat these?" Li Huo Wang frowned at the boiling corpse in the pot.

"Grain will always be insufficient. If not me, who else? Let the people eat the grain. I can eat this fine, no problem. I also enjoy meat and rice." With that, Chan Du picked up a piece and chewed contentedly.

"I brought seeds with me. Quickly get people to plant them. Have your people protect them well. Don't let starving people eat the seedlings."

Sending grain alone was insufficient. The grain in Daliang was limited. To break this deadlock, the people of Daqi must start saving themselves.

"May the Buddha bless us. Thank you, kind sir. There's a vast stretch of black land next to Youdu. We can grow three crops a year. I'll send people to plant right away."

After saying this, Chan Du paused and continued, "Kind sir, compared to seeds, could you bring more piglets?"

"After all, flesh and blood is our specialty. We can make the pigs grow faster and fatten quicker."

"People don't even have enough to eat, how can you raise pigs?"

"Pigs can eat feces, pigs can even eat dead bodies. Why can't they be raised?" Chan Du said matter-of-factly.

The abbot's words reminded Li Huo Wang of some past events.