I attained immortality in the real world.

Chapter 65 The Yogacara Branch
Bianzhou, Bianjing.

The new Tang Dynasty inherited the ancient capital of the previous dynasty, which had stood for a thousand years. After several wars and expansions, it became a majestic and powerful city.

Soldiers guarded the city gates, and imperial guards patrolled the city walls. One could vaguely see the layers of pagodas within the city, as well as the white stone bell and drum towers, all painted in the same color. A thin mist filled the air, carrying the auspicious scent of sandalwood.

As your gaze passes through the majestic city gate, rows of colorful shops line both sides of the bustling main street.

Occasionally, luxurious carriages pulled by tall horses would pass by, and many believers dressed in fine clothes would wear precious wooden prayer beads. There were also many architectural decorations with Buddhist elements, and many monks could be seen.

"We've arrived in Bianjing!"

Chen Jing and his group left Wuping County, begging for alms along the way.

They encountered no further trouble on the journey and finally arrived in Bianjing City two days before the start of the Ullambana Festival.

At that moment, the city gates of Bianjing had just opened, and a long line of merchants were queuing to enter the city. Chen Jing and his group were in the middle of the line and waited for a long time before they reached the city gate.

Two burly gatekeepers stepped forward, glanced at the ten accompanying martial monks, and softened their tone: "Are you monks here in Bianjing to participate in the Ullambana Festival? Please show us your monk credentials."

Chen Jing and the others performed a Buddhist salute, took out their monk's passbooks, and handed them to one of the soldiers: "Thank you!"

The soldier took the monk's certificate, checked it, and waved to the other soldiers: "So you are a monk from Jinshan Temple who has come from afar. Please come into the city."

"........."

【Om! 】

As soon as Chen Jing stepped across the city gate, the prayer beads in his hand suddenly felt hot.

Touch! A real touch. This is only the second time I have clearly felt touch in the spiritual realm since Li Banxian taught me the 'Imitation of Form and Reality' supernatural power.

The body formed by this information belongs to Chiba. Whether it has a severed hand or foot, or dies a violent death, it cannot affect Chen Jing, whose consciousness has descended.

However, spells like the Fearless Lion Seal can ignore the body and directly affect the will, meaning that the formless and intangible Heavenly Demon can be harmed. Once irreparable damage is caused, there is a possibility of becoming an idiot or even brain death.

"A protective amulet has only one function: to protect oneself from harm by evil spirits. Does that mean an evil spirit attacked me just now, or was spying on me?"

Chen Jing's expression changed slightly. He never expected that the first real threat he would feel after entering the world of cultivation would be in Bianjing, the capital of the new Tang Dynasty.

There was nothing unusual about the surrounding city gates, walls, houses, and residents. Focusing on a Buddhist pagoda, he asked, "This pagoda is built next to the city gate, and it feels a little different from the other pagodas."

Elder Jinchi and Faji were both visiting Bianjing for the first time. Jinchi explained, "This pagoda is indeed different from other pagodas. Each city gate in Bianjing has a pagoda. Because it was built by imperial decree, it is not only of higher standard than other pagodas, but also enshrines the relics of eminent monks inside."

Ghosts?

Relics?
Is there a necessary relationship between these two?
Chen Jing stepped into the city gate of Bianjing again, and this time the prayer beads did not heat up.

The monk Faji stopped at the city gate and pointed to the three roads ahead, asking, "There are three large temples in Bianjing that accept visiting monks. The Daxing Temple in the east of the city is closest to the Ullambana Festival venue, but there are many monks staying there, so many need to squeeze into one meditation room." "The Jiushi Temple in the northwest of the city is large and has many meditation rooms, but it's far from the Ullambana Festival venue, so you'll need to…"

Just then, an old monk led a group of monks to cut in line, bypassing the waiting civilians and producing a special monk's certificate, thus saving them the time of queuing.

The old monk walked straight toward Elder Jinchi and greeted him, "Old friend Jinchi, I wonder if you will be staying at Daxing Temple or Jiushi Temple this year? I would like to discuss Zen with you in my spare time."

Elder Jinchi showed no kindness whatsoever, replying coldly, "This humble monk knows you are staying at the White Horse Temple."

Upon hearing this, the old monk showed no change on the surface, but was secretly delighted. He led the group of monks away, satisfied.

Behind him, a burly monk with a full beard, who clearly knew Faji, nodded in greeting.

Chen Jing couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's the difference between staying at Daxing Temple, Jiushi Temple, and Baima Temple?"

Faji explained to Elder Jinchi: "Daxing Temple and Jiushi Temple are just ordinary temples. Baima Temple is not only a royal temple, but also enshrines a Shakyamuni relic brought back from India by the Patriarch Xuanzang. It is very popular and often has dignitaries worshipping Buddha at Baima Temple."

"Therefore, Baima Temple accepts visiting monks for lodging, but there are prerequisites: either they must possess a special Buddhist disc and be the monk in charge of presiding over the first day of the Dharma assembly, or they must write a Buddhist poem to prove their sincerity."

“The old monk just now, whose Dharma name is Xuanming, is a lecturer at Daci Temple. He was selected last time for the Ullambana Festival to be in charge of the first and second sessions of the Ullambana Festival this year. The other senior monk behind him, like me, is from a scattered lineage of the Yogacara school.”

"........."

Another lineage of the Yogacara school stayed at the White Horse Temple.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jing did not hesitate and followed behind the old monk Xuanming.

He began, “My fellow disciples have traveled a long and arduous journey to Bianjing. I will take you to the White Horse Temple to stay overnight, to see the royal temple, and to pay homage to the Buddha’s relics brought back by our patriarch.”

Seeing that Jin Chi and the others had followed, Xuan Ming couldn't help but say, "Old friend Jin Chi, you're going to Baima Temple to stay overnight. Don't act impulsively. If you can't get into the temple, you'll be disgracing the entire Jinshan Temple."

Jin Chi didn't know Chen Jing's skill level, but judging from his performance along the way, it shouldn't be embarrassing.

Moreover, turning back now would be even more embarrassing, so he decisively said, "This humble monk knows that I am not strong enough, but this time the person in charge of Jinshan Temple is not this humble monk."

Xuanming sized up the thirteen people from Jinshan Temple. Ten of them were obviously accompanying martial monks. He recognized Monk Faji. As a disciple of the Yogacara school, he would never be chosen by the abbot to be in charge. If the other party insisted on going up on stage to preach and declare the Buddhist principles of the Yogacara school, then Jinshan Temple would be completely finished!

Only one young monk remained. Could he be the one in charge of Jinshan Temple's mission?

Chen Jing smiled and met the puzzled gaze of the old monk Tianxuan. He performed a Buddhist salute and said, "This humble monk is Qianye, a disciple of the Jialan lineage from Jinshan Temple. I am the person in charge of this trip to the Ullambana Festival."

Behind the old monk Tianxuan, the big monk with a thick beard narrowed his pupils and stared intently at the monk Faji, as if seeking a reasonable explanation.

(End of this chapter)