Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 16: Blood Demon

Qiling Temple is located in the southwest of Jiangdu, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. It covers a vast area and is surrounded by high walls and large courtyards.

The temple is divided into four courtyards, ten halls and thirty-six pavilions, with tens of thousands of monks. You can imagine how powerful it is.

In front of the temple archway, eight hundred monks were lined up on the left and right. Leading the group was an old monk with white hair and beard, wearing a golden cassock and holding a nine-ring staff.

It was Master Lingzhen, the abbot of Qiling Temple.

Behind him stood four old monks in cassocks and dozens of masters of Buddhist robes. They were the abbots of the four academies and the elite of the temple.

Such a lineup is already the highest standard of Qiling Temple. Even if the Sui Emperor himself came, it would not be more than this!
"Tread, step, step..."

The sound of dense and heavy footsteps was heard, and Empress Xiao and her entourage, which stretched for several miles, appeared in the sight of the monks, making the monks look solemn and put their hands together in a Buddhist ceremony.

"Abbott..."

At this moment, a middle-aged monk came to Master Lingzhen's side and reported quickly with a serious expression.

"Amitabha! The demon star has descended upon the world, and dragons are vying for the throne. Anything is possible! Heaven is merciful and benevolent. Whether it's the Former Liang Dynasty, Empress Xiao, or the Xiao family, they all have a deep connection and affinity with our Buddha. They will naturally be protected by the Buddha's light and treated with great hospitality, making them... temporarily... immune to the invasion of evil spirits!"

Master Lingzhen clasped his hands together, pondered for a moment, and responded in a serious manner with an expressionless face.

The monks suddenly realized and knew how to deal with Empress Xiao and her entourage and the subsequent matters!

As he was speaking, the Queen's guards had arrived first, followed by the Queen's phoenix sedan chair.

"Amitabha!"

Master Lingzhen clasped his hands together and stepped forward to salute: "On behalf of Qiling Temple, I respectfully welcome the Empress!"

Empress Xiao, accompanied by Aunt Tianren Rong and Aunt Lan, the General Manager, stepped down from the phoenix chariot slowly and returned the greeting gracefully:

"No need for formalities, holy monk! Evil spirits are rampant these days, and the universe is turbid. I have come here this time with the intention of purifying my mind and body for three days, praying for the Great Sui Dynasty and worshipping Buddha. I hope the holy monk will grant me this favor!"

Behind Empress Xiao were the four great Sui concubines, Le Han, Xiao Ying, Dugu Feng and a group of female relatives, all of whom bowed.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind! Not to mention your kindness in rescuing my junior fellow apprentice (Master Lingyan), Qiling Temple is a pure Buddhist temple, and we should pray for the people of the world. Moreover, Heaven is merciful, and no sin should fall upon the Benevolent and Holy Majesty and the women and children. Your Majesty, please rest assured and pray for blessings. Under the Buddha's light, all evil will not invade!"

Master Lingzhen nodded slightly and responded repeatedly with meaningful words, which also showed his attitude!

Empress Xiao's entourage was mainly composed of women, with few male leaders.

The abbot's implication was very clear. Qiling Temple could temporarily protect the women, but the others were on their own. They should not attract any more "remnants" of the Sui Dynasty, especially the males, otherwise don't blame Qiling Temple for not caring!

"Great monk, I will spare you the trouble!" Empress Xiao responded repeatedly as if she didn't hear the hidden meaning.

"Buddhism is a pure place, only protecting women and children...especially beautiful women...right..."

Xiao Ying couldn't help but curl his lips, thinking strangely in his heart.

Master Lingzhen seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. The look he gave Xiao Ying suddenly became extremely sharp. A strange color flashed in his eyes, and he put his hands together and said:
"Amitabha! What kind of evil has benefactor Xiao encountered recently? Why has he changed so drastically? His fate, luck, and fortune have all changed drastically, as if he's become a completely different person... Such a strong evil aura! Such a strong sense of hostility! You must not go astray and be contaminated by evil methods, tarnishing the reputation of Qianliang and the Xiao family!"

"..."

Xiao Ying opened his mouth, speechless for a moment, not knowing whether Master Lingzhen saw through his slander or whether it was true. With Xiao Ying's low cultivation level, he naturally couldn't see through Master Lingzhen, but on the surface he was quite frank, not like a warning or deterrence!

"Is what the divine monk said serious?!"

Empress Xiao, who was always gentle and steady, lost her composure and said something out of place. She quickly clasped her hands together and prayed, "I hope the divine monk will give me guidance and purification. I will definitely reward you handsomely! You can also put forward any conditions!"

"Amitabha! Buddhism is a place beyond the secular world. I will do my best to help you, no conditions required!"

Master Lingzhen responded calmly, as if he were a hermit. He paused, frowned, and looked Xiao Ying up and down. Xiao Ying felt a little creepy and uneasy. He then continued:
"For now, Mr. Xiao should focus on cultivating his mind. I will have to investigate and discuss the details with you."

Having said this, he hesitated for a moment, then handed over a purple token and said:
"This is my token, which allows you to enter our temple. Mr. Xiao, please visit the Zhengdao Temple and the Sutra Library more often. There may be a solution. At the very least, it can be purified or alleviated!"

"Thank you, abbot!"

Xiao Ying's eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked her. Suddenly, he thought about it and asked, "Can we go to the Relic Courtyard?"

The Relic Courtyard is the place where the souls of deceased eminent monks are prayed for and the remains and even relics of eminent monks are placed. There are countless pagodas inside.

To put it simply, it is a cemetery, but the relic yard contains relics and corpses of eminent monks, which is even more mysterious!

It is naturally impossible for Xiao Ying to spend a lot of time and energy to study Buddhism, but he really wants to have... a divine monk named Xinghun. It would be best if he is a hermit divine monk from the Zhengdao Academy!

Buddhism is indeed unique in terms of soul, mind, spirit, etc.!

The most powerful and top-level people in Qiling Temple are the spiritual practitioners. They just concentrate on Buddhism and do not delve into business management, government affairs, people's livelihood, etc. Otherwise, their wisdom, spirit, and mental strength are really no worse than those of the top civil officials or great scholars in the world!
"Uh……"

Master Lingzhen was speechless for a moment, unable to keep up with Xiao Ying's train of thought!
The Zhengdao Temple was the most honorable and mysterious place in Qiling Temple, where every cultivator was a master, revered by the world. Even the Sutra Repository was a sacred place in the martial arts world, comparable to the treasury of the Great Sui Dynasty, and the world flocked to it.

However, Xiao Ying wanted to go to the relic courtyard first. What did he want to do?
Digging graves?
There is no tradition of burying objects with the dead in Buddhism. At most, there would be relics and personal belongings in the tomb. Xiao Ying would not be allowed to take the relics away, so they would be of no value!

Xiao Ying quickly explained, "Look up! Look up! Compared to the golden Buddha statue, I prefer the remains of the divine monk. The Buddha's light and charm remain in the world!"

"Amitabha! Of course you can!" Master Lingzhen suddenly realized and responded readily.

Xiao Ying's explanation was quite rude, but it was also true.

Compared to the cold, golden Buddha statue, the remains of the divine monk were of course more practical, and everyone knew this. However, no one would say it directly, especially in front of the Buddhist sect.

It can be said that if an evil demon filled with hostility and evil spirits is allowed to stay with the remains of a divine monk for a while, its mind can be cleared, purified, and even converted!

Master Lingzhen guessed that Xiao Ying had this in mind, and it was indeed a lazy man's trick. He was willing to do a favor to Xiao Ying and Empress Xiao, and even to the Xiao family and the Sui Dynasty. He believed that Xiao Ying would not dare to intentionally destroy the relic courtyard, and he did not have the strength to do so!
"Thank you, Master! This is my brother Ying's destiny, and I will not let him down!"

Empress Xiao glared at Xiao Ying lovingly, and bowed solemnly again to express her gratitude, which was also an indirect promise and response!
"Your Majesty, you are too kind! Please!"

Master Lingzhen responded with a smile and respectfully invited him.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise from the rear of the long team, causing Empress Xiao and her entourage and the monks to frown.

Is trouble coming so soon?
"Report!"

A martial monk hurried over, clasping his hands in a salute. "A large number of unidentified individuals are approaching our temple. They include the military, martial artists, and civilians. There are over ten thousand of them, it's hard to count!"

Thousands of people fill the city, and tens of thousands of people fill the fields!
(End of this chapter)