She became a god

Chapter 377 Confession

In the Tingfeng Courtyard, Lu Mingze meditated and rested.

Seeing his downfall, Wen Xichun couldn't help but say a few sarcastic remarks to him.

Lu Mingze seemed not to hear him at all, which made Wen Xichun feel quite bored.

Seven days later, Lu Mingze opened his eyes, looked around, and when he spotted Wen Xichun, he exclaimed in surprise, "You're still here?"

Wen Xichun said, "Don't worry, the day I leave will be the day you are utterly disgraced."

Lu Mingze sighed, "If you don't leave now, it will be too late."

Just as Wen Xichun was about to mock him, she suddenly sensed a powerful aura.

The fact that the other party made no attempt to conceal anything serves as both a warning and a reminder.

After a cup of tea, Miaozhu's nostrils twitched slightly; the smell of alcohol was gone, proving her warning had been worthwhile.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Miaozhu, and all senior brothers. Why have you all gathered here at my Tingfeng Courtyard today?"

Miaozhu also found it strange. She had taken time out of her busy schedule to visit Yuantong and hoped to mend their friendship.

Why have these fellow disciples come here?

They can't possibly apologize to Yuantong for injuring them too, can they?

Miaozhu had just encountered them and thought they were just passing by, but she didn't expect that they were all there for Yuantong.

A man dressed as an ascetic monk spoke first. He was a disciple of the Buddhist Discipline Hall, with the Dharma name Yuanmeng. "Brother Yuantong, some residents have reported that there have been frequent sword sounds coming from your Tingfeng Courtyard at night recently, disturbing the rest of the nearby residents. Do you admit to this crime?"

Lu Mingze lowered his head meekly and said, "I admit it."

He wondered to himself, the nearest residents to his Listening Wind Courtyard were dozens of miles away. Was it because Wen Xichun was practicing her sword too loudly, or was there a cultivator who had long disliked him?

Yuan Meng said, "In that case, the fine and the stolen goods shall be confiscated together."

Fines are easy to deal with, but stolen goods... Lu Mingze doesn't wield a sword, so where is he going to conjure up a precious sword from?

That’s all.

Take it one step at a time.

"Senior Brother Yuanmeng, my sword is in the study. Please wait a moment while I fetch it."

A moment later, Lu Mingze handed over a sword, but Yuanmeng's face showed a sneer, "Junior Brother Yuantong, you are a Buddhist disciple of this generation of Xiaoleiyin Temple, how come you have forgotten the Buddhist rule that one must not lie? This sword is ordinary, how could it possibly make a loud, long sound? Even lying should conform to basic logic, right?"

Lu Mingze was helpless. Wen Xichun loved swords more than life itself and refused to hand over the precious sword. He only gave him a piece of ordinary iron and told him to find a way to deal with it.

Seeing Lu Mingze remain silent, Yuanmeng became even more arrogant, turning to Miaozhu and asking, "May I ask, Senior Sister, how should we punish a Buddhist cultivator like Junior Brother Yuantong who is unrepentant and violates the precepts?"

Miaozhu sighed inwardly. Her original intention for this trip was to comfort Yuantong, but now she was being convicted, and the already thin bond between fellow disciples was likely to be completely destroyed.

In Miaozhu's mind, a cultivator like Yuantong, who was destined to be far from the core circle of the Buddhist world but had some connections behind him and was also outstanding in his own abilities, was the best choice to be a loyal minister. If she could win him over, she wouldn't need to do some things herself in the future.

But today, under the watchful eyes of everyone, as the chief of the Buddhist community, she would never bend the law for personal gain.

This piece is probably no longer of use to me.

Miao Zhu opened her mouth and was about to condemn Yuan Tong.

Seeing that Miaozhu wasn't going to help him with all her might, Lu Mingze had no choice but to explain, half-truthfully, "This sword is indeed not the one I used to practice with. I'm not refusing to take out the real sword because I don't mean to deceive you. It's just that the real sword has extraordinary significance for me. That sword was specially made for me by my sister using 100,000-year-old Buddha's Belly Bamboo. I promised her that I would never part with this sword unless I died."

Miao Zhu, who was already willing to give Yuan Tong face, immediately smiled and said, "Although we are people who have transcended worldly affairs, how can we easily sever family ties? Besides, Yuan Tong's sister, Ye Qingzhou, is the Princess Xu Yao of the Demon Realm, a disciple of the Lord of the Underworld, and the number one diviner in the world. For her sake, it would be best to give her a small punishment as a warning."

"The fine will be doubled, and Junior Brother Yuantong will be confined to his secluded cultivation for a hundred years, forbidden from leaving this Listening Wind Courtyard without imperial decree. What do you all think?"

Although Yuanmeng and the others were dissatisfied, they knew that this matter involved outsiders and this was the best explanation. However, they cursed Yuantong in their hearts as a nepotistic crook who relied on his master's power.

But why do Yuanmeng and the others dislike Yuantong so much? It turns out that even Buddhism is not entirely pure; it cannot escape the pursuit of profit, nor can it avoid love, hate, anger, and delusion.

Buddhism promotes gender equality, so there is often a male chief and a female chief in the Buddhist community.

Miaozhu is now the only one among her generation to be the chief.

However, if a male chief were to be chosen, given Yuantong's attainments in Buddhism, he would likely become their greatest enemy.

Furthermore, Yuantong won first place at the Ullambana Festival, which had already created old grudges among Buddhist practitioners like Yuanmeng.

Over the years, Yuantong's figure has always been seen at major Buddhist events, and Yuanmeng and others have become increasingly appreciative of him.

Thousands of miles away from Tingfeng Courtyard, Yuantai, who was traveling with Yuanmeng, couldn't help but say sourly, "So what if he's born good? He used to rely on his family background, and now he relies on his looks."

Recalling how he used to make offerings to ordinary people, and how believers would flock to him whenever they saw him, while ignoring him completely, Yuantai couldn't help but curse, "It's not enough that he's bewitched ordinary people, he even dares to seduce Sister Miaozhu!"

They were not unaware of Miaozhu's protection of Yuantong.

In Yuantai's view, it must have been Yuantong who, with his flamboyant good looks, bewitched the always upright and honest Senior Sister Miaozhu.

Yuanmeng quickly covered Yuantai's mouth, saying, "Junior brother, be careful what you say. Senior Sister Miaozhu is not someone we can discuss."

Inside the Tingfeng Courtyard, Miaozhu said, "If you have any troubles, Junior Brother, you can recite scriptures to calm your mind, or you can confide in me. Just don't cross the line of the rules and regulations again."

Lu Mingze clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister."

Miaozhu carefully examined Yuantong and was amazed to see that he looked perfectly normal and showed no resentment whatsoever.

Is this fellow disciple Yuantong truly pure and kind, or is he simply hiding his true nature?

"Sister..."

Miaozhu snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been staring at Yuantong for a long time.

To be fair, her junior brother Yuantong was quite handsome, with a face like jade, no wonder he was a regular on the list of handsome men in the Six Realms.

Even though he was dressed in a monk's robe and had a calm demeanor, his overly handsome appearance made people think that he was just a noble young man who had temporarily withdrawn from the world and had no choice but to become a monk.

Recalling the smell of alcohol in the courtyard that day, Miaozhu frowned, thinking, "Junior Brother Yuantong, please don't break the precept against lust."

In Buddhism, occasionally violating the precept against alcohol and meat will at most result in a reprimand or punishment.

However, if one breaks the precept against sexual misconduct, in most branches of Buddhism, except for a certain unorthodox branch, one will be expelled from the sect.

The helper I've chosen can't be ruined because of this!

She was determined to get to the bottom of this.

Miaozhu smiled and said, "The scenery of Tingfeng Courtyard is so beautiful that I was captivated. Would you be willing to show me around, Junior Brother?"

Lu Mingze was greatly alarmed and hurriedly refused, saying, "Senior sister, my humble abode is extremely simple, so I won't offend your eyes."

Miaozhu said, "I don't care. Is Junior Brother hiding something he's ashamed of?"

Lu Mingze was at a loss for what to do.

He didn't think he had the ability to hide Wenxichun right under Miaozhu's nose.

"Junior brother, why don't you speak?"

A gentle breeze blew, causing his sleeves to flutter. Lu Mingze smiled and said, "The only thing in the courtyard that can be called a scenic spot is a patch of green bamboo. If you don't mind, Senior Sister, I'll lead the way for you."