Chapter 309: A Master Cannot Become a Buddha

The fire in the East Palace burned more and more fiercely.

Thick smoke billowed into the air.

The Eastern Palace guards, who had been almost wiped out, had already sent out a signal, but no reinforcements arrived in the palace.

Outside the palace, several imperial guards marched to the palace gate, but were stopped by the army led by Yuan Chi.

"General Yuan, what do you mean? There has been a change in the palace, and we need to enter the palace to rescue you!" a general shouted.

Yuan Chi pointed his spear to the sky, and the horse under him neighed.

"Today, the high monks in the palace are performing a ritual. No one is allowed to enter the palace to interfere. Anyone who wants to break into the palace by force must first pass through this general!"

The tip of the gun cut through the air flow, and Yuan Chi guarded the palace gate, refusing to give an inch.

The expressions of the other generals changed.

The two sides were deadlocked at the palace gate.

When the palace was in chaos, the young monk Wuzhen walked to a palace road somewhere unknown.

Looking at the palace walls that looked exactly the same in front and behind, Wuzhen found that he was lost.

He has a severe stomachache today.

I just came out of the toilet and went back in pain.

After repeating this several times, my stomach became empty and my legs became sore.

When his abdominal pain finally subsided, he walked out tiredly.

He washed his hands with water from the well near the toilet.

After he came out of the toilet, he walked for a long time but couldn't find the East Palace.

Wuzhen guessed that he had gone in the wrong direction, but he didn't know where he was or where he should go.

The palace path is so long that no one can be seen.

Wuzhen scratched his round head and wanted to ask someone in the nearby palace for directions.

He looked around as he walked, and when he turned the corner of the palace wall, he met a master and servant.

There were two women, one of whom was picturesquely beautiful.

Although Wuzhen grew up in a mountain temple, he had seen many female donors and did not feel unfamiliar or novel about women.

But he had never seen such a beautiful female donor.

As I said, the body is like a dream bubble.

Some people's appearance is really just a big bubble, like him and his master.

Some people's appearance is really like a dream, such as the female donor in front of us.

If an adult monk saw such a beautiful woman, he would most likely turn his eyes away and chant "Amitabha" repeatedly to prevent the beauty from disturbing his mind.

But Wuzhen was young, and not only did he not turn his eyes away, he opened his eyes even wider.

"Hello, donor."

Wuzhen stood up straight and raised his head. His face flushed, and he almost forgot that he was looking for someone to ask for directions.

Pei Shu and Dong Yue were also a little surprised when they saw this round-headed little monk.

They knew that there would be monks entering the East Palace today, but they didn't expect that there would be one with a childish voice.

Dong Yue: "Who are you? Are you a monk who went to the East Palace to pray for blessings?"

Wu Zhen nodded and said, "Donor, I went in the wrong direction after leaving the East Palace and can't find my way back."

Pei Shu said, "That's perfect. We are going to the East Palace. Little Master, you can come with us."

"Thank you, benefactor." Wu Zhen was very happy and didn't feel anything unusual.

Because he didn't understand the rules of the palace and didn't know that concubines in the harem were not allowed to go to the East Palace without permission.

The three of them were walking on the palace road, and Dongyue asked Wuzhen:

"You are so young, can you understand Buddhist scriptures?"

Wuzhen said honestly, "I can understand a little bit, but I don't understand most of it. We have scripture classes in the temple, and many things I didn't understand became clear to me after attending the classes. Also, my master said that the key is to have a sincere heart. Only by believing in Buddhism can one practice Buddhism."

Wu Zhen finished speaking and asked again:

"Do you two believe in Buddhism?"

Dongyue shook her head and nodded: "Maybe I believe it. Anyway, when I was a kid, I went into every temple and every god I saw to worship."

Pei Shu looked indifferent:

"I believed in it when I was young, but later all my prayers were in vain. I knew that Buddha is heartless, so I no longer believe in it."

Wuzhen really wanted to say that the Buddha was compassionate and could save all living beings from the cycle of reincarnation, but before he could say anything, he saw several palace servants running towards him.

The palace maids looked panicked, their clothes stained with blood, and they ran while shouting:

"Help--!"

"The evil monk is causing chaos!"

"The evil monk killed someone—"

“…”

Wuzhen saw black smoke rising into the air not far away, and heard the sound of metal colliding and shouting.

Wu Zhen was a little frightened and hurriedly stepped forward to ask one of the palace servants:

"Donor, may I ask what happened in the East Palace?"

When those people saw Wuzhen wearing a monk's robe, they looked even more panicked. They reached out and pushed Wuzhen away, then ran away without looking back.

Wu Zhen was pushed hard, but fortunately he was heavy and did not fall down, he just staggered back two steps.

"Something happened in the East Palace. They said there was an evil monk in the East Palace, but my master and senior brother are still in the East Palace."

Wu Zhen was so anxious that his eyes were a little red.

He was afraid that his master and senior brother would be captured by the evil monk that the palace people talked about.

"Donor, I, I'll go first."

When Wuzhen walked here and looked at the direction the palace servant was running from, he already understood which way the East Palace was going.

He walked in the opposite direction to the fleeing palace maids.

When he ran to the gate of the East Palace panting, he was stunned by the scene before him.

The bodies of monks and imperial guards were lying in a mess beside the altar.

Broken swords, broken shields, torn armor... were scattered among the piles of corpses.

Fires were burning in various palaces of the Eastern Palace, and the gilded plaques were so charred that the original words could not be seen.

Buddhist beads were scattered, palace tiles were broken, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of blood and burning.

"Master... Senior Brother..." Wuzhen cried out of fear.

He walked toward the altar, weeping, and saw Senior Brother Wujing, half covered in blood, fighting with the Imperial Guards, both of them falling into a sea of ​​fire. A moment later, he saw Senior Brother Wujing climb out of the flames, his clothes trailing a long trail of blood on the ground.

Wuzhen ran towards the main hall. He wanted to help his senior brother Wujing.

He didn't know why his senior brothers were fighting with the soldiers, but he knew that Senior Brother Wujing was injured and must be in pain.

Before Wuzhen could run to Wujing, he suddenly saw a fat figure in the main hall through the sea of ​​fire.

Very fat, as fat as a mountain.

It’s Master!

"Master! Master!" Wu Zhen shouted at the top of his lungs, his entire face flushed red.

He saw his master in the flames, about to be engulfed by the fire at any moment.

"Master, run!"

"Master, you're going to be burned! Master..."

"Master, please, come out quickly..."

Wuzhen's tears fell in strings, and he ran into the fire hurriedly, trying to pull his master out.

But Brother Wukong appeared and stopped him:

"Wuzhen, Master asked us to leave."

Wuzhen struggled hard and refused to leave:

"Let me go, I won't leave! I want to save Master, Master!"

It was at this moment that Wuzhen felt that the scene before him seemed familiar, as if in a dream.

Wuzhen hoped that everything before him was just a dream and not real.

Mingdeng could also see Wuzhen across the sea of ​​fire.

Seeing the child crying so hard made me feel so distressed that I rushed in to save him without hesitation.

The sound of burning and breaking wood rang out overhead, and the thick smoke made people's eyes hurt.

Master Mingdeng's eyes, narrowed into slits, turned red with pain.

He said, "Wuzhen, go now. You promised me that when I tell you to go, you will go."

Wuzhen cried even harder after hearing what his master said:

"Master, please come out quickly. I want to go with you...Master..."

Master Mingdeng shook his head, and the sigh that came out of his mouth was swallowed by the flames:

"Wuzhen, you don't listen to your master again."

Wuzhen cried until his voice became hoarse. He tried desperately to rush into the fire, but Senior Brother Wujing held him tightly.

He shouted to his master:

"Master, I'm obedient! I'm obedient... Master, please come out quickly..."

"Master... I will recite the sutras and water the plants well from now on... I will help you sweep the floor, and I will practice the exercises like my fellow practitioners... I will never be greedy again... Master, I will listen to you..."

"Please come out... Master, I beg you... Wuwuwuwuwu..."

Wuzhen is crying.

Senior Brother Wukong, who was holding him, was crying.

Master Mingdeng in the hall was also crying.

A pillar at the entrance of the temple collapsed with a loud bang.

But Mingdeng still didn't come out.

He was burdened with sins and could not leave the Eastern Palace, nor could he escape the sins in his heart.

Everything the Queen Mother said before her death was true.

He knows everything.

Many years ago, my father punished my mother's maternal family due to the political situation in the court, and he felt guilty towards her.

The Queen Mother had both love and hate for the Emperor, and at the same time she was worried that other princes would threaten the Crown Prince's position in the future by relying on the power of their mother's family, so she took action against the concubines and heirs in the harem.

Mingdeng remembered that his mother was a very gentle person, even the movement of stroking a flower with her hand was very gentle.

But even very gentle people can be cruel.

The night before he fled the palace, his brother told him everything.

That year, he fell helplessly off a cliff in the dark night and was hung on a broken tree on the cliff. He felt that the rushing water below the cliff was a collection of countless grievances.

Buddha said that everything has cause and effect.

He knew that all this was the bitter fruit sown by his father and mother, but after practicing Buddhism for many years, he still could not let go of the hatred and the desire for revenge in his heart.

No matter how many Buddhist scriptures you recite, how many vegetarian meals you give, or how many good deeds you do, it is all useless.

There are no good people in the world, all beings are evil.

The Queen Mother is evil, Murong Yu is evil, my father is evil, and my mother is evil.

He himself is evil.

You will eventually suffer the consequences.

“Master…Master…”

Wuzhen's screams pierced through the sea of ​​fire and landed in Mingdeng's ears, while Mingdeng's vision became blurry.

He suddenly saw the scene of himself coming to the East Palace to play with his royal brother when he was young.

At that time, he felt that the East Palace was the most beautiful place in the entire imperial city.

The East Palace is beautiful.

There are flowers and trees, gold, jade, carvings by skilled craftsmen, and treasures from all over the world.

Today he knew—

What is more beautiful than the East Palace is the burning East Palace.

The flames blocked out the sun, and the golden and red looked like clouds and rainbows.

It was as red as the sunset he saw when he was a child when he was having dinner in the courtyard with his mother and his royal brother.

He was always the last one to arrive, and his mother and brother would always have to wait for him.

I wonder if my mother and brother are waiting for him on the road to reincarnation.

The flames licked his monk's robes and cassock. Mingdeng looked at Wuzhen from afar, tears of blood streaming from the corners of his eyes:

"Wuzhen, your master lied to you."

"I cannot become a Buddha, I can only become a demon."

The sky was filled with fire and blood.

The shadow of a mountain fell down.