No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud crash came from the roof.
A somber, dangerous feeling pounded in the hearts of everyone in the hall.
Upon noticing a glimmer of light, Song Chengjian quickly ordered, "Quick! Stuff the prayer mats and blankets between the Buddha statue and the wall!"
The monks immediately realized what was happening, stuffed the remaining steamed buns into their mouths, and ran to either side carrying their prayer mats and blankets...
At the same time, Song Chengjian instructed his younger brothers, "Go to the back and look for the incense table, the table itself, and the shelves; bring them all over..."
The third brother immediately led his younger brothers to the back corner of the main hall...
The group found an incense table and carried it over, along with an abandoned table from the corner...
"Quick! Place it against the wall! Let the little monks hide inside!"
Abbots and masters, you must quickly hide inside!
The weather overhead was changing rapidly; the raindrops were getting bigger, and the visible sky was expanding in area...
The roof of the main hall was ripped off...
With just a small table and an old desk, you can't hide from everyone...
Song Chengjian also knew that if one hid in a closet or under a table when the building collapsed, the injuries might be more severe...
The plan was to let the abbot and the young monks hide inside; the table wasn't originally intended to just be left there...
"Masters, you stand at the four corners of the table, the rest of you stand around the edges, lifting the table and desk up and facing inwards..."
In this way, the abbot and the young novices are protected inside...
There's no need to worry about the desk or table collapsing under the roof and crushing the abbot or children below...
There's no need for the roof to be completely ripped off, for a fierce wind to sweep through, and for that to harm the abbot and the young novices...
Upon hearing this, the abbot naturally refused and struggled to break free from the protective circle of his disciples...
But the disciples quickly held him down, and Song Chengjian said from the side, "Abbot, don't worry, we can all get through this..."
Hearing this, the abbot's strength weakened slightly, but he still couldn't hide his worry, "Benefactor Song, where are you hiding...?"
Song Chengjian's voice was calm, "Don't worry, we're safe too..."
As instructed by Song Chengjian, the eighth and ninth brothers took the extra quilt, and together with the third and seventh brothers, each held up a corner, gathering around their heads...
He stood right next to the desk, slightly lower than the desk footrest.
If the roof were to collapse, heavy objects would fall from the sky...
Even if it fell to the side, the impact would likely be reduced, and although the cotton was soft, it was still some distance from the Song brothers' heads...
It can cushion the impact and protect them from being injured by heavy objects.
Wen Shishi was held in Song Chengjian's arms, and Song Chengjian bent down, blocking his older brother's path...
The seemingly complex action actually only takes place in a few moments...
Everyone scrambled to their feet, buying themselves time before the wind intensified and ripped the roof off completely...
"boom!"
"Bang!"
......
The young novices trembled with fear, but were gently comforted by their senior brothers.
"Don't be afraid..."
The more timid young monks were already sobbing softly...
Wen Shishi was a surprise. Song Chengjian held her tightly, and the little girl quietly nestled in her second brother's arms without making a sound.
"Bang!"
After several loud bangs, a bright light appeared overhead...
The roof was completely ripped off, and the whole thing was blown away...
The wind and rain poured in like a waterfall...
Mixed with rocks and branches that had fallen from the mountains, raindrops, and the howling wind...
With overwhelming force, it swept into the roofless hall...
Fortunately, the palace doors were heavy and were not blown open for the time being...
Otherwise, the destructive power of a severe typhoon will only be greater!
The ground tends to accumulate water because there are gaps between the temple door and the ground, and some of the water leaks out from under the gaps...
The water did not accumulate to a deep level.
Several loud bangings came from above, the sound of rocks and debris falling from the mountains and being swept up by the wind, hitting the table as they landed...
Because a table was positioned to the side as a buffer, the Song brothers, although only carrying cotton wadding, were temporarily spared from being hit by the heavy object...
The wind howled, and the bright sky gradually turned dark and gloomy...
The sky seemed to have been swallowed up, creating an atmosphere of hell on earth...
The abbot's voice came from beside him, "Hold on! The eye of the storm is shifting. Once the eye moves away, the wind will subside..."
Hearing the abbot's explanation, the monks and the Song brothers felt somewhat relieved.
The monks standing around the desks and old tables were soaked to the bone by the torrential rain, their faces dripping wet like noodles...
Needless to say, the Song brothers' cotton quilts were completely soaked, and several of them were carrying a soft water vat.
Time seemed to drag on endlessly, everyone's hearts pounding in their throats, until a deafening crash slammed down on them...
The monks holding the table were nearly knocked to their knees by the sudden, heavy blow...
The table broke in the middle, but fortunately the monks were standing facing inwards, and the surrounding monks all raised their hands to prop up the tabletop...
That's how the broken table was prevented from falling and injuring the monks or young novices below...
After several aftershocks, the howling wind subsided, and the raindrops became less intense...
Everyone peeked out slightly, and this detail astonished them all!
It turned out that the huge impact and loud noise were from a tree trunk, as thick as two people could hug, that had fallen down by its roots...
The tree canopy struck the table, but some of the force was absorbed by the wall beside it...
The tree roots, still attached to the soil, crashed onto the opposite wall, while the trunk hung from the top of the wall.
The Song brothers were shocked; what they had painstakingly smashed onto the table was actually the canopy of a tree...
There's also the friction against the wall, which dissipates the force...
If a tree root is as thick as four people can hug, the consequences would be unimaginable if it fell!
Just when everyone thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, a series of loud thuds came from outside the palace gates...
Before hearing the sound, the Song brothers' faces lit up with joy...
They looked at each other, assuming that the fourth, fifth, and ninth brothers had returned...
But soon, an unfamiliar voice shattered their nascent hopes...
"Is anyone there? Abbot, Master, is anyone home?!"
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