Chapter 368 Handsome People Can't Look in the Mirror
The door of the deserted Buddhist temple was closed.
There were several gauze curtains hanging in the room, moving without wind.
On the cushion, the handsome monk in white slowly opened his eyes. His eyes seemed to contain countless divine lights, the depth of which was difficult to describe.
But when I took a second look, I suddenly felt that he was nothing special, as if he was just a monk with a gentle look. All that divine grace and charm disappeared without a trace.
"Master, don't worry about me."
He spoke slowly, his voice gentle and pleasant.
"That's what I said, but how can I not worry about you? If something really happens to you, who will protect the reputation of Yunfu Temple? Will it be me?"
Opposite him, beyond several curtains, an old monk wearing a golden cassock adorned with jewels and precious stones sighed, as if he was relieved.
"You are the master of this temple. Even if your disciples are fine, don't they still have to rely on you?" The white-robed monk's tone was polite.
"Haha." The old monk laughed twice.
These two people are the two monks with the highest status in Yunfu Pure Land Buddhism of this generation, the abbot of the temple, Master Chongyi, and his disciple, Master Yirong.
Zen Master Yi Ran is naturally the world-famous white-robed monk Jiang Yi Ran.
However, Master Chongyi, his master, was not as famous as him. So much so that when people mention Yunfu Temple nowadays, the first person they think of is Jiang Yirong, and they don’t think of who the abbot of the temple is.
In fact, Zen Master Chongyi's success was really due to his disciples.
At first, he had no outstanding qualities among his peers in Yunfu Temple, and even seemed a little clumsy.
But he chose to accept a disciple who was so extraordinary.
Jiang Yirong's rise was too fast. He became the most famous monk in Yunfu Temple when he was just a teenager. Ninety-nine percent of the pilgrims who came to the mountain came for him. The number of believers who came to his Zen lectures was thousands of times that of some old monks, and his progress in cultivation was also rapid.
Although many old masters in the temple at that time disliked Jiang Yirong and mocked him for relying on his looks to spread Buddhism, the infuriating thing was that Jiang Yirong's strength was also incredible, and he was impeccable and no one could do anything about it.
Such people should naturally be promoted.
But if you want to promote him, you have to promote his master first, otherwise you can't let the apprentice step on the master's head.
If you want Jiang Yiran to be the abbot, then his master must be at least a hall master; if you want Jiang Yiran to be a hall master, then his master must be at least a class leader; if you want Jiang Yiran to be a class leader, then his master must be at least a chief monk; if you want Jiang Yiran to be a chief monk, then his master must be at least an elder; if you want Jiang Yiran to be an elder, then his master must be at least an abbot...
etc?
On the day he became abbot, Zen Master Chongyi was stunned.
Good thing...
It's like a dream.
Many years later, someone asked Master Chongyi how he felt at the time. Master Chongyi was still a little excited. He slowly exhaled and said softly: "It was still quite stressful. In fact, I still haven't figured it out. How did I, a good abbot, become the abbot of Yunfu Temple?"
"The disciple is introduced to the door, but the practice is up to the individual."
A few days ago, two young disciples of the Jian generation secretly went to Mingshui Valley to pick rare treasures, but one of them lost his life.
When the other one came back, he reported the matter.
After all, Mingshui Valley was dangerous, so the temple did not send other elders, and Jiang Yirong went there directly.
Who would have thought that after fighting with the evil creature in the Styx, he would return injured.
Now Zen Master Chongyi was a little panicked.
After waiting for two days, Jiang Yirong finally finished recovering from his injuries and hurried over to comfort his disciple.
…
"It was my fault that I was reckless and made Master worried." Jiang Yirong apologized again in a gentle voice.
"I thought there were just some ordinary ghosts underwater, but I didn't expect it to be an immortal ghost who had practiced for who knows how many years."
"Ghost immortal?" Zen Master Chongyi was surprised.
Just like human cultivators can cultivate to become land immortals, some ghosts can also choose to cultivate to become ghost immortals. However, compared to the land immortals who are already rare in the human world, the ghost immortal is a more difficult path.
To achieve transcendence with an incomplete body is a thousand times more difficult than with a human body.
Even if we go back tens of thousands of years and gather together all the ghosts and immortals that have appeared on the earth since ancient times, there may be no more than two hands to count.
"And that ghost fairy probably has quite a history, and is proficient in many fairy arts. With my current cultivation, I can't subdue it." Jiang Yirong continued: "But I'm not seriously injured, I've just been contaminated with some extremely yin energy. I'm worried that it will affect my future cultivation, so I closed myself off for a few days to drive it away."
"It's good that everything is fine..." Zen Master Chongyi nodded, and then said: "As for the ghost fairy, if it doesn't harm the people, why not not provoke it for now?"
"Master, what you said makes sense." Jiang Yirong also nodded.
"I have made three agreements with the ghost fairy. I will no longer gather human masters to harass it. It must not kill anyone again. It is only allowed to expel cultivators and ordinary people."
"With such a high level of cultivation, it has always been hiding in the Dark Water Valley. I believe it also wants to prove the great way of heaven and earth and become a true immortal. The Dark Water Valley is filled with demonic sounds, and no one will approach it easily. It is actually quite safe."
"It's just that we need to be more strict with our disciples in the future, and spread the news to prevent other sects' disciples from being harmed in the same way..."
"The main reason is that we can't do anything about it." Master Chongyi frowned, "We can't deal with it even if we want to."
There was silence behind the curtain.
Then a slightly weak voice responded: "Indeed."
Talked with the apprentice for a while.
Zen Master Chongyi stood up and left. As soon as he walked out of Jiang Yiran's Buddhist hall, he saw Zen Master Ronghe rushing over.
"Abbot!"
Because they were near Jiang Yiran's yard, Yonghwa didn't dare to call out loudly, but even though he lowered his voice, it still conveyed his considerable urgency.
"I just went to look for you, but I found that you were not in the Zen temple. I was just about to come and look for Brother Yi Ran."
"What's wrong?"
In front of ordinary monks, Zen Master Chongyi displayed the calm demeanor that an abbot should have.
Of course, it was also because his previous disciples gave him confidence.
"Something went wrong with this month's selection of disciples for the mountain sect."
Ronghe then relayed to Zen Master Chongyi what Jianren had just told him.
"A Taoist priest with a high level of cultivation, who had previously descended into the Styx without any injury, has come to participate in the selection of disciples for my Yunfu Temple..."
After listening to this, Master Chongyi narrowed his eyes and looked at Ronghe, "Junior Brother Ronghe, Jianren is a junior disciple. He is young and unstable, so it is normal for him to make some mistakes. You have been practicing Zen for more than 30 years, so why are you still so reckless? This matter is probably... Jianren misjudged him, right?"
He said in a reproachful tone.
"Master Abbot, that's not true. Jianren told me that he would never make a mistake in the appearance of that young Taoist priest..." Rong He was scolded by the abbot and suddenly panicked.
"Do you know..." Zen Master Chongyi lowered his voice and said slowly, "There is a ghost fairy in the Styx. It was not easy to suppress it. He could only make three rules with it and then returned injured."
"If one can enter the Styx and come out unscathed, then his cultivation level... must be above Easy, or at least not lower than Easy, right?"
"This..." Zen Master Ronghe broke out in a cold sweat.
"There are only a few people like him in the Taoist sect, except Tong Wudi... Even if there are any others, they are probably some old monsters who have been in seclusion for many years. How could they come to my Yunfu Temple to become my disciple? Even if there is a conspiracy, they will have more advanced means to carry it out... How could they treat it like a joke?"
"Indeed, I will go back and tell Jianren to stop having such wild thoughts." Ronghe nodded repeatedly.
"That's not necessary. Anyway, the first round of selection for the disciples of the mountain sect is the Heart Reflection Mirror. You just need to keep an eye on it."
Master Chongyi said, "Jianren is still young, and seeing his elder brother die tragically before his eyes, it's inevitable that he will have some mental problems. You should guide and comfort him more often, and be careful with your tone when speaking. You can't scold him like I scolded you, understand?"
"yes……"
Rong He repeatedly said yes. Although he felt that it was quite touching that the abbot of Master Chongyi was so concerned about the mentality of a young disciple...
But he still wanted to say something.
Abbot, I am also a human being.
I also have flesh and blood and emotions.
…
The next day.
About a hundred contestants participating in this month's mountain sect disciples gathered in front of a side hall of Yunfu Temple, a large white square in bright sunshine.
Among these people, there are veteran contestants who have participated in the selection for many times or even for many years, there are also newcomers who have just arrived and are full of enthusiasm, and there are also some people with ulterior motives, such as three contestants from Jiangnan who claim to be brothers who look like grandparents...
Occasionally, you can see some monks from the temple passing by on both sides of the square. No matter young or old, they all walk slowly and with a solemn look, which greatly excites the believers who sincerely want to enter the temple to worship Buddha.
If you can enter Yunfu Temple, it is equivalent to getting a stable job with guaranteed income, a fairly stable work content, a complete and transparent path for promotion, and you don't have to worry about finding a partner anymore.
How nice.
Originally, this monthly selection was presided over by monks of the Jian generation, but for some reason, the one who came this time was a high monk of the Rong generation, Master Ronghe.
After seeing him come on stage, the contestants all puffed out their chests a little higher.
If I perform well enough today and am accepted as a disciple by Zen Master Ronghe, I will be very rich...
Zen Master Ronghe came in front of everyone and said directly:
"Welcome everyone to participate in the selection of disciples of my Yunfu Temple. There should be many devout believers who have participated in the selection many times, and there are also newcomers who are participating for the first time. I will explain everything to you."
"The first stage of the mountain gate selection is called the 'Mirror of the Heart'. This mirror is a precious magic weapon in my temple, which can reflect the evil thoughts in people's hearts. If you want to enter my temple to do evil and have ill intentions, you can turn around and leave now. We will not pursue you. If you are exposed by the mirror of the heart, you may be punished severely."
This first round did not surprise Li Chu. It was nothing more than a background check to eliminate the bad guys and ensure the purity of the organization.
Listening to Master Ronghe's words, the crowd whispered to each other, but no one left. After all, those who came here probably had some understanding and would not be persuaded to leave because of these words.
After saying that.
Behind him, a little monk carried up a huge wooden platform, but it was empty.
Then Zen Master Ronghe flicked his sleeves, and a ray of light appeared out of thin air, gathering on the wooden platform into a large bronze mirror about ten feet high with a bright light. However, the bronze mirror was not facing the crowd, but facing an empty direction.
Zen Master Ronghe drew another red line two meters away from the mirror.
"Please stand in front of this red line later and stand quietly for three breaths. Because the Yingxin Mirror has a certain stimulation to the soul, don't move too forward to avoid being unable to bear it." Zen Master Ronghe reminded.
As he finished speaking, everyone began to step forward in an orderly manner to accept the test of the Heart-Reflecting Mirror.
The first person to come forward was a young man in cloth. He was a little nervous, and his throat rolled as he stood in front of the red line.
Then, Zen Master Ronghe suddenly shouted from behind: "Why do you want to enter Yunfu Temple?!"
This shout was like thunder. People around him couldn't hear it, but it frightened him all over.
After three breaths, some flowing images appeared on the Yingxin Mirror.
It seemed to be a dilapidated cold kiln, with an old woman lying on a sickbed inside and a childish boy kowtowing in front of the bed...
"So I wanted to practice Buddhism to cure my mother's illness..."
Zen Master Ronghe nodded, "Filial and kind, above average."
A young monk behind him wrote down his comments, and the boy left happily.
The next one was a thin middle-aged man. The same process happened. The man stood in front of the red line and closed his eyes, as if trying to adjust his thoughts.
Then the unexpected voice of Zen Master Yonghwa echoed in his mind.
He couldn't help but shudder all over.
After three breaths, a large area of blur suddenly appeared on the Yingxin Mirror, as if some flowing snowflakes blocked the entire picture.
"Hmph!" Zen Master Ronghe said unhappily, "You are full of lust and evil. You will be expelled from the mountain gate and you will not be allowed to enter again!"
“…”
This scene immediately frightened the remaining contestants.
soon……
Now it was the turn of the three brothers.
Dulanke blinked and quietly took a half step back, "Second brother, I'm a little scared, you go first."
He pushed Qin Zhenghu forward.
Qin Zhenghu blinked and quietly took a half step back, "Ah ba, ah ba."
Then he pushed Li Chu forward.
Just at this moment, the previous person finished. Zen Master Ronghe looked at Li Chu and found that their positions had changed slightly, but he didn't care.
He originally wanted Li Chu to come forward, so he smiled and said, "Come on."
Li Chu was fearless and walked forward calmly. He stood in front of the red line and faced the bronze mirror.
A handsome face was reflected in the bronze mirror.
Li Chu frowned and looked away.
He doesn't like looking in the mirror.
Immediately, Zen Master Ronghe used his old trick again and asked in a voice transmission: "Why do you want to enter Yunfu Temple?"
At that moment, Li Chu actually felt a little guilty.
After all, he was not sincere when he entered Yunfu Temple, but on second thought, if he was not sincere, then he was not sincere.
Anyway, his and Lao Du's original plan was to just run as a runner-up and let Qin Zhenghu go in.
Thinking of this, he felt calmer.
However, he was still a little worried that the Heart Mirror would expose their plan, so he turned back and glanced at the mirror.
After three breaths.
Suddenly there was a click.
Then there was a series of crackling sounds.
Then, Zen Master Ronghe asked, “No way?”
Finally, Hula——
This time, just as a tiny bit of light and shadow appeared on the bronze mirror, it suddenly cracked and shattered to the ground !
There was an uproar in the crowd, and no one knew why this happened.
But amidst the uproar, there was also an excited “Ah Ba Ah Ba”.
Qin Zhenghu was worried that his impure motives would be exposed, so he was naturally happy at this moment.
Zen Master Ronghe was dumbfounded. He had used this Heart-Reflecting Mirror for hundreds of years, so how could it suddenly explode? It was fine when others used it, but it suddenly broke when he activated it. He would be blamed.
But there was no attack...
Did I see something I shouldn't have seen?
He looked at Li Chu with sudden suspicion.
At this time, Lao Du clapped his hands and shook his head:
"Oh my! My third brother is most afraid of looking in the mirror. All the mirrors in the house, big and small, have been broken by him. I didn't expect that this magic weapon would not escape the disaster."
When everyone's eyes were focused on his face, he raised his voice again and said loudly: "I wonder if you... have ever heard of the legend of 'Beauty Mirror'?"
"Those extremely handsome people just can't look in the mirror!"
(End of this chapter)
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