Chapter 49 Equivalent Exchange
049 Equivalent Exchange
For two whole days, he didn't say a word to his master. It was not until the duo who delivered the silver came to Ping'an Temple that Xiang Jiannan decided to temporarily put aside his past grudges with his master.
Whether to accept money is a more important matter. Given his master's character, Xiang Jiannan was not confident in letting him make the decision alone. If he had not been standing next to him with a bad look on his face that day, the old Taoist would probably have agreed on the spot. Although he looked disdainful, after laughing he did not mean to refuse.
"Master, there is someone outside the door looking for you."
Holding the scripture titled Yin Yang Fu Zhu in his hand, Xiang Jiannan stood outside the temple and shouted. It was noon and the pilgrims had already dispersed for lunch. Xiang Jiannan had been sitting outside the door reading the scripture for an hour and felt that time was passing very quickly.
Perhaps to avoid unnecessary trouble, the two people who came to deliver the silver were not bald. They were fair-skinned and had the temperament of a weak scholar. They both looked to be in their early twenties. The older one was carrying a green cloth bag and told them his purpose as soon as they met.
He came from Baofo Temple and came to see the abbot of Ping'an Temple, Gao Yuan.
Baofo Temple is the name of the temple in the county. The letter delivery duo did not shy away from mentioning Gao Yuan's name.
"Here I come, my disciple."
His legs moved happily under his Taoist robe. Gao Yuan was very excited when he heard Xiang Jiannan calling him. He kept saying yes all the way and when he stepped over the threshold, he lifted it higher than usual.
Two days, two whole days. Who knows how I, an old Taoist priest, managed to get through these two days step by step!
No matter what he said, his disciple would respond with silence. Because he was in the wrong, he could only endure it with a sad heart. Today, he finally heard him speak on his own initiative. This feeling made him happier than getting a hundred taels of silver.
One tael more is more, one tael less is less. One hundred taels of silver can just accurately measure the joy in your heart.
"Disciple."
"snort!"
He originally wanted to use this as a beginning to break the cold war between the master and the disciple. However, after leaving Ping'an Temple, Gao Yu'an was quickly defeated again. When he asked Xiang Jiannan in an almost flattering manner, the latter immediately turned around on the spot and snorted coldly, shattering his wishful thinking.
The disciple is still holding a grudge. The way his little body moves is very similar to that of himself in the past.
"I am Gao Yu'an, the master of Ping'an Temple."
Looking at the two people below the stairs with a little embarrassment, Gao Yuan tried his best to maintain his momentum when speaking.
It doesn't matter if being seen. This is what makes my Ping'an Temple different from others. There are never so many rules between master and disciple.
The main reason is that there are too few people and the management is too strict, so we are afraid that the other party will run away.
"We two were sent by Baofo Temple. Xiaoneng and Xiaoli, nice to meet the old Taoist priest."
The visitor named Xiaoli was somewhat curious about Gao Yu'an and Xiang Jiannan's identities and had many complaints in his heart. He thought that the younger one looked more like a master. In their temple, such a disrespectful disciple would have been punished long ago.
He gave his master the cold shoulder, and in front of outsiders. No wonder the Taoists of the Zhou Dynasty could never compare to these monks.
There are no rules at all, it's really laughable.
"Xiao Neng, Xiao Li? Are you two brothers?"
Attracted by the strange names of the duo, Xiang Jiannan couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Is there anyone with the surname Xiao in the Zhou Dynasty?" These two people are probably not talking about their nicknames, what is their relationship with Baofo Temple, are they escorts?
He doesn’t look like that, or he could be an old acquaintance of Baofo Temple, a pilgrim or something.
"Brother, we two are monks in Baofo Temple."
"Oh, a lay disciple."
Suddenly realizing what was going on, after hearing the duo say that they were monks from Baofo Temple, Xiang Jiannan immediately understood that Buddhism has always had a tradition of recruiting lay disciples, and even the Great Zhou Dynasty was no exception.
"I am not a lay disciple. The Taoist priest has misunderstood."
Reaching out to grab the hair and eager to explain, the man named Xiaoli was obviously a little anxious. As he grabbed with five fingers, the hair roots that were originally close to the scalp were pulled out as a whole, revealing a few neat ordination scars, and then he quickly let go and let the hair close.
The wigs were given to them by their master before they left. The silver they sent this time was of great importance, so they must not let more people know about their bald heads.
"Two masters, have some tea."
After welcoming the duo to the backyard of Ping An Temple, Xiang Jiannan had not yet recovered from Monk Xiaoli's previous self-affirmation behavior. It was really scary that he didn't tell him earlier that he was wearing a wig. I thought you were going to hurt yourself. The moment the wig was lifted, my heart was lifted up.
Now when I look at the duo, I always automatically imagine them with bald heads. Without wigs, these two monks seem to look more handsome, and their temperament is there.
"Thank you, both Taoist priests."
The two monks had already handed the cloth bag to Gao Yuan. They were not in a hurry to drink tea at the moment. After thanking him quietly, they waited for Gao Yuan's reply.
The master said that they were not allowed to leave without a reply. If the Taoist priest disagreed, they must remember to get the money back. Seeing that the old Taoist priest looked solemn, the two of them exchanged glances and waited quietly.
Please...you...collect_6Ⅰ9ⅠBookⅠBar (Six\\\Nine\\\Book\\\Bar!)
"May I ask, Dafa monk, who are you?"
The three of them felt awkward sitting opposite each other. Xiang Jiannan was silent for a while and then spoke first. It was unknown what the master was thinking at this time. He turned his back to them and did not speak for a long time. As the next abbot of Ping An Temple, he still had to observe etiquette.
"Master Dafa is our uncle, you must be the Taoist Xiang here."
After entering the temple, they were not as cold as when they first arrived. When they heard Xiang Jiannan call his uncle "Dafa Monk", the two monks' faces couldn't help but change.
What an impolite Taoist priest! No wonder the Dafa Master was furious when he returned that day, and he didn't dare to say much to Master Lu Kong. In the end, he could only vent all his anger on the younger generation. If the master hadn't come forward to protect them in time, it would definitely not be the two of them who came to Ping'an Temple today.
When it comes to playing pranks on people, Master Dafa's methods have always been very clever. Looking at the entire Baofo Temple, no one can match him.
"Understood."
I just think the Buddhist names of the monks in Baofo Temple are too interesting. Xiang Jiannan can only drink some tea first. Dafa, Xiaoneng, these Buddhist names are too casual. Monk Liaokong's Buddhist name is good, but unfortunately, the cultural heritage has not been passed down. Did the abbot change in the middle? I don't understand the rules of the temple at all. Xiang Jiannan just guessed secretly while drinking water. He was also waiting for the master to make a decision. The longer the time, the more uneasy he felt.
There is no need to think about a real rejection. When those girls reject me, they are very decisive. Based on my decades of life experience, the longer I think about it, the greater the variables will be. What's more, my master has always been easily swayed by money. There is no such thing as a test. He will surrender immediately when faced with it.
This time, it's actually a challenge to the limit.
"I have thought it through. I will attend the Lotus Sutra Conference on the ninth day of next month."
Before he had even taken a few sips of the tea in his hand, Xiang Jiannan saw his master suddenly turn around and pour all the silver in the cloth bag onto the table. He then took out a few amulets from his sleeve and said, "I will keep these silver for now. In exchange, I will give you some amulets."
"No need, old Taoist priest, just keep it for yourself."
After getting Gao Yuan's affirmative answer, the two monks were no longer willing to take his amulet. They had such things in their temple, and they would be ridiculed by their fellow monks if they took it back. As monks, what did they need a Taoist's amulet for?
"No, I never take advantage of you monks."
Ignoring the two monks' repeated rejections, Gao Yuan quickly put away the amulet and tied the bag again. When he handed it to Monk Xiaoneng, he spoke generously and told them not to feel embarrassed about this matter: "My amulet is thirty taels each. We are all practitioners, so don't be so formal. If you really feel embarrassed, you can give me the extra silver next time we meet. You seem to be traveling light and don't seem to have much extra silver."
(End of this chapter)