Separation
The Unraging monk arrived outside the Demon Suppression hall with Li Qingshan's three companions. Li Qingshan felt his entire body lighten up. Even his breathing became much smoother. He always felt like he was being suppressed in the Demon Suppression hall.
The vegetation was verdant, and the setting sun illuminated the area. Who knew how much time had passed.
"Amitābha. One Will, come with me!"
The Dauntless monk brought his palms together and chanted the buddha's name softly. His monk robes draped over the ground as he stared at Little Ann with his cold, wise eyes. No matter what she meant to the monastery, he could not give up on the opportunity to teach her.
He believed there would be a day when she would understand the true essence of the boundless sea of misery and the great path of compassion of the buddha.
"Yes, abbot." Little Ann brought her palms together and returned the greeting.
"Once you become an inner courtyard disciple of the monastery, you can no longer hold any worldly thoughts. Until the day you gain the right to practise the Chant of Deva-Nāga, you can't take another step off the mountain, much less see outsiders. Can you do that?"
Little Ann turned to look at Li Qingshan. The so-called "outsiders" obviously did not refer to outsiders. This meant that if she could not undergo the second heavenly tribulation, she would not be able to see Li Qingshan again.
Li Qingshan sank into his thoughts. Although he was reluctant, he still nodded. She was only a step away from the second heavenly tribulation. Once she broke through, it would be a whole new world for them. Before that, focusing on cultivation was not a bad thing.
Little Ann gritted her teeth gently. "I can do that."
"Let's go to the grand hall right now. Under the witness of all the buddhas, we'll hold a formal ceremony for you to enter the monastery. I'll personally shave your hair."
Among all the disciples of the monastery, probably not a lot of them had received such an honour the moment they joined the monastery. However, when Little Ann heard the last sentence, she frowned slightly.
Li Qingshan interrupted, "Abbot, I don't think all the head monks in the monastery are bald." Even Little Ann's master by name had messy hair.
"One Will, are you the head monk?" The Dauntless monk did not even look at Li Qingshan and asked Little Ann.
"No," Little Ann said.
In other words, the various head monks had all reached an extremely high level of cultivation in the buddhist dharma, so it no longer mattered whether they had hair or not. However, at the Unraging monk's level, even if he ate alcohol and drank meat, no one could do anything to him even if he said "the buddha passed through the intestines, but the alcohol and meat remained in the heart". If an ordinary disciple dared to be so arrogant and disobedient, they would be thrown into the Commandment Courtyard to be punished, or their cultivation would be crippled and they would be chased out of the sect.
Li Qingshan still wanted to say something, but the Unraging monk patted his shoulder with a smile. "What're you in such a hurry for? It's not like your hair can't grow back even if it's gone!" He only chuckled when the Dauntless monk glanced at him.
Li Qingshan thought about it and agreed. With Little Ann's ability, it would only take a few seconds for him to grow hair. There was no need to argue about it.
The Dauntless monk said, "Junior brother, accepting a disciple is also a major matter for you. Do you want to go to the grand hall with me?"
Not only was the Unraging monk accepting a disciple a major matter for the monastery, but it was also a major matter for the entire Green province. Every single cultivator who had undergone the third heavenly tribulation, regardless of whether they were human or daemon, monk or layman, played an important role in this world. Their names resounded across thousands of kilometers. Anything they said or did could influence the situation, let alone something as major as accepting a disciple.
The Unraging monk raised his head and glanced at the golden hall on top of Great Buddha mountain. He smiled. "I'm an unworldly person, so there's no need for me to do something like this. My two disciples probably don't like these things either. Not to mention, we've already gone through the ceremony of accepting a disciple."
That was exactly what the Dauntless monk wanted. Although the Unraging monk's two disciples possessed great potential, one was a demon, while the other was a so-called "secular disciple" who refused to become a monk. It would bring no benefit to the monastery's reputation if it became public.
"Let's go." The Dauntless monk turned around and left. Little Ann followed closely behind.
Li Qingshan accompanied Xiao An all the way to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. The Dauntless monk walked at the front, crossing over a tall doorsill. Suddenly, he said, "Idlers, stop." Any further ahead was the inner courtyard of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, and Li Qingshan was only a secular disciple.
All Li Qingshan could do was stop and watch Little Ann cross over the tall threshold before turning around. Their eyes met, and he opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
The sun was setting right now. The afterglow of the setting sun landed on Little Ann, making her seem even more beautiful and otherworldly. Li Qingshan stood with his back to the light. The light outlined his tall figure.
The Dauntless monk's eyes flickered, and the vermillion door slammed shut loudly, cutting off their vision.
The only colour in Little Ann's eyes vanished. The world turned into a half-transparent, pale-white colour. Colour was emptiness. From today onwards, there would only be candles and buddhas, morning bells and evening drums as companions. She did not dislike a life like this, but she wanted to be by his side even more.
Li Qingshan extended his hand and clenched his fist. He felt an urge to smash the door with a single punch and pull her back through it. The door was not particularly sturdy, but no one had ever been bold enough to do that throughout the ages, as this was the monastery's entrance. It represented an inviolable authority.
He was not afraid of authority. He believed that only strength could decide everything. He believed that as long as he constantly grew stronger, there would be a day when he could see her whenever he wanted, and no one could stop him.
After standing there for a while longer, he heard the chanting from the top of Great Buddha's mountain rush into the air. The Dauntless monk's solemn voice rang out from afar, announcing that she had been accepted into the monastery. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga had finally opened its arms to her, bestowing her with the greatest honour.
The entire cultivation community of the Green province would learn that the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga had accepted a disciple, treating her like a supreme treasure.
Li Qingshan stood in front of the entrance alone. After listening for a while, he scratched his head and turned around to leave.
He returned to the Demon Suppression hall. The Unraging monk sat on the rock with a chuckle, raising his hand to pick up an item. It sparkled under the sunlight. It was a demon heart, and the quality was extremely high. Even Lietu's demon heart paled in comparison.
Duoge sat in front of the rock with his legs crossed, raising his head and staring at the demon heart in a daze, like a child who wanted to eat candy.
The Unraging monk said, "Call me master ten thousand times, and I'll give it to you."
Duoge immediately said, "Master, master, master …"
The Unraging monk laughed aloud in great delight.
Li Qingshan was speechless. His actions really did not resemble an eminent monk of buddhism at all. He made his way over and clasped his hands. "Master, I've come to bid farewell."
Although their relationship had already been established, he had far too many secrets on him, so it was best if he used this opportunity to withdraw. And, he had no interest in the buddhist dharma. The Unraging monk could not teach him anything either.
"I knew you wouldn't want to stay, you damned disciple. Fortunately, I still have a good disciple. Just listen to how smoothly he calls you master." The Unraging monk rubbed Duoge's head with a smile.
Li Qingshan thought, If there are benefits, I can probably call him that a little more smoothly too.
"Since you have no interest in staying here, then go!"
Li Qingshan never expected the Unraging monk to agree so easily. He said in a hurry, "Thank you, master." He turned around and left, but he had only taken a few steps when he heard the Unraging monk say to Duoge, "You've seen the statues in the hall, right? I'll explain the true meaning of the Demon Suppression Statuary to you. Only by suppressing that demon heart can you truly understand what it's like to be human. "
As a result, Li Qingshan made his way back silently and sat down beside Duoge. He had sensed a long time ago that the Unraging monk had obtained the true legacy of the Demon Suppression Statuary, and with his cultivation, he must have seen all nine statues in their entirety. Coupled with his many years of comprehension and cultivation, he would definitely be much better than him, who had only skimmed through them.
"Hmm? Damned disciple, why have you returned again?" The Unraging monk asked with a smile.
"You can call me by my name."
"Whatever, damned disciple. Since you want to listen, then you can listen along the way. Don't say I'm not loyal."
Li Qingshan rolled his eyes. What the hell? Is there loyalty between a master and a disciple? Do you think this is the jianghu? Whatever, as long as I can learn something.
But a while later, the Unraging monk only smiled without saying anything. Li Qingshan asked in confusion, "Master?"
The Unraging monk pointed at Duoge with a smile. As it turned out, Duoge had not finished calling him master ten thousand times! Finally, Duoge finished calling him master ten thousand times. Under Duoge's eager gaze, the Unraging monk stowed the demon heart away slowly and said kindly, "You're still too young right now.
I'll help you put it away for now. I'll give it to you in the future! "
Duoge pouted, but he dared not say anything. He only felt that monks were not as stupid as they were rumored to be.
Li Qingshan vaguely recalled how all his lucky money from his past life had vanished just like that. He could not help but say, "Master really is a good monk who's loyal!"
Duoge had noticed a long time ago that the "great monk" before him was not easy to deal with. When he heard Li Qingshan say "good", he panicked inside. Isn't he cursing me? The venerable is standing up for me. It'll be bad if I anger this monk, so he said in a hurry,
"The venerable is wrong. Master is a bad monk. He's evil through and through. He's the worst monk in the world, a great demon among monks!"
He wanted to flatter Li Qingshan a little and help him make up for it.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. He could not help but laugh aloud.
When he looked at the Unraging monk again, his expression became rather strange. All he saw was Duoge doing his best to appear sincere, scratching his big, bald head. "About this, about this …"
Li Qingshan rubbed Duoge's head. "Kid, don't call me venerable anymore. You can just call me senior brother."
"S- senior brother."
"Senior brother, let me tell you. What you said Just Now might not be without reason, but the people of this world all like to hear others praise them as' good '."
"Ah!"
"Damned disciple, what do you mean by not without reason? How am I bad?" The Unraging monk feigned anger.
Duoge saw how the Unraging monk was actually angered and panicked inside. His eyes swiveled, and he reacted rather quickly. He said loudly, "Master is a good monk! Master's entire family is a good monk!"
He did sound much more sincere than Just Now.
"Pfft!" Li Qingshan grinned, revealing his white teeth. He could not help but burst into laughter again.
"Damned disciple, if you laugh again, I'll seal your mouth!"
Li Qingshan held back his laughter and thought, A powerful dragon cannot suppress a snake in its own territory. I won't stoop to the same level as a monk like you.
The Unraging monk said, "Cut the nonsense. Do you know who created the Demon Suppression Statuary?"
They had finally reached the main topic. Li Qingshan sat upright and shook his head, expressing that he did not know.
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