"Why?"
Senior brother Wang said, "Senior brother Eternal Faith is currently receiving another senior brother. Once that senior brother comes out, we'll let you line up before him."
"That won't be necessary. Just follow the rules. May I ask what senior brother Eternal Faith's identity is, for him to put on such a grand show, even using the word 'receiving'?"
"Since junior brother wants to become a secular disciple, you have to know about this. Senior brother Eternal Faith is the head monk of the Courtyard of Secular Affairs, the primary disciple under the Distant Enlightenment Chan Master. He's basically our first senior brother. Normally, the Distant Enlightenment Chan Master studies the buddhist dharma, so senior brother Eternal Faith handles the matters of the Courtyard of Secular Affairs."
"Hehe, that's very impressive."
Senior brother Wang saw how disapproving Li Qingshan was, so he suppressed his voice and said, "Don't look down on senior brother Eternal Faith. Our merits and demerits, rewards, and punishments are all on senior brother Eternal Faith. The Dauntless abbot is a mighty Monk King. Even if you speak rudely to him, junior brother, he won't stoop to your level, but this- "
He stopped talking. Li Qingshan smiled and also suppressed his voice. "I understand. It's easy to deal with the King of Hell, but the little ghosts are difficult. That's often the case. If he doesn't provoke me, there's no need for me to provoke him either. "
Looks like this senior brother Eternal Faith isn't a broad-minded person. I'll be a little more careful when I speak later. I might not be afraid of him, but it's best if I avoid any trouble. I still need to consider the influence I'll have on Great Buddha mountain.
Seeing how Li Qingshan listened to his advice, senior brother Wang seemed rather "relieved". He stroked his beard and said, "Young man, you need to know how to hide your abilities. Even if you're a prodigy, you'll suffer greatly if you don't understand the ways of the world."
Li Qingshan found it funny when he heard how he was lecturing him in such an old-fashioned manner. However, he had good intentions, so he did not comment on it. He just smiled and said nothing.
Senior brother Wang spoke excitedly. "Did you bring a gift with you this time?"
Li Qingshan was surprised. "What gift? For who? "
"For senior brother Eternal Faith obviously." Senior brother Wang's expression was like, "Why is your comprehension so bad?", followed by a pained expression, as if he was looking at a disappointing nephew.
The secular disciples of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga were scattered throughout the Green province, but they had not left them to their own devices. They would often receive some missions, such as building temples or collecting various resources. Completing these missions would earn them merits. He could exchange them for benefits like cultivation methods in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. Many quests are considered completed. Sometimes, it all depended on Eternal Faith's words.
Although he was a secular disciple, he still bore the name of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, so he could not be clueless about buddhist scriptures. He couldn't act recklessly. As a result, secular disciples from various places would come to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga every once in a while, and the monks of the Courtyard of Secular Affairs would test them on their buddhist studies and moral conduct. If he failed, it would be troublesome, and he might even be stripped of his identity as a layman disciple.
Eternal Faith's authority was even greater. Among the lay disciples, there were many like Li Qingshan who were completely uninterested in Buddhist scriptures. All they needed was a gift to ensure that they would pass the test. This had become the norm for a long time.
The lay disciples had to bring some gifts to pay their respects to Senior Brother Eternal Faith. The gifts were not necessarily precious, but the key was that there were many lay disciples. As the saying went, sand could make a tower.
"But my master didn't tell me anything!"
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously. He was the mighty first disciple of the Unraging monk, yet he wanted to give a gift to some first senior brother of the Courtyard of Secular Affairs? Was that not a joke?
"Who's your master?"
The female cultivator interrupted and asked. The main reason why they had become secular disciples was because no master in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was willing to accept them. Otherwise, any other courtyard would surpass the Courtyard of Secular Affairs.
"You'll need to comprehend that yourself! And, there's a knack to it. Not every senior understands it. Fortunately, you ran into me. Otherwise, you'll suffer if you go in unprepared. "
Senior brother Wang patted Li Qingshan's shoulder earnestly. In his opinion, Li Qingshan's master had only come under his tutelage in the past when he practised Qi. Otherwise, if he had a proper master, why would he become a secular disciple of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga in the first place?
"Buddhist disciples also accept bribes?"
Li Qingshan could tell that if he did not give a gift, he would be made difficult for, so he could not help but raise his voice slightly. He was rather surprised.
Senior brother Wang said in surprise, "You can't say that carelessly. This is our brotherhood. How can it be considered a bribe?"
"The blessed land of buddhism! Who's making a racket outside?"
A middle-aged monk walked out of the hall. He raised his broom-like eyebrows and stared straight at Li Qingshan with a hint of annoyance.
Li Qingshan also looked back at him. He had always been that senior brother Eternal Faith. His appearance was nothing special, and his head was shaved shiny. He was slightly plump, standing there with a bulging belly. He really did seem rather impressive. Not far behind him stood a thin and small man, presumably the fellow Daoist who had entered before Senior Brother Wang and the others.
"Senior brother Eternal Faith!" Senior brother Wang and the middle-aged female cultivator brought their palms together in a hurry and bowed.
Eternal Faith did not return the greeting. He directly asked Li Qingshan, "Who are you? How dare you trespass on my Courtyard of Secular Affairs. " He thought, Bastard, this is your first time here, so you don't know the rules. If you don't give a gift, then so be it, but you're bold enough to say I'm accepting bribes. You really don't know what's good for you. I need to teach you a lesson.
Li Qingshan clasped his hands. "I'm Li Qingshan. I've come to become a secular disciple."
"Secular disciple? Is what you're doing right now a buddhist greeting? You can't become a secular disciple just because you want to! "
Eternal Faith's expression changed. As an inner courtyard disciple of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, he had obviously heard of Li Qingshan's name before.
This kid is arrogant and rude, actually daring to defy the abbot's orders. He deserves to be thrown into the Demon Suppression hall. After being taught a lesson, doesn't he still end up running off to become a secular disciple with his tail between his legs? Now that he's in my hands, I need to properly make fun of him and make him learn what it means to respect his seniors.
"Senior brother is right. You can tell with a single glance that such a crude and rude person comes from a small place. How can he have the right to be our senior brother?" The skinny man behind Eternal Faith chimed in as well. His face was filled with flattery.
"Kid, why don't you apologise to master Eternal Faith?" Senior brother Wang urged loudly. The female cultivator also shot him a glance from the side.
"Bullshit!"
Li Qingshan furrowed his thick eyebrows and bared his teeth. A vicious aura naturally radiated out, making everyone's hearts leap. Even their auras were suppressed. They felt like the surroundings had dimmed.
His bellow was even more like the roar of a tiger in the forest. The chirping of insects and chirping of birds immediately ceased. The surroundings were frighteningly quiet.
Normally, the spirit turtle kept the tiger demon and ox demon suppressed, but ever since he condensed a demon heart, he seemed to have found a vent. Although he practised the Demon Suppression Statuary, the first form was the "Remorseless Demon Heart". He had never thought about suppressing and restraining the demonic nature in his heart. As soon as his emotions stirred, it naturally manifested on his face.
"W- what kind of vicious, savage madman is he bold enough to roar in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga!"
Eternal Faith pointed at Li Qingshan. Just Now, he had actually become infuriated from humiliation over how he had actually been intimidated by a guy whose cultivation was even lower than his own. He felt even more surprised. He had also trained in the Demon Suppression Tower before. Even demonfolk or even Demon Generals could not give him so much pressure.
Li Qingshan took a step forward. Originally, he wanted to mention the Unraging monk's name, but he thought of something, Master has specially told me not to use his reputation. I've only just come from the back of the mountain to the front, so breaking this rule is rather inappropriate. He doesn't want me to be a secular disciple, so that's perfect. I'll just not be one.
As a result, he smiled. "Do you think I want to be some nuisance of a secular disciple? I'm not going to stoop to the level of a scumbag like you who accepts bribes. " He directly turned around and left. The most important thing was that he had established a master-disciple relationship with the Unraging monk anyway. Whether he became a secular disciple or not really did not matter.
"Who are you calling a scumbag?"
Eternal Faith barked. As the primary disciple of the Courtyard of Secular Affairs, all he saw were the fawning faces of secular disciples. Who was bold enough to insult him to his face? Originally, he wanted to properly make things difficult for Li Qingshan, but he never expected Li Qingshan to not care about the identity of a secular disciple at all, leaving just like that. He had nowhere to vent his anger.
Li Qingshan could not be bothered with answering him. Senior brother Wang wanted to say something, but he was afraid of offending Eternal Faith, so he ended up shutting his mouth. He thought, This kid is far too reckless. He's actually bold enough to offend senior brother Eternal Faith below Great Buddha mountain. Does he think the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga is a vegetarian? No, the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga really is a vegetarian.
"Stop!"
Eternal Faith raised his sleeve, and a wooden fish flew out. It swelled in the wind, directly turning into the size of a carriage and whistling towards Li Qingshan.
Sure enough, Li Qingshan stopped and turned around, gazing at the whistling wooden fish. He asked without changing his expression, "What else do you have to say?" He was about to be struck by the wooden fish.
"Be careful!" the female cultivator cried out.
"It'll be bad if I smash him to death!"
With a thought from Eternal Faith, there was a great rumble, and the wooden fish landed beside Li Qingshan. Dirt flew in all directions, immediately producing a great crater in the ground.
"Master, you've smashed a great crater into this tranquil land of buddhism." Li Qingshan was fearless. He smiled scornfully.
Eternal Faith's thoughts raced. If he wants to leave, I really have no excuse to make him stay. If I attack him forcefully, I probably won't be able to explain myself to master. Oh right, I almost forgot why he was sent to the Demon Suppression hall in the first place.
Eternal Faith said confidently, "Since you're not a secular disciple, you've already broken the rules of our Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga by trespassing on our Courtyard of Secular Affairs, and you've done it again. You must be punished!"
One of the great responsibilities of the Courtyard of Secular Affairs was to receive believers and secular disciples, which was why Li Qingshan was able to barge right in, making his way all the way to the front of the hall. However, he could always find a way to pin a crime on him.
"Li Qingshan, that sounds a little familiar. Don't tell me you want to pay a visit to the Demon Suppression hall?" Eternal Faith was complacent inside. I've basically borrowed the Dauntless abbot's wisdom.
That immediately infuriated Li Qingshan. He had been sent to the Demon Suppression hall for no good reason. Although it was a blessing in disguise and he benefited quite a lot in the end, he still felt rather displeased inside. However, he was forced to lower his head when he was under someone else's roof.
Now, someone was actually bold enough to use that to threaten him. That was basically messing with the Dauntless Monk.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you imitate the Dauntless Monk's words?" Li Qingshan sneered and strode towards Eternal Faith, radiating with viciousness.
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