"All right, Master Luo, you tell me the direction, and I'll go with my elder brother. The Buddhist world is one family, and we were once also part of the Buddhist world," Jin Lün spoke up decisively.
Shenqiao nodded and said, "If we can achieve our goal without shedding blood, that would certainly be the best."
I shook my head and said, "The probability is almost zero. If we really have to see Ahong Lama, I'll have to go alone, to avoid any unexpected changes."
"Let's remain in a defensive position for now. The gentlemen who have joined us have already spread out to gather information," Wu Jinluan spoke up.
More people, more diverse opinions in discussion.
Everyone will weigh other people's opinions and ultimately reach the best decision.
The boss has been busy for nearly two hours. Finally, the disciples have eaten their meals, and we also have food in front of us.
The boss, drenched in sweat from the effort, walked over to our table with a smile on his face and a hint of confusion: "Venerable, I recognize you; weren't you a lama before?"
Indeed, I have worn lama clothing before and communicated with this boss quite a bit.
It was during that time that the Argon Lama achieved the status of an incarnate Buddha.
"There are countless paths in the world. A monk can become a Taoist, and a lama can also enter the Taoist door," Jin Lun said in response, his words imbued with a sense of Zen.
"Uh... seems like that's the case. Recently, quite a few monks have become laypeople," the store owner nodded seriously.
"Oh? Tell me about it, boss?" Wu Jinluan was intrigued.
"Let me tell you, it's really strange. This Venerable also became a layman, you must know about that incident before where the heavenly blessings descended and the living Buddha appeared out of nowhere?" The storekeeper said mysteriously: "But lo and behold, not long after that, disaster struck on the summit of the Five Lamasery! There were so many vultures like dark clouds that couldn't be driven away. There weren't enough corpses for them to feed on; isn't that scary?"
I listened quietly, silent without a word.
"Initially, everyone thought that the living Buddha's birth was to bring some kind of trouble. How else could the Buddha's skills in rescuing people from the world be shown? However, the number of vultures kept growing, and the living Buddha didn't even fart. Even the prearranged sermons were repeatedly postponed and eventually canceled."
"Some tourists at the time were talking about whether it was a living Buddha or a living demon that would cause a group of vultures. The lamas spread rumors everywhere, but what happened?"
"There was a pilgrim who was performing prostrations in front of the Five Lama Temple, offering alms and practicing austerities. Suddenly, a vulture flew down and pecked a hole in his head. His skull broke, and his brains splattered everywhere. Within a few moments, he was completely devoured."
When the store owner said this, my face turned pale. Vultures, how could they harm ordinary monks?
"After that, the head abbot came out to recite scriptures and said that the vultures had found the sinners, and after eating them, they would no longer linger around the Five Lamasery."
"But unexpectedly, the vultures returned the next day."
"After that, several times they suddenly left and went elsewhere, causing rumors of vultures harming people everywhere. Ultimately, they had to return to the Five Lamasery."
"This is very strange. Afterward, several lamas died, and gradually, monks began to renounce their monastic vows. Venerable, were you also a layman back then? Did you feel that there was evil in the Buddhist sect and bring a new sect back to expel the demons?"
The storeowner's words lack a lot of logic. Based on what he said and knew, it's hard to connect the dots.
His last set of words was even more out there, suggesting that I had come back with reinforcements.
Without continuing to open the conversation further, there was nothing more useful the store owner could say.
I lowered my head and pondered the reasons why the vultures attacked ordinary people and then returned to the Five Lama Temple.
Wu Jinluan brushed off the store owner a few times, telling him to bring more food. The store owner wiped the sweat from his forehead and went back to work.
Night darkness engulfs the dawn, it's already night.
The gentlemen returned with news after investigating, adding a lot of workload to the store owner.
We didn't talk much more here. The many people returned to the hotel, while the true sages gathered in Wu Jinlan's room, of course, with one exception, that being Shenqiao.
The person who investigated the news was led by an old acquaintance, He Liniang.
They have sorted out the information and concisely told us the key points.
The Argon Lama has not appeared for a long time, which can be traced back to the first appearance of the vultures.
Later, the locations of the slain lamas and ordinary people were all different, and after inquiries, we really don't know what sins they had committed.
"Are the vultures extremely hungry?" Wu Jinluan pondered and posed a question.
Lao Gong quietly popped up and muttered, "Little Wu, forget about the phenomena and talk about the essence. You know, why would vultures eat the Argon Lama?"
"Is it because the living Buddha's corpse was eaten?" Wu Jinluan said the result, but added a hint of uncertainty, implying doubt.
"It's a spiritual ascent. The lord ascended his soul and returned him to the heavens, leaving his body for the vultures. But that old boy refused to leave, and if he didn't leave, how could the vultures possibly leave?"
"I suspect he has been reborn several times. He might have thought of tricking the vultures away, but in the end, all his attempts failed. The people who were eaten, at least at the moment of their death, were all Argon Lama."
Lao Gong's words were shocking!
"Little boy, his smooth brain is indeed filled with brains, and his ideas are plentiful," Lao Gong mumbled again: "He must know that we have all come. He hasn't made a sound or moved yet. What's he waiting for? He's waiting for us to go together to the Five Lamasery."
"Little He, in the information you gathered, is there any movement from other Buddhist temples?" Lao Gong's question was direct, with a clearer meaning. We need to know if the Argon Lama has asked other Buddhist temples for assistance.
He Liniang shook his head, indicating that there was no such information.
At this moment, Han Jin suddenly spoke up, saying, "Eight true sages, more than a dozen red-robed elders, and dozens of disciples. With these numbers, it's not easy to destroy a Daoist temple? How can the Five Lamasery be a problem? One living Buddha and all. If he hasn't summoned reinforcements, we should go ahead and wipe him out now. This small matter can be resolved quickly. There are more important things to do."
"I've been holding back against the eight households for a long time. Now, let's not waste time in front of this small Buddhist temple."
"Give me the law implements. I will invite the ancestor's spirit to take control. Quick and decisive, everything ends with this!"
Han Jin's words were truly spoken with a commanding aura.
"The old Han is quite powerful. Are you not afraid that the ancestor will take over your body now?" Lao Gou looked at Han Jin with a toothy smile and asked.
He truly doesn't care about the setting or location, nor does he leave face for Han Jin.
"Take over a body? What absurd talk, you wretch of the Yang spirit. You should accumulate virtue in your mouth." Han Jin extended his hand to me, demanding the Four Regulations Mirror and the Yin-Yi jade slip.
Lao Gou was stunned, pulled his own ghostly face skin, and sighed, "Oh, I see. I'm a ghost."
