harleyscars Chapter 38 Child Elder!
Chapter 38 Child Elder!
The night breeze swept through the temple, rustling the leaves of the ancient ginkgo trees.
Zhong Yuan did not linger on the statue.
He flipped the statue down and, under the cover of night, headed towards the brick pagoda behind the main hall.
As a result, just after passing the main hall, they saw warrior monks holding hand shovels guarding the gate in front of them.
That gate and wall must be the only way to reach the brick pagoda on the back mountain.
Seeing this, Zhong Yuan did not force his way in.
It seems that Shuanglin Temple was on guard all along.
That makes sense. Since it's a Dharma assembly, the people who come will naturally be a mixed bag.
It would be strange if there were no warrior monks guarding the area.
That nine-story brick pagoda should be the Revolving Sutra Repository mentioned in Dugu Xianxin's letter.
This kind of place is indeed not easy to enter.
He retreated immediately, went back inside, and would make further plans later.
When he returned to the inn, the door was ajar, so he pushed it open and went in.
Upon hearing this, Ma Ruoyan and Fang Liu approached and asked Zhong Yuan, "Young Master, is the matter settled?"
Zhong Yuan shook his head and said only, "The security at Shuanglin Temple is quite tight at night."
"Every key point is guarded by warrior monks."
Upon seeing this, a thoughtful look flashed in Ma Ruoyan's eyes.
After a while.
He turned to Zhong Yuan and asked, "Young Master, are you going to the Scripture Pavilion to retrieve a scripture?"
Zhong Yuan was stunned upon hearing this.
How did you know?
Upon hearing this, Ma Ruoyan's expression turned strange. He then said to Zhong Yuan, "Young Master, when Master Xue left me in Yiwu to be the head of the Yiwu branch, he told me that he had left a scripture in the scripture pavilion of Shuanglin Temple."
"If in the future, a successor to the sect leader comes to Shuanglin Temple to retrieve that scripture, he can go directly to Abbot Miaoguang of Shuanglin Temple."
Zhong Yuan's lips twitched.
Why didn't you say so sooner?
Ma Ruoyan felt somewhat helpless.
"Young Master mentioned earlier that he came to Shuanglin Temple to find something."
"I had some doubts, but I wasn't entirely sure."
"I'm afraid I'm overthinking it."
"If you had mentioned earlier that you came for the scripture left by Master Xue, I would have told you earlier."
Zhong Yuan let out a long breath.
So all that fuss turned out he just went out for nothing.
"Do you know what kind of scriptures Master Xue left behind?"
Zhong Yuan asked another question.
Ma Ruoyan shook his head and said, "This subordinate does not know. I never ask questions about matters instructed by Sect Leader Xue."
Zhong Yuan nodded slightly. Previously, he had guessed that a supreme sutra like the "Heart King Sutra" was created by Fu Xi, the great master.
Somehow, the Ming Cult obtained it, and the sixth leader, Xue, hid the scriptures back in Shuanglin Temple.
There might be some misunderstanding or rift between the Ming Cult and Shuanglin Temple because of this "Heart King Sutra".
after all.
In the martial arts world, it is not uncommon for entire families to be wiped out because of secret martial arts manuals.
Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking things.
There appears to be no animosity between Shuanglin Temple and the Ming Cult.
Ma Ruoyan only knew that Master Xue had left behind scriptures at Shuanglin Temple, but he didn't know what those scriptures were.
Dugu Xian knew it was the "Heart King Sutra," but he didn't know that he could just go directly to the abbot at Shuanglin Temple.
It seems that Master Xue did put some thought into it back then.
"If that's the case..."
"Then after the Dharma assembly tomorrow, we should seek out the presiding monk, Miaoguang."
Just then.
Suddenly, a long howl was heard coming from outside the temple.
Then.
Then came a burst of laughter, which came from afar.
The laughter, though aged, carried a hint of madness and depth.
It makes your head spin and is very uncomfortable.
Zhong Yuan immediately channeled his inner strength to barely counteract the discomfort.
Ma Ruoyan, who was standing to the side, changed his expression slightly and also mobilized his internal energy to quickly regulate his breathing.
Fang Liu, whose internal energy was the weakest, was completely unharmed.
But he still covered his ears and asked Zhong Yuan, "Young Master, why are there ghosts laughing at Shuanglin Temple in the middle of the night?"
Zhong Yuan didn't speak, but he was already very wary.
The fact that laughter could make him feel the vibration of true energy within his body suggests that the person must be a top-tier master with extremely profound internal strength.
"Miaoguang!"
"Grandma has arrived at your Shuanglin Temple, so why don't you hurry up and come out to pay your respects to Grandma!"
Wow!
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Immediately following was a voice that exuded immense pressure.
The moment that voice rang out.
Inside Shuanglin Temple, many lamps had already been lit.
Many monks in the temple, carrying water-and-fire sticks and shovels, quickly gathered and headed towards the large square in front of the Mahavira Hall.
In a short time.
The once tranquil Shuanglin Temple has become noisy.
Upon hearing this voice, Zhong Yuan and Ma Ruoyan exchanged a glance.
Ma Ruoyan's complexion was not very good.
He whispered, "Young Master, that voice... it sounds like that old hag from Lingjiu Palace, Tianshan Child Granny, has arrived!"
Zhong Yuan nodded slightly. He had already guessed the meaning pretty accurately when he heard the word "grandmother".
He took a deep breath. How could the Heavenly Child Granny appear in Zhejiang?
This is troublesome.
"Master Ma, are you sure the Heavenly Child Granny hasn't seen you before?"
Ma Ruoyan nodded slightly.
"I'm sure."
"However... if Xun Siyan also comes, then we'll be in trouble."
Zhong Yuan frowned and slowly said, "You hide first, I'll go out and see what's going on."
Ma Ruoyan nodded, her expression growing increasingly solemn.
Zhong Yuan took Fang Liu and left.
at this time.
Many of the pilgrims who had stayed overnight in the guest rooms, as well as some monks, had already left the rooms.
The monks, carrying fire and water sticks, were hurrying towards the main hall.
Seeing this, Zhong Yuan grabbed a young monk and deliberately asked him a question.
"Young master, what happened?"
"Is it haunted in the middle of the night?"
The young monk replied, "Benefactor, evil spirits and heretics have come. Do not wander around. Stay in your room."
That's all.
He then left in a hurry.
The pilgrims who came out to see what was going on peeked around cautiously.
Seeing this, Zhong Yuan signaled Fang Liu to follow, and they also rushed towards the direction of the Great Buddha Hall.
Not long after.
Zhong Yuan walked through the corridor and turned through a side door, and could already see the large square in front of the Mahavira Hall.
In front of the main hall, the monks of Shuanglin Temple were gathered together.
The monks, each wielding a fire-and-water staff, stood ready for battle.
In the square.
Above the head of the statue of Fu Dashi, there stood a woman whose figure was less than four feet tall.
Although he was just a dwarf, he possessed an imposing aura.
Her gaze, filled with boundless majesty and profound meaning, swept across the area in front of the main hall.
Below the statue, a group of women in green robes gathered around it.
At the feet of the group of women in green robes lay three corpses.
at this time.
Before the main hall, an old monk with white eyebrows and eyes emerged, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "The Palace Master of Lingjiu Palace has come to visit late at night!"
"What advice do you have?"
Then, the dwarf woman standing atop the statue of Fu Dashi said in a deep voice, "Miaoguang!"
"Does your temple harbor any bald monks from the Duan family of Dali?"