DiploNovel #2082 - Xitian has changed his nature?
#2082 - Xitian has changed his nature?
Just as Tang Sanzang and his disciples were about to approach the thieves and ask questions, they were stopped by several guards.
“Please, stay back. These are dangerous criminals from Jinping Prefecture. They are extremely fierce and powerful. Getting close to them could be dangerous,” the guards warned Tang Sanzang and his companions.
“May I ask what crimes these men have committed?” Tang Sanzang inquired of the guards, noticing that the so-called thieves did not have a trace of malice in their eyes, nor did they possess the cunning and treachery typical of bandits.
“They broke into private residences to rob and steal, and they resisted arrest. These are serious crimes in Jinping Prefecture, punishable by beheading. Our Jinping Prefecture has always had strict laws to ensure the people live and work in peace.”
The guards told Tang Sanzang and the others.
Although Tang Sanzang and his disciples were skeptical of the guards' claims, the guards seemed unwilling to explain further.
“Gentlemen, it’s getting late. It seems you are travelers from afar. If you need a place to rest, you can go to the nearby Ci'yun Temple.”
The guards spoke politely, but their true intention was to get Tang Sanzang and his companions to leave quickly, to avoid causing them trouble.
“Very well, let’s go to Ci'yun Temple,” Tang Sanzang said to Sun Wukong and the others.
With the guards watching them, it was inconvenient to directly question the thieves, and it was indeed getting late.
Ci'yun Temple was located next to the central square, and they could see monks coming out, seemingly to collect ghee oil.
This meant that the ghee oil was indeed being distributed to the people for free, just as the old man had said.
Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at Ci'yun Temple, the most brightly lit place in all of Jinping Prefecture. The entire temple was illuminated by lanterns.
Large lanterns were placed every ten meters, and small lanterns every three steps. Almost every corner of Ci'yun Temple was brightly lit.
Not only was it brightly lit, but the incense was also extremely prosperous. Even at night, the number of worshippers burning incense in Ci'yun Temple was still endless.
Inside the main hall, many pilgrims were even meditating and chanting scriptures like Buddhist monks, showing their devout hearts.
As soon as Tang Sanzang and his disciples entered the temple, monks came out to greet them warmly.
“Amitabha. May I ask what brings you to Ci'yun Temple?” the monk asked Tang Sanzang and his companions.
“We are from the Tang Dynasty in the East, traveling to the Western Paradise to seek scriptures. We are passing through Jinping Prefecture and have come to your esteemed temple for lodging,” Tang Sanzang said to the monks, with his palms together.
“So, the eminent monks from the Tang Dynasty have arrived! I will take you to meet our master, the Abbot Jin Deng Chan Shi of this temple.”
The monks enthusiastically led Tang Sanzang and his disciples to meet the abbot of the temple.
The abbot of the temple, Jin Deng Chan Shi, was also very excited and courteous when he met Tang Sanzang and his companions. He quickly had them seated and served tea.
“So, you are eminent monks from the Celestial Dynasty of China! I have long admired the Celestial Dynasty of China. Our Jinping Prefecture also takes the Celestial Dynasty of China as an example.
May I ask, Elder Tang, what shortcomings does our Jinping Prefecture still have compared to the Celestial Dynasty of China?”
Jin Deng Chan Shi’s words were polite, but there was a hint of arrogance in his tone, as if he wanted to compare Jinping Prefecture with the Celestial Dynasty of China.
Jinping Prefecture was just a small place. Compared to the vast land of China, it could only be considered a leaf in the forest. The wealth of the Celestial Dynasty of China was the wealth of the entire country, not just a single corner.
“Elder Tang speaks with reason, but we have the protection of the Western Paradise and the blessing of the Buddha. I believe that in the future, the entire Tianzhu Kingdom, and even the entire Xiniu Hezhou, will be like Jinping Prefecture. That will be the Western China.”
When Jin Deng Chan Shi heard Tang Sanzang say this, his face was somewhat embarrassed, but he was still unconvinced.
Tang Sanzang naturally didn’t want to say more about this issue, so as not to embarrass Jin Deng Chan Shi too much.
“It is said that the lamp oil is provided by the Western Paradise and distributed to the people by Buddhist monks. This is a great deed of accumulating merit,” Tang Sanzang changed the subject and asked Jin Deng Chan Shi about the ghee oil.
“Indeed, this matter is handled entirely by our Ci'yun Temple. Our Ci'yun Temple monks not only distribute ghee oil to the people, but also preach the Dharma to them and solve their various life problems.
That is why the people of Jinping Prefecture are so devout in their worship of the Buddha, and they are also grateful for the grace and teachings of the Western Paradise.”
Speaking of this matter, Jin Deng Chan Shi seemed even more proud. As the largest temple in Jinping Prefecture, he, the abbot of Ci'yun Temple, was equivalent to the spokesperson of Buddhism in Jinping Prefecture.
“According to what this poor monk knows, ghee oil costs two taels of silver per tael. Three vats of 1,500 jin would cost nearly 50,000 taels of silver, and that’s only for three days.
Where does the Western Paradise get so much ghee oil? Does the abbot know?” Tang Sanzang asked Jin Deng Chan Shi.
Ghee oil was quite valuable, and the entire Jinping Prefecture consumed 1,500 jin in three days. This was no small amount.
There were no lamp oil workshops in the Western Paradise, so where did they get so much lamp oil to supply Jinping Prefecture?
“Amitabha. This old monk doesn’t know, but the Dharma says, ‘Red flowers and white lotus roots come from the same root, mysterious and mysterious, the door to all wonders.’
The Dharma is vast. Is there anything that the Buddha cannot do? The Buddha can create all things, so what is so strange about a mere ghee oil?”
Jin Deng spoke to Tang Sanzang about the Dharma.
If you just listened to his words, it seemed to make sense, but if you thought about it carefully, it didn’t make any sense.
“The Buddha said, ‘Form is emptiness.’ When there is no desire and no seeking, when you let go of attachments, would the Buddha use magic to satisfy the needs of mortals?”
Tang Sanzang shook his head. Tathagata and the Western Paradise would not be idle enough to use magic to create lamp oil to provide for Jinping Prefecture, unless they were out of their minds or had nothing better to do.
Moreover, this was inconsistent with the purpose of the Dharma, which was to guide people towards goodness, not to guide them towards wealth.
“The heart of the Buddha, how can you and I mortals guess?” Jin Deng Chan Shi seemed to find it difficult to justify himself, so he just said it perfunctorily.
In fact, Tang Sanzang had already seen that although Jin Deng Chan Shi was the abbot of Ci'yun Temple, he was just a blindly loyal disciple of Buddhism and did not understand any of the inside information.
“Wukong, let’s go rest first. Tomorrow, we still need to go exchange our passport.”
Since he couldn’t get any results from Jin Deng Chan Shi, he could only go to the government office tomorrow to take a look.