Chapter 48: Refining the Soul (Part 1)

  When we three returned to Zhushan Temple, the sky was already bright. Zhang's wife had also finished her breakfast and gone to tend to her vegetables in the garden behind the house.

  Before returning to Zhushan Temple, I was still worried about Zhang's grandmother in my heart. I was afraid that Mie Men Po would come to Zhushan Temple in the middle of the night to seek revenge and harm Zhang's grandmother as a result. After we returned to Zhushan Temple, I found that Zhushan Temple was intact and Zhang's grandmother was also fine. It wasn't until then that I finally felt completely at ease.

  It wasn't until then that I felt I had been overthinking things. My master, Bamboo Mountain Taoist, is such a clever person, if the vengeful woman was coming to seek revenge, wouldn't he have known? Since my master didn't mention anything about the vengeful woman seeking revenge before we set out, it's definite that she won't be coming in the middle of the night to seek revenge.

  Thinking of this, I regret it a bit. If I had known earlier, I would have stayed in the Bamboo Mountain Temple to sleep. Following Master for a whole night, I only saw a broken temple and an old monk who looked like a beggar. Apart from that, there was nothing else to see.

  For me, the run last night was more interesting than going to Dong Songpo Village. Going to Dong Songpo Village at least made my heart skip a beat and let me know what Yinhundong is. As for this broken ancient temple, I really didn't see or learn anything except getting tired, so it's safe to say that I gained nothing.

  After returning to Zhushan Guan, I was already exhausted, so I told my master, the old Taoist of Zhushan Mountain, that I wanted to go to sleep. However, my master, that stinky cow-nosed old Taoist, wouldn't let me go to sleep and said something like "the sun has already shone on your butt, what sleep are you talking about?"

  After hearing Master Zhangshan Lao's words, this little kid is about to burst out with a loud curse.

  "I followed you running all night, not sleeping for a minute, and now I can't even open my eyes. I need to sleep!" I finally didn't curse at him, after all, Master Zhushan is my master, I couldn't be too rude to him. After saying that, I ignored my master and went straight to my own room, lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

  I had just fallen asleep when I heard Old Lady Zhang's voice.

  "Let Little Fei sleep, he's still so young, and after rushing along the road with you all night, he must be exhausted," said Zhang Bao Bao.

  "It's not urgent to save the soul, we can do it at noon, I think you're also tired, why don't you take a rest too? I'll go out and take a look around, see if I can find something useful." Hui Zhi monk followed Zhang Bao's words and said a sentence to my master, Zhu Shan Lao Dao.

  "Alright, I'm actually sleepy too. I'll go rest for a while, you carry on." My master, the old Daoist of Bamboo Mountain, finally spoke up.

  After my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao's voice fell, I heard the creaking sound of a door opening. The door creaked again after it was opened and then closed. It was obvious that the person who opened and closed the door was my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao, and he must have gone back to his room to sleep.

  After knowing that my master, Zhangshan Lao Dao, had gone back to his own house to sleep, I secretly scolded him in my heart: "How hypocritical." After finishing the code, I was so sleepy that I soon fell asleep.

  I don't know how long I slept, anyway, at that time my sleepiness was still very strong, without a single thought of getting out of bed, it can be said that I was sleeping very sweetly when the voice of my master, Zhangshan Old Dao, came.

  "Xiao Fei, get up quickly, it's already noon!" This sentence was shouted by my master, Zhu Shan Lao Dao, with his hoarse throat. His voice was not only very loud but also right next to my ear.

  I can say that if my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao's voice was just a little bit louder, my ears would have been deafened by him.

  No matter what, I definitely won't be able to sleep anymore. During my stay at Zhushan Guan, if it was Zhang Popo who came to wake me up, I could still linger in bed and drag out some more time. But if it was my master, the old Daoist of Zhushan Mountain, who came to call me to get up, I had never succeeded in lingering in bed.

  After I got up, I first washed my face with cold water. After I finished washing my face, Zhang's wife had already prepared lunch. Although my master, the old Taoist priest Zhushan, usually eats meat, because a monk came to the Zhushan Temple and this monk cannot eat meat, in order to show respect for Master Hui Zhi, Zhang's wife did not make any dishes with meat at noon, all were vegetarian.

  Compared to vegetarian dishes, I've always been more interested in meat, so when I saw a table full of vegetarian dishes, I instantly lost my appetite. Without an appetite, I couldn't eat much, so I just took a few quick bites of rice and then put down my chopsticks, ready to go out and play.

  I originally thought that since there were guests at Zhushan Guan today, my master, the old Daoist of Zhushan, would give me a day off and not pester me to learn his skills. However, just as I was about to step out of the gate, my master, the old Daoist of Zhushan, called out to me.

  "Xiao Fei, don't run around. We'll be doing rituals soon, you need to pay attention." My master's words were gentle and kind, but they carried a commanding tone.

  In this matter, I generally wouldn't go against the wishes of my master, Zhangshan Laodao. Therefore, I didn't run out of the gate of Zhangshan Temple and stayed inside the courtyard instead.

  I didn't play in the courtyard for long, my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao and that Hui Zhi monk had already finished their meal. After finishing their meal, the two of them didn't idle chat, immediately began to set up the Dharma platform.

  The courtroom was very simply arranged. On an eight immortals table, a clay Bodhisattva was placed. In front of the clay Bodhisattva, a small incense burner was put. Besides that, Master Hui Zhi used a small wooden nail to chisel a small hole in the mud ground at the northwest corner of the courtyard. Apart from this, I didn't see anything else.

  Of course, the two in front of me, whether it's my master Zhangshan Lao Dao or that Hui Zhi monk, should be experts at jumping gods. So, I don't know if they set up any other things secretly when setting up the ritual field.

  After the whole altar was set up, the Buddhist ceremony began.

  First, my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao lit three incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner. Then, Master Hui Zhi also followed suit and lit three incense sticks.

  After finishing the incense, my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao took out the Soul Locking Bottle and respectfully placed it in front of the mud Bodhisattva on the Eight Immortals table, then opened the bottle stopper.

  After the arrangement, my master Zhangshan Lao Dao first recited a Taoist scripture. After finishing the recitation, my master Zhangshan Lao Dao respectfully retreated from the ritual platform, leaving the stage to Hui Zhi and the monk.

  After my master Zhu Shan Lao Dao left the Dharma hall, Master Hui Zhi sat cross-legged in front of the Eight Immortals table and began to recite scriptures.

  Before the wise and venerable monk began to recite the scriptures, the green smoke in the soul-locking bottle didn't come out, but I could see them moving around, or rather, they were stirring restlessly. However, what's strange is that after the wise and venerable monk started reciting the scriptures, the green smoke inside the bottle suddenly stopped moving, not making a single movement.

  If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it - this monk's chanting can actually make the originally floating green smoke still. However, judging from the reaction of the green smoke in this soul-locking bottle, this wise monk in front of me, wearing a tattered kasaya and looking like a beggar, really has some skills.

  I've always been fond of people with real ability. This wise and venerable monk has already shown me his mettle, so even though his clothes are a bit tattered, to the point where you could say they're in rags, this unappealing attire can't reduce my good impression of him.

  It was then that I, this little kid, deeply understood a point. Not all accomplished monks are dressed in bright clothes, and among those shabbily dressed monks, there are also many masters.

  Even at that time, I thought that this tattered and wise monk was a million times better than my own master, Zhu Shan Lao Dao, who dressed in bright clothes and regarded wealth as his life. Whether it's cultivating the Tao or Buddhism, one can't have only money in their eyes, and can't be so worldly.

  Anyway, in my eyes, no matter how high my master Zhushan Lao's Taoist cultivation is, he is still a worldly person, someone who only recognizes money and not people. As long as others don't give him money, he won't help them drive away ghosts or disasters.