My God, I am the emperor, the lord of mankind.

Chapter 212 Unexpected News

Zhu Houcong thought.

He silently observed the items in Monk Faneng's room in front of him.

I saw a thick pile of Buddhist scriptures placed on the table, but only one was opened.

It was the Nirvana Sutra that Zhu Houcong had seen in the Forest of Ten Thousand Buddhas before.

But compared to the sutra Zhu Houcong saw before, the Nirvana Sutra in front of him was clean and there was no text on it.

At least that's what Zhu Houcong saw on the pages.

If the paper hadn't been worn out, it would have been brand new.

While many monks were still grieving, Zhu Houcong quietly stuffed the Nirvana Sutra into his sleeve.

His intuition told him that the Nirvana Sutra, which the old monk deliberately opened before his death, opened to a page about a certain Buddha statue in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple and told the secret of Buddha transformation. I am afraid it hints at some unknown secrets.

"These two are..."

"Senior Brother Yuanshu, these two are the guests invited by the Patriarch today."

In front of him was a ferocious monk who was as fat as a mountain and five or six times the size of an ordinary person. There was a long scar on his face. A sense of quackery came from his words. At this time, he wiped his tears in front of Faneng's golden body. , looking at the two people in the room who were obviously not monks from the temple, asked doubtfully.

On the other side, the monk Yuan Hui who had just met Zhu Houcong and Wang Zuo on the road saw that his senior brother had noticed the two murderous men in the room, and was afraid that his senior brother's violent temper might accidentally provoke each other and cause trouble to the Buddhist temple.

said quickly.

"It turned out to be an official, disrespectful and disrespectful——"

The monk named Yuan Shu suddenly understood, while Yuan Hui on the side widened his eyes and was even more shocked when he saw that Zhu Houcong and Wang Zuo had no objection.

What's going on? Am I the only one who doesn't know that the Patriarch invited guests from the imperial court today?Am I not the ancestor’s favorite son?

However, when she looked around and heard that official officials were coming to the temple, and happened to meet the monks with different expressions that something like this happened in the temple, Yuan Hui felt a little more balanced.

Sure enough, I'm not the only one who doesn't know.

"We also received an invitation from Master Faneng to come to the temple to investigate the visions in the Main Hall a few days ago. How could we expect that we would encounter such a thing——"

Zhu Houcong shook his head. Regardless of the strange look in Wang Zuo's eyes next to him, with a sad look on his face, he shook his head and started talking nonsense.

The monk Yuanshu in front of him obviously knew that Faneng had written a letter asking for help to Qin Tianjian before his death. At this time, seeing the sad expression on the young man in front of him, he couldn't help but feel sad.

"Hey——, it's hard work, who would have thought that the founder, who has always been in good health, would——"

At this point, the ferocious-looking monk couldn't help but burst into tears and choked with sobs.

"Be patient and accept the change, be sad and accept the change, Master Fa Neng has accumulated virtues and done good deeds throughout his life, even if he reaches the bliss of the Western Heaven..."

While Zhu Houcong comforted him, he quietly observed the expressions of the prominent monks in the temple next to him.

Something is wrong...

Zhu Houcong thought.

After some monks in the crowd learned that they and Wang Zuonai were official servants, the expressions on many of their faces became a little stiff at that moment.

For example, next to Yuan Shu and Yuan Hui, the old monk with a dark face, thick eyebrows and a thin figure was kneeling beside Faneng's dead body, holding a string of black rosary beads.

"I don't know anything about the Great Hall..."

"Sir, please go to the wing to rest first. We will take care of the master's funeral tomorrow and then invite him to visit our temple."

Looking at the black-faced old monk who suddenly interrupted in front of him, Zhu Houcong nodded.

Now that something like this has happened in the temple, it is indeed inconvenient to continue to disturb it.

"Then tomorrow—"

Zhu Houcong handed over his hand, and the black-faced monk in front of him nodded, and called the young novice monk who had just led the way for Zhu Houcong and others.

"I'll open two upper rooms for you all. All expenses will be paid out of my account. Don't neglect it." "Yes..."

The young novice monk took the order.

Zhu Houcong sighed as he heard the sound of crying and fighting behind him.

Following the little novice monk, we walked towards the residences in the west of the temple where outsiders could practice chanting Buddha's name.

Compared with the ancient temple, the decoration in front of you is particularly grand and luxurious, with all kinds of items available. The so-called upper room is actually an independent small courtyard in two bamboo forests. There are more than ten sleeping rooms in it.

Surrounded by ancient trees, the air is fresh and mixed with the chirping of birds. It is definitely a good place for meditation and practice.

Of course, it is impossible for outsiders to live in such a good house casually. The lay people who can be arranged to live here by Wanfo Temple are all good people who have made great contributions to the development of Wanfo Temple.

The money donated by each person can at least help the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple to rebuild a main hall.

"I didn't expect you to be from the Qintianjian court. It looks like you are about the same age as me..."

While opening the iron rope on the door, the little novice monk said to Zhu Houcong with a surprised look on his face.

Zhu Houcong was awakened from his meditation. He was still thinking about the meaning of the Nirvana Sutra.

Raising his head, he had time to take a serious look at the young novice monk in front of him.

He is young and has a handsome face, but due to years of vegetarianism and hard work, he is somewhat malnourished and his face is somewhat sallow.

He looks like he is only sixteen or seventeen years old.

Seeing him, Zhu Houcong couldn't help but think of himself.

I was born in the second year of Zhengde (1507), and now it is the end of the first year of Jiajing (1522). I have spent fifteen years in this world.

Time flies, and thinking of those days in the palace now feels like a dream.

Zhu Houcong looked at the young and energetic face in front of him. In the prosperous age that was about to be forged with blood and fire, he still had a promising future.

Zhu Houcong smiled gently and said.

"I just look young, but I'm actually old enough to be your father."

Yes, considering that he has been born in two lifetimes, and the age of childbearing in the Ming Dynasty is generally relatively young, Zhu Houcong did not tell a lie.

However, Wang Zuo's expression on the side was strange.

Zhu Houcong's performance today actually made him realize another image besides the always cautious young man in the palace, and the Son of Heaven who always fought in the army and hated corrupt officials who bullied others.

An image that is closer to a human being than to an earthly human god who never makes mistakes in the court.

"Oh, is that so-"

The young novice monk in front of him looked at Zhu Houcong thoughtfully.

After all, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple has a long history, and there are many rumors about capable people and strangers. He is not surprised that Qin Tianjian has such abilities.

It was just a slightly darkly humorous twist that his best friend was old enough to be his own father. His expression at the moment was a little... conflicting, but it was definitely an accident.

"I'm on duty at the thatched cottage a hundred steps away. If you have anything, just let me know——"

After gathering his mood, the little novice pointed to a hut in the bamboo forest not far away, and then pointed to various items placed in the yard of the house.

"The water in the water tank is full. If you want to boil water, I will ask the nunnery next door to bring you some. There is a menu on the table in the room. Every day when the temple bell rings, I will come and get it. What will you eat then? It’s up to you to choose, and…”

There was a lot of chatter.

The young novice monk looked around and saw that there was no one around. He stepped forward to hold Zhu Houcong and whispered in front of the two of them.

"The temple has not been peaceful recently. I heard that there are zombies or something sneaking in. Several young novice monks have disappeared while patrolling at night. The temple now has senior monks and monks on duty at night. Don’t go out after that—”

(End of this chapter)