Chapter 49: 48. The Story of the Temple Keeper

48. The Story of the Temple Keeper

"Oh, Bodhisattva, it is me again, the first to come and worship you today." In the scorching summer heat, the hunched old man, his mouth puckered over missing teeth, smiled kindly as he knelt before a faded stone Bodhisattva and said, "In the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and I have been snatching this first Burning Incense for decades as well."

The stone Bodhisattva wore a compassionate smile, eyes lowered in a solemn and dignified expression, holding a precious pearl in the left hand and a khakkhara staff in the right, seated upon a thousand-petaled green lotus throne, as if listening quietly to the old Temple Keeper's words.

The old Temple Keeper chuckled as he knelt on the prayer mat, chatting about daily life as usual, as if the Bodhisattva in this temple were an old friend of his.

After finishing his monologue, he put his hands behind his back and stood up to prepare for opening the temple. Although he knew no one would come to worship today, he would still meticulously clean the temple and then open the doors right on time.

To him, this was no longer a matter of duty, but a part of his life.

However, when opening the doors today, the old Temple Keeper encountered an unexpected event.

He saw a middle-aged man walking with a staggering gait, holding a little girl of about three or four years old, standing early at the temple entrance. Upon seeing someone waiting outside, the old Temple Keeper's first thought was not that the other party was waiting for the temple to open to worship, but that they had come seeking help.

The father and daughter did not look well-off, and there were obvious unhealed wounds on the father's face; the more he looked, the more down-and-out they seemed.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the old Temple Keeper asked curiously, "Hello there, is there something you need?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged father immediately stated his purpose: "My daughter and I have come to burn incense and worship."

The old Temple Keeper looked surprised, then his smile widened as he welcomed the father and daughter. Although he was somewhat surprised, he was not overly excited.

When the father and daughter arrived inside the temple, the old Temple Keeper stood to the side to prepare the Burning Incense for them, took the opportunity to briefly point out the steps for burning incense and worshiping, and then stood by watching in silence.

During the process of the pilgrims' worship, the old Temple Keeper felt a slight sense of emotion; he had not expected that there were still people in this world who remembered the Bodhisattva just like him.

However, the old Temple Keeper soon discovered that the actions of this father-daughter pair were somewhat strange. Generally speaking, when people burn incense and worship Buddha, they worship the main deity in the Shrine; the guardians on the left and right are optional. Yet, this pair not only worshiped everyone, but when they bowed to the red-faced general beside the Bodhisattva, the time spent in reverence was even longer than for the Bodhisattva, and their gaze seemed even more pious than when they worshiped the Bodhisattva.

The old Temple Keeper was full of doubts, and only after the pilgrims had finished worshiping did he couldn't help but ask.

To this, the middle-aged man replied with a sincere expression: "We have both been saved by him, so we are very grateful to him."

The old Temple Keeper was a bit surprised after hearing this, then asked, "Do you know who this Bodhisattva is?"

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"Then do you know the identity of this red-faced general?" the old Temple Keeper asked, frowning slightly.

"I only know he is called General Zeng." The middle-aged man shook his head, then asked sincerely, "Please, teach me."

The old Temple Keeper was silent for a moment. He felt it was bizarre, because no one would travel dozens of miles and climb a hundred-meter-high mountain just to worship after knowing only the name of a deity—and a side deity at that. It was as if what the middle-aged man had just said was true, that he had really encountered a divine manifestation and been saved by a god, and was filled with gratitude.

This isn't scientific... the old Temple Keeper thought for a fleeting moment.

Regarding this, the old Temple Keeper still slowly told the middle-aged man the story of the deity enshrined in this temple: "You want to know about this red-faced general; in fact, he is not a righteous god, he is not even a god."

"He and the green-faced general were originally demons causing chaos in the world. After being subdued by the Bodhisattva's Buddhist teachings, they took refuge in the Bodhisattva and became the current guardians before the throne, later ordered by the Bodhisattva to protect the human world. The two generals were enlightened by the Bodhisattva and possessed magical powers. They have eyes that can see through the blessings and sins of all living beings, and thus they assign fates to those they meet."

"The red general assigns fate to those with deep blessings, increasing their lifespan; the green general assigns fate to those with heavy sins, reducing their lives. Thus, the green general is called the Sun Jiangjun (Loss General), and the red general is called the Zeng Jiangjun (Increase General)..."

"So that's how it is." The middle-aged man suddenly realized, laughing heartily, "So this is the reason I am able to live until now?"

The old Temple Keeper looked at the middle-aged man and secretly shook his head, wondering if the other party was suffering from a delusion to be so wishful.

After getting his questions answered, the middle-aged man purchased the temple's peace-talisman necklaces from the old Temple Keeper, one for each of the father and daughter, and they carefully hung them around their necks.

For a moment, the old Temple Keeper felt that this father and daughter were perhaps even more pious than he was toward the Bodhisattva and the others.

But the events of the following days were beyond the old Temple Keeper's expectations.

A few days later, a group of mysterious people dressed in black, appearing to belong to an organization, came to worship without warning just like the father and daughter. Although they were not as sincere as the father and daughter, they were generally respectful, and after worshiping, they also asked him about the story of the deity enshrined in the temple.

The old Temple Keeper was worried that these people might have ill intentions, so he patiently answered them one by one.

Finally, the group of mysterious people chuckled and donated tens of thousands in incense money to his temple before leaving, incidentally buying some of the Bodhisattva and guardian general statues he had carved in his spare time, as well as other talismans and such products.

Watching them leave, the old Temple Keeper felt for a moment that his temple might have a chance to flourish again.

However, after that, no one ever came again, and the temple returned to its former tranquility.

The old Temple Keeper sighed in his heart: "It was just a passing fancy after all; it really isn't such an easy thing."

He sat at the red table by the door, looked at the stone Bodhisattva, and smiled: "In the end, it's still only me keeping you company."

Another night, the old Temple Keeper, who had fallen asleep with his head propped on the table for some unknown reason, suddenly woke up. Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to close the doors and finish for the day, wanting to get some rest early.

But just before closing the door, the old Temple Keeper noticed a young man in plain clothes standing before the Bodhisattva, looking at the stone statue with a peaceful smile, as if he were admiring it, or perhaps teasing and mocking it.

"Young man, it is time to close the doors and stop receiving guests today. If you still want to see the Bodhisattva, come back tomorrow," the old Temple Keeper said with a chuckle as he supported his waist and walked forward.

Hearing the old Temple Keeper's words, the young man turned to look at him, as if he hadn't heard what the old Temple Keeper said, and asked with a smile: "How many years have you been here? And how long has this temple been here?"

The old Temple Keeper was not annoyed and explained with a smile: "Ever since I was born, this temple has been here. According to my master, this temple has a history of three or four hundred years, and I have spent over 70 years of my time here."

"Do you believe in him?" Lin Ling asked, pointing at the stone statue without any respect.

"I do," the old Temple Keeper said with a smile, "That is also the reason I have persisted for so many years."

"Does believing mean you think good things will happen, or does it mean you think bad things won't happen?"

"In the past, believing in her might have involved considering such things, but now, believing in her has become a natural thing. I don't worship because she can help me achieve my wishes, nor do I believe because of her greatness... It's just like eating and sleeping; I just feel that this is something I must do as long as I am alive."

"You have Awakening." Lin Ling nodded with a smile, patted the Temple Keeper on the shoulder, and walked away slowly.

The Temple Keeper only felt that this young man was very strange, his behavior lacking propriety, but for some reason, he also felt it was unexpectedly natural and did not feel awkward. He sniffed his nose lightly and was surprised to find that the lingering warmth on his shoulder was quite comforting, leaving behind a scent like that of Burning Incense, which made one feel refreshed and physically at ease.

Then, he suddenly felt a jolt of shock, his mind flashed, and everything before his eyes dissipated like clouds and smoke. He fell into darkness, and then immediately saw light in the black seabed; a strong desire to survive made him struggle to catch up to the light that wanted to move away from him.

"Ugh—" The Temple Keeper woke up, sitting at the red table at the temple entrance, sweating profusely. The doors beside him were wide open, sunlight spilled into the room, and the autumn wind made one feel invigorated. He looked at the dust on the floor and the table, which was actually an inch thick.

Immediately, the young Temple Keeper burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably...