Chapter 16: Xuan Ci — If I do not enter hell, who shall?

"Hey, did I hear that wrong?"

"What did that Shaolin monk just say?"

"Holy crap, are Shaolin bald donkeys this shameless?"

"Shh, you want to die? Can't you see Shaolin has already thrown away all face?"

"..."

Beneath the mountain gate, for a moment, the crowd of Wu Lin people were all dumbfounded.

Listen to this, what kind of nonsense is this!

A Shaolin abbot, not only broke the precept against lust, he even has a son.

Damn, and they don't even consider that a major violation of Buddhist precepts.

Is there any justice left in this world?

The crowd wanted to ask—does this outspoken monk want any face at all?

Above the mountain gate, under the gaze of the Wu Lin crowd, everyone except Monk Xuanji had their faces flushed red, and many young monks lowered their heads.

What Monk Xuanji had said—even these Buddhist disciples themselves couldn't stomach it.

Even the old monks of Xuanji's generation, hearing Xuanji's words, couldn't help cursing him a few times in their hearts.

Everyone knows you want to save Abbot Xuan Ci.

But at least come up with a decent excuse!

With an excuse like that, even Patriarch Bodhidharma would lift the lid of his coffin and come beat you down!

"Heh, what a fine Shaolin Temple this is—so this is how your precepts and rules work?"

Among the Wu Lin crowd, a minor nobody, hoping to make a name for himself, spoke up.

His arrogant words immediately drew the attention of the Wu Lin crowd.

Feeling everyone's gaze, the minor nobody grew even more pleased with himself.

His day to become famous was today!

"Call out the head of your Precept Hall. I want to ask—is this how a Shaolin abbot is treated for breaking the precept against lust?"

His loud shout echoed above the mountain gate. Among the watching Wu Lin crowd, many glanced at him with strange expressions, then silently took a few steps back.

Is this guy an idiot?

At a time like this, he's still asking for the head of the Precept Hall to come out?

Doesn't he know who the one who just spoke is?

Sure enough, the monks at the mountain gate had the corners of their mouths twitch slightly, but their gazes all turned in unison toward Head Monk Xuanji.

"Amitabha, this patron, I am Xuanji, head of the Precept Hall!"

Pressing his palms together, Xuanji looked with a smile at the man who had spoken, only to see the latter's smug smile freeze on his face.

In the gaze that had been fixed on Xuanji, a trace of fear now appeared.

Oh damn, this is insane!

The one who spoke—is the head of the Precept Hall?

Shaolin bald donkeys don't want even a shred of face!

Done for, done for, acted rashly—surely Shaolin won't silence me, right!

The man who had spoken was now uneasy in his heart, never having imagined that the head of Shaolin's Precept Hall could be so shameless!

The watching Wu Lin crowd was also muttering in their hearts.

Bah, Shaolin bald donkeys, shameless to the extreme!

Faced with the gazes of the Wu Lin crowd, Xuanji couldn't be bothered with any of it.

He was determined to do this—there was no other choice!

He and his abbot senior brother had obtained an immortal's blessing!

This was a sign of Shaolin's great rise.

It could be said that, with this immortal's blessing, he and his senior brother would surely surpass Patriarch Bodhidharma in the future!

In such circumstances, how could he let his abbot senior brother harm himself here!

For their Shaolin, that would be a tremendous loss.

So, it was merely a trivial precept against lust—break it and break it!

If senior brother wanted to keep his family together within Shaolin Temple, then he, Xuanji, would absolutely turn a blind eye!

"Senior Brother Xuanji, you've lost your mind!"

Before Abbot Xuan Ci could say anything, Monk Xuannan beside him was heartbroken and couldn't help but speak up.

Shaolin's reputation built over hundreds of years—after Xuanji's stunt, it was likely about to be utterly destroyed!

"Junior Brother Monk Xuannan, you don't understand. This matter involves a great secret of our Shaolin, tied to the secret of our temple's eternal survival. Abbot senior brother absolutely cannot come to harm!"

Thinking that he and the abbot would, from time to time, visit the immortal realm in the future, Xuanji prepared to give his fellow disciples a heads-up first.

"The reason my senior brother and I have multiplied our internal power is all because of this. This is Shaolin's top secret!"

Transmitting his voice through internal force, Xuanji's words rang in the ears of his fellow disciples of the same generation.

In an instant, the Gao Seng of the Xuan generation finally understood.

That's right—the internal cultivation of Abbot Xuan Ci and Xuanji seemed to have surged overnight, gaining over a decade's worth of cultivation.

So this was because of Shaolin's top secret!

Thinking of this, the gazes of the crowd toward Abbot Xuan Ci changed.

No—this kind of top secret, they still didn't know about it. Abbot senior brother absolutely cannot come to harm!

"What Senior Brother Xuanji says is quite right. The abbot entering the mortal world with his body possesses the very bearing of Patriarch Bodhidharma sacrificing himself to enter the Dao back then!"

"For Abbot-shixiong to do this is truly a blessing for our Shaolin!"

"Abbot-shixiong, we are men who have left the worldly life — why should we care about the views of the mundane world!"

"Amitabha, what you fellow shidis say is absolutely right!"

"........."

With Xuanji's transmitted voice, in an instant, the assembled Shaolin Gao Seng all began to praise aloud.

Such a scene left the gathered Wu Lin people completely dumbfounded!

Ugh, damn it, they couldn't take it anymore!

How was this still some pure and tranquil ground of the Buddhist sect?

That's it?

This bunch of Buddhist bald donkeys have truly thrown away all sense of shame!

The man who had spoken earlier now felt his body go limp, and he kept retreating backward.

His eyes brimmed with tears, his heart utterly desolate!

He was wrong — never again would he come out here to show off!

From now on, whenever he saw a Shaolin Monk, he'd take a detour — would that be enough!

These Shaolin bald donkeys don't play by the rules!

"Fellow shixiongs, what is the meaning of this!"

Watching the Shaolin Gao Seng behave like this, Abbot Xuan Ci was also quite helpless.

Xuanji's words, however, made him think of the immortal realm from before.

That's right — with such immortal fate within reach, Shaolin's rise was right before his eyes.

If he were to leave here today.

Then the immortal fate Shaolin could obtain in the future would be cut in half for no reason.

The moment he thought of that fried rice, and those braised eggs, Abbot Xuan Ci's original resolve vanished like smoke.

That's right — he still couldn't die!

Even if he became a sinner of the Buddhist sect, he still had to make Shaolin shine across the Wu Lin!

"Abbot-shixiong, the foundation upon which our Shaolin stands is the Seventy-Two Supreme Skills passed down by our Patriarch!"

Seeing Xuan Ci waver, Xuanji could not help but continue to persuade him.

Compared to Shaolin's centuries-old reputation, what Xuanji valued most was still Shaolin's actual strength.

One must understand that what has kept Shaolin standing in the Wu Lin for centuries is not any so-called reputation!

It is the Seventy-Two Supreme Skills of Patriarch Bodhidharma!

If it had been reputation alone, Shaolin would have long since been looted clean!

Once Shaolin showed the slightest weakness, no need to think about it — these people before them would not give up seizing the Seventy-Two Supreme Skills just because of Shaolin's centuries-old reputation.

This point, Xuanji saw through with great clarity — that was why he could head the Precept Hall!

Hearing Xuanji's prompting, Abbot Xuan Ci also came to his senses.

Looking at the son before him, and at Ye Erniang, Abbot Xuan Ci seemed to have made up his mind.

"Many thanks for the reminder, junior brother!"

After saying this to Xuanji, Abbot Xuan Ci then turned his gaze to the Wu Lin crowd.

"As Abbot of Shaolin, this tribulation of the mortal world I shall bear!"

"As the saying goes, if I do not enter hell, who shall!"

"Amitabha!"