Chapter 59: What If We Establish a New Buddhist Path?

Hearing Monk Fang Yuan say he wanted Chen Ye to become the abbot of Cixin Temple, Chen Ye was startled.

This old monk, who knows if he is joking or serious.

Chen Ye dared not accept the words, quickly shaking his head and saying, "Great Master, do not joke; I cannot keep the monastic rules. Having me chant sutras and eat vegetarian is impossible."

"Eat vegetarian? Cixin Temple only forbids killing living beings; it does not require eating vegetarian. I, a poor monk, have loved meat and fish all my life, but every time I go begging for alms, I must depend on the donor's mood, so I rarely get to eat meat."

Chen Ye could not help but laugh, "Not seeing the killing, not hearing the killing, not killing for oneself; Great Master, you eat the three pure meats, right?"

Hearing this, Monk Fang Yuan's eyes immediately lit up: "Correct, correct, it is exactly that, yet no one has ever described it so precisely. Thank you, benefactor; my Cixin Temple now has another written rule: only the three pure meats may be eaten. Benefactor, you indeed know many lost secrets of the Buddhist path, but I will ask boldly: how exactly does the benefactor know this?"

Chen Ye naturally would not explain, changing the topic directly: "Great Master, just consider that I knew it since birth; let us return to the original topic. Besides this secret technique of the Qi Sea realm, I also need to exchange some things with Cixin Temple; rest assured, I will not empty your treasury."

"Amitabha, benefactor, please speak."

Chen Ye opened his mouth and said, "I want a concealment technique, a body-protecting divine ability or a treasure capable of protecting the body, some materials for refining artifacts, cultivation pills, and all scriptures related to divination in Cixin Temple."

Chen Ye spoke many things in one breath, but Monk Fang Yuan did not pay attention until the last sentence, when he spoke to remind: "Divination? Forgive me for speaking directly; a cultivator of the Qi Sea realm wanting to learn divination is truly reaching too high."

Chen Ye replied calmly, "Great Master, rest assured; I have my own plans."

Seeing Chen Ye so certain, Great Master Fang Yuan readily agreed: "Good, I, a poor monk, promise you. However, merely half of the Heart Sutra is not enough."

Chen Ye smiled and said, "If the Heart Sutra is not enough, then what if we add the Diamond Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the Agamas Sutra?"

Great Master Fang Yuan's face changed drastically; he said Amitabha three times in a row before calming his mood.

"Benefactor Chen, you almost shattered this poor monk's Buddha-heart. These Buddhist scriptures, do not tell me you made them up blindly."

"Heaven and Earth bear witness; they are absolutely not fabricated. However, I, a junior, must add one more word. So-called Buddhist scriptures are merely the thoughts and ideas of predecessors; to trust books completely is worse than having no books. Great Master, study and reflect on them, but do not become obsessed and fall into madness."

What Chen Ye said made Monk Fang Yuan chant Amitabha once again.

"Benefactor possesses unique spiritual roots; do you truly not plan to leave home and become a monk?"

Chen Ye:...

"What a pity, what a pity."

Monk Fang Yuan murmured "what a pity," then reached out and grabbed something beside him.

A massive stone half a zhang high was dug out from thin air and flew into Monk Fang Yuan's palm.

Layers of Jin Guang coated it; this thousand-jin massive stone quickly shrank, finally turning into a piece of yellow jade the size of a finger.

This method of turning stone into jade made both Chen Ye and Su Chunyi deeply surprised; this is the Return to Emptiness realm? The ability to turn the rotten into the miraculous is truly like that of an immortal.

Monk Fang Yuan chanted words in his mouth; countless Jin Guang turned into runes and fell into this yellow jade.

After a long while, Monk Fang Yuan handed the yellow jade to Chen Ye.

"I, a poor monk, do not carry scriptures with me, so I can only recite and write them out for you, benefactor. I, a poor monk, do not understand the arts of divination; when I return to the temple, I will copy the library books and send them to you along with the pills and materials. However, the body-protecting divine ability you requested truly makes this poor monk somewhat troubled. Benefactor, your cultivation is too low; I truly cannot think of any body-protecting divine ability suitable for you."

Hearing Monk Fang Yuan mention this, Chen Ye suddenly remembered the Open-Mouth Zen divine ability he had obtained earlier. The Niepan Sect and Cixin Temple share the same lineage; I wonder if Cixin Temple has similar divine abilities or secret techniques?

"Great Master, have you ever heard of the Open-Mouth Zen divine ability?" Chen Ye asked.

Hearing this, Monk Fang Yuan nodded and said, "Of course I know; the Niepan Sect and Cixin Temple each have similar lineages, but... if one is not a disciple of the Buddhist path, one probably cannot use it."

"Because the essence of this divine ability is to borrow power from the Buddha; if a non-Buddhist disciple tries to cultivate it, they will probably be punished by the Buddha. Great Master, am I correct?"

Monk Fang Yuan pressed his palms together and said devoutly, "Amitabha; it is good that the benefactor knows."

"Actually, I would rather ask: do Cixin Temple and the Niepan Sect worship the same Buddha?"

Monk Fang Yuan shook his head and said, "No; the Evil Buddha worshipped by the Niepan Sect will not save all sentient beings; it will only slaughter all sentient beings. The Buddha worshipped by Cixin Temple is the one of compassion."

Chen Ye asked again, "Then I wish to ask: where does the Buddha worshipped by Cixin Temple come from, from what time, and born for what reason? As far as I know, the history of Cixin Temple is only a few hundred years; the Buddha you worship is only a few hundred years old, right?"

Hearing this, Monk Fang Yuan was immediately startled and hurriedly asked, "Benefactor, do you perhaps wish to create a Buddha yourself?"

Chen Ye retorted, "Why not?"

"This..."

Monk Fang Yuan originally wanted to say that this would be blasphemy against the Buddha, but then he thought: did not Cixin Temple also abandon the Evil Buddha and establish their own Buddha? This youth before him also knows many lost Buddhist scriptures; who knows if it is the will of Heaven, allowing him to spread the branches and leaves of the Buddhist path?

Monk Fang Yuan greatly appreciated Chen Ye's character; few people can hold fast to their beliefs amidst life and death. If he wishes to establish a new Buddhist path, it might not be a bad thing.

"The questions asked by the benefactor, I, a poor monk, cannot answer; wait until I return and ask my senior brother the abbot, then I will answer this question. You only need to carry this yellow jade with you, and I will be able to find your location."

"Thank you, Great Master; I will write the scriptures for you right now."

Chen Ye put the yellow jade away, then took out a brush and ink from his storage bag and began to recite and write; after busying himself for a long time, he presented a thick, long scroll of scriptures.

Monk Fang Yuan did not even look at it but carefully and respectfully put it away.

Neither mentioned more details; Chen Ye had written out several scriptures, and when Cixin Temple would deliver the owed pills and scriptures were not mentioned.

But both knew in their hearts.

One is a virtuous Gao Seng, the other a modest gentleman; they interact with sincerity and need no written documents.

"I, a poor monk, must hurry back to the temple; you two should also leave this place as soon as possible. Last night, I, a poor monk, repelled the Triple Dharma-Body of Monk Yunxin of the Niepan Sect; although that palm strike is enough for him to recuperate for a hundred years, the Niepan Sect may still send people. If needed, I, a poor monk, can also escort you two."

Su Chunyi, who had been listening on the side, finally spoke: "Great Master, just escort Mr.; my injuries have already healed."

"That is true; the sword-flying technique of the Qinghe Sword Sect is unmatched under heaven; ordinary cultivators indeed cannot catch up." Monk Fang Yuan turned his head to Chen Ye again and said, "Benefactor Chen, where are you planning to go next?"

Chen Ye answered, "I need to return along the road first to find the treasure I lost, and then... since I am a lone cultivator, naturally I make my home wherever I go; perhaps I will just find some remote place to enter seclusion and cultivate hard."

Hearing this, Monk Fang Yuan suggested, "If so, then I, a poor monk, suggest that the benefactor go to Baihai Valley. This place is not far from Cixin Temple, so there will be someone to look out for you, and Baihai Valley particularly welcomes lone cultivators to join."