Chapter 73

Holy Monk 39 (Dignity and Hope)

A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl is serving the god she sees.

Two old monks, one fat and one thin, are about to step one foot into the coffin.

Their flesh was slack: one's fat quivered, the other, though skinny, had a potbelly; they were wrinkled all over, covered in liver spots, and their expressions were alike—greedy, hypocritical, and repulsive, longing to devour the girl's youth.

When the girl couldn't help crying out loud, she was scolded: "If you cry, the god will blame you for lacking sincerity!"

Two demons said: "The god needs you to offer your body; after dual cultivation, the god's spirit will return to youth, and you will receive the god's spirit's essence!"

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"No matter how painful it is, for the spirit, you must endure!"

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At this moment, Jiang He thought expressionlessly, if the god that people of this country worship is like this, then it must be an evil god.

He strode in and directly knocked out the two old monks.

In the dim light, his gentle and calm gaze met the girl's eyes full of confusion and terror.

Jiang He pondered, about to speak to comfort the unfortunate girl, but he saw that the girl's gaze toward him quickly changed.

"You defile the god! You are a demon!" the girl screamed with a face full of hatred, "Come quickly, there's a demon!"

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Jiang He sighed inwardly, realizing he had been too presumptuous.

Even when she cried, it was because of the pain from the inhuman torment inflicted on her body, not because of her fate or her circumstances; she truly believed she was serving a divine spirit.

Before anyone came to the temple, Jiang He quickly left.

That night the temple was noisy for a long time; the monks ran back and forth, searching everywhere for the intruding 'demon,' but no one noticed that on the beams and pillars of the Buddha hall lay the 'demon' in the girl's eyes.

At this moment, the 'demon' covered his eyes with the back of his hand and couldn't help sighing.

Unable to find the intruder, the temple gradually grew quiet.

Finally, the lights that had been lit went out one by one.

Until the night was deep and people were quiet, Jiang He, taking advantage of the emptiness, came to a secluded small courtyard.

Most of the lamps in the temple had gone out; only here the light was brightest.

Inside lived many women, who are seen by the world as holy maidens; only young, beautiful women are qualified to be selected into the temple.

For ordinary women, night is when they sleep; however, for the holy maidens, their most important work has just begun.

"My sisters are all envious of me," said the innocent, cheerful girl standing before the mirror, proudly, "They don't even think: they're so ugly that the divine spirit wouldn't choose an ugly girl as a holy maiden."

Several girls echoed, enviously gazing at the girl's beautiful appearance; she is the most beautiful among them and also the most favored by the divine spirit.

One girl shook the gold bracelet on her wrist, her pretty face glowing, "Look, I serve well; this was given to me by Elder Jihan."

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After a while, he went out and walked around a few more times, discovering a fact that left him helpless: becoming a temple courtesan could provide food and clothing, with no worries about sustenance, and yet it had become the best choice for girls in this country—especially low-caste girls.

He saw an impoverished eight-year-old girl, who, upon learning she had been selected, cheered with delight.

The whole family rejoiced for her, and even the neighbors looked on with envy.

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Jiang He simply couldn't laugh.

What is poison to me is honey to him; he came here, saw these, knowing full well it was wrong, yet if he went to save them, to others it would be a sin, a demon destroying them.

Realizing he didn't fit in with this city, Jiang He decided to leave. He wasn't some great person; coming to these worlds, he was only here to do the mission, to prevent the world from collapsing. He couldn't just see tragedy and evil in the world and immediately go to save them.

Only they themselves could save them.

The forest was very quiet and also peaceful.

"Master, my dad seems to be in a bad mood," Jiang Yin whispered to the parrot, "Did he encounter something in the city? Is someone bullying him?"

The only thing the young boy could think of was that someone was bullying his father.

The parrot sharing the host's viewpoint pondered for a long time, but still didn't tell the child what it had seen; the child doesn't need to know these overly dark and powerless things now, things that cannot be solved by humans.

It slapped the student's face with one wing: "You didn't practice martial arts this morning, nor did you study; you're slacking off! Make up double!"

Jiang Yin felt like a bolt from the blue, and immediately began haggling with the parrot master, no longer recalling the question he had asked earlier.

After sending the child away, the parrot jumped onto the host's shoulder and tapped his face with its wing: "Host, every plane has darkness; you've been through so much, you must be tired of seeing it, why do you still hold onto it so stubbornly?"

Jiang He kept a straight face: "No matter how much you see, you can't get used to it; they're just children."

The parrot couldn't help sighing: "You, don't be too soft-hearted toward children."

So it never dares to take on tasks that are too cruel to children, like the war-torn plane chosen by the sword cultivator host, where seven- or eight-year-olds have to carry guns to the battlefield; if its host saw that, it definitely couldn't bear it.

Thus, when choosing tasks, whenever it sees such a task, it doesn't even give it a second glance.

Jiang He, on the other hand, smiled, looking relieved: "Little Tong, you're becoming more and more human."

The system first rejoiced: "No wonder my emotions have been fluctuating lately; turns out I'm about to evolve!"

In the main god space, those rigid, mechanically task-doing systems are the lowest level; advanced systems—especially the newest generation 9999 system—can think like humans and even take over tasks for the host.

Like this primitive system of ours, it can only reach that level through self-evolution, constantly upgrading.

This good news made both the person and the system happy.

Jiang He daydreams about one day lying back and winning, letting the system do the tasks, while the system fantasizes about becoming smarter one day, able to squeeze the host into doing more tasks.

The person and the system have temporarily reached an understanding, both feeling their future is bright!

Jiang Yin turned his head to glance at him, muttering: "Now you're happy again... really can't fathom, adults change so much."

After finishing today's homework, Jiang He voluntarily went to cook. "Dad, everyone, come eat!"

After eating, the two of them and the parrot decided to rest and then leave this place.

Jiang He wanted to stock up on a batch of medicinal herbs in the resource-rich forest; some would be useful, some not; the point was to teach Jiang Si Yin to recognize herbs and make medicine.

That day, while digging up a precious medicinal herb, Jiang Si Yin seemed to hear a sound.

"Dad?" He turned his head to look at his father.

Jiang He raised his finger at him. "Shh, someone's coming, about ten or so people!"

He leapt up the tree, gesturing for his son to come over; father and son hid themselves in the dense foliage.

Soon after, a shout rang out.

"Found him! Quick, kill him!"

Jiang Si Yin's ears twitched; he couldn't understand the local language, only seeing a man and a woman running through the forest with uneven steps, and behind them, about ten people wielding strangely shaped knives chased them.

At a glance, this is a crime scene.

Jiang He sized up the man and woman running ahead.

The woman had relatively fair skin, a high nose and deep-set eyes; in this country's aesthetic she could be called a beauty, her refined air not concealed even in coarse hemp clothing. The man's features were equally striking; his skin was a bit darker, but he was tall and sturdy, also qualifying as a handsome man of this country.

This well-matched couple undoubtedly are lovers, moreover lovers who have eloped.

Jiang He recalled the rumor he'd heard earlier in town: the city lord's daughter and a lowly guard had eloped…

He softly intoned a Buddhist chant, gesturing for the parrot to block the guards pursuing the eloping couple.

The parrot flew to mid-air, blocking in front of the knife-wielding guards, shouting loudly in the local language: "Halt! Do not enter the forest, disturb my master's tranquility!"

The pursuers stopped instantly, their dark faces filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Their local parrots can also speak, but not as fluently as this.

The leader, his killing intent rising, remained unmoved: "It's just a parrot, kill it!"

The parrot felt offended, it flew over with fierce momentum, a wing swipe sent the leader flying.

All the guards: "!!!!!!"

"Kill, kill, what the hell!" the parrot swore, "You dare lay hands on this beautiful parrot of mine, how vicious is your heart!"

The subordinate accompanying them muttered in the local language for a while, his expression surprised and doubtful: "A monster??"

The parrot swung its wing again, sending another flying, and shouted with full vigor: "What monster! I am a god! No, I am a Buddha! In the Land of Buddha, the Buddha is supreme!"

A subordinate farther away stared at the parrot's gorgeous plumage for a while, finally realized, and shouted: "Look at how splendid its feathers are; it must be an incarnation of the Peacock Ming King!"

Having said that, he immediately knelt and performed a great salute: "Peacock Ming King Bodhisattva! Please grant me a high-caste wife and boundless wealth!"

The crowd: "……" How can you think like that?

He is not an incarnation of a Bodhisattva, so there's no need to perform such a great rite.

When it comes to trampling scum, he never skimps on points.

No wonder the high-caste daughter of the city lord admires him; in the Land of Buddha, low-caste men have pitifully few learning opportunities, yet he knows so much, proving he himself is truly excellent.

The parrot didn't expect that the dog host would not only give these people a one-day holographic hell tour, but also mix in private goods.

Jiang He brought his son down from the tree, palms together: "Amitabha, where do you two benefactors come from, and where are you headed?" The monk's appearance was indeed excellent; the eloping couple looked at him with devout reverence and also eagerness.

Jiang Si Yin glanced at his son, who was head down in thought, and continued asking: "What can you do?"

His expression was resolute; even if he bore all sins, he could not let his beloved girl fall into hell.

The leader was sent flying by the parrot's wing, his ribs broken; at this moment he was in so much pain he couldn't even crawl.

Am I being framed as a peacock?

The two only felt their fatigue vanish instantly, and couldn't help but widen their eyes.

She softly cried: "The fiancé my father chose for me is already sixty this year; my father said this is the punishment for my disobedience…"

But they didn't know that this move of his made the couple increasingly confirm that he was the legendary god‑Buddha walking among mortals.

The Hu nobles were very grateful to them; when conversing, the two mentioned Master Xuanji.

The eloping couple ahead never expected to encounter such a thing.

The two went smoothly all the way, encountering not too many setbacks.

Soon they learned the Hu language, and then also learned the official language of the Qing dynasty.

Upon hearing that, Jiang He couldn't help but glance at him in surprise.

In this world there are many parents who love their children, but there are also parents like these beasts; this child is still too naive.

Truly dazzling, his father at this moment truly resembled a Bodhisattva on a high platform, smiling and shining upon all beings, his eyes almost blinded by the radiance.

While saying that, it called out in its mind to the host: "Quick quick quick, give them a one‑day holographic hell tour!"

Jiang Si Yin, listening to the parrot's translation, couldn't help but be entranced, and couldn't help but ask: "Just heard rumors; maybe it's not true?"

Jiang He laughed, then immediately placed an order to buy buy buy.

Jiang Si Yin, who had been listening to the parrot's translation nearby, finally felt something was off.

Much later, the couple went to Shilan Temple; they deeply thanked Master Xuanji, for in this foreign land they found not only dignity but also hope.

The pain twisted his face, cold sweat dripped; upon hearing the subordinate's words, his expression became surprised and uncertain.

Should be the girl's father wanting to kill this man? How could he even kill his own daughter?

Jiang Si Yin muttered softly: "A great Eastern country? Could they be talking about the Great Qing?"

Aliya said: "I can weave blankets, cook, I'm also skilled at qin and dance, sing beautifully; everyone says I am an incarnation of the Kalavinka."

Jiang He intoned another Amitabha, palms together.

The parrot instantly became proud, the Peacock Ming King is definitely more beautiful than ordinary peacocks; it said this little brat has no eye! Hmph, its beauty is now proven by the citizens of the Peacock Kingdom!

His father loves him so much, he can't believe there would be fathers in this world who push their daughters into a pit of fire.

The man dances with snakes, the woman sings; their unusual performance attracted countless people, and they received abundant tips.

The people who chased him were his former colleagues; he knew well that they were among the top few experts of the City Lord's mansion, yet they were nearly killed by a single wing of the parrot.

Jiang He asked, "Have you thought about how you will live in the future?"

Later, they became husband and wife.

He said to A Li Ya, "Your voice carries Buddha‑nature; it is protected by the gods."

Their expressions were reverent and devout, but soon their faces twisted in terror, eyes wide as if they had seen something dreadful, sunk deep in a nightmare.

Earlier those guards called it the Peacock King, and he was still somewhat doubtful; after communicating with them now, he found that this parrot not only could speak eloquently but also thought swiftly, richer in knowledge than many high‑caste scholars, surely it is an incarnation of the Peacock King!

He sighed inwardly, thinking that since he had become involved, he would help them to the end.

No, it's a scam involving the deity among the peacocks! Oh dear, that's about right.

A Li Ya bowed respectfully, her expression gentle, "It is my honor that the Peacock King Bodhisattva wishes to hear me sing!"

Mu Ha proudly straightened his chest, "I am very strong, the strongest man in the city! I excel at hunting, can dance with snakes, and can treat bites from more than a dozen poisonous snakes; I can even cure minor illnesses."

They thought that although this master had foreign features, he must be a bodhisattva reincarnated; a deity should look like this.

"My father said I have polluted his surname; only blood can cleanse this humiliation," A Li Ya said with a pained expression; no matter how filial and gentle she had been before, deciding to elope with Mu Ha nullified everything she had done.

He stared at the parrot, both startled and delighted, wondering if his relationship with A Li Ya had moved the bodhisattva—had the bodhisattva incarnated as a parrot to help him? Otherwise, how could a tiny bird possess such great strength?

They remembered the holy monk they had met, and the child who followed the monk spoke this language.

No wonder she was favored by the Brahmin A Pu.

If the system knew what he was thinking, it would certainly refuse to translate further.

Jiang He experienced the holy monk's aura for the first time and nearly teared up.

The Hu noble heard their description, instantly teared up, and shouted excitedly, "It must be Master Xuan Ji! I knew he wouldn't die!"

The pursuers who chased them suddenly knelt down, muttering something incoherently.

Mu Ha gently wiped the girl's tears and explained, "We practice the custom of a wife being buried with her dead husband! I originally wanted to leave, as long as A Li Ya is safe… until I heard she was to marry an old man." His voice suddenly filled with anger, "A Pu is already sixty, we don't know how many years he has left; when he dies, A Li Ya will have to be buried with him… the City Lord is truly ruthless, which is why I wanted to elope with A Li Ya."

"Go east! Leave this country, and you will live well," he lightly touched their foreheads and handed them the pill contained in a porcelain bottle.

"Is it really the Peacock King Bodhisattva?"

Is the Peacock King really this small? No, no, perhaps it's all their imagination; maybe its true body is larger than a mountain, otherwise how could a single wing fling him away and wound him gravely?

Although Jiang Siyin did not understand the language she sang, he felt her voice seemed to possess some kind of magic, cleansing even the soul, leaving his spirit tranquil.

They discovered that the pill the holy monk gave them was miraculous; one pill could stave off hunger for several days, and when they reached the border of Hu Qing, they had just finished the pill.

The parrot, curious, asked, "Your singing is so beautiful? Sing a bit for us?"

A Li Ya rubbed her eyes and looked at Mu Ha with affection, "I willingly chose to go with Mu Ha! A Pu had three wives before; the first died in childbirth, the other two came from families of average influence and died within a few years after marriage—people say A Pu killed them… Though I am high‑caste, my father's influence is weaker than A Pu's, and I fear he would kill me."

After a while, they exchanged glances, overjoyed, and knelt before the clearly foreign monk.

When the news spread, Hu people from across the steppe flocked over.

A man and a woman glanced at each other, and Mu Ha said, "We want to leave this country! A Pu is a Brahmin; no one dares oppose him. I once heard merchants speak of a great nation in the east; we want to go there."

Along the way, nine out of ten people regarded him as a doctor, even though his tricks were stronger, they were never needed; it turned out only the Buddha Nation had his kindred spirit!

He looked at the parrot skeptically, wondering if the parrot's foreign language was only among animals; its translation must be wrong, right?

Mu Ha also wore a face of sincere fear.

The parrot's eyes shifted, its wings folded together, as if performing a Buddhist salute.

Here, the runaway noblewoman's face still showed panic, and she said devoutly, "I am high‑caste, Mu Ha is low‑caste; we should not love each other! But Mu Ha saved me several times, and I am deeply attached to him. When my father learned of my feelings, he intends to kill Mu Ha and select a high‑caste fiancé for me…"

Their bodhisattva chose the image of a foreign monk to walk among mortals, and a Peacock King stood beside the bodhisattva… hmm, no problem!

Her father no longer pitied his daughter, treating her with cold ruthlessness.

Tears in A Li Ya's eyes, the two knelt before Jiang He and performed a grand bow, "Thank you, Master, for saving us; otherwise today we would have died at the hands of the guards sent by my father."

Jiang He waved his hand, using spiritual energy to support their bodies, preventing them from kneeling again.

Suddenly, A Li Ya was startled and opened her mouth.

The man held her tightly and said nervously, "Shh, don't speak."

The borderland between the steppe and the Central Plains became prosperous again after the war ended.

The girl sang loudly in the forest, and the surrounding birds gathered, perching to listen.

They saw A Li Ya and Mu Ha, who had come from a foreign land, and the two were treated with respect on the steppe.

A Li Ya and Mu Ha, bearing newfound hope, left the country.

The parrot was momentarily stunned.

Jiang Siyin watched his father's aura flare up and couldn't help rubbing his eyes.

One day, a Hu noble was bitten by a snake, and Mu Ha saved him.

"Amitabha, benefactors have committed a grave error; this life they must cultivate good karma, otherwise an endless hell awaits them!"

The parrot whispered to the student, "Nine out of ten locals half‑believe in Buddha; just cajole them a bit, and they'll think your father is an enlightened monk."

Besides the Hu and Da Qing people, there are also people from Great Food and Anxi; the races here are diverse—yellow hair, green eyes, even Kunlun slaves—such appearances are not unusual here.

Under the master's gentle, compassionate gaze, A Li Ya inexplicably kept shedding tears.

A Li Ya looked hopeful, "Before, merchants came to my house; they said the great eastern nation is very inclusive—whether a pitch‑black Kunlun slave or a blond‑eyed foreigner, one can find a place to settle there. We should be able to as well."

They clasped each other's hands tightly, exhausted; the woman, weak, collapsed into the man's arms, staring bewildered at the scene before her.

"Even if his second and third wives weren't killed by A Pu, his cruelty is genuine," Mu Ha gripped A Li Ya's hand, "He kept many girls; often girls' corpses were carried out of his mansion. I investigated; they were all his murders… A Li Ya must not marry him!"

Living in Da Qing is hard; without a few close allies, it's best not to go.

Could it be that the place he refuses to return to is the very land others long for?

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