Chapter 564

Dong—

"Senior brother! Senior brother, wake up! It's time, we need to go fetch water!"

Accompanied by the tolling of the temple bell and the shouts of his junior brother Minghui, Mingxin slowly awoke from his meditation, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Mm."

Mingxin stood up from his meditation cushion, pressed his palms together and bowed toward the Buddha statue in front of him, then patted his junior brother on the head after finishing his obeisance.

"Minghui, why didn't you study characters with Master today? Slacking off again?"

"It's not that I was slacking off today! It's because Master overslept and hasn't woken up even now!" Minghui puffed out his cheeks and angrily moved his head away from his senior brother's hand, escaping his rough, "evil" claws.

Minghui is already twelve years old this year; his features are actually quite delicate, but because he was born with a defect and blinded in one eye, he was abandoned by his family. Before being picked up by his Master, he had been wandering and begging, remaining thin and small, looking like he was only seven or eight years old.

While Mingxin also looks somewhat thin and weak, perhaps due to his height and the calm temperament he carries, he doesn't appear quite as frail.

His monk's robe, washed until it has faded to white, is still neat, though patches can be seen in the corners where the fabric had worn thin; however, the sewing technique is quite good, making them difficult to notice.

If there is one thing that could be considered special about Mingxin, it is his eyes, which hold a calm gaze filled with unwavering conviction.

However, due to exposure to the wind and sun, his skin is somewhat dark; compared to an ordained novice monk, he actually looks more like an old farmer.

And indeed, he does do farm work; they have cleared a small plot of land behind the temple.

Legend has it that there are 10,800 large and small temples in the Western Desert, with hundreds of millions of believers who dedicate their entire lives to supporting the monks.

But the Kurong Temple is just a small temple with few residents nearby. There is only a small settlement thirty miles away, and the believers there mostly worship the Lingyu Buddha and have no interest in their small temple.

Although they would provide some food, they have already given their offerings to the Lingyu Sect, and life is already very difficult; if they were to offer more, their families would surely suffer.

Thus, they were refused, and they chose to be self-sufficient in their own way, planting some daily vegetables and fruits in the cleared farmland.

Fortunately, although this is a desert, the number of living creatures is actually quite high, and they can still supplement their diet with some meat after daily hunting.

Perhaps some ascetic monks choose not to eat meat, but most monks in the Western Desert do not abstain from it; in this barren land, as long as one can survive, any method is acceptable.

The two brothers carried their water buckets to the backyard, lifted the wooden lid, and revealed a pit, from which a cold wind blew.

Because the ground surface is too hot, water cannot be stored there, so they fetch water from the underground pit almost every day for daily use and for watering the vegetables and fruits.

"It's so cool!" Minghui shivered, but his expression looked somewhat happy; this cool, refreshing feeling can indeed bring a bit of good cheer in the scorching desert.

"Mm, be careful, don't catch a cold." Mingxin smiled, picked up two buckets, and led the way down into the pit.

It was not bright inside the pit, and Mingxin did not light a torch, but his footsteps were firm and steady.

He knew every part of this pit like the back of his hand; it was something he and his Master built together after they arrived here. He was very clear about every inch of it and had walked it countless times, so he wouldn't go wrong even with his eyes closed.

The two walked silently one after the other for a while until they finally heard the sound of flowing water; this was a small pool formed by a tributary of an underground river.

They had even seen a few fish in the pool, though they didn't know where they had swum from.

Splash.

Mingxin filled two buckets, while his young junior brother only filled half a bucket; he had wanted to fill a whole one, but Mingxin ended up pouring half of it out.

It doesn't matter if a child wants to show off, but if he were to trip and get hurt, it wouldn't be worth the cost, and a full bucket of water would be wasted.

For the residents of the desert, water is a very precious resource, and anyone who wastes it will be criticized by everyone.

Although they were carrying water buckets, perhaps because they could see the light of the exit, the return journey was easier than the way there, and it only took them two-thirds of the time to return to the surface.

Perhaps because they are all desert varieties, these fruits have quite good drought tolerance and do not require much water.

After watering all the vegetables and fruits, Mingxin poured the remaining bucket and a bit more water into the water vat and covered it, saving it for later washing and cleaning the Buddha statues.

And just as he was about to finish his rest and continue with his subsequent lessons, his junior brother, who had disappeared somewhere, popped out from behind him and carefully tugged at his monk's robe.

"Hmm?"

"Senior brother, the moon was round last night; are we going to the market to play today?"

Is it the middle of the month again?

Mingxin was stunned for a moment, then understood what his junior brother meant—he wanted to go out and play.

The nearby settlement has a small market in the middle of every month, where some traveling merchants choose this time to come to town to sell their goods and purchase some basic materials from the villagers.

Mingxin calculated the days; they had actually gone last month, and normally they would go next month, but looking at his junior brother's excitement, he figured he hadn't quite adapted to temple life and wanted to go to the market to see people.

He silently calculated that he didn't have much money to spend, but if he bought fewer supplies, he could still buy a string of sand-fruits for his junior brother to eat, and he could also buy a new monk's robe for his Master; after all, he is the abbot of a temple, and dressing too shabbily wouldn't do.

"Mm, let's go in a little while."

"Great! Thank you, senior brother!!!" Upon receiving confirmation, Minghui shouted happily, then hopped and skipped back to his living quarters to take out a small basket to carry on his back.

Thank you, senior brother?

"Hehe..." Mingxin smiled helplessly after hearing this. His junior brother is actually not stupid; the fact that his Master gave him that name actually had his own thoughts behind it.

He is the one who is truly naturally intelligent, unlike himself, who is a dull person.

Since his Master was tired and hadn't gotten up today, Mingxin didn't disturb him; he bowed slightly toward his Master's bedroom and set off with his junior brother.

The journey was not short, but since Mingxin is a practitioner, it only took them half an hour to reach the market with his junior brother.

"Master Mingxin, little Master Minghui!"

"Little Master, please give my regards to your Master."

"Little Master! Come here and take a sand-fruit to eat!"

They did not encounter any contempt from others at the market; Buddhism has been prevalent in the Western Desert for many years, and this place has a high natural affinity for monks.

Even though they are just a small, obscure temple, others treat them with great respect, and people often take the initiative to come forward and offer them food and items.

As for the things the villagers gave him, Mingxin would accept some and politely decline others.

Except for some inexpensive food and daily necessities, he refused everything else and used the money he brought to make purchases.

After exchanging a Buddha stone for a piece of good-quality cloth from a merchant, Mingxin smiled slightly and bowed to thank the merchant.

Naturally, he wouldn't buy a finished monk's robe directly, as the price would be higher; he would cut and sew it himself after buying it, which was already a familiar task for him.

After buying the cloth, Mingxin let his junior brother wander around on his own, while he took the opportunity to preach Buddhism in a corner of the market, attracting many people to stop and listen. After finishing his sermon, he helped some sick herdsmen check their health, prescribed some cheap herbal formulas, and helped some injured residents set their bones.

After the sun was about to set, he finally finished his shopping trip and hurried back with his junior brother, whose mouth was full of food.

"Senior Brother, everyone at the market is so nice! They gave me so many delicious things and even said that in the future, I will be an outstanding master just like you!"

"Mm." Mingxin smiled upon hearing this, then shook his head: "However, I am no master, just a little Novice Monk."

"Everyone says you are, and some even say you are more formidable than Master..." When Minghui reached the end of his sentence, he realized something seemed wrong with those words; his voice dropped quite a bit, but he still stubbornly finished speaking.

"Hehe, those are all just their misunderstandings; Master's cultivation realm is much, much higher than mine."

"Master is that formidable!"

"Mm, very formidable."

"Wow—"

Mingxin felt very happy at his little junior brother's innocent appearance. When Minghui first arrived at the temple, he was timid and guarded against everyone; being able to recover to this extent in one year, he was already very satisfied, and he silently thanked Fozhu in his heart.

But after Mingxin brought his little junior brother back to Kurong Temple, he frowned; he discovered that the main gate he had closed when leaving had actually been opened by someone.

"Did someone come?" Minghui blinked and asked curiously.

"Mm, it should be."

Neither of them thought this would be a thief; not to mention whether there were still bandits in the Western Desert, even if some ill-intentioned people came to Kurong Temple, there was nothing valuable inside.

After entering, they saw a slender, tall figure standing before Master's door without stepping inside, seemingly having been standing outside the door talking to the person in the room just before.

Mingxin set his little junior brother down, let him take the purchased goods and cloth to the storeroom, and walked toward the visitor himself.

And before Mingxin could speak after getting close, that person turned his head to look him over, then nodded and asked: "Little Master, are you a person of this temple? I entered this place by mistake, and I hope you will not take offense."

"Benefactor, you speak too seriously; the temple is a pure land of Buddhism, anyone can enter." Mingxin smiled and said gently: "Does the Benefactor have any request?"

"My matter is not urgent, it can be discussed tomorrow; could you let me stay in a guest room for the night? You may need to handle some things in a moment."

"This matter is simple, can the Benefactor just go find the Abbot? You..." Mingxin was a bit strange and was about to ask, when his expression suddenly froze.

Mingxin was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized something; he pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and slowly nodded:

"Benefactor, may I see Master?"

Hearing this, the youth stepped back, clearing the path and letting Mingxin see Master's face.

This monk, who had been in an aged state ever since he had memories, was currently sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat inside the room, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, his eyes closed as if he were asleep.

Just as if he were asleep.

"When I arrived, he was already in this state; I did not enter the room."

Mingxin looked at Master's peaceful appearance, his heart trembled, and he turned to bow to the youth.

"Many thanks, Benefactor."

Because his little junior brother was still there, he could not appear flustered at this moment.

Mingxin's expression remained as usual, and he nodded to his little junior brother who had finished delivering the items: "Minghui, take the Benefactor to the guest room to rest."

"Alright, Benefactor, please follow me."

And the moment Minghui turned his head, the sadness finally appeared on Mingxin's face, which had always been gentle and calm.

He bowed to the youth who was still watching him and said softly:

"Many thanks for your care, Benefactor; then I shall first... perform the funeral rites for Master."