Chapter 394: The Drinker's Intention Is Not the Wine

Empty Silence Abbott honored Liu Junyan as a Chan master; from the start, he promoted Liu Junyan as the reincarnation of Dahui Chan Master, thus he respected and protected Liu Junyan even more.

One could say that Liu Junyan's status with Empty Silence Abbott is equivalent to that of Dahui Chan Master himself.

But today, Empty Silence Abbott postponed the meeting time he had agreed upon with Liu Junyan last night in order to attend to another distinguished guest, which shows that the guest's identity is not ordinary.

Liu Junyan asked so abruptly that I thought the little novice monk wouldn't answer.

I didn't expect him to be so forthcoming; he put his palms together, said 'Amitabha', and said: 'They are black-hat sect monks from the Zàng Qū, eleven in total. They intend to set up a dharma altar at the Dharma King Temple for a week, chanting sutras and performing rites to guide the soul of the reincarnated spirit child to take refuge.'

I heard it all in a haze, confused.

The little novice monk again apologetically bowed to Liu Junyan and said: 'Things happened suddenly; they arrived before dawn, and Empty Silence Abbott really couldn't free himself, so he instructed you to avoid meeting this group of black-hat sect monks as much as possible this week to prevent unnecessary trouble.'

After Liu Junyan agreed, the little novice monk added: 'After lunch they will set up a dharma platform between the Garan Hall and the Dizang Hall to chant sutras; you two can enter the temple a bit later and avoid that stretch.'

Having said what he needed to say, the little novice monk then left.

I exchanged a glance with Liu Junyan.

I asked: 'Āyàn, what are black-hat sect monks?'

'Black-hat sect monks refer to the Karmapa; the Karmapa is the oldest reincarnation system of living Buddhas in the Zàng Qū, and it has already reached its seventeenth incarnation.'

So they were talking about the reincarnation of a living Buddha.

'So the black-hat sect believes that this incarnation's reincarnated spirit child has fallen in this area of Song Mountain?'

'That's probably what they mean.'

'Has a living Buddha recently passed away in the Zàng Qū? Did they point to Song Mountain before his passing, or did they seek it themselves?'

Liu Junyan shook his head; this matter still needs investigation, and I sent a message to Fang Chuanzong.

'Do you think this is merely a coincidence, or was it done intentionally?'

Liu Junyan gave a noncommittal reply: 'It's hard to say; human hearts are the hardest to discern, and only time can verify.'

I was even more worried about the Copper Coin Person: 'Āyàn, do you think they're after the Copper Coin Person?'

We had just arrived at Song Mountain; last night Liu Junyan had only just separated the Copper Coin Person, and before dawn the black-hat sect monks arrived.

If there is catnip hidden here, it only shows that we have already been targeted.

Liu Junyan furrowed his brows tightly, then looked toward the valley direction, his mind heavy with concerns.

I reached out and grasped his big hand, worrying: 'Is there no way to summon the Copper Coin Person back now?'

'He is to receive enlightenment from Empty Silence Abbott; before the enlightenment, he must undergo a three-day, three-night Buddhist baptism. Before I returned last night, he was already inside the baptism formation array.' Liu Junyan said, 'Now if we try to forcibly summon him back, it would do him a hundred harms and no benefit, whether the opponent is human or ghost; we can only grit our teeth and press on, at least that place is the Dharma King Temple, a true land of flourishing incense.'

For now, that's all we can do.

Although there are many doubts, Empty Silence Abbott's identity is genuine.

The Dharma King Temple has a history of nineteen hundred years from its founding to the present.

As the abbot of a millennium-old temple, worldly struggles for fame and profit are to him like passing clouds; he ought not to have any problems.

Thinking of this, my heart felt a little more at ease.

All morning, we never left the vicinity of Shi Wu.

Liu Junyan and I walked hand in hand, strolling through the great valley.

While it seemed we were admiring the scenery and passing time, in fact we were tacitly measuring every inch of land in the valley with our steps, determining each anchor point of the Seven Star Lock Spirit Formation Array, and making markers.

At noon, when the little novice monk brought us lunch, he also brought us bad news—the Dharma King Temple had received two more batches of 'distinguished guests' in succession.

They belong to the same Zàng Qū living Buddha reincarnation system as the black-hat sect monks, namely the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.

Their reason for staying at the Dharma King Temple is the same—to guide the soul of the reincarnated spirit child to take refuge.

I couldn't help but say: 'How could there be such a coincidence in this world? The three lineages' reincarnation systems are different, so why have this era's reincarnated spirit children all coincidentally gathered in Song Mountain? Are the spirit children they seek three separate ones, or the same one?'

The little novice monk merely shook his head and said 'Amitabha'.

Liu Junyan waved his hand, asking the little novice monk to leave first: 'She's feeling a bit down; I'll comfort her, you go about your business.'

After the little novice monk left, I leaned into Liu Junyan's embrace, gritted my teeth and said: 'Āyàn, this is obviously a trap.'

'The fact that all three have sent people actually confirms to me that Empty Silence Abbott is fine; no one would be so foolish as to invite three poisonous snakes into his own territory for personal gain.'

Indeed, that makes sense upon reflection.

But then I suddenly thought: 'What if… these three families appear to belong to three different systems on the surface, but have actually already been unified?'

My words startled him, and Liu Junyan's hand gripping my waist tightened suddenly.

At that moment, my phone vibrated once—it was a reply from Fang Chuanzong.

He had quickly checked; the several major living Buddhas of the Zàng Qū are all still alive and well, with no recent passings.

But Fang Chuanzong also said that it's not necessary for a living Buddha to pass away for a reincarnated spirit child to appear.

Because in the historical process of seeking reincarnated spirit children, there have been precedents of mistakes.

That is to say, they brought back a fake, while the genuine one wandered outside.

If fortunate, there may still be a chance to be found later.

If unfortunate, it may also perish young.

And now what these three families speak of—'guiding the soul of the reincarnated spirit child to take refuge'—is quite thought‑provoking.

'Could it be that among the living Buddhas now seated high in the temples, there is a fraud?'

'And the true reincarnated spirit child has already died, with his soul condensed in Song Mountain?'

'But why would that suddenly draw all three here?'

Liu Junyan pondered and said: 'The greatest possibility now is that someone is mixing fish eyes with pearls—their ulterior motive is not what it seems.'

I completely agree with that.

Liu Junyan looked at me, no longer hesitating: 'Xiao Jiu, let's have lunch first; after lunch we'll sneak back to the Dharma King Temple to see the situation for ourselves.'

In the afternoon, a fine drizzle began to fall.

The raindrops were so fine that they vanished upon touching the skin.

Liu Junyan brought me straight over the side courtyard wall of the Great Dharma King Temple, leapt in, went around the Heavenly King Hall, and hid beneath a century-old large tree next to the bell tower.

That large tree faces the Earth Store Hall.

The area between the Earth Store Hall and the Monastery Hall had three tall Dharma Altars erected, and the eminent monks on the altars were already chanting sutras.

The Black Hat Sect and Banchan Erdini are somewhat unfamiliar to me, but the Dalai Lama of Zàng Qū I know very well.

Upon seeing them, I thought of Ox Tiger Mountain Prison, of Old Lady Bai, and of the battle at Small Camp Mouth in Prosperous City; all of these are related to the Dalai Lama.

If I had to pick a poisonous snake among these three, I would unhesitatingly choose the Dalai Lama...