Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 107 - 103: Making a Scene at the Buddha Bone Temple

Chapter 107: Chapter 103: Making a Scene at the Buddha Bone Temple

"How could anyone believe such blatant deception?"

Li Ping’an bit into an apple, sneering at how low the monks’ scamming skills were, thinking that in the modern day, no one would believe such nonsense.

To Li Ping’an’s utter astonishment, not only did the devotees believe wholeheartedly, but they also left silver coins, eagerly wrote in the karma book, and departed with joy. Li Ping’an couldn’t help but exclaim,

"Such fake monks tarnish the Buddhist community, using the concept of karma and promises of officialdom and longevity to swindle the people’s incense money and wealth. Truly detestable!"

"The lady devotee there, please wait a moment!"

Seeing one of the female devotees was quite attractive, Master Yongxin was filled with lustful intentions. He immediately descended from the shrine and approached the lady with respect, saying,

"Lady devotee, you have a predestined connection with the Buddhist community. Would you care to practice Joyful Zen with this monk? Once practiced, you’ll have many children and blessings in this life, and in the next, you’re sure to be born into an emperor’s family!"

"I would like to practice!"

The female devotee knelt down gratefully, bowing incessantly. Li Ping’an, dumbfounded by what he saw, immediately stepped forward to stop her, saying,

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you out of your mind? You believe this nonsense? Practicing Joyful Zen with him is not as good as spending a night with this Immortal here!"

"You nosy Taoist! Are you here to make trouble?"

The Reception Monk, who had been collecting money up front, walked over to Li Ping’an, both to gather the money and to stop Li Ping’an from exposing them, all the while glancing around to see if any pilgrims were still present.

"You demon Daoist, how dare you speak such nonsense, not only stealthily consume offerings dedicated to the Buddha Ancestor but also dare to talk nonsense here, bewitching the crowd. If you leave incense money today, you might be able to walk out of here..."

After confirming once again that only two devotees were left, the monk became even more bold and fierce towards Li Ping’an:

"If you don’t leave incense money, you won’t be able to leave here today. Don’t believe me? Just try it!"

"Then let’s try!"

Seeing that the devotees were hopelessly misguided and having watched enough of the farce, Li Ping’an saw no point in lingering. He thought of finding a restaurant to have a good meal first, and without looking back, he headed towards the temple exit.

"Demon Daoist, don’t leave without paying the incense money!"

The money-seeking monk raised his hand to stop him but was pushed aside by Li Ping’an, falling to the ground and scattering the coins from his money bag all over the place.

With no other devotees left aside from the female devotee, the monks stopped pretending. Seeing the silver coins scattered across the floor made them more excited than seeing their own parents. They threw themselves to the ground, frantically grabbing money and stuffing it into their robes, which was both absurd and laughable!

The money-seeking monk immediately shouted at Master Yongxin:

"Master, that guy is a Taoist Cultivator, surely envious of our temple’s flourishing incense money, repeatedly causing trouble. We should kill this thief to let out the disciple’s frustration!"

Master Yongxin had already taken a disliking to Li Ping’an for slandering his Buddhist teachings and beating his disciples in public. How could he bear it? He immediately blocked the lady devotee’s ears and ordered the many disciples scrambling for money:

"You can come back for the money later. First, capture that trouble-making Taoist, detain him for three days, starve him, and let his Sect Leader pay a ransom. Today is the day the Emperor will view the Buddha’s Bone and Teeth. We cannot let this thief cause any more trouble, lest the Emperor sees it. If this scoundrel slanders us in front of the Emperor, how will we make money in the future?"

The monks then stopped and rushed out in anger, determined to capture Li Ping’an, while Master Yongxin led the female devotee to a quiet place in the back to practice meditation.

"Taoist, don’t you run! If you want to live, leave all your money, and let someone from your Dao pay the ransom!"

A group of monks chased after Li Ping’an, who didn’t want to cause trouble and thus quickened his pace. But the monks were determined to stop him, blocking Li Ping’an’s path, each looking like a bandit, with a murderous aura.

"Damn it! Ignorant fools!"

Now possessing considerable strength, Li Ping’an had just given a monk a slight push, causing him to stumble and fall. Had he resorted to fists and feet, he would have certainly disabled the group, but then he would have gotten himself in trouble with the law, which would have made it difficult to get things done in Chang’an.

Eventually, he calmed down, clenched his teeth, and endured. Seeing no way out ahead, he ran towards the main hall of the Future Buddha Hall, thinking to spare them and then make his escape.

It was not too concerning not to enter the main hall of the Future Buddha Hall; however, once inside, there were even more monks, with dozens of craftsmen being led by others to repair walls, whitewash, paint beams, and gild the statue of Maitreya Buddha, all in a bustling mess.

"Brothers, our master has ordered us to capture this troublemaker with the bull nose! Block the doors and windows quickly, now is the time to trap the turtles in the jar, to close the door to beat the dog!"

The monk collecting incense money reminded them, and immediately, they responded in droves, picking up bamboo poles the craftsmen had brought along, and thirty monks encircled Li Ping’an in front of the Maitreya Buddha statue.

"You bald thieves! You’re really forcing me now, aren’t you!"

Li Ping’an couldn’t understand why this group of monks was so obstinate. To think that a few taunts, the theft of offerings, and pushing a monk would lead to such a desperate situation was beyond his comprehension.

But with things having reached this point and no time to ponder, in self-defense, Li Ping’an could only pull out his Hundred Plays Steel Rod and start teaching these fake monks a lesson right there on the spot.

In an instant, the entire Maitreya Buddha Hall was filled with the screams of monks, either knocked to the ground by Li Ping’an or crying for their fathers and begging for mercy on their knees, while the craftsmen repairing the Buddha statue had long since fled in terror.

"Spare our lives, Daoist master! Spare our lives!"

The previously arrogant money-collecting monk was now kneeling in front of Li Ping’an with a bloodied face, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Hmph!"

Li Ping’an gave these fake monks a dismissive glance:

"Are you out of your minds? Why the hell are you blocking my way?"

"We dare not disobey the master’s orders!"

The group of monks immediately shifted the blame to Master Yongxin, who was practicing Joyful Zen.

"Enough already, enough. I’m not here to cause trouble. I was pushed into this place; I was just here to watch the spectacle. I only defended myself because you forced me to. Let’s end this matter here. Farewell!"

After teaching them a lesson, Li Ping’an, carrying his Hundred Plays Steel Rod, walked towards the outside of the main hall of the Future Buddha Hall.

"Who dares to cause trouble on my turf?"

Suddenly, a faint voice came from behind Li Ping’an. Listening closely, he was certain that the voice did not belong to any of the fake monks, but then who could it be?

"Who cares!"

Li Ping’an continued to walk forward. Just as his right foot was about to step over the threshold of the main entrance of the Future Buddha Hall, a Buddhist swastika appeared in front of him. Not only did it shine with a golden light, but it also quickly flew in front of Li Ping’an, pressing against his chest and pushing him towards the Future Buddha statue.

"What’s going on?"

Li Ping’an was shocked. With his own strength, he could not struggle free and felt as if he was easily controlled, involuntarily moving backward until he stopped in front of the Future Buddha statue, where the swastika finally disappeared completely.