Wandering Gods of Day and Night
Chapter 206 - 164 Sheep Monk

Chapter 206: Chapter 164 Sheep Monk

"Who is this?" Zhou Xuan pointed at the monk in Kasaya and asked.

"Oh, he is De Xin, the Guest Monk of our Qiye Temple," Master Dehai introduced.

The position of Guest Monk is quite high within the temple hierarchy. Their main duties include hosting visitors and sometimes acting as the link between the temple and the outside world.

If compared to Zhou Family’s Troupe,

The status of the Guest Monk would be akin to Yu Jia, the fourth senior brother of Zhou Family’s Troupe.

Additionally, the Guest Monk is also one of the eight stewards, a managerial role within the temple.

"The Monastery Director is also one of the eight stewards."

Zhou Xuan recalled the Monastery Director he had turned into a tattoo.

The Monastery Director’s position is even higher than that of the Guest Monk, second only to the Abbot and the Head Seat of the temple. In some temples, the Monastery Director is called "Master," which signifies their esteemed rank.

The Monastery Director’s soul, transformed into a tattoo, displayed a goat head atop a human body.

The Guest Monk, the Abbot, all possessed the "goat face," but the Hall Master, who held a lower position, did not.

Does this mean, in Qiye Temple, only monks of higher status possess the "goat face"?

"Senior Brother, hosting distinguished guests is my responsibility. Allow me to accompany them."

"This guest is a friend of Master Si, so I’d better accompany personally."

Master Dehai waved his Kasaya sleeve, dismissing the Guest Monk, and continued explaining to Zhou Xuan: "The statue of Monk Zhu Jiu, why does it stand in the Great Hall? There is a story behind this."

He assumed a storyteller’s posture and began narrating, saying that Monk Zhu Jiu, in his youth, had been a Taoist.

However, as a Taoist, he was remarkably indolent, spending his days either drinking wine or sleeping deeply. The few hours he was awake, he delighted in painting and calligraphy.

One day, drunk as he often was, he scribbled reckless and chaotic drawings on the walls of the Daoist Temple, making a mess of it.

The temple priest, unable to tolerate him further, expelled him.

When Monk Zhu Jiu left the Daoist Temple, he was already an adult, yet years of idle living rendered him incapable of manual labor. Neither his shoulders could bear weight nor his hands lift burdens—ordinary labor tasks posed great challenges for him.

Thus, he became a monk and joined Qiye Temple.

After entering the temple, he abstained from wine and instead took pleasure in brewing wine for temple guests. No longer slothful, he devoted himself to rigorous study of Buddhist teachings, eventually becoming a revered monk. With Buddha energy enveloping him, guests who sat before him could hear the resonant chime of a Buddha Bell emanating from his body.

"Monk Zhu Jiu was an unrestrained individual. He never accepted titles like Master or Great Monk, insisting he only be called Monk. In his own words—’A monk is simply a monk, what else would you call a monk?’"

In his later years, before entering Nirvana, Monk Zhu Jiu took a brush, dipped it in chicken blood, and wrote the word "death" on the chests of all Buddha statues within Qiye Temple. Additionally, he drew a vivid red line across the mouths of these Buddhas, as if sewing them shut.

The temple monks asked why he used the red line to seal their mouths,

And he replied—"Dead Buddhas cannot speak. What purpose does a mouth serve?"

Master Dehai reached this point in the story and added: "Monk Zhu Jiu also said—’All Buddhas under heaven have died; only I, Monk Zhu Jiu, am the true Buddha of the universe.’ After saying so, he entered Nirvana."

"So, you all agreed with Monk Zhu Jiu’s view, that a thousand Buddhas have all passed away while Monk Zhu Jiu lives on, and thus erected his statue in the Great Hall?"

"That is the reasoning."

Master Dehai did not shy away from addressing Zhou Xuan’s question.

"This Monk Zhu Jiu is truly audacious."

Zhou Xuan admired such bold individuals, as long as they were genuine in their audacity, not fabricated or pretentiously bold.

Zhou Xuan’s visit to Qiye Temple was to "wash away injustice" for Monk Zhu Jiu. However, both Master Dehai and Si Ming had stated that Zhu Jiu was long deceased.

If he had already passed away, then how could justice be served?

Could it be that his death two hundred years ago was unjust?

Could the Wash Away Injustice Talisman return to two hundred years ago? Of course not; time-space fissures are not constant but continuously form and collapse.

The time-space fissures from two hundred years ago had already collapsed and faded into oblivion; the Wash Away Injustice Talisman could not penetrate them.

"Let’s search elsewhere in the temple."

Zhou Xuan, thinking this, told Master Dehai, "I’ve seen the Great Hall. Let’s explore other places."

"As you wish, as you wish."

Master Dehai led Zhou Xuan and his companions out through the side door of the Great Hall and into the Thousand Buddha Forest.

The Buddha Forest consisted of hundreds of small Buddha Towers, with chanting echoing from all directions within the forest.

Upon closer inspection, beneath each tower, two or three novice monks were seated, chanting sutras on the ground.

Zhou Xuan marveled at the monks’ dedication—it was mid-afternoon, yet they recited scripture under the scorching sun in the Pagoda Forest.

"They do this every day. Qiye Temple has produced Great Buddhas; the Buddha energy suffuses the place, influencing the disciples to be naturally diligent."

"Is that so?"

Zhou Xuan had a peculiar feeling that these novice monks did not seem genuinely diligent. Their level of concentration was unnaturally high, like machines. Even when people spoke around them, their bodies remained entirely motionless, their eyelids didn’t even flicker—it defied human nature.

He stealthily approached one Buddha Tower, holding a Bone Tooth with only the tip exposed, and lightly pricked a novice monk on his shoulder.

The tooth tip pierced the monk’s skin, yet the monk remained stationary—without glancing, without listening, without even pressing the wound—continuing to chant where he sat.

"These novice monks are indeed strange."

As Zhou Xuan pondered this, he suddenly heard the bleat of a goat.

"Baa!"

Following the sound, he looked toward the depths of the Pagoda Forest and spotted a goat, peering at him.

"Master Dehai, am I mistaken, or is that a goat?"

Zhou Xuan pointed to the round-bellied goat and said.

"Indeed! We also have sheep monks at Qiye Temple."

Master Dehai laughed and replied.

Si Ming explained to Zhou Xuan, saying: "Legends say that the Buddha energy in Qiye Temple is so abundant that even livestock are drawn to worship here—cows, horses, and sheep among them. Over time, as the number of sheep grew, they came to be called sheep monks."