Chapter 155 : No Buddhist Aptitude
In just a moment's distraction, the young monk beside the little white cat had disappeared. Combined with the mysterious origins and unknown nature of Foguang Temple, this made her quite anxious. She looked around frantically, searching for the young monk.
Fortunately, while the little white cat hadn't noticed, Yun Qingyue had seen where Tan Xin had gone and pointed toward the main hall: "He went inside."
Since the two people and one cat had entered this ancient temple, they hadn't seen anyone else. However, the Buddhist chants they had heard somewhat unclearly outside the gate now filled their ears distinctly after entering. The direction of these chants was precisely the main hall ahead, and if there were still people in Foguang Temple, they should be in the main hall. Unfortunately, the lighting in the hall wasn't very good, and standing far away, one couldn't see clearly what was inside.
The little white cat peered from Senior Sister's arms but couldn't make out the appearance of the main hall—despite the clear sky outside, the hall was pitch black, like the gaping maw of an abyss ready to devour someone.
After a couple of glances, the little white cat felt somewhat intimidated and asked Yun Qingyue: "Senior Sister, will the young monk be alright?"
Yun Qingyue didn't share the little white cat's concerns. Upon entering the ancient temple, she had felt a wave of serenity wash over her, and the Buddhist chants in her ears had a calming effect, giving her the intuition that there was no danger here. As for Tan Xin, he was Buddha's Disciple, who had come for his own destiny, and whatever experiences he encountered along the way were his own affair—she couldn't interfere and didn't plan to.
However, since the little white cat was worried, she accommodatingly said: "Since you're concerned, let's go take a look." Seeing the little white cat suddenly become tense, she added with a smile: "We'll just look from outside—that shouldn't be a problem."
With her modest friendship and fondness for the young monk, plus a cat's natural curiosity, the little white cat agreed.
The human and cat headed toward the main hall, taking the opportunity to examine the not-so-large ancient temple along the way.
True to her word, Yun Qingyue didn't enter the main hall, but standing outside was enough to see what was happening inside—dozens of monks sat cross-legged in the hall. They had been chanting with their eyes closed, but whether it was Yun Qingyue's appearance that disturbed them or something else, the chanting suddenly stopped. No one turned to look at her, but the old monk sitting at the front facing the disciples suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze meeting that of the human and cat.
The little white cat had initially been startled, but upon meeting those kind, compassionate eyes, the unease in her heart suddenly dissipated. The old monk only looked at them for a moment before quickly withdrawing his gaze and beginning his sermon.
Buddhist scriptures, for modern people without faith, are no different from hearing an incomprehensible text.
The little white cat lost interest after listening to a few sentences, not knowing how well the old monk was preaching. However, it must have been excellent, because she finally found Tan Xin—he was sitting cross-legged among the group of monks, attentively listening to the old monk's sermon. As he listened, a golden Buddhist light faintly appeared around his body, suggesting he was gaining something.
This was indeed the young monk's destiny!
The little white cat thought with emotion and raised her head, about to speak to Senior Sister, only to find that Yun Qingyue was also absorbed in the old monk's sermon—so was she the only one without Buddhist aptitude, completely unable to understand the old monk's preaching?!
After doubting her literacy, Jiang Mo now doubted her aptitude.
Fortunately, this doubt only lasted a moment. As her thoughts drifted, the little white cat calmed down—after all, she wasn't becoming a monk, so what did it matter whether she understood Buddhist scriptures? Besides, she was a white tiger, naturally combative, which was inherently at odds with Buddhism's peace and compassion. And as a divine beast, who could say her bloodline wasn't pure or her aptitude wasn't good?
In an instant, the little white tiger regained her confidence, as if even the spiritual energy within her body swelled and filled with it.
But before she could notice this change, her gaze shifted, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat—she might lack the aptitude to understand Buddhist scriptures, but Senior Sister seemed quite engrossed. Senior Sister's talent had always been exceptional, truly one in ten thousand. What if she also had great Buddhist aptitude? What if after listening to a sermon, she saw through worldly affairs and converted to Buddhism?!
Although this sounded far-fetched, such things weren't unheard of in the cultivation world. Combined with the cub's small concerns, even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she had to extinguish that possibility!
The little white cat suddenly stood up and raised her paw, patting Senior Sister's face several times in succession, nearly leaving paw prints on that jade-like cheek.
Yun Qingyue had been immersed in Buddhist teachings, but with several pats on her face, she naturally felt it. Her eyes blinked, suddenly returning to awareness, and she immediately caught the mischievous cat cub.
With her paw caught, the little white cat immediately showed a sheepish smile: "Senior Sister, you're back?"
While smiling awkwardly, she secretly extended her tail to hook around Senior Sister's wrist, her ingratiating intent obvious.
Seeing this, what could Yun Qingyue do beyond showing complete helplessness? The tiger she had raised—she could only forgive her! But she looked up once more at the old monk preaching in the hall, her eyes flashing with some regret—it wasn't just anywhere that one could hear a realized monk preach. Being able to listen this once was already piggybacking on Tan Xin's destiny, but it was unfortunate she couldn't hear it to the end.
Fortunately, her mind was clear, and she didn't insist on what she had missed. She merely bowed respectfully toward the old monk preaching in the hall, then carried the troublesome little white cat away, walking a few steps before tugging the cat's ear for a lecture.
The little white cat knew her behavior wasn't good and flattened her ears, obediently accepting the reprimand.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
Tan Xin's destiny naturally couldn't be just listening to a sermon, but neither Yun Qingyue nor the little white tiger were Buddhist disciples, so Buddhist opportunities were irrelevant to them. For the sermons, the little white tiger even pulled Senior Sister far away to avoid them.
With nothing to do, the human and tiger began to wander around Foguang Temple.
This temple wasn't large. Besides the main hall at the front housing Buddhist statues, there were only a few buildings on the left and right. One side appeared to be quarters for the monks, while the other was guest accommodations. Going around the main hall to the rear, they could see a Buddhist pagoda standing prominently, the flying eaves seen from a distance earlier being precisely the eaves of this pagoda.
This Buddhist pagoda looked no different from ordinary pagodas, with eight-sided eaves, each corner hanging an ancient bronze bell. When the wind blew, it often moved these bells, producing clear "ding-dong" sounds that, heard from afar, resembled a tranquil melody.
Perhaps because of the temple's serenity, Yun Qingyue and the little white cat slowed their pace as they strolled, and their slightly restless mood also calmed. Upon returning to the front of the main hall, passing by the row of ginkgo trees, the little white cat even caught a falling leaf, intending to keep it.
The chanting in the main hall had not ceased, and Tan Xin still sat upright, listening attentively.
Yun Qingyue and the little white cat didn't disturb them, treading lightly as they passed in front of the hall entrance. However, in the next moment, a thunderous "boom" came from the temple gate, shattering the tranquility like a stone breaking the sky.
The chanting in the main hall seemed to pause for a moment, then continued as if nothing had happened, the old monk's tone still unhurried.
But the noise outside didn't stop; rather, it grew more intense as no one paid attention to it. The little white cat couldn't help but rub her ears and look toward the closed temple gate: "What's happening?" After asking, she realized she might have asked a foolish question: "Could it be that those demonic cultivators have sent more people? How long has it been since the first batch died? Do they have so many personnel?"
When Yun Qingyue entered the secret realm, chaos had just begun at the entrance, and the little white tiger had slipped in during the confusion. Neither had waited until the end, so naturally, they didn't know how many demonic cultivators had mixed into the Canglán Secret Realm, but it was undeniable that these demonic cultivators had gathered to cause trouble.
Righteous and demonic paths couldn't coexist. Yun Qingyue, raised by the righteous Xuanqing Sect, naturally had no fondness for demonic cultivators.
She frowned, glancing back toward the main hall, and said to the little white cat: "Let's go see first. Buddha Sect's techniques directly counter the demonic path, and the identity of Buddha's Disciple is too special—perhaps that's why demonic cultivators are willing to pursue and kill him." However, she then felt something was off—after all, Nascent Soul cultivators under fifty in the demonic path weren't mass-produced cabbages; devoting all resources to deal with Tan Xin seemed somewhat counterproductive.
The commotion at the temple gate hadn't stopped, and Yun Qingyue had no time to delve deeper. When she arrived at the gate with the little white cat in her arms, she saw the vermilion doors trembling with each explosion, and the surrounding air occasionally rippled, indicating that people outside were vigorously attacking.
Yun Qingyue had some understanding of formations and could see at a glance that the formation outside had been damaged, and the temple gate probably couldn't hold for much longer. She intuitively felt she couldn't let the demonic cultivators outside ruin Tan Xin's affairs, so she simply put down the little white tiger, drew her sword, and took out more than ten fifth-grade talismans, planning a surprise attack.
Jiang Mo immediately saw her intention and quietly moved back a bit, then secretly dropped a round ball that rolled into a corner.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
Outside Foguang Temple, the rain hadn't stopped. A group of demonic cultivators had gathered to attack the long-closed temple gate.
Although each attack on the gate was powerful, the demonic cultivators were inevitably hampered by the unusual rain. After a round of attacks, the few who had acted seemed frustrated, cursing vulgarly.
Just then, with a "creak," the temple gate that had withstood their attacks suddenly opened.
The demonic cultivators outside instinctively felt elated, but before this joy could rise in their hearts, several bolts of lightning suddenly shot out from inside the gate, streaking straight toward them. Thus, elation turned to alarm, and the leader only had time to shout "Fall back!" but it was too late—the lightning conducted through the rainwater to everyone, and after a series of "crackling" sounds, the smell of scorched flesh slowly spread.
The scene fell silent for a moment. Those struck by lightning had their hair and beards completely singed, and they opened their mouths to release blue smoke. Before their companions could snicker at their miserable state, a brilliant sword light cut through their vision, striking directly.
Fortunately, after the previous surprise attack when the gate opened, though the demonic cultivators mocked their companions, they hadn't relaxed their vigilance. Several immediately waved their hands to summon their magical treasures, collectively rushing toward the sword light. Some were even quick to respond, disregarding the danger and rushing forward, intending to take advantage of the open gate to force their way in.
Regardless, inside Foguang Temple there was no rain, and fighting inside would allow them much more freedom than fighting outside!