Chapter 598 - Visit to the Mountain
Chapter 598 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" starts with: In the fields, the old man was turning the soil over.This task wasnât all that... Continue exploring!
In the fields, the old man was turning the soil over.This task wasnât all that urgent; working a portion of it each day was enough, making planting in the coming spring much more convenient.
Better to move around out here than let his body rust at home.
Along the earthen ridges, a handsome young man approached.
The youth had clear and distinct eyebrows and eyes; his temperament was exceptionally good.
Itâs just that his demeanourâŚ
was somewhat sneaky.
âOld man, Iâd like to inquire about somethingâŚâ
However, belonging to the sacred land of Buddhism, the local customs were honest and simple.
The old man didnât have any bad suspicions.
He just leisurely crumbled the soil clods, with a smile of kind benevolence, âWhat is it?â
This young man was naturally Jiang Wang.
When he mentioned the name Ku Jue, he looked around; the shadow cast by the old yellow-faced monk was indeed large.
He asked nonchalantly, âHas Master Ku Jue recently returned to Buddha land, old man, do you know?â
The old man shook his head, âHavenât heard anything.â
Thatâs settled then!
That old Monk Ku Jue possessed formidable strength and was highly respected (or so he claimed).
If such a revered monk were in the temple, the faithful would definitely know.
After all, the monks of Buddhism often needed to perform good deeds.
The Hanging Monastery was also known for its ascetic practices, often having monks working in the fields, not keeping a distance from the faithful.
Jiang Wang was relieved, stood up straighter, and his complexion became more at ease, âThank you, old man!â
He politely bid farewell and then headed straight for the mountain gate of the Hanging Monastery.
The old man continued to turn the soil in place, but couldnât help but feel curiousâ
Was there a Master Ku Jue in the sacred temple?
He hadnât heard of him.
It sounded like he was a contemporary of the abbot!
The secular gate that appeared to the public was only part of the Hanging Monastery, commonly known as the outer mountain.
A sect like the Hanging Monastery had reception monks specifically to greet cultivators.
Those born to aristocratic families, wherever they went to visit, would have someone send their name cards ahead of time.
Listing their family and title.
Jiang Wang wasnât quite so particular, but he still fully observed the formalities, declaring his identity to the reception monk.
After all, he was there to visit, not to challenge the monastery.
âJiang Wang from Qingyang Town, entrusted by others, has come to visit the mountain.
PleaseâŚâ
Jiang Wang was properly going through the motions with the Hanging Monasteryâs reception monk when a monk strolled by casually.
Suddenly, he stopped, stepped back, and an excited voice rang out, startling Jiang Wang, who forgot where his line of thought had wandered off to.
âJing Shen, little junior brother!â
Jiang Wangâs scalp tingled.
Turning around, he saw the monk with clear and handsome features, in a clean monkâs robe, his shaved head gleaming; it was the âold acquaintanceâ he had met in Green Sheep TownâŚ
Even the wisest can overlook something!
Having thought through countless possibilities, he had somehow overlooked Monk Jing Li!
But Jiang Wang quickly realized he hadnât just slipped up in one way.
Because Monk Jing Li had already turned around and started shouting excitedly, âMaster!
Little junior brother Jing Shen has returned!â
His voice imbued with Path Origin, carried far and wide through the mountain gate.
Whoosh!
The sound of the wind passed through.
âWhere is he, where is he?â
The voice arrived before the yellow-faced old monk stepped forth, and upon landing, he immediately caught sight of Jiang Wang with a stiff expression.
âGood disciple!â
He praised, âYouâve come to turn yourself inâŚ
or have you come to a realization?â
âSudden enlightenment?â Ku Jue grinned, revealing teeth that were not very white, and nodded affirmatively, âI knew you had the wisdom root!â
Monk Jing Li looked at him with full emotion, âIn that murky place of Linzi, little junior brother must have suffered a lot, right?
You look rather haggardâŚâ
The reception monk gazed at Jiang Wang in a daze, wondering if this was the same junior brother spoken of in legends by Master Jing Li.
How come he had not taken the tonsure yet?
Jiang Wang: âŚ
How could I not be haggard after meeting you?
âTwo great masters,â Jiang Wang took a deep breath, âI think thereâs been a misunderstanding.â
âNo misunderstanding, no misunderstanding, we are all family.
Master understands you,â Ku Jue said with a smile that could not be contained, reaching out to grab him.
Jiang Wang hastily dodged, but failed completely.
As the Path Origin just began to surge, his hand was already caught.
The Path Origin clashed but might as well have hit an Iron Wall, unable to shake it in the slightest.
It looked as if he willingly let his âmasterâ take hold of him.
The scene was quite harmonious.
Monk Jing Li chuckled from the side, âOur little junior brother has finally found his way back, returning to enjoy the blessings of the mountain gate!â
Ku Jue was already leading him inside, âCome, your master will take you to recognize the door to our sect.â
Jiang Wang was secretly alarmed.
The more powerful he became, the more he recognized the strength of Ku Jue.
Jiang Wang of today was much stronger than the Jiang Wang of Green Sheep Town days, yet still, he had no power to struggle in front of Ku Jue!
Wait, recognize what door?
He quickly responded, calling out repeatedly, âGreat master, great master, please listen to me.â
âHey, youâre quite shy with family!â Ku Jue, to show his closeness, even deliberately squinted his eyes, then pretended to be angry, âStill calling me great master?â
Jing Li joined in, âYou should be calling him master.â
After saying this, he himself laughed delightfully, âThen call brother!â
It was impossible to get any clarity from these two monks, the older and the younger one.
Left with no choice, Jiang Wang channeled the Path Origin, shouting loudly, âEntrusted by Master Guan Yan of Daqi, Green Sheep Town, male, Grade-4 Qing brand catcher Jiang Wang, has come to pay respects to the mountain gate!â
He stated the purpose of his visit, hoping to summon a figure capable of overshadowing the old monk Ku Jue.
By outlining his official rank within Qi Country, he indicated he had significant backing and was well-established in Qi Country, hoping the old monk and the young monk would give up their delusions.
The voice echoed through the mountain gate.
To Monk Jing Li, one of their own, shouting was not a problem.
Jiang Wangâs shouting, on the other hand, seemed a bit provocative.
But at this moment, no one cared about that.
âWhat was that about âGuanâ again?â Ku Jue turned his head, asking his obedient grand-disciple.
Monk Jing Li replied honestly, âSeems to be GuanâŚâ
âWhatâs âGuanâ again?â Ku Jue turned to Jiang Wang, âGood disciple, itâs clear youâre happy to see your master, but choose your words carefully.â
The two of them didnât care about Jiang Wangâs titles, but they were very sensitive about the master he mentioned.
No wonder, for the status of Guan Yan was truly high!
At Hanging Monastery, the current generation of names includes âDu Xing Ding Zhi Guan Yi Xin, Bei Ku Jing Kong Jie Fa Yuan.â
The âGuanâ generation is four generations above the âKuâ generation!
Just then, a voice that sounded quite worrisome resonated in everyoneâs ears.
âPlease invite Patron Jiang into the mountain gate.â
The owner of the voice thus instructed.
Firstly, the address âPatron Jiangâ indicated he did not acknowledge Ku Jueâs unilateral decision to take a disciple.
Then the word âpleaseâ revealed an attitude that forbade compulsion.
Apart from Abbot Ku Ming, no one else could persuade Monk Ku Jue, who was keen on taking a disciple.
And naturally, when he mentioned the mountain gate, he referred to the real location of the Hanging Monastery.
With the abbotâs command, Ku Jue could only let go of Jiang Wangâs hand, though his expression was still not too willing.
âAh, good disciple, did you truly come here on business?
Not just to see your master?â
âI am indeed here on someoneâs request,â Jiang Wang said helplessly, âAlso, Master Ku Jue, please stop calling me your disciple.â
âMy disciple, think before you speak next time.â
Ignoring the latter half of his sentence, the yellow-faced old monk retorted, âThose baldies can be quite troublesome, especially one called Ku Bing, always a nuisance from the start.
But donât worry.â
He patted his chest, âYour master will protect you!â