Shinto Dantei

Thousand Buddha Mountain.

The mountain tops are like lotus petals, standing proudly and majestic.

Looking from a distance, the clouds and mist are shrouded, and the sound of bells is emitted from the mountains from time to time, pouring into the void, forming circles of air ripples, rippling out in all directions.

There are many Buddha statues carved on the mountain peak.

Most of these Buddha statues have mountain peaks as their main body. After being carved, half of their bodies are still mountains.

From a distance, it looks very majestic.

If you get close, you can hear the sound of chanting from Qianfo Mountain.

Very pious and loud.

From time to time, accompanied by Hong Zhongda Lu, it echoes between heaven and earth.

On the top of the mountain, there is a tall pagoda, at least one thousand meters high.

On the first floor of the pagoda, three doors opened, and an old monk sat on a futon, with his back to the Buddha and facing outside.

He was twisting a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, his expression calm and thoughtful.

The Buddha beads bloomed with dazzling golden light, which was very dense and had a good aura.

As the beads were twisted one by one by the old monk's fingers, the atmosphere around him also changed, becoming very sacred and noble.

"Master, are you looking for a disciple?"

Monk Mingxin walked in from outside and bowed to the old monk respectfully.

Over the past year or so, Monk Mingxin has also undergone considerable changes.

First of all, the head is rounder, and the scar on the top of the head is more obvious. Although he is wearing an ordinary monk's robe, he exudes an extraordinary aura with every move he makes. People can tell at a glance that this is a powerful and accomplished monk. .

However, his face looks a bit immature and not worthy of his temperament.

He called the old monk "Master", which meant that the old monk was the only Buddha in Qianfo Mountain!

He is also one of the eight great emperors of the human race.

"Ming Xin, I called you here this time. I really have many things I want to tell you."

The old monk showed a kind smile and waved at the same time, "Come, sit down and talk."

Monk Mingxin glanced at the old monk's sitting posture and felt strange, "Master, why is your back turned to the Buddha statue?"

"Because, I am overlooking the common people."

The old monk smiled and glanced ahead. This was the top of Qianfo Mountain. The front was shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

However, looking at it this time, you can indeed see the human world.

Monk Mingxin was shocked, and he immediately restrained all his thoughts. He understood that the master was giving him instructions.

He also followed the old monk's example, turning his back to the Buddha and facing the world.

"Ming Xin, over the years my master has sent you down the mountain to practice and slay demons. How have you done?"

The old monk suddenly asked, with a smile on his lips, which looked very gentle.

"Back to Master, this disciple has been fighting against the Heavenly Demon Palace and evil spirits for these years. He has always obeyed the master's orders and dared not slack off... From the beginning to the end, hundreds of evil spirits died in the hands of the disciples... "

Monk Mingxin responded quickly and seriously.

"Not bad."

The old monk turned back and glanced at the Buddha statue, then chuckled, "Mingxin, your realm has also been upgraded to the seven transformations of life and death. According to our Buddhist name, if you take another step forward, you will be able to reach the realm of Buddha and become the great emperor of the human race. But for us, this last step is the hardest.”

Monk Mingxin thought he had seen it wrong. When the old monk turned back to look at the statue of Buddha, a hint of sarcasm clearly flashed in his eyes.

How could this be?

Monk Mingxin calmed down and made sure he was not dazzled.

The scene just now was not an illusion, but something that actually happened!

The old monk did not hide anything about his previous behavior. Instead, he smiled openly and said, "Master understands your thoughts. When I went down the mountain to practice, my realm was higher than yours. The reason why I was able to break through to my current realm is everything." It all comes from the state of mind, to understand the suffering in the world..."

Monk Mingxin immediately shut up and listened honestly.

"At that time, there was a drought for three consecutive years, and in winter, heavy snow fell from the sky. I just... walked on the streets of the mortal city, restraining all my breath, just like an ordinary person."

A trace of yearning flashed in the old monk's eyes.

Dayan Kingdom, the main street of the city.

It's freezing cold and snowy.

A kind-hearted middle-aged monk walked barefoot on the street. Originally, due to drought, farmers had not had a good harvest in three years. In addition, the heavy snow in winter blocked the vitality. You can see many people on the street. The victims were emaciated and sallow, and they were fleeing everywhere. There were also many horse thieves galloping around, robbing homes and homes arrogantly.

The rules of the city have long been disrupted.

Some city guards also joined the ranks of horse thieves because they did not have enough to eat.

The weather is cold and the ground is freezing, and the people are in dire straits.

There was something wrong with the middle-aged monk's face. In fact, from the time he came down the mountain to now, everything he saw and heard along the way was shocking.

He couldn't help but fall into doubt. Why did the human kingdom and city not far away from the Thousand Buddha Mountain become like this?

Of course, he didn't know, because he had been chanting sutras on the mountain and had never been down the mountain.

This is his first time going down the mountain.

He still remembered what his master told him when he was about to go down the mountain, "Huineng, when you come down the mountain, you must use these eyes to look at the world. Only in this way can you understand the world better and take this final step; of course , If you don’t gain anything from this experience, it doesn’t matter. Just remember to look back. Once you look back, you will reach Thousand Buddha Mountain.”

Monk Huineng withdrew his thoughts and looked at the piles of hungry people on both sides of the road, and his heart couldn't help but twitch.

Why?

Why did the imperial court of the Yan Kingdom not allocate food for disaster relief or allocate funds to save people?

He was puzzled, he was confused, and he continued to walk in the ice and snow with a sigh of relief in his heart.

Many victims were so hungry that they lay down in front of their houses to avoid the snow.

But even so, snowflakes still fluttered and piled up in front of them. Without thick clothes to keep out the cold, everyone shivered and huddled together, as if the cold might harvest their lives anytime and anywhere.

Walking outside the city, the situation here is obviously even worse.

All over the mountains and plains, there are corpses buried in the heavy snow. Some people and wild dogs are lying on the corpses to eat.

This scene made Monk Huineng's heart twitch violently.

Everything that happened before him was unacceptable to him.

Is this...this world?

There is no need for monsters to cause trouble, hunger will make people crazy!

It can even be said that this is more cruel than the demons causing trouble!

What can they do if they don't have anything to eat?

"Mom, this corpse is so hard, I can't even chew it!"

In the distance, the voice of a young man came. He was unkempt and wrapped in a big cotton-padded jacket. He looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.

"It doesn't matter, break off your fingers and arms first, put them in your arms to warm them, and eat them after they've warmed up."

Next to the boy, a woman grinned, revealing the flesh and blood she was chewing.

The young man nodded and obeyed, but when he looked up, his eyes suddenly lit up, "Mom, look, there is a monk here, white and fat!"