The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: This Breeze, This Moon

Xia Wenjin laughed and said, ”We’ve come from afar and heard that Shian Temple is not only known for its efficacious Bodhisattva but also for its splendid scenery, so we wanted to take a closer look.”

Hearing the compliment, the little monk felt a sense of pride and said, ”The benefactor is right, our temple’s Bodhisattva is the most efficacious, and the scenery is also top-notch!”

Xia Wenjin asked again, ”By the way, little master, I’ve heard that a High Monk from the Capital City has arrived at the temple. Is this true?”

Perhaps the earlier praise put the little monk in a good mood; he nodded and said, ”A few days ago, a High Monk indeed came to our temple from Bodhi Temple in the Capital City. The benefactor must have heard of Bodhi Temple; it is the National Temple of Nanxia. The High Monks there also possess supreme Buddhist Law. Tomorrow is the day for fortune slips, and that High Monk will also make an appearance.”

Xia Wenjin and Huangfu Jingchen exchanged a glance; this was exactly the charlatan they were searching for!

Xia Wenjin chuckled and asked, ”Little master, what is the Dharma name of that High Monk?”

”My master calls him Master Kong Chan!”

”Kong Chan? Of the ’Kong’ generation? That’s quite a high rank! Little master, could I inquire about the Dharma name of the Abbott of Shian Temple?” Since currently, the Abbott Master Pu Ji of Bodhi Temple has a very high rank. The second-generation monks bear the ’Kong’ names, the third-generation ’Ming,’ the fourth-generation ’Jue,’ and the fifth-generation ’Su.’

In most temples, those of the ’Kong’ generation have the highest rank.

The middle-aged monk who settled them earlier was of the ’Jue’ generation, and this so-called High Monk from the Capital City surpasses him by two generations.

The little monk said, ”The Abbott’s Dharma name is Ming Cheng.”

”Isn’t that Master even a generation higher than the Abbott?”

The little monk nodded earnestly and said, ”Yes, in our temple, only Ancestor Master and that Master are of the same generation.”

Xia Wenjin smiled; this charlatan was truly adept at assigning himself an identity, possessing a ’Kong’ name, and ranking even higher than the Abbott here.

This little monk loved to talk, but Xia Wenjin also had a knack for asking questions, making the little monk happily divulge everything he knew.

After the little monk left, Xia Wenjin turned to Huangfu Jingchen and said, ”I’m going out for a walk, you rest first!”

Huangfu Jingchen said, ”I’ll go for a walk too!”

”Two people make for a bigger target!”

”We can split up!”

Xia Wenjin thought for a moment, smiled, and said, ”All right. I’ll go first then!”

Seeing Xia Wenjin leave without hesitation and her figure disappearing from the meditation room in the blink of an eye, Huangfu Jingchen wondered, did she not want to walk with him?

However, regarding this matter, he also had some ideas; acting separately with Xia Wenjin wasn’t a bad choice either.

Xia Wenjin walked out through a side door.

According to Juehai, many people should be residing in the temple, but there was no sound. Perhaps those people were indeed, as the little monk said, devotedly chanting in the meditation rooms.

Xia Wenjin was going to find the charlatan with the Dharma name Kong Chan, who left a poem with her name embedded in it. Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, she had to ask.

But it seemed that the so-called High Monk in the temple had a transcendent status, after all, not only was he from Bodhi Temple in the Capital City, but he also had such a high rank.

Following the southeast direction, she walked for quite a while. As she walked, Xia Wenjin muttered to herself. This temple indeed seemed quite wealthy; the little monk mentioned that the Zen Temple and meditation rooms were abundant.

Ordinary people like them, who came to stay temporarily, resided in the special guest Zen Temple and meditation rooms in the northwest direction. Monks who came for short stays lived in the southwest meditation rooms. Though the monks in the temple lived free from worldly desires, sometimes their parents or relatives would visit, and these special guests stayed in the northeast meditation rooms. Additionally, some female incense guests resided in the southern Zen Temple.

The mountain was divided into the front and back mountains.

The back mountain was in the southeast, so there were meditation rooms there as well. However, it was too remote; besides monks who planted vegetables and carried manure, few people lived there, and few wanted to go.

As for the High Monk from Bodhi Temple, he certainly wouldn’t stay in those places. Originally, the Abbott intended for him to be accommodated in the Zen Temple near the west hall, not far from the Abbott’s meditation room. However, it was said that the High Monk refused and chose the southern Zen Temple.

From the little monk’s words, although Xia Wenjin didn’t see it with her own eyes, she understood the general layout of the temple.

If divided by terrain, the most central place is the Great Hero Hall, surrounded by the Ten Side Halls. Further outward are the meditation rooms and Zen Temples where the High Monks reside. Beyond that is where ordinary monks live, and at the outermost part is where Xia Wenjin and her group reside.

This High Monk from Bodhi Temple resides in the southern Zen Temple, a secluded and serene place, though a bit far from Xia Wenjin’s meditation room.

At this time, a few monks were still wandering outside. Xia Wenjin did not want to alert them, and besides, she wasn’t in a hurry. Even if she couldn’t find him tonight, the charlatan, as the Saint Monk of Bodhi Temple, would participate in the fortune slip event tomorrow.

Xia Wenjin walked southwards, and with her deliberate avoidance, she did not encounter anyone.

She felt she hadn’t stayed in the meditation room for long, but seeing the bright moon and sparse stars outside, it might already be past the hour of Hai. It seems that chatting with the little monk made the time pass unknowingly.

Earlier, when she told the little monk that the scenery here was beautiful, Xia Wenjin said it casually, but along the way, she found it really was.

The trees were lush, the meditation rooms tranquil, and there were waves of chanting, truly an otherworldly place.

When Xia Wenjin leisurely arrived outside a Zen Temple, the temple sounded the curfew drum.

Xia Wenjin looked around and estimated that this might be the place the little monk mentioned where the High Monk from Bodhi Temple resided.

She looked at the courtyard wall, estimated its height, lightly pressed her foot, grabbed the top of the wall, flipped her body, and leapt into the courtyard.

There were three meditation rooms in the Zen Temple, all in darkness, but the moonlight offered faint light, so it wasn’t too dim.

Living alone in an entire courtyard, the treatment was quite good indeed.

Xia Wenjin muttered internally, but her steps were steady and quiet as she reached the entrance of the meditation room, listening intently. She didn’t hear anything, and all three rooms were the same.

Xia Wenjin stopped beneath the window of the leftmost meditation room. She gently pulled, finding the window open, and climbed in through it.

Inside the meditation room, the bedding was neat, untouched by anyone. The room was empty, with not a person or even a mouse to be seen.

The second room was the same, and so was the third room!

Could it be that she guessed wrong, and the charlatan wasn’t staying here?

That’s also possible; after all, this isn’t the only Zen Temple here.

Having found nothing, Xia Wenjin exited the courtyard wall the way she came.

Let’s check the second Zen Temple!

The two Zen Temples were only about twenty meters apart, but their layout was exquisite and didn’t feel close at all.

Xia Wenjin quickened her pace. Just as she reached behind a large tree, suddenly a voice said, ”Bright and clear moon, gentle breeze, the world still harbors mundane affairs, but the mountain temple remains unperturbed by worldly dust. The moon white, the wind clear, the breeze caresses the face, this scene and setting, this wind and moon, truly make one linger. I didn’t expect you, benefactor, to also have such refined taste!”