Chapter 107 Doubts

"Don't be rude to the benefactor!" Abbot Huide reprimanded, then, with a rather unpleasant expression, he said to Jiang Cheng, "Benefactor, are you sure? The monk drinking wine fled into this courtyard?"

"I'm sure." Jiang Cheng nodded.

Abbot Huide's expression darkened. "My Chastity Monastery has always had strict rules. If, as the benefactor says, there are monks secretly drinking alcohol, they will be severely punished."

Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, seemed a little flustered at this moment, and quickly waved his hand. "Master Huide, you're being too serious. It's not that serious. It's just a little craving for a few sips of wine. As the saying goes, wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart."

"Benefactor, this matter concerns the reputation of this monastery and cannot be taken lightly." Huide turned around and walked towards the courtyard gate. "The two benefactors, please come with me and bear witness."

This move was exactly what the two of them wanted, but seeing Abbot Huide's solemn manner, Fatty couldn't help but feel a little doubt. Moreover, he hadn't seen Huide among the monks last night.

Reaching the courtyard gate, the two warrior monks saluted Abbot Huide, but then, seeing Jiang Cheng and Fatty following behind Huide, they looked puzzled. "Senior Brother Huide, what is this..."

"I want to take these two benefactors in to investigate." Huide's expression was grave, and he looked like he was in a bad mood.

"This..."

"It's okay, I'll explain to the monastery manager." Huide didn't give the two warrior monks a chance to refuse, and walked straight in.

Jiang Cheng and Fatty followed behind Huide. Not far after entering the courtyard, they arrived outside the building from last night. But the moment he saw the building, Fatty couldn't help but frown. The building, aside from being a little dilapidated, had no obvious signs of damage. The smashed wooden window was now properly closed.

"The two benefactors, is this the noisy place you mentioned?" Abbot Huide asked.

Fatty was a little afraid to speak, because at this moment, the door of the building was open, and groups of monks were sitting cross-legged on the ground, chanting scriptures and praising Buddha.

"It wasn't very clear at night, but it should be here."

Jiang Cheng took the opportunity to walk towards the building, standing outside the door. Last night, Guan Erye kicked the door open, breaking the door shaft, and half of the door fell down. Such damage would be difficult to repair in a short time. As he expected, the door was just a little old, but not damaged.

After being allowed, Jiang Cheng and Fatty went around the Merit Hall. Most of the arrangements inside were consistent with what they remembered, but there were some differences. For example, the long table for holding wine bowls and meat was not there, nor were there so many wooden benches.

What was added here were futons and devout monks.

Seeing that Jiang Cheng and Fatty hadn't spoken for a long time, the monk who had scolded them earlier became even more angry. "The two benefactors, have you found anything? Are there any monks drinking wine here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a rush of footsteps came. Fatty turned around, and the person in front of him surprised him. It was actually...actually the monk who was cut in half by Guan Erye last night!

The monk was burly, and the moles on his cheeks were easy to recognize. The monk was panting, holding a scripture in his hand, apparently having rushed over in a hurry. "Senior Brother Huide, I heard you were looking for me?"

Huide nodded with a dark expression. "Junior Brother Huiming, where were you last night?"

"I...I was in this Merit Hall. Senior Brother, you know, last night it was my turn to lead the chanting in this hall. All the junior brothers present can testify for me." The monk, whose dharma name was Huiming, looked a little wronged.

"That's right, Senior Brother Huiming was in the hall last night."

"Yes, yes."

"I can testify for Senior Brother Huiming."

"Senior Brother Huiming chanted scriptures until dawn. Oh, right, Junior Brother Huicong was also there. He can also testify. Senior Brother Huiming and several other senior brothers specially tutored him in scriptures."

......

For a time, several monks in the hall spoke up, each with a sincere expression on their faces, and none of them seemed to be lying.

Fatty felt a chill down his spine as he listened. They seemed to be in two different worlds. After all, the scene he saw was not tutoring in scriptures, but forcing Huicong to drink alcohol and eat meat, and beating him when he refused.

Now Fatty roughly confirmed that what they experienced last night was indeed a dream, but he also knew that this dream would never be without a reason. There must be some mystery in it.

Huide listened to the words of the monks, raised his hand, and signaled everyone to be quiet. Then he turned around and looked at Jiang Cheng. "The two benefactors, do you have any other doubts?"

"If not, please go back and don't delay the monks in the monastery from studying the Buddha's teachings and accumulating merit." Huide put his hands together.

"We've disturbed you." Jiang Cheng didn't hesitate and turned to leave.

All the way until they left the courtyard gate, Jiang Cheng's face was tense. He could be sure that there was something wrong with this temple, but as for where the problem was, he didn't know yet. But it was certain that it was related to the merit accumulation these monks spoke of. The most urgent task now was to find the monk Huicong.

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap."

......

Several monks rushed out from behind a wall. The monks were walking in a hurry, and their faces were full of panic. Most importantly, they were actually pulling white cloth in their hands.

A monk, the youngest, was carrying a bamboo basket. Fatty, with his sharp eyes, saw at a glance that it contained incense candles, paper money, and the like.

Jiang Cheng quickly stepped forward and stopped them. "Masters, where are you going?"

The leader was a middle-aged monk, burly and round-waisted, with a scar left by a burn on the corner of his mouth. "In reply to the benefactor, a pilgrim in the temple passed away last night. We are going to chant scriptures to help him transcend."

"Someone died?" Fatty's expression changed.

"May I ask, Master, where did the pilgrim come from?" Jiang Cheng asked.

The middle-aged monk also put his hands together and sighed. "Amitabha, it's the pilgrim from the west wing."

Hearing this, Fatty's heart skipped a beat. The indescribable sense of crisis in his heart finally burst out. The west wing...wasn't that the room of the merchants who saved them?

One of them...actually died, and died last night!

After explaining, the group of monks was about to leave, but Jiang Cheng and Fatty quickly followed. Arriving at the west wing, they pushed open the door and saw a corpse lying flat on the ground, with a white handkerchief covering its face. Several plum blossoms on the handkerchief seemed to stand proudly in the snow, adding a touch of sadness to the scene.

Judging from the figure, it was not difficult to guess that the dead person was the young man in the group. Jiang Cheng remembered him.

But what was strange was that the corpse had no injuries on the outside, and he was fine when he saw him yesterday. "How did this person die?" Jiang Cheng looked at the old man.

But the old man just stared at the corpse and slowly shook his head. "I don't know. He was fine last night, but this morning he couldn't be woken up. Perhaps...he was plagued by nightmares." The old man suddenly said.