Chapter 3 of 100

Chapter 3

14 min read3,590 words

The dining hall of the杂役院 was simple and old, with wooden tables and benches, and a green lamp illuminating the faces of the people.

One wouldn't know until they saw it, but Meng Qi was taken aback when he entered the dining hall and found that the number of杂役僧 was quite impressive, about fifty to sixty people. This suggested that the total number of monks in the entire Shaolin Temple might be counted in the thousands.

Amidst the gray robes, no one paid attention to the new young monks like Meng Qi. They each sat on the benches, waiting for the杂役僧 on duty to bring in the food boxes.

"Little junior brother, sit here." Meng Qi, harboring a great secret and feeling out of place in this unfamiliar environment, was grateful to have a simple and somewhat foolish companion like Zhenhui. Therefore, he treated Zhenhui with the care of an adult, which also helped to ease his sense of unease.

Zhenhui's expression was always very serious, showing no signs of shyness. He sat down opposite Meng Qi, his gaze fixed on the nearby food boxes.

"Has this kid been starved before?" Meng Qi muttered quietly, suspecting that Zhenhui might have some intellectual deficiencies, otherwise he wouldn't be so wooden.

Finally, the杂役僧 on duty brought the food boxes to their table. When the lids were opened, the aroma wafted over, filling their hearts.

"Really fragrant!" Meng Qi couldn't help but exclaim, wondering to himself, "Is it because the 'chefs' of Shaolin are really that good, or am I just too hungry?"

The杂役僧 bent down to take the food out of the boxes and placed it on the table. Meng Qi looked closely and was immediately stunned. This, this might be meat?

In the center of the simple bowl, the fatty, oily chunks of food seemed to be meat?

But this is a temple of monks!

Meng Qi, not quite believing it, picked up his chopsticks to try a piece, but in a few swift movements, chopsticks from all sides reached out, and the layer of suspected meat in the bowl was immediately reduced. The杂役僧 at this table were all exceptional at grabbing food.

Seeing Zhenhui with his mouth full of grease, Meng Qi became even more convinced of his suspicions. While marveling at their ability to grab food, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

It was fatty but not greasy, melting in the mouth, with an excellent texture. Truly a delicacy!

But damn, it really is meat!

Meng Qi felt that only a curse could express his current mood: one part celebration for his taste buds, and one part disbelief.

"Hey, little junior brother." Meng Qi called out to Zhenhui in a low voice.

Zhenhui's chopsticks moved swiftly, his mouth never stopping, his clear and handsome face focused. "Hmm?"

"It's meat!" Meng Qi felt it was his duty to remind his junior brother not to fall into a trap and violate the precepts.

Zhenhui nodded sincerely, his words muffled. "It's meat."

I'm not asking you... Meng Qi felt that communicating with Zhenhui was a bit difficult.

At this moment, someone nearby said coldly, "Before '开窍', only the consumption of meat and pungent foods is forbidden."

"Isn't meat considered '荤'?" Meng Qi asked reflexively, only to realize that the person next to him was his "roommate" Zhen Guan.

Zhen Guan didn't stop eating, and with a slight mocking tone, said, "You seem to be from a noble family, yet you don't even understand the word '荤'?"

This hit Meng Qi's soft spot, and he didn't know how to respond. Suddenly, a young monk with a clear and handsome face smiled and said, "The term '荤辛' refers to strongly flavored foods like onions and garlic, not specifically meat. However, in recent centuries, people have often used '荤' to refer to meat. It's normal for you not to know, junior brother."

Meng Qi nodded gratefully. The young杂役僧 continued, "In our Buddhist tradition, we originally only prohibited killing and the consumption of pungent foods, not meat. Later, out of compassion, we gradually banned meat as well. However, our Shaolin Temple is a major martial arts school, and our disciples often engage in physical training. Without meat, and without the aid of medicinal herbs, their bodies would suffer. Therefore, the 'Shaolin Precepts' state that before '开窍', disciples should only abstain from pungent foods and not kill."

In other words, lay disciples or farmers from the mountains can be asked to slaughter the animals? Meng Qi roughly understood the situation. As a martial arts Buddhist temple, Shaolin had to consider the needs of disciples during their physical training, so they made an exception based on the original Buddhist teachings.

Impressed by the young杂役僧's eloquence and clarity, Meng Qi felt a liking for him and smiled, asking, "May I know your Dharma name, senior brother?"

"Zhenyan." The young杂役僧's chopsticks didn't stop moving.

Meng Qi followed up, "I am Zhen Ding. May I ask, senior brother, what does '开窍' mean?"

He was taking advantage of his young body to feign ignorance and seek answers.

Zhenyan laughed, pointing at the wooden table. "You'll understand in the future. For now, let's focus on eating."

Meng Qi followed his finger and saw that the seven or eight large bowls of dishes on the table were already half empty!

Damn! These people, they didn't even wait for me!

After cursing silently, Meng Qi picked up his chopsticks and joined the food-grabbing competition.

...

After finally eating his fill, Meng Qi wiped his mouth and walked back to the meditation room with Zhenhui, as if taking a post-meal stroll.

"Frankly, the quality of the food is still a bit lacking. The initial deliciousness was mostly due to hunger." Meng Qi patted his stomach, burped, and evaluated the evening meal.

Zhenhui thought seriously. "The food I ate before was never as good as this, but if senior brother thinks it's lacking, then it must be lacking."

"Ah, you trust me so much?" Meng Qi, seeing that Zhenhui spoke logically, felt that he might still have hope and asked curiously.

Zhenhui touched his bald head, a bit embarrassed. "I think you're a good person, unlike others who dislike me, so I trust you."

On the relationship between childhood experiences and psychological disorders... This thought popped into Meng Qi's mind for some reason.

Just as he was about to boast a bit and establish a positive image as a senior brother, Xuanxin, with a full belly, walked over. "Hey, you two, go clean the courtyard. Later, I'll broaden your horizons about the world of martial arts."

Broaden our horizons about the world of martial arts? Meng Qi was immediately interested. After finding out where the brooms were stored, he called Zhenhui to the corner of the courtyard.

As a杂役僧, one must be prepared to be assigned tasks at any time. Meng Qi didn't mind this, as long as it wasn't too excessive or targeted. It was like when a teacher or boss assigns tasks or cleaning duties, which wasn't unusual.

Swish, swish, swish. The broom swept over the gray stone tiles, raising dust and clearing away fallen leaves.

Meng Qi and Zhenhui, with their underdeveloped bodies, struggled a bit with the brooms but managed to do it relatively easily, as the courtyard was often cleaned and wasn't too dirty.

While sweeping, Meng Qi suddenly had a strange and amusing thought. He chuckled and put on an old voice. "Little junior brother, are we Shaolin's sweeping monks?"

Tsk, the path to becoming a great master.

"Um, sweeping monks." Zhenhui continued sweeping without looking up.

Meng Qi's smile froze, and he sighed inwardly, "Not getting the joke, how boring!"

Regaining his composure, Meng Qi worked with Zhenhui to clean the courtyard before it got dark. Then he saw several gray-robed杂役僧 carrying the benches from the dining hall into the courtyard, placing them in an orderly manner and sitting down.

"Very skilled..." Meng Qi suspected that Xuanxin often broadened the horizons of the杂役僧.

As it got dark, Xuanxin, with a greasy face, wobbled out of his meditation room. Several杂役僧 immediately greeted him, setting up benches and lighting lamps, showing great diligence.

"Senior brother, what is the world of martial arts?" The wooden and quiet Zhenhui seemed interested.

"This, this, it's a long story. After Senior Uncle Xuanxin tells it, I'll explain it to you slowly." Meng Qi, who had just arrived, didn't want to explain the "complex" terms to Zhenhui and sat on the bench, waiting for Xuanxin to start.

Xuanxin looked around, satisfied to see the eager expressions, and cleared his throat. "Today, I'll continue the story of the great battle I experienced in Jiangzhou City."

"To put it simply, 'Flying Night Fork' Yan Wuo and 'Ice Fairy' Ye Yuqi are both famous figures on the Earth List. That battle turned a hundred miles of land into a wasteland and froze the great river. Out of compassion, how could I bear to see the people suffer? So I recited a Buddhist chant, hoping to resolve their private feud..."

He spoke with great enthusiasm, but the杂役僧 below had mixed expressions, mostly a mix of disdain and anticipation.

"Is Senior Uncle Xuanxin so powerful?" Zhenhui, more active than usual while listening to the story, seemed to have the same interest in it as he did in food.

The sleepy monk Zhen Ying in the front row didn't turn his head and said in a low voice, "'Flying Night Fork' Yan Wuo is the master of the 'Zombie Fist' school in Jiangzuo, and 'Ice Fairy' Ye Yuqi is the sister-in-law of Mr. Lu, the head of the Meibai Manor in Northern Zhou. Both are in the top thirty of the Earth List, similar to the heads of the Dharma and Bodhi halls in our Shaolin Temple."

The heads of the Dharma and Bodhi halls, the杂役院's duty monk... Meng Qi instantly understood that Xuanxin was exaggerating, but he did it skillfully, cleverly grafting major events in the martial arts world onto himself.

This sleepy Zhen Ying monk, compared to the cold Zhen Guan monk, was more knowledgeable?

Zhenhui asked innocently, "Senior Uncle Xuanxin is so powerful!"

He didn't understand the implications in Zhen Ying's words at all.

Meng Qi pulled on his robe and whispered, "The heads of the halls are much, much more powerful than Senior Uncle Xuanxin."

"But..." Zhenhui wanted to ask why Xuanxin could still stop the battle if he wasn't powerful, but Meng Qi waved him off, telling him to ask later to avoid angering Xuanxin.

Xuanxin spoke with great enthusiasm, taking a long time to finish the story of the "Buddhist World of Ten Thousand Families." At the end, he looked at the new young monks like Meng Qi and Zhenhui. "Do you have any questions? I know everything about the world of martial arts."

Meng Qi quickly said, "Senior Uncle Xuanxin, we know very little about the world of martial arts. We don't understand much of what you said."

"That makes sense. If you don't understand, you can't truly appreciate my prowess." Xuanxin nodded and cleared his throat. "Then I'll start by introducing you to the basics of the martial arts world, starting with the four major Buddhist temples."

"Thank you, Senior Uncle Xuanxin." Meng Qi said happily.

Xuanxin said proudly, "Although there are many martial arts sects and schools in the world, the ones that truly lead the martial arts world are the four major Buddhist temples, the three major Daoist sects, the six major sword schools, the six major powers, the nine major evil and demonic paths, the fourteen major families, and the six major heretical masters and their legacies."

When he mentioned the six major heretical masters, he seemed a bit uncertain, but this didn't stop him from continuing. "The four major Buddhist temples are our Great Jin Shaolin Temple, the Water Moon Nunnery of Northern Zhou, the Vajra Temple of the Western Regions, and the Lankavatara Temple."

When he mentioned the Lankavatara Temple, he paused again, looking uncertain, and then said indignantly, "Actually, I've always wondered why the Lankavatara Temple is included among the four major Buddhist temples. No one knows where they are, and their disciples rarely appear in the martial arts world. They have no famous deeds that have shaken the world."

The other杂役僧 seemed to be hearing this for the first time and asked curiously, "If that's the case, why is the Lankavatara Temple included among the four major Buddhist temples?"

Xuanxin became proud again and said boastfully, "It's said that when the abbot was young and traveled in the martial arts world, he once met a disciple of the Lankavatara Temple. Later, he only said one thing about it: 'If there is a karmic connection, the Lankavatara Temple is as close as the horizon. If there is no karmic connection, the horizon is as distant as the Lankavatara Temple.'"

As close as the horizon, as distant as the horizon?

How mysterious!

Including Meng Qi, the gray-robed monks were all stunned, feeling both puzzled, curious, and amazed.

Seeing that he had stunned the杂役僧, Xuanxin chuckled. "Let's get back to the main topic. I'll start with our Shaolin Temple."

"Several thousand years ago, the world was in chaos due to the Demon Buddha, who was suppressed by the Buddha. However, the 'Asura Palm' was lost, and its whereabouts were unknown. Two thousand years ago, our Shaolin ancestor, Bodhidharma, came from the southern wilderness, crossed the river on a reed, and accidentally obtained the third form of the 'Asura Palm.' This supreme Buddhist martial art was thus rediscovered."

"Although there was no overall guide, Bodhidharma, with his innate talent, spent ten years in meditation and derived the 'Sinew Changing Classic' and several other supreme martial arts from the third form of the 'Asura Palm.' He founded our Shaolin lineage, which quickly became a major martial arts school. Over the generations, our Shaolin Temple has developed seventy-two supreme martial arts. In addition to the 'Sinew Changing Classic,' we also have the 'Great Dream Sutra' and the 'Mahakavira Fist,' which were created or obtained by specific ancestors or great monks, to be discussed later."

The Demon Buddha, the 'Asura Palm,' the 'Great Dream Sutra,' and the 'Mahakavira Fist'... Meng Qi was captivated and filled with longing. The martial arts world in this world was probably more complex than he had imagined, with gods and Buddhas involved! Of course, it might just be a legend.

Cough, Xuanxin suddenly coughed and said with a smile, "It's late. The rest will be told tomorrow."

With that, he got up and entered his meditation room.

This, this is too suspenseful! Meng Qi was ready to hear about the seventy-two supreme martial arts and the Vajra Temple, but now he was scratching his head, feeling restless and eager, but Xuanxin had already left.

After cleaning up the courtyard, Meng Qi and Zhenhui silently returned to the meditation room. Zhen Guan and Zhen Ying were already asleep, their breathing deep and steady.

The two didn't speak, each removing their shoes and socks and lying down on their beds, as if still immersed in the martial arts world described by Xuanxin.

"Little junior brother, are you content with being a杂役僧 and not learning Shaolin's supreme martial arts?" In the silence, Meng Qi suddenly asked in a low voice.

Zhenhui asked in confusion, "Senior brother, what does 'content' mean?"

"It means being happy, satisfied, and not wanting more." Meng Qi again found it difficult to communicate with the childlike Zhenhui.

Zhenhui said, "Being able to eat, sleep, work, and be full, and to hear stories from Senior Uncle Xuanxin, I am very content. It's much better than before."

He added, "If I could learn the 'Asura Palm,' it would be even better."

Pfft, Meng Qi almost spat out his saliva. He didn't know if Zhenhui was content or not.

Meng Qi paused, about to speak, but suddenly noticed that Zhenhui's breathing had become light, and he had already fallen asleep.

The entire meditation room became completely quiet, with only the gentle rise and fall of breathing, making the night seem deeper and more serene.

The bright moon hung outside the window, casting a layer of silver light on the communal bed, like frost.

Meng Qi looked at this peaceful and tranquil scene, and all his past memories flooded his mind, overwhelming him with thoughts of longing, sadness, hesitation, confusion, and self-pity.

During the day, he didn't have time to think about it, but the quiet night was especially soul-stirring.

The unbreakable past, the heart-wrenching "farewell," made Meng Qi unable to sleep for a long time.

Only at this moment, in this scene, did he truly understand the true meaning of the poem by the Lotus Dweller.

"Before my bed, the moonlight, I wonder if it's frost on the ground. I raise my head to look at the moon, and lower it to think of my hometown."

Looking at the cold moon outside the window, Meng Qi was momentarily lost in thought.

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