Alternate Dimension Game: Happiness is all that matters!
Chapter 412 - 294: The Monk from Jiuhua Mountain_2

Chapter 412: Chapter 294: The Monk from Jiuhua Mountain_2

"Both parties bargained for a while, and finally struck a deal on ’muddle through a lesson for two days’. Before long, the cries of agony from Er Gou echoed through the house, clearly in immense pain."

Qiu Yuan Monk clasped his hands together and said, "At that time, I was young and impulsive. Hearing this, I became furiously angry. In broad daylight, under the just heavens, someone was being forced into such a vile act! I immediately used the Golden Body Taoist Skill, burst through the door, and gave the carpenter a severe beating..."

"What happened then..."

"I had not broken my vow of non-killing; I just beat up the carpenter."

"But the carpenter was still a carpenter, and the apprentice was still a low-status apprentice; only Er Gou was driven out."

"Furthermore, Er Gou resented me for ruining his great opportunity."

Qiu Yuan Monk muttered half to himself with furrowed brows, "Er Gou had already suffered a lot, being beaten and scolded, almost making it through, but I ruined it."

"Dare I ask Buddha, was I wrong?"

Wang Hao was silent for a long while before sighing, "You were not wrong, but also wrong."

"The mistake was that you only identified the problem but lacked the means and methods to solve it, leading to a hastily resolved situation that turned out even worse."

"Anyone can point out problems; solving them is extremely difficult. If you were the carpenter, couldn’t you have just taught the apprentice and settled the matter?"

"Unfortunately, you are not; you only know how to fight, so you inadvertently helped to worsen the situation."

Qiu Yuan Monk sighed deeply, feeling that the way this issue was handled indeed had some problems.

He continued, "The following year, I passed through a town called Shitingkou, which was notorious for being ravaged by an evil god, its population dwindling, and its local customs deteriorating, with a decline in moral values."

"Just as I entered the town, I saw groups of people moving forward like a tide; they stopped suddenly at a T-intersection and formed a semicircle. Upon inquiring, it turned out someone was being pushed to the market to be beheaded."

"Moved by the thought of liberating spirits, I too made my way to the market and immediately felt a strong resentment; the blood of humans flowed on the ground, while the body of the beheaded person had been taken to the Taoist Temple."

"The person’s head had already been chopped off, and countless villagers soaked their bread in the blood, turning it reddish."

"I asked a woman what the person had done to deserve beheading, why there was such heavy resentment, and if I should help liberate the soul."

"The woman disdainfully said: ’This person thought that the ’Long-lived Blood Mother’ was an evil god and wanted to burn down her Taoist Temple with fire!’

"’This madman showed great disrespect to the ’Long-lived Blood Mother’; doesn’t he deserve to die? Therefore, the clan decided to behead him, offering his flesh as a sacrifice to appease the furious ’Long-lived Blood Mother’."

"At this point, the woman lowered her voice: ’Monk, let me tell you, this human blood bread is truly a wonderful thing; it’s the leftover offering of the ’Long-lived Blood Mother’! It can cure diseases! A bite can remedy minor illnesses; even tuberculosis and other serious diseases can be cured by this bread!"

"I angrily replied: ’How can you sacrifice a living person? Those who eat humans are evil gods; how can such townsfolk behead people rashly?’

"Eating human blood bread, even if it cures diseases, isn’t it complicit with the evil god?"

"The woman mocked coldly: ’You monk, are utterly antiquated! What about scholars? Born under Wenquxing with spiritual energy, they all have the skills to move to the city; why would they stay in a backwater like Shitingkou? What about officials? They all have money and can afford doctors! And you monks? Strong and healthy from leaning Taoist Skills and never falling ill, only adept at mocking and urging others towards goodness."

"’It’s easy for you monks to speak, spouting flowery words.’

"’When we die from illness, chant a few lines of the ’Rebirth Scripture’ and collect some alms. Look, even I can recite the ’Rebirth Scripture’; why can’t I collect alms?’

"’What about us farmers? We contract illnesses with no money to cure them; we can only eat what the evil god has left! Whether it’s an evil god or a good god, if sacrificing one person cures ten, that is indeed a true good god!’

"’This illness of my son Dalang can only be cured by this human blood bread; it’s our only way out! You bald monk, what right do you have to spout nonsense here!’

"After saying this, a group of people, stirring up a commotion, picked up sticks and drove me out."

Qiu Yuan Monk spoke with a low spirit, his face showing sadness.

"Disciple has pondered repeatedly and did not kill that Evil God ’Longevity Blood Mother.’ May I ask the Buddha, was it a mistake?"

Wang Hao was silent for a long while before sighing, "It was not a mistake, yet there was a mistake."

"The mistake lies in your still needing to kill that man-eating Evil God ’Longevity Blood Mother’. As for the human blood buns it left behind that could save people, that is a separate matter."

"Although the two problems are related, they should not be confused together."

"We must solve matters one by one. Sending the man-eating Evil God to paradise was what you should have done at that moment."

"As for the hardships the local people might face after sending Longevity Blood Mother to paradise, that is a problem you need to consider in the future."

"There are always pros and cons in everything. If you avoid doing what should be done now because of future difficulties, then nothing will ever be accomplished. So, you also made a mistake."

The monk was stunned for a moment and sighed, "The Buddha is correct, but trying to achieve harmony between knowledge and action is incredibly difficult."

He realized these insights after analyzing them later.

Many matters are mixed together, making it hard to distinguish black from white; one might even say the world is grey.

If one wishes to quickly resolve complications and distinctly separate black from white, that would be exceedingly difficult.

He continued, "Then, I passed through a village called Jiawei Bend and saw a pale-faced woman burying her newborn son alive."

"The infant was shivering terribly in the cold wind, his little face turning red and purple as he cried loudly, but the woman showed no hesitation; her hands’ veins bulged as she intended to strangle her own son in the wilderness."

"I immediately stepped forward to stop her and saved the infant."

"Common wisdom says, ’Even a tiger will not eat its young. How could you commit a deed so cruel?’"

"The woman sneered and said, ’Do not preach kindness unless you have suffered the same; I am gravely ill and will not live long. This infant, who cannot yet speak and still nurses, how will he survive in this chaotic world? Monk, if you truly have good intentions, you might as well do a good deed and raise this child.’"

"The woman vomited blood profusely and died that very night."

"I had no choice but to adopt the homeless infant."

"However, being penniless, I could not afford cow’s or goat’s milk and had to beg everywhere, living a life full of hardships. Taking care of an infant alone was extremely tough. Raising a baby was exhausting and hard, yet occasionally there were sweet moments of joy. I often lamented that the infant had to endure sleeping under the skies with me, living under bridges and in alleys, his fate indeed miserable."

"After enduring many hardships, I found a temple called Fahua Temple. By then, the influence of Ksitigarbha was still present, and the temple was fairly prosperous. The abbot of Fahua Temple knew me and was willing to adopt the infant and raise him well."

"However, years later when I passed by Fahua Temple again, I found the temple deserted."

"The infant had grown up and called himself Niu Sanda, becoming a notorious bandit that plagued the village."

This time, the monk did not ask if he had made a mistake, perhaps feeling guilty.

But possessing unique skills, he could not devote all his energy to raising an infant. Speaking of this matter, he could only deeply sigh, lamenting the whims of fate.

Wang Hao said, "Since you raised that infant, being both his master and father. As the saying goes, ’A father is to blame for not teaching his child.’ He became a bandit; naturally, you were at fault."

The monk sighed deeply and said sorrowfully, "Indeed. I recognize my mistakes and regret them deeply for not personally teaching the infant to grow into an upright man."

"I did not manage the minor tasks, thus the major ones were impossible to achieve, even the most important task of education slipped by. This life has truly been without accomplishment, entirely mediocre."

The atmosphere fell silent for a long while.

...

(This part is a bit difficult to write, so I’ll keep it brief, please forgive me!)

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