The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 26 Suicide Out of Guilt

A deathly silence filled the banquet hall.

After a long silence, Zhiyi said with a hint of helplessness, "Don't ruin them. My time is almost up, and I'm no longer able to train any more disciples."

In fact, he had heard of Jiang Feng before, and seeing him today, he realized that Jiang Feng was compassionate and not at all the crazy or demonic monk he was rumored to be.

Although he didn't know what Jiang Feng was going to do, he trusted his inner guidance and believed that Jiang Feng had a reason to do it.

Jiang Feng had immense respect for the old monk and solemnly promised, "Master, rest assured, I will at least leave you a successor!"

Zhiyi: "..."

After you've said all that, how can I feel at ease?

Nothing was said that night, and the next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

The five monks each selected their own companions and set off under Zhiyi's worried gaze.

Zhi Xi was good at developing believers and was no stranger to preaching, so he was very calm and composed. However, the other three monks were somewhat anxious and worried that they would hold him back on this trip.

Seeing the three monks who were following him looking uneasy, he said, "Because the mind is defiled, all beings are defiled; because the mind is pure, all beings are pure."

Do not be fixated on whether the journey will end well or poorly, and do not let external circumstances disturb your peace of mind.

The three monks looked enlightened, and their inner turmoil subsided. The group then set off on their journey with ease.

Around noon, the group passed by an abandoned Buddhist temple and decided to rest there.

Beside the release pond in front of the Buddhist temple, a boy sat cross-legged, wearing a straw hat, fishing with a bamboo pole by the pond.

Seeing this, a young monk frowned and stepped forward, advising, "Esteemed benefactor, this is a release pond for devout men and women to release animals. How can you fish here?"

The young man lifted his straw hat, revealing a handsome face reminiscent of a seasoned reader: "That sounds interesting. If I don't go fishing, what will I eat for lunch?"

The monk said, "You can go fishing in the river."

Jiang Feng, now a fisherman, was somewhat speechless and couldn't help but complain, "Isn't that still fishing? What's the difference?"

The monk was somewhat flustered and speechless, unsure how to offer any advice.

At this moment, Zhixi stepped forward and said, "Benefactor, these fish were saved by devout men and women from the fishmongers. Releasing them back into the river is an act of merit and good deeds. Killing fish is equivalent to cutting off your own blessings."

Jiang Feng roared, "You monk, stop talking nonsense! I came here to fish because Maitreya Buddha was afraid I'd starve to death, so he appeared to me in a dream last night and told me to come here to fish!"

Zhi Xi was taken aback for a moment, but quickly shook his head and said, "What you dreamed of was not Maitreya Buddha, but an external demon manifesting, using the name of Buddha to make you do evil deeds and suffer evil consequences."

"If you don't believe me, you'll see. If you continue to listen to the evil spirits, even if a fish bites the hook, the bamboo pole in your hand will break by itself."

As he spoke, he secretly used his magic to tamper with the bamboo pole, so that it would break whenever a fish took the bait.

Jiang Feng said with a strange expression, "What if, I mean, what if I hadn't even put a fishing hook in the first place?"

Zhi Xi was slightly taken aback: "Who fishes without using a hook?"

As he spoke, he looked at the fishing line in the pool and found that there really was no hook!

Zhixi: "..."

No, if everyone were like you, how could I possibly perform any miracles?!

Just as he was feeling frustrated, Jiang Feng suddenly pulled up his fishing rod and pulled up a big fish weighing four or five pounds.

Jiang Feng laughed loudly, "Haha, Maitreya Buddha really didn't lie to me!"

Looking at the large, lively fish, Zhi Xi's expression gradually became serious: "This external magic is extremely powerful, benefactor, you must not make a mistake."

"If you are truly hungry, we can share some food with you. Don't let short-term gains ruin your good karma."

As he spoke, he looked at the three monks accompanying him: "Give some of our provisions to this benefactor."

The three monks took out some dry rations, each giving some to Jiang Feng.

Zhi Xi continued, "If that's not enough, we'll give you all the money we have on us. That should be enough for you to make a living."

Jiang Feng looked at Zhi Xi, a complex expression on his face: "I deeply admire the selflessness of these masters. But I'm determined to catch this fish, and even Buddha himself can't stop me!"

As he spoke, Jiang Feng held up the large fish in his hand and waved it in front of them: "It's not that I'm disrespecting you, Master, it's just that all these fish released into the release pond by wealthy people are sea fish that can't survive out of seawater!"

Zhixi was immediately startled: "Huh??"

He paused, looked down at the release pond, and felt a little confused.

In the release pond, there were not only three sea fish, but also a braised ribbonfish, which had been half-eaten!

Who the hell is so heartless as to release a half-eaten ribbonfish?

After being in a daze for a while, he suddenly realized that the release pond was empty and the big fish in Jiang Feng's hand had disappeared.

He finally came to his senses and respectfully bowed to Jiang Feng, saying, "May I ask which venerable one you are? Please stop teasing this humble monk."

Jiang Feng reverted to his original form and said somewhat dejectedly, "Heaven and earth bear witness, I really didn't do this. I just happened to be passing by and thought this release pond looked fun, so I used it to test you."

After pondering for a moment, Zhixi said with some relief, "There are three thousand worlds in the world, with all kinds of phenomena, each with its own place. The three thousand worlds arise from causes and conditions, and the Dharma realm is unobstructed."

We merely witnessed a projection of another world by chance; once that connection ends, it will no longer affect our present world, and we need not concern ourselves with it.

Jiang Feng nodded upon hearing this.

The concept of "one thought encompasses three thousand worlds" and "three thousand universes" are the fundamental principles upon which the Tiantai school of Buddhism was founded.

After the test just now, whether it was his understanding of Buddhist teachings or the magic he used, this monk was undoubtedly a genuine successor of the Tiantai school, without any trace of Mahayana Buddhism. Jiang Feng had completely dispelled his doubts about him.

Before leaving, Jiang Feng earnestly warned, "Be careful of your other fellow disciples; there's a traitor among them from the Tiantai Sect."

At the same time, Zhi Zao, who was on his way to Zuan County, suddenly sneezed.

"Achoo!"

Zhi Zao took out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, looking somewhat worried in the direction of Zu'an County.

He felt unlucky, having drawn lots to be assigned to Zu'an County, where Jiang Feng lived. Having frequently dealt with government officials, he knew the true situation in Zu'an County better than anyone else.

Jiang Feng had already ruined the reputation of the Buddhist community there.

The monk acted as a matchmaker for the nuns, stole food from pilgrims, ate meat and drank alcohol, frequented brothels, coerced the government, and intimidated the local gentry. He completely broke the Buddhist precepts.

Going there to spread the Dharma would be tantamount to courting death.

Although he was good at dealing with government officials and had an official endorsement, he was not afraid of being driven away by the local government.

But the worst-case scenario is that he might inexplicably become a bandit as soon as he enters Zu'an County, and be united by the local gentry who have long suffered oppression, leading to his "suicide out of fear of punishment"...