At this time, the sky was gradually getting dark. Zuo Shisan, who heard the footsteps, quickly looked outside the hall door, only to find that there was nothing in the open space outside the hall door, and the heavy footsteps stopped suddenly.
After seeing this, Zuo Shisan quickly asked An Rushuang and Mei Youqian:
"Did you hear footsteps outside the door just now?"
Mei Yougan shook his head:
"No, I didn't hear it."
An Rushuang said:
"I heard it just now, but now it seems like it's gone again."
I nodded and said:
"That's right, the sound is gone now. It's getting dark today. Anyway, let's be careful."
Not long after, a young monk walked in from outside the main hall. The monk looked at our motionless meal on the table and asked:
"Why don't the donors eat vegetarian food? Is it because the vegetarian food in our temple doesn't suit your appetite?"
Zuo Shisan said:
"Little Master, please put away these meals. The three of us are very hungry and we don't want to eat yet."
The monk nodded, collected the vegetarian food on the table, put it all on the tray and took it away.
After the young monk left, the cell phone Mei Youqian carried suddenly rang. He answered the call, chatted for a few words and then hung up.
"Did your family call you?" Zuo Shisan asked.
Mei Yougan nodded:
"Well, dad asked me if I would come home for dinner tonight."
Zuo Shisan looked outside the hall and said:
"We shouldn't have to wait too long, the old fox has already revealed its tail."
After hearing this, An Rushuang walked to Zuo Shisan, looked at him and said with some worry:
"Thirteen, I always feel that this Nanguo Temple is not as simple as what we see on the surface. The weird thing in this temple may not only be the Ksitigarbha Master."
After hearing this, Zuo Shisan was about to speak when footsteps came from outside again.
This time Zuo Shisan opened his yin and yang eyes in advance and quickly turned his head to look outside the hall door.
A black figure appeared in the courtyard outside the main hall. As the figure got closer, Zuo Shisan could see clearly that the person walking in from the outside was none other than the abbot of the temple: Master Ksitigarbha.
At this time, Master Ksitigarbha was holding a yellow tray with three white tips on it.
"Amitabha, three benefactors, it's getting late, and our temple is closing time. I hope the three benefactors will be understanding and considerate. These three amulets are a small gift from me to you."
Zuo Shisan walked up to Master Ksitigarbha, looked at him and said with a smile:
"Master Ksitigarbha, we don't need the gift. I have a gracious invitation."
Master Ksitigarbha nodded:
“The donor just said it’s okay.”
"The three of us are going to stay at your temple for one night today. Do you think it's convenient?" Zuo Shisan asked directly.
After hearing this, Master Ksitigarbha smiled and said:
"Amitabha, the donor is joking. We are a temple here, not a hotel, and there is a woman with you, which is really inconvenient."
Mei Youqian came forward and asked:
"Didn't the Buddha say that all living beings are equal? Why are women inconvenienced?"
Master Ksitigarbha put his hands together, nodded at Mei Youqian and said:
"Donor Mei, the so-called equality of all living beings is to see all living beings through phenomena. You will find that it is right for all living beings to be equal. All living beings have Buddha nature. You, me, and he all have Buddha nature. So from this On a physical level, all living beings are equal; secondly, from the perspective of our physical bodies, all living beings are also equal. Your body is made of the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, and so is mine, whether it is a human or a Animals and all living beings have the same four elements. This is the so-called equality of all living beings..."
Mei Youqian was not very good at talking in the first place, but now he was completely frightened by Master Ksitigarbha's words. He opened his mouth and could not utter a word in rebuttal.
Zuo Shisan saw this and asked Master Ksitigarbha with a smile:
"Then I would like to ask Master Ksitigarbha, is it appropriate for Hu Xiaomei's parents to apply the principle of equality of all living beings to them?"
After Master Ksitigarbha heard Zuo Shisan's question, the expression on his face changed subtly. He then looked at Zuo Shisan and said:
"Amitabha, donor, I really don't understand what you mean, let alone the donor named Hu Xiaomei."
After hearing this, Zuo Shisan asked:
"Oh? It seems that Master Ksitigarbha is really a noble man who forgets things. Since you have forgotten everything, how about I help you recall it?"
When Zuo Shisan said these words, the kind smile that Master Ksitigarbha had been pretending completely disappeared. He flicked the two lumps of flesh on his cheeks and looked at Zuo Shisan in a cold tone and said:
"I don't know what this benefactor has been saying in front of me, but our temple is closing today. Please ask the three benefactors to come back."
"What if I don't want to leave?" Zuo Shisan stared at Master Ksitigarbha and deliberately used words to stimulate him, hoping that he would show his fox tail.
After Master Ksitigarbha heard this, his face turned red with anger:
"Okay, okay, if you don't want to leave, then stay, but don't blame me for not reminding you, if you don't leave now, you won't have a chance if you leave again!"
As he spoke, Master Ksitigarbha looked at Mei Youqian who was standing next to Zuo Shisan and said:
"Master Mei, out of consideration for the many years of friendship between your father and me, I advise you to leave now and return home. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences yourself."
After hearing this, Mei Youqian said:
"Master Ksitigarbha, are you threatening me?"
Master Ksitigarbha snorted coldly:
"Just take care of yourself." After saying that, he turned around and left quickly.
Zuo Shisan looked at Master Ksitigarbha's leaving figure and whispered:
"It seems he wants to attack us in the temple tonight."
"Master, what should we do now?" Mei Youqian looked at Zuo Shisan and asked.
Thirteenth from the left:
"Don't panic. The soldiers will come and cover up the water and earth. It won't be a big problem."
Mei Youqian felt relieved when he saw his master was so calm.
So the three of them continued to stay in the main hall. As time went by, the night gradually became darker. Just when Zuo Shisan was wondering why Master Ksitigarbha didn't come to them to take action, An Rushuang suddenly said:
"Thirteen, be careful, I seem to feel something dangerous approaching us!"
Zuo Shisan nodded after listening:
"I understand." After Zuo Shisan finished speaking, he took out the Zhulong Jiufeng he carried with him from his waist. At the same time, he took out a peach wood sword from his backpack and handed it to Mei Youqian beside him:
"Have you ever used the peach wood sword?"
Mei Youqian was stunned and took the peach wood sword from Zuo Shisan:
"No... never used it."
"Take it, later if you see something unclean approaching, think silently in your mind: Urgency is like a law, just chop it with a mahogany sword." Zuo Shisan said.
