Legend of the Great Sage

The monks that catched the mountain called out, “Who are you? Flying is forbidden on Great Buddha mountain!”

Li Qingshan landed in front of the entrance and clasped his hands, “I’m Li Qingshan, a secular disciple of the monastery!”

“Li Qingshan!”

The monks were surprised.
All of them had heard about this name before.
The monk in charge of reception reported this up in a hurry.

A while later, bells and drums rang out on the mountain.
The gates opened up and the monks lined the entrance to welcome him.

“The buddha has said that all life is equal.
I’ve only ever heard about this before.
Today, I’ve finally been able to enjoy it myself!”

Li Qingshan smiled gently.
In the past, when he and Xiao An visited the monastery, they had faced a lot of setbacks.
Today, he had undergone the second heavenly tribulation and he had done so before the age of thirty.
With how talented he was, even the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga had to lower themselves a little and consider for his feelings and thoughts.

He strided in and made his way right to the top of the mountain.
Even when he arrived at the entrance to the inner courtyards, he did not pause.
Only when he arrived before the grand hall did he stop and peer inside.
The Dauntless monk stood inside with the various head monks beside him.
Behind him was the buddha, gazing over all life.

Logically speaking, secular disciples and even true inner courtyard disciples did not necessarily have the right to enter the grand hall.
But right now, there were no obstructions before Li Qingshan.

He stepped over the tall door sill and brought his palms together, bowing, “Disciple Li Qingshan greets the Dauntless abbot and the many masters!”

“Amitābha!”

Under the buddha’s name, the monks returned the gesture, without the slightest hint of haughtiness anymore.

The Dauntless Monk was solemn as he studied Li Qingshan up and down.
The rumors were true.
He had truly undergone the second heavenly tribulation.

“May I ask the abbot where Xiao An is right now?”

Li Qingshan cut right to the chase.

The Dauntless Monk said, “One Will is currently studying the Chant of Deva-Nāga.
She’s about to assume the position of head monk for the Formless nunnery.
She cannot meet with you for now!”

Li Qingshan was not surprised, “Then may I ask just how long is this ‘for now’ will be?”

“The Chant of Deva-Nāga is the foundation of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga.
The buddhist dharma is vast, extensive and profound.
Completely mastering it requires three to five decades at the very least, to over a century.
One Will is endowed with buddhist talent and she’s intelligent and wise, but even she will probably still need around a decade!”

The head monks all nodded in agreement, “What the abbott has said is reasonable.
I started studying the Chant of Deva-Nāga thirty years ago, but even until now.
I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface.”

“Yeah, the buddhist dharma is boundless.
It requires an entire lifetime, no, numerous lifetimes to comprehend and study!”

Li Qingshan cursed away inside, Fucking hell.
You damned bald asses, that’s because your ability to comprehend is trash!

Afterwards, the Dauntless monk tried both intimidating and tempting him.
He used every mean he had to make Li Qingshan become a monk, so he became a formal disciple of the monastery.
He said that as long as he shaved his head, he would immediately become the head monk of the Arhat hall.
There were countless other benefits too.
Things like eating meat and drinking alcohol were all up for negotiation!

The other head monks chimed in too, which utterly annoyed Li Qingshan.
He suddenly called out, “Enough!”

“How dare you raise your voice in the buddha’s hall!” The Dauntless monk widened his eyes and shot him a glare.

Li Qingshan laid out his hands and said lethargically, “Just spare me, masters.
I definitely, definitely won’t become a monk! I have neither a buddhist nature nor a root of wisdom.
My hobbies are fine alcohol, food and women! Among the many worlds under the buddha, not everyone is a monk either! Just treat me as a foreign demon who accidentally converted to buddhism!”

“Amitābha.
The sea of bitterness has no bounds.
Repent and the shore is at hand!”

“Then I’ll roam the four seas and go with the flow!”

The Dauntless monk glared even further.
There really was nothing he could do about him! If he was a regular disciple, he would have been subdued by him a long time ago and sent to the Disciplinary courtyard for self-reflection a long time ago if he ever dared to talk like that in the grand hall.
The monks all shook their heads and sighed too!

Li Qingshan seemed utterly fearless, but he was distressed inside.
Just how could he meet Xiao An? If he spoke a little rashly, that was fine, but if he really tried to force his way in, then the Dauntless monk would have to take action against him for the sake of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga’s reputation.

At this moment, a gently voice rang out from behind, “Qingshan!”

Li Qingshan suddenly looked back and a young girl stood before the steps.
She wore a set of light-grey robes, but even they struggled to hide her beauty.
Her dark, seaweed-like hair draped all the way to her feet.
Joy filled her clear, flawless eyes.
When she saw him, the smile she showed was so alluring that even the hall dimmed in comparison.

“Xiao An!”

They walked towards each other at the same time, just embracing each other firmly right in front of the grand hall!

In that moment, Li Qingshan felt his heart become extremely full.
Colour flowed through Xiao An’s glaze-like eyes too.
All they could see was one another.
They had forgotten about everything else around them.

The Dauntless Monk furrowed his brows heavily.
He was basically tempted to smack Li Qingshan right now.
The various monks all responded differently, either raising their eyebrows, pursing their lips or wrinkling their noses, their expressions all indescribably strange.

Something like that had occurred in front of the grand hall of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the greatest pure land of buddhism in the Green province, so of course it would seem unpleasant to the eye.

“She’s been arranged to cultivate in the Bodhi Realm of Emptiness.
That place is cut off from the world.
Even if she can leave, how did she know he’s in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga?” The Dauntless monk was stumped.

“You’ve grown bigger again!”

Li Qingshan caressed her beautiful face.
He only felt like he was at utter peace, but completely without a single impure thought.