Donghai Longzi paused. He looked at the young man, who had half his face pointing at the sky and the other half staring at Honglin. ‘Is this really happening to me?’
His ears perked up as he heard the pedestrians whisper among themselves.
“Oh, that poor girl,” one woman said.
“She shouldn’t have any trouble, right? From her clothing, she should be a cultivator,” a man said in hushed tones.
“So what if she’s a cultivator? That lass isn’t even a monk. Young Master Ding is a relative of one of the Iron Robe Monastery’s three abbots,” another pedestrian quipped.
“You’re right. No one can defeat those monks. It seems that a young girl is about to be ruined again,” one member of the crowd said with a sigh.
“Really, how can such an esteemed monk be related to such a scoundrel?”
As soon as that person finished, another, older pedestrian quickly covered his mouth. “Shhh! Do you not want your life? If Young Master Ding were to hear you, you would lose your little life. I know you’re the only child of your family. What if you die? Who would take care of your parents?”
“You’re right. I just can’t stand that guy’s actions.”
The same pedestrian who covered his mouth sighed. “You can’t stand it. Why do you think I can? But unlike you young people, reality taught us that there’s nothing we can do. We are just regular mortals, while he is like a star shining brightly above.”
While the pedestrians talked, Young Master Ding had already stepped forward. Donghai Longzi stood still, and the only action he took was to shake his head. It was an act that Young Master Ding and his guards took as cowardice.
Young Master Ding stretched his hand out to stroke Honglin’s face, but before he could, a hand grabbed his. He didn’t become angry, only more interested. “Ohoho. You got a bit of spunk. I like that in a woman.”
His confident and captivated expression didn’t last long, as a sickening snap exploded in his wrist. For a second, no one moved as Young Master Ding’s hand fell limp at an impossible angle, veins bulging and twitching madly.
“Ahhhhhhh!” Young Master Ding screamed in pain as he tried to yank his hand away to cradle it. However, Honglin clutched his wrist in an iron-like grip.
His piercing shriek of pain awoke the shocked spectators. Donghai Longzi only shook his head as the guards ran forward, intent on freeing their young master from Honglin’s clutches. Honglin didn’t even spare them a glance as air exploded off of her and knocked down the guards. It also caused Young Master Ding to lose his footing, causing him to fall and cause more bruising and damage to his broken wrist.
“Benefactor, please be merciful and let Young Master Ding go.” Just as Honglin prepared to gouge out Young Master Ding’s heart, a pleasant voice called out.
“It’s Seeker Ding!” a pedestrian called out in happiness.
“Thank Buddha. With Seeker Ding present, Young Master Ding won’t trouble us common folk for this!” another pedestrian who was too slow to flee called out.
In the Buddhist path, their Mortal Realm was known as the Theravada Realm and was split into five minor realms: the Dalit Realm, the Shudra Realm, the Vaishya Realm, the Kshatriya Realm, and the Brahma Realm. Once at the peak of the Brahma Realm, a Buddhist cultivator would enter the Mahayana Realm and become a bodhisattva.
Dalit Realm cultivators were known as Dalit apprentices. Above Dalit apprentices were the Shudra monks. Then the Vaishya seekers, followed by the Kshatriya ascetics, and ending with the Brahma arhats. Since the pedestrian called him Seeker Ding, then he was obviously in the Vaishya Realm. Not that Donghai Longzi or Honglin needed mortals to approximate his realm.
Seeker Ding wore a vibrant red kasaya over a light gray robe. On his bald head were six jieba marks, burn dots that came as a result of a Buddhist ritual. The number of jieba marks usually ranged from three to twelve, although they went up to as high as eighteen.
According to Donghai Longzi’s knowledge, the more jieba marks a monk had, the more potential they were perceived to possess. For some in a middle-rank realm, six jieba marks was already enough to mark him as a genius among geniuses.
Honglin snorted and threw Young Master Ding onto the ground like a used rag. “What, you’re finally willing to come out of hiding?”
“Cousin, kill this bitch for me! She broke my wrist! Break her limbs!” Young Master Ding yelled, his anger overriding his lust.
Seeker Ding’s expression twisted for a slight second before a calm smile returned. He clapped his hands. “Can you please let Young Master Ding go for my face? I will owe you a favor.”
“Hmpf, what use is your face to me? If you wanted me to let him go, then you should have stopped him before he caused trouble. You bald donkey!”
A silence came over the street. It was so silent, a pin drop would sound like a thunderclap to everyone’s ears. Even Seeker Ding froze, not expecting Honglin to insult not just him, but also the Iron Robe Monastery. “Benefactor, please walk away and hide unless you want the entire monastery to descend upon you.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“A mere monastery is not enough to scare me,” Honglin said as she walked forward with a threatening aura.
Seeker Ding felt his heart palpitate and sweat ooze out of his pores. He couldn’t help but tense his muscles and prepare for any attack from Honglin. As his heart rate increased to a dangerous rate, a hand grabbed Honglin’s shoulder.
“Don’t forget that we are supposed to keep a low profile,” Donghai Longzi said.
Honglin stopped for a moment. She sneered. “Just killing a fool without eyes is hardly anything high profile. I thought Buddhists were supposed to be kind, but I can only see a hypocrite in front of me. That useless bag of flesh just called him his cousin. Because of this relationship, how many times can this bald donkey have stopped him but chose not to?”
“I was really excited to finally see a Buddhist monk, but all I got was disappointment,” Honglin said, staring at Seeker Ding as if he was a toy that dared to defy her expectations. Useless toys should be broken.
Seeker Ding’s face turned red from Honglin’s words. It was unknown whether it was embarrassment or anger, but that didn’t matter, as Honglin’s words echoed into the ears of the pedestrian. Only a few stared at Seeker Ding. It was clear that most of them had already thought of this matter, but they were powerless to do anything about it, and even more fearful to say it.
“You might not think he’s much, but he’s still in the Vaishya Realm. Among the denizens of this realm, he’s important. If he dies, it will cause far more trouble than it’s worth,” Donghai Longzi whispered, careful not to let his words reach outsiders.
Honglin stopped struggling against Donghai Longzi’s hand. She snorted and leveled one last glare at Seeker Ding before leaving. Not just her, but Donghai Longzi also disappeared from the streets of Karmlight City. With their disappearance, the stifling atmosphere also vanished.
Not just Seeker Ding, but the pedestrian felt as if they had gained a second chance at life. In reality, Honglin would have likely caused tens if not hundreds of casualties when she made a move on Seeker Ding, so they really had dodged a bullet.
----------------------------------------
After making sure that his cousin was fine, Seeker Ding immediately traveled back to the Iron Robe Monastery. On the way back, the armored woman’s words never left his mind.
Seeker Ding had long forgotten his name. Because one of the three abbots was an ancestor of the Ding Family, it was one of the most powerful forces in the city. In such a large family, Seeker Ding had been an unlucky child who lost both his parents, and was taken care of by his uncle and aunt. He had never forgotten this grace.
Originally, he planned to become his cousin’s right-hand man, but reality was different. When they were four and five respectively, the Ding Family sent them to the Iron Robe Monastery to test their aptitude. To his surprise, he discovered that he was innately suited for the Buddhist path while his cousin did not have any cultivation talent at all.
No matter what, Seeker Ding didn’t plan to treat his cousin or his uncle and aunt any differently, but they changed. They blamed him and said that he had stolen his cousin’s talent. Because he couldn’t stand the condemnation of the people closest to him and his own guilt, he hardly returned to Karmlight City.
From that moment, he had shed his mortal name and was given the Buddhist name of Zhending.
Zhending was only allowed to descend the mountain after he entered the Shudra Realm. Upon his return, he discovered that his cousin wallowed in desire, like a wastrel. Instead of blaming his cousin, the guilt festered in his heart. He blamed himself for his cousin’s state.
He knew of his cousin’s immoral character and actions. The few times he was present, he stopped his cousin and pleaded with his uncle and aunt. They always agreed in front of him, but they and his cousin went back to their usual ways when he left. And because of the relationship between the two, no one dared to do anything to the family of three.
Earlier, he had arrived just in time to see his cousin’s action against that armored woman. Zhending didn’t come out because he sensed an uneasy feeling when he saw that woman, so he wanted to borrow his cousin’s hands to test that woman. No matter what his cousin did, that woman wouldn’t dare to go too far because of his status, right?
However, Zhending was dead wrong. He didn’t know why the woman suddenly left, but he had to report it to his master.
“Uncle-Master,” the two guarding monks said when they saw him.
Zhending didn’t even spare a nod, like he usually did, because of his anxiety. His actions caused the two monks to become puzzled, but they didn’t question it. Their sole duty was to guard the mountain gate and prevent any intruders from breaking in.
He rushed into his master’s abode. His master was an elderly monk in his twilight years, sitting in a lotus position atop a prayer mat in front of a golden Buddha statue. Wrinkles covered his brows and long white brows trailed past his smooth chin. Like Zhending, he wore a red kasaya over gray robes, but with golden threads interwoven into the red kasaya.
“Zhending, your heart is unsettled. No matter the situation, you must always keep a peaceful heart,” Abbot Ding said, without opening his eyes. “Tell me, what did your cousin do this time?”
“It’s not that,” Zhending said. His breath calmed down and the unrecognizable fear disappeared as if he saw his master, the immovable pillar in his heart. “Well, yes, he did, but it’s not what he did, but who he did it to that is the problem.”
“Oh? Did he molest a lady from one of the first-rate forces?”
“I don’t know.” At his master’s questioning gaze, Zhending explained the incident without leaving anything out.
After hearing Zhengding recount the incident, Abbot Ding furrowed his brow. “Could they be demons?”
“Demons? They did have a sinister air to them, especially that armored girl, but they looked exactly like humans,” Zhending said. “It’s impossible for them to be demons.”
Abbot Ding shook his head. “You are still too inexperienced. Never underestimate the craftiness of demons. Even if those two aren’t demons, they have taken refuge in them. The only thing I’m worried about is their strength. If even you feel threatened, those two aren’t simple, and it makes me worried how they snuck into Karmlight City.”
He stood. “Follow me.”
“Are we going to report it to the other abbots?” Zhending asked.
“Not exactly,” Abbot Ding answered. “The two’s appearance coincides with that person’s arrival.”
“That person?”
Abbot Ding’s expression twisted, but he quickly smoothed it out. “Yes, an envoy from the Buddhist Pure Lands.”
Upon hearing this, an intense yearning appeared on Zhending’s face. Every Buddhist dreamed of going to the Buddhist Pure Lands.
The two arrived at the grandest temple in the Iron Robe Monastery. Upon entering, Zhending saw two abbots kneeling in front of a golden robed man who appeared to be in his mid twenties. He was the most beautiful man Zhending have ever seen, but his handsome leaned slightly toward the feminine side. Most pronounced was a love spot under the corner of his eye.
The man’s gaze landed on Zhending, causing him to freeze in his tracks. “Oh? It seems your monastery isn’t total trash. You have a decent disciple, at the very least.”