章 20: Chapter 20 Chongming Old Monk, Hundred Taels of Merit! (Please Collect)
"Grandfather, grandfather, he's about to wake up!"
"..."
In a foggy haze, Qin Zheng only felt the tender voice of a child ringing in his ears.
After his eyelids twitched a few times, he abruptly opened them and sat up in an instant.
He then quickly scanned his surroundings, only to find himself inside a dilapidated temple.
Around him, several children aged between three to nine were gathered.
Due to his abrupt sitting up, these children were startled and fell to the ground in fright.
"Where is this?"
This was the first thought that came to Qin Zheng's mind.
He only remembered hearing a Buddhist chant faintly before he lost consciousness.
Following that, Qin Zheng immediately lowered his head to check on himself, simultaneously reaching into his bosom.
His clothing hadn't been disturbed, and the items in his bosom weren't missing.
This relieved Qin Zheng slightly.
"Benefactor, you have awakened."
At that moment, an old monk appeared at the temple's doorway.
He was thin and wore ragged clothes; he didn't resemble a monk as much as he did a beggar.
Carrying a bowl of medicine, he slowly walked over to Qin Zheng.
As the old monk approached, the children who had been frightened also hurried behind him, peeping fearfully at Qin Zheng.
"All right, you may go out and play."
The old monk kindly said to the children.
Then, the children ran out of the temple, laughing.
"May I ask, Master, what place is this?"
It was at this moment that Qin Zheng finally spoke, inquiring of the old monk before him.
"Amitabha! A man of the cloth dares not recklessly claim the title of Master. My Buddhist name is Chongming, and you may simply call me Chongming,"
the old monk initially replied, and then continued, "Benefactor, you are now within Black Goose City, at a temple to the east of the city."
With these words, Qin Zheng nodded his head in understanding. It was indeed this Chongming who had brought him back.
He looked at the old monk before him and felt a sense of familiarity arise in his mind.
After a brief reflection, he realized that this was the same monk who, starting several days ago, had been chanting Buddhist scriptures outside the execution ground every time he performed an execution.
Upon this realization, he looked at the old monk and saw his eyes were clear and pure, as unblemished as those of a child.
At the same time, the Merit Scroll within his Heart Sea trembled slightly, and then a line of text appeared.
[Chongming the monk, who became a monk halfway through his life, is of pure conduct. Killing him will deduct a hundred taels of merit.]
The moment these characters appeared, Qin Zheng was instantly startled.
Previously, the characters that appeared on the Merit Scroll were mostly those entangled in sin, whose killing would bring merit.
Or, like Inspector Xu, no information would show, indicating someone of no sin and no merit, an average man.
But today's appearance of Chongming posed a new scenario.
If he were to kill Chongming, it would even lead to a deduction of a hundred taels of merit!
Qin Zheng didn't even have a hundred taels of merit accumulated yet, and if it were deducted, he didn't know what consequences might arise.
However, this also proved that Chongming was indeed a good monk with a heart like Bodhisattva, performing acts of kindness.
Such a person of good conduct didn't need to be doubted as to whether he would harm Qin Zheng. He could be trusted.
This was what Qin Zheng thought.
"Benefactor, you exerted too much force and your internal body has suffered damage. You need to rest quietly for a while,"
at this point, Chongming spoke slowly while handing the bowl he was holding to Qin Zheng.
He then added, "This herbal medicine should have some effect on healing your internal body."
Qin Zheng stretched out his hand to take the bowl, which contained a pitch-black, thick medicinal soup emitting curls of steam—it was evidently freshly concocted.
However, Qin Zheng didn't drink it immediately. Instead, he paused, looked at the other party, and said, "I am grateful to the master for your help and for bringing me back here."
"However, since the master was staying in the city, why were you there at that time?"
Although he could ascertain that the other party was a good person, it was still necessary to ask.
After all, the last place he had fainted was in the deep mountains outside Tongguan Town, which was certainly not a place people must pass through.
If someone appeared there, they must have had some particular purpose in purposely going there.
Upon hearing Qin Zheng's question, Chongming, the elderly monk, brought his hands together in a prayer position, softly chanted a Buddhist mantra, and then slowly said, "Shi Dian has committed grave sins."
"The purpose of my journey was to awaken Shi Dian, to prevent him from continuing in his delusions that harm both others and himself," the monk added.
"It was quite unexpected that, on the way there, I would encounter you and your group."
Upon hearing this, a slight frown formed in Qin Zheng's eyes as he asked, "So master, you witnessed the whole process?"
This meant he could no longer conceal his situation!
"Amitabha!"
Chongming the elderly monk chanted the mantra again.
Then, looking at Qin Zheng, his eyes filled with admiration, he said,
"Benefactor, you are destined to be greatly fortunate and wealthy because you have a bond with the Buddhist Sect, your martial arts bear the essence of the Vajra of Buddhism, and you possess a compassionate heart!"
Thus spoke Chongming, the elderly monk.
At these words, Qin Zheng's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he looked up in surprise at the old monk.
The fact that the monk had witnessed him killing Shi Dian was not to be overlooked.
This old monk's martial arts were undoubtedly formidable!
Otherwise, how could a mere monk dare to try awakening a villain who was experiencing the pain of losing a child?
Moreover, he could discern the connection between his own martial arts and the Buddhist Sect!
Thinking this, Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Master, I ask that you keep what I have done confidential."
Upon hearing this, Chongming the elderly monk nodded, smiled, and said, "As a mere ascetic monk, nobody within the vast Black Goose City will notice me."
"And since I am a monk, I naturally will not indulge in gossip or reveal benefactor's information, so please be assured," he continued.
Qin Zheng nodded, then looked down at the medicinal soup in his hands and then raised it to drink it all in one go.
As expected, as soon as the bowl of medicinal soup was ingested, a warm sensation immediately emanated from his stomach.
Warm currents swiftly integrated into every part of his body and nourished it, easing the pain.
His body felt much better immediately.
Qin Zheng set the bowl aside, stood up, and facing Chongming the elderly monk, he bowed and said, "Qin Zheng is thankful to the master for this favor!"
Chongming, the elderly monk, also returned the bow.
Now that he had woken up and his body had somewhat recovered,
Qin Zheng didn't intend to stay any longer and promptly asked to leave.
However, at the very end, the old monk gave Qin Zheng a prescription, advising him to procure the herbs listed and cook them to heal the internal injuries.
He also advised, "Benefactor, your exceptional physique and keen intellect enable you to master martial arts quickly, which should be a cause for joy."
"However, without the foundation of Inner Strength to fortify the body's foundations, forced advancement in martial arts will only harm the body and damage its vital essence."
"Benefactor, unless absolutely necessary, you should avoid forcing your body to perform beyond its capacity, to prevent further mishaps," he added.
Qin Zheng nodded in understanding, acknowledging that the other's advice was for his own good.
After giving another bow, Qin Zheng left the dilapidated temple.
First, he went to the street using the old monk's prescription to buy some medicinal herbs.
Then, after returning home, he set the herbs to cook.
With some free time, he then took out the scroll of martial arts he had obtained from Shi Dian.
At the same time, he diverted a fraction of his consciousness into the "Heart Sea."
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