Miao Hua was a Chan monk, unlike martial monks who did not necessarily have to observe all precepts. Martial monks only needed to "let wine and meat pass through their intestines, and keep the Buddha in their hearts." They could even kill when necessary.
Chan monks, however, primarily cultivated through meditation and chanting, seeking enlightenment through Buddhist scriptures.
Once a Chan monk achieved enlightenment, every word and action could influence those around them.
If a Chan monk observed the precepts, others would follow; if a Chan monk broke them, others would too.
If a Chan monk was kind, others would be kind; if a Chan monk was wicked, others would be wicked.
This was the power of Chan monks; they could even use their precepts to guide others, rendering them beyond control!
Seeing Abbot Haixin trembling and speechless with fear, Chan monk Miao Hua lost his patience.
He offered a Buddhist salutation with his left palm, uttered a Sanskrit phrase, and spoke words that brooked no argument:
"Amitabha! With no dust in the heart, all is at ease!"
Golden ripples of Buddhist light spread outwards. The previously flustered Abbot Haixin immediately calmed down.
He stopped trembling and instead clasped his hands together, sitting cross-legged before Miao Hua.
"This humble monk was too attached," Abbot Haixin said, lowering his head.
In fact, by seniority, Abbot Haixin should have been higher than Miao Hua, as he was already quite elderly.
However, Miao Hua hailed from Hanshan Temple, which was far beyond comparison to the small Side Temple. Thus, Miao Hua held a certain arrogance, and Abbot Haixin dared not debate seniority with him.
Seeing that Abbot Haixin had calmed down, Miao Hua continued, "A person of the cloth does not speak falsehoods!"
Abbot Haixin's spirit lifted, and he replied, "Thus have I heard."
Influenced by Chan monk Miao Hua's precepts, Abbot Haixin was now scrupulously adhering to them. No matter what Miao Hua asked, he would answer truthfully, without a hint of deception.
This technique could be resisted by those with profound cultivation, but Abbot Haixin, as a monk in the mundane world, was no match for Miao Hua.
Miao Hua did not intend to interrogate him personally. Instead, he turned to the martial monk beside him, who had eight burned precepts on his head, and said, "Chang Ji, you question him."
"Yes, master."
Martial monk Chang Ji strode to the front of Abbot Haixin, clasped his hands, and asked,
"Where is the abbot?"
Abbot Haixin replied devoutly, "He was subdued by a passing eminent master."
A passing eminent master? Subdued?
This answer clearly exceeded everyone's expectations. Chang Ji the martial monk couldn't help but look at his master, who also raised an eyebrow, his attention further focused.
"Where is Ru Nan?"
"Killed by that eminent master."
"What exactly happened? Who is that eminent master? Tell us in detail!"
"Yesterday afternoon, as per the abbot's orders, we were extorting passing pilgrims. We encountered a tough opponent. One of the pilgrims being extorted had a young friend. That benefactor possessed profound cultivation and easily subdued the abbot. The benefactor originally intended to kill the abbot, but when we mentioned the abbot's relationship with senior brother Ru Nan, the benefactor changed his mind. He first captured the abbot, then lay in ambush in the temple. When Ru Nan arrived, he was no match for the benefactor and died at his hands. After the matter, the benefactor departed with his whisk. He left the temple last night."
Upon hearing Abbot Haixin's answer, the others were even more astonished.
They had followed Ru Nan's trail to Side Temple, fully prepared for a hard battle.
Who would have thought that Ru Nan had been dealt with incidentally by a passing expert?
Miao Hua signaled with his eyes, and Chang Ji continued to ask for details:
"Did Ru Nan leave anything behind after his death? What were the eminent master's characteristics? Did he say anything strange? Where did he go in the end?"
Abbot Haixin truthfully replied, "After Ru Nan died, a Buddha statue fell from his abdomen."
Upon hearing the word "Buddha statue," Chang Ji couldn't help himself and interrupted Abbot Haixin, who was about to provide other answers, pressing further, "Where is the Buddha statue?"
"It was taken by that eminent master."
Miao Hua's eyelids twitched. It felt like a duck that was within reach had suddenly sprouted wings and flown away.
They had been investigating this matter for a full week, even traveling from Hanshan Temple in Jinling to Huizhou.
The events traced back fifty years.
Fifty years ago, there was a highly cultivated Chan monk at Zhengde Temple, named Shi Ming.
Chan monk Shi Ming was advanced in years. To fulfill a great vow, he divided his Chan heart into two, retaining his benevolent thoughts and expelling his malevolent ones.
The malevolent thoughts were sealed by Shi Ming within a Buddha statue, while the benevolent thoughts were retained within his body. Free of all distractions, Shi Ming attained Nirvana on the spot, his soul ascending to the underworld to become a Buddhist disciple of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. His great vow, like that of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, was: "I shall not attain Buddhahood until hell is empty!"
After Shi Ming's departure, the Buddha statue, along with his sarira, was sealed within Zhengde Temple. Twenty years ago, Ru Nan stole the sarira and took the Buddha statue with it.
After a long time had passed, seven days ago, Abbot Yan Song of Hanshan Temple suddenly dreamed of Chan monk Shi Ming, learning of Ru Nan's theft of the Buddha statue. Thus, he dispatched Miao Hua with five martial monks to investigate.
Fearing that he might alert Ru Nan, Miao Hua had been observing secretly. He finally confirmed that Ru Nan was isolated and without support at Side Temple, so he decided to act there.
And so, Miao Hua arrived with the martial monks in full force, preparing to catch him in a trap.
But guess what happened?
The turtle was already caught by someone else, and they even took the egg from its belly!
After pursuing for so long, dedicating so much effort, he was preempted by a completely unrelated passerby just as he was about to achieve great merit.
How could he not be angry?
If Miao Hua were not a Chan monk, he would have started cursing like the martial monks.
Miao Hua took a deep breath, calmed himself, and signaled Chang Ji to continue questioning.
Chang Ji repeated his previous question. This time, Abbot Haixin showed a hint of hesitation.
This was not good.
Haixin, being a person of the Buddha's lineage, was disregarding the influence of the precepts and wanting to break them for a stranger?
Chang Ji said coldly, "Abbot Haixin, you wouldn't want your complicity in evil to be known by others, would you?..."
Abbot Haixin was momentarily thrown into disarray, but he quickly regained his composure, silently recited Amitabha, and lowered his head in silence.
This was the first time Chang Ji had seen someone able to defy his master's precepts. He was at a loss as to how to handle Haixin.
He looked at Miao Hua with a pleading gaze.
Miao Hua snorted, raised his six-ringed staff, and struck Haixin fiercely!
Abbot Haixin, being elderly, could not withstand such treatment and immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
His two martial monk disciples, shocked and terrified, rushed forward to take the blows for Abbot Haixin.
"A person of the cloth does not speak falsehoods. As an old monk, have you read the scriptures in vain all these years?" Miao Hua rebuked.
Abbot Haixin shakily got up, still with his hands clasped: "The eminent master did not wish to cause trouble. He stayed to act because he was concerned that Side Temple would be retaliated against by Ru Nan. Moreover, the eminent master specifically instructed this humble monk not to reveal his whereabouts... The eminent master has shown kindness to this humble monk, and I absolutely cannot betray that kindness!"
"You may strike if you wish. This humble monk will not utter a single word. If the Buddha and Bodhisattvas were here, they would permit this decision of mine!"
Upon hearing this, Miao Hua flew into a rage: "You dare compare yourself to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas? Chang Ji, strike him! Strike him hard!"