456: Chapter 449 Tianning Temple 456: Chapter 449 Tianning Temple In the following days, Chen Hai was busy at work.
Although he was eager to leave early and return to China, some things simply couldn’t be rushed.
He had to deal with the remaining three brigades of the Kachin Army and take control of several key cities within their territory…
By the time Chen Hai left, a whole week had already passed.
The affairs of Kachin State were ultimately left to Tian Mingjian to manage entirely.
As for Fang Wei, he became Tian Mingjian’s deputy, making him the second most powerful person in Kachin State now.
Would others object to his arrangements?
Chen Hai didn’t consider these issues, nor did he take them to heart, as in his eyes, as long as he was present, he could suppress any dissent.
Cousin Sun Jinzhong and that Zhang Xia went back to China the day after they were rescued from the industrial park.
Having developed a psychological shadow over Myanmar North, the moment they had the chance to return to their country, they didn’t want to stay a minute longer.
Back in China, after retrieving his sports car from a parking lot in a small border town he had visited before crossing the border, Chen Hai didn’t linger and immediately drove north.
Driving to the Capital City, though somewhat slower than flying, was safer.
With his abilities, should a car accident occur, at most the vehicle would be destroyed, but he himself would certainly not be harmed.
However, should an accident happen on a plane…
He still could not fly through the sky; falling from tens of thousands of meters, a regular person would be reduced to ashes, and even someone as formidable as him would most likely face certain death.
In the past, because the roads were rough, Chen Hai mainly traveled by plane.
Now, with highways extending in all directions, unless absolutely necessary, he felt that driving was a more secure option.
…
Capital City, Tianning Temple.
Located on the west bank of the Moat outside Guang’an Gate in the West City District, it is the oldest temple in the Capital City, with a history spanning over a thousand years.
Although it is a temple, nobody knows since when it was inhabited solely by nuns, with no monks left.
Knowing that Ye Qingqing had become a nun there, after arriving nearby, Chen Hai specifically bought a new set of clothes, replacing his flip-flops and shorts.
He had no interest in kneeling before gods or Buddhas; the only ones he would kneel for were his own parents.
Of course, upon entering the temple, offering money for incense was inevitable.
In this regard, Chen Hai was naturally not stingy, stuffing a stack of hundred-yuan bills directly into the merit box.
“Master, I wish to see Master Jingxin, please convey my request…”
Looking around, he approached a nun who seemed to have some status with a sincere face and asked.
“Donor, Master Jingxin is devoted to her ascetic practice and does not meet with outsiders!” The nun examined Chen Hai up and down with a peculiar look.
Perhaps it was Chen Hai’s frighteningly young appearance that was too mesmerizing.
After a moment’s hesitation, the nun then spoke cautiously, declining his request.
“Master, may I ask how should I address you?” Chen Hai asked with a light smile.
“You may call me Master Jingchen.
Donor, it is true Master Jingxin does not see outsiders; please leave!” The nun gave Chen Hai a Buddhist gesture as she replied.
“Master Jingchen, how do you know she definitely wouldn’t want to see me if you haven’t even conveyed the message?”
“Look, you go tell Master Jingxin that Chen Hai seeks an audience.”
“If she truly does not want to see me, I will leave immediately!”
“To show my sincerity, I’ll donate another hundred thousand to the merit box for incense money!”
Chen Hai hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
For him, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem.
While speaking, he walked to the merit box a few steps away, took out stacks of bills from his backpack, and stuffed them inside.
Nowadays, whether it’s temples or nunneries, the monastics inside are no longer pure.
Those who truly are willing to endure simple meals and devote themselves to harsh practice are rare if not completely absent.
Seeing Chen Hai’s actions, the nun named Jingchen didn’t say anything, but her eyes clearly brightened.
What was Ye Qingqing’s identity and status before becoming a nun?
Master Jingchen didn’t know much, but she could tell that Qingqing, who had taken up monastic life, was certainly neither wealthy nor noble, having an extraordinary background.
After becoming a nun, Qingqing did indeed devote herself to rigorous practice, refusing to see secular visitors.
In this aspect, facing Chen Hai, Master Jingchen had not lied.
Nevertheless, during the time that Qingqing had been a nun at Tianning Temple, several people had come to see her.
Those people exuded powerful presences and had a noticeably impressive entourage.
In the face of such individuals, Master Jingchen and the others hardly dared to breathe, let alone stop them from meeting Qingqing.
The Chen Hai before her came alone, appearing to be just a young man.
For someone like him requesting to see Qingqing, Master Jingchen naturally didn’t have much compassion to offer and outright refused him entrance.
However, at this moment, after seeing Chen Hai truly stuff one hundred thousand into the merit box, her tone noticeably began to soften, “Seeing how sincere you are, all right, I’ll go inside and pass on your message!”
Chen Hai bowed in return and, as Jingxin was about to leave, she even added an Amitabha.
Money, many times, indeed has its effects.
Since Jingchen was willing to pass on the message for him, Chen Hai casually wandered around the main hall, looking around.
Just a few minutes had passed, and Jingchen had already reappeared in front of Chen Hai.
“Donor, I’ve told Jingxin about your request to see her!”
“She doesn’t want to meet you, she only left a message on paper for me to give to you!”
“According to her, once you see her message, you will naturally understand what she means!”
As she spoke, Jingchen handed a folded A4 paper to Chen Hai.
Chen Hai took the note and looked at it.
There was just one sentence on it, “The bond of dust has ended, we shall meet no more.”
The words were in brush script, elegant and graceful; he could tell at a glance that this was indeed Ye Qingqing’s handwriting without a doubt.
“Has she really resolved to sever her worldly ties and not wish to see me again?” With a heavy heart, Chen Hai sighed deeply, an indescribable melancholy welling up inside him.
After meeting with him once in Liuyuan County and returning to Capital City, Ye Qingqing had directly come to Tianning Temple to become a nun…
Without a doubt, her saying that she was living well now was just deceiving people, otherwise there was no explaining her becoming a nun.
Perhaps, she had always been deeply in love with him, her feelings for him had never truly been let go.
What ‘the bond of dust has ended, we shall meet no more;’ it was nothing but an excuse!
Exactly why Ye Qingqing would do such a thing, Chen Hai had not yet figured out at the moment.
Tianning Temple, this millennia-old temple, had long since become a tourist spot, and there was no shortage of visitors during the day coming to this site without interruption.
Among these tourists, there were quite a few internet celebrities, holding a phone, snapping pictures here and there.
With Chen Hai’s ability, if he forcefully wanted to see Ye Qingqing, others simply could not stop him.
However, such a scene, if captured by those internet celebrities and uploaded online.
With a headline like ‘Young man barges into the nunnery, suspected of coveting the beauty of a certain nun,’ the impact would be somewhat negative.
Chen Hai himself might not care about these things, but he was worried that doing so would bring some negative impact on Ye Qingqing.
After thinking it over, and after some consideration, he ultimately chose not to do so!
“Master Jingchen, considering there are quite a few tourists here, may I ask if the temple provides lodging?” tilting his head, contemplating for a moment, Chen Hai tentatively spoke up, inquiring.
“I am sorry, donor.
Tianning Temple is a place of the Buddhist order, and while occasionally those within the Buddhist order may stay here, there’s never been a precedent for secular people to stay within the temple!”
Chanting a Buddhist invocation, Jingchen explained.
“Only those within the Buddhist order can stay in the temple, I understand…”
After hearing Jingchen’s explanation, Chen Hai felt as if a light bulb went on.
He didn’t wait for Jingchen to say anything more; he turned and walked out of the main hall, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
A flash of confusion crossed her eyes; Chen Hai’s reaction seemed a bit off to Jingchen.
But for the moment, she couldn’t figure out what exactly was wrong!
An hour or two later, Chen Hai, with a newly shaven head and dressed in a grey monk robe, reappeared in the great hall of Tianning Temple.
Looking around and upon seeing Jingchen, he approached with a smile on his face.
“I am the novice Jinghai, here specially to join Tianning Temple, please take me in, Master!” Hands pressed together, Chen Hai bowed to Jingchen and said.
At first, Jingchen looked puzzled, as if she did not recognize Chen Hai’s identity at all.
But after taking a good look at Chen Hai from head to toe, she finally couldn’t hold back, covering her mouth and burst out laughing with a ‘pfft’ sound.
“Young man, what kind of joke is this with me, calling yourself Jinghai?
Or maybe you should just go by Fahai?”
“One must possess a clerical certificate to be a person of the Buddhist order; it’s not by simply shaving your head and donning a monk robe that you truly become a monk.”
“Although Tianning Temple is called a temple, in fact it is now a nunnery, not to mention the likes of a fake monk, even if a real monk came here, it would be unlikely for them to be able to stay overnight!”
Looking utterly bemused, Jingchen said.
For the chance to see Jingxin, to be rejected and then shave his head and pretend to be a monk to come to Tianning Temple again, this was the first time she had ever encountered such a precedent-shattering event.
Facing Chen Hai in this guise, she really was at a loss for words.
“Master, you are being somewhat unfair!”
“Previously you told me, only those within the Buddhist order could stay here.”
“If Buddha won’t enlighten me, I will enlighten myself; now, I am truly a person of the Buddhist order.
What’s the harm in staying here for a few nights?”
…
Patting his shaven head, Chen Hai spoke in all seriousness.
If Ye Qingqing could become a nun, then he might as well shave his head too.
If she still harbored deep love for him, two shaved heads standing together might even seem more fitting!