‘Ding! Ding! Ding!'
Three sharp and clear chime-stone rings came from the main hall where the evening prayer session was being held. The sound of chanting stopped suddenly.
The entire monastery fell into dead silence. The sound of insects chirping gradually filled up the air over the Temple and the mountaintop.
Xu Ziling moved over. Along with Ba Fenghan and Kou Zhong, he craned his neck to look.
"They are out!” Ba Fenghan hissed.
One by one the monks, with their palms clasped together, came out in single file from the main hall behind the Copper Hall.
Kou Zhong said with a laugh, "After reciting sutras for that long, they must be going to the toilet together before going to bed. Ha! If more than two hundred monks crowd into the latrine, I'm sure some of them won't be able to hold his mother's while waiting for their turn. Ha!”
Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling did not know whether to laugh or to cry.
And then their countenance changed.
They saw that not only the monks walking out in single-file [orig. long snake formation] did not scatter, they were, under the leadership of one monk whose build was intimidating, wearing blue robe instead of the grey robes of the other monks, heading straight toward the white stone plaza.
Other than the blue-robed monk, who was carrying a hundred-catty Buddhist Staff, all the monks had Buddhist beads in their hands. Their eyes looked down toward their nose, their nose looked down toward their heart, they walked solemnly. Yet given their field of view, which could not be narrower than that, they did not stumble and fall.
"The latrine can't be this way, can it?” Kou Zhong muttered under his breath.
Ba Fenghan speculated, "Perhaps it is the Temple's custom: after their evening session all those baldheads are coming here for training before dispersing their separate ways.”
Seeing the dozen or so monks at the front were already entering the plaza, Xu Ziling could not help shrinking two cun shorter, leaving only his eyes peeping down from the railing of the bell tower. His scalp felt numb as he said, "I hope that is the case!”
The three watched helplessly as the two hundred thirty-two monks, young and old, arranged themselves in a dozen or so neat formations on the open space between the Manjushri Bodhisattva and the bell tower, facing the Bodhisattva shrine. Although they were numerous, not a single sound was heard; not even their breathing.
In addition to the big and tall monk wearing blue robe leading the procession, there were three other monks also wore blue robe just like his. Their shapes and sizes were all different. All four of them took their position on the four corners of the plaza. Hence it was very easy to guess that these four must be the Four Great Protector Vajra of the Jing Nian Chanyuan.
From their vantage point looking down, the three were having a lot of trepidation in their hearts. They secretly thought that if these monks formed an army, they would definitely be bashing sideways and colliding straight on the battlefield, as if there was no one else there.
Fortunately currently they all had their back to the three, so that they feel a bit more comfortable.
Kou Zhong muttered to himself, "They must be waiting for that old fellow Liao Kong to come out and give his lecture. Turns out his silent meditation is just used to cheat some sesame oil.”
Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling struggled hard not to laugh.
‘Creak!'
While the three were dumbstruck, the copper double-door, which reached a zhang in height, opened on its own without any wind blowing, exposing the pitch-black interior. They could not help rejoicing inwardly that a moment ago they did not rush in. Turned out there really was someone inside.
Unless the copper door had wood core or perhaps hollow, the three realized that they did not have enough power to push the door that easily.
And the one pushing the door open must be the powerful fellow inside who stood guard of the door. Only this kind of power has reached universally-shocking level.
Although they were aware that Liao Kong was a martial art master, they had never thought that he was an expert of Ning Daoqi caliber.
The crowd of monks called out the names of Buddha together, startling the three that they jumped in fright, while a feeling that they were being overly fearful [orig. ‘to see a bow reflected in a cup and thought it was a snake'] appeared in their heart.
A tall and elegant looking monk, leisurely walked out of the Copper Hall and stood on the top of the white stone steps leading down to the plaza.
Under the leadership of the Four Great Vajra, the crowd of monks put their palms together in salute.
The three had never imagined that the Chanzhu, Liao Kong Dashi, who practiced silent meditation, was not an old monk who looked miserable, he was actually still this young and elegant. Looking at him from left and right, their estimate was that he was no more than about forty years of age.
He was of slender build, confident and at ease, his nose straight, and looked like he had great personality. His upper lip curved like an arc, his lower lip was slightly upturned. When he raised his cupped hands to return the salute, there was some kind of indescribable charm around him, making his slim face looked extraordinarily handsome, carrying a laid-back attitude. His neck thick and broad, his elegant and bright face carried some kind of beyond-worldly deep and righteous divine shine. His posture looked neither scholarly and feeble, nor aloof and remotely overbearing; rather, it was one that made people looking at him felt comfortable and natural.
The most unforgettable was his pair of deep, unfathomable eyes, which could create a feeling of immeasurable mystery to those who came in contact with him, but which also made people did not dare to despise him.
This Liao Kong was wearing yellow inner gown, with brown monk-style outer coat; his external appearance expressed his crane-in-a-flock-of-chicken transcendental stance.
At this time, one of Protector Vajra shouted a chant. Just like the arm moves the finger, the rest of the monks, as if they were one body, turned around to face the bell tower, which rose about ten zhang high, and put their palms together in salute.
The three were so scared that they immediately slipped down to sit on the floor, and looked at each other.
Someone, unclear who, called out from below, "Buddhism is a quiet ground, those who pass over are brought together by fate!”
These words had just ended, the crowd of monks raised their voices in chanting, wooden fish and bells resounded. There was a certain pattern, a cadence that rose and fell similar to the sound of chanting sutras. The night sky seemed to be infected with its serene atmosphere, which searched far into the profound and unfathomable outer space.
Breathed out a mouthful of cold air, Kou Zhong whispered, "Have they found us out?”
"This is very hard to say,” Ba Fenghan replied, "Or perhaps after chanting for a while they are going to disperse and go to bed?”
Nearest to the railings, Xu Ziling shook his head and said, "I do not have an extravagant hope in this. Right now there are only two paths we can take: one, we immediately slipped out and forget about this Jade Annulus of He Clan; two, we stay here for a while, until a monk come up here to ring the bell.”
Kou Zhong resolutely said, "They have no reason to find us up here. That ‘little white face' [pretty boy] monk Liao Kong with the highest martial art skill was originally inside the Copper Hall hell. It should be just by coincidence that he is like that right now. No matter what we are definitely going to stay his mother's a while.”
Ba Fenghan shook his head and said, "First-class martial art masters pay particular attention to advance when it is time to advance, and retreat when they ought to retreat. Although I cannot say that I am familiar with your Central Plains' temple rules and regulations, but I have never heard of chanting sutras toward Buddha and Bodhisattva and then turn toward the bell tower. It is clear that before the fight they are performing religious ceremony [to help the soul find peace] to the three of us, who, in their opinion, are people with serious crime. Merely one Liao Kong all of us added together may not necessarily be able to defeat. If you don't go, please forgive Xiaodi for not keeping you company!”
With a bitter laugh Kou Zhong said, "You want to go then go! Why make it so hard, as if you did not like that I did not receive enough disappointment tonight?”
Right this moment, the alarm went off in their hearts at the same time, so they turned their eyes toward the huge bell in the middle of the tower.
‘Dang!'
Just before the bell rang, all three had already covered their ears.
One Buddhist bead knocked the bell to ring it, and then it bounced off in front of the tree.
Immediately their countenance changed.
Turned out it was a copper ball, yet it could strike the giant bell that even the entire bell tower was shaken by the loud noise; what kind of Dhyana skill was this?