Chapter 1356: Dao Ye

Chapter 811: ConspiracyChapter 1356: Dao Ye

Just as the convoy was rapidly advancing along the official road, sixty miles ahead of them lay the city of Yong.

At the city gate, a venerable old monk was seated in meditation. With kind eyes and eyebrows that reached his ears, he immediately drew the attention of many commoners.

However, no matter how the surrounding people watched and discussed, he just sat motionless in place.

And next to him, there was a stall for fortune-telling.

The street vendor was a middle-aged Taoist priest, with long flowing whiskers and an elegant bearing, he looked extraordinary.

His fortune-telling stall wasn't doing much business, but the middle-aged Taoist priest didn't seem to mind. He just occasionally glanced at the old monk next door, with a knowing smile playing on his lips.

One Buddha, one Dao. This strange combination has left many people curious.

At this time, several ragged commoners came from outside the city. There was a middle-aged couple, the woman holding a four or five-year-old child by the hand, and the man carrying a frail old woman on his back.

This family, after a moment of hesitation, somehow found the courage and suddenly knelt down before the monk.

The woman wept and said, “Master, you are a monk. Can you save us”

The old monk opened his eyes, glanced at the family, and said slowly, "Amitabha Buddha, my Buddha is merciful. Does this benefactor have any troubles"

The middle-aged Taoist next door couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Damn it, bald donkey, are your eyes blind or are you just looking for something to say The poor man is so destitute that he's wearing patched clothes and came here seeking help. He has a family to support, obviously fleeing disaster, yet you ask him if he's in trouble"

A leg rested on a stool, and a nonchalant middle-aged Taoist smiled impishly at the family of four. "Bald donkeys are shameless," he said. "You're better off coming to me than begging him; at least I won't be eyeing your offerings."

The Taoist's words made the family of four hesitate.

The old monk said calmly, "If you have any difficulties, just say so. Meeting with the poor monk is a sign of fate, and if I am able to help, I will definitely do so."

"Master," the woman said with a brave voice, "we are refugees from the border. The Liao army is at war with the court, and we ordinary people living on the border have suffered greatly. Things have become unbearable now. I beg you to take in my child and let him join the monastery. It would be better than starving to death with us."

The old monk glanced at the girl standing before her mother, looking timidly at him. He frowned slightly and said, "The Buddhist temple is a place of tranquility, naturally it cannot bear to see suffering. But this young girl is truly not suited for my Buddhist sect."

The middle-aged Taoist priest beside them chuckled and said, "I must say, you are quite interesting. Who would send their daughter to become a nun It'd be better to find her a cousin, or if all else fails, send her to my Taoist sect. She could learn the Dragon Tiger Heavenly Master Dao, ascend to immortality and attain nirvana – that wouldn't be a bad outcome either."

That family looked at the Daoist priest, finding his nonchalant demeanor utterly unconvincing. They could only turn their hopeful gaze to the old monk instead.

The old monk raised his hand and touched the girl's head, sighing: "If you are determined, I will take her away and place her in a nunnery. When she grows up, she can return to lay life or become a nun, or she can search for her family. Whatever she decides, I will respect her choice."

Upon hearing this, the entire family immediately knelt down, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.

The old monk reached out to take the girl's hand, but unexpectedly, the girl dodged back. She pointed at the Taoist priest next door and said crisply, "I'm going with him."ce likes and dislikes. How could you possibly know that since you're just arriving”"And these things you don't know but desperately need, are precisely the things those inconspicuous eunuchs and maids...