Chapter 382: Take the Tonsure and Become a Monk

Hui’en really was despicable enough to fetch some urine from the latrine, mix it with water, carry it over, climb a ladder, and try to pour it onto Shui Miao.

But when Hui’en reached the top of the ladder, his foot suddenly slipped—the ladder broke beneath him, and he fell flat on his backside. Luckily, the room wasn’t very high—only a little over two meters—so instead of serious injury, the large bucket of urine-mixed water poured all over himself. A foul stench spread instantly, making Hui’en feel nauseous. Pinching his nose, he scrambled up and ran off to take a shower and change clothes.

Trying to play a trick on Shui Miao, he ended up suffering the consequences himself.

Hui’en took two showers and brushed his teeth once before changing into clean clothes. Depressed, he returned to the grand hall.

In a corner, Hui’en muttered to himself, puzzled—why had the ladder suddenly broken? It had seemed perfectly fine.

Suspicious, he went back to examine the broken ladder. He found no signs of damage—every break was fresh and new. Hui’en was even more confused. He wasn’t that heavy, so how could he have snapped the wooden rungs? Could that kid possess some strange supernatural force? Unwilling to accept this, Hui’en grew more determined. He went to the storage room and fetched a sturdy A-frame ladder made of welded steel pipes. This ladder was not only solid but also stable and balanced—there was no way it would fail.

Once again, Hui’en fetched a wooden bucket filled with the urine-mixed water and carefully climbed the ladder step by step, afraid of another mishap. As he lifted the bucket, preparing to pour it onto the roof, suddenly a thunderous voice rang out behind him—“What do you think you’re doing!?” The booming shout startled Hui’en so much that his legs gave way, and he tumbled off the ladder. The bucket of filth poured over him again. Worse still, the steel A-frame ladder toppled over and landed directly on his head, causing a gash that bled heavily as he screamed in pain.

Just moments earlier, the senior monk Huineng had left the area but couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. He suspected Hui’en might try to play a trick on Shui Miao, so he came back to check—and indeed, he caught him red-handed.

Seeing Hui’en injured, Huineng burst into laughter. “You little brat, this is exactly what you deserve! Hmm? What’s that smell?” Noticing the foul odor, Huineng immediately suspected Hui’en had mixed urine into the bucket. Without hesitation, he grabbed Hui’en by a clean part of his robe and dragged him to see Elder Master Liao Chen.

Since Shui Miao was under Liao Chen’s special care, it made sense to report the matter to him.

This incident wasn’t major, but it wasn’t minor either. Considering they had grown up together, Huineng didn’t want to involve the abbot.

Outside the meditation room, Huineng threw Hui’en to the ground and faced the door, saying, “Master, you asked me to take that young layman to the斋心阁 for quiet reflection, but this Hui’en took the initiative to mix urine with water and used it to douse the boy. I have brought him here now—please deal with him accordingly.”

“Go ahead, take him to wash up first and treat his wounds,” came a calm and composed voice from inside the meditation room—no sign of anger or punishment.

Huineng protested, “Master, this Hui’en has always been mischievous and troublesome, but now he’s gone so far as to do something this vile! If you don’t punish him, how can you maintain discipline among the disciples?”

“Creak!”

The wooden door suddenly opened. Inside sat three elderly monks with white beards—Elder Liao Chen, Huineng’s master Liao Yuan, and even the abbot Liao Kong.

Master Liao Yuan waved his hand impatiently, “Huineng, how many times have I told you? Once someone enters the Buddhist order, they are connected by fate. Hui’en may be unruly, but he has deep karmic ties to Buddhism. As his fellow disciple, when he’s injured, you should first take him for treatment instead of rushing here to demand punishment. Where is your compassion?”

“Th-This…”

Huineng was stunned. Reflecting on his master’s words, he quickly realized his mistake and apologized, “Master, I was wrong. I’ll take him to get medical help right away.”

“No need for treatment. Just give him some ginger soup.”

At this moment, Abbot Liao Kong suddenly spoke.

“Ginger soup!?”

Huineng was taken aback. Hui’en had suffered physical trauma, not a cold. What good would ginger soup do?

“Don’t ask so many questions. Do as your senior brother says.”

Master Liao Yuan snapped impatiently.

Huineng stood still, blinking. Something felt off—his master was usually so gentle. What was going on today?

At this point, Hui’en slowly got up from the ground, swaying unsteadily. He finally steadied himself and waved his hand, “I’m fine, thank you, Master and Elder. I can walk on my own…”

His head was spinning, but he staggered away by himself.

Seeing that Huineng still hadn’t moved, Master Liao Yuan was about to scold him again, but Elder Liao Chen stopped him. He gestured for Huineng to come inside, shut the door, and sat cross-legged.

Then Elder Liao Chen spoke, “Huineng is upright by nature, possesses extraordinary strength. Having him on our side may prove beneficial.”

“Since he’s here, we might as well go along with it,” Master Liao Yuan sighed helplessly.

Abbot Liao Kong extended his hand and handed Huineng a Buddhist talisman.

This was the Diamond Light-Protecting Amulet—wearing it could safeguard one’s body and repel all evil.

Startled, Huineng asked, “Abbot, why are you giving this to me?”

“If I give it to you, just take it. You wouldn’t leave when I told you to, and now you’re sticking around to ask questions. Do you think your three senior brothers are here just for tea and idle chat?” Master Liao Yuan was furious.

Elder Liao Chen gently patted his younger brother’s shoulder before turning to Huineng, “Listen carefully. Understand as much as you can. When the time comes, you may ask any questions you have.”

“Okay…”

Huineng nodded. Though blunt, he understood the importance of the moment. He wasn’t upset by his master’s harsh tone.

After a moment of silence, Abbot Liao Kong began chanting Buddhist sutras. He chanted for quite some time before stopping.

Huineng was puzzled—why were his masters reciting the Diamond Subduing Demons Sutra? Was there a demon in the temple?

Then Elder Liao Chen spoke, “I believe helping this Shui Miao is both an opportunity and a blessing for our Buddhist order. If we can guide him to take monastic vows and embrace the Buddha’s path, it will be a great merit. That’s why I invited Elder Brother Abbot Liao Kong and Liao Yuan here—to discuss whether we should help Shui Miao, and if so, how?”

“Elder Brother Liao Chen, your Buddhist cultivation is far superior to ours, and I should follow your lead. But I still have concerns. The enemy this Shui Miao faces is extremely mysterious—we don’t even know who they are. How can we possibly confront them? I believe we should proceed with caution. This matter is too important to take lightly. If we fail, we risk not only our own lives but also the safety of the entire monastery.”

“So this is a gamble,” Abbot Liao Kong said solemnly, opening his eyes. “Elder Brother Liao Chen, I trust you, but I still believe the risks are too great unless we can somehow discover the identity of Shui Miao’s enemy. We must not act recklessly.”

“That,” Liao Chen stroked his beard, “is both difficult and not so difficult. I can enter a meditative trance to investigate, but that will require Shui Miao’s cooperation. From his appearance and his sincere devotion to the Buddha, I believe he will fully cooperate.”

“If we can uncover his enemy, that would be best.”

Master Liao Yuan exhaled in relief, secretly wondering why Elder Brother Liao Chen’s cultivation was so much deeper than his own.

“Haha, it seems Elder Brother Liao Chen already has a plan. Please share it with us,” Abbot Liao Kong said with a relaxed smile. Privately, he knew his own spiritual power was only a fraction of Liao Chen’s, so he had no objections.

Elder Liao Chen stroked his beard and looked at Huineng. “Huineng, I believe you’ve heard enough to have a rough idea of the situation. Now, Elder Uncle has a task for you—try to persuade Shui Miao to take monastic vows. Do you think you can do it?”

“Well… I can’t really say for sure!”

Huineng was honest—he didn’t like making promises he couldn’t keep.

“Haha…” Elder Liao Chen smiled gently. “Huineng, you’ve always wanted to know your origins, haven’t you? If you can convince Shui Miao to become a monk, Elder Uncle will agree to help you enter the meditative trance too, so you can learn the truth about your birth.”

“Really!?”

Huineng immediately became excited.

Elder Liao Chen nodded slightly, “A monk never lies. Of course it’s true.”

“Great! I’ll do whatever it takes to make him a monk!” Huineng jumped up and was about to leave.

But Elder Liao Chen waved him back, “Huineng, you misunderstood. I’m not asking you to fight or force him. I want you to use wisdom and sincere persuasion.”

“Oh, I understand!”

Though rough around the edges and not the most eloquent, Huineng was no fool—he grasped Liao Chen’s meaning.

After Huineng left, Liao Yuan looked at Liao Chen in confusion, “Elder Brother, how does this matter involve Huineng? Isn’t he just someone you picked up from the streets? Why does he need to enter the meditative trance too?”

“Haha, younger brother, you don’t know the whole story. When I found Huineng, it was the middle of winter—snowing heavily, freezing cold. He was just an infant wrapped in a single blanket, yet he was smiling in the snow. Doesn’t that strike you as strange? Also, my decision to involve Huineng is related to the fact that Shui Miao paid homage to the Taming-the-Tiger Arhat,” Elder Liao Chen narrowed his eyes and continued, “You two know this, but if Shui Miao asks you anything, just smile and say nothing.”

Elder Liao Chen was deep in thought, already having a plan in mind.

Abbot Liao Kong and Master Liao Yuan exchanged glances and nodded.

※※※

“Haha, young brother, you’ve been paying homage for quite some time—have you gained any insight?”

Huineng strode into the斋心阁, pushed the wooden door open, and saw Shui Miao soaked and shivering. He exclaimed in surprise, “Oh no! You’re all wet! Now I remember—those little brats must have mistaken you for a novice breaking the monastery’s rules. Come on, quickly, come with me to change into dry clothes.”

Without his divine powers, Shui Miao was already shivering from the cold.

Huineng took him to his room, where Shui Miao changed into a set of monastic robes.

Seeing how crisp and neat Shui Miao looked in the robes, Huineng gave him a thumbs-up and grinned, “Young brother, you really look like a true Buddhist disciple in those robes! I see you have such a deep connection with Buddhism—why not take full vows and officially join our order?”

True to his nature, Huineng got straight to the point after just a few sentences.