“Jing Qing monk?”
Hearing this name, Ye Chen felt somewhat surprised.
This person had appeared in his ears with a frequency that was not low. He had helped Cai Cai Zi attain enlightenment at Qi Xia Temple, and unexpectedly, he also had connections with high monks in Japan.
He was not a suspicious person, but his intuition told him that if someone unrelated to him kept appearing in his vicinity, there must be some reason behind it.
So he asked Cai Cai Zi: “Did you see that Jing Qing monk again this time?”
“No.” Cai Cai Zi shook her head. “After hosting the funeral, Jing Qing monk left Japan, and I did not attend the funeral, so I did not see Jing Qing monk. I went to Kinkaku Temple to pay respects to Master Kong Yin only after the funeral ended. Kinkaku Temple is currently under renovation and was temporarily not receiving pilgrims for worship, but fortunately, the Ito family has always been the largest donor to Kinkaku Temple, so the temple made an exception for us.”
Ye Chen nodded slightly and sighed. “In life, the cultivators one truly encounters are few, and the limited few are either enemies or former enemies. This Jing Qing monk entered the Dao through Buddhism, so he must have extraordinary qualities. It would be good if there were a chance to meet him face to face and discuss the Dao.”
As he spoke, this sigh reminded him of something in his heart.
Cultivators were extremely rare to begin with, so since he attained enlightenment, all the cultivators who appeared around him had some connection to him without exception.
Either they were people from the Po Qing Society, or they were people close to him, like Cai Cai Zi.
The former came aiming for him, the latter suddenly attained enlightenment by his side, and it was under the guidance of that Jing Qing monk.
Viewing the matter from this perspective, the appearance of Jing Qing monk, if it had no connection to him at all, seemed to go against this pattern.
At this moment, Cai Cai Zi did not know what Ye Chen was thinking. Hearing that Ye Chen wanted to meet Jing Qing monk, out of her indulgence for the man she loved, she blurted out: “Since Ye Chen-kun wants to see Jing Qing monk, Cai Cai Zi will try to help you contact him and see if he is willing to meet Ye Chen-kun.”
Ye Chen asked: “Do you have his contact information?”
Cai Cai Zi shook her head: “No, but Jing Qing monk is quite active in the Buddhist scholarly circles. If one makes the effort to find him, it should not be difficult.”
Ye Chen asked again: “What is this person’s status in the Buddhist scholarly circles? Do others know he is a cultivator?”
Cai Cai Zi said: “Jing Qing monk himself is a monk who left home at a young age. He studied deeply at several Buddhist academies, then began wandering and staying at various temples, lecturing and debating on scriptures. His understanding of many Buddhist teachings is very profound, and he has been recognised by numerous Buddhist masters. However, I think the outside world definitely does not know his identity as a cultivator. After all, being a cultivator is so shocking. Just like Ye Chen-kun, he certainly would not let outsiders know in everyday life.”
Ye Chen suddenly had a realisation and murmured: “You are right. Any cultivator has the mentality of having a precious jade that invites crime. They cannot and dare not let others know their secret.”
At this point, Ye Chen countered: “But Jing Qing monk has no relation to you, and you had never met before. Why would he risk exposing himself to guide you and help you attain enlightenment?!”
“This, I, I do not know either.” Cai Cai Zi suddenly felt a bit lost.
Ye Chen felt more and more that something was off. He frowned and said: “Cultivators in this world are like the hunters in the dark forest described in The Three-Body Problem. No one dares to light a torch to attract others, and upon seeing another torch, they either stay away immediately or strike to kill first. Someone like Jing Qing monk, who proactively steps forward to help you attain enlightenment, does not conform to the law of the jungle in this world.”
