Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 22 Greed Rises in the Old Zen Hall

The group then moved to the front yard.

It was already late, and all was quiet except for the moonlight, which shone down like water in the courtyard.

Li Fa stood still, then bowed respectfully to Jin Chi and the monks, saying, "I have made a fool of myself."

He made hand seals and chanted incantations, preparing to begin.

Actually, he didn't know any lightness techniques; he was using the Wind and Cloud Movement Technique, but he infused it with less magic power.

The monks saw a cloud suddenly emerge from beneath Li Fa's feet, carrying him slowly into the air until it stopped at a height of ten feet.

Then Li Fa secretly urged the wind, and sure enough, his figure swayed, moving forward and backward, turning left and right, as if he were free.

Then he withdrew his supernatural powers and landed on the ground.

Jinchi and the other monks were all stunned.

"This...this..." Jin Chi's prayer beads fell to the ground with a clatter, completely unaware of it. He just opened his mouth wide, pointed at Li Fa, and his dim old eyes flashed with a sharp light.

This is no ordinary skill! This is definitely not a trick from the mortal world!

This is... this is the prototype of soaring through the clouds, the foundation of immortal escape techniques!

Elder Jinchi was shocked; he hadn't expected that this "Fahai" before him possessed such abilities.

"It's just a trivial skill; I'm afraid I'll make the old abbot and all the masters laugh at me!" Li Fa said slowly, without blushing or panting.

"Abbot Fahai, you are too modest! Such supernatural powers are almost divine, truly an eye-opener for this old monk!" Jinchi actually broke free from the support of the two children, leaning on his cane, and took a few steps forward with trembling hands, his tone fervent, "I never imagined that the Buddhism of the East could be so profound! May I ask what this Dharma is called?"

Li Fa smiled and said, "Old Abbot, this divine power is called 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon'."

Elder Jinchi asked, "Why is it called the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon?"

Li Fa thought for a moment and then made up a story: "To activate this spell, one must first chant incantations and make hand seals, first summoning a dragon to spew clouds, then summoning another dragon to blow wind, and in this way one can float and walk in the void."

Jin Chi exclaimed with delight, "Wonderful! Wonderful! But there's something I'm not sure if I should say?"

Li Fa said, "Please speak frankly, Elder Abbot."

Jin Chi said, "Then this old monk will speak frankly. I wonder if the abbot's supernatural powers can be passed on to outsiders?"

Li Fa said, "That's not difficult. Jinshan Temple doesn't have the habit of holding back. As long as someone wants to learn, I will teach them. However, whether they can master it is another matter."

Jin Chi was overjoyed upon hearing this, and invited Li Fa into the room, instructing the young monk, "Bring the abbot the best tea!"

So the young monk served tea again.

Jin Chicai said, "I beg Abbot Fahai to teach this old monk this supernatural power."

Li Fa laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that?"

Then he whispered to Jinchi, "The old abbot only needs to silently recite 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Great Luo Dharma Mantra, World Honored Ksitigarbha, Prajna Buddhas, Prajna Paramita,' and clouds will rise from his feet and wind will rise from behind him. He can traverse mountains and rivers as if walking on flat ground."

Elder Jinchi was overjoyed and instructed the monks to clean the meditation hall in front, bring a rattan bed, set out bedding, and invite Li Fa to rest.

Meanwhile, the old monk, supported by Xing Tong, arrived at the front courtyard and chanted: "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Great Luo Dharma Mantra, World Honored Ksitigarbha, Prajna Buddhas, Prajna Paramita!"

However, nothing happened even after he finished reading.

Jinchi, however, refused to believe it and chanted it more than ten times, but it still didn't work. He became angry and immediately summoned the monks to discuss countermeasures.

Among the monks were two of his beloved grand-disciples, who stepped forward and asked, "Master, why are you still awake so late, summoning us here?"

Jin Chi said, "It's because the 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon' technique that Abbot Fahai taught me is ineffective, making it difficult for me to fly. That's why I called you here to discuss countermeasures."

After saying this, a young monk named Guangzhi stepped forward from among the monks and said, "Grandmaster, you are too anxious. I have heard that when a cat teaches a tiger to hunt, it still holds back its skill of climbing trees. How could Fahai teach you all his skills when he has just met us? This is exactly what is meant by 'the Dharma should not be lightly passed on.' However, it also proves that this 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon' is real."

Jin Chi said, "What you said makes sense."

At this moment, another young monk stepped forward, named Guangmou. He said, "Master, I think that Fahai's ability to fly might not be entirely due to his supernatural powers. Perhaps he has some treasures that he's using to gain power. Why don't I go and investigate the truth? What do you think, Master?"

Jin Chi laughed and said, "Good! Good!"

So Guangmou filled a basin with hot water, pretending to deliver it to Li Fa, and went to the meditation hall where Li Fa lived, intending to find out what was going on.

As soon as I entered the meditation hall, I saw a faint light shining in the dark room.

Guangmou had an idea. He put down the wooden basin and tiptoed to the window of the meditation hall to listen to the sounds inside.

It turns out that Li Fa had keen senses and clear awareness, and had long ago noticed Guang Mou's actions.

He sat upright at the head of the bed, took out the wind-dispelling pestle, and while wiping it, murmured to himself, "My treasure, my treasure! Thanks to you, this humble monk was able to show our Eastern lands face at the Western Monastery!"

Guangmou was secretly pleased to hear this, and quickly poked a hole in the window paper to peek inside.

Sure enough, Li Fa was seen wiping a vajra-like object while muttering incantations.

Guangmou dared not act rashly, but called out from outside the door, "Abbot Fahai, this humble monk has been ordered by the abbot to fetch a basin of hot water for you to wash your feet!"

But then Li Fa, who was inside the room, quickly put away the pestle and stuffed it under his pillow.

Only then did he hear a reply from inside the house: "Thank you for your kindness, Abbot. I have already gone to bed. Please return first, young monk. I will personally thank you tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Guangmou responded and returned to the abbot's quarters.

Jinchi and the monks were indeed still waiting there. As soon as they saw Guangmou return, they hurriedly asked, "Guangmou, how did the investigation go?"

"Reporting to Master!" Guangmou ran excitedly to Jinchi, "Disciple saw it! That monk Fahai really did hide treasure!"

Jin Chi's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, and he leaned forward: "Oh? What treasure is it? Tell me in detail!"

"I saw it with my own eyes outside the window. That monk Fahai was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, polishing a vajra in his hand. The tip of the vajra was even glowing! He was muttering something about 'Thanks to you, this humble monk was able to show his face to the East in the Western Temple!' In my opinion, his ability to fly through the clouds is probably just due to the power of this treasure, and that incantation is likely just a facade!"

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Elder Jinchi exclaimed three times, overjoyed, "Indeed, the Dharma should not be lightly passed on, and treasures should not be revealed to the public!"

Guangzhi, standing to the side, said, "Master is right. This monk from the East is indeed shrewd! With such a precious Buddhist treasure, how can we let it go to waste and be buried in his hands?"

If it's just supernatural powers and spells, then perhaps fate and talent are involved; but if it's a real treasure... then there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Jin Chi said, "We must treat this person well tomorrow and make sure he doesn't get away!"

The monks accepted the order and then withdrew. This was precisely:

False incantations spread from the East to the West; greed leads to vain pursuit of Zen.

He boasted of his wisdom and insightful methods, but his precious light was actually the root of all evil.