âAmitabha.â The monk sauntered towards the bowl; his expression made it apparent how happy he was.
The students had no words to describe this. Prior to this, the monk used a Buddhist bowl to hold roasted meat. This was disrespectful enough. Now, it was time for the fish soup.
Even a fool could see the value of that treasure bowl. Many students here knew about its frightening origin.
Generations of sacred monks from Heavenly Dragon Temple kept then passed it down to the next. They also empowered it with their blessing.
Thus, this was nothing short of a holy artifact, a symbol of Heavenly Dragon Templeâs boundless abilities. Golden Cidada was given this bowl after gaining the recognition of the sacred monks due to his peerless talents.
Alas, no one expected him to use it for meat and wine instead of subduing evil and spreading Buddhism.
Nonetheless, they still found his current action questionable because they saw the dog and boar licking the same bowl. This still wasnât enough to stop the monk from using his holy bowl.
This was nothing short of sacrilegious and disrespectful to the temple and its sages. Unfortunately, Golden Cicada treated the bowl as nothing more than an old bowl for eating.
âIf I do something like this, my seniors would break my legs.â A student murmured.
Others shook their head as well. Only Golden Cicada wouldnât pay attention to his prestige and background.
âNot quite true, the supreme had a similar style back then. Everyone says that the Buddhist child might be the next in succession.â An older student quietly said.
The group shuddered after hearing the word, âsupremeâ. They didnât dare to comment about this matter.
âGao! Gao!â Lilâ Yellow saw the monk being too greedy and immediately barked.
He didnât only want the soup but also the fish itself. Lilâ Yellow naturally wouldnât stand for this.
âAmitabha, I only want a piece, just a tiny piece.â The monk said this but he continued to pour the fish into his own bowl.
Lilâ Black didnât mind initially but eventually growled after seeing how greedy the monk was.
Lilâ Yellow barked louder and louder while showing him its sharp teeth. If it wasnât for Li Qiye, it would have bit the monkâs hand already.
If the high monks of Heavenly Dragon were here, they might actually vomit blood at this sight. The templeâs reputation was thrown away just like that.
âLittle monk, donât push your luck or Iâll let my dog bite you.â Li Qiye didnât know whether to laugh or cry and shook his head.
âGao! Gao!â Lilâ Yellow became more aggressive after hearing this. Its eyes exuded ferocity, ready to tear off the monkâs hand if he dared to take the entire fish.
The monk saw this and instantly let go. He revealed an awkward smile and said: âItâs just a misunderstanding, I never had any intention of taking the whole thing.â
He only took a portion of the fish before running away to the side and gulping down the bowl.
The two animals also learned from this and started devouring the soup. They didnât even spare the fish bones.
This was the case for the monk too. He cleaned up the entire bowl without leaving anything behind. He continued to lick the bowl as if not satisfied.
The students thought that if it wasnât for his fame, people might actually mistake him for a terrible monk who didnât follow any creed.
âAmitabha, praise be Buddha.â The monk rubbed his stomach and smiled: âBenefactor, is your temple still recruiting? I donât mind staying here.â
The monk spoke as if he was ready to abandon Heavenly Dragon Temple for good food.
âNo, you have a bad stench of meat on you despite being a monk.â Li Qiye shook his head.
âAmitabha.â The monk placed his palms together and smiled: âBenefactor, my bag of skin might be smelly but my appearance is brimming with Buddhist lightâ¦â
âGet out.â Li Qiye said without bothering to look at the guy.
âLittle monk, provoke my young master and heâll throw you into the wilds as a feast for the beasts.â The old man shook his head.
Golden Cicada shuddered and placed his palms together: âAmitabha, thank you for the meal, Benefactors, Iâll be going now.â
Having said that, he bowed then waved his sleeve, leaving in a cool manner just like a dignified monk. The only problem was how oily his kaaya was.
The students watched him leave and didnât know what to do next. However, a dozen men descended from above. They were from the academy judging by their uniform.
âFinally found you brats.â The leader was a middle-aged man with a muscular build. He heaved a sigh of relief after seeing all of them here: âIdiots, you think youâre strong enough to run around in Myriad Beast Mountains? You must be tired of living, I might as well throw you all off a cliff.â
âTeacher Du.â The students obediently accepted the scolding.
âWhatever, it is good that nothing happened.â The man glared at them and said: âRemember, youâre responsible for your own death here.â
Though the academy had abstained from any responsibility, some teachers still tagged along in order to avoid needless casualties. That would be a heavy loss for the academy.
âWho are these gentlemen?â The man noticed Li Qiyeâs group afterward.
âTeacher, he is Young Noble Li who helped the three of us, taking us in last night.â Xiao Ling reported.
âThank you.â The teacher bowed, finding the whole thing strange. He has never heard of people living here before.
Moreover, he couldnât see through the old man at all. On the other hand, he didnât care for Li Qiye because the guy was too ordinary and obvious.
âLeave if thereâs nothing else, donât disturb my young masterâs peace.â The old man said before Li Qiyeâs command. He didnât know what the temple meant to Li Qiye but the guy clearly didnât like people arguing here.
âYes, of course. My apology for troubling you three.â The teacher bowed again and left with the students.
Nonetheless, he couldnât help glancing back at the old man one more time, thinking that he looked a little familiar. He thought that they had met but didnât remember the exact location and time.
This was a strange feeling. He shouldnât have met a servant like this in the first place, let alone having a faint recollection.