Martial Cultivator

Upon entering White Deer Prefecture again, Chen Chao intended not to delay on the road and headed straight for Deercry Monastery.

Currently, only three major sects outside the Great Liang maintained strong ties with the dynasty. These included Myriad Sword Sect, the leader of the Great Peace Dao lineage in Daoism; Deercry Monastery, which maintained its friendly relations with Great Liang because of that black-robed Nation Teacher; and most recently, Sword Qi Mountain, whose swordsmiths had arrived in the Divine Capital.

Speaking of Sword Qi Mountain, the swordsmiths who had discreetly traveled to the Divine Capital had now fully settled within the Ministry of Works. They had trained numerous artisans and set a solid foundation for armament manufacturing. Reportedly, the Ministry of Works was currently producing new military equipment for the frontier army, and as soon as the trials were successful, they would immediately proceed with mass production. In the near future, the military capabilities of the Great Liang Dynasty were expected to advance significantly, which would ultimately reduce casualties in battles against the demon race from the north.

However, with the rising cost of these new armaments, the Ministry of Revenue was overwhelmed. Requests for funding flooded in, especially from the Ministry of Works, which recently demanded a significant sum for repairs to the imperial palace.

But compared to now, that bit of expense seemed trivial.

Rumor had it that the Minister of Revenue had been sighing constantly, and each day at the ministry, upon hearing that officials from the Ministry of Works had arrived, he nearly wished he could hide under his desk.

Yet, everyone in the imperial court understood well enough that His Majesty had always had grand ambitions. His efforts to strengthen the North had long been apparent. Now, after the recent upheaval in the Divine Capital, His Majesty the Emperor's will was virtually unchallengeable. In the past, there would always be some ministers gathering to advise, whether their efforts made an impact or not. But now, despite these rumors circulating for quite some time, not a single court official could be seen outside the palace gates.

When that day truly arrived and His Majesty's decree was issued, however difficult it might be for the Ministry of Revenue, they would still have to come up with the required funds.

After the failed abdication attempt, the voice of the Great Liang Dynasty had gradually been reduced to a single one. Even if some still felt reluctant, this was not the time to speak out.

Reflecting on this, Chen Chao felt a bit of satisfaction in his contribution. If his actions could help reduce the loss of lives for soldiers in the north, then perhaps he could feel he had lived up to that maternal grandfather whom he had never met.

As Chen Chao was walking, he was lost in thought, unaware that the clear skies from just moments earlier had darkened, now filled with gathering dark clouds.

In the distant sea of clouds, thunder rumbled, as if flood dragons were churning within.

Chen Chao snapped back to reality, looked up at the sky, and sighed. If the heavens were determined to pour down heavy rain, what could he do about it?

Looking around, while he was not exactly in a remote wilderness, it did not seem he was close to any towns or villages either.

Just as he resigned himself to becoming soaked, he noticed a small temple at the foot of a distant hill.

Quickening his pace, he managed to reach the temple before the first drop of rain fell. Standing under the eaves at the entrance, he glanced up at the plaque over the temple doors, inscribed with three large characters:

Temple of No Grace.

The words were written in standard script; neat and precise.

Judging from the strength of the strokes, it seemed the one who wrote them was a scholar with some study in calligraphy. But such things were not uncommon in White Deer Prefecture, given that Great Liang was often said to produce the finest scholars from White Deer.

Having enlisted a scholar with notable calligraphy skills to inscribe the plaque was not a difficult matter. Scholars were often fond of such elegant pursuits, and such occurrences were commonplace in White Deer, whether for large temples or small. ŕ

Chen Chao originally did not plan to enter the temple. He stood under the eaves, intending to resume his journey as soon as the rain lessened. But after only a brief moment, a middle-aged monk emerged from the temple, and walked to the entrance. Upon seeing Chen Chao, he gave a gentle smile, placed his hands together, and said softly, "Since Benefactor have come to our doorstep, why not step inside?"

Chen Chao chuckled. "I truly didn't want to disturb this peaceful temple, nor disrupt the masters' practice. The rain was simply too heavy, so I only sought brief shelter under your eaves."

The middle-aged monk shook his head and replied, "If Benefactor speaks so, you'll really diminish our monks' merit. The Lord Buddha is compassionate, delivering all beings from suffering. Although the temple has little to offer you, we can still offer a cup of hot tea."

Since the monk had put it that way, Chen Chao felt it would be impolite to refuse. Smiling, he nodded, “In that case, I'll gladly accept your hospitality.”

Entering the Temple of No Grace, it was much as he had imagined. From the outside, the temple did not seem large or grand, and the interior was even more modest. The pillars before the main hall had peeling lacquer, and from a distance, he could see the traces of insect damage. Left unchecked, it would likely only be a matter of years before the main hall itself would collapse.

At a glance, it was clear that the Temple of No Grace had been here for quite some time and had seen little upkeep, indirectly proving that its incense offerings had been modest over the years.

After all, Chen Chao looked around and confirmed that there was not a single worshiper inside. Normally, even in heavy rain, a thriving temple would still see quite a few people.

Chen Chao arrived in front of the main hall, and the middle-aged monk excused himself, saying he would prepare a pot of fine tea. At the same time, an elderly monk emerged from the hall. The old monk was thin, with kind eyes, but his robe was patched together with multiple layers; truly a hundred-patch garment.

This must be the abbot of the temple.

Chen Chao cupped his hands in greeting, but before he could speak, the old monk smiled and said, "Benefactor has such sincerity, wishing to create a good karmic connection with the Buddha, This old monk thanks Benefactor on behalf of all the monks in this temple"

Chen Chao paused for a moment and then saw the old abbot step aside, revealing a severely chipped merit box right in front of him.

Chen Chao frowned and said, "I left in a hurry, and I don't have any money on me."

The old abbot smiled warmly and replied, "That's no problem. If Benefactor has something of value on you, it would be just as good."

"I don't have anything like that," Chen Chao shook his head as he looked at the old abbot.

"Oh, I see... If Benefactor could leave an IOU, that would work too."

The old abbot seemed completely unconcerned with matters of face, still smiling as he looked at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao's expression stiffened. "Master, don't you fear that this behavior could dishonor the Buddha's teachings?"

The old abbot was not angered. He simply stretched out his sleeve, and sighed as he said, "If the Lord Buddha is truly spiritual, I believe He would forgive this destitute monk. To cultivate Buddhism, to cultivate the heart... one can cultivate all they want, but when the stomach is empty, no matter how much you understand of the Dharma, they may not be enough strength to share it with others."

Hearing these words, Chen Chao actually laughed. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a money pouch, and said with a smile, “I do have some incense money, but I'd like to listen to Master's teachings first.”

The old abbot frowned and replied, “Benefactor, saying that sounds a bit too vulgar.”

“Oh?” Chen Chao replied nonchalantly, “Then I'll just listen to Master's teachings for free. I presume Master doesn't mind missing out on some incense money.”

At this, the old abbot's frown deepened, “Benefactor looks young, yet you seem weighed down with the troubles of the world. Where's the youthful spirit?”

Chen Chao counterattacked, “I'll take that as a compliment, Master.”

The old abbot sighed and was just about to speak when his stomach involuntarily growled loudly.

The old abbot was not embarrassed at all, but his old eyes looked at Chen Chao as if they held countless unspoken words.

Finally, Chen Chao relented and tossed a few skygold coins into the donation box.

The coins hit the bottom of the donation box with a hollow sound, revealing just how empty the box was. It had likely been a long time since any money had landed in it.

Seeing Chen Chao’s generosity, the old abbot's face lit up with joy. “Come, come, Benefactor, follow this destitute monk into the hall, and this destitute monk will share the Buddha's teachings with you properly!”

Seeing the old abbot's delighted expression, Chen Chao felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine and waved his hand. “No need to enter the hall, right here at the doorway is fine.”

At these words, a hint of disappointment flashed across the old abbot's eyes. If he could have persuaded Chen Chao to enter the hall and see the pitiful state of the Buddha statue, perhaps he could have coaxed even more incense money out of Chen Chao.

The old abbot was not a greedy man. Soon, he dragged out two benches and placed them in front of the main hall. Just then, the middle-aged monk returned, bringing tea.

At a glance, Chen Chao could see the tea leaves were pitifully few, and the tea looked far from high quality.

The old abbot smiled and said, “Huisi, stop fussing and go fetch the last of the rice from the storeroom to make a pot of porridge. My old bones aren't as sturdy as yours, if I don't drink some porridge soon, I might just pass on.”

The monk named Huisi was taken aback and huffed, “Master, the rice bin is practically empty. Are we really using it all for one meal? How will we get by?”

The old abbot chuckled, shook the donation box, and pulled out a skygold coin. “After the porridge, head to the nearby village to buy some rice and flour. And with what's left, have them make master a new robe...”

The middle-aged monk took the coin and asked softly, “Master, isn't it time for this disciple to get a new robe too?”

The old abbot looked at him, speaking earnestly, “Huisi, how many times has master told you? As disciples of Buddhism, our focus is on cultivating our character. Without enduring hardship, how will you ever grasp the true essence of the Buddha's teachings?”

The middle-aged monk muttered under his breath, “This disciple has been cultivating diligently for so many years, yet I haven't really understood anything...”

The old abbot frowned and was just about to reprimand him when the middle-aged monk quickly turned and said, “Master, this disciple will go boil the porridge now!”

Whether or not he got a new robe did not matter. Now that there was some money, at least they would not go hungry for quite some time, which was a rare blessing for the few monks left in the temple.

When you're hungry, there's nothing more important in the world than having a full belly.

This was a truth the middle-aged monk knew all too well.

Watching the middle-aged monk leave, the old abbot pressed his palms together and murmured softly, “Getting angry before the Lord Buddha... what a sin, what a sin!”

Chen Chao looked at this scene, at a loss whether to cry or laugh.