121: The Monk's Change

"Bianji, didn't you already return to secular life? Why are you here as well?"

Tang Ku was startled.

Before Bianji could say anything, Li Shimin, who was beside him, said, "He requested to come in himself. At that time, Dali Temple was pursuing the monk who killed with a knife, and he was nearby. He took the initiative to subdue that person, and then volunteered to enter the prison to enlighten these monks. Frankly, if it weren't for him being here, it would be difficult to manage so many monks..."

Tang Ku roughly estimated that there were at least nearly two hundred bald monks imprisoned in this cell, and among them, there were quite a few powerful Warrior Monks. If they were to cause trouble, it would indeed be a bit difficult to handle.

"Bianji, tell me, what exactly happened to make these monks' dispositions change so drastically?"

Tang Ku observed that some of the monks had dull eyes, as if they had lost hope in life; some had fierce gazes, like man-eating beasts; and still others were unrestrained, singing and dancing shirtless, like madmen... How could these be monks? They were even more vulgar than common Mortals.

"I asked a few people and managed to piece together the general course of events, but what exactly happened, I can't imagine!"

Bianji was dressed completely as a common Mortal at this moment, and his speech and actions showed no trace of his former monastic life. Even when he saw Wu Zhen, he merely nodded silently, saying nothing.

As Bianji slowly described, Tang Ku and the others finally understood what had happened.

Everything began after Bianji left Jingtu Temple and returned to secular life. At that time, a monk from Jingtu Temple, without the knowledge of the other monks in the temple, stole a rabbit from the hunters' traps and roasted it to eat.

It wasn't the first time that monk had eaten meat. Before he became a monk, he was a hunter. Later, feeling that he had taken too many lives, he became a monk. He was considered to have a good spiritual root, and within a few years, he had already become a monk proficient in Buddha Dharma, and had never touched meat or fish. It could be said that his adherence to the precepts was so strict that even the old monks who had been in the temple for many years could not achieve that level.

And it was he, such a person, who actually roasted and ate a rabbit!

Bianji asked him how he felt at the time, and he merely said that he didn't know why, but suddenly he wanted to eat meat, and for several days before that, he had been salivating at the smell of meat.

Coincidentally, several monks who had become monks halfway through their lives also began to violate precepts. In addition to the precepts against gluttony and meat, they also engaged in false speech and quarrels, cursing at others. Some ate meat and drank alcohol, and even lied about not having done these things, outwardly maintaining a facade of righteousness.

Immediately following this, this trend began to spread to those monks who had become monks from a young age or were even vegetarians from birth, and they became increasingly excessive. In addition to the precepts against gluttony and anger, they even escalated their behavior. Some began to steal and rob, some, with some shame, wore common Mortal clothes to visit brothels and drink, and some, being overly excessive, even began to assault respectable women, doing all the things that any evil person could do.

Murder, arson, theft, robbery, and abduction—many monks were directly taken into custody by the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple, and after investigation, all were gathered in the imperial prison.

"...Everything happened so suddenly, without any warning. I know they weren't provoked in any way, nor were they incited or tempted by anyone, nor were there any powerful demons or evil spirits using Spells to drive the situation!"

Bianji frowned and said, "Holy Monk, please understand, although I became a monk from a young age and believed in the Buddha, I have seen many demons and evil spirits. But such an utterly bizarre occurrence is unheard of!"

Li Shimin, who was beside him, also said, "Holy Monk, this matter is very strange. I also sent people to inquire with Yuan Tiangang, that old Daoist, but he couldn't explain it either. He only said to gather them all together and wait for you to return to deal with this matter. Do you... have any clues?"

Tang Ku smiled bitterly in helplessness: "I understand the situation, but... Poor Monk, I also don't know what exactly happened!"

He finally understood why the Jinwu Guard General had that expression when he saw him.

Currently, monks have become almost universally reviled. If it weren't for the fact that he was the Datang Yudì and had been highly respected from beginning to end, that Jinwu Guard probably wouldn't even have given him a proper look.

For a moment, the entire prison fell silent. Everyone was utterly perplexed by the matter. Only one person muttered to himself, looking at everything before him, as if he had caught something unusual.

That person was Wu Zhen!

Tang Ku naturally understood his disciple very well. He couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Wu Zhen, did you think of something?"

Wu Zhen came back to her senses, put her palms together, and said, "Master, I did think of something... Their behavior is very similar to a problem with their faith... In our world, the gods live on Olympus, each with their own temples, and naturally, many people in the Human Realm worship them and regard them as their faith. I once witnessed the madness of Ares's followers after he was defeated in battle by a group of gods from the North. Those followers acted abnormally, becoming arrogant and overbearing, harming innocent people, and even self-mutilating and cutting off their own limbs. The reason for this..."

"The reason for this is that their faith disappeared! Is that what you mean?" A flash of inspiration struck Tang Ku's mind. "They... didn't know about Ares's defeat, so the abnormality was caused solely by the collapse of their faith!"

"Yes, their situation is almost identical to what I saw back then, so I wonder if it could be..."

Wu Zhen said, "Could it be because of the disappearance of the Western Buddhist Realm... that their faith disappeared, causing them to become like this?"

Tang Ku was about to wink at his disciple to tell her not to blurt out the truth, but it was already too late.

Li Shimin was instantly shocked and looked at Tang Ku, saying, "Holy Monk, what do you mean by the disappearance of the Western Buddhist Realm? Did something happen in the West?"

"This..." Tang Ku smiled bitterly in helplessness, "A monk does not lie. I originally didn't want Your Majesty to know about this because I was afraid you would worry too much. Poor Monk intended to find a suitable opportunity to gradually reveal it to you."

The Tang King, however, laughed heartily, "Holy Monk, you underestimate This Emperor too much. I have spent my life in battle, what kind of great storms have I not seen? Even the various aspects of the Underworld are but a laugh. Just tell me, This Emperor can still bear it..."

"This..."

Tang Ku hesitated for a moment, then heard Nezha jump out and say impatiently, "Oh, you guys are too slow. What does it matter if he knows... Tang King, to tell you the truth, it's not just the Western Buddhist Realm; now even the Underworld and the Immortal Realm have been destroyed by certain enemies. Otherwise, why do you think this Prince would be here? Isn't it better to stay in Heaven and enjoy blessings?"

These words stunned Li Shimin, and then a chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

No one is smarter than an emperor. Li Shimin, an enlightened ruler, immediately analyzed the most important information in Nezha's words.

There is a powerful enemy who destroyed the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and the Western Buddhist Realm...

"Damn it, they won't come to destroy my Great Tang, will they!"