Urban Martial Saint

After knocking down the eight bandits, the Purple Robe Lama finally turned to look at the herder’s family still kneeling on the ground, and said, ”They have no ability to resist. Let the police arrest them. I have urgent matters and cannot help you. Handle the rest on your own!”

”Rest assured, Venerable, we can definitely handle it!” the herder quickly replied.

The Purple Robe Lama nodded slightly, just about to head out, suddenly asked, ”By the way, what time is it now?”

The herder looked at his watch and said, ”Three minutes to one!”

”Twenty-three more minutes!” the Purple Robe Lama frowned and said, ”How far is it from here to Zhashi Palace?”

”Twenty-three minutes, if you want to reach Zhashi Palace, you probably have to drive!” the herder said, ”It’s more than thirty kilometers from here to Zhashi Palace. But if you want to take a car, you have to go to the nearby town, which is about five kilometers away. Venerable, I have a horse here, you can ride to the town and then take a car to Zhashi Palace.”

”No need!” the Purple Robe Lama shook his head, ”Thirty kilometers, twenty-three minutes, that’s enough!”

After speaking, the Purple Robe Lama rushed out of the room. The herder was stunned for a moment, and quickly ran to the door to look up. The Purple Robe Lama was already a hundred meters away.

The herder’s eyes widened instantly. This speed is even faster than a car!

After being stunned for a while, the herder suddenly knelt on the ground again, bowing repeatedly. They were devout to the Buddha before, but they had never witnessed a manifestation of the Buddha. This time, seeing the Purple Robe Lama was like witnessing the manifestation of the True Buddha!

In the Zhashi Palace, a group of senior monks was anxiously waiting. The True Buddha had said that he would enter nirvana at twenty past one. However, it’s already ten past one, and the Purple Robe Lama hasn’t returned yet. If he doesn’t return soon, how will the True Buddha leave his cryptic words?

Just as everyone was anxiously waiting, suddenly, a distant bell sounded from behind the main hall, signaling that the True Buddha was about to emerge.

Everyone immediately stood to the sides respectfully, looking towards the direction where the True Buddha would appear.

Behind the main hall, two young monks slowly walked out first. The two monks were holding wooden fish, continuously tapping and chanting scriptures. Following the two monks, four monks holding the four treasures of Brahmanism walked out one after another. Then, only then did a monk in his fifties or sixties slowly walk out.

Seeing this monk, everyone in the hall immediately fell to the ground, shouting in unison, ”True Buddha!”

This monk was the most revered present True Buddha of Brahmanism.

He slowly walked to the main seat in the hall and sat down, gently waved his hand, and then everyone stood up. Everyone looked at the True Buddha. The True Buddha appeared healthy and full of vigor, showing no signs of imminent nirvana at all.

However, everyone had no doubts. Because each generation of True Buddha was a person of great wisdom, every True Buddha could accurately state the time of their own nirvana without the slightest error.

The True Buddha sat in the hall but did not speak a word, only closing his eyes in meditation. Everyone below waited anxiously as time ticked by second by second, with the deadline of twenty past one approaching ever closer. Yet, the True Buddha showed no intent to speak. What was he planning?

Everyone was getting increasingly anxious, checking their watches from time to time to confirm the time. As it seemed, time was passing quickly, and soon it was already nineteen minutes past one.

At this point, everyone looked up at the True Buddha. If the True Buddha didn’t speak up soon, the timing would not match.

However, the True Buddha still showed no sign of opening his eyes, just sitting there with his eyes closed as if waiting for the Purple Robe Lama to return before he would speak.

Everyone was very anxious. If the Purple Robe Lama could not return in time, wouldn’t the True Buddha leave behind his cryptic words? Without the cryptic words, how would they find the Reincarnated True Buddha?

But no one dared to urge the True Buddha. Every generation of True Buddha was a person of great wisdom. Since he acted this way, there must be a reason. Everyone could only wait patiently.

At this moment, everyone was counting time by the second. But as it turned to nineteen minutes and fifty seconds past one, the True Buddha still hadn’t opened his eyes. Everyone was utterly anxious. Would he leave cryptic words or not?

Just as everyone was on the verge of panic, the True Buddha finally opened his eyes amidst everyone’s anticipation. He looked toward the outside of the main hall and softly recited, ”His Buddha is not my Buddha, my Buddha is not his Buddha!”

As he finished these words, it was exactly twenty past one. And the True Buddha, after speaking, put his hands together, closed his eyes, sat upright in a dignified meditative posture.

Everyone was stunned. What was this situation? What does it mean, ”His Buddha is not my Buddha, my Buddha is not his Buddha”? Is this the cryptic words left by the True Buddha?

Just in the midst of everyone’s shock and confusion, a soft voice suddenly came from the door of the hall: ”His Buddha is not my Buddha, my Buddha is not his Buddha?”

Everyone was startled; when did someone arrive at the entrance of the great hall?

Everyone quickly turned their heads to look, only to see a lama dressed in purple monk robes slowly walking in from the entrance of the great hall. It was he who had uttered those soft-spoken words. This lama was none other than the Brahminism Venerable, the Purple Robe Lama!

Upon seeing the Purple Robe Lama, everyone suddenly realized that the True Buddha knew the Purple Robe Lama had arrived, which is why those words were spoken. In other words, those two sentences were the gatha left by the True Buddha!

Everyone quickly turned to look at the True Buddha, who still sat in dignified majesty on the prayer mat, but the closed eyes did not open again.

The True Buddha had indeed passed away at this time!

Everyone was immensely shaken in their hearts; the True Buddha had truly controlled everything, every prediction being completely accurate. The prophesied time of death had not been mistaken in the slightest. Saying the gatha was to be left to the Purple Robe Lama was also perfectly accurate, as the Purple Robe Lama arrived precisely at this moment.

The Purple Robe Lama walked into the great hall, looked at the deceased True Buddha, sighed deeply, joined hands, and softly said, ”Amitabha!”

The people in the great hall also joined their hands like the Purple Robe Lama, and in unison chanted the Buddha’s name. Each face showed devotion and respect; this was in honor of the True Buddha.

After the people in the great hall finished chanting the Buddha’s name, nine chimes rang out from within the hall. The sound of the bells was melodious, carrying a touch of sorrow, and echoed far into the night.

Outside Zhashi Palace, those sitting cross-legged, the Ascetic Monks and monks, heard these chimes and all chanted the Buddha’s name loudly. However, some with insufficient cultivation level could not help but weep in sorrow.

The passing of the True Buddha meant the death of Brahmanism’s spiritual leader, and who could easily accept this? The more reluctant people were to part with the True Buddha, the more they hoped for the emergence of the Reincarnated True Buddha. Therefore, every time the True Buddha passed away, finding the Reincarnated True Buddha became the most important task for all in this Western Frontier!

In the great hall, after paying respects to the True Buddha, someone moved the Golden Body of the True Buddha to the back. The position of the True Buddha in the great hall was thus vacated, and the Purple Robe Lama happened to stand closest to that spot.

The Purple Robe Lama was the Guardian of the Faith Elder in Brahmanism, second only to the True Buddha. Without the True Buddha, he was now the highest-ranking person. Of course, high status did not equate to power. The only one who could lead Brahmanism was the True Buddha; none else!

”The True Buddha left two sentences earlier; it seems they are the gatha for finding the Reincarnated True Buddha!” a high monk below stood up and said, ”Purple-robed Elder, the True Buddha has passed, reincarnation is complete. For Brahmanism, the most important task now is finding the Reincarnated True Buddha. I believe it’s time for the four protectors to reveal the location of the Reincarnated True Buddha, which would help us in our search!”

”Indeed!” The Purple Robe Lama nodded, turning to face the four monks beside him.

According to the usual protocol, after the Golden Body of the True Buddha was carried away, these four protectors had to reveal the location of the Reincarnated True Buddha. However, this time it seemed different, the four protectors hesitated, their concerns unknown.

”Four Protectors, before the True Buddha passed, you should have already calculated the location of the Reincarnated True Buddha, right?” The Purple Robe Lama said, ”Since all high monks from different sects are present, it’s the perfect time to inform Brahmanism, allowing everyone to unite in the search for the Reincarnated True Buddha!”

The four protectors exchanged looks, and the eldest among them stepped forward, sighed, and said, ”Purple-robed Elder, Masters, it’s not that we don’t want to reveal the location of the Reincarnated True Buddha, but this time, the location is rather unusual!”

”How is it unusual?” someone below asked, ”Isn’t the Reincarnated True Buddha within the Brahmanism territory? How unusual could it be? With everyone from the religious districts here, we can find it wherever it is!”

The crowd nodded; finding someone within the Brahmanism territory should not be difficult.

The protector paused and whispered, ”The key issue is, this time, the Reincarnated True Buddha is not within the religious district!”

”What!?” Everyone’s eyes widened, gasping in unison.

The Purple Robe Lama was also taken aback, saying, ”Great Protector, did you make a mistake? The Reincarnated True Buddha is supposed to be our Brahmanism’s True Buddha, how could it not be within the religious district? If not in the religious district, where is it?”

”Outside the Western Frontier, within Huaxia!” The Great Protector paused and said, ”We divined three times, and each time, this was the result.”

”Outside the Western Frontier, within Huaxia?” someone below exclaimed, ”Where is that? The scope is so vast! How will we find it?”

”Indeed, how is there such a location? Before, at least, it was within a religious district, making it easy to find.”

”Most importantly, outside the Western Frontier, within Huaxia, what does that mean? If the person found isn’t from our religious district, do we really have to honor an outsider as the True Buddha?”

Voices erupted in disagreement, filled with skepticism towards this divination result. After all, finding the Reincarnated True Buddha was not a trivial matter; it was the most significant event for Brahmanism.

The Reincarnated True Buddha was meant to lead all of Brahmanism, but who could accept an outsider leading Brahmanism?