Chapter 12 of 100

Chapter 12

15 min read3,654 words

Xianyun looked at the two people, then said to Zhan Yi very politely, "These two are my disciples, Zhan Shi. The older one is named Dong Dabao, and the younger one’s dharma name is Fajie. Saying this, he turned to look at the two disciples and said, 'Why don’t you two quickly greet Zhan Shi?'"

Dong Dabao and Fajie were a bit confused. They didn’t know why Xianyun wanted to introduce them to Zhan Yi, and he seemed quite serious about it. However, they knew that anyone Xianyun respected so much must be very important, so they didn’t hesitate and bowed to Zhan Yi, saying, "Greetings, Zhan Shi."

"Hehe, you don’t need to be so formal. Sit down, please," Zhan Yi said. He didn’t know what Xianyun was up to, but he knew there must be a reason, so he didn’t stop them. He just politely acknowledged their bow.

"This... With Master here, we dare not sit," the two said hesitantly, glancing at Xianyun.

"Zhan Shi has asked you to sit, so sit down," Xianyun said, looking at them.

The two obediently sat down, but Zhan Yi could see they were nervous, almost as if sitting on pins and needles. He found it quite amusing.

Once everyone was seated, Xianyun looked at his two disciples and spoke again, very seriously, "I’ve called you here today to tell you something very important. The Zhan Shi sitting in front of you, according to my calculations, will be the one who controls the heavens and the earth in the future. He will be of great help to our Buddhist sect, so you must respect him even more than you respect me, understood?"

"Ah, the one who controls the heavens and the earth? Is that like the Lord of Heaven and Earth?" The two were thunderstruck by Xianyun’s words and asked tentatively after a moment.

"Yes, you can say that, and he might even be more powerful than the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Meeting him in this life is a great blessing for you," Xianyun said, nodding satisfactorily at their stunned expressions.

"What, more powerful than the Lord of Heaven and Earth? What is that?" The two were even more surprised, and they looked at Zhan Yi as if he were a god, knowing that their master’s predictions were never wrong. They dared not show any disrespect to such a great person.

"This... He is still the Lord of Heaven and Earth, I suppose. I’m not entirely sure, but you can imagine how great he is," Xianyun was taken aback by their question and realized he had exaggerated a bit, but the words were already out, so he could only give a vague answer.

"Master, I think we are incredibly lucky to meet the future Lord of Heaven and Earth in our lifetime. It’s a great honor. Rest assured, we will respect Zhan Shi with the utmost sincerity, not only by showing him love but also by inviting him to meals and tea," Dong Dabao, who was in sales, finally reacted from his shock and said with great enthusiasm.

Fajie nodded eagerly beside him, his expression excited and full of longing.

"Um, that’s good. However, I have another matter to discuss with you. From today, Dabao, you will follow Zhan Shi and serve him diligently. You must not make any mistakes. Are you willing?" Xianyun looked at Dong Dabao, who was trying to please him, and said very seriously.

"Willing, it’s what I’ve been hoping for, Master. I feel that serving Zhan Shi is a great fortune from my past life. Rest assured, from today on, if he tells me to go east, I won’t go west, and if he tells me to beat a dog, I won’t scold a chicken. I will do everything in my power to assist him," Dong Dabao, understanding Xianyun’s hint, nodded excitedly.

To him, being allowed to follow Zhan Yi was the greatest cultivation his master could offer. The future Lord of Heaven and Earth, even a small bit of his favor would make him far superior to others.

On the side, the young monk Fajie seemed a bit reluctant and said softly, "Master, I also want to follow Zhan Shi and serve him."

"This... Dabao, your senior brother also wants to go. How about you let him have this chance?" Xianyun’s expression turned difficult when he heard this.

"Senior brother, you are too young and not suitable. When I have served Zhan Shi well, you can serve me. I have high hopes for you," Dong Dabao refused, thinking this was finally his chance in life. If he let his junior brother go, he would lose this opportunity. So he quickly tried to persuade Fajie.

"Junior brother, I am your senior brother and have been in the sect longer. I’m not young, and I can serve Master. Why can’t I serve Zhan Shi?" Fajie, though young, was not foolish and knew that opportunities were fleeting.

"You can’t go, Master chose me first."

"I’m going, you just asked Zhan Shi for money. He must not like you."

"..." The two soon started arguing.

Zhan Yi almost burst out laughing watching them. Xianyun, who looked so solemn, was surprisingly cunning. With just a few words, he had raised the enthusiasm of his two disciples. It seemed the saying "the older, the wiser" was true.

Xianyun, seeing the two arguing, glared at them, "Humph, be quiet. Look at you now. Do you have any sense of discipline as Buddhists? Turning to Zhan Yi, he continued, 'Zhan Shi, what do you think about this?'"

Zhan Yi knew it was his turn to speak and pretended to think for a moment, "Hehe, Xianyun, I’m also a bit undecided. Dabao seems to love deceiving people for money, but Fajie, though honest, is too young. It might be inconvenient to bring him along."

"Dabao, you deceived Zhan Shi? How dare you? What happened?" Xianyun’s face turned angry.

"Master, I... I didn’t mean to. I was just joking with Zhan Shi. Rest assured, Zhan Shi, I swear I will be loyal to you and will never deceive you again. I will help you earn money. If I break my promise, may I be poor for life. Please take me with you," Dong Dabao, seeing Xianyun’s anger, looked scared but quickly turned to Zhan Yi to express his determination.

"Zhan Shi, I’m not young. I’m very good at taking care of people. Ask Master, and I’m also Dabao’s senior brother, more honest than him," Fajie, seeing Dong Dabao’s determined expression, knew he had to speak up or lose the opportunity, so he quickly introduced himself.

"Senior brother, don’t talk nonsense. Where am I not honest? Besides, Zhan Shi said you are too young and not suitable to bring along," Dong Dabao didn’t back down.

"But you have already deceived Zhan Shi. He doesn’t like you." The two were about to argue again.

"Both of you, be quiet. Zhan Shi, why don’t you just choose one of them?" Xianyun stopped them again and looked at Zhan Yi.

"Um, alright, then let Dabao come with me. I see he is sincere about reforming. We can’t deny him a chance because of one mistake. As for Fajie, we can wait until he is older," Zhan Yi finally made a clear decision.

"Um, Zhan Shi is right. Dabao, quickly thank Zhan Shi. If you do anything foolish while following him, I will not be lenient," Xianyun nodded at Zhan Yi and then turned to scold Dong Dabao.

"Thank you, Zhan Shi. Rest assured, I will respect you as much as I respect Master and dedicate all my filial piety to you," Dong Dabao was delighted, bowing to Zhan Yi and flattering him.

"Zhan Shi, aren’t you afraid he will deceive you again? My junior brother is not honest," Fajie, still reluctant, pretended to be very concerned for Zhan Yi.

"Senior brother, don’t say that. I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. Besides, Zhan Shi is the future Lord of Heaven and Earth. His great character has already cleansed my soul, and I won’t deceive anyone again," Dong Dabao glared at Fajie angrily, and Fajie glared back.

"Alright, no one is perfect. Fajie, don’t worry. When you come of age, if you still want to follow me, I will take you," Zhan Yi, seeing them about to argue again, quickly intervened.

"Alright, Zhan Shi, my junior brother has many good qualities. He is very smart and can be a good help to you. But remember, I’m thirteen this year, and in five years, I will be an adult. You must take me with you then," Fajie, seeing Zhan Yi’s decision, quickly changed his tone and started praising Dong Dabao, as if afraid Dong Dabao would say something bad about him to Zhan Yi.

"Alright, that’s settled. Dabao, Fajie, go and prepare some good vegetarian dishes for Zhan Shi. Zhan Shi, if you have any favorite foods, tell them to buy them," Xianyun finally concluded.

Zhan Yi looked at the time and realized it was almost noon. If he left now, it would be impolite, so he said generously, "Don’t buy too much. Just get a fish, a roasted chicken, some braised pork, and some beer. The rest, I’ll eat what you eat."

"This... Zhan Shi, we are in a temple," Dong Dabao and Fajie couldn’t help but swallow their saliva but pretended to be hesitant.

"Zhan Shi told you to buy it. If you can’t eat it, can’t Zhan Shi eat it? Go quickly," Xianyun, seeing his disciples and Zhan Yi’s slightly embarrassed expression, quickly scolded them and sent them off.

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