Chapter 709: Chapter 562: Returning to Secular Life

The heavy rains on Sikong Mountain lasted for a day and a night.

Inside the main hall of Sikong Temple, Xiao Mo had sat for an entire day and night. His clothes, once soaked through, were now half-dry.

「The next morning, as the sky began to lighten.」

Beneath the statue of the Buddha, Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes and rose from his meditation cushion.

Just as he was about to leave the main hall, he saw the Abbot, Yuan Kong, standing in the doorway, gazing at him with a smile.

"Master," Xiao Mo said, placing his palms together in a respectful salute.

Compared to how he had looked upon his return to the temple yesterday, Xiao Mo’s eyes now seemed much clearer and more resolute after a night of quiet meditation.

"Have you thought things through?" Yuan Kong asked calmly. "You may have broken your vows, but if the Buddha is truly in your heart, what does one transgression matter?"

"Thank you, Master, but I have already thought it through." Xiao Mo shook his head, his voice steady. "Even if you forgive me, Master, I fear I can no longer chant the scriptures with a peaceful heart. Thank you for raising me all these years. It is a debt I can never repay."

"It is hardly as serious as you make it out to be. For me, it is merely the matter of setting out an extra bowl and chopsticks," Yuan Kong said, looking at Xiao Mo with kindness before sighing softly. "But it is a pity. A pity that our Buddhist Sect has, in the end, lost a fine disciple."

He paused, a comforting smile gracing his lips.

"But in his place, the world will gain a fine Daoist."

"Go and rest in the courtyard for a while. Later, I will perform the rite of laicization for you."

"Yes, Master." Xiao Mo performed another salute with his palms together. He turned, glancing back one last time at the silent statue of the Buddha behind him before finally looking away and heading toward the rear courtyard.

Returning to the rear courtyard he had called home for over a decade, Xiao Mo began to pack his things.

He had become a monk at birth, with no choice in the matter.

Regardless, Xiao Mo had indeed been a monk for eighteen long years.

’When a person has spent eighteen years doing nothing but chanting scriptures and upholding the precepts, what difference does it make if he is a true monk or a false one?’

’Besides, throughout those eighteen years, Xiao Mo had genuinely felt that studying the Buddhist Dharma was a wonderful thing.’

’Perhaps it was a form of escapism, or perhaps it was a search for spiritual solace and tranquility.’

’But at the very least, for those eighteen years, Xiao Mo’s heart had been at peace.’

After he finished packing, Xiao Mo stepped out of his room to find Gui Junmeng already standing quietly in the courtyard, watching him with blinking eyes.

"I heard from Abbot Yuan Kong," Gui Junmeng began, her voice soft. Her eyes were filled with anticipation, yet her expression held a trace of confusion. "Are you... are you really willing to come with me to the Seeking Immortal Temple?"

"I am." Xiao Mo nodded. "I will be in your care from now on, Miss Gui."

"It’s no trouble, not at all! But... just yesterday, you said you were a monk and couldn’t leave with me. Why did you change your mind today?" A hint of cautious fear laced Gui Junmeng’s voice. She was afraid he was just toying with her.

"Yesterday, I was indeed a monk, and so I could not leave with you," Xiao Mo said with a faint smile and a nod. "But Miss Gui, I can no longer be a monk."

"Why not?" Gui Junmeng tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion. "Why can’t you be a monk anymore?"

"Because I broke my vows," Xiao Mo answered.

"Broke your vows? Which vow did you break?"

’Gui Junmeng was even more bewildered. Xiao Mo’s devotion to Buddhism had been so steadfast. How could he possibly have broken his vows?’

"A monk does not lie."

"I lied to a young woman."

With his travel pack on his back, Xiao Mo started walking out of the courtyard, his voice trailing behind him, lingering in the air.

"I told her... that I didn’t like her..."

...

「Sikong Temple.」

Today, the Buddhist Temple was closed to visitors. There were no pilgrims coming to worship and burn incense anywhere within its walls.

Inside the main hall, however, all the most senior and respected monks were in attendance.

Lined up on either side, they chanted the Buddhist Scripture in unison. The sacred sound rose and fell, solemn and reverent.

Off to one side of the hall, the young monk Xujing chanted along with the others, all the while wiping away tears. He gazed with profound reluctance at the figure standing at the very front of the hall.

At the very front of the hall, Xiao Mo knelt upon a meditation cushion.

Abbot Yuan Kong lit three sticks of incense for him and placed them firmly in the Incense Burner. Plumes of green smoke curled lazily into the air.

As the monks’ chanting slowly faded to silence, Abbot Yuan Kong walked calmly to stand before Xiao Mo. His gaze was serene as he asked, "Monk Que Yin, today, before the Buddha, do you have any words to say?"

With his palms together, Xiao Mo looked directly at the statue of the Buddha. "I, Que Yin, have violated the ten major precepts. The Abbot granted me a chance to repent, but I know my transgressions are grave. I no longer have the heart for Buddhist contemplation, nor can I face the Buddha."

"Today, I wish to renounce the Buddha, renounce the Dharma, and renounce the Sangha. I renounce my status as a monk, I renounce my masters, I renounce my fellow monks and teachers. I renounce all pure-practicing brethren, I renounce the precepts, I renounce the monastic rules, and I renounce my training..."

"Today, I wish to renounce my vows and descend the mountain."

"From this day forward, I am a layman, no longer a Buddhist Monk."

Xiao Mo spoke each word with a steady, resolute voice. Every syllable seemed to land heavily in the hearts of the monks present.

Upon hearing his words, many of the monks sighed inwardly, their eyes revealing complex emotions.

"Granted..." Yuan Kong inclined his head, his voice calm and profound. "Today, I return your freedom to you. You are no longer Que Yin, but Xiao Mo. May you walk your future path free from confusion and doubt, straying neither left nor right."

Yuan Kong placed his palms together, closed his eyes, and softly intoned the Buddha’s name, "Amitabha Buddha."

"Amitabha Buddha."

The assembly of monks chorused in reply, and the sacred chant rose once more, echoing endlessly throughout the great hall.

Xiao Mo rose to his feet.

Master Yuan Kong personally removed Xiao Mo’s old Monk’s Robe and helped him into a set of simple, common clothes.

"I am leaving the mountain today and can no longer care for you, Master. I only wish that you take good care of yourself and remain in good health." Xiao Mo knelt once more and kowtowed three times, a gesture of gratitude for the eighteen years of care he had received.

"Good child..." Master Yuan Kong gently helped Xiao Mo to his feet. He took a volume of scripture from within his robes and placed it solemnly in the young man’s hands.

"Though you are no longer a Buddhist Disciple, who is to say that only those of the Buddhist Sect may read the scriptures? In the future, when you have a spare moment, or when you feel lost, feel free to open it. Perhaps you will find some enlightenment within."

"Yes... Master..." Xiao Mo accepted the Buddhist Scripture with both hands and carefully tucked it away inside his clothes.

Yuan Kong patted Xiao Mo’s shoulder gently, his gaze full of paternal warmth. "Go," he said, his voice heavy with meaning. "May you live your life with no regrets and no remorse."

Xiao Mo gave Master Yuan Kong one final bow. Then he turned and, step by step, walked out of the hall.

Within the hall, the statue of the Buddha remained, holding a flower with a gentle smile, its eyes looking down upon the departing disciple.

Watching him walk farther and farther away.

Watching him never look back.

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