Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 547: Master Shi Chan

As a disciple of the Hanging Monastery, the price Shi Chan could command for a single deliverance ritual was astronomical.

In the Central Continent, the Hanging Monastery stood as one of the Five Great Immortal Sects and represented the strongest Buddhist legacy. They could be said to be the leader of all temples in the world—in both practice and spirit.

Therefore, anyone from the Hanging Monastery was held in high esteem in the outside world. Though Shi Chan called himself a “little monk,” people outside addressed him as “Master.” Moreover, his Advanced Golden Core cultivation alone was enough to earn him reverence.

But since these three Alluring Ghosts have rejected my kind intentions, I shouldn’t say anything more.

He pressed his palms together with a compassionate demeanor and approached a cow, speaking solemnly. “We cultivators often say, ‘My fate is mine to command, not Heaven’s.’ We refuse to believe in destiny and rise in defiance. Some have indeed carved out a grand path for themselves, but such cases are ultimately the minority. And whether their resistance against destiny truly succeeded or was itself part of destiny’s arrangement—that remains unknown.

“Perhaps everyone in this world is unknowingly shackled by the chains of destiny. None can resist—not this little monk, not these three female benefactors, and not you.”

One hand was pressed to his chest while the other stroked the back of the cow’s neck.

How could cattle reared in the Dao-Seeking Sect be ordinary? The cow’s lineage was exceptional; the grass and water it fed on daily were likewise exceptional. Its hair was sleek and smooth to the touch, far superior to that of the cattle in the breeding farm Shi Chan previously worked at.

“You were born to be slaughtered, to sate mankind’s gluttony. Your flesh is offered to satisfy human greed. It may appear noble, yet in truth, it is but the outcome of your helplessness.

“This little monk shall give you a chance. If you refuse to be shackled by destiny and wish to escape your fate of slaughter, cry once. If you are willing to sacrifice yourself for mankind, cry twice.”

The cow stood motionless and didn’t cry even once.

Shi Chan sighed. “As I thought. You were born dull-witted, lacking innate wisdom, unable to understand human speech or grasp Buddhist teachings.”

Then, Shi Chan quietly recited abstruse and cryptic scriptures. “Within the primordial azure skies in times bygone, the blue firmament echoes vacant hymns, the vast floating land...”

The cow still showed no response.

Shi Chan shook his head helplessly and bent down to pick up the butcher’s knife from the ground. With one swift stroke, the cow breathed its last.

“Sādhu—excellent, excellent.”

The three Alluring Ghosts stared dumbfounded at this scene.

“Young friend, might I ask what you’re doing?” A benevolent voice spoke, deep and infectious.

Shi Chan turned his head, not recognizing who it was. “Benefactor, you are...?”

“You may call me Boss Bu. This breeding farm belongs to me.”

The Everlasting Immortal had seen from afar how Shi Chan had been acting mysteriously, fussing over a cow for half a day before finally slaughtering it with one chop. Shi Chan’s actions left the Everlasting Immortal perplexed.

“Ah, Benefactor Bu. This little monk is a disciple of the Hanging Monastery, with the Buddhist name Shi Chan. What I just did was to edify the cow’s spirit, allowing the cow to make its own choice.

“The scripture I recited is called the Cow Deliverance Sutra.”

“Cow Deliverance Sutra?” The Everlasting Immortal mumbled. I’ve never heard of it.

“This is a sutra I composed. There’s also the Pig Deliverance Sutra and Sheep Deliverance Sutra. At the previous slaughterhouse, I would recite these sutras before slaughter to let the livestock choose their own fate. Though so far, not a single case has been successful.

“After slaughter, I’d also recite the Rebirth Requiem to dispel the livestock’s lingering resentment for them to pass peacefully.”

The previous cow had been slaughtered by the creed leader, with Shi Chan only responsible for butchering. Only this cow had gone through the complete procedure.

The Everlasting Immortal found Shi Chan’s reasoning sound. Our breeding farm is essentially a slaughterhouse, which people will easily associate with scenes of bloodshed. This is detrimental to our reformed and rehabilitated image. If we follow Shi Chan’s approach—explanation first, slaughter after, then deliverance rituals—Yun Zhi, the first-in-command, and second-in-command will surely see us in a new light.

Only the three of them within the Dao-Seeking Sect knew the true identity of the Everlasting Immortal. More people knew the identities of the creed leader and the others—Dai Bufan and First Elder, in addition to the three of them.

In terms of their approach to matters, the Everlasting Immortal was much like his big boss, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. They were bold and decisive individuals who acted without hesitation once an idea struck them.

The Everlasting Immortal immediately issued notices to the creed leader and Vice Creed Leader Jin at the breeding farm, as well as to Chef Liu, Chef Gao, and several former Everlasting Creed’s elders at the barbeque shop.

~~~

At night, after the barbeque shop closed, Chef Liu and the others came to the breeding farm.

“Is everyone here?”

“Everyone’s here,” Little Wu and her two companions replied. Although they weren’t members of the Everlasting Creed, they now served as the creed leader’s right-hand assistants and thus needed to attend meetings.

The Everlasting Immortal nodded and recounted Shi Chan’s actions during the day.

The creed leader and the others fell into deep thought. “Immortal, you mean...”

“Everyone here is one of us, so I’ll speak plainly. We’re all prisoners of the Dao-Seeking Sect. There may come a day when they turn against us and have us executed. I believe we should make changes—not just operating the barbeque shop and breeding farm, but creating a completely new image. Shi Chan’s arrival presents an opportunity.

“When studying Buddhist teachings, the greatest taboo is veering off course. Shi Chan comes from the Hanging Monastery and represents orthodox Buddhism. His Buddhist spells must be exquisite and authentic. We should learn from him—cultivate our character and develop a Buddha nature. Only then can we demonstrate that we have truly been reformed.”

The creed leader and the others nodded repeatedly. As expected of an immortal! His level of thinking is different from ours. While we are content with the status quo, the Immortal is already planning the next move.

“Since no one objects, this matter is settled.”

“Umm...” Little Five timidly raised her hand. Since the three ghosts were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, they found meetings with the creed leader and the rest stressful.

"Feel free to voice your questions.”

“Can we ghosts also study Buddhist teachings?”

The Everlasting Immortal stroked his chin and hissed. “That’s indeed a problem. We’ll ask Shi Chan tomorrow.”

~~~

Early the next morning, all members of the Everlasting Creed sought out Shi Chan.

After hearing them out and pondering briefly, Shi Chan felt these people possessed a strong Buddha nature and had affinity with Buddhism. “Buddha saves those with affinity. Since you wish to learn from this little monk, I will not conceal my skills.

“As for the three female benefactors, don’t worry. There are precedents of ghosts studying Buddhism and even legends of ghosts building temples and reconstructing physical bodies with the power of faith after they mastered Buddhist teachings. It’s no problem.”

The three ghosts finally relaxed. It’s fine as long as we don’t end up sending ourselves off to the next life through our studies.

And thus, they went about their daytime tasks separately, then gathered at night to study Buddhist spells and discuss Buddhist scriptures, maintaining a strict and regular schedule. Shi Chan also gained new insights and epiphanies through these discussions and teachings.

~~~

Dai Bufan looked at the intelligence report just handed to him by a disciple, completely stupefied.

Why did Shi Chan go work at the breeding farm?

Why are those people from the Everlasting Creed starting to learn Buddhist teachings?

How would the Hanging Monastery react if they learn of these matters?

Dai Bufan couldn’t make sense of Shi Chan’s actions. As his shifu’s fate was unknown, Dai Bufan couldn’t count on him. That left only Yun Zhi.

~~~

“Big Senior Sister...”

Dai Bufan explained in detail what Shi Chan was doing and consulted Yun Zhi on how the Dao-Seeking Sect should handle the situation.

After a moment of silence, Yun Zhi slowly said, “When Junior Brother Shi Chan first arrived, he came to challenge me.”

Dai Bufan’s pupils contracted in shock. Is he tired of living?

Even if newborn calves don’t fear tigers, this is too much. Even an old calf like Master Jiesha wouldn’t dare do such a thing.

“Big Senior Sister, you mean...”

“If he dared challenge even me, nothing he does should surprise us.”

“True.”