Chapter 131: Chechi Kingdom Dharma Battle
Now speaking of Ao Tu coming to Che Chi Kingdom to discuss Dao.
The city-guarding soldiers heard this and said, “Our apologies, our apologies. It turns out you are a True Person with profound Daoist magic.”
Ao Tu said, “I dare not accept that. I wonder where your kingdom’s three National Preceptors are currently residing?”
The city-guarding soldiers pointed due south and said, “Go south, and it is not far.”
Ao Tu heard this and headed south of the city. On the way, he encountered scholars, artisans, common people, children, and others; all had a spirited look with little sign of hunger, so he knew the common people’s situation in Che Chi Kingdom was still tolerable.
Walking to some shops, each holding lamps and hanging signs, not closing even at night. He came upon a rice shop, and Ao Tu walked inside. The rice shop shop assistant saw Ao Tu looked like a Taoist priest and immediately greeted him with a smile.
Ao Tu asked the price of rice, and the shop assistant said:
“Daoist priest, you are from out of town, right?”
Ao Tu said: “Indeed, how did you know I am from out of town?”
The rice shop shop assistant said: “Daoist priest, you may not know, but in our kingdom, the king reveres the Dao and loves the worthy. If a Taoist priest comes to our kingdom, there are rewards, and every month there is a grain tribute of five dou of rice, so there is no need to spend money to purchase grain and rice.”
Ao Tu said: “This poor Daoist has just arrived in your kingdom and has not yet received the king’s rewards. I am going to visit the National Preceptors’ temple in your kingdom and do not wish to go empty-handed, so I have come to buy some five grains as a gift.”
The rice shop shop assistant said: “I see, Daoist priest, how much do you want to buy?”
Ao Tu said: “One dou each of rice, millet, panicled millet, wheat, and soybeans.”
The rice shop shop assistant heard this, packed the five grains separately, wrapped them in thick paper for Ao Tu, and then wrapped another layer of high-quality paper coated with red lacquer on the outside.
The rice shop shop assistant said to Ao Tu: “Wrapped like this, it looks substantial. This paper is my gift to you, Daoist priest.”
Ao Tu smiled and said: “Then many thanks for your kindness.”
Ao Tu paid the money and compared the price with that in Huoluo Kingdom, finding the rice prices between the two places differed by about twenty or thirty percent, less than he had imagined.
Ao Tu asked: “Shop assistant, this poor Daoist is from Huoluo Kingdom. When I came, I heard people say that Huoluo Kingdom has much land and few mountains, while your kingdom has little land and many mountains, so the two countries often engage in trade. Now I see your kingdom’s rice price is not much more expensive than Huoluo Kingdom’s. I wonder why?”
The shop assistant heard this and said doubtfully: “This I do not know. The rice price has always been like this and has not changed much in over a dozen years.”
The rice shop shopkeeper heard the two talking from behind and came over, saying: “Daoist priest, I know a bit about this matter.”
Ao Tu said: “Please inform me, shopkeeper.”
The rice shop shopkeeper said: “What you said, Daoist priest, is actually not wrong. When I was still young, grain and rice were very expensive. At that time, our kingdom had little grain. In good harvest years, we could barely get by; in ordinary years, the king had to buy and borrow grain from neighboring countries to survive; in disaster years, even buying and borrowing grain, people still starved to death. You say, how could the grain price not be expensive?”
Ao Tu said: “Then what about now?”
The rice shop shopkeeper smiled and said: “This is thanks to our kingdom’s three National Preceptors.”
Ao Tu said: “I wonder what abilities these three National Preceptors have?”
The rice shop shopkeeper said: “Our kingdom’s three National Preceptors are remarkable. About twenty-four or twenty-five years ago, our kingdom had a great drought with no rain, famine in the land, every household, whether king or common people, fasting and praying for rain, yet not a drop of rainwater fell.
Just when lives were hanging in the balance, the three National Preceptors came to our kingdom, summoning wind and rain, immediately resolving the disaster! For over twenty years since, the National Preceptors cast spells for rain every year. Our kingdom may not have harvests every year, but there have been no years of disaster.”
The shop shop assistant said: “I see. I was born late and do not know about these past events. But I know the Great National Preceptor can summon wind and rain; the Second National Preceptor can turn stone into gold; the Third National Preceptor can turn water into oil, hence national peace and prosperity year after year.”
The shop shopkeeper said: “Exactly so.”
Ao Tu nodded and said: “In that case, these three National Preceptors are indeed men of profound Daoist mystery. This poor Daoist will go to pay them a visit.”
The shop shopkeeper and shop assistant said: “Take care, Daoist priest.”
Ao Tu left the rice shop and headed south, passing two streets, and saw a Taoist temple to the Three Pure Ones, with tall halls arranged according to the astral step method, standing in clusters, extraordinary in grandeur.
Ao Tu looked up at this palace complex and saw inside it six or seven great halls, over a dozen small halls, and over a hundred rooms and courtyards in the back—truly not small.
He went forward and knocked on the door, but the one who opened it was a monk.
Ao Tu saw this and deliberately said: “Wrong place! Wrong place! From outside, it clearly looks like a Taoist temple, but how is it a monastery inside?”
The monk saw this and hurriedly said:
“Daoist priest lord, you did not go wrong. This is a Taoist temple.”
Ao Tu said: “Since it is a Taoist temple, why did a monk come out?”
The monk said: “Daoist priest lord, you must be from out of town and do not know our local customs.”
Ao Tu said: “Oh, what customs do you have here?”
The monk said: “Here, us monks do not live in monasteries but in Taoist temples. The ones minding the gate are us monks, the ones stoking fire are us monks, the ones carrying water are still us monks.”
Ao Tu said: “I suppose you monks love gambling and lost everything yourselves, signed indentures of servitude, so you do slave work for others.”
The monk said: “Daoist priest lord, which of us monks would dare touch gambling? We have never owed money. It is only because the king issued a decree calling us to fill labor roles that we dare not disobey.”
Ao Tu said: “The king cannot issue a decree for no reason at all; there must be a reason.”
The monk saw Ao Tu was a Taoist priest, so he went along with Ao Tu’s words, not daring to show unwillingness, merely squeezing some bitterness onto his face to gain sympathy, and said:
“Daoist priest lord, this is actually our monks’ fault. Twenty-four years ago, our kingdom had drought with no rain, lives in dire straits. Monks and Taoist priests alike received the court’s grain tribute and bitterly prayed for rain, yet not a drop fell. At that time, the three National Preceptors came and summoned wind and rain, immediately resolving the disaster. Thus the king was angry that us monks were useless and punished us to do work for you Daoist priests.”
Ao Tu heard this and laughed: “That is indeed your fault.”
The monk said: “Daoist priest lord, you are right. It is us monks who are useless and cannot pray for rain.”
Ao Tu said: “It is not that monks are useless, it is that your hearts lack sincerity.”
The monk said: “Daoist priest lord, how do you say our hearts lack sincerity?”
Ao Tu said: “If you sincerely worship the Buddha, why did not a drop of rain fall?”
The monk heard this, could not hold back tears, and said:
“Daoist priest lord, you are truly wronging us. How could us monks dare lack sincerity? To tell the truth, we are all monks from Zhiyuan Monastery. That monastery was imperial decree-built by the founding emperor, providing us a place to live. Grateful for the kingdom’s grace, how could we dare lack sincerity in praying for rain?”
Ao Tu said: “You say you sincerely prayed for rain—how did you pray?”
The monk said: “In the great disaster, all the monks of our monastery bitterly begged, sincerely chanting sutras, not stopping for three days and nights. The abbot elder, senior brothers, junior brothers—many fainted from exhaustion. Is that not sincerity? Yet even so, not a drop of rain fell. We really had no way!”
Ao Tu heard this and laughed loudly: “Wrong, wrong—you prayed incorrectly.”
The monk said: “How was it incorrect?”
Ao Tu said: “When I was young, I was also a monk and knew how to pray for rain. Whenever I prayed for rain, it was always effective, with great rain falling.”
The monk hurriedly asked: “Daoist priest lord, how did you pray for rain?”
Ao Tu said: “I ask you, when you prayed for rain, how much sesame oil did you offer, and how many dou of gold did you present?”
For minor ailments and injuries, just rest a bit—no need to worry.
