Chapter 2352 - 2352: The Old Man of Xiaolin Temple

This plaque is split in the middle, and now only half of the plaque remains. However, even so, this plaque is not small, and the remaining half is over two meters long.

The plaque is made of wood, and the quality of this wood is excellent, which is why it hasn't decayed for hundreds of years. Yet, even so, this plaque still fell into the hands of the Bloody Monk.

Now, the Bloody Monk is holding this plaque, carefully examining the break on it, his eyebrows slowly furrowing as if he has seen something incredibly unbelievable.

Just as the Bloody Monk is frowning in thought, a light cough suddenly comes from inside the Xiaolin Temple, startling the Bloody Monk.

"Who!" The Bloody Monk shouts coldly, rushing into the Xiaolin Temple at the first moment, heading directly to where the sound came from.

In the courtyard of Xiaolin Temple, an old man with graying hair is looking at the Bloody Monk with a face full of terror, his mouth trembling as if he is very afraid of the Bloody Monk.

If the Wolf Monk were here, he would definitely recognize that the old man is the one he saw last time. Of course, the Bloody Monk definitely does not recognize this old man. Seeing this old man, the Bloody Monk's face is full of confusion as to why there would still be someone in this Xiaolin Temple?

Of course, upon seeing this old man, the Bloody Monk also took a careful look, discovering that the old man's steps are unsteady, with no aura fluctuations at all, clearly not knowing any martial arts. This means he is just an ordinary old man. But why is he here in Xiaolin Temple?

"Who are you?" the Bloody Monk asked in a deep voice.

"I... I am... I work in the... Xiaolin Temple kitchen..." the old man replied trembling, as if his voice was shaking due to fear.

"Work in the kitchen?" The Bloody Monk frowned, saying, "Xiaolin Temple has been gone for a long time, where would there be anyone working in the kitchen? Do you still wish to deceive me?"

The old man hurriedly said, "I... I'm not lying to you, Master Shizhen, I... I really work in the kitchen of this Xiaolin Temple..."

The Bloody Monk's face changed immediately, the name Shizhen reminded him of everything in Xiaolin Temple. Shizhen was his Buddhist name when he was in Xiaolin Temple. Because he was a disciple of Master Shijia, he also used the character Shi. However, this title was known only to the people of Xiaolin Temple. At that time, his reputation was not illustrious, and few in the world knew of Shizhen. It wasn't until he slaughtered everyone in Xiaolin Temple, dyeing his monk robes with blood, that he earned the name Bloody Monk, and his reputation spread throughout the world. Many people knew the Bloody Monk, but few knew Shizhen.

This old man would call out the name Shizhen upon arriving, how could the Bloody Monk not be shocked? What is the true identity of this old man? Why does he know his name?

"Who exactly are you?" the Bloody Monk asked in a deep voice, though his tone was not as cold as before. For someone who could still remember his Buddhist name, the Bloody Monk actually felt a bit sentimental.

"I... I really do work in the kitchen of Xiaolin Temple..." the old man said, "When you were in Xiaolin Temple, Master, I was also in Xiaolin Temple. It's just that you were the younger brother of Master Shijia, and I was just an assistant in the kitchen. I've heard of your name long ago, but I, a minor servant, you wouldn't know, that... that's normal..."

The Bloody Monk slightly frowned, it could indeed be possible. There were many people in Xiaolin Temple, and he had never been to the kitchen, so naturally, he didn't know who was there. However, it turns out this person was quite lucky. Back then, when the Bloody Monk went mad, slaughtering all in Xiaolin Temple including those in the kitchen, this person survived, probably because he wasn't in Xiaolin Temple at the time.

"I never expected to meet an old acquaintance here again!" the Bloody Monk sighed softly, his tone carrying a bit of nostalgia. He looked at the old man in front of him, who was also looking at him with a face full of fear, seemingly very afraid of him.

The Bloody Monk could also understand the old man's expression, after all, the Bloody Monk was a god of killing back then, slaughtering everyone in Xiaolin Temple. Since this old man was an assistant in the kitchen of Xiaolin Temple, he must have heard about what happened. It's not easy for him to have survived, and seeing the Bloody Monk again, how could he not be afraid? His biggest fear must be that the Bloody Monk might suddenly kill him!

"What are you doing here?" the Bloody Monk looked behind the old man, where there was a Zen room that hadn't collapsed, with some simple living supplies inside, looking as if someone was living there. Could it be that this old man had been living on the mountain all this time?

The old man said, "I... I've been in Xiaolin Temple since a young age, with no family or friends, Xiaolin Temple is my home. If I don't live here, where else would I live?"

This statement made the Bloody Monk's heart a bit gloomy, as Xiaolin Temple was once his home too. But now, it no longer is.

Seeing the Bloody Monk say nothing, the old man tentatively asked, "Master Shizhen, you... you returned to Xiaolin Temple this time, to... to do what?"

It's clear that the old man is extremely afraid of the Bloody Monk, likely fearing that the Bloody Monk might kill him.

The Bloody Monk could see the old man's fear, yet the Bloody Monk now was no longer the demon who could kill without batting an eyelid. He lightly inhaled and said, "Xiaolin Temple no longer exists, and neither does the person named Shizhen. From now on, please call me Bloody Monk!"

The old man stared at the Bloody Monk for a while, and suddenly asked, "Why doesn't Xiaolin Temple exist anymore?"

The Bloody Monk did not expect the old man to ask such a question, looking at the old man, he said, "More than twenty years ago, Xiaolin Temple already ceased to exist. What remains now is just a heap of ruins!"

"I don't think so!" The old man shook his head, looking at the surrounding ruins, he said, "The ancient temple may indeed be gone, but it doesn't mean Xiaolin Temple is gone. Because the real Xiaolin Temple will always be here!"

The old man pointed to his own chest, then to the Bloody Monk's chest.

The Bloody Monk's breath suddenly became rapid, the place the old man pointed to was where his heart is. The old man was telling him that Xiaolin Temple always remained in his heart, and never truly fell!

Seeing the Bloody Monk's expression, the old man took a slight breath, as if relieved that his words hadn't angered the Bloody Monk.

"Master Shizhen, I'm just a servant, without much understanding of Buddhist scriptures. But I still remember the words Master Shijia said back then. 'With Buddha in the heart, one is a Buddha. Without Buddha in the heart, there is no Buddha in the world!' The old man looked at the Bloody Monk and said, "Similarly, in all these years, have you ever let go of Xiaolin Temple in your heart? Over all these years, in your heart, does Xiaolin Temple exist or not?"

The Bloody Monk's face changed again, staring at the old man for a while, feeling deeply shaken within. Each word of the old man felt like it struck deeply in his heart, touching him significantly.

"With Buddha in the heart, one is a Buddha. Without Buddha in the heart, there is no Buddha in the world."

Such words, the Reincarnated True Buddha also said, but for some reason, when the Bloody Monk heard it from this old man, he felt it much deeper.

After a long silence, the Bloody Monk slowly bowed to the old man and said, "Thank you for your guidance!"

The old man chuckled, looked around, and said, "I'm just speaking nonsense, Master Shizhen. Did you come to Xiaolin Temple this time to visit, or is there something else?"

Saying this, the old man's expression was obviously somewhat tense, seemingly worried that the Bloody Monk would harm him.

To be honest, having listened to the few words the old man said earlier, the Bloody Monk always felt that the old man was an enlightened monk. However, seeing the old man's expression and hearing what he said now, the Bloody Monk couldn't reconcile him with an enlightened monk. What was the true identity of this old man?

The Bloody Monk didn't ask further. Regardless of who this old man may be, since he wouldn't say, there was no point in asking.

"I have other matters to attend to; once those are dealt with, I'll inform you!" The Bloody Monk said, as he reached out to tap the plaque beside him, "By the way, where's the other half of this plaque?"

"I don't know either!" The old man shrugged, saying, "I went out on an errand back then, and when I returned, this was how it was. This is all that remains of the plaque; the other part I've never found, not even knowing where it went all these years!"

The Bloody Monk nodded slowly, saying nothing further, then turned and left Xiaolin Temple in big strides. As he climbed the mountain, he walked slowly; but as he descended, he increased his speed to the maximum, as if there were urgent matters he needed to handle.

The mountain above, the old man watched the Bloody Monk leave into the distance before slowly walking over to the plaque, putting it back in its original position, muttering to himself: "If you can't get past your inner demons, no one can help you. If you can surpass your inner demons, then I haven't wasted these decades!"

If the Bloody Monk could hear what the old man said, he would surely be immensely shocked. Although he had thought this old man was somewhat suspicious, having discovered earlier that the old man knew no martial arts, he hadn't given much more thought to it. Who could have expected the old man was even more peculiar than he initially suspected?

After setting the plaque, the old man didn't return to Xiaolin Temple, but walked to the entrance of Xiaolin Temple, looking up at the distant horizon. He slowly clasped his hands behind him, without knowing what he was contemplating. After a long while, a faint gleam of green flashed across the distant sky. Although the gleam was not very striking, especially under this clear and sunny sky, the old man observed it carefully and noticed the green gleam, causing his eyes to suddenly light up.

"Good!" The old man chuckled softly and said, "You're out too, it seems it's time."