Chapter 624: Indra’s Stinking Chamber Pot
“A rustic boor?”
The sweeping monk leaned on his broom and laughed. “Chief Qin, do you think you can shirk all responsibility for this matter with a single word like ‘boor’? You killed three hundred and sixty-seven Buddhist disciples of our Buddha realm, slaughtered the Buddha of the Moon Palace Heavenly Realm, along with five other Buddhas, and polluted half of this Great Brahma Heavenly Realm, turning it into a half Netherworld. How can you simply brush this aside?”
Qin Mu replied honestly, “I await the King Buddha’s judgment.”
The sweeping monk stared at him in silence for a long while, then chuckled, “If I said it was all your fault, I would be wronging you. Though you appear honest and fearful, in your heart you would surely be unconvinced. Those you killed were all agents of the Heavenly Court sent into the Buddha realm. The reason Indra, the King Buddha, peeled away the golden willow leaf on your brow was to use your hand to purge the Heavenly Court’s influence from the Buddha realm. Moreover, releasing Qin Fengqing also endangered your life. You are very clever; you saw this early on, which is why you dared to kill without restraint. You knew that even if you did such things, you would not be punished—Indra, the King Buddha, would surely protect you.”
Qin Mu lowered his head. “Your disciple dares not shift the blame. Though Indra, the King Buddha, intended to use me to eliminate the Heavenly Court’s forces, those Buddhist disciples indeed died by my hand. And polluting the supreme sacred ground of Buddhism is indeed related to me.”
“Before me, you need not hide your true thoughts. It’s unnecessary and useless.”
The sweeping monk smiled. “You guessed correctly—this pot cannot be placed on your back. Though I did not fully approve of Indra, the King Buddha’s actions, I did not oppose them either. Lower your head.”
Qin Mu bent down, and the sweeping monk took out the golden willow leaf, carefully pressing it onto his brow, laughing, “But this pot, I cannot bear myself. If I did, the Buddha realm would cease to exist, and the Heavenly Court would seize the opportunity to destroy it and take over the nest. So this pot can only be borne by you and Indra, the King Buddha. Indra is my junior brother; he can bear the stinkiest chamber pot. As for you, carry a small black pot—it won’t crush you.”
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief, touched the golden willow leaf on his forehead, and felt much more at ease. It wasn’t just because of the leaf; the Great Brahma King Buddha’s words also reassured him.
“Don’t blame Indra, the King Buddha. He acted for the sake of Buddhism, and he has his own past and inner demons.”
The sweeping monk swept the ground as he walked forward, chuckling, “He needs to bear that chamber pot. It’s big enough to give him plenty of trouble and hard to wash clean. Though the Heavenly Court knows I tacitly allowed this, they have no proper justification to strike at me, so they can only pursue Indra, the King Buddha. As for this Great Brahma Heavenly Realm, I won’t expel the Netherworld demonic nature here. This is evidence that our Buddha realm stood aside—we are also victims.”
Qin Mu followed him, walking over the swept ground, and praised, “The King Buddha is wise.”
The sweeping monk said, “The Heavenly Court is bloated and corrupt. When they receive this news and react, it will take a few days to come investigate. In those few days, you and Indra, the King Buddha, need to leave the Buddha realm to avoid disaster. Leaving the Buddha realm is simple for you, but Indra’s cultivation realm is too high—it’s very difficult for him to leave.”
Qin Mu pondered for a moment and asked, “Does the King Buddha have no solution?”
“I do.”
The sweeping monk smiled. “But I cannot use my methods. I still need to save face for the Heavenly Court. If I send Indra, the King Buddha out, that face would be lost. So you must find your own way, without implicating me and the Buddha realm.”
Qin Mu scratched his head, then suddenly exclaimed, “So, we helped the Buddha realm purge the Heavenly Court’s forces, saving it from falling under the Heavenly Court’s control, and then you and the Buddha realm get all the benefits while the stinking chamber pot is dumped entirely on me and Indra, the King Buddha! And we have to flee for our lives because of it—is that right?”
The sweeping monk looked up at him, beaming, “Yes.”
Qin Mu stood dumbfounded. After a moment, he tested, “Are all the older generation this treacherous?”
“Yes.”
The sweeping monk chuckled. “But we call it wisdom and insight, not treachery.”
Qin Mu’s face darkened like iron. “Is there a difference between wisdom and treachery?”
The sweeping monk continued sweeping, laughing, “Actually, you and I have long had a connection. We’ve met many times. Rest assured, I won’t let you suffer too much. I won’t pass on the Throne Sutra to you directly, but Qin Fengqing devoured one of my primordial spirits, and that spirit has turned into a great Buddha hidden in your third divine eye.”
Qin Mu touched the golden willow leaf on his brow, tempted to tear it off and look in a mirror to see if a great Buddha really sat in his eye. But recalling that activating his techniques might turn him into the monstrous infant Qin Fengqing, he held back.
“This great Buddha can work with the Earth Lord’s seal to help you suppress Qin Fengqing, preventing him from breaking the seal and rebounding on you. Moreover, this great Buddha contains my Throne Sutra. I won’t teach it to you directly—you must comprehend it yourself. How much you grasp is up to you.”
The sweeping monk swept earnestly, saying, “If you have the ability, you can understand what Zhan Kong understood. If your insight is a bit less, you can grasp what Ming Xin grasped. If your obsessions are too deep, you might comprehend nothing at all. I’ve given you the sutra, and the chamber pot is firmly placed.”
As he swept, a courtyard appeared ahead. Inside, Indra, the King Buddha was deeply absorbed in meditation.
The sweeping monk swept his way in, and Qin Mu followed closely behind. The sweeping monk continued, “Since things are mostly settled, you should leave. Junior brother, please rise. I need to sweep away the dust left on your mind, lest it pollute my pure little abode.”
Indra, the King Buddha suddenly awoke from his enlightenment, glanced at the sweeping monk, then at Qin Mu with his dark face, and asked in surprise, “Senior brother, is everything arranged?”
The sweeping monk said, “It’s arranged.”
Indra, the King Buddha tested, “Is the chamber pot placed?”
The sweeping monk said, “It’s already on your head. Very secure, steady, can’t be shaken off.”
Indra, the King Buddha sighed in relief and laughed, “A small pot—I’ll bear it. As long as it protects the Buddha realm and our doctrine. By the way, senior brother, how big is this chamber pot? How long to wash it clean?”
The sweeping monk hesitated. “You never mentioned washing it clean, so the pot is a bit large, and the filth is considerable… But it can still be cleaned.”
He didn’t say the rest: “It can be cleaned once the heavens change.”
“Junior brother, you should return to your Indra Heavenly Realm and prepare to flee. Take Layman Qin with you, and let him see you out of the Buddha realm,” the sweeping monk said.
Indra, the King Buddha glanced at Qin Mu, still with a dark face, and laughed, “Him see me out? Does he have such divine power? Senior brother, you should send me out of the Buddha realm. Your vast abilities far surpass mine—you can dream-walk through myriad worlds and surely find a way to send me out safely.”
The sweeping monk said nothing, sweeping the ground. Suddenly, his broom struck Indra, the King Buddha’s foot. The world spun for Indra, and when he came to his senses, he and Qin Mu had been swept out of the courtyard, standing before a dilapidated temple.
The temple gate was broken, smashed by Qin Mu. A bhikkhu poked his head out from behind a half-collapsed brick wall and said to them, “Layman Qin, don’t worry about Zhan Kong and Ming Xin. Once they learn the Throne Sutra, they’ll return. Sending them away is much simpler than sending you away. I’m busy repairing the wall and gate—I won’t see you two off.”
The dim halo behind Indra, the King Buddha’s head brightened again, illuminating the surroundings. He laughed, “Senior brother said this chamber pot is big and stinky. I want to see just how big and stinky it is. Little friend Qin, don’t keep that dark face. I’ve wronged you, made you suffer…”
Qin Mu made a move to tear off the golden willow leaf on his brow, and Indra, the King Buddha quickly bowed in apology, saying, “No need to tear it off. You can beat me, and I’ll still escape. I apologize here and will surely compensate you in the future.”
Qin Mu lowered his hand and said, “Now I’m bearing a black pot for you, King Buddha. A big black pot that won’t wash clean for a long time.”
Indra, the King Buddha laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ll clear your name in the future. Besides, I’m the one with the chamber pot on my head. From the start, senior brother used my voice and tone to speak—the first pot was placed on me. Let’s leave this place first. Though the Heavenly Court is bloated and corrupt, it won’t take more than a few days for them to get word and come to capture us. Let’s return to the Indra Heavenly Realm and prepare.”
Qin Mu’s expression softened, and he nodded.
Indra, the King Buddha floated into the air with him, looking around. He saw the corpses of King Molun and several Buddhas, feeling both joy and shock. “I always knew that eye of his was strange, but I never imagined it was so powerful—even killing a Buddha like Molun. Though Molun’s Buddhist attainment was half-baked, his strength was no small matter. This chamber pot isn’t small, but I can bear it! I can carry it!”
He flew with Qin Mu over the Golden Sea, then suddenly froze, the halo behind his head nearly extinguishing. The supreme sacred ground of the Buddha realm—the Golden Sea’s Buddha light had dimmed by more than half, thick Netherworld demonic energy everywhere. Sacred mountains and islands had been shattered, and countless temples on them had sunk!
It was a catastrophe!
Indra, the King Buddha’s eyes bulged, his halo flickering on and off, on the verge of going out entirely. After a long moment, he came to his senses and looked painfully at Qin Mu. “Is this chamber pot also going on my head? Can you share a little of it?”
Qin Mu shook his head. “King Buddha, I already have a black pot…”
Indra, the King Buddha exhaled a turbid breath, somewhat dazed. The supreme sacred ground of the Buddha realm had turned into another Netherworld. Soon, it might gather countless vengeful spirits, and even the Earth Lord might come for a visit!
This pure land would probably have to be split in half with the Earth Lord!
“Hold on! I must hold on! Senior brother said my chamber pot will be washed clean in the future—he wouldn’t lie to me!”
Indra, the King Buddha took a deep breath, avoiding looking at the devastation of the Great Brahma Heavenly Realm. He brought Qin Mu to the Indra Heavenly Realm and asked, “Just now, senior brother said you have a way to send me out of the Buddha realm. May I ask, little friend Qin, what technique or divine power do you have?”
Qin Mu was sullen. “I came seeking the true sutra. Not only did I fail to obtain it, but I also have to return carrying a big pot. How can I face Tathagata? I have no face to see him. Better let the Heavenly Court capture me and behead me.”
Indra, the King Buddha understood and laughed, “I’ll pass on my Indra King Sutra to you. Though it’s not as good as the Throne Sutra, it’s still a Heavenly Court true sutra. Senior brother’s Throne Sutra is profound and complex, hard to grasp, but my Indra King Sutra is much simpler—bold and vigorous, easy to cultivate, with quick results. Now, can you tell me the way to leave the Buddha realm?”
— Jiang Miao: Maha? Maha Maha! Maha… Maha! Maha—, Maha (＾－＾)V