The Water Grove Dharma Assembly was set to begin in two days.

Preparations had already begun early at the Chanlin Temple. Since the assembly was to be held at night and attended mostly by ordinary people, the temple needed to be adorned with lanterns all around.

The Guanyin Statue in the center of the temple also needed to be moved temporarily near the Buddha, so they could have a good discussion on the Buddhist scriptures together.

This space was temporarily given to the monks to earn their keep.

People love beauty, and only what is beautiful will attract them, so wreaths and garlands had to be arranged perfectly, looking beautiful at first glance.

Although it somewhat resembled a spirit hall, strictly speaking, what they were doing was not much different from a spirit hall.

After all, in name, it was all about rebirth, so it wasn't considered unusual.

The monks of Chanlin Temple took this very seriously, trying to arrange the flowers beautifully and cleverly, especially where the benefactors planned to place the memorial tablets.

This aspect had to be done well so that the benefactors would feel their money was well spent.

After all, those wealthy benefactors couldn't understand the Buddhist scriptures being chanted, no matter how beautifully they were recited. But they could always understand a grand scene.

The key points had to be highlighted—elegant but not too elegant, vulgar but not too vulgar.

The abbot of the Chanlin Temple—a white-bearded elder in a bright yellow robe—was leisurely leaning against a pillar outside the main hall at this moment.

Beside him stood a young novice monk, with a shaved head, wearing a small yellow monk's robe, and looking quite adorable with his thick eyebrows and big eyes.

The young novice monk looked at the leisurely abbot and couldn't help but ask:

"Senior Brother... did you really agree to this year's Water Grove Dharma Assembly?"

"A monk does not lie. If I said it, then I agreed." The abbot turned his head, smiling at the young novice monk, "Besides, I'm not asking you to take the lead, so why are you worried about losing face?"

The young novice monk lowered his head, dejectedly saying, "Senior Brother, the temples outside already call us greedy monks... and this time..."

"Greed or not is in the heart. If it's for oneself, it's greed. But if it's for others, is it still greed?" The abbot reached out and ruffled the young novice monk's head, "If I'm not doing it for myself, how is it greed? If you're not doing it for yourself, it's not called greed either."

"Then why do you need so much money, Senior Brother?" the young novice monk asked unhappily, "The Buddha said that all five aggregates are empty."

The abbot, still calm, replied, "Since you've already emptied them, why care about what others say?"

"The Buddha may be empty, but I'm not, so of course I care," the young novice monk retorted.

The abbot burst into laughter at this, happily ruffling the young novice monk's head again:

"Alright, alright, the Buddha may be empty, but this old monk is not the Buddha, so I'm half empty, half full."

The young novice monk was about to speak again but was stopped by the abbot raising his hand.

The abbot, smiling, suggested, "Just for this year, alright?"

The young novice monk's expression clearly showed disbelief, indicating that this promise had been made more than once.

The abbot lightly tapped his own head, saying, "A monk does not lie."

"Well... alright then," the young novice monk sighed, "But this time, you can't lie again. Lying too much won't make you a Buddha."

The abbot laughed heartily.

"This time at the assembly, you must lead the chanting..."

The abbot didn't finish his sentence, just raised his eyebrows playfully, indicating what the young novice monk should do now.

The young novice monk sighed like a little adult, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked into the main hall.

The abbot watched the young novice monk's back, smiling gently, clasped his hands together, and silently recited the Buddhist scriptures.

The young novice monk entered the Buddha Hall.

The monks who were polishing and decorating the hall stopped their work, quickly clasped their hands together, and bowed in unison, saying:

"Greetings, Master Uncle."

The young novice monk nodded slightly in return, then sat cross-legged on the cushion beneath the Buddha, silently reciting the Rebirth Sutra he had chanted hundreds of times.

The young novice monk was small, but he was very clever.

At least, that's what everyone said.

He also understood that whether the sutra was chanted correctly or not, the onlookers couldn't understand it.

But both in being human and being a Buddha, one must have a clear conscience.

As the young novice monk silently recited for the fifth time, a commotion came from outside the hall.

As the only Child of Buddha in Chanlin Temple, the young novice monk was naturally gifted, able to let the noise from outside enter his ears but not his heart.

But with a certain monk's words:

"Abbot! Someone sent the inscription board for the assembly, and it's outrageous! We should just smash it!"

The young novice monk's ears perked up instantly.

"A... a monk does not lie... if I agreed, then I agreed."

The abbot's somewhat troubled voice also reached the young novice monk's ears.

Forgive me, Buddha! My heart is itching!

The young novice monk stopped his silent recitation and carefully turned around.

What met his eyes was a conspicuous large inscription board.

And it was written in Standard Script, as if afraid people wouldn't see it clearly.

The board didn't have anything like a memorial tablet written on it.

The young novice monk was momentarily stunned when he saw the board, and then he broke his vow.

The young novice monk exclaimed:

"Damn it!"

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Li Yingling was dumbfounded at that moment.

Even Li Xingtian, who had been reborn, had never seen such a scene, feeling that his reincarnation was truly worth it.

Chu Xingchen laughed heartily, "Hahaha... As expected of Yuzhou City's number one temple, to become famous, you really have to know how to make a scene!"

Yaoqin, also in disbelief, quickly removed the rabbit mask from her face.

She even suspected that the rabbit mask had been tampered with and was unwilling to believe that an abbot would actually hold up such a board.

But even after removing the mask, the scene before her remained unchanged.

The white-bearded, elderly, and renowned abbot of Chanlin Temple—Yuanjing.

At this moment, he stood in the most conspicuous spot among the wreaths, holding up a board with both hands.

The board was inscribed in small Standard Script—"Don't Compete with This Old Monk for the Abbess."

Because their abbot was holding up this board, the monks of Chanlin Temple looked dejected and dispirited today.

Many believers around couldn't hide their laughter, pointing and whispering.

But the abbot, sitting high on the stage, remained calm and indifferent, ignoring the pointing and laughing.

However, this wasn't the first Water Grove Dharma Assembly held by Chanlin Temple, and everyone knew the routine.

This board was undoubtedly paid for by someone to deliberately disgust Chanlin Temple.

After all, no one would believe that an abbot who looked like he could no longer wield a spear would willingly hold up this board to ruin his lifelong reputation.

But by holding up this board for money, Chanlin Temple's reputation took a significant hit.

At least, the reputation of Chanlin Temple loving money was something they couldn't escape.

At the same time, people could look forward to what board the renowned abbot would hold up at next year's Water Grove Dharma Assembly.

Two days after breaking his vow, the young novice monk came from afar, squeezed through the crowd, and approached Yaoqin and the others, asking:

"Are you the benefactor Yaoqin?"

Yaoqin looked at the young novice monk who bowed in greeting. At this moment, her spell technique had not yet been undone.

This young novice monk had no aura fluctuations, appearing to be an ordinary person.

This young novice monk probably had the ability to see through illusions.

It seemed this was the Child of Buddha that Chanlin Temple claimed to the Cultivation World—Yuankong.