As the saying goes: "Good done for others to see is no true goodness; evil hidden for fear of discovery is the vilest evil of all."
At that moment, the temple bell tolled. Monk Shixin intoned:"Amitabha. Esteemed benefactors, today is the day of the Lotus Bell's consecration. This humble monk urges you all to lay down hatred and find enlightenment at once."
Monk Shitian added:"This great bell was completed only through the generosity of countless donors. Gratitude must be shown. We invite all of you to join in the dedication ceremony. This way, please."
With a signal, the Four Heads of the temple strode forward, ignoring the jeers of the martial crowd, and walked away. Yet angry shouts followed after them:"Foulmouth Wang Hao, do you think our grudges end so easily?""Gambling rogue He Wei, when will you repay the silver you owe me?""Chen Bo, Wang Yu—return our money!"
When the appointed hour arrived, the bells and drums of Fahua Temple resounded. Outside the temple, Master Weiyan, clad in a yellow kasaya, led the monks toward the newly built Lotus Bell to hold the consecration. Fahua Temple, a place of flourishing incense and faith, glittered with pavilions and golden halls. Many devout patrons and local dignitaries had gathered for the carefully arranged ceremony.
With the Four Heads flanking him, Master Weiyan advanced to the bell pavilion and proclaimed:"May this bell's sound echo through all realms; may even the iron-walled darkness hear it. May those who hear it find purity and enlightenment, and may all beings awaken to true wisdom."
He lifted the great mallet and struck—BOOM!—a deep, resonant tone spread across the valley. The monks chanted the Bell Gatha:"Hearing the bell, vexations fade;Wisdom grows, enlightenment stirs.Freed from hell, escaping the flames;We vow to become Buddhas, to save all beings."
The faithful bowed reverently, never suspecting that this venerable abbot—this seeming holy man—was in truth the mastermind of a bloody massacre, a fiend cloaked in robes.
As the bell tolled, an old monk within the temple struck rhythmically, murmuring:"With the first strike, the sacred verse resounds;Heaven hears above, the underworld below."Buddhism teaches that the bell's voice lightens the suffering of hell's denizens, hence the saying: "Hearing the bell, vexations fade; wisdom grows, enlightenment stirs."
Yet amid the solemn chanting, whispers spread among the martial crowd. Eyes flickered, voices muttered, suspicion and anger bubbling. Standing among them, Wang Yun clenched his fists, his gaze burning with a hidden edge. The solemn hymns in his ears could not drown the images in his mind—the night when the Wang family was slaughtered. Facing Master Weiyan's mask of compassion, he saw only blood.
Wu Tong, at his side, scanned the scene keenly. He knew this ceremony was a facade; beneath the harmony surged undercurrents. The Judges of Life and Death had already positioned themselves within the crowd, awaiting the signal to reveal the truth.
Suddenly, a voice rang out:"Can this bell truly deliver beings from suffering—or is it but a veil to cover sin?"
The crowd stirred. Master Weiyan's face tightened for a moment, then smoothed into serenity. Pressing his palms together, he replied softly, "Well spoken, well spoken."
The atmosphere turned uncanny. The bell still boomed, but unease crept through the air.
Then came a thunderous cry:"Halt!"
It was the Chief Judge of the martial world, Cui Fujun. His voice cut across the assembly:"The abbot of Fahua Temple—his lay name is Jian Cheng, his Dharma name Jingxin."
Master Weiyan froze, while Monk Shixin stepped forward with palms together:"Amitabha. Benefactors, today is the bell's consecration. Let go of hatred and be enlightened."
But the words rang hollow. Judge Li Yan, the Judge of the Brush, sneered coldly:"Foulmouth Wang Hao! Shaven head or no, a murderer must pay with his life—this is Heaven's law!"
The faithful gasped, murmurs rising in shock. Monk Shifu protested, "Who are you? Do not hurl baseless accusations!" Monk Shihai barked, "Without proof, you dare slander us?"
Judge Sun Tian, the Judge of the Blade, snapped:"To think your crimes would remain hidden! You four Heads of the temple—do you imagine robes can conceal you? You are Wang Hao the foulmouth, He Wei the gambler, Chen Bo the trickster, and Wang Yu the swindler!"
Monk Shitian cried, "Amitabha! Do not speak falsehood before the Buddha! We long ago renounced the world; the past no longer binds us." Clearly, these false monks had prepared for this day, ready to claim that renouncing the world absolved their crimes.
Judge Li Yan raised his voice:"Villagers, faithful, listen well! I am Li Yan, Judge of the Brush of the Judges of Life and Death. Today I tell you a tale—one that begins on a stormy night ten years past. Eleven years ago, in Ningzhou City, there was the Wang family, wealthy merchants who traded with the Western Regions. Master Wang and his lady were pious Buddhists, often holding ceremonies, his wife a frequent visitor to the temple. But disaster lurked.
"One day, Lady Wang discovered her maid Bie'er secretly consorting with a monk named Jingxin. She reported it to the abbot, and Jingxin was expelled from the temple. The maid was rebuked severely. Bearing a grudge, Bie'er later encountered Jingxin again—by then allied with bandits. Together they conspired against the Wang family's fortune. On a dark, windy night, Bie'er led Jingxin and his brigands into the Wang estate, slaughtering eleven souls and plundering all their wealth. Only a seven-year-old boy survived, spared by illness that kept him apart."
The crowd recoiled in horror at the tale. Many cried out, others cursed, their indignation boiling over. Judge Sun Tian thundered:"Good people, brothers of the rivers and lakes—if such butchers can simply don robes and claim instant Buddhahood, while the righteous must struggle through hardship to seek enlightenment—where is justice in that?"
Now the people understood. Rage erupted."Monsters in robes!""Beasts in human skin!""Worse than swine and dogs!""Unforgivable!"
A voice shouted, "And that wanton maid Bie'er—what became of her?"
Judge Li Yan answered:"She opened a candle shop near the temple. Years later she took a lover, their adultery exposed. Soon after, a fire consumed the shop, and both perished in the flames."
The crowd roared, "Served her right!" "A fitting end!" But fury remained unquenched. Someone cried out, "And the true mastermind behind the massacre—where is he now?"
The crowd stirred violently. Chief Judge Cui Fujun strode forward, stern and commanding. His eyes blazed as he pointed toward the abbot and declared in a ringing voice:"After years of investigation, the Judges of Life and Death have found the true mastermind of the Wang family massacre—none other than Master Weiyan of Fahua Temple, together with his Four Heads!"
The square erupted. Shock, disbelief, fury filled the air."How can this be?""Is it true?""Master Weiyan—a revered monk?"
Others shouted in anger:"No wonder this temple is so splendid—where did the money come from?""All these years we offered incense in vain!""It was bought with blood and tears!"
Blades were gripped, eyes turned cold. The air crackled with wrath. Master Weiyan's face shifted, but he forced composure, hands pressed together."Well spoken, well spoken…"
But the words fell into a storm of outrage. The crowd was ablaze with fury. The confrontation, heaven-shaking, was about to explode!