It is said that the temple enshrines a relic of a eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty. For hundreds of years, devotees and believers have been coming to Jiufo Temple to offer incense, and the incense is also very prosperous. Elder Huikong has been a monk for decades and has never en

The story takes place in the Chongning period of the Song Dynasty. There is an ancient temple outside the city of Qingzhou, called the Jiufo Temple. It is said that the temple enshrines a relic of a eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty . For hundreds of years, devotees and believers have been going to Jiufo Temple to offer incense, and the incense is also very prosperous. The abbot of Jiufo Temple is Elder Huikong. He is an eminent monk with profound Buddhist teachings. Under his leadership, Jiufo Temple has become more and more famous.

One morning, Elder Huikong went to the main hall to worship Buddha. When he was offering incense, two of the three incense sticks suddenly broke. Elder Huikong has been a monk for decades and has never encountered such a situation. As the saying goes: "People are afraid of three long and two short, and incense is afraid of two short and one long." The three incense sticks are dedicated to all Buddhas, all Dharma, and all Sangha. Now that two of the incense sticks are broken, I'm afraid something bad is about to happen.

That night, just as the Nine Buddha Temple was about to close its gate, a middle-aged woman came from outside the temple. The gatekeeper recognized this woman at first glance. She was Qiao Yueniang, the wife of the richest man in the city, Jiang Banwan. Jiang Wanwan passed away due to illness a year ago, and Qiao Yueniang was rarely seen in person after that.

The doorkeeper first greeted him: "Madam, why did you come here late at night?" Qiao Yueniang said with some choking: "Today is the death anniversary of my late husband. I want to pray in front of the Buddha. Because things are busy during the day, I can't I came here late at night. I wonder if Master can make it easier?"

The gatekeeper said: "There are rules in the temple. No one will be allowed to come in after the lock is locked at night. Anyone else would definitely not let him in, but you are from this temple. The number one pilgrim, we have always been favored by Mr. Jiang, so we will never leave you out no matter what." Qiao Yueniang nodded, took out two taels of silver from her pocket, handed it to the gatekeeper and said, "Thank you very much. It's convenient for the master. The money should be used to buy a pair of monk shoes for the master."

The gatekeeper got the money and led Qiao Yueniang to the main hall with a lantern. After arriving at the main hall, Qiao Yueniang said: "I want to cry alone in front of the Buddha for a while. Master, please go and do the work first." After the gatekeeper left, Qiao Yueniang sneaked under the altar table. Under the altar table was a dark room, in which were enshrined. The relics of eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty.

At this moment, a young novice who was adding lamp oil came over. When he saw someone preparing to steal the treasure in the secret room, he immediately shouted: "Come on, people, there is a thief in the temple!" Because the temple is very clean at night. , the little novice monk’s voice attracted countless monks, and they all surrounded Qiao Yueniang. The gatekeeper was scratching his head and scratching his head anxiously. He originally thought that he would get a favor by letting Qiao Yueniang in, but he didn't know that Qiao Yueniang was here to steal the treasure.

Qiao Yueniang suddenly turned blue, looked at the monks and said, "You trashes, I'm afraid you are no match for me." Qiao Yueniang flicked her arms, sending the monks in front of her flying far away. This scared everyone so much that they watched Qiao Yueniang from a distance without daring to come forward. Someone had already gone to report to the abbot. Elder Huikong had been restless all day. Now that he heard that someone had come to steal the treasure at night, his heart was even more pounding.

Elder Huikong came to the main hall holding a Zen staff. When he saw that the person who stole the treasure was Qiao Yueniang, he was puzzled. Because Jiang Wanwan and Qiao Yueniang often come to the temple to offer incense, they are very familiar with each other. Qiao Yueniang is kind-hearted and has a lot of wealth. Logically speaking, she should not do this kind of theft.

Elder Huikong opened his eyes and saw bursts of black gas coming from Qiao Yueniang's body. Only then did he realize that she had been possessed by an evil spirit. Elder Huikong shouted and said: "Close the mountain gate quickly, don't let her escape, she is wearing a dead man's shroud! The Qiao Yueniang you see now is possessed by a ghost. When I chant the curse to subdue the devil, everyone rushes forward "Tear off the shroud from her body!"

Elder Huikong muttered something, and Qiao Yueniang seemed to be frozen, standing there unable to move. At this time, some brave monks came to Qiao Yueniang and tore off her coat. Qiao Yueniang fainted on the ground as if her soul had been taken away.Elder Huikong asked everyone to carry Qiao Yueniang to the Zen bed, and gave her some hot porridge. It took a long time for Qiao Yueniang to wake up.

Elder Huikong asked: "Madam, where did you get this dress? Did you know that you almost caused trouble tonight? If the evil spirit steals the relic, it will be able to transform into another form, and it will be difficult to deal with it. ." Qiao Yueniang burst into tears and said, "Oh, it's all my unfilial son! I don't know what evil I did in my previous life to end up with such a son!"

After hearing Qiao Yueniang's cry, everyone understood what was going on. Beginning and end. Jiang Wanwan and Qiao Yueniang only have one son named Jiang Kui. Jiang Kui was spoiled since he was a child and developed a bad habit of being indolent and indolent. Since Jiang Baiwan's death, Jiang Kui has become addicted to brothels and casinos. Jiang Kui spent a lot of money, not only losing all his family property, but also owed a lot of gambling debts.

In order to recover the original, Jiang Kui went to the graveyard outside the city to rob the tombs and dug out many treasures. Among them was a woman's shroud. After Jiang Kui returned home, he put the shroud on Qiao Yueniang. Qiao Yueniang had no time to react and lost consciousness.

Huikong said: "The evil charm must have confused the master's mind, and then tempted you to come and steal the treasure. Now we have to find the master first, otherwise his life will be in danger." The monks searched the mountain for half the night, and the result was that Jiang Kui was found in an old grave dug out. At that time, Jiang Kui was hugging a pile of bones, not knowing whether he was dead or alive.

Huikong stepped forward and felt Jiang Kui's pulse. He took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, the Seven Souls are still there. There are still some who can be saved." Huikong asked the monks to carry Jiang Kui back to the temple and set up a altar for him. Chasing the soul, Jiang Kui finally woke up at dawn the next day. Huikong asked someone to burn the bones with fire, and then prayed for him in the cemetery. Only then was he completely relieved. Since then, nothing like this has happened in the area.

After experiencing this life and death, Jiang Kui completely came to his senses. He was heartbroken. He started from a young shopkeeper and worked diligently in business. After decades, he not only restored his previous ancestral business, but also established many new industries. People often say that a prodigal son can never change his fortune, and it is absolutely true. Jiang Kui got addicted to gambling for a while, and not only lost all his family property, but also started robbing tombs. As a result, he attracted evil spirits and almost died. Fortunately, Qiao Yueniang and his wife had always done good deeds, and they were able to escape the disaster with the help of the noble elder Huikong.

This story tells us an eternal truth: good and evil will be rewarded in the end, and the right path in the world is subject to vicissitudes of life.

[Solemn statement]

This story is a folk tale, purely a literary creation. The plot and characters are fictitious. It is intended to enrich readers' spare time. Please do not contradict feudal superstition.