Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Compared to Jianxing, who kept his head down, stammered when he spoke, and appeared overly timid, Jianwu, the little novice monk, was much more lively. His eyes darted around all the way, clearly eager to ask questions but too worried about offending the distinguished guest. He could only scratch his head and rub his ears in frustration.

Ming Zhi watched his restless behavior with amusement hidden in his heart.

He naturally had no interest in solving the curiosities of a little monk, but with Jianxing—the traitorous insider—now absent, there were indeed some questions he needed answers to. Ming Zhi adopted a seemingly casual tone of idle chatter and spoke:

"Jianwu, there's something I don't quite understand. Why is Golden Cicada Temple named as such?"

Jianwu froze slightly before responding:

"Master, to tell you the truth, I really don't know…"

"Oh?" Ming Zhi smiled and asked, "How long have you been here?"

"I've been cultivating here for about five or six years," Jianwu replied sheepishly. "Since the time I started, the temple has always been called Golden Cicada Temple, so I truly don't know why it's named that way."

"No matter." Ming Zhi waved his hand gently. "The Scriptural Repository is located in the front hall, correct?"

"The Scriptural Repository, Mingxin Hall, and Xuanfa Hall are all located in the front hall," Jianwu answered quickly.

"I see." Ming Zhi murmured a Buddhist chant. "The abbot mentioned earlier that the rear hall contains filth and impurity, hence it is forbidden to enter. Is this filth referring to the latrine?"

Here, he played a small trick. Instead of directly asking "What is it?", he deliberately posed a blatantly wrong assumption, intending to provoke the other's impulse to refute.

"Of course not!" Jianwu predictably fell into the trap, denying instinctively before blurting out, "In there…"

Suddenly, he shuddered violently, lowered his head, and recited Amitabha nervously before saying cautiously:

"Master, please don't ask further. I really don't know anything…"

No, you do know. Ming Zhi stared coldly at Jianwu, realizing that the novice monk wasn't acting out of wariness, but rather fear of some dreadful secret hidden in the rear hall, prompting him to avoid being entangled in the topic.

It seemed that whatever lay concealed in the rear hall made Ming Zhi all the more intrigued.

He resolved to question Jianxing about this later.

After Jianwu led him to the east wing to find his accommodations, the little monk ran off without looking back, his previous curiosity and liveliness completely absent.

Ming Zhi remained unbothered, merely sitting on the bed and meditating.

At midnight, as expected, there came a knock at the door.

"Master, I-I've brought the Buddhist scriptures you asked for," the voice outside stammered.

Recognizing the stuttering voice, Ming Zhi couldn't help but grin and called out:

"Come in."

Jianxing, the novice monk, struggled to carry a pile of Buddhist scriptures, staggering as he entered.

Seeing his struggle, Ming Zhi was just about to speak when Jianxing suddenly used Secretive Voice Transmission and said:

"Keep your words to a minimum. The abbot already knows about the questions you asked Jianwu earlier."

"Oh?" Ming Zhi thought for a moment and asked, "Did Jianwu report it?"

"No," Jianxing replied without elaborating, merely adding, "In Golden Cicada Temple, one must always be cautious in speech and behavior to guard against eavesdroppers."

"Why aren't you stuttering anymore?" Ming Zhi asked in surprise.

"That doesn't matter!" Jianxing snapped, his tone suddenly sharp. "I can't stay here long. I'm leaving now."

"Wait, I still have questions to ask…" Ming Zhi hurriedly asked, "How can I contact you?"

The monk hesitated briefly but ultimately replied:

"I'll contact you. Just wait here and don't cause trouble for me!"

With that, Jianxing lowered his head, chanted Amitabha, and quietly retreated.

"Interesting, truly interesting." Ming Zhi mused inwardly. "What kind of den of peril is this Golden Cicada Temple? Jianwu didn't choose to report our conversation, so how did the abbot find out? Have they planted eavesdropping devices along the pathways?"

"What's an eavesdropping device?" Kunlun Mirror asked curiously.

"It's a kind of spell that records all sounds within a designated area…" Ming Zhi paused as a sudden realization struck him. "Wait, could it be that large formation enveloping the entire temple?"

At this thought, Ming Zhi began scanning his surroundings again, carefully analyzing the formation underfoot.

"As I suspected!" He smirked coldly. "This formation isn't meant to fend off external threats but rather to surveil internally."

"It not only monitors all sounds within the temple's boundaries but even tracks every action of the monks inside... It's essentially a gigantic internal surveillance system!"

"Why would the abbot do this?" Suming Sword wondered aloud. "Monitoring the entire temple—could it be out of fear of traitors within?"

"Or perhaps he considers anyone potentially a traitor." Ming Zhi concluded decisively. "Such extreme measures would only be employed if the abbot felt that no monk could be trusted."

"And this must surely have something to do with the forbidden rear hall."

"Are you planning to explore the rear hall then?" Kunlun Mirror asked.

"No," Ming Zhi replied. "The old monk is undoubtedly waiting for me to investigate the rear hall. If I were to rush there on my first day, wouldn't it be obvious that I'm here for it and have ulterior motives?"

"I'll stay here for a while and later, under the pretense of 'idle curiosity,' go for a stroll near the rear hall… Putting on an act requires thorough execution."

The sword and mirror, seeing him so composed, refrained from further questions. Ming Zhi casually placed the pile of Buddhist scriptures brought by the novice monk onto his lap and began flipping through them. Suddenly, Kunlun Mirror asked:

"But while you're staying here, what about your wife?"

Jiang the Witch… Ming Zhi froze, slightly troubled by the thought.

"Ah Jing, you could impersonate Wei Dongliu and teleport back to hold her off for me," he suggested with inspiration.

"No way!" Kunlun Mirror's embarrassment surged, and it snapped at him, its figurative cheeks flushed with indignation.

"You and Jiang the Witch—what do you normally spend your time doing together? Forget that so easily?!"

"Now you expect me to imitate you to deal with her? What if I accidentally let her seduce me… No, no, I don't have that kind of preference, and I definitely wouldn't do that with the Witch!"

"Why not?" Ming Zhi feigned innocence. "Ah Jing, I'm only here to secure the Heaven-Mending Stone fragments for you! You wouldn't want me to be distracted worrying about domestic troubles, would you?"

"Stop talking!" Kunlun Mirror interrupted him, firmly. "It's out of the question—no matter what you say, it's impossible."

Hearing the mirror's flustered rambling, Ming Zhi momentarily froze but quickly grasped its point.

Fortunately, Kunlun Mirror wasn't some domineering artifact spirit who indiscriminately attracted both men and women. Otherwise, coupled with Jiang Madam who might not easily fall for deception… Who knows whose trap would ultimately snare whom!

Thinking of this, Ming Zhi abandoned the idea of having Kunlun Mirror impersonate him and returned his attention to the scriptures, appearing wholly engrossed in the study of Buddhist teachings.