Mutated Tao

Feng Wanba stood in the long line. It was the sixth time he was licking his lips. The scent of food that wafted from the porridge stall in the distance made him swallow involuntarily.

He finally understood what it meant for time to crawl. The people ahead of him had hardly moved.

Feng Wanba didn’t dare cut in line. He feared the monks would get angry and send him home without porridge.

After a long wait, it was finally his turn. He was given just a spoonful of porridge.

Once the porridge was poured into his bowl, he couldn't contain his excitement. Ignoring the heat, he eagerly scooped it up with his hands.

The millet porridge was quite bland, with added wood shavings and minced meat.

However, Fang Wanba felt it was a gourmet delicacy. Although it was plain, he thought it was fragrant and smooth. It tasted better than anything he’d ever eaten.

He licked each of his fingers clean with his eyes closed, then slowly opened his eyes and sighed deeply.

He was still famished, but the warmth in his stomach reassured him that he wouldn’t starve to death.

After licking the porridge bowl clean, he still didn’t leave. He inched closer to the porridge stall and deeply inhaled the aroma wafting out.

Feng Wanba had a secret he hadn’t told anyone. One could absorb the porridge’s essence by inhaling the porridge’s aroma. It was a trick his grandfather had taught him.

Just then, he noticed one of the monks coming out of the temple, calling for people to help move things. He immediately stopped inhaling the aroma and rushed over.

There was no reward for helping the monks move things. Anyone who felt they still had strength could join them and also stop whenever they wanted.

Feng Wanba noticed that the monk calling for help was surrounded by a crowd.

Everyone selected was excited, and some even jumped with joy.

Feng Wanba knew what they really wanted—to see the living Bodhisattva.

The people who had moved things earlier returned and spread the news. This grain was brought over by the living Bodhisattva, who had come to the mortal realm to save them!

Everyone wanted to see a real living Bodhisattva and get some blessings from them. It was rumored that those who had previously seen the Bodhisattva had all their minor ailments cured.

He wanted to meet the Bodhisattva too, so he squeezed his way in and raised his hand as high as possible.

“You, you, and you.” Feng Wanba was so excited at being selected that he could hardly contain himself.

When he arrived at Righteous Monastery, he was still buzzing with excitement and chatting with those around him.

“Did the Bodhisattva really send food? A lot of food? Does that mean we won’t go hungry anymore?”

“What does the Bodhisattva look like?”

“I heard the Bodhisattva is a man this time. Why is it a male Bodhisattva?”

“I heard the Bodhisattva was once a man and then became a woman. Maybe the Bodhisattva is androgynous.”

“Are you crazy? How dare you disrespect the Bodhisattva! What if he gets angry and stops sending food? Kneel and apologize!”

While they chatted, a hole suddenly appeared in the sky and a sack came out from it.

The rustling sound of the sack falling on the ground made Feng Wanba’s ears perk up—that was the sound of rice!

Then, one sack after another of food was sent down. One sack even burst open, and corn spilled out of it. The merciful Bodhisattva had indeed come to save them!

Feng Wanba and everyone else immediately knelt and bowed deeply to the food.

At that moment, the hole in the sky seemed like a divine manifestation to them.

Feng Wanba was overwhelmed by the scene. He didn’t even know what he was saying and was just shouting excitedly.

Everyone cried out loudly when the red-robed Bodhisattva descended from the sky.

An omnipotent, divine being was looking after them. They hadn’t been abandoned. They were going to survive!

Li Huowang directed the approaching monks. “The sacks marked with a line are seeds! The unmarked ones are food. Quickly gather people and get those seeds planted.”

The cries and shouts around him made him irritable, so he turned and yelled, “Enough noise! Stand up!”

In an instant, everyone who had been kneeling stood up. “Get the food to the granary! If it rains, everything will get soaked!”

Everyone started to move, but they still howled as they worked.

“Where’s the Abbot?” Li Huowang asked the nearest monk.

“Amitabha, the Abbot is having a meal in the kitchen.”

Li Huowang headed that way with a cold expression.

“Bodhisattva! What is your name? I’ll set up a shrine for you and offer incense daily!” Feng Wanba shouted from behind.

“Zhuge Yuan!”

Li Huowang soon found the abbot in the kitchen. He was sitting by the stove and eating meat from a large bowl.

Nearby, some monks skillfully skinned, deboned, and cleaned the innards before adding them to a steaming pot.

“You’re still eating that?”

Chan Du put down his bowl and chopsticks. “Wine and meat pass through the gut, while the Buddha remains in the heart. The Buddha won’t blame me.”

“I meant that we have grain now. Why are you still eating this?” Li Huowang frowned as he looked at the pot of simmering flesh.

“There will never be enough grain. If I don’t go to hell, who will? Let the people eat the grain. This is fine for me. Besides, I like meat.” Chan Du picked up another piece and chewed it contentedly.

“I brought seeds this time. Get people to plant them and ensure no one eats the seedlings out of hunger.”

It was not enough for him to deliver food by himself this way. The Great Liang’s food supply was limited, and the people of the Qi Kingdom needed to take action to solve their own problems.

“Amitabha. Thank you, benefactor. There’s fertile land near You Capital that yields three harvests a year. I’ll send people to plant there immediately.”

After a pause, Chan Du added, “Benefactor, in addition to seeds, could you also bring us some piglets?”

“After all, meat is our specialty. We can fatten the pigs up quickly.”

“How are you going to raise pigs when the people don’t have enough to eat?”

“Pigs can eat excrement and even human corpses. We can certainly raise them.” Chan Du replied as a matter of fact.

His words reminded Li Huowang of some things in the past.