Shi Ming
"How would this old monk dare deceive you? Evil spirits do exist. The demon arises from the heart and drives Benefactor Tang to commit many killings. Every chant of sutras was meant to drive the demon from the Benefactor's heart."
Chan Master Shi Ming has cultivated the Buddhist Dharma for decades and is renowned far and wide.
In his youth he served as Abbot of the Fujian Branch of the Songshan Sect (South Songshan). All because of one moment of compassion, when he sheltered a criminal, the Tang Clan's old demon came knocking at the temple gate dozens of times. That night thunder and lightning raged; with every flash, figures showed outside the windows, like devils. The monks all cried that evil spirits had descended and chanted sutras in unison. Tang Zhongling had a perverse temperament, yet he revered monks and Buddhas deeply; the chanting never ceased, yet he said not a word until dawn, when he left. That day not one monk in the temple was free of an Inner Demon, and even Shi Ming was no exception. He returned the Abbot's cassock and Zen staff, and went out into the world to wander and spread the Dharma. Yet decades passed in a blink and he still could not escape the nightmares. Instead, fear bred wicked thoughts in him, and he schemed with all his heart to destroy the Tang Clan.
After Tang Zhongling fell ill, Shi Ming gained the Shangguan Family as a backer and drew in the , intending to usurp the seat. After that failed, he slandered the Tang Clan alongside Chao He at the Wulin Alliance Assembly. To keep Fu Yun from talking too much, he even cast aside the bonds of fellow disciples and used a dirty trick to bring him down.
If Zhao Huo shouts "Fight your mother" at the Wulin Assembly, Shi Ming is so frightened he takes him for the man closest to Old Demon Tang.
End of the Road
In the final battle of the Western Wulin he dies fighting Zhao Huo, or afterwards, fearing the Tang Clan's revenge, he tries to flee the country, only to be caught by the White Shark Gang and fed to the sharks.
Notes
- Shangguan Ying studied Buddhism and trained her fists at the Fujian Branch of the Songshan Sect, and once received Shi Ming's guidance.
- If Tan Badao's past is exposed at Nangong's Birthday Banquet and his name is ruined, he will beg Shi Ming to protect him.