After listening to Yuan Gong's ridicule of the Three Arhats from the Demon Buddha Temple, Tao Qian remembered several other matters and replied,
"It's not necessarily that they are stingy, or that they failed to seize the provisions. These three old bald thieves have taken over Qiantang with great ambition. Not only do they want to cultivate the eighteen Great Compassionate and Merciful Transcendent Bodhisattvas, but they also seek to help Cheng Arhat step into Ultimate Happiness. If they managed to give the town's people a moment of relief, they likely did their best."
"That makes sense. There are numerous small groups within the Demon Buddha Temple. The main schemer here should be Kongchan, and the strong enforcers are probably Shipi and Lian Sha. The mastermind behind them is the Nirvana Demon Buddha. Although this old bald person cannot appear in the world, he is troublesome to deal with, so be careful. If it really comes down to it, we'll just flee to avoid disaster..."
