Who has attracted the most media headlines in China in recent days?  Shi Yongxin, abbot of the renowned Shaoling Temple in Henan Province.

After a series of online accusations and media reports claiming that Shi has two daughters with different mistresses, Shi's every move has been tracked. Recent news came after media disclosed that he failed to show up on Saturday at a Buddhist cultural exchange in Thailand with Shaolin monks, instead sending a letter of apology. 

According to domestic media outlets, Shi's absence in Thailand is due to an investigation by religious affairs authorities in Dengfeng, Henan Province, said Qian Daliang, the general manager of the temple's subsidiary company in an interview.

However, a few hours later, Qian denied the report, calling it "severely misleading the readers." But the media outlet released its recording of the interview afterward, in which Qian did say "Shi is being investigated." At least it seems that the reports turned out to be true.

Whether Shi is clean or not can only be proved by the results of the investigation.

But the temple's constant high-profile declarations have actually added fuel to the fire and thus hyped the case much more. 

Facing a number of online accusations posted by Shi Zhengyi, the whistle-blower, the abbot has said he will prove his innocence without any argument, and "a clear conscience fears no accusation." However, the fact that 29 Shaolin monks later published a collective statement, trying to clear their abbot's name while criticizing the "rumormonger," has made the entire incident even more melodramatic, causing a nationwide public discussion.

Perhaps the abbot enjoys high prestige and strong public support in Shaolin Temple's spheres of influence, which prompted his followers to fret over his "unjust treatment." But their words indicated a certain aggression to the public. Many people now suppose that this attitude may well reflect the temple's style of life and work.

The only way to win sympathy online is to keep a low profile. But is this the only narrative now? The answer as to whether Shi did sleep with prostitutes or take bribes is bound to be revealed, and will affect the public image of Shaolin Temple, and even people's opinion of Buddhism for quite some time to come.