"All causes and conditions originate from me, so they should also be resolved by me. Let me handle it. You take Junior Brother Ruxing down to rest." Ruchen's tone was calm. His cultivation was extremely profound. Every word and action revealed his Buddhist nature, leaving no room for rebuttal.
Seeing no other option, he nodded slightly and left with Ruxing.
After the two left, Ruchen smiled faintly at Ruxin: "The eight supernatural powers of Buddhism are: first, creation; second, destiny; third, cause and effect; fourth, reincarnation; fifth, power; sixth, formlessness; seventh, rules; and eighth, stars."
“Junior brother, you have broken through and then established yourself, comprehending the eight supernatural powers of Buddhism. This is truly a blessing. Congratulations, junior brother.”
Ru Xin clasped her hands together and bowed respectfully to Ru Chen: "I must thank you for your teachings, Senior Brother. If it weren't for you all these years, I'm afraid I would have become food for a hungry wolf on the roadside long ago."
"But I must find out the truth about what happened back then, and I hope my senior brother can clear up my doubts."
"Is the truth really that important?" Ru Chen sighed softly.
“It’s extremely important, more important than my life. If I can’t get over this, I’ll carry this burden in my heart for the rest of my life.” Ruxin nodded slowly.
"What if the result is not satisfactory?" Ru Chen asked.
"If the result is not satisfactory, then I will become a butcher until I avenge my father and his neighbors," Ru Xin said coldly.
Ru Chen remained silent. He sighed and said, "I have a monk's knife hanging in my bedroom that I haven't touched for twenty years. Did you know that?"
“I know. That monk’s knife was a gift from Master. When my senior brother was young, he carried that monk’s knife as he traveled the world. It was stained with a lot of blood and karma.” Ruxin nodded slowly.
“That knife was a gift from my master and it is my most cherished possession, but I haven’t touched it for twenty years. Do you know why?” Ruchen asked again.
"Nothing more than that my senior brother has used this knife to kill innocent people and feels guilty." Ruxin raised her head, her eyes blazing.
“Yes, but not quite.” Ru Chen slowly shook his head: “Back then, I used this monk’s knife to kill many people, and these people were also innocent.”
"I do feel guilty, but what I did was something I had to do."
"The reason I hung the knife up is that I hope what I have done will come to a conclusion as soon as possible, so that I can settle these karmic debts in time."
"What exactly did you do, Senior Brother? When did it start? And when did it end?" Ruxin stared intently at him.
“It started many years ago, but I don’t know when it will end.” Ru Chen sighed: “It’s a very complicated matter, and it also requires an extremely complicated process.”
"So, back then... you killed all my relatives, all my neighbors, just for this big thing?" Ruxin clenched her fists tightly, her face filled with anger.
"Yes, I killed your entire family and the whole village, a total of 138 people, all for this important matter." Ru Chen nodded slowly, not denying the matter.
“You are a Buddhist disciple, you do not kill, you do not lie…” Ruxin’s eyes were red: “Over the years, you have always been a lofty figure in my heart.”
"Over the years you have taught me to be compassionate and to treat others as I would like to be treated."
"You taught me Buddhist precepts, and told me to turn to Buddhism without abstaining from sexual desires..."
“Every action you take resembles that of a high-ranking Buddhist monk. I don’t know what important matter you were after back then that led you to point your butcher’s knife at unarmed and innocent villagers?”
“Since it’s a major event, we should do it at all costs.” Ru Chen’s expression remained calm as he said slowly, “In fact, every change of dynasty in this world is a period of turmoil, and every period of turmoil comes at the cost of tens of millions of lives.”
"The predecessor of Dawuxiang Temple was the former Qing Dynasty's Huguo Temple. After the fall of the previous dynasty, Master Kongru was ordered by the National Preceptor Lü Qingchen to guard the temple and renovate it, renaming it Dawuxiang Temple."
"And he devoted his entire life to only one thing: to restore the former dynasty's fortunes at all costs..."
"The previous dynasty, the fate of the nation?" Ruxin seemed to understand. He clenched his fists tightly and said through gritted teeth, "And the village I live in is the place you have your eye on, so you need to kill everyone there to carry out your plan?"
Ru Chen neither nodded nor shook his head, giving a tacit agreement.
“Good, good…” Ruxin smiled bitterly: “What a magnificent plan for the fate of the previous dynasty, what a grand scheme, what a masterful move.”
"In the ways of Heaven, I am also a pawn." Ru Chen sighed softly, "Since I am a pawn, I can only follow the will of Heaven."
"What nonsense about destiny! The fall of the previous dynasty was destiny!" Ru Chen's expression was ferocious. "Senior brother, since you already slaughtered my family and 138 neighbors back then, why did you spare me alone?"
"Why didn't you kill me and let me go with them? Why did you take me with you? Why did you raise me to adulthood, teach me the Great Freedom Formless Dharma Body Supernatural Powers, and train me to be your formidable enemy?"
“Nothing more than that, I just feel that you have Buddha-nature, and all your relatives are dead. If I don’t even leave behind this little bit of legacy, wouldn’t I become a sinner?” Ruchen said.
"Then you killed 138 people, so you're not a sinner?" Ruxin said sternly.
Ru Chen remained silent, continuously counting the prayer beads in his hand. Clearly, he also had an unresolved issue regarding what happened back then.
"Murder is a sin in itself. You kill someone and then beg Buddha to forgive your sin?" Ruxin laughed: "In this world, is there such a cheap thing?"
"This is the truth of what happened back then. You already know the truth. I was the one who killed your whole family and neighbors." Ru Chen slowly raised his head: "So if you want revenge, come at me."
"A life for a life—that has been an eternal and unchanging principle since ancient times." Ru Xin said with murderous intent.
As Ruchen counted the prayer beads in his hand and looked at Ruxin in front of him, he smiled and said, "Although you have comprehended the Eight Supernatural Powers, your level is too low to unleash their true power."
"Moreover, you just severely injured yourself in order to repay the kindness of our Great Wuxiang Temple, so you will surely die in this battle."
"So what?" Ruxin clasped his hands together, and a flame rose from his body. He muttered to himself, "Just because you've put on a cassock, you really think you're a Buddha?"
"With your hands covered in blood, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're in hell. Ru Chen, today, we shall settle this once and for all."
“Yes, it’s time for a resolution.” Ru Chen nodded slowly. “You… make your move.”
Ru Xin slowly closed his palms, and a ray of Buddhist light rose from his body, followed by the reappearance of eight arms.
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