Chapter 216: Enlightenment
The cat demon originally thought that he could find a corner to escape the troubles of the world in this dilapidated little temple.
This inconspicuous temple was dilapidated, and the monks only ate leftovers, and most importantly, there was no meat!
But apart from these, it should be a good shelter, at least allowing it to catch a moment of respite between chasing and being chased.
As for the monk, the cat demon planned to eat him after resting for a few days to replenish the energy lost by the terrible woman.
As night falls, moonlight shines through the incomplete roof, casting mottled shadows on the moss-covered, crudely carved Buddha statue.
The monk had long been immersed in his own deep thoughts and didn't seem to care about the existence of the cat demon.
So the cat demon curled up in the cold stone Buddha's palm without any scruples, letting the dream slowly sweep over him. Anyway, the monk couldn't hurt him. If he dared to do anything, he didn't mind moving up the meal time.
However, in this seemingly calm night where only the sounds of devout chanting and silent bodhisattva sounds complement each other, an accident quietly occurred.
The cat demon suddenly woke up from his sleep - an aura that made people's bones chill, as if falling into an ice cave, extremely terrifying, and mixed with malice and greed was approaching step by step this dilapidated temple that was almost forgotten even in the troubled times.
Snap—Snap—
The footsteps that seem to be able to devour all hope and peace and make all hidden creatures feel despair are approaching the ruined temple step by step.
The cat demon was very familiar with this terrifying aura and the sound of footsteps. For three days and three nights, it had followed it like a ghost - lingering like a shadow and heartbreaking.
The weak and dim candlelight in the temple began to tremble slightly. The monk who had been meditating with a calm expression seemed to realize something and slowly put down his rosary.
He first slowly opened his eyes, then slowly raised his head.
When he saw that every hair on the cat demon's white fur stood up in extreme fear, he realized that the situation was not normal.
Boom boom boom——
Just at this moment, the dilapidated wooden door outside the Buddhist hall was knocked.
The moment the monk turned around to open the door, the cat demon immediately jumped behind the Buddha statue.
While hiding its own breath, it prayed to the monk not to let the monster enter the temple.
The monk walked to the wooden door. Even he could feel that the thing behind the door had a terrifying aura that was terrifying to him, but he remained indifferent and slowly opened the wooden door.
The lone figure outside the door is a young girl.
Her appearance was like a sad landscape painting scattered in front of the quiet temple.
Her figure was distressingly thin, and her skin, though fair, had an unhealthy look, as if she had not felt the warmth of the sun for a long time.
Her hair fell down in a messy manner, covering her eyebrows and eyes.
The coarse cloth clothes she was wearing looked very messy and worn, the material was rough and the color was faded so much that it was almost unbearable to look at.
The dress was clearly not made for her - it was too big.
It was still stained with dried blood, and the monk had a horrifying thought.
This piece of clothing...was taken from a dead man.
The girl's pupils seemed to be unfocused, as if she was staring at the monk, but also seemed to be looking past the monk at the Buddha statue in the temple.
Apart from the ill-fitting, plain and simple top, her lower body was not properly covered. The hem of the fabric casually swept across her perfect mid-thigh, and her bare feet were covered in mud.
"Amitabha... Female donor, how can I help you?"
The monk asked in a calm tone, but his brows were furrowed.
The monk knew it the moment he saw her.
The aura emanating from this woman is definitely not that of an ordinary human.
The murderous aura that almost swallowed everything was hundreds of times more terrifying than any hell or evil spirits described in Buddhist scriptures.
"I......"
The girl raised her eyebrows slightly, and under her messy long hair, her cloudy eyes stared at the monk.
"Looking for...a cat demon."
"Female donor, this is a pure Buddhist place, not a place where evil spirits run rampant. There is nothing here that you want..."
Before the monk could finish his words, the girl had already walked around him and walked into the temple step by step on the muddy ground.
It was then that the monk noticed that the girl was dragging a knife. The monk recognized that it was the soldier's standard weapon. This girl... killed the soldier?
Sizzle——sizzle——
The girl limped and dragged the knife slowly towards the Buddhist temple, and every step she took would make the cat demon hiding behind the Buddha statue terrified.
It wants to escape, but is it too late to escape now?
The monk followed the girl. He seemed to have guessed something. He thought the girl must have come for the white cat that suddenly broke into the temple during the day.
"...Amitabha, female donor, you are saddled with a strong evil spirit. If you commit more sins of killing, I'm afraid you will never be able to escape this damnation and seek liberation."
"Why... seek... liberation? I... can kill... everything..."
She slowly stopped and turned to look at the monk with a blank and lifeless gaze.
The monk clasped his hands together and said calmly, "If you see all appearances as non-appearances, then you will see the Tathagata. All appearances are empty, and the former is also an empty appearance."
The girl didn't understand what the monk was saying at all. She tilted her head, then turned around and continued walking towards the Buddhist hall.
The monk didn't give up. He slowly followed the girl and continued, "The Heart Sutra says, 'Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form.' Even if you have the power of a thousand years of practice, but your heart is still closed, it's like closing your eyes and failing to see the light of the sun and moon."
"...heart, unopened? I...have no heart."
"No," the monk said softly, "The Shurangama Sutra says: 'There is no Bodhi tree, nor is there a mirror stand; originally nothing exists, where can dust gather?' All things in the world are caused by the mind. The mind creates all things to illuminate the donor. If your mind is as clear as a mirror, it will naturally reflect your true self. But now, female donor, your karma of killing is too heavy to see into her own mind."
“…”
The girl was no longer interested in the monk. She walked into the Buddhist hall and went towards the Buddha statue.
The monk's eyes were closed, his lips slightly moved, and he was reciting the ancient and sacred Buddhist scriptures devoutly.
The air seemed to be filled with the vibrations of his voice, and even time was frozen in this peaceful and mysterious melody.
The white cat was completely frightened at this moment.
It originally thought it could find a sense of security under the Buddha's vast and compassionate aura; however, it now found itself on the brink of wavering between the unknown and the terrifying.
The small body curled up in the corner and trembled - the faint breathing contained a deep anxiety about the future fate.
But the girl did not pick up the knife and chop as it expected.
Instead, he slowly looked at the knife in his hand, then raised his head to look at the Buddha statue.
It seemed that at this moment, something affected her mind.
"...How about...penetrating into someone's mind...reciting...a sutra?"
The girl turned her head to look at the kneeling man - he was sitting on the cushion as steady as a mountain. After hearing the girl's voice, the monk slowly opened his eyes.
"Practice isn't just about chanting sutras and reciting Buddha's name." The monk, whose silence had been interrupted by the girl's question, spoke up. "It also requires understanding one's mind and seeing one's true nature."
The girl gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, looking at the monk and then at the Buddha statue. The balance within this incense-filled place slowly tipped towards the other side. "Practice... enlighten your mind and see your true nature..." she muttered, but made no immediate move.
The monk slowly stood up, walked to the girl's side, and stood side by side with her facing the Buddha statue.
Finally, he looked at the girl, and then put his hands together. The girl didn't know why, but at this moment she gently let go of the knife, and then imitated the monk and put her hands together facing the Buddha statue.
"Amitabha..."
The monk lowered his head slightly, as if guiding the girl.
The girl also slowly bowed her head towards the Buddha statue, and her hoarse and low voice slowly uttered the words: "...Infinite...Longevity Buddha."
But just as she finished her words, there was a cracking sound.
A crack appeared on the Buddha statue before them, starting from the head, and the crack continued to spread to the base...
The monk began to tremble. He didn't understand why even Buddha couldn't calm down the evil spirit of this girl...
Who is she...what has she done...
The girl raised her eyes slightly to look at the cracked Buddha statue and did not react at all. She just turned around slowly without even taking the knife. Just like when she came, she limped out of the temple while the monk was shocked.
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