"I didn't know she took such a big risk." Si Rong sobbed, "I thought she was in poor health to begin with, and it wasn't because of me that... I feel so sorry for her."
Shen Qingmang held her in his arms and patted her back gently. "You haven't let her down, Ah Rong. You are the continuation of her life. She must be very pleased to see you grow up to be what you are now."
"But I am the dumbest one in my sect." Si Rong cried even more sadly.
Hao Xin swayed around her. "You're not stupid, you're just a late bloomer."
"You're the one who calls me stupid the most harshly!" Si Rong glared at him with red eyes.
Hao Xin lowered his voice guiltily. "Then, then I won't scold you anymore. Don't cry."
Shen Qingmang was feeling a bit sad at first, but when he heard the two elementary school kids bickering, he almost laughed out loud. He coughed lightly and said, "Arong, do you want to talk to your mother? Maybe she can hear you."
Si Rong wiped her tears and nodded. "I do. Master, can you..."
Su Miaoran understood the elegant meaning of the music. "Qingmang, I'll take you over there to see the many flowers that are unique to our Chaohua Palace. Ah Rong, come chat with your mother."
The four of them strolled through the sea of flowers. Su Miaoran kept introducing various flowers and plants to them. Shen Qingmang's eyes lingered on the words on the tombstones. Hao Xin muttered, "Why are there so many people? Even the Xingchen Tomb at Wendao Peak doesn't have so many tombstones."
Shen Qingmang patted his back gently. Su Miaoran saw her gesture and said with a smile, "There's nothing to be shy about. We in Chaohua Palace have the most people who passed away before achieving greatness among all the sects, because the path we cultivate is the most difficult and dangerous."
"Is love so dangerous?" Hao Xin was puzzled.
Shen Qingmang sighed softly: "Deep love does not bring longevity."
"Many sects cultivate to achieve a lifespan equal to that of heaven and earth. We, on the other hand, cultivate to stimulate the passions within the cultivators, to be distinct from heaven and earth and to walk a unique path."
After hearing what Su Miaoran said, Shen Qingmang suddenly remembered what his master Yun Xuzhou said, "What distinguishes humans from birds, beasts, mountains, rivers, and plants is that humans have emotions." He seemed to have some understanding in his heart.
The last three realms of the Wuya Sect's internal energy method, the Hongmeng Lingchu Sutra, point to humanity. The second realm, "Seven Emotions", is related to lust. She has not yet reached this level, and like Qiongju, she is stuck at "Spiritual Intelligence Awakening". Is it because she is not truly moved?
But falling in love is not that easy.
"Miao Ran, can you tell us someone else's story?"
"Then let's start with the monk in front of us."
Several people looked at the stone tablet in front of them which read "Wild geese are in the clouds and fish are in the water, I feel sad but it is hard to express this feeling."
"This senior's name is Zhayun. She once topped the Chaohua Palace's Liufang Ranking, which you could think of as a ranking of cultivators' charm. She had countless admirers, but she despised them all, once declaring that the path she cultivated was the path of ruthlessness."
"What happened next?" Si Rong came over at some point.
"Later, she traveled extensively and was a guest at the Bodhi Temple. She saw the lotus blossoming in the pond, and, inspired, she stepped onto the stone bridge. Halfway across, she saw a monk watching fish by the pond. He held a rosary and gently poked the water, tempting a fish to take a bite. She laughed softly, startling the monk. She looked up, and in that one glance, the monk remained the same, but she had become the foolish fish holding the beads."
"She turned into a fish? What kind of magic is this?" Hao Xin asked in surprise.
Su Miaoran covered his lips and smiled. Si Rong tapped his forehead, his voice slightly hoarse. "You're so stupid! She fell in love with the monk at first sight."
"Zhayun learned that the monk was Zen Master Huining, the most accomplished person in Bodhi Hall besides the Buddhist disciples. Some even called him Half-Buddha. Compared to the aloof Buddhist disciples, he was extremely kind and therefore very popular. Zhayun discussed Buddhism with him and raised many questions, which he answered one by one. Her admiration for him increased, and she actively pursued him. However, he treated her no differently than he treated the fish."
"Are all the monks in the Bodhi Hall so focused? But Master Ayao said..." Si Rong covered his mouth halfway through his words, his eyes rolling around as he looked at Shen Qingmang.
Shen Qingmang made a mouth-sewing gesture to her.
"What?" Su Miaoran asked.
Si Rong shook his head. "Nothing."
"Zhayun asked Huining what it would take for him to love her. He said, 'Wait until wild geese swim underwater and fish soar into the sky.' Then one day, Zhayun heard that there was a species of fish beyond the East China Sea whose fins acted as wings and could fly in mid-air, so he headed to Liyou Island to search for it."
"Did she find it?"
"She died on Liyou Island, which was infested with monsters."
"Ah?" Si Rong said in a low voice, "Why do infatuated female cultivators always end up with a bad ending?"
"Has Zen Master Huining become a Buddha?" Shen Qingmang asked.
Su Miaoran leaned down and gently brushed the dust off the stele. "Huining went to Liyou Island to retrieve Zhayun's remains and brought her back to Chaohua Palace for burial. He carved this stele himself. He passed away in the Bodhi Hall two years later."
"He carved these words because he loves her, right?" Shen Qingmang said.
Su Miaoran was silent for a moment, then said, "I once asked Liantai a question: Buddha loves all living things, but does he love just one person?"
"How did he answer?"
“He said, One person is all beings, and all beings are one person.”
Shen Qingmang repeated it in a low voice.
"The people at Bodhi Temple always like to play tricks on me." Su Miaoran smiled. "So I asked him again, 'Why doesn't he love me? Loving me is loving all living things.' Guess what he said?"
"How do you say that?"
"He said that his love for all living beings was my love."
Shen Qingmang didn't understand what she meant, and couldn't tell from Su Miaoran's expression. Worried that she might be upset, he changed the subject, saying, "The stone tablet up ahead is inscribed with the words 'This worldly relationship is unbearable, I'd rather be strangers in the next life.' Is this another person who was disappointed by love?"
"Oh, that senior." Su Miaoran smiled with an ambiguous smile. "Her story is even more complicated. She fell in love with her own master."
Shen Qingmang subconsciously looked at her eldest disciple and found that Gu Suihan was also looking at her. The two of them looked at each other and then looked away.
She only regretted that she couldn't turn back time and take back that glance. She could understand Gu Suihan looking at her, but why should she look at him? What if he misunderstood what she had done to him? It would be bad if he found out that she knew...
"Isn't this incestuous?" Si Rong said, "How could anyone have such thoughts? No matter how good Daddy is to me, I won't be attracted to him."
"What kind of moral relationship is there between a master and a disciple?" Su Miaoran said, "There is no blood relationship, only the responsibility of education."
"Why not?" Shen Qingmang restrained himself from looking at Gu Suihan, and said with a serious expression: "Teacher is also an elder. Since he has assumed the responsibility of educating his disciples, he should not have any emotional entanglements with them. Otherwise, it would be suspected of misleading them."
"Then if a disciple loves his master, is that wrong?" Gu Sui Han spoke.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com