Without the guidance of the stairs, Cheng Ruyi could only rely on the occasional glimpse of the rest pavilions at the top to judge whether she was in the right place. However, the closer she got to the top of the mountain, the thicker the clouds became, and her vision was severely obstructed.
An hour later, after getting lost several times, she finally managed to get through the clouds and reach the mountaintop. However, she had very little physical strength and internal energy left.
Climbing a mountain in heavy snow is indeed a challenge beyond one's level. She was panting heavily at the moment, but in her mind she thought about how many people in her previous life dared to climb Mount Everest every year, challenging the limits with mortal bodies. Their courage was truly commendable!
"Amitabha Buddha~~ Excellent, excellent. Benefactor, you have come from afar. Why don't you come with me to the inner hall to rest for a while?"
Amidst the howling wind outside, a deep and calm voice suddenly rang out. Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi looked up at the main gate of Dabei Temple in the distance and saw an old monk in a red robe standing by the gate. Apart from him, there was no one else in sight. It must have been him who spoke.
The two were at least a hundred meters apart, and although the old monk's voice was not loud, it still reached her ears steadily, which showed how profound his internal strength was!
Cheng Ruyi used her lightness skill to quickly arrive at the door, bowed to the old monk, and said, "Greetings, Master. May I ask how you are addressed?"
"Hehe, my Taoist name is Lingjue. Please follow me, benefactor."
"So you're the master host! I've heard so much about you!"
Last year, when she came to Dabeisi Temple, she really wanted to meet Master Lingjue, but unexpectedly, she bumped into Master Lingtong instead. This year, when she came back to ask Master Lingtong for clarification, she ran into Master Lingjue instead. It was truly a wonderful coincidence...
Upon closer inspection, the legendary high monk who was said to be able to know the past and future and had boundless Buddhist teachings seemed quite different from what he had imagined. He was dark-skinned and thin, and the wide robe he wore looked rather loose on his body. Moreover, his features were unremarkable and easily forgotten, making him seem like an ordinary old man from the countryside. The only special feature was his white eyebrows that were longer than his cheeks and fluttered in the wind.
Compared to the kind-faced, dignified, and Buddhist-like Master Lingtong I saw last year, this Master Lingjue is more down-to-earth and relatable.
Thinking of this, Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but ask, "I wonder if Master Lingtong is in the temple today? I met him once last year and received his guidance. I was just about to thank him in person."
“Amitabha Buddha~~ My senior brother went on a journey around the world about a year ago, and his return date is uncertain. I'm afraid you won't be able to see him today.” Master Lingjue led Cheng Ruyi through several front halls and headed towards the rear hall.
He left a year ago? That means he practically went traveling after seeing her? The timing is rather ambiguous...
Upon learning that she would not be able to see Master Lingtong, Cheng Ruyi felt somewhat disappointed. However, since Master Lingjue and Master Lingtong were fellow disciples, she figured asking him would probably yield similar results.
Dai Bei Temple, as the foremost of the three major temples in Dai Viet, occupies an entire hilltop and is extremely grand in scale.
I don't know the exact elevation of Asahi Peak, but after passing through the thick clouds, there was significantly less snow on the summit. In addition, the wind was very strong, so there was no snow on the eaves of the temples. Instead, they were covered with ice, and there were crystal clear icicles running down.
Without the clouds obscuring the view, sunlight occasionally pierces the mountaintop, causing the ice on the eaves of the temples to reflect dazzling rays of light. Cheng Ruyi was deeply awestruck by this magical sight.
The two walked through the temple for quite some time but never saw anyone else. Cheng Ruyi found it strange. "May I ask, Master, why is the temple so quiet today? We haven't even seen any monks sweeping or cleaning?"
"Hehe, benefactor, you may not know this, but recently, strong winds have been blowing in the mountains from time to time, and many monks have been injured as a result. For safety reasons, everyone has moved to the inner courtyard hall to practice, so you can't see anyone in the front courtyard."
"Why was the master standing at the door just now...?"
"Naturally, it's to welcome our benefactor."
Cheng Ruyi was taken aback upon hearing this. "How did you know I would come today, Master?"
Before they knew it, the two had entered the inner courtyard. If Cheng Ruyi had observed carefully, she would have realized that this was the same courtyard where she had met the Wen family members last year.
Two monks stood in the courtyard, seemingly having been waiting for a long time. As soon as they saw them enter, they immediately opened the main door of the central room, and a strong, solemn sandalwood fragrance immediately wafted out.
Master Lingjue did not answer Cheng Ruyi's question. Instead, he led the people to sit in front of the Buddha Hall. The young novice monk standing by the side very cleverly poured tea for the two of them, and then obediently stood by the door without moving.
Master Cheng Ruyi didn't seem to intend to answer her question, and wisely picked up her teacup and drank, as she was quite thirsty after traveling for so long.
Although the tea at Dabeisi Temple was not as good as the spiritual spring water produced by the system, and the taste was quite refreshing and bitter at first, after a few breaths, one could find a sweet aftertaste. The taste was very special, so she drank three large cups without hesitation.
She had just put down her teacup when she noticed Master Lingjue looking at her with a beaming smile, and immediately felt a little embarrassed. "Ahem, this tea is quite good, rather delicious, hehe~~"
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Master Lingjue's wise little eyes flashed with a golden light, and his smile became even more benevolent. "It's rare for someone to find this tea delicious on their first sip. You are indeed extraordinary, a truly fortunate person!"
"A destined person?" Cheng Ruyi asked, puzzled. "What does 'destined person' mean? This should be the first time I've met the master, right?"
"Hehe, you are certainly not destined to be with this old monk."
"With whom?"
This is really strange. Is this spiritual master skilled in predicting marriage? How come she's never heard of him before?
There were already several incense burners for worshipping Buddha statues in the Buddhist hall. Now, two more braziers were brought in to keep warm. In no time, the room was filled with smoke. Cheng Ruyi felt that even the thin Master Lingjue in front of her seemed to be about to ascend to Buddhahood at any moment.
Master Lingjue lowered his gaze and silently fiddled with the prayer beads in his hand. After a moment, he replied, "The person who is destined to be with you is naturally the person you are destined to be with."
Cheng Ruyi: "......"
What kind of nonsense is this? If this weren't ancient times, she would have thought the master was a 5G surfing expert!
"Hehe, your words are truly insightful. Master, you are indeed a highly accomplished monk. Your words are truly profound. Amazing!"
Cheng Ruyi suddenly recalled her encounter with Master Lingtong last year; the master's words were also cryptic and ambiguous. She wondered why monks always spoke in such a way...
"I'm flattered, you seem to possess considerable wisdom as well."
Master Lingjue smiled upon hearing this, disregarding Cheng Ruyi's somewhat sarcastic remarks. Instead, he looked into her eyes with even greater compassion, his tone suddenly becoming persuasive and persuasive. "This old monk observes the radiant golden light of merit emanating from you, benefactor. This must be because you have been performing good deeds and saving many lives recently. Amitabha! Heaven cherishes life; your actions are truly virtuous!"
At that moment, the sunlight outside the window shone on Master Lingjue's golden-red robe, emitting dazzling light. Cheng Ruyi felt that the monk in front of her had become incredibly sacred and majestic.
Under such gazes, she unconsciously straightened her back, put her legs together, and placed her hands neatly in prayer position on her lap. She naturally lowered her head and obediently answered the question: "When I met Master Lingtong last year, he told me that as long as I did good deeds, I could return home. But so much has happened to me this past year that I completely forgot about it..."
At this point, Cheng Ruyi touched her head somewhat embarrassedly.
“Amitabha Buddha~~ Benefactor, there is no need to be modest. You are inherently upright and kind. Even without your fellow disciples, you would still help the poor and needy and give generously to the masses.”
Just as Cheng Ruyi was about to say a few more humble words, she was interrupted by Master Lingjue's next words, "The world is in turmoil and it is a time of many troubles. This old monk hopes that when the world is in chaos in the future, you will continue to maintain your original heart, help the world and save people and accumulate virtue!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi felt as if her soul had left her body, and she remained stunned for several seconds before coming back to her senses.
"What...what's going on? What...what's causing chaos?" She was rambling incoherently, feeling as if she had just been hit on the head by something, causing her to lose some hearing and her mind to be in complete disarray.
Seeing Cheng Ruyi's stunned and bewildered expression, Master Lingjue couldn't help but smile. He dropped his previous serious demeanor, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible cunning, "Heavenly secrets... cannot be revealed!"
What the heck! You just revealed it, so why is it suddenly unacceptable now?
Don't get angry, don't get angry, now is not the time to be angry!
Cheng Ruyi tried to calm herself down. Since this question couldn't be discussed in detail, she might as well ask from another angle. She frowned, bit her lip, and thought carefully for a while before cautiously asking, "May I ask, Master, when exactly will the great chaos you mentioned occur? How much time do I have to prepare?"
"Amitabha Buddha~~ This question depends on yourself. If you live in constant fear and anxiety, the days will naturally feel like an eternity. But if you maintain an optimistic and positive attitude, it will only be a fleeting moment~~"
It must be said that this spiritual master has truly mastered the essence of nonsense literature. Six out of ten sentences are nonsense, meaningless; the other three are also cryptic and confusing; only the last sentence contains any truly useful information...
Well, this trip wasn't entirely fruitless. At least she learned that the world is about to descend into chaos. Based on what the master just said, there's probably still some time to prepare!
Now all she could think about was what to do next, and she couldn't wait to go down the mountain and go home. She had no other thoughts on her mind.
"Thank you for your guidance today, Master. Rest assured, I will do my best to help more people in need, provided that my safety and that of my family are guaranteed."
After Cheng Ruyi finished speaking, she wanted to stand up and take her leave, but suddenly remembered that there was still something she hadn't resolved. She hesitated for a moment, but still decided to speak: "Ahem, Master, when I came to Dabei Temple last year, I seemed to see a Taoist priest with superb lightness skills. I wonder who that Taoist priest was?"
"Oh? You actually encountered Xuanzhen?" A hint of surprise seemed to flash in Master Lingjue's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.
Xuanzhen? Cheng Ruyi remembered that Guo Qinglan had mentioned that the person who left the note at Wolong Village was named Xuanzhen Daoren. It seems that the two are indeed the same person!
Fortunately, Master Lingjue did not continue to use riddles when talking about the origin of Xuanzhen Daoren, and Cheng Ruyi finally learned about his origin.
Xuanzhen was originally an ordinary disciple in the Sanqing Taoist Temple where the former imperial preceptor of the previous dynasty resided. The previous abbot of Dabeisi Temple happened to have some connection with the former imperial preceptor. Before the previous dynasty was destroyed, the imperial preceptor brought Xuanzhen here and entrusted him to Dabeisi Temple. So, Xuanzhen, who was about ten years old at the time, lived with Lingtong and Lingjue, who were still young novice monks, for a period of time.
It is said that Xuanzhen was an orphan from a young age and a wandering beggar until he was eight years old. By chance, he was brought into the Sanqing Taoist Temple, but he did not expect that his good days would last only a few years before he lost his place of protection again.
After the Sanqing Taoist Temple was destroyed, he secretly left the Dabei Temple.
Without constraints, he reverted to his original unrestrained nature, and combined with the rudimentary Taoist skills he had learned in those years, he disguised himself as a fortune-telling Taoist priest, wandering around while searching for lost scriptures.
At this point, Master Lingjue paused suddenly, then turned to Cheng Ruyi with a profound and inscrutable expression and said, "Hehe, I didn't expect that Xuanzhen would have such a wonderful connection with you. Well done, well done. Fate is indeed wonderful."
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