Chapter 841 Master Han's Mouth
On the day of the full moon, the bright moonlight bathes the world in silver light, making it as bright as day.
In a small courtyard on the outskirts of the city, the candlelight was dim, and a warm glow shone through the paper windows, which looked very comforting from afar.
Master Han looked around. “He did live here back then, so why is he still living here now? It’s not good to be too nostalgic. Any familiar person or thing can cause him pain when he leaves.”
"Physical pain is not as painful as emotional pain. It is much harder to heal than physical pain. It takes many years to heal, and there is even a risk of the heart tearing open at any time."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and poured spiritual energy into the hand warmer to make it stay hot for longer.
"You sound quite experienced. Which deity has resonated with you so deeply? I'll bring some wine later, and we can have a good chat," Lord Zhao suggested. "You can stay up all night on New Year's Eve."
Master Han scoffed, "Do you think I'm that greedy for your wine?"
He corrected him seriously, "It's not that I have a deep understanding; it's the bystanders who see it most clearly."
"That's hard to say. After all, you've lived longer than any of us. If you want to verify whether you're lying, you can either ask the ghosts and gods or ask the ancestors."
Master Han kicked him from behind, saying he hated people who said he lived a long life.
So what if I live a long life? It's not like I'm eating or drinking his food!
"Knock on the door quickly."
However, the heavy wooden door opened from the inside before they could, and the heat from inside the house rushed out, carrying the smell of roast chicken and alcohol, so strong that it made their eyes water.
Master Han rarely felt this way, and quickly stepped across the threshold.
But he quickly stopped and looked in surprise at the other person in the room.
His shiny bald head was chilling; monks must be colder than snakes in winter, right?
Master Han looked at the monk, then at Zhang Chengxuan, and couldn't help but ask, "Could he be that Master Huineng?"
"Yes." Master Zhang calmly raised his hand. "My humble abode is simple, please make do with it."
Master Han's gaze fell on the bald face, devoid of joy or sorrow, and he sighed with emotion, "You two are brothers in misfortune, fellow sufferers in this world."
The monk stood up and bowed, his hands still spinning the string of prayer beads.
"My name is Huineng. I greet you two Daoist masters."
When he looked at Master Han, he put his hands together and said, "Master Han once saved this poor monk, but I never had the chance to meet him. Today I finally get to see him. May Buddha have mercy."
"..." Master Han turned to look at Lord Zhao, his disdain evident in his eyes.
"May you be blessed with good fortune." But he quickly smiled, sat down on the low stool in front of the brazier, and casually hugged his white fox fur coat to his chest.
The ground isn't even paved with bricks, so your clothes will easily get dusty when they hit the ground.
Master Zhang and Lord Zhao exchanged a glance, a faint smile playing on their lips. They both understood how much Master Han disliked monks.
"How did you two run into each other?" Master Han asked curiously. "Did you arrive in the capital so soon, Master?"
"When I was in Jincheng, I was saved by the help of Master Zhang. I met the Master by chance outside the city and came here to rest."
Master Huineng knew that Taoists generally disliked monks, as their paths diverged and they could not work together. This also had a similar meaning to the saying "literati look down on each other."
“I see. We learned that Zhang Chengxuan was leaving the capital, so we came to see him off. We bought wine and food on the way and planned to talk all night.”
As he spoke, Master Han raised his hand and waved it, and a table and chairs made of huanghuali wood appeared out of thin air on the ground, with wine and dishes laid out on them, the meat dishes even still steaming.
"Can Master Huineng drink alcohol?" Master Han asked himself and answered, "He should not be able to, otherwise you wouldn't have ended up like this. If you're going to undergo tribulation, then you should be going to undergo tribulation. There are still people who try to take shortcuts. Monks are the most hypocritical."
"..."
"However, it is difficult to be a saint, and even more difficult to be a monk. Unless you are a sincere and single-minded person, you will only meet one in a thousand years. If you meet such a celestial being, they will naturally inscribe the true essence of Buddhism on you. But the difficulty for people like you is the difficulty of love. Single-minded people are prone to falling in love. It is difficult for mortals who eat grains to be perfect."
"Although your master is annoying, he is really good to you. He dares to do stupid things against the heavens. Unfortunately, his cultivation is still shallow, and he is bold but not capable. In the end, he reminded you of your past."
"It must be painful to be unable to get close to someone you were once closest to, right? But when you're sad and in pain, do you actually like that feeling?"
"..." Lord Zhao took a sip of wine, not even daring to look at how ugly Huineng's face was.
He wondered what was wrong with Master Han today, bullying the most honest monk and even sprinkling salt and wine on his wounds, and he didn't dare to stop him.
Master Zhang also picked up his tea, and secretly glanced at Master Huineng, thinking to himself that Master Han was the most fickle and genuine person, but also the most difficult to get along with.
Although they weren't very familiar with each other, they had already figured out his temperament.
After all, they've lived a long time. They might have had some grudges with monks when they were young. Love, hate, and grudges are the hardest things to resolve.
"Yes, that's the feeling."
Unexpectedly, Huineng nodded seriously, feeling as if he had been enlightened, and looked at Master Han with great gratitude.
"I used to think this kind of thinking was a kind of obsession, or that I was bewitched by something, but it turns out it's just human nature?"
"..." Looking at the monk who was so serious, not only not angry but also somewhat excited, Master Han's expression was complicated.
Even my uncle couldn't bear to scold him.
It's truly pathetic to live like this.
His master is truly hateful. Monks are normal people too. What kind of poisonous scriptures has he been chanting all these years to turn his child into this, making him stupid?
He twitched the corner of his mouth, reached out and took out an exquisite tea canister, and brewed a cup of Sparrow Tongue tea for the monk using the boiling water above the brazier.
"Come, I... I don't like to bully honest people. If you can't drink alcohol, then drink tea. This tea can clear your mind. Maybe the dregs your master taught you can be expelled from your body with this tea."
He said seriously, "As for what you asked, that's not exactly normal, but there are quite a few people like you. You're a pure person, suitable for being harmed by all sorts of spiritual practitioners, but you just happened to choose the most difficult path."
As he spoke, Master Han picked up the wine bowl in front of him and clinked it against his tea bowl. “But since you’ve made your choice, move forward. Buddha is not wrong. The wrong ones are those hypocritical monks who claim to have profound Buddhist teachings. One in a thousand is a true living Buddha, and you will be the next one.”
Huineng held the teacup in both hands, deeply moved by these words.
He stood up and bowed deeply to Master Han, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. Your words have greatly benefited me and enlightened me."
Master Han smiled; it had been many years since anyone had called him "True Man."
"Alright, please sit down." Master Han gestured to the other two. "Take your seats. Since we've met, let's have a good chat. Gathering around a fire to brew tea and discuss heroes over wine are both elegant pursuits. On a night with a full moon, it's quite fitting."
Lord Zhao rose and sat down next to Daoist Han, suppressing a laugh as he looked at Master Huineng.
"Please take a seat, Master. Actually, I'm more curious about you. Do you really have no feelings for that Daoist Bai Caiwei at all?"
"This humble monk..."
"You should let go of my junior brother," Lord Zhao said gently.
PS: I don't know if it's because of cervical spine compression, but my reaction time is getting slower and slower. I'm only writing this one book right now. I was delayed by 1,000 words this afternoon, so the third chapter might not be posted until after midnight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
