The boy's eyelashes, as clear as cicada wings, fell gently, and when he raised them again, the chaotic look in his eyes suddenly changed.
On the stone platform, clear water and tea soup flow back and forth separately, clearly separated.
Inside the stone tower, light and shadow cut through each other, and the day and the moonlight separated and merged in an instant.
In front of the cushion, the old monk sitting upright had his face transformed into a ball of changing light and shadow, sometimes looking like his long-lost mother, and sometimes like the ghost that had appeared in the pagoda for three days.
"Since I was born into this world, I must endure its sufferings. If I have never tasted the sweetness of water, how can I know the bitterness of tea? If I have never tasted the sweetness of the long night, how can I know the toil of the day? If I have never tasted the warmth and coldness of human nature, how can I know what loneliness is like?"
If one is always alone, where are all living beings? If one is unaware of the suffering of all living beings, how can one develop compassion? If the world is free from the pain of love, hate, and separation, even if one becomes a Buddha, who can one save?
Clear water and tea soup are inherently different. They will not become one because of his choice, nor will they stop blending because he gives up his choice.
He already knew the answers to all of this.
He has a choice to make. He will make it. He is willing to make it.
The figure on the mat gradually disappeared into the distance, and only the vigorous laughter still echoed in the darkness.
"Remember your answer today. If you encounter this difficult question again in the future, remember how you chose it."
when.
The bronze chime made its final sound, and heaven and earth returned to nothingness once again.
When I opened my eyes again, what I saw was the high night sky and the vast starry sky.
A cold breeze blew past, and he sat up, looking back at the ruins behind him. Only the foundations of the former hall remained, and if it weren't for the surrounding walls, no trace of its former existence would be discernible. Amidst the dust of rubble and wooden beams, an old mat sat alone. A figure sat on it, a deep scar on his face, blood still stained.
Su Wei stood up, tiny specks of dust falling from his hair. He walked step by step towards the figure on the futon.
Yikong was still sitting cross-legged in the same place, seemingly holding something in his hands. The moment he heard the noise, he raised his head and slowly opened his clenched palms.
"I just found this last one, and you came the moment I put it on."
The wound on his face looked a little scary, but his eyes were as clear and gentle as ever.
The man looked at the familiar Buddhist beads in the monk's hand and did not reach out for a long time.
"No need. The cage is broken, and the tiger and rhinoceros are free. Since one of them is missing, I don't need to wear it."
"Only one is missing. If your Majesty does not mind, I would like to sacrifice my life for the sake of justice and dedicate myself to becoming the twenty-first relic. How about that?"
The man sighed, and deep in his dark eyes were emotions that were intangible and unclear.
"Are you willing to sacrifice your life for the Dharma rather than send me back to prison?"
The monk shook his head, his face calm.
"Your Majesty, you stand upon the mountains and rivers, and possess the world. You can go wherever you wish, and whatever realms your heart desires. I wonder where the prison is?"
The slender fingers picked up the Buddhist beads and then gently put them down.
"If there is no prison, what is the use of this thing?"
Yikong finally stood up.
He always maintained a humble posture, but now, for the first time, he straightened his back, appearing to be as tall as the man before him. The usually affable smile on his face had faded, and he looked as majestic as the Dharma Protector Mingwang enshrined in the main hall. Fine dust fell from his blue-gray monk's robes, swirling around their feet.
"Master, during his lifetime, traveled extensively and collected eighteen relics from eighteen highly accomplished monks. Adding the three relics he obtained after his passing, there are a total of twenty-one Buddha bone relics. I have gifted them all to you, Junior Brother. The power contained within them counterbalances the power in your bloodline. You will understand his painstaking efforts."
Although the monk was young, he always appeared to be slick and tactful. He had frequent contact with the man in front of him before but never crossed the line. But today, he suddenly stopped addressing him as "Your Majesty" and instead talked about his fellow disciples, with a layer of oppression in his words.
But the person opposite him was also an extraordinary person. From the corners of his eyes to the tips of his eyebrows, he was not shaken at all by this.
"Brother, when you brought the Demon Subduing Pestle to Buxu Valley earlier, did you have murderous intentions?"
The young monk did not answer but asked instead.
"Master has devoted his entire life to teaching you the truths, but have you forgotten them? You know that escaping the mundane world is the only way to be liberated, yet you insist on entering it. You know that all living beings will suffer as a result, yet you still refuse to turn back. Even when you reach a dead end, you still insist on heading towards the abyss."
Su never understood what the red dust meant by Yikong.
To him, there is only that one person in this world.
"You should be grateful to her. If I hadn't met her, I wouldn't know what love and sacrifice are. If I don't love all living beings, how can I save them?"
The flying dust particles fell between the man's brows, like first snow falling into an unfrozen lake. His eyes were as calm as before.
Yikong finally retracted his gaze, lowered his head slightly, as if he was talking to himself.
"Why did you have to lose that one relic? If it hadn't been missing, perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation now."
The person opposite sneered and tried to refuse without leaving any trace.
"If you want to blame someone, please blame Zou Sifang of Huozhou City. I once promised my father at my mother's grave that I would end the old troubles of the previous dynasty. Zou Sifang was the only clue to the secret seal, and I was the only one who could save him. If I hadn't saved him, everything might have never ended. This is what the word "chance" means."
The young monk also laughed. He raised his hand and touched the scar on his face, then frowned belatedly.
"If it weren't for that missing pearl, Your Majesty might not have fallen in love with Miss Xiao. That day, when Your Majesty asked about the matter of my servant, I sensed something, and therefore disobeyed Master's instructions and withheld the full message. But remember, even if you try to stop a flood by blocking the dam, it will eventually burst. All this is the karma I must bear. Cause and effect, that's all."
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