Runtu was taken aback: "What does Madam mean..."
Zheng Quchi thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about this later. Let's go find Fu Rong first. I feel like my fake face is about to fall off."
"Alright, I'll go ask someone first."
Runtu found a centurion he knew who had also come up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables. Runwang asked him about Fu Rong's location, and after recalling for a moment, he said that Fu Rong seemed to have gone to the grotto.
After Runtu expressed his gratitude, he took Zheng Quchi and rushed over.
The cave wasn't far from where the centurion was, probably only about a kilometer away, and Runtu arrived quickly on foot.
It is said that this grotto was carved out by monks in the past in this secluded place in the mountains for their spiritual practice.
Zheng Quchi used to love traveling and had seen many scenic spots and folk customs. This grotto was built in the style of a monastery. The outer cave was a colonnade, and the inside was a large square hall surrounded by pillars. Several square meditation rooms for practicing meditation were also carved into the three walls.
"Fu Rong, are you inside?"
Because the eaves of the cave extended outwards, the light inside was not very good, and only part of the outline of the square hall could be seen. Zheng Quchi was wary of the unfamiliar and dark place and did not choose to go in rashly. Instead, he called out to people from outside the colonnade.
A short while later, a familiar figure ran out.
"lady?"
When Fu Rong saw Zheng Quchi, it was indeed unexpected.
"You're really hard to find, Fu Rong. Hurry up and look at my face."
Upon seeing Fu Rong, she immediately abandoned all reservations and quickly walked over.
She raised her chin, pointed to her face, and told Fu Rong to take a look.
Fu Rong's eyes twitched at the sight: "Madam, your face is a disaster! Didn't I tell you that this kind of disguise shouldn't get wet?"
Zheng Quchi said helplessly, "If sweat is considered water, then I did touch it."
Fu Rong suddenly realized: "Oh, I forgot to tell Madam that she should be careful not to sweat too much, but it's so cold in winter, where did you go to sweat so much?"
This two-faced man, let's see if Yuwen Sheng dares to make fun of him like this in front of him.
Zheng Quchi didn't bother to argue with his thoughts: "Forget about your hindsight advice, hurry up and fix it now, I still have a lot of carpentry work to catch up on."
Fu Rong subconsciously composed himself and glanced behind him again: "Then, Madam... please come in with me."
Why did he look hesitant?
By the way, why didn't he go up the mountain with everyone to dig for wild vegetables? What kind of trouble is he trying to cause by running into this cave?
Zheng Quchi didn't move: "Is there something you're hiding inside that you can't let others see? If so, then I won't go in. It's the same if you do it from the outside."
“No…” Fu Rong shook his head. He glanced at Runtu, who was like a shadow next to Zheng Quchi, and after thinking for a moment, he said, “Let’s go in.”
After the three entered, Zheng Quchi saw a standing clay Buddha statue in a tall niche, but...
She pointed to the Buddha statue: "Fu Rong, did you carve this?"
Fu Rong chuckled: "Of course not, I don't have that kind of skill. These are all things left behind by the monks in the past. It's just that this Buddha statue was destroyed and now the Buddha statue has lost its facial features. No matter how I repair it, I can't bring it back to its original state."
Fu Rong was skilled at disguise and naturally had a good grasp of facial features, but he just couldn't quite capture the feeling he wanted from this Buddha statue.
So he destroyed and rebuilt it again and again, and in the end, the face of the Buddha statue was basically the same as Zheng Quchi's face.
It is understandable that Fu Rong was unable to complete the sculpting of the Buddha's face.
Firstly, he doesn't understand the Buddhist tradition and the structure of the Five Directions and Five Buddhas, which requires him to work on the proportions of the Buddha statues.
Furthermore, when depicting a Buddha head with lowered eyebrows and downcast eyes, or eyes closed in meditation, one must pay attention to the subtle and refined expression, including the symmetry of the facial features. In some stone carvings, the symmetry of the entire Buddha statue is emphasized.
People who haven't consulted many Buddhist texts will find it difficult to grasp the appropriate degree and the appropriate expression.
"Why do you insist on fixing it?" Zheng Quchi asked, puzzled.
Could it be that he is a Buddhist and wants to possess the Buddha statue?
"I wonder if you have ever heard the story of praying to Buddha for rain?" Fu Rong asked.
Upon hearing this, Runtu seemed to be deep in thought.
Zheng Quchi, who was not a local, shook his head directly.
Seeing that she really didn't understand, Fu Rong began to explain.
“In the southern part of our Ye Kingdom, there was a period of continuous drought. At that time, monks passed by and spread Buddhism. The people were inspired and suddenly had an idea. They asked the monks to sculpt a Buddha statue in clay so that they could have faith and prayer.”
"This Buddha statue has a compassionate face, showing mercy to heaven and earth. When the people see it, they feel that it represents heaven. They believe that as long as they pray sincerely, they will surely move heaven to send rain one day. They placed it outside and knelt to worship it every day. And one day not long after, a miracle actually occurred, and a torrential rain began to fall."
"Everyone was overjoyed and cheered in the rain. The clay Buddha statue was eventually destroyed by the heavy rain. The Buddha statue had completed its mission, sacrificing itself to welcome this life-saving rain. Later, people passed down this story and called it 'praying for rain by worshipping Buddha.'"
After listening to Fu Rong's words, Zheng Quchi was at a loss for words to express his opinion on the matter.
Should we say that superstition is unacceptable, and that the rain following a drought is merely a coincidence?
Even though it was raining, these people were so busy celebrating that they forgot to cover up the Buddha statue that was supposed to be the "hero" of the rain-making ritual.
However, there was no point in discussing these things; Zheng Quchi only cared about Fu Rong's reasons for doing so.
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