Chapter 1010 Compassionate Mr. Sun
Inside the water prison.
Just when Sun Laodao and the fat old monk thought Ouyang Rong was about to make a runaway.
Ouyang Rong suddenly picked up Sun Laodao's food box and walked towards the nearby Class C cell.
At the water curtain door of room C, a food box was pushed out, waiting to be tidied up.
The vegetarian meal that belonged to the pale young man had already been eaten by him.
After taking out the food box, Ouyang Rong did not leave as usual, but instead, somewhat strangely, pushed Sun Laodao's food box back into the water curtain prison door.
Seeing this, both Master Sun and the fat old monk turned their heads, their expressions quite different.
This meddlesome, taciturn young man's actions are very easy to understand.
Sun Laodao couldn't bear to see the unfinished vegetarian meal wasted, and just as he had said, he gave it all to the sickly young man in the neighboring cell, number C.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong silently finished his task, stood by the water curtain door of room C, and waited quietly without leaving immediately.
Seeing this, the chubby old monk put his hands together in prayer and smiled.
"Amitabha Buddha, well said, well said."
Old Master Sun stared at them with a gloomy expression for a while, then suddenly let out a sneer on his white-haired, youthful-faced face:
"Eat my ass! With that disease, eating more won't help. You're such a saint, trying to be a living bodhisattva. If you really want to help him alleviate his pain, you should just get a bucket of ice water, the colder the better, and pour it directly on him. That would be giving him some comfort... But eating is no good at all."
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly and glanced at the sarcastic and scathing Old Daoist Sun.
It wasn't because he was dissatisfied, but because the way Old Master Sun described the dish felt vaguely familiar to him.
I feel like I've seen something similar somewhere before; the more I think about it, the more familiar it seems...
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but lower his head and take a few more glances at the ordinary young man lying limply on the ground in front of the Water Curtain Prison.
The atmosphere outside the cell was quiet for a moment.
Old Master Sun wore a mocking expression.
Ouyang Rong turned around and asked him seriously:
What illness does he have?
Old Master Sun sneered, "He's already a dead man."
Ouyang Rong was somewhat serious:
"But he's still alive."
Old Master Sun said leisurely:
"To say something like that, you're either a fool with an overflowing motherly heart, or a Confucian sage. Guess which one you are?"
After making a sarcastic remark, without waiting for Ouyang Rong's "meaningless" reply, he continued with a smirk:
"Kid, let me tell you, in this world, some people are alive but already dead; while some people are dead and are dead forever, understand?"
"We're all going to die eventually, it's just a matter of sooner or later. Aren't we just dead people in some people's eyes? Why bother caring about so many other people's trivial matters?"
"I just said that he is already a dead man. Aren't those words also referring to you and me? We are all just skeletons with pink flesh and white bones, walking on the ground. Don't you agree?"
"You still have the energy to pity him? Little do you know, he'll pity you too, hahahaha, how come there are so many fools like you in the world, pitying others, hahaha..."
The more Sun Laodao spoke, the wider and brighter his smile became, which ironically made his familiar, inherently mocking face seem less infuriating.
"...Life is death, death is life...life and death, death and life...hahahaha..."
Towards the end, he burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face and his stomach ached terribly.
Ouyang Rong quietly watched the somewhat deranged old Taoist priest behind the door.
It's unclear whether he went insane from being locked up in the water dungeon for too long, or whether he was already a madman before entering the dungeon, or had been insane for a long time.
It seemed that he found the young man outside the door's wooden face uninteresting from beginning to end, and that he was just an ordinary person without any understanding.
Old Master Sun rubbed his aching stomach, paused for a moment, straightened up, and turned his head to look at the chubby old monk in the cell next door, cell number E.
This is a rather interesting fellow inmate.
The old Taoist priest smiled, seemingly imitating the Buddha, clasped his hands together, and with a benevolent expression, uttered a cryptic remark:
"Having seen the clear path, one is neither pleased in life nor grieved in death, for one knows the impermanence of beginning and end. Considering what others know, it is better to know what they do not; considering the time of one's birth, it is better to have not been born..."
The old monk, with his fat head and large ears, who looked somewhat like a figurehead, replied with a smile, much like Maitreya Buddha:
"He sleeps without dreaming, wakes without worrying, eats without relishing, and breathes deeply... Joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure do not enter his heart; this is the true man."
Old Master Sun raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at the chubby old monk, and at this moment, the smile on his face had faded a bit. He pursed his lips and said:
“You bald monk, you do have some wisdom. Mahayana Buddhism often emphasizes the obstacle of perception, which is actually a bit of a ‘Hinayana’ approach. You old bald monk, I’ve never heard you ramble on about the obstacle of perception. You can barely be considered an Acharya, better than those monks and novices.”
Ouyang Rong listened silently, pretending not to understand, and did not interrupt.
Upon hearing this, he looked up and tapped the chubby old monk next door.
Acharya, Bhikkhu, and Novice were all terms used to refer to monks in this era.
However, the title "Acharya" carries a higher honorific value; it is a respectful term for a monk who is qualified to teach others.
Bhikkhu and novice monk simply refer to ordained men who abide by the precepts.
The chubby old monk touched his bald head, smacked his lips as if savoring a delicious meal.
Then, he actually imitated the Taoist priest at the foot of the mountain and bowed to Old Taoist Sun.
This was clearly something a Taoist priest in his robes should do, but the old monk's actions looked rather comical and ridiculous. Most importantly, he even cheerfully offered a compliment:
“True person, true person, those two words are wonderful. Old Sun is also a ‘true person’.”
Down in the mountains, among the Daoist sects of the North and South, only those who have truly attained the state of carefree enlightenment and are considered great masters worthy of such praise.
The title "Taoist Master" is a very high status and a form of praise. However, this title is more commonly used by the Taoist sects in the north. The most representative example is the Louguan Taoist sect in Zhongnan Mountain. As the leading sect in the north, and also being very close to Luoyang and Chang'an, they have the advantage of proximity. This is also the place where many great national teachers have been born throughout history.
Because Taoism was the orthodox state religion of the Great Gan Dynasty, the original Louguan Taoist sect assisted the Li clan of the Great Gan Dynasty and had the merit of founding the country... Of course, this glory of the state religion was mainly enjoyed by the Northern Taoist sect, led by the Louguan Taoist sect. The Southern Taoist sect did not receive much benefit, not only because of the distance, but also because of the North-South rivalry within the Taoist sect.
There is some "dispute over the orthodoxy" between the Northern and Southern schools of Taoism, similar to the Northern and Southern Buddhist sects of the Great Zhou Dynasty...
Getting back to the point... In the Southern Taoist tradition, such as the representative Sanqing sect, highly accomplished Taoists with high status and profound Taoist practice are more often referred to as Celestial Masters.
For example, the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain is a prime example, as is the Celestial Master that Ouyang Rong was most familiar with... the same goes for the Celestial Master Yuan of Shangqing Maoshan.
Therefore, the True Persons of the Northern Taoist School and the Celestial Masters of the Southern Taoist School, though different in name and in title, hold similar noble status and can be considered to be echoing each other from afar.
So at this moment, after hearing the chubby old monk's flattering praise of Master Sun, a thoughtful look flashed in Ouyang Rong's eyes.
He always felt that many things didn't come out of thin air, but rather that you could find the clues or loose ends from many subtle signs beforehand.
This fat old monk probably knew something, which is why his words came out naturally.
Ouyang Rong glanced sideways and then at the old Taoist priest in front of him, whose head was tightly wrapped in a Hunyuan turban and a Taoist crown with a full head of silver hair.
There's a story behind this Hunyuan scarf.
Moreover, Ouyang Rong rarely heard Old Daoist Sun chant the Taoist titles of the Three Pure Ones sect, such as Boundless Blessing Heavenly Venerable or Boundless Salvation Heavenly Venerable...
Ouyang Rong felt that this was no coincidence.
Just then, a slight noise came from cell number C.
Ouyang Rong noticed something wriggling at his feet. Looking down, he saw the food box that he had pushed halfway into the water curtain prison door, which was being held down by the person inside.
Ouyang Rong looked closely at the floor on the other side of the water curtain prison door and met a pair of calm and serene dark eyes.
It was the sickly young man who was slumped in front of the door, seemingly awakened by the words and commotion of Ouyang Rong and the other two outside.
Separated by a door, the two young men exchanged a glance, their eyes both showing a similar calm.
The sickly young man was pale, his thin, bloodless hand pressed against the food box. He remained silent for a moment, as if he had finally understood the situation.
He spoke somewhat affectionately to Ouyang Rong through the door:
"Thanks."
Turning his head, he craned his neck due to the angle of the two cells, speaking with utmost respect:
"Mr. Sun, may I...can I eat this?"
His tone was slightly stuttering; it was hard to tell whether it was due to his speaking habits or rustiness from not speaking for a long time.
Stared at curiously by Ouyang Rong, Old Master Sun seemed irritated and waved his hand impatiently.
"Eat, eat, go ahead and eat. Ask me what I'm doing. Eat as much as you like. You can't eat much more anyway, so eat what you can."
Despite being dismissed by Old Master Sun's urgent nagging, the sickly young man was not annoyed; instead, a smile appeared on his pale face.
"Thank you, Mr. Sun."
The young man happily pulled the food box into his arms, but his movements were as slow as ever, as if he couldn't exert much force with his hands.
Ouyang Rong, with his head down, could tell how difficult it was for the food box to move so slowly as it crawled toward the door. So he squatted down, stretched out his palm, and pushed the food box forward as far as he could before it touched the door of the water curtain prison.
This water curtain prison door is still a prison door, and its condition is strange. Ouyang Rong has come to deliver food so many times, but he has never taken the initiative to touch it. Even when he asked Yun Xiangyi for the copper token, he still never tried to touch it.
If this water curtain prison door is as easy to pass through or to pass things through as the waterfall outside, then why don't the prisoners inside come out on their own?
However, wooden objects like food boxes must be specially made, making them an exception, as they were able to pass through this water curtain prison door.
Thank you.
The sickly young man noticed Ouyang Rong's actions, nodded at him, then smiled somewhat embarrassedly, and stammered:
"That's just Mr. Sun's personality. He may speak a bit harshly, but he is actually very kind-hearted, magnanimous, and compassionate."
Old Master Sun: ...?
The old Taoist priest, who had been about to turn back to his cell corner and ignore the outsiders, froze, as if someone had stepped on his sore spot. He turned around and angrily cursed:
“You brat, you’re the one with a compassionate heart, your whole family has a compassionate heart.”
The chubby old monk next door couldn't help but chuckle, watching his old cellmate break down with a smile, looking like he was enjoying the show.
Ouyang Rong was used to Sun Laodao's cursing, but the sickly young man was taken aback.
Compassion should be a broadly positive term, excluding any sarcastic or unsavory interpretations. But for some reason, when Master Sun heard this, he became so agitated and angry, as if his sore spot had been touched.
Could it be that this word is a derogatory term used to curse people in his hometown?
The sickly young man quickly spoke up:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sun."
"Go away, go eat your food, even food can't shut you up."
Old Master Sun waved his hand, somewhat impatiently shooing him away.
After receiving the food box, the sickly young man first gave Ouyang Rong an apologetic look, then struggled to get up from the ground, his movements appearing somewhat difficult.
Ouyang Rong glanced at his legs, which hadn't moved much; they were standing straight up on the ground, seemingly difficult to move.
From the moment he saw this sickly young man, he looked as if his whole body was paralyzed like soft mud, and he didn't know whether it was a muscle problem or a bone problem.
However, Old Master Sun must know the specific facts, because one can glean some information from the words he just casually uttered.
Furthermore, Sun Laodao is a highly regarded physician in the Queen's Palace. This sickly young man must know his identity, otherwise he wouldn't address him with such a respectful title as "Sir." Otherwise, wouldn't it be more in line with his Taoist identity to call him "True Man" or "Taoist Master"?
Therefore, it is highly likely that the sickly young man was personally treated by the old Taoist priest Sun. However, from some details of the former's words, we can know that the sickly young man's disease was very difficult to treat, and might even be considered a terminal illness by ordinary people.
Whether the Taoist master Sun could cure it, or whether he knew of a miraculous cure, is unknown. It is estimated that only the old Taoist himself knows the answer.
Although the old Taoist priest had been cursing and swearing at the sickly young man ever since they met, showing his disdain for him, this was probably just his habit of being sarcastic.
Based on Ouyang Rong's experience interacting with the old Taoist priest, the old Taoist was actually a very calm person. Although he appeared somewhat childlike and irritable on the surface, one could not be fooled by his outward emotions. This old Taoist was actually very clear-headed about many things...
In a sense, it can indeed be considered compassionate.
Sometimes, the more unwilling a person is to admit something, the more they actually are... Thinking of this, Ouyang Rong nodded secretly.
(End of this chapter)
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