Also on this night.
The former capital of the Fan State, now the White Horse Temple in Jang Geum City of the Great Xia.
On a small square table, with two cups of tea, Fan Tianning, the governor of Chang Geum City of Great Xia, and Ku Chan, the leader of the Buddhist sect of Baima Zen Temple, were sitting opposite each other.
"Are you really leaving again?"
"Well," Kuchan nodded, "I have worked hard over the years, but it is still difficult for the White Horse Zen Temple to restore its former glory."
"These days, I have been wondering why this is happening."
"Now we have come to the conclusion that Daxia is far richer and more powerful than the former Fan Kingdom. The people of Daxia have shifted their faith... They know that Buddha cannot give them a good life. Only the current emperor is the true savior!"
"So if the Buddhist sect wants to flourish further, it has to go somewhere else, such as... the Maurya Kingdom he is currently attacking."
Kuchan took a deep breath and looked up at the starry sky.
“Teachings contain ten thousand dharmas, but their natures are the same. One cannot take the dharma, abandon the dharma, or neither take the dharma nor take the dharma.
The Buddha originally has one vehicle, but its roots are different, so he taught the lower vehicle, the middle vehicle, the higher vehicle, and the higher vehicle."
"Do you still remember this couplet?"
Fan Tianning took a sip of tea and nodded. This couplet was written by Fu Xiaoguan on Hanshan Mountain during the Wuchao Literary Meeting. Of course he remembered it.
"I occasionally think of Master. Back then, I didn't like Buddhism, so I never achieved enlightenment. But Master asked me to go with you to Wu Dynasty to participate in the literary gathering, saying that there was an opportunity for me there..."
"It was at Jinghu Villa in Guanyun City, Wu Dynasty, that he composed the 'Bodhi Gāthā', which enlightened me and enabled me to realize the Buddha nature. Now that I think about it, it seems that Master had already understood the mystery and knew that he was the chosen one!"
"Now it seems that Master is right. Now it seems that he is still my opportunity."
"Look, back then he conquered the Huang Kingdom and established the Chi Le Chuan Autonomous Region. I spread Buddhism there, and now the temples there are even more prosperous than the White Horse Monastery."
"I took the wrong path. I shouldn't have come back. I should have continued to follow him to the Liao Dynasty..."
Ku Chan sighed, withdrew his gaze and looked at Fan Tianning.
"Now, he has stepped into the Peacock Kingdom. I cannot miss him!"
Fan Tianning put down his teacup and was silent for a moment before he said seriously, "Have you ever thought about this? The Peacock Kingdom and Daxia are separated by a very high snow-capped mountain. I don't think Your Majesty will occupy the Peacock Kingdom because it would be difficult to station officials there, and even more difficult to immigrate there to govern!"
"It's very likely that he's on this trip to destroy the Peacock Kingdom and establish a puppet state. Who knows what the future holds for a country thousands of miles away?"
"Without Daxia's garrison, how can you be safe there?"
"Besides... if he destroys that place, it will inevitably arouse the strong hatred of the people of the Peacock Nation. Once he and his army withdraw... I'm worried that your Daxia face will be torn apart by the angry people of the Peacock Nation!"
The withered cicada smiled slightly and chanted "Amitabha".
He stood up, walked a few steps in the yard, and grasped the Prajna Zen stick stuck in the rack. He touched it carefully, "The Buddha said, if I don't go to hell, who will? The Buddha is kind and compassionate, and he liberates all living beings from suffering..."
"I go to spread the Dharma, bringing peace to their wounded souls. I may suffer some hardships, but I believe that under the nourishment of the Buddha's heavenly rain, they will understand my good intentions and convert to Buddhism... or... become my followers."
"Only in this way can I realize the great path of Buddha and achieve the status of an Arhat."
The wrinkles between Fan Tianning's brows relaxed. He looked at the monk Kuchan under the starlight and felt that since that was his ideal, there was no need to stop him.
This may be how people change.
In just a few years, the little monk Kuchan grew up to become the leader of the Buddhist sect.
When he went to Wu Dynasty, Kuchan did not believe in Buddhism, but now, he has become the most devout believer of Buddha.
He even took on the last wish of the previous Buddhist leader, which was to promote and spread Buddhism.
But, will he be able to have a smooth journey westward?
"How many people are you planning to take with you?"
"One horse and three apprentices are enough!"
"...My one thousand personal guards will go with you."
Kuchan shook his head, his young face now radiant with light. "A wandering monk's journey lies beyond the mundane world, but beyond the Five Elements. It's a long journey, but also a journey of asceticism. I'm not going there to enjoy myself. Only by traveling a thousand miles can I purify my mind and heart, and only by seeing a thousand mountains can I paint the depths of my heart."
"...How about food and lodging along the way?"
"Eat in the open air and sleep outdoors."
"If it's impossible, then return as soon as possible. I don't want you to die in that foreign country."
Kuchan put down his Zen staff and walked back, sitting opposite Fan Tianning again. "Even if I die, it doesn't matter."
Kuchan's face was filled with a resolute expression. Fan Tianning said nothing more. He raised the teacup in his hand and said, "Since that's the case, I'll use tea instead of wine. I wish you a safe journey!"
Ku Chan raised his glass and thanked him, and the two of them drank a cup of tea.
"It's getting late, please go back."
"When do you leave tomorrow? I'll come and see you off."
"No need. I'm not going there to die. Perhaps one day, if Buddhism flourishes in the Peacock Kingdom, I'll return to the White Horse Temple to take a look. That way... I can be considered returning home in glory."
Fan Tianning left with a somewhat gloomy look on his face.
The next day, the sky was slightly cooler, and the withered cicada rang the morning bell of the White Horse Zen Temple for the last time.
As the melodious morning bell rang, three people and a horse left the White Horse Temple and walked out of Jang Geum Castle in the green morning light.
Fan Tianning and his wife Xue Yuyan were standing on the city wall at this moment.
"Can't you persuade me to turn back?"
"He said that was his ideal."
Fan Tianning paused, then continued, "Everyone should always have some ideals and aspirations. It's hard to predict what will happen to Ku Chan on his way here, but so what? Just like Your Majesty, he might really walk away one day, giving up this great country to pursue the life he wants. Sometimes giving up requires tremendous perseverance."
"...If he leaves, who will be able to control Daxia?"
Fan Tianning put his arm around Xue Yuyan's shoulders and said with a smile, "I asked him the same question, and he was very casual in his reply letter to me."
"What did he say?"
"He said... he wouldn't care about the flood after he left!"
Xue Yuyan was stunned for a long time. He had worked so hard to get to where he is now and finally became the ruler of the world. He was the only one who had achieved such great achievements in the past thousand years. Could he really give up so easily?
Could he really not care about the flood in Daxia after he left?
"He once said that power can make people confused, that they can fall into it and lose themselves, forgetting their true nature and heart. He said that what he pursued was nothing more than the freedom that comes from the heart."
So what is the withered cicada pursuing?
Xue Yuyan couldn't understand Fu Xiaoguan, nor could he understand Ku Chan.
Fan Tianning pointed at the back of the withered cicada that was walking away, "Withered cicada... He is just a withered and lonely cicada."
"Cicadas lay eggs, which hatch underground and become young cicadas. It takes up to seventeen years for them to emerge from the ground, climb onto branches, and metamorphose into adult cicadas."
"He's cultivating a cicada. He's now looking for a place suitable for him to emerge. That place... is probably in the west!"
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