Chapter 398 After Proving the True Dragon
That was the old man who told stories to passersby, especially children, on the mountainside of Banyan Temple!
Compared to his relatively healthy appearance when I last saw him, he was much thinner now, his whole body withered and emaciated like a dead tree. He wore a gray robe that had been washed until it was faded, and the robe looked like it was hanging on a dead tree. He walked unsteadily, and he still had short hair of about an inch, with gray hair and beard. He walked behind a group of monks, looking like a monk, but not quite a monk.
He actually came to Dayan Temple too.
Moreover, he actually entered the lecture hall and participated in the inner altar Dharma assembly?!
Shang Ruyi found it unbelievable, staring wide-eyed as he walked out of the lecture hall step by step, then along the path, muttering incantations about "drawing dragons" and "real dragons" as he walked up the long corridor.
Looking up, I saw Shang Ruyi.
Despite her surprise, Shang Ruyi still smiled at him.
Since she followed Mr. and Mrs. Shen to Luoyang, she would visit Banyan Temple to worship Buddha almost every year. Whenever she passed by the pavilion, she would stop to listen to the old man tell stories. Although she had never spoken to him, she felt a strange sense of familiarity with him.
The old man looked up and saw her, paused for a moment, then smiled, clearly recognizing her.
But the two had never met before. Meeting suddenly like this, they were strangers, but not completely strangers, and it was not easy to start a conversation.
But after thinking for a moment, Shang Ruyi still took the initiative to speak up, "Old man."
The old man lowered his head and uttered a Buddhist chant.
Shang Ruyi smiled and asked, "Why did the old man leave Luoyang?"
The old man sighed and said, "Luoyang was in turmoil, so I brought my family to Daxing City."
"oh."
Shang Ruyi nodded.
The old man looked up at her again and said, "You, Madam, are—"
Shang Ruyi said, "I am the second daughter-in-law of the Duke of Sheng."
Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes widened in surprise, and there seemed to be a complex emotion in his astonished expression. He immediately cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, young mistress."
Shang Ruyi quickly raised her hand to indicate that he should not be so polite, and then smiled and said, "Old man, there is no need for such formality. I also grew up listening to your stories. However, you are not a Buddhist, so why did you come to participate in this Dharma assembly, and even the inner altar Dharma assembly?"
The old man smiled and said, "Although I am not a member of the Buddhist order, I cannot live without Buddhist scriptures. This Dharma assembly welcomes monks and laypeople alike, so I came here specifically. And inside this altar, she will—"
As he spoke, he glanced back at the now-empty lecture hall and then smiled, "The abbot said he wanted to hear the voices of the monks and laypeople, so he allowed this old man to enter."
Wasn't Yuwen Qian the one who presided over the inner altar ceremony?
It was he who allowed this old man to enter the lecture hall and participate in the inner altar Dharma assembly?
The old man chuckled and said, "This young master Yuwen is still so approachable, and his cultivation is so profound that it makes this old mortal feel ashamed."
still?
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi was taken aback again: "You've met before?"
The old man smiled and said, "Of course, the young master has visited Banyan Temple before."
"oh……"
Shang Ruyi nodded. She had almost forgotten that she had heard from the monks of Banyan Temple that Young Master Yuwen had stayed there before, and that the dormitory where she and Yuwen Ye lived in the Lay Buddhist Association was also where he stayed.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and then asked, "Old man, what were you just reciting? Something about drawing dragons and tigers?"
The old man immediately smiled and said, "Oh, it's the verse that the eldest young master just recited."
"oh?"
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Could you read it to me again?"
The old man smiled and said, "Of course."
As he spoke, he stroked his beard and began to recite in a deep voice—
I studied Taoism for no reason, yet I tried to draw dragons; I never truly grasped the essence of the brush.
Only after attaining true dragonhood did I realize that all my previous efforts had been in vain.
Upon hearing this verse, Shang Ruyi felt a sudden sinking feeling in her heart.
After reciting the verse, the old man sighed softly and said, "I find this verse well-written, clear and insightful. However, I still find it somewhat difficult to understand."
Shang Ruyi asked, "What can't the old man understand?"
The old man said, "I don't understand, young master. What exactly has the young master attained? If he has truly attained the status of a true dragon, then why—"
At this point, he seemed to realize that questioning the eldest son of the Yuwen family in front of them was inappropriate, so he immediately shut his mouth and just smiled at Shang Ruyi.
Shang Ruyi's brow furrowed.
Yes, the first two lines are merely a mockery of the world, and of course, they may also be a mockery of one's own dullness, which is due to the lack of cleansing of the mind and clarity of the spirit. This is the self-mocking tone of most verses, and even some practitioners. The fourth line is also self-mocking. When the dust of the mind is swept away and the spirit is clear, looking back on one's dull past, one will feel that all efforts at that time were in vain.
The strange thing is the third line—"Once one has become a true dragon."
This is a sentiment that can only arise when one achieves complete enlightenment and attains Bodhi.
Could it be, as Aunt Hui previously said, that Yuwen Qian composed this verse because he had "attained enlightenment"?
Now that you've attained enlightenment, why return to this troubled world? And why come back into everyone's sight after this Dharma assembly?
What exactly is the "true dragon" that he attained enlightenment for?
The more Shang Ruyi thought about it, the more confused she became. Others' enlightenment became her own three thousand strands of trouble, almost entangling her entire being, leaving her utterly bewildered. She couldn't help but softly murmur, "True dragon? To become a true dragon in a single day...?"
When I looked up again, I met the old man's smiling eyes.
Shang Ruyi then realized that she looked almost exactly the same as he had been, muttering to himself as he walked.
She smiled a little shyly.
The old man didn't say much, but simply cupped his hands and said, "Madam must have other important matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer. I need to think about this poem some more."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, sir. There is something else I would like to ask you."
The old man smiled and said, "Please ask, young mistress."
Shang Ruyi said, "The last time—half a year ago—I heard an old man telling a story about a soul being resurrected through another's body to passing children in the pavilion at Banyan Temple."
The old man's eyes flickered, and he immediately nodded, saying, "I remember, I remember."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Is this story true or false?"
The old man's eyes flickered again, and he glanced at Shang Ruyi before smiling and asking, "What do you think, young mistress?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "This story is too far-fetched."
The old man immediately laughed and said, "No matter how mysterious the stories in this world are, they are nothing more than human affairs. People in the mortal world cannot speak of things beyond the mortal world. Therefore, what can be spoken of is naturally something that has happened."
Shang Ruyi's breath hitched, and she said, "So, the old man believes that there is such a thing as reincarnation?"
"..."
The old man did not answer her immediately, but smiled and looked at Shang Ruyi. Although his eyes were cloudy, his gaze was clear, which made Shang Ruyi feel a little uneasy. She subconsciously lowered her head, and the old man immediately smiled and said, "Young Madam, it seems that you hope this old man will deny it."
"..."
"Is the reason you want to deny it because the young mistress knows that such a thing happened?"
"..."
For a moment, Shang Ruyi did not respond to him.
It wasn't that she didn't know how to respond, but rather that for a moment, she felt as if she were being choked and about to suffocate.
The old man didn't seem to need her response, and simply smiled and said, "Young Madam, whether I acknowledge such a thing or not is just a useless mouth spouting useless words. What truly matters is your own heart, Young Madam."
As he spoke, he lowered his head, murmured a Buddhist chant, and prepared to leave.
Just as he walked up to her, Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and then asked, "Old man, after talking for so long, I still haven't asked for your honorable name."
The old man laughed and said, "I dare not accept the surname Gao. I am Jiang Yu, also known as Wuban."
Jiang Yu? Wu Ban?
Shang Ruyi only silently recited the name once in her mind before she immediately understood its meaning. Prajna means wisdom, and his name Wuban means that he has no wisdom. His real name Jiang Yu directly showed the self-mockery on his face.
It seems that this old man is quite carefree. People think he can't give up wine and meat, nor can he give up the Buddha, but now that I think about it, he has gained both wine and meat and the Buddha.
Thinking about it this way, Shang Ruyi felt a little more at ease.
She said, "May you rest in peace, Elder Jiang."
Jiang Yu bowed to her and walked forward, muttering to himself with a smile, "Why are so many people concerned about resurrection?"
A short while later, they descended the long corridor.
Shang Ruyi stood there, watching the gaunt figure disappear outside the mountain gate before turning back. When she looked at the lecture hall again, she suddenly saw a figure flash by behind it.
Upon seeing that figure, the hairs on Shang Ruyi's body stood on end.
Almost instantly, the feeling that her soul was about to be pulled away came over her again, almost suffocating her!
But this time, she wasn't overwhelmed by the suffocating feeling of almost drowning. Instead, she gritted her teeth, lifted her foot, and followed!
But just as she reached the entrance of the lecture hall, the figure had already disappeared. She looked to the side anxiously, only to see a corner of a robe brush past behind the Heavenly King Hall in front of her.
Shang Ruyi steeled her resolve and followed them.
And so, like the wind being chased by the clouds, she passed through one grand hall after another, and through one long corridor after another, unknowingly getting lost among these Buddhist temples and palaces.
Her breathing was heavy, her heart was pounding, but she refused to give up.
Upon arriving at the almost deserted temple grounds of Dayan Temple, with not a soul in sight, Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth and lifted her skirt to continue walking forward.
Just as she passed by a Buddhist temple, a gust of wind suddenly blew open the half-closed door.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously glanced inside—
A wisp of white cloud drifted in.
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