Chapter 253: Wrathful Spirit Pearl
The mountains and fields were silent, and from time to time a flock of birds would be startled and escape from the forest, flapping their wings.
On the top of Ciguang Mountain, the young monk Wuzhen looked in the direction of Fenghuang Mountain and seemed to hear the faint roar of a tiger.
Phoenix Mountain and Ciguang Mountain are not far away.
Phoenix Mountain is not as high as Ciguang Mountain, so the people on Phoenix Mountain can be seen from afar at Ciguang Temple on the top of the mountain.
Wuzhen and several of his fellow apprentices were watering and catching insects in the temple's vegetable garden.
A fat insect was twisting and turning on the tender green leaves. It was gently pinched by Wuzhen's two fat fingers and thrown into the grass.
"Brother Wufan, there seem to be a lot of people over at Phoenix Mountain."
Wuzhen pinched the insect carefully, not wanting to break the leaves but also not wanting to kill it.
A monk of about seventeen or eighteen years old nearby looked up at Phoenix Mountain, then lowered his head again:
"That's the emperor taking his men on a spring hunt."
Wuzhen: "Why the spring hunt?"
Brother Wufan poured water on the soil: "Because they want to kill, eat meat, and show off their bravery."
Wuzhen quickly put his two flesh hands together in front of his chest and chanted "Amitabha" a few times.
After watering and fertilizing, Wu Fan picked up the empty bucket and was about to leave when he saw his junior brother Wu Zhen still looking curiously in the direction of Phoenix Mountain.
Wufan freed one hand to pick up Wuzhen.
Wu Zhen kicked his legs in surprise: "Brother Wu Fan, put me down."
Although Wuzhen is not very old, he is heavy when you hold him in your arms. Not a single pound of fat on his body is wasted.
Wuzhen felt that Senior Brother Wufan was very strong.
If you think about it carefully, it seems that all the brothers on the mountain are strong and none of them are weak.
Wuzhen reflected on himself and felt that he needed to eat a few more mouthfuls of food at noon to gain more strength.
When they went to eat, they happened to meet Brothers Wukong and Wujing who had just returned from performing a ritual outside.
Wuzhen saw that Senior Brother Wukong was holding a silver bowl in his hand, and the bowl made a tinkling sound when he walked.
"Brother Wukong, what did you buy to eat?"
Wukong looked at the expectation in his junior brother Wuzhen's eyes and smiled helplessly:
“It’s not for eating.”
Wukong bent down and lifted the lid of the silver bowl in his hand to show it to Wuzhen.
There were two gray-white beads rolling around in Wuzhen's silver bowl, and their color was dark.
Wu Zhen hurriedly asked, "Relics! Is this a relic?"
He himself carried a relic on his body, but it was whiter and cleaner than the beads in the silver bowl.
"This is not a relic." Wukong covered the silver bowl and prevented Wuzhen from touching it.
Senior Brother Wujing next to him said:
"Some time ago, someone set fire to a village east of Chang'an, burning many people. The authorities have already apprehended the perpetrator. We went there to pray for the deceased and found two vengeful spirit beads during the ritual, so we brought them back."
Wu Zhen: "Grudge Spirit Pearl?"
Brother Wukong explained:
"When the vengeful spirit bead is first burned, it is white and looks very similar to a relic, but it is formed from the resentment and hatred of the deceased. It is a very evil thing."
Wuzhen's eyes widened a little: "Then why did you bring it back?"
Wukong: "If I don't bring it back, the villagers who pick it up and keep it will be haunted by resentment and evil spirits, and become restless. Over time, it will be harmful to both mind and body. Therefore, I must bring it back and ask the masters to perform sutras to dispel the resentment from the resentful spirit bead."
"Look, these beads have turned gray. Don't touch them."
Wuzhen originally wanted to take another look, but after hearing what his senior brother said, he honestly retracted his hand.
After finishing his meal, Wuzhen went to recite scriptures and carry firewood in the afternoon.
As the day draws to a close, the sunlight takes on an eerie reddish hue.
When Wuzhen was carrying firewood and passing by the gate of the courtyard which was strictly guarded by guards, he heard several sharp screams from women inside.
The sound of chaotic footsteps became louder and louder, and someone shouted:
"Zhen'er! Zhen'er!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please don't run away..."
"My lady, be careful not to hurt yourself..."
Wu Zhen's attention was attracted by the shouting. He turned around and saw a woman in disheveled clothes running out of the house.
The bun on her head was also loose, covering half of her face, making it difficult to see her face clearly.
The woman was barefoot and ran all the way to the gate, shouting:
"Zhen'er...where is my Zhen'er..."
When he ran to the door, the guards stopped him in time.
Wu Zhen subconsciously took two steps back, fearing that the woman would pounce on him.
Although he couldn't see her face clearly, he knew that this was the queen who was recuperating in the temple.
The Queen was stopped and screamed even louder, almost crying:
"Let me out! I'm going to save Zhen'er! I'm going to save Zhen'er!"
The maid behind her pulled her back:
"Your Majesty is having a nightmare, but the Crown Prince is fine in the palace."
"Your Majesty, please go back and rest first. If anything really happens to the Crown Prince, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will definitely send someone to report it."
After hearing the words "Your Majesty" and "The Queen Mother", the Queen's cries became quieter. She seemed to be coming back to her senses from her dream and murmured:
"Aunt...Aunt will take good care of Zhen'er...The Emperor also likes Zhen'er..."
"But I can't see Zhen'er anymore..."
The queen covered her face and sobbed softly.
The maid took advantage of this opportunity to coax the queen back into the house.
Wuzhen had seen the queen come to the temple to pray before. She was dignified and majestic, surrounded by people, and her chin was always held high.
When Wuzhen suddenly saw the queen looking so haggard and crazy, he was a little scared. He didn't know how a person could change so much.
That night, before going to sleep, Wu Zhen told his master what he had seen with lingering fear:
"Master, the Queen who had a nightmare is a bit scary. She is completely different from what I have seen before. The Queen came to our Ciguang Temple to recuperate, but she looks increasingly... unwell."
Master Mingdeng listened quietly to his disciples talking, holding the bed sheet in his hand and carefully tidying up the bed.
There are only two rooms in this small courtyard, one is used for storing things and the other is where the master sleeps.
Master Mingdeng would make his bed tidy before going to bed every day, and he would also make his bed when he got up the next morning.
Wuzhen also followed suit and made his own bed:
"Master, there are so many Buddhas in our temple, and we chant sutras every day, which makes people feel at peace every day. Why does the Queen still have nightmares?"
Master Mingdeng paused for a moment and smiled bitterly:
"Wuzhen, there are many things that I, the master, don't have the answers to."
For many nights, he was haunted by nightmares and could not find relief.
Wuzhen didn't get the answer, but he didn't think about it too much. After making the bed, he fell asleep.
The sun is so strong today that the quilts have all been dried in the sun.
Wu Zhen buried himself in the dry and warm quilt and soon fell into a deep sleep.
In the darkness, Wuzhen seemed to hear someone crying.
More than one person cried.
As she cried, the surroundings became brighter and brighter.
Wuzhen found himself standing in front of a palace without him noticing. The palace was engulfed in flames and there were screams everywhere.
There was a figure in the sea of fire, facing him from a distance.
A very fat figure, very easy to recognize, it's the master.
Wuzhen ran over there anxiously, calling his master to come out quickly and escape.
But the master stood still in the fire, letting the flames climb up his clothes.
The master had a smile on his face but tears in his eyes.
Wuzhen was so anxious that he started crying. He stretched out his hand to grab his master, but the fire burned his hand and it hurt. He shouted:
“Master——!”
Wuzhen sat up from the bed, sweating profusely and panting.
The night is as cool as water and the mountain temple is quiet.
The moon was still high in the sky outside the window, and it was still night.
The night wind blew through the yard, and there was a rustling sound among the leaves.
No fire, no palace.
There was only the little monk who woke up from his dream, and the big monk who had not yet fallen asleep.
Wuzhen saw his master facing the wall with his back to him. The moonlight cast his shadow on the bed, like a heavy mountain.
I don’t know if it was because of the dream, but Wuzhen felt that his master’s back was very sad.
"Wuzhen, why did you wake up?" Master Mingdeng had his back to Wuzhen, but he spoke first.
Wuzhen rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. He walked to his master and grabbed the corner of his robe.
"Master, why haven't you slept yet?"
Master Mingdeng said in a low voice: "Master is old and can't sleep that long at night."
Wuzhen pinched the corner of his master's clothes and calmed down a little:
"Master, it turns out that nightmares really do happen in the temple."
Master Mingdeng: "What did you dream about?"
Wu Zhen lowered his head and hesitated for a moment before saying:
"I dreamed of my master. I dreamed that my master was crying in the fire. But I don't know why my master was in the fire, or why he was crying."
Master Mingdeng turned his fat body around, placed his palm on Wuzhen's smooth and round head, and sighed softly:
"Perhaps it's because Master still has an obsession in his heart, and what he asks for is as difficult as ascending to heaven."
Wuzhen's head was as hot as a stove in winter, but Mingdeng's hands were as cold as frost.
Wuzhen raised his head, put his two little hands together again, and said sincerely:
"I don't want Master to cry, I want Master to be happy. I will pray to Buddha to make all Master's wishes come true."
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