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In any case, Monk Solitary Truth also cultivated Buddhism. Hearing their words, he suddenly understood these two had made a witty comment about the tea. Feeling that he had been mocked, his heart was immediately furious beyond compare.
“You impudent brat, are you mocking me?”1 Monk Solitary Truth was enraged, about to flip the table over. He was but Earthly Immortal Realm. This cultivator who was not even the same Realm as he actually dared to mock him. The brat truly was tired of living.
The nearby people immediately bolted.
“You want to drink tea, then I will make you drink your fill.” Monk Solitary Truth snatched a teapot and brought it down upon Chen Mo’s head. However, at this moment, his arms and legs suddenly stiffened, and his expression was stunned.
“You have not cultivated Buddhism sufficiently enough. It would be better that you not throw away the mercy of my Buddha. Quickly withdraw and reflect upon your errors.” The woman, like an indifferent lotus, drank her tea and spoke with a soft voice.
Monk Solitary Truth’s body shuddered with increasing intensity. At this time, he would truly have wasted his cultivation if he still did not realize this woman’s identity.
Star General.
Setting down the teapot, Monk Solitary Truth’s whole body trembled, already bursting into a cold sweat. The man looked at the woman in terror, then he glanced at Chen Mo with resentment. In the end, he mingled with the crowd in dejection.
There were many incidents in the Sui Ye Star Kingdom where certain individuals passed themselves off as monks. It was a common occurrence for everyone, and they took a few more glances at the plainly dressed woman.
“Many thanks for the aid, Senior Monk.” Chen Mo cupped his fist.
Jiang Yuezhuo also nodded and grunted to show her gratitude.
The lotus woman smiled: “Even if Poor Monk did not intervene, Benefactor is capable of resolving this. Poor Monk merely did not let him embarrass himself too much.”
“This place is a Buddhist domain, after all. I’m afraid that there would have been negative repercussions if I actually made a move.” Chen Mo was calm.
The woman smiled silently.
“That tea comment just now was nevertheless clever. Poor Monk is also very impressed. With Benefactor’s understanding of dharma and Zen, the disciples of the Da Ye would understand the situation, too.”
“I am merely an amateur.” Chen Mo modestly said. Fortunately, he had cultivated Zen Buddhism back in the Tail Fire Star Field and also obtained a treasure like the Bodhi Soul Technique. Otherwise, there would have been a bad ending just now.
Chen Mo’s remark just a moment ago actually was very wonderful, befitting a level of seeing things as they were. For the enlightened, seeing lakes as lakes was all the same, so seeing a cup of tea naturally was also a cup of tea. But after comprehension, one would see mountains not as mountains, lakes not as lakes, and naturally, a cup of tea was not a cup of tea. Thus, there was a remark of knocking over the teacup and spilling the tea; after comprehending this, one would still see mountains as mountains, lakes as lakes. Consequently, a cup of tea was seen as a cup of tea. Therefore, there was the sigh of pitying the cup of tea.2
The Diamond Sutra had a saying, “The universe is not real, it is merely called the universe.”
Buddhism’s three states of mountains and lakes were displayed with a cup of tea. No wonder the woman was a bit impressed.
Jiang Yuezhuo basically understood half of this. After listening to their conversation, she looked at Chen Mo in astonishment – this junior brother surprisingly had such capabilities.
“Benefactor, do you wish to go to the Buddha Of Emptiness Palace? If it be to your liking, Poor Monk can guide you two for a look.” The woman said.
“Then we would be very grateful to the Great Master. Your Servant is Chen Mo.” Chen Mo cupped his fist in gratitude.
“Jiang Yuezhuo.” Jiang Kui also elegantly greeted her.
“Call Poor Monk Dao’an then.” The woman smiled.
“Dao’an?”
Chen Mo felt that he had heard this name somewhere before.
“Dao’an. Dao’an? Can it be that Great Master’s surname is Shi?” Jiang Yuezhuo mulled over this famous name and humbly asked.
“Indeed.” The woman answered.
“Shi Dao’an?”3
Chen Mo was astounded. No wonder she sounded familiar. Shi Dao’an was a senior monk of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Leaving home at age twelve, he received the greatest calling of a monk – upasampada. Afterwards, he became the leader of Buddhism of that time. His most prominent contribution was to use Chinese traditional culture to explain foreign cultures, “adapting foreign concepts for Chinese use.” However, what was most memorable to Chen Mo was not these feats at all. Rather, he had advocated that monks adopt the surname “Shi”4 in honor of the Sakyamuni.5 Later monks traced their Shi surname to him.
“I never imagined that I could see the Heaven-filling National Scholar, the founder of the Shi School!” Jiang Yuezhuo reverently saluted again.
For the Hundred Schools of Thought, those able to establish their own school were Star World’s best authorities, characters practically on the level of the Second Sage, worthy of peoples’ reverence. That Shi Dao’an founded the Shi School of Buddhism was also an enormous contribution.
“There is no need to be reserved. Benefactor Jiang Kui wishes to go to the Buddha Of Emptiness and see that Wild Cursive that Huaisu left behind?” Shi Dao’an’s faint smile was as elegant as a lotus, a kind of purity and holiness.
She had also seen through Jiang Yuezhuo’s identity at a glance.
The girl was not surprised, nodding.
Following Shi Dao’an, Chen Mo and Jiang Yuezhuo very easily entered the inner sanctum of the Da Ye. The inner districts and the outer districts were different scenes altogether.
Polo trees and bodhi filled the city. White stupas were faintly visible in the forest.
This place did not have the residences of the common folk. There were only endless Buddhist temples and pagodas. The air was filled with solemn chanting, each tone sufficient to make one feel deep reverence.
Colored glass covered the ground, and monks dressed in kasaya moved about freely, exchanging the dharma.
In a flash, Chen Mo seemed to have walked into a nation of Buddhists.
If it could be said the outer districts were a mixture of fish and dragons, a place teeming with worshippers, then this inner district was more like the Buddhist Pure Land. In truth, this inner district also had a nickname – Pure Land World.
A dozen enormous Buddhist statues appeared before them. They were several dozen zhang tall, their entire bodies gilded, blinding under the sunlight. However, this was nothing. In the Pure Land World, there was also an enormous Buddha that was like a giant concealed in the clouds, overlooking all things.
This Yang Guang honestly is a Buddhist fanatic.
Chen Mo said to himself.
The monks along the way clasped their palms towards Shi Dao’an. Very clearly, they were aware of her identity and stole inquisitive glances at the man and woman following behind her.
But although the Pure Land World had countless monks, there was also no shortage of cultivators. It was not very surprising these two types of people would be present. As the Pure Land World was much larger than he had imagined, Chen Mo had a sensation as if he had walked into the Little Thousand World. A while later, the little group finally spotted from faraway the tall stairway and a limpid pool.
“Junior Brother, this lotus is huge.” Jiang Yuezhuo tugged on Chen Mo’s shirt.
Chen Mo glanced at it. Blossoming over that wide pool in front of them was a golden lotus flower the size of a washbowl. It had many layers of leaves, very spectacular.
“This is the Thousand Leaf Lotus Flower, and it has been here since ancient times, blooming for the reverent.” Shi Dao’an said: “There are three types of Thousand Leaf Lotus Flower. Those with ten petals are known as Man Flowers; a hundred petals are Heaven Flowers, and a thousand are Bodhisattva Flowers.”
“I heard that Yang Guang planted a type of lotus flower from the Great Desolation regions. It bloomed with a thousand leaves, turning into a great undertaking. So it turned out to be this.” Jiang Kui exclaimed.
“This Yang Guang is honestly lavish.” Chen Mo twitched his mouth. This river was surprisingly planted with a Spirit Flower as rare as the Thousand Leaf Lotus Flower. To be clear, a Thousand Leaf Lotus Flower planted in this city was worth at least ten thousand Astral Dollars.
Randomly snatching up a few from the mud, that would be getting rich quick.
Of course, this was but a fanciful whim for Chen Mo. Let alone the guards standing watch day and night, even this pool’s water was not ordinary.
Past the pool, they saw an endless stairway. This flight of steps was multicolored, shimmering with dazzling light.
The Twelve Deva Stairway.
Beyond this Twelve Deva Stairway was the residential palace of Yang Guang, the Buddha Of Emptiness Palace.
“Heaven-filling National Scholar” Shi Dao’an guided them up to this point. Afterwards, she also wanted to go to the Buddha Of Emptiness Palace to discuss the dharma with Yang Guang.
Jiang Kui and Chen Mo clasped their palms.
“If there is a chance, Dao’an shall discuss the dharma with Benefactors.”
“You flatter us.” Chen Mo felt humbled.
Shi Dao’an faintly smiled, turned and walked up the Twelve Deva Stairway. In a few short moments, she was already gone.
“I never imagined I could see the founder of the Shi School, Great master Dao’an.” Jiang Yuezhuo said softly.
“I wonder what her relationship with Yang Guang is.” Chen Mo wrinkled his brow. Yang Guang and Mount Hua were like water and fire right now. Anyone related to Yang Guang was worth raising their guard.
“Should be just pure discussion of Buddhist doctrine.” Jiang Yuezhuo guessed. Although “Buddhism” was currently one of Star World’s Four Great Schools, the reality was that it had already significantly declined. There had been no absolute talents like Daoism’s Zhuangzi, Confucianism’s Mengzi, or the School of the Military’s Wuzi at all. Heaven-filling National Scholar Shi Dao’an was already considered very close.
“I heard that the Amrita Star Kingdom’s ‘Profound School’ is very popular. The Mahayana Prajna School that Great Master Dao’an developed with the Profound School has but conquered the Amrita Star Kingdom’s Profound School.”
Amrita Star Kingdom?!
Chen Mo’s brows tightly creased. He could not help but recall the Amrita Star Kingdom’s number one Great General Wang Meng, who originally had wanted to capture him. These two were somewhat connected, and Chen Mo’s heart was uneasy.
“Junior Brother, what’s the matter?” Jiang Yuezhuo softly called.
“Nothing, I’m just thinking about how incredible she is. It’s be for the best that she isn’t Mount Hua’s enemy.” Chen Mo said.
Jiang Yuezhuo was firmly of the same mind.
“Senior Sister, we’d better seize the time and look first. We can’t stay here for too long.”
“Alright.”
The two of them arrived at the bottom of the steps. To the side, there was a green stone stele. They glanced at those characters, and an overwhelming force leapt out at them. Each and every word flowed, like a hero drawing his sword, spirited and moving.
“What amazing calligraphy.” They all said that the blade was the deadliest, but this was the first time Chen Mo had seen penmanship produce a sense of oppression in him.
Each word was a downpour and whirlwind. Along with ten thousand changes, it surprisingly was comparable to a Heaven, Earth, Dark, or Yellow Technique.
The average cultivator who stopped and looked would be unable to bear this sharpness alone.
As expected of “Wild Cursive Drunken Monk” Huaisu’s own writing. Only those who saw it with their own eyes could realize just how deep her level was.
Jiang Yuezhuo’s energy changed; her pupils were like boulders. Her Daoist cultivation had some achievement, and she very quickly entered a state of calm, carefully looking at each character that Huaisu penned.
Some kind of script seemed to appear in the depths of her pupils.
“The form of the cursive script, like a person sitting, laying, or standing, whether modest greeting or indignant strife, boat-riding or horse-riding, song and dance or leaping about, everything changes, and there is no one correct thing. And the form of one character, an abundance of variations, with challenge and answer, like this ‘challenge’ or this ‘answer.’ Everything has meaning.”
“Use a brush like an inserted hairpin, like a leaky roof, like an awl drawing sand, like a cracking rampart…Meaning is before the brush, the character resides in the heart thereafter…Truly good…”
The girl muttered to herself, as if in a trance.
Chen Mo was not terribly interested in calligraphy research. He took several glances; they were fine characters, the wild cursive like a dragon. Even if a Star General like this used characters to kill, perhaps it could be as easy as blowing dust away. However, his interest was not very piqued, unlike Jiang Kui, who had that deep mastery. Seeing his senior sister apparently mull over each and every single character, she was already engrossed.
As he was somewhat bored, he decided to browse the surroundings.
The chanting in his ears was endless, vaguely attracting Chen Mo’s previously cultivated Zen mind. The Bodhi Soul Technique stirred restlessly. Chen Mo walked and walked until he arrived in front of a wall. The wall was snow-white, sculpted with the reliefs of the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity.
Seeing these Seven Buddhas of Antiquity, Chen Mo sensed that the Bodhi Soul Technique apparently stirred even more intensely.
Author’s Note:
Originally, I had planned her nickname to be “Mudra Bodhi,”6 but the encyclopedia’s Heaven-filling National Scholar seems even more imposing. Thanks.
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