Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Jiese the monk’s face that had remained unchanged for 10,000 years jolted. Looking unruffled, he clasped his hands together and said, “Amitabha, may I know what brought you here?”
The beautiful eyes of the woman in red stared at Jiese. She was half-smiling when she said, “As you said.”
Jiese let out an apparent sigh of relief. He made a gesture and said, “If so, please, take a seat.”
Above the high tower, Meng Junliang smiled. “The time has arrived for the monk.”
“Junliang, you don’t seem surprised.” Li Nianfan looked at him strangely. There was a glint in his eyes as he asked, “Did you find this woman?”
“Ha-ha-ha, Mr. Li, you’re so observant. Indeed, I attracted her to come here. However, this is the monk’s own fate.” Meng Junliang laughed. He seemed very pleased.
It was strange for Zhou Yunwu and Meng Junliang to not react to being locked in the Xia Kingdom by the Jiese for so long. It seemed that they started making preparations earlier on.
Before Li Nianfan asked, Meng Junliang said, “Since Jiese always spoke about Jiese, we decided to get to him this way. Starting from the west, they went to the places he passed by. He was a handsome monk who liked to go to the brothels. This feature of his helped him stand out from the rest. Quite a lot of information about him was circulating.”
Li Nianfan asked curiously, “Tell me.”
“The woman’s the daughter of the Yun family in Qingzhou City. Her name is Yun Yiyi. When she was deeply wounded, Jiese helped her. Jiese saw her naked body, and yet, he calmed down and prayed whole-heartedly. So what if he had seen her body? He said such things to comfort Yun Yiyi.”
Meng Junliang halted. Then, he shook his head and smiled, “She’s an understanding lady, she didn’t hold it against him. However…on the second day after the two parted, Yun Yiyi bumped into Jiese who claimed to be cultivating outside the brothel. Mr. Li, do you think this was a coincidence?”
Li Nianfan shook his head and smiled. “Obviously not.”
“Yun Yiyi was straightforward. She does things passionately, and she’s daring enough to love and hate openly. On the spot, she spilled everything that Jiese did. Following that, she had asked people around her to capture Jiese right away.” Meng Junliang spoke as the grin on his face widened. “Unfortunately, the monk escaped. If not, he might have slept with the lady.”
“I see.” Li Nianfan nodded.
He looked at Jiese. One had to admit that his look was very handsome. If he had an ugly appearance, one would ask him to leave. However, with his good look, things became easier for him.
Li Nianfan mocked, “It seems that his name’s quite apt. Jiese stands for an unavoidable sexual crime. Guess it’s true. Seems like he won’t be able to get away this time.”
He looked at the temple to continue watching the exciting drama.
Yun Yiyi stared at Jiese. She asked, “Will you marry a wife?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Lust will make one’s face sink and dry out. It’s detrimental to my practice. I’m a Buddhist and I mustn’t have anything to do with it.”
Yun Yiyi continued asking, “What’s the benefit of becoming a Buddhist?”
“There are eight sufferings in life—suffering from birth, old age, illness, death, parting, resentment, hatred, and unpleasantness. Becoming a Buddhist can help one transcend sufferings and bring about beneficial results,” Jiese halted. Then, he advised, “Madam’s caught up with these eight sufferings. Do pray from time to time to learn to let go.”
“Ha-ha, monk, you’re wrong!” Yun Yiyi smiled slightly. “I’m not suffering at all. In fact, I’m living in bliss! In life, sweetness comes after bitterness. Wealth follows poverty. You advise others to let go, but you have no idea that these are the excitements in life. Everyone lives by these eight sufferings, and everyone feels these sufferings. It’s only when we understand these eight sufferings that we’re able to hold it up and let it go, following the natural cycle!”
Li Nianfan let out an impressed look. He could not help saying in awe, “Wonderful! This lady knows it!”
“What she said is the true nature of the practice.” Meng Junliang was stunned, too.
He intentionally attracted Yun Yiyi to come over so she could confront Jiese and make him leave sooner. Who would have thought that this woman was so sharp that she could debate with the monk?
The monk raised his eyebrows as he mumbled, “Strange.”
He clasped his palms together and said, “Madam, you’re too obsessed. If you don’t let go, you’ll get too caught up by the eight sufferings and never detach from them again.”
“Obsession’s an excuse. You’re obviously running away!” Yun Yiyi stood up, her red clothes flowing in the air. “The eight sufferings in life are a must. Instead of finding ways to let go, why not face them and learn from them? You must know it yourself, if not you wouldn’t try to cultivate in front of a brothel. If you want to learn it this way, I volunteer to be your partner. No matter how it ends up, I won’t regret it. However, the truth is you don’t dare to!”
Jiese clasped his palms. “Amitabha.”
Yun Yiyi walked toward Jiese. She said in a gentle tone, “A monk doesn’t lie. Tell me, am I pretty?”
After a long moment of silence, Jiese said in a low voice, “I lost.”
Many monks in the temple went forward right away. They surrounded Jiese. They were not attacking him. They were protecting him.
In fact, they stared at Yun Yiyi with unsettled feelings. This woman was like a monster, how scary!
A monk said, “Today’s debate has ended, please, go home! Our temple’s closing their doors.”
“Hmph!” Yun Yiyi scoffed. She glanced at Jiese and turned into a ball of light to leave.
An audience who were waiting for the drama wore looks of dissatisfaction. They started gossiping about the drama. They did not even care about who won or lost the debate.
With no doubt, from tomorrow onward, countless versions of this rumor would have spread around the town. The number of books in the bookstore would increase as well.
Meng Junliang let out a satisfied smile. “Jiese should be leaving tomorrow.”
Li Nianfan watched this drama. He felt pleased as he said, “I should leave tomorrow as well.”
Meng Junliang asked, “Mr. Li’s going to the mountain with Jiese?”
“Probably, I like drama.”
Meng Junliang admired Li Nianfan for being able to live a life and play around in this mortal realm. He could enjoy himself watching the clouds rising and falling, how admirable!
This was probably the joy of being capable and free.
The next day.
Li Nianfan and the rest gathered at the main hall of the Xia Kingdom.
It was no surprise when Jiese showed up early in the morning. Although he seemed calm on the surface, one could notice that his footsteps were anxious and out of control.
He arrived and did not even chant his signature ‘Amitabha’. Instead, he said right away, “Greetings to the King, Mr. Li. I’ve stayed here and troubled you all for long enough. I’m here to bid you all farewell.”
Zhou Yunwu was shocked. He tried to keep him there, feeling reluctant to let him leave. “You’re in a hurry? Why don’t you stay for a few days longer? I was going to watch your talk in person.”
“No, no. The time’s up. The time to part has come.” Jiese clasped his palms and said calmly, “Goodbye everyone. No need to send me off.”
With that said, he lifted his feet and was ready to leave. He was running away!
However, a red ball of light rushed over in a hurry. A voice scoffed from afar, “Jiese, stay where you are!”
Jiese had a bitter face. He sighed in a low voice, “What a disaster!”
In the next moment, Yun Yiyi’s figure gradually appeared in front of the crowd. She looked at Jiese with satisfaction. “This time, you can’t get away. Be good, go back with me and get married.”
Jiese took a deep breath. He finally dared to speak. “Miss Yun, we can’t get married.”
“Why?”
“I need to remain rigorous in my beliefs.”
Yun Yiyi’s eyes sparkled. “Alright, you can keep your beliefs, and I’ll keep mine. There’s no conflict!”
Jiese’s face turned blank. “Don’t you come over, don’t force me to make a move on you!”
“Cough, cough, Miss Yun,” Meng Junliang said. He asked, “I watched Miss Yun’s debate yesterday. It was shocking. I wonder, where do you cultivate?”
Yun Yiyi had to stop her attack.
Jiese let out a long sigh of relief. He put on his robes and clasped his hands. He remained formal as he spoke, “I’m curious, too. When did Miss Yun’s understanding become so high?”
“Nonsense! My understanding has always been high!” Yun Yiyi smiled pleasantly. After a moment of hesitation, a lotus leaf appeared in her hand. “I won’t keep this from you all any longer. It’s probably because of this lotus leaf. If I didn’t try to get hold of it, I wouldn’t have wounded myself and let this monk have the benefits.”
Jiese clasped his palms together. “Amitabha.”
These four syllables contained his extremely complicated feelings. He was almost trembling. He did not explode on the spot. It was apparent that he was still able to withstand it.
Meng Junliang watched for a very long time. Finally, he concluded, “A unique lotus leaf.”
Jiese’s voice turned serious, “This lotus leaf’s probably some kind of precious treasure. It contains a deep Insight that can help one to breakthrough within a short time. However…it has some bad elements in it.”
Yun Yiyi glared at him. “Are you saying it’s fated to be with your Buddha?”
Jiese fell silent for a while. “It’s best if I pray for it.”
“Ew!” Yun Yiyi scoffed and instantly kept the lotus carefully.
After all, Jiese was no longer in a hurry to leave. He looked at Li Nianfan and bowed politely, asking the question that most concerned him, “Mr. Li, I’d like to ask about your current views on the establishment of doctrines.”
He viewed it as a drama.
Li Nianfan scoffed at him in his heart as he started thinking of an answer.
He could feel the crowd resting their attention on him as they wore their humble expressions.
Zhou Yunwu, Meng Junliang, and Jiese could all be considered his pupils at some point in their lives. It made sense for them to seek his advice. By the side, Daji, Nanan, and Dragin were looking at him in admiration.
As for Yun Yiyi, she looked at him suspiciously.
He had to put on an act with all seriousness.
After all, this would affect his image in the heart of the crowd. If he answered wrongly, it would be an embarrassment.
At this moment, Li Nianfan had to sigh in awe. Luckily, he had just revised another mythology not long ago. Now was the time to refer to it.
Since he had told them about ‘Journey to the West’ and ‘Investiture of the Gods’, it did not matter if he told them another one.
“The so-called doctrines have their own strengths. We can’t tell who’s right or who’s wrong. What matters is the meaning of existence,” Li Nianfan said.
Even though it was his first sentence, the crowd looked like they were deep in thought as they all nodded.
Swiftly after, Li Nianfan continued asking, “Let me ask you this. There’re so many cultivators in the world. Where does the first cultivating sect come from?”
This question was met with silence.
Everyone jolted. They felt a lightning bolt strike their brains. The sudden flash of light dumbfounded them.
Right! Where did the first cultivating sect come from?
The ancient times! This was most likely related to the ancient times!
Meng Junliang quickly reacted. He said sincerely, “I beg Mr. Li to teach me.”
“This is related to a story from a very long time ago.” Li Nianfan smiled. He said, “Actually, in the very beginning, the world had three religious groups. One of them taught the people through passing on the way to cultivate. The second one explained the laws of the world. The third served to falsify the existing teachings and was meant to find a purpose for all living beings. These three religious groups didn’t get along well, but each of them had their own unique values.”
That was it.
Everyone had looks of realization. Who would have thought that there were already different religions since the ancient times?
The start of cultivation was passed on by that person.
The expert was indeed an expert. This story should be from the most ancient of times.
Terrifying. How long had he lived!
Jiese was stunned. He asked, sounding concerned, “Why wasn’t Buddhism around?”
“Buddhism appeared much later on. The goal of the religion was to ask the people to let go and direct them to kindness. There are other goals as well, such as the existence of hell or sacrificing oneself for reincarnation.”
Li Nianfan halted. Then, he said with a serious tone, “However, do keep in mind that the person establishing these religions could have their own intentions. However, the establishment of religious groups is fair. The goal is to make the world a better place and help the world to develop.”
Everyone was caught up by what he said. They did not expect to be able to learn something so fascinating. They were very excited as they said, “Thank you for your teaching.”
The more they thought about it, the more excited they were.
Apparently, these religious groups had been washed out by the passing of time. As the development of the world was going downhill, the expert appeared. He merely used a very gentle way along with a smile to wake up everything. He did not even have to establish the religion himself.
What realm was this existence!
Seeing that the crowd did not speak for a long time, it was evident they were all caught up in his story. Li Nianfan knew that he earned their admiration once again.
Now, he could use his charmer with ease. First, it was his Deluxe Merit. Then, his stories, along with his knowledge of the world before coming to this realm. With these three things, he had no problem living at ease in this realm.
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Alright, the story has ended.”
This story was very roughly ended. He had left many details out. However, since Li Nianfan said it had ended, the crowd did not ask anymore.
They earned a lot by listening.
Li Nianfan looked at Jiese and asked, “Jiese, you’re going back to the Spiritual Mountain? Mind if I travel with you?”
Jiese hastily clapped his palms together. He lowered his head and said, “Amitabha, being able to travel with Mr. Li’s my pleasure.”
By the side, Yun Yiyi pouted. She was upset.
She had planned to force Jiese to marry her. With that, her plan seemed to be ruined.
