Jiang Yi had planned not to say a single word today. He wanted to just do whatever he needed and leave. However, he did not expect to be so amused by She Fei’s joke. Now, he found himself the center of attention again.
He quickly looked down and retrieved a handkerchief to cover his face so as to avoid getting himself into trouble.
He wanted to act low-key, but She Fei did not let him get away with it. His cold, hard gaze turned to Jiang Yi. In a low voice, he said, “What? Brother Li doesn’t agree with me? Let’s hear what Brother Li’s respected opinion then.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless eyes turned to Jiang Yi. It was normal for gentlemen to get involved in quarrels to vie for attention. The ladies liked to watch such quarrels as well—they were exciting after all. Even Yin Ruobing and Yi Chan turned to look at Jiang Yi. All the beauties gave him their attention. They were all eager to hear what he had to say.
Yet, what zen dao did Jiang Yi know? He did not even want to argue with She Fei. He stood up and cupped his hands. “Young Master She, you are mistaken. I just choked. I apologize for being disrespectful. Er… I don’t have any opinions to offer. Young Master She, please carry on.”
Shh…
Jiang Yi refused to be engaged in a debate, causing many young masters and ladies to scoff. If he did not have anything to show for it, he should not have acted like an expert. The way they saw it, She Fei was being very logical. It was clear that Jiang Yi had just been trying to stir trouble.
Yi Chan and Yin Ruobing’s expressions darkened as well. Both of them liked Jiang Yi. Naturally, they wanted to see him crush She Fei and argue until the latter had nothing to say in response. They were looking forward to She Fei being humbled. Naturally, they were disappointed by his refusal to argue.
There were so many people watching him, and yet he was not afraid to set down his pride. Even though they understood that Jiang Yi wanted to protect his identity and avoid trouble, Yi Chan and Yin Ruobing could not help but feel disappointed.
She Fei lit up immediately as if he was a victorious general who had just finished fighting a war. Once again, he smiled. “Actually, we all have some kind of zen in our lives. I think that zen is one type of heavenly dao. Realizing zen would improve one’s dao. If one manages to fully understand everything about zen dao, shattering the void and transcending would not remain a mere dream. I think that the Clan Head Buddha Thearch’s zen dao has already reached the peak. If anyone would be able to shatter the void in these hundred years, it would surely be the Clan Head.”
Jiang Yi nearly spat out his mouthful of tea once again. She Fei spoke a whole bunch of nonsense just to turn around and bootlick the Buddha Thearch and suck up to Yi Chan. He was quite a smart man. He knew that Yi Chan respected the Buddha Thearch. As long as he kept talking up the Buddha Thearch, he would be able to make Yi Chan feel happy.
She Fei’s bootlicking caused Zhan Tianlei and the others to feel unhappy. Even the young master from the Wu Clan raised one eyebrow.
If you, She Fei, want to bootlick someone else, then go ahead. Why must you bring others down just to talk up the Buddha Thearch?
However, the crowd did not understand zen dao. What’s more, it was the day of the banquet. Surely, it would not be nice to offend She Fei.
Zhan Tianlei glanced at Jiang Yi just in time to discover that he was looking at She Fei with contempt. Turning to face Jiang Yi, Zhan Tianlei cupped his hands. “Brother Li, you don’t seem to be taking Young Master She Fei’s words very seriously? I heard from Ruobing that you’ve loved reading since you were a young boy, and you love taking part in zen at that? Why not you explain these things to us today? It’s alright—Brother Li can say what he wants to say. Everybody is just here to discuss these things. Young Master She will not take it personally.”
Zhan Tianlei’s words pushed Jiang Yi into the spotlight once again. Jiang Yi felt many people turn to look at him and knew that they were cussing him under their breaths. Once again, She Fei’s expression hardened. He cupped his hands and said, “She Fei is waiting to hear Brother Li’s respected opinion.”
Jiang Yi felt like a square peg being forced into a round hole!
If Jiang Yi continued to back away, he really would be looked down upon by Yin Ruobing and Yi Chan. He paused for a while, got to his feet, and slowly walked over. His footsteps were slow, and he looked extremely calm. He was almost akin to a boat sailing gently in the sea.
“Young Master She, you were right in a lot of different areas, but your interest is wrong.”
He stopped right in front of She Fei and smiled. “You’re not talking about realizing zen because you genuinely believe in it. You are talking about it because of Yi Chan. Earlier, you said that we are trapped in worldly pursuits, the chase for fame, and wanton desires. This is true. However… if you are trapped by all of these things, how can you realize zen? How can a frog that’s trapped in a well talk about how beautiful and huge the outside world is? This is a paradox. Don’t you see that?”
Jiang Yi was turning She Fei’s weapon against himself!
Jiang Yi did not know anything about zen, but he was quite nimble in thought. He easily found the loophole in whatever She Fei had been saying. Checkmate.
All the young ladies and men present knew nothing about zen either. They were instead just interested in following the crowd. While She Fei tried to suck up to Yi Chan, they all tried to suck up to She Fei. Nobody even understood what She Fei was saying. Now that Jiang Yi pointed it out, many people began to giggle. All of them could understand the condition of She Fei’s worldly heart.
Zhan Tianlei and the others began nodding. It was satisfying seeing She Fei at a loss for words. Yi Chan and Yin Ruobing exchanged a meaningful glance. Both of them seemed to be mocking She Fei as well.
She Fei’s face flushed a deep red. For a moment, he did not know how to answer Jiang Yi. Given his reputation and status, few people dared to speak up to him for fear of him. Each time he spoke in public, everybody would rush to agree with him. Yet, Jiang Yi was not bothering to save even a bit of respect for him before immediately tearing him apart?
All the highs and lows that She Fei had gone through over the past years had caused She Fei to mature. He cupped his hands and said, “Please tell us about true zen, Brother Li. Allow us to see more into your world. If you can convince us, I will drink three bottles of wine as a form of respect!”
“Alright. If Brother Li can convince us, I will do the same!” Zhan Tianlei shouted.
Yin Ruobing looked over at Jiang Yi worriedly. Yi Chan’s eyes twinkled with hope. She was excited to hear what Jiang Yi had realized about zen.
Jiang Yi scanned the crowd and briefly made eye contact with Yi Chan. He did not have the heart to disappoint her.
So he decided to give it all he had. He closed his eyes and began to stroll inside the central hall. His mind filled with images of the Buddha Thearch that he saw in the Painting Cliffs. Those Heaven Paintings all carried with them a bit of zen aura. Then, he thought about the elder fishing at the Northern Lake on the Buddha Mountain. For some reason, he felt his heart settle.
Everybody’s eyes were locked on Jiang Yi. Seeing his calm expression and his slowing footsteps—as well as his relaxed posture, they began to feel inner peace as well. The sound of chattering slowly dissipated. The central hall was filled with silence.
“Listen!”
Jiang Yi suddenly cupped his hand around his ear and gestured for everyone to listen. He kept his eyes closed to focus on the sounds. “This is zen. Zen is all about silence. Peace. Nature.
“The peace of zen is not just the absence of sound. It focuses on the calmness of one’s aura, mind, and heart. If all of these things are calm, then the person will naturally become peaceful. If one’s mind is at peace, they will be pure. If one’s heart is at peace, they will gain realization. Where there is peace and quiet, there will be a deeper understanding. Where there is deep understanding, there is action.”
As Jiang Yi spoke, the crowd seemed to hear a deeper implication to what he was saying. Everyone present became quiet and at peace. Jiang Yi continued, “The zen dao is a dao of the heart. Clouds belong in the sky and water belongs in a bottle. If all of these things are where they are, they will form the features of nature—like the features on our faces. There is nothing special about it. All you have to do is understand how everything in nature looks like and realize your own true face. Then, you will understand this dao.
“The water in the bottle is just like one’s heart. If you keep it pure and uncontaminated, your heart will be as pure as the water in the bottle. No matter what kind of bottle you put the water in, the water will follow its shape. It has a big capacity to adapt. It can become hard, and it can become soft. It can grow bigger and can reduce in size. It’s just like the clouds in the sky—free and easy. It is not easily intimidated by huge movements or sounds. Instead, it watches as the flowers under it bloom and fade, not taking anything too seriously. The clouds roll in the sky, then loosen up…”
As Jiang Yi said the last word, he felt his soul shake. For some reason, it felt like he had grabbed onto something. He quickly sat down on the ground, cross-legged. He wanted to focus and make sure that he did not lose grip on whatever it was. By that time, he had completely forgotten where he was and what was happening around him. All he could think about was to grab a hold of that murky presence.
Everyone present kept their eyes locked on Jiang Yi. They saw him sit down on the ground, cross-legged like a monk. They looked at his peaceful expression and felt their hearts jump all of a sudden. It was almost as if Jiang Yi had transformed into a learned monk right in front of their eyes. A glow gathered around his body, and he began to emanate zen aura.
Dida!
Yi Chan’s eyes lit up. She kept staring at Jiang Yi as tears began to flow down from her eyes. The teardrops landed in the wine barrel on the golden table, giving off a clear sound of droplets falling. At the same time, She Fei became so angry that the killing intent inside him grew like a crazed horse being let out of the stable.
