(The love story of Si Yiyan's father Si Yuanzhen and his mother Ye Jinwu, who pursued each other through life and death.)
Ye Jinwu raised her head and looked at the small temple in the mountains not far away. The ancient and solemn building was half hidden in the dense forest, giving it a sense of seclusion and profoundness.
Lingji Temple is just an unknown small temple among the many temples in Dali, Yunnan. It is hidden in the mountains, away from the world, with few incense sticks and few people coming and going. However, no one knows that Master Lingji, the most famous monk from Country Z, is practicing in seclusion here.
Ye Jinwu believed in Buddhism and had a karmic relationship with Master Lingji in her early years. Master Lingji once predicted her fate: "Deep love will not bring longevity, and extreme wisdom will bring harm!"
If it weren’t for the Fifth World Buddhist Conference being held in Dali, Yunnan, she would have probably forgotten this past event long ago.
After climbing up the long stairs, Ye Jinwu breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes suddenly stopped at one point.
A black figure suddenly jumped out from the deep and dense forest. The man was wearing a black windbreaker that made it hard to breathe, a pair of thick-soled short boots, and a black hat on his head. The long brim of the hat covered most of his face above his nose. However, she could clearly see his two tightly pursed lips under his nose, which were as thin as a knife blade, and his cold and resolute chin, with edges and corners like those cut by a knife.
As if noticing her gaze, the man paused for a moment, and his eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat, glanced at her like lightning.
Even though she couldn't see clearly what kind of eyes were staring at her at this moment, she could still feel the murderous intent in that person's eyes, sweeping towards her like a tide.
Ye Jinwu's breathing choked and her heartbeat suddenly quickened, becoming out of control.
She could feel that the man exuded a suffocating murderous intent from head to toe, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, like the Asura of hell, like the Tai Sui of the human world.
After their eyes met briefly, they looked away.
Ye Jinwu covered her rapidly beating chest and gasped for breath. She was dazed and her vest was covered in cold sweat. A chill quietly seeped into her bones.
When she calmed down her inner panic and looked over again, the man had disappeared.
If it weren't for the heartbeat like a drum in her ears and her rapid breathing reminding her that the scene just now was real, she would almost think that it was just a momentary blur or a dream she had in the daytime.
At this time, Ye Jinwu didn't know that her fleeting glimpse would become the disaster of her life.
—
"When Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva practiced the profound Prajna Paramita, he saw that the five aggregates were empty and was able to overcome all suffering..." In the scripture room, the sound of sandalwood curled up, the fragrance of Sanskrit incense murmured, and the air was pure and clear, like the sound of nature. What was being recited was the Heart Sutra of Avalokitesvara, which teaches people's hearts.
Ye Jinwu knelt on a yellow cushion, with her hands clasped in front of her chest and her eyes closed, reciting. Her classical and elegant face looked dignified, pious and clear. Her overly beautiful eyebrows and eyes, under the curling sandalwood smoke, were like smoke and fog, and she was extremely intelligent.
The old monk Master Lingji was in a state of meditation, sitting cross-legged opposite her, with one hand resting between his legs and the other hand twisting a pair of red sandalwood Buddhist beads, which he kept twisting as Ye Jinwu recited the Buddhist scriptures.
After reciting the Heart Sutra of Guanyin, Ye Jinwu slowly opened her eyes, opened her mouth slowly, and recited a dedication stanza: "May this merit adorn the Pure Land of Buddha, repay the fourfold kindness, and relieve the sufferings of the three evil paths. May those who see and hear this all develop the Bodhi mind..."
Master Lingji slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy eyes penetrated the screen behind Fa Ye Jin Wu and looked inside the screen. He slowly said, "How about reciting another chapter of the Sutra of the Original Vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"
Ye Jinwu was slightly stunned: "This scripture is about eliminating karma, repaying old debts, and repenting for evil deeds. Why does the master want to listen to this scripture?"
Master Lingji said, "Save people."
Ye Jinwu asked again: "Who are you crossing?"
Master Lingji replied: "Save those who should be saved."
Ye Jinwu was a little curious: "Who is the person who should be ferried across?"
Master Lingji closed his eyes and said no more.
Ye Jinwu did not ask any more questions. She could not help but think of the man she had seen on the mountain road before. He was full of murderous intent and had a bloody belly. He had just returned from hell. He should be the one who should be saved!
She slowly closed her eyes, gathered her thoughts, and chanted the scripture about cause and effect, good and evil.
The room was silent, with only the profound and obscure scriptures, like the gurgling of water, clear and slowly overflowing, and the sound of Sanskrit filling the ears, bringing peace and comfort.
After finishing reciting the scripture, Ye Jinwu received the small golden tea planted by Master Lingji himself and left the inner room.
There was a noise behind the screen, and Si Yuanzhen walked out slowly, stepping on the gray brick floor with light but heavy steps. Every step he took left a pair of bloody footprints. After just a few dozen steps, it was the bloody road to hell, and there was no way back for Shura.
Si Yuanzhen slowly sat down on the cushion where Ye Jinwu had sat before, and casually picked up Ye Jinwu's half-finished cup of herbal tea, put it to his nose and sniffed it. The faint fragrance entered his nose, and he smiled and brought the tea to his lips.
The herbal tea is slightly bitter, but the taste is sweet, which seeps into the heart and lingers for a long time.
Si Yuanzhen sneered and said, "Master, you are one of the rare enlightened monks in the world. Are you going to follow the example of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and vow not to become a Buddha until hell is empty and all sentient beings are saved before you attain Bodhi?" After saying that, he chuckled and played with the ordinary teacup in his hand, reluctant to let it go. "Oh, if that's the case, then Master, you are doomed to never achieve enlightenment in this life, because you can't save me."
He is the one holding the butcher knife.
A pair of hands were already stained with blood.
He doesn't believe in Buddhism, he just entered the Buddhist temple by mistake.
Master Lingji closed his eyes slightly and said: "Although I cannot save you, there are people who can save you."
Si Yuanzhen laughed, and a sinister look flashed across his stern face: "Who? The woman who was chanting the sutra just now?"
An elegant and gentle face suddenly emerged in his mind. The ethereal and clear voice, like a heavenly sound, lingered in his heart, touching and lingering.
Master Lingji said slowly: "Donor, you have been in and out of this small temple of mine three times, and each time you have brought with you the sin of killing. Every time, I recited the Sutra of the Original Vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for you to eliminate the obstacles. Unfortunately, you never listened to the Dharma, and your anger and evil intentions were hard to eliminate. Your sins of killing were heavy. Now, the Buddha has entered your heart."
Si Yuanzhen laughed as if he had heard a great joke, and slowly uttered four words: "I don't believe in Buddhism!"
Master Lingji said calmly: "You have committed many sins in this life, and it is difficult to escape the calamity of love. I am afraid that you will not get a good result."
After saying this, he slowly lowered his eyelids, gently twisted his Buddhist beads, and stopped talking.
Si Yuanzhen's pair of peach blossom eyes sparkled, affectionate yet ruthless, and he slowly uttered three words: "Old bald donkey!"
A fishy wind was blowing.
Master Lingji slowly opened his eyes and found that the teacup was missing and a ring was added on the seat opposite him. He thought of a fortune-telling from many years ago!
Deep love does not bring longevity, extreme wisdom does bring harm!
There is no way to escape the calamity of this life!