At that time, Master Lingji asked her to recite the "The Sutra of the Past Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva", saying that it was for the purpose of saving those who should be saved. At that time, she subconsciously thought of the man who she had caught a glimpse of on the mountain road and was full of murderous intent.
So, she recited the sutras for him.
She didn't realize that he was also there at the time.
"I sat behind a screen, listening to your Buddhist teachings and was obsessed with them." Si Yuanzhen seemed to recall the situation on that day. He took out an ordinary gray porcelain cup from his arms and said, "After tasting your unfinished Zen tea, the old bald monk Lingji said that Buddha could not save me, but someone else could."
The ordinary gray teacup in his hand was the one she used when she and Master Lingji brewed tea and discussed Zen that day. She didn't expect that he had it with him all the time.
Surprise, complexity, and deep emotions flashed in Ye Jinwu's eyes.
It turns out that there is such a Buddhist connection between them.
He gently stroked the teacup in his hand. The gray surface was not delicate, but he couldn't let it go. "Ye Jinwu, just as Master Lingji asked you to use the Buddhist scriptures to save me, and just as you think in your heart, the man in front of you has no good or evil in his heart, no faith, and is in the hell of the underworld. He holds a butcher knife in his hand, which is stained with blood and has committed many sins. He is a devil living in the abyss of hell."
He looked at her.
Persistent and passionate.
Deep and possessive.
It was as if he was looking into her soul.
The man's bass voice made her unable to resist the temptation. He spoke in a clear and articulate voice. Every word and every sentence was like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart heavily, making it impossible for her to ignore or escape.
They had known each other for less than ten days.
However, in such a short period of time, it seemed as if they had been entangled for a lifetime.
He never concealed his plunder and possession of her.
Her avoidance and fear of him went deep into her bones.
From the first day she met him, he invaded her world with his forceful momentum, constantly subverting her cognition, and step by step showing her another world that she didn't know and feared.
If she still had any sense, the best thing she should do was to escape.
However, at this moment, seriously injured, losing a lot of blood, in pain and numbing her mind, she had already lost the most favorable judgment. The bound and restrained emotions in her body occupied her reason and eroded her soul.
She couldn't help but feel curious about this man, and wanted to find out: "You...are you..." a smuggler, an arms dealer, a terrorist organization, a criminal, or...
She felt that she shouldn't ask like that. It was too extreme and would only give him an excuse to deceive her.
She doesn't like being deceived.
However, she could accept being kept in the dark.
Si Yuanzhen knew what she wanted to ask, and he caressed her damaged lips lovingly with his fingers: "In my world, there is no good or evil. Our so-called justice and morality are completely different from what you have been exposed to, known, and understood since childhood. We belong to another world. If we have to distinguish, it is probably between black and white. This world has its own order, rules, and constraints, and I stand at the highest point of making the rules."
He didn't know if she could accept him.
However, he was unwilling to deceive, and even less willing to conceal something maliciously.
The love he wants is sincere and genuine.
Ye Jinwu's mind was dull, and she began to ponder his words with difficulty. After a while, she asked, "Between black and white, that is gray, wandering on the edge of the legal system, crisscrossing between black and white."
Fortunately, it was much better than she had imagined.
At least, he is restrained by black and white and is not a devil who has completely fallen into hell.
She knew that in this world, there would always be a group of people who would maneuver between black and white. There was no right or wrong, it was just the eternal law of the world.
She convinced herself in her heart.
Si Yuanzhen nodded: "You can say that."
Ye Jinwu bit her lip. The pain all over her body was eating away at her spirit, making her tired, painful and dizzy. But at this moment, she didn't want to faint at all.
Si Yuanzhen said: "If you want to know everything about me, I can tell you slowly."
Ye Jinwu suddenly asked: "Have you ever killed... anyone?"
She knew it was a silly question, but she couldn't help asking.
The light in Si Yuanzhen's eyes gradually dimmed: "I've killed... a lot!"
A terrible silence spread between them.
Ye Jinwu suddenly felt that the pain in her shoulder, which she could still bear, turned into a heart-wrenching pain at this moment. She tried her best to suppress the dizziness and stay awake.
Si Yuanzhen saw that her face had turned even paler, and after a while he said in a dry voice: "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva once said: It is better for me to go to hell, who will go to hell? This sentence means that only those who have great bodhi mind and are not afraid of hardships to go to hell to save the suffering beings are on the path of Mahayana Bodhisattva."
Ye Jinwu listened carefully.
She believes in Buddhism, and this is a Buddhist story she is very familiar with.
At this moment, such a Buddhist story, coming from the mouth of this man who did not believe in Buddhism, did not respect Bodhi, and was full of sins of killing, seemed strangely incongruous, but it made her want to listen carefully.
Si Yuanzhen continued, "In the past, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had not yet achieved enlightenment and was a Brahman girl. Her mother, Yuedili, did not believe in the Three Jewels and practiced evil ways. After her death, she fell into hell and suffered. This girl, with utmost sincerity and respect, put aside her distracting thoughts and saved her. As a result of her meritorious deeds, her mother left prison and was reborn in heaven."
Ye Jinwu's heart suddenly started beating wildly and her breathing became rapid.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered the day at Lingji Temple when Master Lingji asked her to recite the "The Sutra of the Past Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva" to save him.
He said: "Old bald donkey Lingji said that Buddha can't save me, but there are people who can!"
Si Yuanzhen knelt before Ye Jinwu devoutly: "Awu, I know you believe in Buddhism. I, the evil man Si Yuanzhen, have committed the five heinous crimes and am in hell. I hope that the Buddhist believers can help me get rid of the karma of killing and help me escape from hell. If you are willing to help me, from now on, I am willing to serve the Buddha and eliminate my murderous heart."
Ye Jinwu was completely stunned.
Looking at him, a tall and strong man, kneeling devoutly in front of her, the shock in her heart was beyond words.
She still remembered the day they first met at Lingji Temple. At the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Temple, he stood in the main hall, looking arrogant, even more arrogant than Bodhi, without any trace of piety.
At that time she knew that this man had no Bodhi in his heart.
at this time-
He did not kneel before the Bodhi tree, but kneeled before her.
He had no desires under the Bodhi tree, but he had something to ask of her.
He doesn't believe in Buddhism, but he would rather believe in her.
Although he was holding the butcher knife, he was willing to put it down and become a Buddha right away.
Even if Buddha cannot save him, she can.
She could not go against her belief in Buddha and turn a blind eye to the man who was praying devoutly to Buddha.
It turned out that their ill-fated relationship had been destined in Master Lingji's meditation room at Lingji Temple that day, when she recited the "The Sutra of the Past Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva" to save him.
There is no way to escape the calamity of this life.