Simon opened his eyes, then saw a familiar scene.
A circle of Bald Monkeys were staring at him with smiles, their expressions somewhere between piglets waiting for feed and old farmers harvesting rice.
In short, Simon was speechless.
He still didn't intend to acknowledge them.
He raised his hand and touched the short antlers on his head. The real touch, integrated with his skull, produced a crisp, bell-like sound when flicked a few times. The monks, hearing it, stretched their grins all the way to their heels.
"Buddha Son—" The abbot called softly.
Simon sighed, "Just say what you need to say."
"Has the Buddha Son attained the Mahasattva fruit position?"
"What is Mahasattva?" Simon countered.
"It's just…"
The abbot was about to explain, but he quickly swallowed his words.
How could a Buddha Son who had read so many Buddhist scriptures not know that Mahasattva refers to a Bodhisattva? So he wasn't asking a question, and he wasn't the one answering. On the contrary, he was the questioner, and the Buddha Son was answering with a counter-question.
Zen Master Zixing unconsciously fiddled with the prayer beads in his hand, his thoughts a tangled mess.
Simon secretly laughed to himself when he saw the old monk's dilemma. Sure enough, a bit of philosophical sparring could intimidate these Bald Monkeys.
In his opinion, these monks had a skewed understanding of Buddhist teachings.
Perhaps because of the flourishing martial arts, the public's method of proving the correctness of a principle unconsciously leaned towards intuitive performance, which is to say, "how powerful is it?" As long as I'm stronger than you, everything I say is correct.
This answer is actually not wrong in the face of almost all problems most people will encounter.
The mistake is that people mistakenly believe that principles are achieved through power.
Principles have always existed; principles are more sublime than everything else, closer to the essence.
The manifestation of attaining the Way can be the acquisition of power.
But it doesn't mean that acquiring power leads to attaining the Way.
So, when these monks saw that he possessed the divine abilities of a Bodhisattva as described in the scriptures, they assumed he was a true Bodhisattva.
Simon himself didn't know what his realm was, and he didn't care.
The key was still to enjoy life.
The monks repeatedly chewed on the phrase "What is Mahasattva?", then left in a daze. Simon waved at their retreating figures, hoping they would be quiet for a while.
Xu Ranxue's face was taut. Only when he saw Simon's pure and natural expression did he slowly exhale the turbid air in his chest.
"Little Bodhisattva is truly amazing!" He paused, "I know I am shallow in knowledge; teaching the other children is fine, but you," he smacked his lips, "if you are interested in learning, I can write a letter and send it to the capital. Although the imperial court is no more, it is still the most excellent, profound, and brilliant place in the world. My teacher is in the Imperial Academy in the capital, but it's now renamed Shangzhen Academy… You can go whenever you like. When the time comes, I'll have Sun Lichai go with you; she should learn some advanced things."
Simon smiled, "You go ask Sun Lichai if she's willing to go. Let's talk about it in a few years."
Mr. Xu nodded, "That's right, you've only just had your first birthday. It's truly astonishing. It's better to wait until you're older before going out."
Simon turned to look at the curious Sun Lichai. The little girl seemed to want to touch his antlers. "Do you want to learn more things?"
"Yes!" Sun Lichai's eyes lit up.
"Then grow up quickly."
"Hehehe, you said it, okay then."
Sun Lichai's innocent demeanor, yet containing a subtle wisdom, made it difficult to discern her thoughts, which was equally incredible.
Simon looked out the window; the vitality of spring was already blooming vibrantly in midsummer.
Xu Ranxue sighed, "If the Buddha Son bestows ten parts of wisdom upon the world, then Sun Lichai alone claims seven."
"With Mr. Xu's words, this child's future is bound to be limitless. If Sun Wangshi is interested, This humble monk can convey it to Yigu Nunnery and let Sun Lichai enter it for cultivation." A hearty, deep voice walked in from outside the house; it was Jueguang, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.
When this fellow got serious, he truly had some of the demeanor of a high monk. He solemnly clasped his hands in a bow to Sun Lichai's mother, Sun Wangshi. His serious posture made the woman a little flattered, but Sun Wangshi still had some reservations about Jueguang's suggestion.
"Master, the child is so young, to make her a nun…" She hesitated, "Isn't that not so good?"
Jueguang glared, "That's not how you should put it. Your child is naturally frail. Wouldn't it be greatly beneficial for her to go to Yigu Nunnery to cultivate for a period and learn some martial arts? Besides, she doesn't necessarily have to become a nun; being a lay disciple is also an option."
The Bald Donkey's dark face and two eyes, wide as light bulbs, were quite intimidating, leaving Sun Wangshi stunned. The other older women around also urged her to agree. Under such an onslaught, her resolve was immediately broken.
"Then… I'll go back and ask her father what he says." Sun Wangshi said modestly, but her expression was already flattered by her companions' praise. "Sun Lichai, come, let's go home."
The little girl obediently said "Oh," and walked behind her mother. Before leaving, she bowed respectfully to Xu Ranxue, then smiled at Simon. Finally, she followed Sun Wangshi down the mountain step by step.
It had been like this these past few days. Wherever Sun Wangshi was, she was there. She came to the villa in the morning and went home in the afternoon, or they would keep vigil together, with the little girl sleeping on a makeshift bed by the bedside. The mountain road was rugged and difficult to traverse, yet she never complained, always joyful.
Simon watched Sun Lichai leave, then turned his gaze to his beloved antlers.
The antlers were, of course, still antlers; there was no change, nor any so-called "loss of spirituality." This was originally just a cause; Simon sensed it, and thus transformed his avatar. It wasn't that there was anything magical in the antlers that merged with him.
However, through this incident, Simon grew even fonder of these antlers.
Simon's realm had now improved again.
Looking out, the world was a blur, a chaotic mass of qi floating in the void, containing all mass and energy, all colors and attributes. This mass of qi moved and wafted, with small eddies swirling on its surface, their outlines forming the shapes of all things.
Simon himself was also a mass of qi. The masses of qi of the children around him were small and shallow, like cotton. Jueguang's mass of qi was large and thick, like gold and jade, while Simon's was like the moon hanging high.
The size and texture of this mass of qi could not determine a person's power. Simon's power was much weaker than Jueguang's, but his connection to the world's main mass of qi was deeper, so the amount of qi he could stir was greater.
With this perception, Simon tried to name this mass of qi, but after much thought, he couldn't find a name that was faithful, expressive, and elegant.
In Buddhism, there is the concept of the Four Great Elements: earth, water, fire, and wind constitute the world. These Four Great Elements are not physical entities but describe the four states of movement of the primordial mass of qi that Simon saw as the world's origin. So, this was not the Four Great Elements.
What sustains the existence of space-time? What causes energy to flow? And what is the essence of space-time, the source of energy and matter?
Simon could only conclude it was karma, the vow power that permeates the past, present, and future, spanning the three worlds, driving the evolution of the universe.
So, should this mass of qi be called Original Cause?
Simon smacked his lips. That was too inelegant; it sounded like a minor character. It felt like there was a monk named Original Cause in 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.' He'd forgotten the specifics, only remembering that he was quite weak.
Since Original Cause didn't sound good, he'd choose something more high-end.
Let's call it superior affinity, Simon thought. When he founded his own school in the future, this term would gain recognition.
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