Jueguang sighed and carried ten sets of the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, which he had hand-copied for several months, to Yi Gu Manor.
Simon gestured with his mouth for him to place the scriptures on the couch.
The monk looked troubled, and after putting down the books, he stood rooted to the spot, like a dark iron pillar.
"What do you want to say?"
The Bald Donkey smiled, "Buddha Son, have you heard of the matter of Taiwu?"
"Mr. Xu mentioned some," Simon continued to flip through The Plum Blossom Easy Numerology, "Why, was that unwelcome guest I just met related to Taiwu?"
Jueguang nodded, "The Abbot said so. Did Buddha Son also pay attention to the recent conflict?"
"With such a big commotion, I'm not deaf. How could I not hear it?"
"Abbot Master said to tell the monks to be vigilant. This Blood Fiend cult has a significant origin, and its base is in the southeast of the capital region. There will likely be unavoidable conflicts in the future."
"Mm."
His lack of interest made the monk a bit anxious. He turned to Xu Ranxue and said, "Scholar Xu, your tongue is sharp. You explain what Taiwu means."
The scholar was now ferried between the manor and his home by monks every day, which meant he owed them a favor. He couldn't show a bad face to this bad Bald Donkey; he still remembered the argument Jueguang had with him on the evening of August 14th.
So, Mr. Xu walked over with a forced expression, squeezing directly next to Jueguang. The monk pursed his lips and retreated a few steps, which was considered giving in.
The scholar stood in front of Simon, cleared his throat, and Simon looked up, making a listening gesture.
"This Taiwu is an ancient demon god. Since written records began, it has often brought disaster to the world, luring people into evil and becoming its minions." Xu Ranxue spoke fluently and clearly from the start, much more articulate than those martial artists.
"Anyone who experiences extreme sorrow in their heart can potentially be corrupted by Taiwu. In addition, I've heard that many sorceries and evil methods can induce people to become demons, which is truly incredible."
"This demon's arrogance was rampant, but evil never triumphs over good. Legend has it that a group of peerless masters calling themselves Taiwu Successors appeared in the jianghu. They possessed secret methods that could restore the lost to their original nature. Later, they even united the major martial arts sects and prominent noble families of the jianghu, suppressing the demon god Taiwu in a single fell swoop. After that, the world was peaceful."
"It's just a pity that good times didn't last. More than ten years ago, Taiwu broke free from its seal. Within nine years, it killed over thirty emperors. Dynasties changed dramatically; what was Song or Yuan, what was Ming or Qing? Not to mention the miscellaneous streams of Later Liang, Later Tang, or Western Shu. I still remember, in a single day, within a single city, there were actually eight royal banners. It was truly a chaotic mix of Zi, Chou, Qin, Han, Yin, Mao, Wei, Chen, Si, Jin, Sui, Wu, Wei, Tang, Shen, You, Xu, Hai, and even more bizarre things. Thinking of it now, I still feel helpless, which shows that gods, immortals, demons, and monsters are the source of chaos."
Jueguang's eyes widened in awe.
"Scholar, you used to be the star performer of a theater troupe, didn't you!"
Xu Ranxue finished speaking in one breath, exhaling contentedly. Hearing the Bald Donkey's taunt, he smiled faintly, "It's just that I've spoken about it many times, so I'm a little more practiced."
Simon asked, "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's the story. Of course, the later parts are our personal experiences." Jueguang also nodded, indicating he had no objection.
Simon thought to himself, they don't even know as much as I do.
"Do Abbot and the others know more inside information?"
"Uh, there is one thing that should count as inside information: all the sects and even those noble families who fought against Taiwu back then made an oath with the Taiwu Successors that when the demonic calamity rises again, they will impart all their martial arts to the current Taiwu to aid him."
"Anything else?"
"That should be all. Abbot Master has never concealed this matter. The ancestral records in the temple also mention the past events of sealing the demon Taiwu. Anyone who wants to see it can read it. I remember the content."
Now Xu Ranxue was also interested, "Tell me."
The monk spoke each word slowly, his tone dry, "The Second Ancestor went, enduring ten strikes from Taiwu with divine power without falling. When Taiwu finished his cultivation, he united hundreds of good hands to suppress this fiend. It was sealed under a pond in the wilderness, and later a village was built, named after Taiwu."
"That's it?" The scholar blinked.
"That's it." The monk nodded.
"What does this mean? Is it saying your Shaolin martial arts are good, or that your Second Ancestor was the most outstanding?" Xu Ranxue spoke in a challenging tone.
"Do you believe that the records of this matter across all sects are largely similar, all claiming their own ancestors were extraordinary?" Jueguang chuckled, "Who can still say clearly what happened back then?"
Simon sighed and continued reading his book.
...
This Spring Festival, the atmosphere in Shaolin Temple was solemn. Moreover, due to the difficulty of travel in the snow, there were few pilgrims, making the grand temple appear desolate.
For Sun Lichai, this Spring Festival was particularly precious. After all, she was about to leave her hometown, and for a child, this journey was somewhat heavy. Not to mention the cultivation in Yigu Nunnery, whether she would be well-fed and clothed, and if the bhikkhunis and her senior sisters would be easy to get along with—these were all unknowns.
Such terrifying unknowns made her feel unusually repulsed.
For Sun Lichai, it was best if everything was clear, which was why she liked to learn and explore.
Perhaps learning was just a way to fill her inner fear.
She couldn't say what she was afraid of, and even felt that she wasn't afraid of anything, but those nightmares couldn't be faked.
The joy of knowledge was not important to her; what was important was to forget those complex distracting thoughts after falling into thought.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, everyone could get a bowl of sesame tangyuan at the refectory during lunch. The sugar was plentiful, making it extremely delicious.
After finishing his tangyuan, Simon stood under the eaves of the wing room, looking at the plum blossoms in the corner of the wall.
Sun Lichai, wearing thick cotton clothes, held a string of firecrackers in her hand. It wasn't lit, just dragging on the ground, as if she was clutching a dead red-scaled snake. She ran through the snow, leaving footprints, and the trailing firecrackers slid, like unrestrained brushstrokes, leaving serpentine traces.
She kept running, panting, and occasionally let out loud, clear screams. Her body bounced up and down, and her screams punctuated in rhythm.
The adults all thought she was happy, a child at play.
Simon, however, knew she was afraid.
Until she was tired, and everyone else was also tired of it.
Sun Lichai stopped and moved over to Simon, sitting on the steps in front of him. Not far away, Sun Wangshi murmured about the cold ground, but ultimately didn't dare to speak loudly.
Simon looked down at the little girl. She was staring at the snowflakes falling into her footprints.
Eight Failures was perched on his shoulder, still full of life even in winter.
"You must master high-level martial arts within ten years." He thought to himself, at least before Eight Failures dies, otherwise even immortals can't save her.
Sun Lichai panted, "What counts as high-level martial arts?"
"At least, you must be able to resonate with heaven and earth, extract spiritual energy, and reverse your internal force to its innate state."
"Okay, I promise."
Several monks eavesdropping nearby smiled bitterly. For ordinary people, practicing martial arts was like climbing to heaven; how could it be so easy? But the Bodhisattva was, after all, a heavenly being; if he said it could be done, it surely could.
Simon nodded distractedly, listening to the faint chirping of insects in his ears.
The snow stopped.
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