Ben You and Sun Lichai met for the first time.
Their last time together in the same room was two years ago, when Sun Lichai was seriously ill, and Ben You was too young to remember.
After that, Ben You was taken to Shaolin Temple, while Sun Lichai remained in the separate courtyard.
The two never had time to get to know each other.
However, their first meeting was unexpectedly harmonious; Sun Lichai's thoughts were as nimble as a spring butterfly, while Ben You's demeanor was as stable as a summer cicada, both clinging to the branches of the great tree that was Lu Yuan Bodhisattva.
The experience of the Zhengyuan Knot was very peculiar. It was simply sharing one's thoughts and quick wits with an outsider. In this state of clear-mindedness, the human heart was absolutely rational, never mixing in superfluous private emotions. All expressions were clear and logical, to the point where they could understand each other implicitly.
An individual's wisdom is limited, but collective wisdom is boundless, not to mention a state of full cooperation and perfect understanding.
To compare the Zhengyuan Knot to an internet search engine would be inappropriate; it was more like spiritual possession, which was more intuitive.
For example, if someone was skilled in painting, and their knotted companion at that moment wanted to paint a landscape but was an absolute novice, they could directly take over the companion's consciousness through the Zhengyuan Knot connection and paint from a distance.
This trick might be perfect for cheating.
Simon was also filled with emotion; if such a function truly existed, learning would really be a relief. One would only need to develop their strengths and hobbies, and for what they didn't know, they could ask classmates for help with exams…
While he was lost in thought, Ben You and Sun Lichai began to communicate within the Zhengyuan Knot.
To be precise, it couldn't be called communication.
They were not ordinary children, so there was no playful roughhousing. On the contrary, their interactions were like a silent pantomime.
Consideration, contemplation, probing, resistance.
In the world of the Zhengyuan Knot, one's mask was removed, and heart-to-heart communication could not be faked.
Sun Lichai displayed unusual vigilance and rejection. This was the true nature of the little girl; her usual docility was merely a disguise to gain the favor of adults. In the emptiness of her heart, she was still the little child who lay on her sickbed, experiencing the fear of imminent death.
The perpetually expressionless Ben You remained expressionless; his stubbornness seemed to have been innate since birth.
These two stubborn individuals met, but they were not at odds.
Their eyes were pure, kind, and gentle. Although Sun Lichai was unwilling to express too much, she still had a good impression of the little Bald Donkey.
The two remained silent, neither close nor distant.
A butterfly would not be attracted by a cicada's song, nor would a cicada be captivated by a butterfly's dance.
Yet, they were both part of the scenery outside the window.
After a long while.
"…I'm leaving now. See you next time." Sun Lichai offered Ben You a polite gesture of goodwill, then left the Zhengyuan Knot.
Ben You let out a long breath, though he was still expressionless.
He stood in a brightly lit world of light, where all directions, up, down, and around, were a blend of colors.
These were all illusions.
The world of the Zhengyuan Knot had no fixed form; each person's personality and emotions differed, and thus the scenes they perceived also differed.
As the saying goes, it is not the wind moving, nor the flag moving, but the benevolent heart moving.
The spiritual world was entirely subjective. Ben You knew that the sights he saw each time he came to the Zhengyuan Knot were also different.
Here, the background was a projection of personal fantasy; what was truly clear were the other companions who came here, and the Bodhisattva's Sambhogakaya, like a sun above his head.
Ben You recalled his meeting with Sun Lichai.
As he thought about it for a long time, he patted his own face, still expressionless.
He used his index fingers to pull up the corners of his mouth, creating half a grimace, half a fake smile, which together formed a sarcastic, goofy expression.
He withdrew his fingers and wiped the drool on his monk's robe.
Ben You sighed and also left the Zhengyuan Knot.
The world before his eyes changed.
When he came to his senses again.
Indeed.
A group of Bald Donkeys crowded into his room, looking at him with eager eyes.
Not only his senior brothers, but also his master's generation, and even his grandmaster's generation. They looked at Ben You like a group of children with empty pockets watching a companion happily eating ice cream.
This had almost surpassed envy and jealousy.
Ben You silently closed his eyes.
"Junior Brother ~"
"Nephew ~"
"Granddisciple ~"
Ben You helplessly opened his eyes again, stood up, and bowed to all sides, "Greetings, Senior Brothers, Martial Uncles, and Grandmasters."
A bronze-skinned, burly old Bald Donkey, capable of lifting tripods, pushed his way to the front, "Ben You, my boy! Tell your Martial Uncles and Grandmasters, what kind of wondrous form is the Bodhisattva's Dharma Body!"
"Yes! Tell us!" The monks clamored like market vendors, their incessant grumbling filling the room, which was almost turning into a pigsty.
Ben You remained expressionless. After they all quieted down, he immediately threatened, "The Bodhisattva said that if you cling to forms, you will never be able to perceive the true Dharma in this lifetime."
The monks were immediately shocked, as if they had been diagnosed with cancer during a company physical, and couldn't help but look at each other.
Ben You watched their dilemma, secretly chuckling, while maintaining a very serious and upright expression.
"This humble monk must go meditate now. This cultivation cannot be neglected!"
After the first monk left grumbling, the rest also departed one after another, the scene resembling a lead duck waddling out of the duck pen with its flock.
Finally, only his two roommates, senior brothers, remained.
"Ben You, Little Junior Brother." The taller, thinner senior brother grinned, "You, my boy, are still too green!"
The young monk opened his eyes and stared at this senior brother.
The sturdier senior brother blinked and chimed in, "Senior Brother Ben Can, why do you say that?"
"Senior Brother Ben Li, you're also an honest monk." The thin, tall senior brother shook his head, looking smug, his expression like someone who had just found money.
The sturdy Ben Li asked, "Just say what you mean. What exactly did Little Junior Brother do that was inappropriate?"
"Ah, it's not impossible to say, Ben You, do you want to hear it?"
"No."
Ben Can: "…"
"Why not?" Ben Li scratched his itchy scalp.
"Senior Brother must be up to something. I'm not interested."
Ben Li immediately pointed at Ben Can and burst out laughing, "You! You really treat Ben You like a little kid!"
Ben Can smiled, "This kid, his personality is too straightforward. He's probably going to suffer losses in the future."
They laughed and joked, while the monks sat in the meditation room lost in thought. In the distance, farmers in the countryside of Jianchuan Town toiled in their fields, birds brought green worms to feed their young, the stream gurgled against the bank, plants stretched their branches and leaves towards the morning sun, and mountain mist rolled and drifted in the wind.
Time slowly flowed by amidst the hurried skirts of all things, and before they knew it, it was already the latter half of the year.
Simon slowly cultivated, and by June, he had completed the Heart-Mind Qi Primordial Art. When he activated it, his body was covered in a dense and solid layer of Protective Qi.
In July, he mastered the seventh-tier Formless Zen Skill, after which his internal energy flowed endlessly and freely.
August brought autumn, and with the help of nature, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. In half a month, he mastered the fifth-tier Bodhi Heart Cultivation Method. His protective True Qi became even stronger and tougher, and the circulation of his internal energy could harmonize his body and mind, expelling toxins.
In September, he cultivated the fourth-tier Samyukta Agama Sutra. With changes in his divine will, his skill could transform freely. With a single thought, power would generate, and a punch unleashed could manifest a thousand different intentions, resulting in a thousand different forces. Although he had not learned a single move, he had already reached a high level in martial arts.
Such subtle and profound internal energy could even transform into lifelike flowers, birds, fish, and insects, opening, closing, moving, and stopping vividly.
Simon stood on the mountain, looking around. The pines and cypresses of Mount Song, though green, also trembled at the Stern of creation. The wheat in the fields had been harvested, but next year, green shoots would still sprout.
The cycle of the four seasons was breathtakingly beautiful.
After admiring the view for a while, he gently extended his hand, and a small, pyramid-shaped mountain floated three inches above his palm, shimmering like true gold in the sunlight.
As his internal energy cultivation grew higher, the Xumi Divine Palm also slowly perfected.
Perhaps soon, he would truly be able to smash out a Xumi with a single palm strike.
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