Sun Lichai beckoned to Huan Xin, and the little girl immediately ran into the dark room, squatting before Superior Reverends's couch.
"Good child."
A word of praise made Huan Xin exceptionally happy. She could feel the gentle spring breeze circling around Superior Reverends, blowing away the dampness in the wooden house. There was also a faint, captivating floral scent, which made one feel truly wondrous.
"Fairy Sister, you smell so good!"
Sun Lichai smiled, "Once martial arts are cultivated to the point of internal and external resonance, the vital energy of heaven and earth nourishes the body, expelling impurities. Naturally, one becomes as light as a swallow, with a unique aura. Your foster father can also achieve this."
"Hmph, don't mention him. Foster Father is an old scoundrel!"
"Speaking ill of others behind their backs is not a good thing."
"I'm sorry, Fairy Sister, please don't be angry," Huan Xin stuck out her tongue, like a black cat begging for food when she was being coquettish. "Sister, what is the flower on your forehead?"
"This is the Epiphyllum Seal of the Pure Land, connecting to the Pure Land and linking the three ages."
"Oh? Are you a Bodhisattva?"
"I am not. This epiphyllum was bestowed by a Bodhisattva."
"Then can I meet the Bodhisattva?"
Sun Lichai pondered, then shook her head. "The Pure Land has not yet emerged… Little girl, do you know what year it is now?"
Upon hearing this, Huan Xin immediately thought: Fairy Sister is a celestial being, so of course she doesn't know the years of the mortal world.
"It is now the first year of the Wu Ji era."
"Oh?" Sun Lichai showed no emotion, but her heart was greatly stirred.
The Wu Ji era was the period between the collapse of the imperial court and the Nirvana of the Buddha-Child.
Sun Lichai had not expected to arrive at this time. She should have been only five years old then, but she wondered if the Buddha-Child had already descended?
As this thought arose, her Zen mind immediately fluctuated, unable to control itself. Her many years of hard-earned concentration, for some reason, could not suppress her restless thoughts.
It was as if a calamity was imminent, beyond even a deity's salvation. The little girl Huan Xin had been targeted by the Aspect of the Grand Axis, and she was destined to die. Sun Lichai was also subtly influenced by a mysterious enchantment, causing her mind to become chaotic.
Sun Lichai suddenly stood up and told Huan Xin that she would be leaving for a period, instructing her to take care of herself. Then she left the wooden house, soared gracefully, lightly stepping on treetops, and swiftly vanished into the horizon.
Huan Xin smelled the lingering fragrance in the house, and her heart suddenly tightened, feeling a profound sense of loss.
Meanwhile, Sun Lichai found the exit of the deep valley and circled around, safely passing through countless formations and magical techniques. With her profound knowledge, she easily left Yanxuan Valley from a mountain hollow.
As soon as she exited the valley, she heard a Buddhist chant, "Amitabha, this benefactor, please stop."
Sun Lichai turned and saw a strange-looking young monk. He had a delicate face, but there was a vertical gash on his forehead, faintly showing a bloody glow, like a third eye.
"This humble nun is not a benefactor, young master. What is your business?"
"This humble monk is dull and does not recognize the true face of the Bodhisattva. Please forgive me." The young monk was very humble, always keeping his hands pressed together and his head bowed. "May I ask, Sister, if you came from this valley?"
"Indeed."
The young monk was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly. Then he looked up directly at Sun Lichai, the strange eye on his forehead looking both terrifying and disgusting.
"Then, Sister, you must know how to enter the valley, right? To be frank, Sister, this humble monk was born with a severe illness that can only be cured by a good doctor in Yanxuan Valley. I hope, Sister, that for the sake of our shared Buddhist friendship, you can show this humble monk the way. Once this humble monk is cured, I will surely repay your great kindness in my next life."
Sun Lichai laughed, "You, young monk, are truly dishonest. If you want to repay kindness, why wait until the next life?"
"Sister, you do not know. The moment this humble monk is cured will be his death. Therefore, I can only repay Sister in the next life, or the life after that."
Sun Lichai wondered, "Since that is the case, why are you in such a hurry to seek ultimate bliss? Keep your life, cultivate diligently, and in a few years, you will have your rewards." She was referring to the imminent opening of the Pure Land, and the good karma that awaited Buddhist practitioners in the future.
The young monk sighed repeatedly, "No time to wait. The Great God has commanded, and there can be no delay."
Sun Lichai nodded and then explained the magical formations at the valley entrance and how to pass through them. The young monk listened, laughing heartily, his mouth wide open.
"Farewell!"
"Sister, have a safe journey."
Sun Lichai rushed from Jingbei to Mount Song, which took over a month.
At this time, Shaolin Temple was at its peak of prosperity, renowned in the martial arts world, unlike after the Pure Land era, when it was renamed Shaolin Town and became very low-key.
During the day, monks were active everywhere in the temple, and security was strict. Sun Lichai walked towards Yi Gu Courtyard and found a large number of high monks secretly guarding the small courtyard. Not to mention a living person like her, even a small gecko could not enter.
It seemed the Buddha-Child had already displayed divine powers and was highly valued by the Bald Donkeys of Shaolin.
The aura of several monks felt very familiar. Sun Lichai recalled briefly and remembered that these masters were the chief abbots of various Shaolin halls.
She was immediately shocked. "Are you all that idle?"
A bunch of monks, instead of meditating and practicing martial arts, spent all day circling around an infant. Didn't they find it childish?
If she were to formally submit a request to meet the Buddha-Child, she would likely be directly refused. The monks would never allow unfamiliar adults to approach the Buddha-Child. Only inexperienced children and old wet nurses with clean backgrounds could live in Yi Gu Courtyard. Even the guarding monks had to be repeatedly confirmed to be of loyal character and reliable integrity before being allowed into the courtyard.
Helpless that the Buddha-Child was surrounded by this group of Bald Donkeys, Sun Lichai decided to visit her hometown first.
Jianchuan Town.
Familiar streets, familiar people.
She reined in her aura, like an unmoving rock, quietly disappearing into the surging crowd of pedestrians, and walked to her home's doorstep.
The clear lacquer on the dilapidated wooden door was peeling in mottled patches.
She went to knock on the door.
Footsteps quickly sounded from behind the door. It was Madam Sun Wang. Her footsteps were always dragging, and Sun Lichai immediately recognized them.
The door opened.
The creak of the door hinge landed on Sun Lichai's heart like a clap of thunder, startling her for some reason.
A Woman at the threshold asked her.
"Girl, who are you looking for?"
Sun Lichai showed a gentle smile, "This benefactor, this humble nun is a monastic from Yigu Nunnery. I came to Shaolin to visit the high monks. The journey was long and difficult, and I am parched. I have come to ask for a bowl of water."
"Oh, oh! Please come in quickly!" Madam Sun Wang was very enthusiastic, especially towards monastics, and very kind. She turned and shouted into the house, "Husband! Bring water! The master needs water!"
Sun Lichai's gaze swept over the familiar courtyard, the grain hanging from the eaves, the bamboo pole and broken tiles in the corner, and even the rammed earth drying yard with its crisscrossing small cracks and the sprouting tender green grass.
Her mother, Madam Sun Wang, had a high, clear voice, and her rough cheeks glowed with healthy, rosy color.
At this time, it was the period when young Sun Lichai's illness had been cured, and her mother was just like this, full of energy every day.
Sun Lichai was not the only daughter in the family.
She had an older brother and two older sisters.
Her brother had gone out to make his fortune, and her two sisters were already married.
She was completely unfamiliar with these three older Ah Ge and sisters. To her, there seemed to be only three people in the family.
Father Sun Zhengdao, Mother Wang Ruoping, Daughter Sun Lichai.
Three people.
It had always been three people.
Sun Lichai looked at the little girl watching her from in front of the inner room door.
My past self.
Sun Lichai smiled and drank the water. The water, boiled in an iron pot, had a strange taste. It wasn't exactly delicious, and the temperature was neither hot nor cold. In short, it was unpleasant, a familiar unpleasant taste.
Politely declining Madam Sun Wang's invitation to stay for a vegetarian meal, Sun Lichai stepped out the door.
She turned her head for one last look.
Parents and daughter, they were talking and laughing.
Three people.
It had always been three people.
And I am the fourth.
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