Chapter 1356 - 400: The Eerie Buddha Son
Servant monk (Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment).
After understanding this, Zhou Qing couldn’t help but feel some surprise.
Though the temple’s Bodhisattvas had a distinction between male and female, back when he was in the Divinity Transformation Realm, Jue Ming had once invited him to enter the temple.
He even proposed having the Bodhisattvas "serve" him in leisure, euphemistically calling it "part of cultivation."
Thinking back now, it still seemed incredibly absurd.
"By the way," Zhou Qing said as he walked, "I have a friend named Zhao Muye, I’ve heard he practiced here too."
Jue Ming revealed surprise: "Zhao Muye from the Zhao Family, ranked second among the Eight Great Families?"
Seeing Zhou Qing nod, Jue Ming smiled bitterly: "That guy... is really a genius. Because of his simple mind, he didn’t have a lot of twists and turns in his thinking, he straightforwardly said he came to the temple to specialize in the ’Vajra Body.’
"But the talent he displayed later was so remarkable that even the Abbot wanted to accept him as a disciple. Who would’ve thought, upon hearing of lifetime ordination, he fled back to the Zhao Family overnight."
Hearing this, Zhou Qing couldn’t help but laugh.
He had personally witnessed Zhao Muye’s indomitable Body Refining abilities.
Now, having reached the mid-stage of Spirit Slash, if he had stayed in the temple under the Abbot’s guidance, his achievements might not be inferior to Jue Ming’s.
Speaking of the Abbot, his Dharma name should be Ku E.
Master Kudi, who obtained the ’Demon-Suppressing Golden Bone’ through the Corpse-Touching Sticker in Zone 6 years ago, was his junior brother.
Master Kudi had disappeared before reaching Spirit Slash Great Perfection, so the current Abbot is at least in the Supreme Realm.
However, Jue Ming once hinted that Abbot Kuei was the previous Buddha Son.
And a Buddha Son always falls in one generation before the next one appears...
So now, has this Abbot Kuei already entered Nirvana?
As he was contemplating, Jue Ming had already led Zhou Qing to a secluded Zen courtyard.
The courtyard walls were covered with green vines, and a Bodhi tree stood like a canopy before the entrance, with an ancient well beneath casting shimmering waves.
The distant sound of wooden fish and waves of Buddhist chants wafted from within the courtyard.
"Amitabha," Jue Ming placed his palms together in a greeting, "Donor Zhou, please feel free to enter, I won’t go in."
Zhou Qing returned the gesture, and only after Jue Ming had departed did he slowly step into the Zen courtyard, the tiny raspy sounds emanating from the stone path beneath his feet.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door of the great hall, a waft of sandalwood fragrance greeted him.
Inside the hall, smoke from incense spiraled up, weaving through the sunrays streaming through the lattice windows like gauze.
The central golden Buddha statue bore a solemn countenance, eyes lowered in meditation.
A meditation cushion beneath the statue held a figure sitting with their back turned, dressed in a spotless white cassock.
Upon hearing the footsteps, the person slowly rose, and as they turned, the entire hall seemed to brighten.
A youth of about seventeen or eighteen, whose strikingly handsome visage seemed otherworldly.
A drop of vermillion adorned his forehead like blood, and his eyes were clear like an ancient well.
Standing there, there was no trace of spiritual power emanating from him, yet he possessed an undeniable charisma.
As Zhou Qing gazed at him, the tumultuous thoughts in his mind miraculously settled into tranquility.
"Amitabha, Donor Zhou, it’s been a long time."
Buddha Son Gui Cang placed his hands together, a compassionate smile on his lips, his voice clear yet transcendent.
With a gentle wave of his wide sleeves, he gestured toward the meditation cushion beside him: "The origin is empty, please have a seat."
Zhou Qing stared dazedly at the person before him, astonished to find no trace of the childlike visage he once knew.
He had expected the other to gleefully call him "dad," but faced with such distance, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of forlornness.
He inwardly laughed at himself — he was being overly sentimental.
After all, he and this Buddha Son only had a brief encounter, followed by being led to Jiyuan Temple by Jue Ming.
If not for Lady Li, how would this Buddha Son have recognized him as a father?
"What is it, Donor Zhou, do you find me unfamiliar?" Gui Cang seemed to see through his thoughts.
Later, he kindly said: "All beings possess Buddha nature, but are differently enlightened. Our brief encounter was also a karmic connection from a past life."
At this moment, an old hen poked its head out from Zhou Qing’s embrace, its pea-sized eyes curious as they scanned Gui Cang.
Gui Cang saw this and smiled: "How virtuous, back then I intended to bring it to the temple for a stroke of fate, but it was lost while waiting for the ancient transmission in Celestial Wave City."
"I didn’t expect karmic ties to remain, seeing it today is also fate."
Zhou Qing nodded and said: "Hmm, I also encountered it by chance."
Gui Cang raised a hand, and a thousand wood attribute Spirit Stones floated: "As one sows, so shall one reap. The wooden spirit once given by the donor helped me descend to this world."
"To repay a thousandfold today, I hope the donor will fulfill this cause and effect."
Looking at these wood attribute Spirit Stones filled with pure energy, Zhou Qing couldn’t deny he was tempted.
Moreover, to condense a Spirit Seal next, he needed a vast amount of wood attribute Spirit Stones.
However—
"That wood attribute Spirit Stone was actually given by Shen Yunzhou and passed on by Li Shitao and Xiao Cancan to your mother, so in truth, it has nothing to do with me," Zhou Qing candidly said.
"Such is the law of karma." Gui Cang’s eyes were clear, "If not for the donor causing it, how would Donor Shen’s gift be the outcome?"
Zhou Qing pondered for a moment, ultimately pocketing the Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag, then, looking at his serene eyes, asked: "Does this mean things are even now?"
Gui Cang lowered his gaze: "All things are originally silent; this cause and effect has ended, and I shall dedicate myself to meditation."
Zhou Qing gazed at him, sighing in his heart.
Gui Cang then said: "The temple is holding a karma event, the donor can stay a few days..."
Just as Zhou Qing was about to refuse, Gui Cang shifted his tone: "But I need to retreat into seclusion soon, so I fear I may not be able to host."
These contradictory words left Zhou Qing momentarily confused, eventually saying: "Zhou also has important matters, so I’ll take my leave."
"Fate gathers and scatters, donor, please go ahead." Gui Cang placed his palms together and remained silent.
With that, Zhou Qing turned and left; as he stepped out of the Zen courtyard, he suddenly felt a chill behind him.
Turning back, he saw the vermilion door silently closing, and he could faintly see Gui Cang’s figure quietly standing.