Wandering Gods of Day and Night

Zhou Xuan carefully listened to Lady Lianhua’s story,

though during the entire process he didn’t pay attention to Lady Lianhua’s eyes; his gaze inadvertently swept over Lady Lianhua’s waist and abdomen.

"Mr., everything is a sham, and I am the most useful pawn in the manipulator’s hands."

Lady Lianhua spoke, tearful with sadness.

It turns out, the tumors on Lady Lianhua’s body were not a natural anomaly, but rather, the Yanfutai Buddha Mother had unknowingly planted Silver Bodhisattva Flowers deep within her soul.

And Lady Lianhua, relying on the Silver Bodhisattva Flowers, saved many disaster victims during numerous calamities.

She thus gained abundant renown in Buddhism, and as her fame grew larger, she came to possess Lotus Mountain.

"Lotus Mountain, I always thought this mountain, with its clear waters and beautiful scenery, was perfect for me to cultivate in Buddhism, do good deeds, and live peacefully,

but I never expected that this mountain is where the Yanfutai Buddha Mother has long managed,

the entire mountain was covered by her illusions; in reality, it was her spot to cultivate ’Silver Bodhisattva Flowers’ in the mountain valley."

"Once those Silver Bodhisattva Flowers are consumed by the people of Jing Country, they bear a mark of ’obedience to the Buddha Country,’

for years now, I’ve been doing good deeds, how many people I’ve given tumors to... are those still tumors? No, they are one strange Silver Bodhisattva Flower after another,

my sins are heinous; my crimes are beyond description..."

Lady Lianhua kept beating her chest with remorse, her large hands pounding her inflated chest with loud thumps.

Zhou Xuan, however, was not focused on Lady Lianhua’s repentance; he was concerned with one thing—"the people of Jing Country."

Earlier when Lady Lianhua recounted the events of these years, she used such odd phrasing.

A native of Jing Country, how would they use the word "people" specially preceded by "Jing Country"?

He immediately redirected his gaze towards Lady Lianhua’s waist, after looking a few times, he didn’t immediately reveal it but followed along with her story, saying,

"Lady, I have two things I don’t quite understand, may I ask?"

Zhou Xuan said.

"Mr. please ask."

Lady Lianhua said.

Zhou Xuan organized his thoughts and said, "Firstly, why did Yanfuti choose you to plant those Silver Bodhisattva Flowers?"

All choices have reasons; the motive is surely not "random", so what is Yanfuti’s motive?

Hearing this, Lady Lianhua was even more sorrowful, using a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, she said: "Mr., I am ’Contemplation Zen’, unlike the other Twenty-one Zen."

"What is the difference?"

"The other Zen Masters are all fragmented thoughts of the Ancient Buddha—some Zen Masters are the Ancient Buddha’s desires, representing innate sin, like ’Six Desires Zen Master’, which is the giant fish spanning the sky,

some Zen Masters represent the Ancient Buddha’s good thoughts, like ’Master Wu Ya’, he is by nature a good Buddha.

Some Zen Masters stand for the Ancient Buddha’s wisdom thoughts, both good and evil, depending on guidance,

in Mingjiang Prefecture, the evil Seven-leaf Venerable, finally through Master Wu Ya’s enlightenment, suddenly realized the way and became the Bodhi Tree protecting Mingjiang Prefecture, hence letting go of evil and became ’Joyful Zen Master’,

Joyful Zen Master represents the Ancient Buddha’s wisdom thought,

whereas I am neither good thoughts, nor wisdom thoughts, nor desire..."

"Then what are you?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"I am a mirror."

Lady Lianhua said: "The Ancient Buddha, when practicing Kurong Zen, always loves visualizing before a mirror, I am that mirror,

within the mirror are all things, the mountains and rivers of Jing Country, the vast Starry Sky, thus, as the embodiment of that mirror, I am naturally blessed with the most expansive spiritual space."

Zhou Xuan, hearing this, understood, and said: "You are an excellent vessel for the Buddhist Sect."

"You could say that."

Lady Lianhua said: "My soul is vast enough, so the Yanfuti chose me to plant the Silver Bodhisattva Flowers within my soul."

"This reason is indeed reasonable."

Zhou Xuan nodded and said.

Earlier he had heard from those three children—some Spirit Grass and Spirit Flowers should be planted in Spirit Mountain Treasure River, but some Spirit Grass and Spirit Flowers must be planted deep within the human soul.

Since the soul is the soil, naturally you cannot just randomly choose someone’s soul to plant in.

Choosing "soil" naturally requires picking good soil.

Lady Lianhua is that soil.

Zhou Xuan then raised the second question.

"Lady Lianhua, those Silver Bodhisattva Flowers are not dead things; whether they are flowers, grass, or perhaps a living creature similar to the human brain, it is ultimately alive.

As they are living, they require nourishment; in this Lotus Mountain, those Silver Bodhisattva Flowers, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, what do they rely on as nutrients for growth?"

Zhou Xuan’s question seemed to hit Lady Lianhua.

A flicker of cunning flashed through her yellow-skinned, narrow pupils.

Such a gaze, fleeting,

then she cleared her throat and said,

"Mr., you might not know—this Lotus Mountain was once famous as a burial ground, the mountain lines extend for several hundred kilometers, and it has dozens of Chaotic Burial Grounds,

thus, beneath the mountain, countless corpses and bones,

these innumerable corpses have become the nourishment for Silver Bodhisattva Flowers, nourishing their growth."

Lady Lianhua’s words seemed less confident than before, and even her volume has lowered somewhat.