klisemfg Chapter 508 Cause and Effect Reincarnation 28
Chapter 508 Cause and Effect Reincarnation 28
When Wanyan Feng came to see them off, he was all teary-eyed. Even though he was already a father of two and had grown a beard, making him look like a rough man, he cried like a two-hundred-pound child.
Shen Juan turned her head away with a look of disgust. Gu Yao tried to comfort her with a few words of good temper, but Shen Juan pulled her behind her and then kicked her... but missed.
Wanyan Feng had already instinctively dodged to avoid it.
Shen Juan remained in the raised leg position, creating an awkward atmosphere.
The honest-looking man scratched his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "I've gotten used to it over the years."
Gu Yao smiled with her lips pursed, which somewhat diluted the sad atmosphere of parting.
Shen Juan kicked the person away again, her face full of impatience, "Go away, get out of my way, what are you crying about?"
Gu Yao stood to the side, leading his horse, and nodded. "All good things must come to an end. Until we meet again!"
Before he finished speaking, the young man mounted his horse and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wanyan Feng.
"Farewell!"
With a flick of the whip, the tall, reddish-brown horse galloped away.
Shen Juan had no intention of paying attention to the person in front of her anymore. She mounted her horse, turned her back, and waved to Wanyan Feng, saying, "See you again if fate allows."
Two reddish-brown horses galloped off into the distance, one after the other.
They both knew that this parting would most likely be the last time they saw each other.
Wanyan Feng stood there, watching the two gradually become a small dot and then disappear before slowly turning his gaze away.
He lowered his eyes, gripped the jewel-encrusted, ornate dagger at his waist, and murmured, "Take care."
After traveling for three months, Gu Yao and Shen Juan returned to the capital.
The most famous and most efficacious temple in the capital is Xinyuan Temple.
The abbot of the temple is a highly accomplished monk.
Gu Yao came here for this purpose.
Xinyuan Temple is built among the mountains, and can only be reached by the 108 steps in front of the mountain gate.
The temple, which was once bustling with worshippers, is unusually quiet today.
Gu Yao led Shen Juan by the hand and slowly walked up the stone steps. The moment they knocked on the temple door, as if someone had been waiting for them, a young novice monk came and opened the door for them.
“Benefactor, your master has been waiting for a long time. Please.”
The young novice was not surprised at all by the arrival of the two, and bowed in a gesture of invitation.
Although the voice was young, it was surprisingly calm, like the Zen chanting of an ancient temple deep in the mountains, bringing peace to the listener's heart.
Gu Yao looked down and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Although the young novice monk had a youthful face and looked only eight or nine years old, Gu Yao recognized him at a glance as an old acquaintance.
That strange (crossed out) awesome monk—Jingchen.
Gu Yao thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, "What's your name, little master?"
The young novice monk's face was expressionless, neither sad nor happy. His fair complexion and his eyes seemed to see through all the affairs of the world.
He clasped his hands together and bowed to Gu Yao, saying, "This humble monk's Dharma name is Jingchen."
Sure enough it was him.
Having confirmed Jingchen's identity, Gu Yao wanted to get more information out of her.
He never understood why Jingchen helped the Gu family; he said it was his karma.
He, however, did not recall this connection.
Jingchen seemed to sense Gu Yao's thoughts and pointed towards the main hall, "You must have many questions in your heart, Master will answer them for you, please."
Seeing that Jingchen was unwilling to say more, Gu Yao did not press the matter. He nodded and took Shen Juan's hand as they slowly walked up the steps.
The morning light streamed into the main hall, bathing the central Buddha statue in a golden glow. Its face was full, its nose straight, and its lips slightly upturned. Its lowered eyes held a compassionate light, as if they could embrace the sins of the world and deliver all its suffering.
A person was kneeling on a prayer mat in the very center, with their back to the door. The clear sound of the wooden fish and the chanting of sutras echoed in the spacious and solemn main hall.
He did not speak.
Gu Yao lowered his eyes, took Shen Juan's hand and stepped forward. He first took three incense sticks from the incense table and bowed earnestly. He knelt on another prayer mat, wanting to kowtow, but was gently supported by a withered hand.
"If you have no requests, then there is no need to make any."
Gu Yao stood up and turned his head to look at the person who had spoken.
He wore a patchwork robe that had faded from washing, his face was gaunt, but his eyes were clear. He didn't look like the abbot of a popular temple, but rather a sprightly old man hoeing the fields.
With a smile playing on his lips, he looked extremely kind, and his eyes seemed to see through everything in the world.
He extended his hand, gesturing for Gu Yao to sit down, "Please ask whatever you wish to ask, benefactor."
Gu Yao didn't stand on ceremony. He changed his posture and sat cross-legged on the futon, staring intently at the old man in front of him, afraid of missing a single expression. "What is the connection between Master Jingchen and the Gu family?"
The abbot seemed surprised that Gu Yao had so many questions in his mind and asked this question first.
His gaze turned to Jingchen, a tiny figure holding a broom taller than himself, quietly sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard.
It was as if nothing could stir any emotion in him.
The abbot withdrew his gaze, sighed softly, and put down the prayer beads that were turning on his wrist. "He owes the Gu family a life."
Gu Yao's heart tightened.
The abbot continued, "The year Jingchen was born coincided with a locust plague. His parents fled north, but ultimately could not afford to raise him and abandoned him on the streets of the capital in the dead of winter."
Gu Yao lowered his eyes.
He couldn't judge whether the parents' actions were right or wrong; in that situation, exchanging children to eat and splitting bones for food were normal.
Although they abandoned Jingchen, they also gave him a glimmer of hope.
If you leave it on the streets of Beijing, at least you won't have to worry about it being eaten.
Even if you die, at least you'll have a complete body.
"The person who saved him was named Gu Jizhou, who was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue at the time."
Gu Yaoxin's heart was suddenly tugged.
The abbot said all he had to say.
“This child is a born Buddhist, but even so, if no one had saved him, he would have died in that cold winter. Back then, I was invited by His Majesty to pray for the refugees who died in the locust plague. I met Minister Gu, who immediately saw that this child had a deep affinity with Buddhism, so I brought him back.”
At this point, the abbot's eyes softened. "I am not a person with deep Buddhist affinity, nor can I comprehend the most profound Buddhist teachings. Without Jingchen, I don't know who would have handed over Xinyuan Temple to."
Gu Yao remained silent.
The abbot continued, "But he is ultimately entangled in worldly karma, which he must repay. Buddhism emphasizes the cycle of cause and effect. He owes the Gu family a life, so naturally he must repay it."
With his doubts resolved, Gu Yao stood up and, without asking any further questions, clasped his hands together, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your explanation, Abbot."
After saying that, he made a move to walk out.
The abbot was taken aback. "Does the benefactor not need clarification?"
Gu Yao paused as he stepped out the door, without turning back. "No need. The abbot also said that Buddhism emphasizes cause and effect, so everything has a cause and an effect."
Why did he become Gu Yao?
Why did the first mission and Chen Ai miss each other?
The answers are all there.