Nightfall

“But, it is the divine kingdom of Buddha above the cliff,” the herdsmen by the lake said in trembling voice, and the hope and curiosity in their eyes were replaced by awe and uneasiness. However, the hope and curiosity could never be erased completely once they have appeared.

“I came from the ground, and these two also came from the ground. If the ground is the divine kingdom of Buddha, then you can regard us as the messengers of Buddha.”

Jun Mo looked at the herdsmen calmly and began to tell the stories in the Buddhist scriptures, which contained the perfect world without snowstorms and cruel nobles, heavenly maids scattering blossoms, beautiful colored glazes, spring-like weather all year round and the most beautiful things human beings could think of.

Sangsang looked at Jun Mo and suddenly said, “Everyone from the Academy is crazy.”

Ning Que never thought that a gentleman like his Second Brother would deceive people. He sighed. “Only a gentleman with true compassion could ever make such sacrifices.”

Sangsang responded, “Speaking of deceiving people, you are the real master. Jun Mo should learn from you.”

He requested helplessly. “When will you stop saying bad things about me?”

Sangsang answered quickly and simply, “Why should I?”

Jun Mo’s voice echoed across the lakeside, like the warmest spring breeze. The herdsmen were so intoxicated that they had long forgotten the previous fears and uneasiness.

At the end of the preaching, the herdsmen bowed to Jun Mo and then dispersed. Jun Mo walked to Ning Que and reached out to pat his shoulder. Then he looked at Sangsang and asked, “Are you looking for your way back?”

Not everyone could be so natural while facing Haotian, not the Abbey Dean, not Chief Monk of Scripture, not the Drunkard and the Butcher, and not even Eldest Brother.

But Jun Mo could, for he had never been afraid of death. He only respected the Headmaster of Academy, Youngest Uncle, and Eldest Brother in his whole life. So, he feared nothing and only regarded Haotian as normal person.

Besides, on the Unknown Mountain in the north of Chang’an many years ago, Jun Mo had decided that he would treat Sangsang as a little girl worthy of pity when he saw her kneeling down on the cliff and holding the ashes. He still felt the same way about her at this point.

After Sangsang left the Divine Halls of West Hill and especially after entering the Tang, Sangsang had the similar feeling. But this was the first time a person except Ning Que ever treated her in an ordinary manner.

She frowned slightly, wondering how should she react: be angry or just let him?

Jun Mo simply ignored what she was thinking and continued, “What is wrong with staying in the human world? The Headmaster said that you will be very pitiful. It seems that he was right.”

Sangsang was a little angry at this point.

She once felt Ning Que’s pity for her in the Divine Hallsl and also felt Mo Shanshan’s pity for her by the Ink Fountain of the Great River Kingdom. She was furious to learn from Jun Mo that the Headmaster also felt sorry for her at this moment.

As Haotian, I don’t need your pity. All human beings, including the Headmaster of Academy, are all my defeated opponents. You humans don’t have the qualification to feel sorry for me.

She reached out to Jun Mo.

Jun Mo slightly raised his eyebrows, and his left hand held the iron sword tightly.

The iron sword could smash the Buddha stone statue in Lanke Temple, sweep away the millions of enemy troops in front of the Verdant Canyon, make Ye Su stunned and scare Liu Bai off, but it couldn’t stop her hand.

Her hand fell on Jun Mo’s face, but she didn’t harm him.

She looked at Jun Mo quietly, and the atmosphere by the lake became a bit weird.

Ning Que didn’t understand why she agreed to accompany him to search for his Second Brother before. Seeing this, he realized that Sangsang was up to something.

Sangsang moved her hand along Jun Mo’s face, sliding over his eyebrows, his nose and his lips.

Ning Que was stunned. What are you doing? He is your brother-in-law! As her husband, Ning Que was jealous and angry that she touched Jun Mo’s face like this.

Jun Mo’s Kasaya rose with the wind and so did his anger.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense and the situation was on the verge.

At this time, Ning Que suddenly fell forward onto Jun Mo and clung to his thigh, crying out, “Second Brother, keep calm. You can’t defeat her!”

A tragic and serious drama about the fight between Haotian and a human being was about to be staged, but all of a sudden, Ning Que turned it to a farce by playing the intruder. The eyebrows of Jun Mo trembled slightly, and he was anxious to give Ning Que a kick.

Sangsang finally pulled her hand back from Jun Mo’s face and then turned around, heading to a small tent by the lake. He is not Buddha. Where has Buddha hidden? Why can’t I find him?

She knew that the tent was the residence of Jun Mo. Approaching the tent, she picked up the curtain unreservedly and prepared to walk in. Then she remembered something before stepping in the tent.

She looked back at Jun Mo and said, “I grant you eternity.”

Without thinking about it, Jun Mo responded, “You can grant me eternity when you are actually immortal.”

After Sangsang came to the human world, she had already granted eternity to quite a few people who all had different reactions. The Drunkard and the Butcher were transported with joy, Tang Xiaotang thought her offering was unexpected and suggested to buy vegetables first, Mrs. Zeng Jing was absorbed in crying and didn’t understand what she meant, and Ning Que just refused her decidedly.

In most cases, she didn’t hear what she wanted. And Jun Mo’s answer today surprised and puzzled her.

“It’s up to you,” she thought for a while outside the tent and said to Jun Mo. Then she stepped into the tent.

Looking at the tent, Ning Que said helplessly, “You sell the eternity with a big discount like it is cabbage. But it seems that nobody wants it even though you set the price low.”

Jun Mo asked, “What is she doing?”

Ning Que answered, “You used to treat her well, so she wants to pay you back.”

Jun Mo was so wise that he understood her intention immediately. He commented, “It is a stupid way to cut off her ties with the human world.”

Ning Que sighed and said, “I agree.”

Jun Mo asked, “It seems that she has not found the way to return to the Divine Kingdom. What about you? Have you found a way to keep her in the world?”

Remembering what he was thinking in front of Chang’an, Ning Que answered, “Not yet. I intended to come to Xuankong Temple to get some inspiration, but now it appears to be in vain.”

Is there not a way in this mortal world to embrace both my faith and my beloved? If there is any, it must be far more profound than the Buddha Dharma.

Jun Mo said, “I observed the night moon these days and found that the Headmaster is struggling. If she ever goes back, the human world would be destroyed. So you have to be careful.”

Ning Que went silent for a while and said, “If the day ever comes, I have no other choice but to make the final decision.”

Jun Mo said, “That would be a breach of human relationship. You shouldn’t do it.”

Ning Que said, “You are a man with noble character, but I am not.”

Looking at the iron sword in his hand, Jun Mo thought about it and said, “I still think it is wrong.”

Ning Que didn’t want to discuss this issue and changed the subject. “You have been in Xuankong Temple for some time. Seen anything new?”

Jun Mo raised his iron sword and pointed to the majestic mountain in the distance. “This filthy place has nothing but filthy people and filthy things.”

Ning Que realized that he had asked a stupid question, for his Second Brother wouldn’t have the mood to explore a place where the people who lived there suffered greatly. So he said, “You must be very happy to preach and eliminate the bad people in the field.”

Jun Mo shook his head and said, “I have been telling the stories in the Buddhist scriptures to the herdsmen and serfs these days. Today is the first time I have killed someone here.”

Ning Que was surprised. You hate Buddhism and monks the most. You didn’t even read much Buddhist scriptures before, so how could you preach to these devoted Buddhist followers?

Jun Mo said, “I have read some Buddhist scriptures in the Back Hill and read some more on the journey here. These herdsmen don’t even know how to read. It is most effective to tell the simple stories.”

Ning Que praised him. “The Buddhist scriptures must have dawned on you.”

Jun Mo said indifferently, “In my opinion, the Buddhist scriptures are deceptive. How could I let it dawn on me?”

Ning Que was puzzled.

“The people here had lived underground for generations. They used their flesh and blood to worship Xuankong Temple, but they have never heard of anything about Buddha Dharma. So they were thrilled to listen to my preaching and treated me as a Guru.”

Looking at the field that gradually became cold and dark, Jun Mo’s voice also gradually became colder. “Buddha said he would love all human beings equally but treated people here as pigs and dogs. Buddhism said that inexhaustible meanings were contained in the Buddhist scriptures but even didn’t allow its followers to read them. What is the difference between these Buddhist scriptures and wastepapers? What is the difference between the monks and liars?”

Ning Que asked, “What’s your next move?”

Jun Mo answered, “I originally came here to cultivate Buddha Dharma, but I would have never thought that Buddha was so abominable. How could I meditate after seeing such a miserable underground world? These bold donkeys deserve to die”

Ning Que reminded him. “Seventh Sister said we can’t curse like this.”

Jun Mo touched his newly regrown hair gently and said, “I can call them bold donkeys since my hair grew back.”

Ning Que agreed, “You do have a point.”

Jun Ge looked up at the crescent moon and said, “The Headmaster is fighting against Haotian. As his disciple, I should have helped him, but I don’t have the power to go up to Heaven or to defeat her. All I can do is to serve the human world as the Academy should do. I shall destroy Xuankong Temple first.”

Ning Que praised him again. “You are truly compassionate.”

Jun Mo turned around and said to him, “I started killing today, and I must keep killing henceforth. I can’t help you with your troubles for now.”

Ning Que knew that Second Brother injured the nobleman and allowed him to run away deliberately or else the nobleman would have been dead. Jun Mo’s purpose was to draw more people back and kill them all.

“Killing the nobles will inevitably attract soldier monks, and killing the soldier monks will inevitably attract the Gurus and Living Buddhas. Eventually the Xuankong Temple will come after you. I am afraid you can’t kill them all on your own.” Ning Que was a little worried.

“I told the herdsmen that if they have the courage, they can climb to the top no matter how high the cliff is. The same is true for killing. I can kill them all as long as I keep trying.” Jun Mo looked at the giant peak in the night and said, “Look at the dark mountain over there. After I killed these dogs down here, I will climb up to the mountain peak, kill all the bold donkeys in the temple and set the mountain on fire.”

Ning Que praised Jun Mo again. “Cultivating Buddha Dharma means eliminating Buddhism.”

Jun Mo said, “No. Eliminating Buddhism is my way of cultivating Buddha Dharma”

Ning Que said, “Or maybe it is what the compassion of Buddhism truly means.”

Jun Mo said, “You are right. I will stick to my point even though Buddha has reborn and stands in front of me.”

Ning Que went silent for a while and said, “Maybe Buddha…is still alive.”

“Don’t be naughty.” Jun Mo replied, “But I will kill Buddha if he were still alive.”

The Buddha Dharma that Jun Mo cultivated was meant to eliminate Buddhism.

…