Nightfall

Ning Que asked, “What if you can’t kill Buddha?”

Jun Mo answered, “Then I will die.”

He talked about death casually, but Ning Que was astonished to hear him say so. After a long silence, Ning Que asked again, “Second Brother, Buddha may still be alive.”

Jun Mo didn’t believe it at all and responded, “Nonsense. Buddha has already reached Nirvana. If he was still in the human world, how could the Headmaster not know? How could Haotian not know?”

Ning Que signed and said, “She really doesn’t know whether Buddha is alive or dead. Why else would she come to Xuankong Temple?”

Jun Mo went silent for a moment and said, “Then we have to figure it out.”

The two returned to the small tent on the lakeside and found that Sangsang was sleeping.

It turned out that Haotian could get sleepy. Hearing the footsteps, she opened her eyes and looked at Ning Que. “I spared his life for the sake of the old days to cut off my ties with him.”

Jun Mo said, “I already said that I would never ask for Heaven’s forgiveness before the Battle of Verdant Canyon.”

Ning Que tried to persuade her, “The whole cutting-off your-ties-with-the-human-world thing doesn’t work this way. Can you be reasonable?”

Sitting up, Sangsang looked at Jun Mo and said, “Speaking of being reasonable, you puzzled me. If it was a trap set by Buddha to kill me, then why are you standing by my side? I thought that the Academy would love to see my death.”

As Haotian, she knew Jun Mo’s standpoint from his expression. The reason why she didn’t ask Ning Que was that she had already accustomed to Ning Que’s full support.

Jun Mo answered calmly, “I am ashamed.”

He meant that he would be ashamed to stand by the Buddhism’s side.

Ning Que answered in a more direct way, “The Academy would never do such a disgraceful thing.”

…

…

Leaving the lake and meadow in front of the cliff, Ning Que and Sangsang wandered around the field underground and tried to find signs that revealed whether Buddha was alive or dead.

Sometimes while grilling fish by the lake, he would wonder what his Second Brother was doing. Was he waving his iron sword and killing the nobles and soldier monks? Or was he trying to talk some sense to the Living Buddhas?

Jun Mo may have to keep waving his iron sword in this miserable world for the next decades. The Buddha land which had enjoyed tranquility for many years must be full of tempestuous storms. The Xuankong Temple who enslaved millions of serfs will probably begin to tremble due to fear.

Thinking about this, Ning Que felt passionate even though he was a cold blooded man. He was anxious to fight alongside Second Brother, but he had more important things to do. Even though he had finished his business with Buddha and Haotian, he still had to return to Chang’an and finish his business with the human world.

Their journey of searching for Buddha continued. Ning Que and Sangsang traveled through the vast field in the giant sinkhole, but gained nothing. They became more and more silent.

The unknown was disturbing, especially for those who were omniscient.

Walking through the field and then climbing the mountain peaks again, Sangsang wandered around countless temples between the cliffs, meditated in front of solemn Buddha statues and silently stared at the sky standing on the edge of the cliff.

In the Commandment Hall of the West Peak, they stood among the old trees and listened to the sound of the cane falling on the monks. In the East Peak, they stood in the shadow of the cliff stone and watched the soldier monks stomping on the ground.

They saw Qi Nian in meditation in the Grand Hall on the peak and saw a willowy old monk who was making porridge and an ancient clock in a thatched cottage behind the hall.

Xuankong Temple seemed so solemn and peaceful, which was completely different from the world under the peak. Looking at these, Ning Que was puzzled. Buddhism talks about compassion all the time. The monks meditate on the mountain peaks, but the people suffered greatly under the peaks. How could they keep meditating in peace?

In the yellow temple on the cliff yard below the peak, Ning Que saw an acquaintance, Master Huang Yang, who left Chang’an and came to Xuankong Temple inquiring about Buddha. At this point, Sangsang was wondering elsewhere, so Huang Yang only saw Ning Que.

Master Huang Yang was a little surprised. Ning Que shared his experience of these days briefly. Realizing that there have been so many things that had happened in the world, the master asked, “You should leave soon.”

Ning Que frowned slightly and asked, “What happened in Xuankong Temple?”

Master Huang Yang shook his head and answered, “I don’t know what is it, but there must be something going on.”

Being a younger brother of the Tang emperor, Master Huang Yang enjoyed a extremely honorable position in the human world, which was the reason for the courteous reception he received from Xuankong Temple. However, the temple treated him well until recently. The monks stopped visiting him, which alerted him, for he felt that the temple deliberately isolated him.

The master knew exactly what was going on the moment he saw Ning Que.

Sangsang stepped on the Chief Monk of Scripture into the solid ground in the field, but the Chief Monk didn’t die. The Hanging Temple was not surprised to learn that Sangsang and Ning Que had arrived here.

Ning Que wasn’t worried at all, for Haotian was right beside him.

Master Huang Yang knew what he was thinking, but he had some different views. He removed the prayer beads from his wrist and handed them to Ning Que. He solemnly said, “Buddha is compassionate, but he can get angry sometimes.”

Hearing the word “compassionate” in Xuankong Temple, Ning Que felt uncomfortable subconsciously. Walking to the stone steps in front of the temple, he pointed to the world covered by the clouds under the peak and asked, “Can you see any compassion there?”

Master Huang Yang knew that Ning Que had been wondering around the underground world for quite a while and said, “Many years ago, Buddha built the Buddha land with great will. He constructed countless yellow temples among the peaks, and migrated innumerable sinful people here to support the monks. He hoped that these sinful people could be civilized by Buddha Dharma, thus washing off their sins.”

Ning Que answered, “Bullshit. I am not sure whether the mortals who were brought here by Buddha were really sinful. Even if they were, there were laws to punish them. Buddha is just a cultivator. Who gave him the right to declare their sentences? Even if those people were really sinful, how could their offsprings suffer for their sins? Why should they live in such an injustice place?”

Master Huang Yang admired Buddha, so he couldn’t echo Ning Que’s accusation or make excuses for Buddha. After a long silence, the master said, “The bitterness in this life may lead to a blessed afterlife.”

Turning around on the stone step, Ning Que looked at looked at the Buddha statue in the temple and said, “An illusory afterlife can never counterbalance the sufferings one had endured in this life no matter how joyful this afterlife is. The Buddha you worship is indeed disgusting.”

Master Huang Yang replied, “Maybe the Xuankong Temple was a mistake. But who dares to disobey the rules set by Buddha?”

Ning Que said, “Meditation is the right way to cultivate Buddha Dharma. How could these monks be so absorbed in meditating while the people here suffer greatly?”

Master Huang Yang answered, “Most of the monks here have never stepped off the mountain peaks.”

Ning Que said, “But they are not fools. They know clearly what the world under the peak is like, and the Xuankong Temple is also engaged deeply with the human world. Those soldier monks who are assigned to the human world and strong ones like you and Qi Nian will inevitably pass through the field while leaving the giant sinkhole. How could you never care for these poor people?”

Master Huang Yang said, “You do have a point. The Xuankong Temple has been passed down for countless years, and there indeed were some monks with high moral integrity who tried to make a difference even though they had to disobey Buddha. Unfortunately, they all failed. And what puzzled these monks the most was that when they tried to improve the living situation of the people under the mountain peaks, the latter would get disoriented as if the bitterness has become the core of their life.”

Ning Que said, “Faith is addictive. One must bite the bullet to get rid of it, and the beginning is always the hardest. How could you give up because of temporary pain?”

Master Huang Yang asked, “But what if the Buddha land begins to fall?”

Ning Que said, “Why should you care for this damn place falling?”

Huang Yang master shook his head helplessly. You are not one of us. Of course it’s easy for you to say so. But as disciples of Buddha, how could the monks in Xuankong Temple just let the Buddha land fall?

Ning Que continued to say, “How could these monks put up with the way the Xuankong Temple operates if they were truly merciful?”

Master Huang Yang answered, “Actually they couldn’t stand it, but they also couldn’t fix it. They chose to leave.”

Ning Que responded, “So that’s the reason why you left Xuankong Temple and returned to Chang’an back then.”

Master Huang Yang said, “Correct. There were many monks who left Xuankong Temple like I did. Master Qishan was regarded as the successor by the chief monk of Xuankong Temple back then since he had mastered all the Buddhist scriptures when he was still a teenager. But the master couldn’t bear to see the miserable life these people under the peaks endured. He left here and went to Lanke Temple eventually.”

Ning Que looked at the golden Buddha statue in the temple and thought of Master Qishan who had fallen sick from persistently overworking in the cave of Wa Mountain. After a long silence, he said, “Master Qishan indeed had the heart of Buddha.”

…

…

Ning Que went back to the remote cliff yard, pulled out the vine and went to the tree in front of the old residence of Lian Sheng.

He didn’t know what tree it was. He only remembered that the whole tree had only one white flower when he came here a few days ago. The white flower was blown to his shoulder by the wind back then and he had put it in Sangsang’s hair.

After only a few days, the tree was covered with blooming small white flowers, exuding the delicate fragrance which went away with the wind.

Sangsang walked up to him. As she said a few days ago, she could always easily find him no matter where he was.

A breeze between the cliffs passed by, the green leaves and the small white flowers shivered slightly. The leaves gradually thickened and the small white flowers gradually withered at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was extremely magical.

Only the little white flower in Sangsang’s hair was still delicate and fresh.

The thickened green leaves and the withered white flowers didn’t necessarily mean desolation, but could mean that a bumper harvest for the fruits could only be born after the flowers fall. And it didn’t take long for the tree to be covered with green pears.

Ning Que realized that the tree by the cliff was actually a pear tree.

He reached out to pick off a green pear from a branch and found that the pear was much smaller than the normal ones in the human world. The cyan color of the pear was very light and the surface was smooth, which seemed very sweet and juicy.

Ning Que has seen this kind of green pear before and so had Sangsang. Many years ago in the cave behind the Buddha status in Wa Mountain, Master Qishan offered one to Sangsang, and Sangsang shared that green pear with him.

That green pear indeed tasted delicious.

Looking at the green pear in his hand, Ning Que was hesitant and even a little nervous, because he and Sangsang fell asleep and were sucked into the Buddha’s Chessboard the last time they ate one.

It might be alright if it was under other circumstances, but he and Sangsang were still in Xuankong Temple.

It had puzzled Ning Que that the monks in Xuankong Temple acted calmly the whole time. Even though they can’t find us, at least they should be a little nervous. However, the countless temples among the mountain peaks remained exactly the same, with monks chanting and meditating, and the Commandment Hall punishing guilty monks and soldier monks stomping on the ground.

The morning bells and evening drums still sounded pure, and Xuankong Temple was still peaceful.

What were the monks in Xuankong Temple waiting for? Conditioned dharmas? Or the moment that conditioned dharmas fell upon them? But when would the moment come? Was it related to this pear tree?

Ning Que stared at the small green pear in his hand and frowned slightly.

At this moment, a very melodious bell suddenly came from the summit.

Was it pure?

Ning Que didn’t think so. At the very moment Ning Que heard the bell, his heart suddenly contracted as if it was gripped by an invisible hand and would be crushed the next moment.

The bell was not pure at all, but enchanted!

Turning pale instantly, he was in such severe pain that he almost crumbed the little green pear in his hand.

Then, he spitted out some blood!

All of a sudden, a hand passed through the breeze and held his hand.

It was Sangsang’s hand.

A pure and powerful divinity came from her hand, instantly occupying the body and mind of Ning Que and repairing his broken heart at an unimaginable speed.

Getting out of the desperate situation, Ning Que looked toward the summit where the bell came from. With his clothes and face full of blood, he still had fear in his eyes.

The melodious bell came from the Grand Hall of Xuankong Temple, from the ancient clock he and Sangsang had seen. But he never imagined the bell could be so dreadful!

With his cultivation in Haoran Qi deepening, his body was as strong as steel and the ordinary swords and arrows couldn’t pierce his skin, let alone his heart which was covered by layers of Haoran Qi.

However, the bell from Xuankong Temple shattered his heart and almost killed him!

Feeling her hand holding his, Ning Que firmly believed that he would be safe with Sangsang by his side.

No matter how dreadful the bell is and no matter how strong Xuankong Temple is, I will be still alive as long as I hold Sangsang’s hand tightly even though you have cut me into pieces.

This was the conclusion that Ning Que drew from his experience in the Divine Hall of Light and the Secluded Pavilion. He had great confidence in his conclusion.

Holding Sangsang’s hand, he was no longer afraid and began to listen to the bell carefully.

The bell kept echoing through the cliffs and countless temples, sounding far away.

Countless chanting voices gradually merged into the bell.

With countless temples, countless monks chanting the Buddhist scriptures and countless chanting voices mixing together, it was nearly impossible to hear which Buddhist scripture they were chanting.

Every temple on earth started its day from the morning bells.

As the morning bell rang, the monks woke up and then chanted the Buddhist scriptures, which was the morning ritual.

The Xuankong Temple woke up, revealing his true face as the real Buddha land left on earth by Buddha.

A Light of Buddha appeared on the cliff yard, covering Sangsang from within.

The scene made Ning Que’s blood freeze, as if his heart had stopped.

Because he remembered what happened in the back hall of Lanke Temple many years ago.

…