Chapter 381: Sincerely Worshipping the Buddha

The giant black figure was spotted by Shui Miao. Although he felt a bit frightened by this enormous dark silhouette, a sense of relief also washed over him. At last, he had seen it—even if it was only a shadow.

Previously, Shui Miao had been living in confusion and doubt.

Now, he finally confirmed the existence of a hidden puppeteer pulling the strings behind the scenes. There was no need to say more—everything had been orchestrated by this shadowy figure, including Shui Miao’s current cultivation abilities. Yet, Shui Miao also felt he had gained a lot. After all, hadn’t he managed to expose this hidden force?

Enough talk—Shui Miao had no mood to deal with others. He walked alone on the street, pondering how to confront this mysterious manipulator.

Under the cover of night, Shui Miao walked naturally, without a specific destination.

Before he realized it, he had stopped at a street corner, staring at the four-way intersection ahead, uncertain which path to take.

He sat down on the steps by the roadside.

Now that his immortal energy was completely drained, he felt empty, as if he had suddenly become an ordinary person.

It was also quiet—very quiet…

Lying on the ground, blinking at the stars, he thought of nothing at all.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the fourth watch of the night.

“Shhh… shhh…”

A rustling sound arose. Shui Miao raised his head and saw a street cleaner coming out to sweep.

He didn’t want to scare the person, so he got up, patted off his clothes, and walked away. When he reached the foot of the Huanghai River Bridge, he stopped. Glancing around, he moved toward a secluded spot beneath the bridge—not for any other reason than to find some peace and quiet, to seriously consider how he could escape the grasp of that formidable puppeteer.

However, as he approached the bridge’s base, he saw a disheveled homeless man. Upon seeing someone approach, the man quickly grabbed a stick and started tapping it on the ground without saying a word.

Even a quiet place couldn’t be found!

Shui Miao sighed and turned back. As he walked, he noticed a large open area to the north, vaguely visible in the dim light, with a clearly marked gate—it was a public park.

“The White Swan Park!”

Seeing the five characters next to the gate, Shui Miao finally remembered where he was. This was the largest park in Huanghai City.

At this time, the eastern sky was turning light gray, and the early morning brought elderly people unable to sleep, all coming to the park for morning exercises.

Shui Miao, however, found a quiet spot and sat down, lost in thought.

Before he realized it, he had actually fallen asleep.

In his dream, he saw a middle-aged man with a very kind face speaking to him. This man seemed to know exactly what Shui Miao was thinking. He told him directly that the problem was actually very simple—just like playing a game of animal chess. After saying this, the middle-aged man transformed into a golden-robed monk riding a fierce tiger, soaring away into the sky.

“Woof!”

Shui Miao opened his eyes and saw an old lady walking toward him with a golden retriever.

“Oh come on! It was just a dream! All that hope for nothing…”

Shui Miao couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He had finally had a good dream, only to be interrupted by a stupid dog.

He stood up, patted off his pants, and decided to go back. It was getting noisier here, and he might as well go home and get some sleep.

On his way back, he walked while pondering. Animal chess was nothing more than a childhood game—elephants eat lions, lions eat tigers… and finally, cats eat mice, mice eat elephants. Though simple, he couldn’t connect this game to his real-life dilemma. What was he in this scenario? A mouse? A cat? Or a dog? Clearly, he couldn’t identify his role.

Back at his shop, he closed the door and went to sleep, ignoring everything else.

He didn’t know how long he had slept when he was awakened by a rat that had somehow appeared from somewhere. He wasn’t angry. Lying in bed, watching the rat, he thought—maybe his understanding of animal chess should be even simpler?

“Right! This puppeteer is very powerful to me, but to those legendary celestial beings, maybe it’s just a piece of cake? No matter how powerful this hidden hand is, there are so many legendary deities. If I go to their temples and offer sincere worship, begging them for help, wouldn’t dealing with this puppeteer become an easy task?”

Suddenly, inspiration struck, and Shui Miao had an idea.

Based on what he knew, the most powerful of the legendary deities would be Buddha Tathagata of the Western Paradise. With his immense powers, even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, had been subdued by him. He was naturally the supreme figure among the celestial beings. However, the Buddha was too mighty—so mighty that he seemed unapproachable, so Shui Miao didn’t dare to hope that the Buddha himself would help him.

“Ah! The figure in my dream transformed into a golden Arhat riding a tiger. Could he be the legendary Vajrapani, the Tiger-Tamer Arhat?”

Shui Miao’s eyes lit up as he thought of the Tiger-Taming Arhat.

Subduing dragons and tigers—these two were among the most formidable warriors in the Western Paradise. If he could enlist their help, the problem would naturally be resolved easily.

With this thought, Shui Miao immediately began preparing his belongings and left the shop, heading for Xingguo Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Huanghai City, to pay his respects.

Xingguo Temple was enormous, with a constant stream of worshippers coming and going.

Shui Miao entered the Mahavira Hall and offered incense to all the deities. He especially knelt before the Tiger-Taming Arhat, praying with utmost sincerity, repeating his prayers over and over again for more than three hours.

Finally, Shui Miao remained kneeling for so long that he attracted the attention of the monks in the temple.

Fearing he might collapse from hunger, a stout, middle-aged monk in his fifties approached Shui Miao, gently helped him up, and invited him to the back hall for some vegetarian meal.

The monk personally brought him a bowl of rice, a dish of tofu, a plate of vegetables, and a bowl of clear soup.

Since his immortal powers were gone, Shui Miao was indeed starving. He devoured everything in one go, even letting out a satisfied burp. It felt more satisfying than feasting on delicacies.

“Young master, you truly have a connection with the Buddha,” the monk smiled warmly, sitting across from Shui Miao.

Shui Miao blinked. “Master, I believe you have something to tell me?”

“Haha!” The monk laughed heartily. “Young friend, you’re indeed sharp-witted. No wonder Master Lichen of our temple asked me to keep you here overnight. He said you have a karmic connection with the Buddha and with Xingguo Temple. When I went to fetch your meal, it was him who specially sent word to me. If you’re done eating, I’ll take you to the Zhai Xin Pavilion for a visit.”

“To the Zhai Xin Pavilion? Why?”

Shui Miao was puzzled. He didn’t even know Master Lichen.

“Hehe, that’s exactly what Master Lichen instructed me to do. I don’t know the reason myself. If you’re sincere, just come along,” the monk gestured politely. Shui Miao quickly got up and followed him out.

As they walked, the monk smiled and said, “Young friend, you may not know, but my senior brother Master Lichen possesses profound spiritual powers. He is already one hundred and seven years old this year.”

“Wow! What a venerable monk!”

Shui Miao was amazed. Human lifespan was limited—few lived to be a hundred, and even fewer reached one hundred and seven. To be valued by such an elder monk made Shui Miao feel extremely honored, and he felt his Buddhist affinity must be extraordinary. It seemed he had definitely come to the right place this time.

“Haha! Naturally so!”

The monk was also a broad-minded person. Laughing heartily, he led Shui Miao to a secluded area filled with bamboo groves. In the middle of the grove stood a building with a plaque reading “Zhai Xin Pavilion.” Pushing open the wooden door, Shui Miao saw the statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and some attendant figures. He immediately knelt down and bowed sincerely. After paying homage to the Bodhisattva, he followed the monk to the back hall, where there was a small room of two or three square meters, with only a round meditation cushion on the floor.

At this point, the monk placed a small stool into the room with his left hand and then placed a palm-sized statue of the Tiger-Taming Arhat on the stool with his right. He then said to Shui Miao, “Young friend, my senior brother said that if you are sincere, you can worship the Tiger-Taming Arhat here as well. When the time comes, he will naturally appear before you.”

“Oh! Thank you, Master! Thank you so much!”

Shui Miao was very surprised but repeatedly thanked the monk.

The monk bowed and then closed the door, leaving the Zhai Xin Pavilion.

Shui Miao knelt down, bowed respectfully, and began praying with all his heart…

After leaving, the monk encountered another monk with a sharp face and a monkey-like appearance, also in his fifties. This monk was named Hui’en. Seeing the monk, he hurriedly approached and asked, “Brother Hui Neng, that kid really agreed to worship the Arhat in the penance room?”

“Hmph! What, do you find that unbelievable?”

Hui Neng, the monk, was a straightforward and open-hearted man. He and Hui’en got along on the surface but not in heart. Hearing Hui’en’s words, he felt quite annoyed.

“Exactly! Who in this world is that foolish? There are so many deities he could worship, yet he insists on kneeling before an Arhat. Don’t you think there’s something wrong with his head?” Hui’en pointed at his own temple.

“Hmm!” Hui Neng reached out and patted Hui’en’s bald head. “I also think something’s wrong with this thing, but I have other things to do. I won’t chat with you any longer.”

Hui Neng patted Hui’en’s head and walked away.

Hui’en was indeed a bit slow, not even realizing that Hui Neng was actually referring to him.

Rubbing his head, Hui’en muttered something about a brute and then sneaked quietly toward the Zhai Xin Pavilion…

Though Hui’en was old, he was a mischievous old prankster.

Seeing how foolish Shui Miao was, he decided to play a trick on him. He grabbed a bucket of water, climbed up a ladder behind the small room, and slowly poured water onto the roof.

This room was specially designed for disciplining young monks who had violated the temple rules, making them repent inside. The roof had been specially constructed so that water could be poured on the roof, soaking the monks inside as an intensified punishment.

Hui’en poured water onto Shui Miao. Startled, Shui Miao looked up. Hui’en, frightened, quickly said, “This is a test. If you are sincere, a little water means nothing. Even if boiling oil were poured on you, you must endure it.”

“…”

Shui Miao thought for a moment and then said earnestly, “Thank you, Master, for guiding me!”

He knelt down again and continued his worship.

Hui’en covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. Suddenly, he poured the rest of the bucket over Shui Miao, drenching him completely.

Shui Miao remained completely still, continuing his devout prayers.

Seeing that Shui Miao was unmoved, Hui’en’s eyes darted around. Then, picking up the bucket, he came down the ladder. Spotting a nearby toilet, he suddenly had an idea. After picking his nose, he let out a few sinister laughs and hurried toward the toilet with the bucket in hand…