“Taking the tonsure and becoming a monk?”
Shui Miao smiled slightly and shook his head. “Master, I just came here to worship the Buddha. I haven’t considered becoming a monk yet.”
Indeed, Shui Miao had never really thought about becoming a monk.
He preferred being an ordinary person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, seeking immediate retribution, rather than becoming a monk who chants all day yet remains an ordinary person.
If possible, Shui Miao would rather cultivate Daoism, ascend to the immortal realm, and live a life of freedom and ease.
Huineng, unaware of Shui Miao’s thoughts, asked in confusion, “You so sincerely worship the Arhat who tames tigers; isn’t that a sign of your faith in the Arhat? Why don’t you continue with such sincerity and take the tonsure? Perhaps you could even move the Arhat with your devotion?”
“Master, thank you for your kind intentions. Everything should be left to fate. When I truly feel the desire to become a monk, I will definitely do so.” Shui Miao realized that this master was genuinely sincere in his advice, but he himself could not casually agree to become a monk without being mentally prepared. Doing so and then returning to secular life afterward would be disrespectful to Buddhism.
“Uh… hehe, it’s all up to fate…”
Upon hearing this, Huineng was momentarily at a loss for words.
Buddhism emphasizes the concept of affinity; whether one has a connection or not, everything must be left to fate and cannot be forced.
“Then, Master, I’ll continue to worship the Buddha!”
Shui Miao wanted to return to the Zhai Xin Ge (Hall of Purification of Heart).
With no other ideas, Huineng accompanied Shui Miao to the斋心阁. The small room was damp, so Huineng asked Shui Miao to worship in front of the Guanyin Bodhisattva.
With a mindset of going with the flow, Shui Miao knelt before the Bodhisattva in the main hall of Zhai Xin Pavilion.
Huineng stepped outside, thinking hard. He realized that coercion wouldn’t work and decided to first befriend Shui Miao. Once they became close friends and opened their hearts to each other, he could understand Shui Miao’s thoughts and then devise a plan accordingly.
However, Shui Miao was kneeling in deep devotion, motionless, so Huineng didn’t want to disturb him.
Without his immortal powers, Shui Miao became ordinary again. First, his legs grew increasingly numb and painful, making the discomfort unbearable. Soon after, he felt a pressure in his lower abdomen, realizing he needed to use the restroom.
Huineng called out to Shui Miao as he came out of the restroom, inviting him to drink some light tea and chat.
The so-called light tea was just tea made from bamboo leaves.
After drinking some tea, Shui Miao noticed Huineng’s deep frown and asked, “Master, you seem troubled?”
“Yes,” Huineng nodded. “Young friend, you wouldn’t know this, but I’ve been wondering when I’ll be able to take a disciple.”
“A disciple?”
Shui Miao was slightly taken aback. This monk really was worrying about unnecessary things, actually pondering when he could take a student.
Huineng sighed, “Yes, a disciple. I grew up in the temple and learned excellent martial arts. Unfortunately, I have no one to pass them on to. Don’t you think that’s troubling?”
“I see…”
Shui Miao hadn’t realized Huineng was a martial arts expert. Though Huineng looked strong, he didn’t have any noticeable muscles, so he didn’t seem like a martial artist. “By the way, Master, what martial arts do you know?”
Seeing Shui Miao’s interest, Huineng’s eyebrows lifted, and he smiled slightly. “I know many martial arts, but my specialties are the Dragon-Subduing Palm and the Tiger-Taming Fist. Since you’re interested, I’ll demonstrate for you!” Huineng took out a wooden board, lightly struck it with his palm, and then placed it on the table for Shui Miao to examine.
What’s this all about?
Shui Miao was surprised that Huineng carried a wooden board with him.
Seeing Huineng casually slice through the board, Shui Miao felt as if he was being treated like a monkey being entertained.
However, when Shui Miao picked up the board, he found it split into two pieces at the point where Huineng had struck it, with no visible signs of cutting.
Could it have been broken from the start?
Shui Miao strongly suspected that Huineng was playing a trick. Examining the half of the board he held, he found nothing wrong with it. He handed the piece back to Huineng. “Master, would you mind demonstrating the Tiger-Taming Fist on this piece of wood? Just to impress me. Maybe I can even find you a disciple.”
“That would be great, ha ha!” Huineng took the half piece of wood, gathered his energy, lightly punched it once, and then placed it on the table again. When Shui Miao picked it up, he found it had turned into many small wood chips!
“Wow, this can’t be real!”
Shui Miao stood there stunned, his eyes nearly popping out in shock. How was this possible?
Seeing Shui Miao’s interest, Huineng waved his hand and smiled. “For me, this is nothing. It’s just a pity that no one is willing to learn.”
“How could that be? I want to learn already. I’m just afraid you won’t teach me!”
Shui Miao sincerely wanted to learn. This technique seemed ordinary at first glance, but it contained immense power capable of destroying heaven and earth. Anyone would want to learn it.
Huineng scratched his bald head. “But I have an unwritten rule here. To become my disciple, one must first take the tonsure and become a monk.”
“Uh… this…”
Shui Miao suddenly had an idea. He felt that Huineng was trying to persuade him to become a monk. He had repeatedly mentioned becoming a monk, which seemed too obvious.
“Of course, everything depends on fate. It’s fine to leave it to fate, I won’t force you.”
Huineng waved his hand and personally cleaned up the wooden chips.
Looking at the wooden chips, Shui Miao licked his lips. He still couldn’t quite believe that Huineng had such great ability and suspected there might be some trick involved.
“Master, wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Shui Miao ran out of the temple. At the temple gate, he saw someone selling gourds. He bought a sturdy big gourd and ran back. Facing the great monk Huineng, he said, “Master, I’d like to ask for your help. I want to borrow your hand to break this gourd open and take out the seeds to plant them in the ground so they can blossom and bear fruit, bringing forth new life.”
Shui Miao said this on the surface, but in reality, he wanted to test his own prop on Master Huineng to see if he could magically break open the gourd.
“What’s so difficult about that?”
Master Huineng touched the gourd with his hand, smiled slightly, gathered his energy again, lightly struck it once, and then placed the gourd on the table. With a clatter, the gourd shattered.
This time, Shui Miao didn’t make a sound of surprise. Instead, he stared intently at Master Huineng’s hand and said calmly, “Master, what is that thin thing on your palm?”
“There’s nothing there?” Huineng turned his hand over, showing it was empty.
Shui Miao had vaguely seen something golden and shiny on the master’s palm earlier, but it disappeared in an instant.
Something’s wrong, definitely something’s wrong!
Shui Miao examined the broken pieces of the gourd and smelled a strange odor. The fracture lines on the broken gourd were very neat, not looking like natural breaks. Shui Miao began to suspect that Master Huineng was fooling him. The wooden board had been prepared in advance by Huineng, and this gourd had also been tampered with. The entire shell of the gourd was broken, but the seeds inside were intact, which was very abnormal.
Seeing Shui Miao staring at the broken gourd, Huineng patted Shui Miao’s shoulder and said, “Young friend, I feel we have a strong connection. How about you take the tonsure for a few years and learn these skills from me? If you don’t adapt to life here, you can always return to secular life after a few years.”
Temptation, relentless temptation.
Suddenly, Shui Miao extended his right hand. “Master, I’d like you to use the same method as before and strike my palm with the Tiger-Taming Fist. If you can break my hand, I’ll become your disciple. If not, then forget it, and I’ll take my leave.”
“…”
Huineng was stunned. He knew he couldn’t possibly do that.
As Shui Miao suspected, the wooden board was specially treated with chemicals by Huineng beforehand. The gourd had also been tampered with when Huineng touched it, secretly applying some powder. Additionally, he had a small piece of metal hidden in his hand. With the stimulation of the metal, anything rubbed with the powder would become very brittle, allowing him to create such effects.
Now, breaking Shui Miao’s hand was obviously impossible.
“Hehe, Master, you must have been a magician before becoming a monk, right?” Shui Miao didn’t want to embarrass Huineng and treated it as a joke. He sighed and said sincerely, “I appreciate your kindness, Master, but I really haven’t considered becoming a monk. I’d like to go back and think about it. If I come within three days, I’ll become a monk. If not, then forget it.”
“Alright, fine!”
Faced with such a clever Shui Miao, what else could Huineng say?
※※※
Back at the shop, Shui Miao was idle, doing nothing but sleeping and pondering aimlessly.
In the evening, Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi came by to inform Shui Miao that the child had already been out of danger and was now recovering in the hospital. However, the child was quite agitated, always demanding to see his grandfather. The doctors had no choice but to give him a sedative and arranged for two experienced caregivers to look after him and communicate with him.
Wang Yong also visited frequently, and the child regarded Wang Yong as a family member.
As for Guo Jing, he had not fled. Through various channels, he anonymously donated the gold to charity, even giving some money to local orphanages and nursing homes. He even sold some of his properties to raise a large sum for good deeds. He also divorced, and his wife received a large sum of money and went to Sanya for a vacation.
Everything went smoothly, and Shui Miao felt at ease.
The three of them had a meal together. During the meal, Shui Miao mentioned his slight inclination to become a monk for a while and wanted to hear Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi’s opinions.
For Lin Xue and Chu Miaoyi, this idea of Shui Miao’s was quite unconventional.
After thinking for a moment, Chu Miaoyi said, “Since you want to do this, you can try it. Just consider it as an experience of life. After all, it’s not like you’ll be a monk for the rest of your life.”
“Yeah, I think the same way. Maybe this could help you resolve your inner doubts. Once you figure things out, you can return to secular life, marry a wife, and live a normal life.” Lin Xue knew Shui Miao’s situation was different from ordinary people. Becoming a monk wasn’t a bad thing. Straightening out his mindset and returning to a normal life was the most important thing.
“Yeah! I also want to live like a normal person. It’s not like I’ll be a monk forever. Just consider it an experience of life.”
Shui Miao raised his wine glass and drank it all in one go. He had made up his mind. Just worshiping the Arhat who tames tigers wasn’t enough. He needed to enter the temple, become a monk, and move the Buddha and gods with his sincerity.
After everyone finished eating and drinking, Shui Miao returned to his shop. He lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Eventually, he got up and went to Xingguo Temple overnight.
“Haha! My senior master was indeed wise and foresaw everything. He said that if you didn’t come tonight, you would never come at all. I didn’t expect you to actually come!” At the entrance of Xingguo Temple, the monk Huineng was already waiting. He laughed heartily and put his arm around Shui Miao’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll take you to the Arhat Hall. Three important figures of our temple are waiting for you there.”
“…”
Shui Miao was very surprised, feeling it was simply unbelievable. How could the high monks of Xingguo Temple be so amazing, practically predicting the future!
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a deep thunder rumbled in the night sky. Hearing the thunder, Shui Miao couldn’t help but stop in his tracks and look up at the sky. The moonlight was bright, and the stars were sparkling. How could there be thunder on such a night?
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