In Changan City, Lu Yu once again passed by the Jinshan Temple that he had once personally helped build. Your adventure continues at
Today, Jinshan Temple was a famous temple within Changan, bustling with monks and incense burners, and the stream of visitors coming to offer incense and tour was endless.
The monks in the temple wore kind smiles on their faces and nodded in greeting to every visitor who entered Jinshan Temple.
Every morning, the monks at Jinshan Temple had specific morning classes, during which ti visitors could not enter the main hall and could only tour the outer courtyard.
Led by the abbot, the monks chanted sutras and worshipped Buddha, the incense smoke curling upwards and the long-lasting chants carrying a special flavor that echoed in the ears of the visitors, cleansing their restless spirits.
With an "om," the abbot struck the copper alms bowl beside him, symbolizing the end of the morning class, and the monks exited the main hall in a solemn and dignified procession.
Lu Yu watched quietly as the monks left, until a young monk passed in front of him and his face finally showed a hint of a smile.
This monk was the second incarnation of Golden Cicada, and from their first eting, Lu Yu could distinctly feel the Human Path’s Fortune and Destiny concealed within him.
It must be said, Golden Cicada indeed had a favorable appearance, with a face like a bright moon and fair skin, naturally carrying a Buddhist aura that made him especially likeable—a wonder so many demons wanted to marry him along Journey to the West.
The young monk walked slowly towards the side chambers, his eyes lowered, and suddenly looked up to see a young man gazing at him with a smiling face. For so reason, he felt an inexplicable familiarity with this young man who seed like a schoolteacher.
"Have we t before, benefactor?" the young monk asked.
"Why do you ask such a question, Master?"
"I inexplicably feel as if I have t you before, perhaps this is what the Buddha Ancestor speaks of as fate," the monk said, his tone steady and dignified, his words effortlessly zen.
"Yes, fate, truly indescribable," Lu Yu responded thoughtfully. The monk before him differed greatly from the Golden Cicada he knew. The power of reincarnation was indeed fearso, rely two lifetis as a human had changed Golden Cicada’s nature. Lu Yu didn’t know if this monk could still be called Golden Cicada.
Ti would ultimately carve the once carefree Buddhist Disciple into the image of Tang Monk. Lu Yu didn’t know whether this was good or bad, he only knew that the friend he knew, that carefree smiling monk, would never return.
"I wish that you achieve all your heart desires, and may all be well with you," Lu Yu quietly wished.
The young monk seed stunned by Lu Yu’s words, unsure why this gentleman would suddenly bless him, yet he politely responded, "This humble monk also wishes you peace and smoothness, may the Buddha Ancestor bless you."
"Ha ha, then I’ll take your auspicious words, Master," Lu Yu laughed heartily, turned, and without looking back, left Jinshan Temple. This place no longer held his past, it was ti to leave; perhaps he wouldn’t co here for a long ti to co, even though every brick and tile of this temple bore his mark.
"Huineng, who are you talking to?" At so point, the abbot of Golden Mountain Temple had quietly arrived next to the young monk.
He was very fond of this young disciple, and looking at his youthful face always reminded him of the high monk who had once established the temple. Even though he seed unreliable at the ti, when it ca to understanding Buddhism, the abbot had never seen anyone stronger in his life.
When he saw the young Huineng, he suddenly had an illusion that the high monk of the past had returned to his temple. He believed this was a revelation from the Buddha Ancestor, so he took in Huineng and taught him with great care. Huineng did not disappoint him. At a young age, he had already mastered Buddhism, and therefore the abbot was very concerned about him.
"It was a very kind gentleman in a green robe. He spoke a few words to and then left," Huineng said truthfully.
Following Huineng’s gaze, the abbot saw Lu Yu’s departing figure. That figure was so familiar; it was the sa one that his high monk friend used to have when journeying to the West. In his eyes, the past and the present converged, gradually rging into one.
"Sir, please wait." The abbot hurried after him, wanting to confirm the man’s identity, only to find that the figure slowly disappeared before his own eyes.
The abbot’s hand still stretched out into the air, and he said wistfully, "Could it really have been that gentleman?"
"Master, do you know this gentleman?" Huineng asked curiously, having never seen the abbot so out of sorts before.
"When I was your age, I t this gentleman. He was one of the founders of this temple. I never expected to see him again in my lifeti," the abbot sighed softly, his mind flashing back to the past. Those people from his mories had never appeared in his life again, but they had left deep marks in his heart, unforgettable for a lifeti.
"But this gentleman seems very young. According to what you said, Master, this gentleman should be an old man," Huineng pointed out the abbot’s mistake.
But he saw the abbot smile gently and say, "There are so people in this world who do not change with the passage of ti. They are like stones in the river of ti, endlessly washed by the waters yet still standing firm.
For us in Buddhism, these are the ones who have achieved true fruition; in the Taoist Sect, they are said to have undergone transfiguration into immortals, while ordinary people call them immortals."
"So this gentleman is an immortal!" Huineng sighed softly, his eyes revealing a trace of longing. To achieve true fruition had always been his dream.
Lu Yu walked slowly down the streets of Changan City, listening to the worldly sounds, his heart neither sad nor joyful. He could sense the shifts in the Human Path’s Fortune and Destiny. Countless strands of fortune and destiny were slowly flowing into the body of the Golden Cicada’s reincarnation, while Great Han Dynasty’s fortune was also gradually declining.
Perhaps by the ti he returned to Changan, this peacefulness would no longer exist.
Looking back at the ancient city of Changan, Lu Yu knew that this magnificent ancient city would eventually fall into ruins amidst war, and it might take a long ti before it revitalized once more.
Auspicious Clouds rose beneath his feet, allowing him to ride the wind. In an instant, he had traveled thousands of miles.
His grotto still maintained its forr appearance, with no changes at all. Liu Qingyun was still diligently practicing, while the Big Black Donkey was lying comfortably by the small lake, dozing off. The Enlightennt Tea Tree, now beginning to grow significantly, was spreading its branches, gathering countless strands of Spiritual Energy on its branches, cloaking the tree in a layer of rosy light.
"Sir, you’re back," Liu Qingyun greeted Lu Yu, very pleased to say.
"Yes, I’m back. Have you had any doubts in your practice recently?" Lu Yu smiled and nodded. He was very satisfied with this disciple and rarely worried about him.
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