Ye Zhirou nodded repeatedly, "Yes, the reason Master came down the mountain for training was mainly because of you. Master said her heart was troubled, troubled because of you."
"If it weren’t for this reason, she wouldn’t have easily left the mountain." At this, the young nun showed a look of melancholy.
Since she could remember, she had lived at Jingxin Hermitage, considering it her home.
Who would have thought she would leave her home to come here?
The scenery here was far inferior to Shaoshi Mountain.
And it was much colder.
She didn’t like it at all.
Xu Wendong felt he was quite innocent.
He had obviously healed Master Wuwang’s internal injuries and had done nothing to her.
But why did he have to be accused of unsettling her heart?
A voice full of authority came from behind, "Zhirou, do not speak carelessly!"
Looking towards the voice, Master Wuwang approached slowly, holding Buddha Beads.
It had been many days since their last meeting.
She appeared much more haggard, losing her former flair.
The fullness of her figure was still eye-catching as she walked.
"Greetings, Benefactor Xu!" Master Wuwang bowed in salutation.
Xu Wendong laughed heartily, "I didn’t expect to meet the Master here, it seems we are truly destined!"
Master Wuwang asked, "What brings Benefactor Xu here?"
Xu Wendong casually said, "Oh, I’m working in Lianyun County. I heard there’s an empty Zen courtyard here, so I intended to have a look, not expecting to find the Master as well."
Ye Zhirou curiously asked, "Is Benefactor Xu also planning to cultivate here?"
Xu Wendong nodded, "Indeed, I have that thought. After all, the feng shui here is quite good, cultivating here would be twice as effective with half the effort."
"However, since the Master is cultivating here, I won’t disturb."
The Buddhist Sect and the Taoist Sect had different philosophies.
It was precisely because of this that Xu Wendong decided against cultivating there.
Master Wuwang showed no emotion as she calmly said, "This is essentially a long-neglected Zen courtyard. If Benefactor Xu wants to cultivate here, just come over. There’s no such thing as disturbance."
Xu Wendong hadn’t expected Master Wuwang to invite him to stay. He smiled, "As a cultivator of the Taoist Sect, don’t you find it awkward for me to be here?"
Master Wuwang placed her hands together in a prayer gesture, "Whether the benefactor is a cultivator of the Taoist Sect or a cultivator of the Buddhist Sect, in the eyes of Buddha, all are sentient beings."
Xu Wendong couldn’t help but give a thumbs up, "Bravo!"
"The Master’s perspective has widened!"
Ye Zhirou eagerly asked, "So, is Benefactor Xu planning to cultivate here?"
"Yes, I’ve decided that I’ll cultivate here in the future." Xu Wendong agreed readily, after all, this was why he came.
Seeing Xu Wendong agree so easily, Master Wuwang suddenly felt a bit disappointed, as if her mighty punch had landed on cotton.
She had thought Xu Wendong would refuse her proposal.
After all, since ancient times, Buddhism and Taoism were irreconcilable.
Who would have thought he’d agree so straightforwardly?
Xu Wendong noticed what Master Wuwang was thinking, smiled, and said, "Whether it’s Buddhism or Taoism, they’re just lighthouses guiding people."
"As long as you hold firm to your faith and original intention, why care about other things?"
Master Wuwang clearly disagreed with Xu Wendong’s perspective, "If we don’t care about other things, how can we achieve the Dao, how can we attain Buddhahood?"
Xu Wendong laughed and asked, "Are you referring to the Buddhist precepts when you say ’other things’?"
"Yes," Master Wuwang said, "Not only does the Buddhist Sect have many precepts, but the Taoist Sect also should have many, right?"
Xu Wendong awkwardly laughed, "Sorry, I really don’t know what the Taoist precepts are, nor do I want to know. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t want to be constrained by them."
Master Wuwang calmly stated, "If that’s truly the case, you will hardly attain the Great Dao."
Xu Wendong asked, "What is the Dao?"
Master Wuwang shook her head in confusion, "This humble nun believes in Buddha, not knowing what the Dao is."
Xu Wendong, "Alright, then tell me, what is Buddha?"
Master Wuwang gazed blankly at the blue eastern horizon, "Everything this humble nun has done in this life is in search of Buddha."
Xu Wendong lit a cigarette, "Have you found it?"
Master Wuwang’s eyes held firm conviction, "I believe I will find it someday."
"Cut it out!" Xu Wendong said irritably, "The end of your life will certainly lead you to the Western Paradise, but I guarantee, you won’t see Buddha, let alone become Buddha."
"Let me ask you, are you aware of the sufferings of the world?"
Master Wuwang quietly said, "This humble nun is in the process of witnessing the sufferings of the human world."
Xu Wendong was amused, "Your process of witnessing the sufferings of the human world is moving from one monastery to another?"
"That’s not witnessing the sufferings of the human world; that’s moving house!"
"Besides, your Buddhist teachings emphasize detachment from worldly desires."
"So the question arises, what are worldly desires?"
"You haven’t even experienced worldly desires, so how can you talk about detachment?"
"Isn’t this self-deception?"
"I seem to never win any debate with you," Master Wuwang murmured to herself, but Xu Wendong’s words troubled her heart even more.
Xu Wendong snorted, "Just tell me, does what I say make sense or not!"
Master Wuwang fell into silence.
If she admitted that Xu Wendong was right.
Wouldn’t that mean admitting she was wrong?
She didn’t want to admit she was wrong.
"You see, you don’t even have the courage to admit you’re wrong, so how can a monastic not speak lies?"
"In fact, sometimes admitting you’re wrong is not shameful." He casually said, then looked at Ye Zhirou, "Xiao Rou, take me to choose a room."
"Oh, okay." Ye Zhirou nervously glanced at her Master, then led Xu Wendong to the side rooms of the Zen courtyard.
The Zen courtyard was already small, with only six side rooms in the east and west.
Master Wuwang and her disciple Ye Zhirou lived in the west side rooms, but Xu Wendong didn’t plan to join the hustle, so he decisively chose an east side room and began tidying up.
Although there weren’t many odds and ends inside, there was a lot of dust. After cleaning, he was covered in dust, looking quite disheveled.
Fortunately, there was a well in the Zen courtyard, allowing him to take a quick cold water shower.
The language teacher, Wang Luyao, had just finished class and entered the office carrying teaching materials. As soon as she put them down, her phone rang.
Picking up the phone casually, she thought it was spam, but after seeing the message, she stood there stunned, her alluring eyes filled with disbelief.
"I actually got drawn?"
Wang Luyao was dumbstruck, unable to believe her luck.
Just as she hadn’t recovered, her husband, Chen Dong, ran in excitedly, tears of joy streaming, "Honey, I got drawn, we’ve got our own house now."
Wang Luyao trembled, raising her phone, "I... I also got one!"