The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#555 - Buddha Country

Lu Jing had heard an old saying: If the mountain won't come to you, then you go to the mountain.

But he never imagined that one day this saying could be reversed.

His other foot clearly hadn't crossed the threshold, but unexpectedly, the threshold jumped directly behind his foot. By the time Lu Jing came to his senses, he was already standing inside the main hall.

And as if to welcome his arrival, the previous Sanskrit chanting sounded again at the appropriate time, echoing throughout the entire hall, lingering for a long time.

After a moment, the voice spoke again, "Please, please sit."

Lu Jing didn't want to do as the other party said, but his legs were already moving uncontrollably. He took about three steps forward, and then sat down cross-legged.

Once the Sanskrit chanting subsided, the voice continued, "Last time, we talked about how all beings love pleasure and are unwilling to let it go. It is this heart of pleasure that drives karmic obstacles, retribution obstacles, and affliction obstacles, thereby opening the door to the cycle of birth and death, causing all beings to suffer the pain of birth, old age, sickness, and death."

"As the saying goes, constantly in the midst of burning, what joy is there? What pleasure is there? Obscured by darkness, why not seek light?"

"Then, Master, how should we pursue the light?"

A bhikkhu humbly asked for guidance.

"Well asked, this is the meaning of our practice of Buddhism," the voice continued. "Only by practicing Buddhism can we help people escape the cycle of suffering that has always been with them, and no longer be tempted by worldly pleasures."

"But if we lose happiness, won't our lives become dull and meaningless?" another disciple asked.

"Your concern is also reasonable. Happiness is an innate desire of all beings. The meaning of cultivation is not to completely abandon happiness, but to liberate oneself from worldly pleasures and turn to pursue another kind of glorious and solemn happiness. This is where the light lies."

"Sorry to interrupt you, but I also have a question," Lu Jing suddenly interjected.

"Oh, benefactor, have you gained such insight so quickly? Please feel free to ask, and this old monk will surely answer everything he knows," the voice said happily.

"Before I entered, you told me that if what you said wasn't to my liking, I could leave at any time. And now I'm not very satisfied. The way you're singing in harmony here is like a pyramid scheme, so no matter what you're talking about, it's already lost its credibility with me.

"So, can I leave now?"

The voice fell silent upon hearing this. After a moment, it spoke again, filled with disappointment, "When I first saw you, I thought you had good roots, but I didn't expect you to be just an ordinary person. Since that's the case, you may leave on your own. This old monk doesn't want to waste any more words on you."

After saying that, Lu Jing realized that he had regained control of his body.

This couldn't help but surprise him. Although he had taken the initiative to ask to leave, he didn't expect the other side to let him go so readily, like a scumbag suddenly turning his back after getting what he wanted, without any of the previous enthusiasm to trick him into the hall.

Lu Jing tried to take a few steps, but no one came to stop him.

The monks seemed to have already treated him as if he didn't exist.

Lu Jing could feel that he was not far from the hall door. As long as he took two more steps forward, he could leave this magnificent hall, but at the next moment, he stopped again.

Kui looked at Lu Jing, who was motionless on the bluestone, his figure appearing somewhat lonely in the dilapidated hall.

Kui frowned and said, "What exactly is there?"

"The Buddha Country, a strange object. Oh, your Department of Celestial Observation seems to have files about it as well. I remember it's called [Xin Zi San Shi Yi]," the man said.

"[Xin Zi San Shi Yi]?" Kui was stunned, and then her expression changed, "That's [Xin Zi San Shi Yi]?"

"That's right, a strange object specifically used to guide believers to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Of course, that's what the strange object itself claims. In reality, who knows where it sends its believers. In the sixth year of Jiaping, it appeared near a small county town in the northern part of Lingzhou, attracting about three hundred believers to listen to its teachings.

"In the end, only one of these three hundred people left alive. It was because of this incident that the Department of Celestial Observation was alarmed and dispatched a lot of manpower to search for its whereabouts. However, it hasn't appeared again in the hundred years since then."

The man stared at the chessboard, pondering his next move while casually saying, "I only learned of its whereabouts by chance and temporarily contained it. The reason why I used it this time is also because of you."

"Because of me?"

"That's right, I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to explain yourself to the Department of Celestial Observation after you went back. Coincidentally, the effect of the Buddha Country is very similar to this strange object that can erase a person's existence. You can just tell Guo Shouhuai that he died at the hands of this strange object."

After the man finished speaking, he placed a white piece in the upper right corner and then reminded Kui, "Your last few moves seem a little absent-minded. If you don't concentrate a little more, I'm going to eat up all the pieces in this corner."

Kui ignored the man's words, her gaze still fixed on the bluestone.

This time, the man was stunned, "What's wrong? Are you very concerned about his life or death? But you've always been a loner in the Department of Celestial Observation. Hmm, it seems like the last time you met was a year ago. After that, you didn't go to the academy, and he didn't come to find you. Could it be..."

The man's gaze towards Kui suddenly became strange, but after a moment, he shook his head again, "That's impossible. You're not one of those innocent young ladies who would fall in love with someone at first sight. So, is there something else about him that you care about?"

Kui still didn't answer the question, but it could be seen that her heart was indeed in turmoil at this moment. Her moves were no longer as decisive as before, and she often placed her pieces in inexplicable places at the last moment.

Seeing victory in sight, the man didn't show any joy. On the contrary, he seemed to be a little regretful.

However, his hands didn't stop. He was still pressing forward step by step, intending to take advantage of Kui's distracted state to devour the isolated force in the encirclement and completely secure the victory.

While playing chess, he didn't forget to continue, "Although I don't know what your relationship with him is, since he has already been entangled by [Xin Zi San Shi Yi], then he basically won't be able to escape. Moreover, Gong Hao is still waiting for him outside."

Kui didn't refute, just looked at the reflection on the bluestone with some worry.

After a moment, she said, "How did that person survive?"

"What?"

"You just said that in the sixth year of Jiaping, among the three hundred people entangled by [Xin Zi San Shi Yi], one person survived in the end. How did he do it?" Kui asked.