20demayo Chapter 29 Human Soul
Chapter 29 Human Soul
Professor He was speechless at Tang Mubai's words and glared at him irritably: "They're all alive and well! One of them was among the people who came to hunt down the Dragon Servant yesterday."
"After they became monks, they didn't change much, but when the authorities mentioned the secrets of Jiding Temple, not one of them was willing to say a word."
"So tight-lipped? Could he have been brainwashed?" Tang Mubai clicked his tongue.
"No, it's less about keeping quiet and more about being cryptic."
Professor He sighed, his expression complex.
"They said, 'The Buddha spoke of cause and effect, karma and retribution; the Dharma is not lightly transmitted; those with the right affinity will save themselves.' This means, 'If you want to know the secret, you can explore it yourself. What you obtain yourself belongs to you; if someone else gives it to you, it will be taken back.'"
At this point, Professor He's voice suddenly deepened, like the tolling of an ancient temple bell:
"What needs to be known will be known when the wind blows and the leaves fall..."
"What you shouldn't know, you won't find even a trace of even if you dig three feet into the ground..."
"If you really want to know, you must measure cause and effect with your own footsteps..."
"If one yearns for it but lacks the ability to achieve it..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Li Jiu and Tang Mubai, "then 'knowing' itself is a disaster."
Tang Mubai rubbed his arms and muttered under his breath, "Well, I almost forgot you're a literature professor... This whole thing sounds like a Buddhist chant, it's making me lose my sanity..."
However, Li Jiu, who was standing to the side, fell silent.
What he wanted to ask had already been covered up by the professor's words.
But he was unwilling to give up, especially when he heard the words "karma and retribution," his obsession was rekindled, and he mustered his courage to ask, "Professor, over the years, have you investigated any secrets related to Jiding Temple?"
"I mean, uh, for example... do you know about the 'deities' in Jiding Temple?"
Is there a legend that says you can achieve something by giving your "soul" to a deity?
"Deities? Souls?" Professor He paused for a moment, seemingly completely unfamiliar with this concept.
He fell into a brief moment of thought, and then slowly began to explain his thoughts: "You mean the 'deities' in Jiding Temple? Then it seems you're not referring to 'Jiding Buddha' himself..."
"If we have to name some deities, it would be the white serpent and the mandrill."
"In order to embody 'compassionate salvation' and 'subduing demons to attain enlightenment,' Buddhist mythology contains a large tradition of Buddhas or eminent monks subduing demons and transforming them into guardian deities or mounts. For example, the blue lion and white elephant of the Venerable Manjushri and Samantabhadra were transformed from demons into mounts."
"After the Buddha of Tranquility subdued the two evils, he also took them in as guardian deities. The deities you asked about may ultimately be these two guardian deities."
So the legendary second scourge was the "mountain demon"... Li Jiu understood.
Professor He pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head, saying, "But as for the 'soul' you mentioned... I haven't really heard of that term before... How about this, I'll ask the villagers and some friends who specialize in this kind of thing; perhaps they'll know something about it..."
Li Jiu quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much, Professor! There's something else... I wanted to ask about He Rouyi. She told me she applied for this summer camp, but you rejected her?"
Professor He paused slightly: "You want to know the reason?"
"Hmm." Li Jiu nodded. "Moreover, He Rouyi's ancestral home is also Fulong Village. I think it's a very good choice to have her come, both morally and logically."
Professor He said, "He Rouyi is indeed a very suitable choice."
"But the problem lies with He Rouzhi."
"If your sister, or any other relative, had an accident in Fulong Mountain and their fate was unknown, and you saw a figure that resembled your relative while climbing, then I ask you, at that moment, are you sure you could still remain rational and continue climbing along the safe hiking trails?"
"I..." Li Jiu was speechless for a moment. He could have blurted out that he could continue, but he hesitated because he thought that he might have to enter Jiding Temple for his grandmother's sake.
"You see, even a hypothetical situation has made you hesitate," Professor He said. "If He Rouyi were to do this, even if there's only a very low probability that she'd escape the safe zone, it would still be an out-of-control risk for me."
"I've said it before, I have absolutely no intention of risking your lives to achieve my goals... If I were younger and in better physical condition, I could do everything myself."
Just as Professor He was lamenting that an old horse in its stall could still gallop a thousand miles, Tang Mubai's phone pinged with a message.
He took out his phone and his eyes lit up instantly.
"Hey! My 'flying ticket' is almost here!" He quickly shoveled down the last few bites of his breakfast. "I have to go now! Professor, Old Li, sigh~ if I had more time, I really wanted to hear you tell me more stories, but it's impossible now, time waits for no one, I have to go now~"
"Okay, then have a safe trip..."
Tang Mubai quickly interrupted, "Pah! Who wishes a plane a safe journey? Don't be ridiculous! If it crashes, do you believe I'll shatter the darkness with lightning?"
After he finished speaking, he returned the plate and then casually stuffed a bag of watermelon into his pocket before leaving.
His behavior was always very different from his image, but Li Jiu was already used to it. He had finished his breakfast and simply went to see Tang Mubai off.
……
After Li Jiu and Tang Mubai left, Yin Qixu appeared out of nowhere and sat down opposite Professor He.
"Professor, it seems your communication went very smoothly."
Professor He sat up slightly, his gaze still fixed on the direction where Li Jiu had disappeared, and slowly said, "That child Li Jiu... just asked me if I knew about Jiding Temple and 'Soul'."
"'Soul'?" Yin Qixu frowned slightly, pondering for a moment, "The 'soul' in 'three souls and seven spirits'?"
"The child didn't say much, probably because he doesn't trust me enough." Professor He shook his head slightly, "But that's enough."
"When I was investigating him, I found out that his grandmother, He Ru, had an accident when he was very young and developed Alzheimer's disease."
"And Sister Jingru is the most insightful person in our village for generations. If it weren't for her, none of us in Fulong Village would have survived." Professor He paused and said, "Don't even mention that she would have Alzheimer's. Even if she lived to be a hundred, she would probably still have a photographic memory."
"So at first, I just thought it was a coincidence, because at that time, besides our village, there were actually some small villages around Fulong Mountain, so it was entirely possible to meet someone with a similar name."
"As for chanting Buddhist scriptures... there are too many people chanting Buddhist scriptures in S City, so it cannot be used as conclusive evidence."
"It wasn't until Li Jiu displayed extraordinary inspiration when he went into the mountains that I became certain of that relationship."
"But I'm still very curious about what's wrong with Sister Jingru's Alzheimer's. Now it seems... she's probably lost her 'soul'."
"Plus what that child said, I've roughly guessed some of it..."
"However, just to be on the safe side, I still need to contact Lao Ma. He's much more knowledgeable about the three souls and seven spirits than I am."
Yin Qixu nodded.
……