In the Mahavira Hall, the Maitreya Buddha still wore a constant smile, his large belly open with joy.
...............
"When Maitreya appears, the land will flourish with joy, disciples will be nurous, rember to think of him sincerely, hold him in your heart."
The young novice monk mumbled incessantly as he swept layer after layer of the steps outside Maitreya Temple.
Soon, he caught sight of the figure of a man walking slowly towards him, and shivered uncontrollably.
As he turned to run, a hand appeared above his head, pinning him in place.
"Chen Yi—benefactor..." the young monk stamred nervously.
Chen Yi asked casually, "When will the entire village be liberated?"
The young monk dared not move a single muscle, his lips trembling.
Then, Chen Yi calmly said his next words:
"If you don’t speak, I’ll kill you with one strike. After all, you’re not innocent."
Panic-stricken, the young monk hurriedly replied:
"When Maitreya descends to this world, everyone in the Ghost Path will achieve liberation."
Maitreya’s descent...
Chen Yi had heard such talk before—when Maitreya Buddha, as the Buddha of the future, descended to save all beings, wherever he set foot would beco a Pure Land. The soil would be fertile, the people prosperous, and even the Asuras would recite the Buddhist Law without deviation, creating realms that glead like heaven on earth, a utopian harmony.
But waiting for Maitreya’s descent was no different from the proverbial chicken finishing the grain, the dog licking the flour away, or the fire burning through the locks.
The young monk seed to perceive sothing in Chen Yi’s impatience and quickly spoke up:
"As long as we chant Maitreya Buddha’s na more often, craft more Buddha statues, and recite more Buddhist scripture, Maitreya Buddha will descend sooner. Everyone in our village believes this—each of us is a devoted practitioner."
He spoke the truth, as Chen Yi could see for himself.
The starving ghosts here were far more devout than those in the human realm. They recited scripture day and night, studying it with fervent devotion, venerating Maitreya Buddha without respite.
And yet, they still could not achieve enlightennt or liberation.
Tch, should I just kill them all?
From a distance, Yin Tingxue was slowly approaching on the stone steps. Her ears, perhaps attuned to a certain thought, caught sothing and she froze in fright.
She imdiately ran towards Chen Yi in a hurry.
Earlier, they had wandered around the village; since Chen Yi walked fast, she had fallen behind by a few steps, creating so distance between them.
When Chen Yi turned his head, he saw Yin Tingxue shaking her head at him repeatedly.
She said softly, "You can’t."
"Why not?"
"Killing won’t solve the problem... Besides, negative karma yields negative outcos; in their next lives, they’ll still be starving ghosts." Yin Tingxue, who often read Buddhist scriptures, explained quietly.
Upon hearing her words, Chen Yi let go of the young monk.
The young monk, feeling reprieved as if granted amnesty, darted away like an arrow.
Seeing that Chen Yi had, for once, listened to her words, Yin Tingxue’s face lit up with a subtle joy.
"Do we truly have to wait for Maitreya Buddha to descend?" Chen Yi asked.
Yin Tingxue shook her head; she didn’t know what else could be done either.
Looking at the miserable plight of the people in this place, her heart ached with sadness.
The hundreds of people in Thousand Buddha Village all needed to understand Buddhist Law, achieve enlightennt, and reach liberation—a prospect that seed almost impossible to her.
Thus, under the guidance of the old abbot, they chanted the Buddha’s na, built Buddha statues, and erected temples.
Chen Yi lowered his gaze, lost in thought.
Yin Tingxue blinked and seed to have thought of sothing.
In a soft voice, she suggested, "Why don’t...I recite so scripture that helps people achieve understanding? Sister Weiyang said that now when I speak, lotus flowers flow from my lips, and the truth accompanies my words."
Before her words had fully landed, Chen Yi responded coldly, "Don’t chant."
Yin Tingxue froze for a mont—this was just a normal suggestion. She muttered, "It’s just recitation; you can’t forbid from chanting scripture..."
Chen Yi replied, "I simply don’t want to see lotus flowers flowing from your lips or truth accompanying your words."
There was nothing inherently wrong with Yin Tingxue reciting scripture.
Chen Yi even didn’t doubt that if she began chanting, she truly could enable the people of Thousand Buddha Village to understand Buddhist Law and reach liberation.
But the issue was, the dicine Buddha Tower in front of him increasingly seed as though it had been erected for Yin Tingxue herself.
Whether it was Zhou Yitang ntioning the disruption to her destined path, or Yin Tingxue herself remarking how the dicine Buddha resembled her...
It all felt as though the celestial spirits and Buddhas had already laid out their plans, waiting for Yin Tingxue to follow the steps and transcend into Buddhahood.
If Yin Tingxue were to enlighten these people, it would be an act of enlightening herself first—how could it not push her further towards her own awakening?
The mont she began chanting scripture, would she not instantly achieve enlightennt and ascend to Buddhahood right then and there...
Chen Yi wouldn’t even allow the Taichua Goddess to ascend to immortality, much less Yin Tingxue.
This little fox—he planned to keep her by his side for ten lifetis.
"If you say I shouldn’t chant, then I won’t..." Yin Tingxue replied ekly, fearing she might upset him. She cautiously added, "I won’t leave you."
Upon hearing her words, Chen Yi reached out to rub her head. She obediently tilted her head slightly, responding to the movents of his palm.
Noticing her little gesture, Chen Yi chuckled inwardly—this little fox was becoming more and more agreeable.
Perhaps, by the ti they returned, he would feel embarrassed to bully her.
And yet, since that would be the case,
he decided he’d bully her anyway.
Chen Yi’s thoughts turned tender,
but he resolved to treat her well, to cherish her—after all, she had only him left now...
...............
The devotees in Thousand Buddha Village were truly faithful ones—their commitnt to Buddhist Law was so genuine that it was beyond imagination.
Every household had a Buddha, every ho burned incense, and everyone chanted the Buddha’s na, yearning for Maitreya’s descent.
Chen Yi walked through the village, casually chatting with Dong Gong Ruoshu beside him.
Miss Donggong was still the sa carefree maiden, appearing as though she hadn’t a single worry in her heart. She thought these starving ghosts were pitiable, but not overly so.
anwhile, Chen Yi pondered how to bring enlightennt and liberation to the people of Thousand Buddha Village.
Enlightennt and liberation hinged upon understanding Buddhist Law.
This principle was consistent across all schools and sects of Buddhism.
The faithful devotees here could recite Buddhist scripture backward and forwards, yet had still failed to achieve understanding.
Reflecting on this, Chen Yi suddenly recalled sothing.
It bore so resemblance to his own self—still grasping for aning he hadn’t yet understood.
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