Chapter 541: The Unparalleled Perfect Method in the World
"The Marquis has arrived!"
At nightfall, Jia Cong entered Miaoyu's house. When he saw Miaoyu coming to greet him, he stopped in his tracks and showed surprise on his face.
"Miss Miaoyu, this is..."
Today Miaoyu has changed her attire. She wears a light purple jacket embroidered with broken branches of plum blossoms on the upper body, a white pleated skirt on the lower body, and a white cloak with green-calyx plum blossoms on the outside.
The original pearl-draped scarf had disappeared, replaced by a bun of flying fairy hair. Although there was no other decoration except a green hairpin, it did not conceal Miaoyu's peerless beauty at all, but instead added a bit of spiritual energy.
"But is there anything wrong with this outfit?" Perhaps it had been a long time since she had worn this kind of clothing, so Miaoyu looked a little nervous.
Jia Cong shook his head slightly, "The lotus emerges from clear water, naturally without any decoration!"
"The attire and appearance are appropriate, but Miss Miaoyu has always been dressed as a monk. Why did she suddenly change her attire?"
Miaoyu finally felt relieved after hearing this, and then smiled, "I thought that after so many years of seclusion, there was nothing worth worrying about anymore, but I never thought I was wrong... Since I can't be an outsider, why should I continue to dress like that and pollute the Buddha's eyes?"
As she spoke, Miaoyu welcomed Jia Cong into the hall.
Restraining his irritability and suspicion, Jia Cong ate up all the food Miaoyu had prepared!
As usual, Miaoyu took out two green jade bowls and poured tea for Jia Cong!
Jia Cong ate absentmindedly, his eyes occasionally falling on Miaoyu. Miaoyu seemed unaware and just poured tea for Jia Cong and served him.
This somewhat awkward atmosphere really made Jia Cong feel a little uncomfortable. He drank the tea in one gulp, then looked at the bookshelf standing beside him and asked, "What book is Miss Miaoyu reading recently?"
"But he can't compare to the great talent of the Marquis, who was able to win the top three prizes!" Miaoyu laughed. "The classics, history, essays, miscellaneous talks and travelogues are just for entertainment."
"Young lady, you are too modest. Xiuyan often mentioned to me that Young lady Miaoyu is very talented and learned. She and Young lady have studied together for many years. Although we have never performed the etiquette of discipleship, we are still considered to be master and disciple in reality."
Miaoyu shook her head upon hearing this and said, "Sister Xiuyan and I are just sisters playing with each other. What's the point of learning or not learning? How can we be considered master and disciple? If this gets out, it will make people lose their teeth."
As she spoke, Miaoyu stood up and pulled out a book from the shelf. "Have you ever read this, Lord?"
"The Story of Tang Sanzang's Journey to the West in Verse?" Jia Cong picked it up and looked at it with a look of surprise. Isn't this "Journey to the West", one of the four great masterpieces of later generations?
Although the original history of Journey to the West was written by Wu Cheng'en in the Ming Dynasty, the story of Tang Sanzang did not only appear in the Ming Dynasty. Starting from the "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" written by Sanzang's disciple Monk Bian Ji, there have , especially the "Biography of Sanzang Master of the Da Ci'en Temple of the Great Tang Dynasty" written by Bian Ji's disciple Hui Li, which added a lot of mythological color.
During the Song Dynasty, many stories were collected to form "The Story of the Tang Monk's Journey to the West in Verse".
It can be said that this book is very similar to the later Journey to the West.
"I have indeed read a few of them!" Jia Cong nodded and said, "Does Miss Miaoyu also like this kind of travelogue?"
Miaoyu shook her head at first, but then nodded, "I only like to read the volume 'The Dharma Nature Comes West and Meets the Country of Women'."
After a moment's silence, Miaoyu suddenly asked, "My Lord, do you think that after Tang Sanzang went to the Kingdom of Women again after obtaining the scriptures?"
Jia Cong pondered for a moment, "Now that he has obtained the true scriptures, Tang Sanzang will naturally become a Buddha. The Kingdom of Women is just a test for him to become a Buddha. Why would he go back?"
"Besides, even if he goes back, so what? He has already converted to Buddhism and will naturally not travel to the mortal world again!"
"Has Tang Sanzang ever been attracted to the Queen of the Kingdom of Women?" Miaoyu asked again.
This time, Jia Cong pondered for a long time, but he said slowly, "Our eyes met, and we looked at each other in silence! At this time, the wind and sand are blinding, at this time, the sky and the earth are also lowering their curtains! At this time, the lazy Pigsy lowered his hands; at this time, the harsh and harsh Monk Sha was also speechless! Although the good Monkey King was transformed from stone, he couldn't tell the difference between bitterness and sweetness at this moment!"
"Although the holy monk is silent, he is filled with anger! How despicable! How can I boast before the Tang King? How despicable! Tathagata, you asked me to spread your scriptures? How despicable! You set up this difficulty on the journey to the West? How despicable! Nine times in my previous life, I was a golden cicada!"
"I really wanted to... cut my robes into pieces and leave the mortal world! I will hold your hand and we will be together forever!"
"What can I do? There is truly no other perfect Dharma in the world; I will not let down the Tathagata, nor my beloved!"
…
"What a sin, what a sin, what a sin, it's all karma, karma, karma, karma, karma, karma! Who told me to be destined to be with the Three Treasures, who told me to meditate since I was born!"
"Sigh, sigh, sigh, how difficult it is! Even if there are thousands of ways to express myself, how can I begin to express myself?"
"Stop, stop, stop! Tang Monk raises his hand and calls to the sky! Xuanzang will never be young again in this life!"
"This is even more pitiful. The infatuated king is so confused! Look at her, she is stunned, terrified, tearful, and her heart is trembling! She is hoping that you, the holy monk, will return soon so that we can share the wealth and glory in this wonderful world!"
"What can we do, after this separation! The love that is of the same root is separated by mountains, and the mandarin ducks that are separated by force are separated by the sky!"
"Listen to my advice, you've experienced all eight kinds of suffering in life! You can't get what you want, and you still cling to your obsession. It's destined to be this way!"
"That ruthless horse is called the White Dragon Horse. It whistled loudly, shaking the carved saddle. Tang Sanzang turned around and whipped his whip. The horse's hooves rose into the air and it sped away in a cloud of dust. The four masters and apprentices were heading for the Western Paradise again !"
After he finished speaking, Jia Cong stood up and said to himself, "I was worried that my excessive love would damage my Buddhist feelings, and I was also afraid of leaving the city when I went into the mountains! How can I achieve both in this world, without disappointing the Tathagata and you?"
…
Jia Cong is not a fool, and he knows Miaoyu's attitude towards him very well. However, Miaoyu is different from Baochai, Daiyu and others. She has too many mysteries and doubts.
Moreover, she was involved in the White Lotus incident, the current Southwest Rebellion, and the figure in the White Dragon Fish Costume. Even Jia Cong didn't know whether he and Miaoyu would be friends or enemies in the future! If they were friends, it would be easy to talk about. If they were enemies, then it would be a life-and-death struggle. At least before he figured out everything, Jia Cong wouldn't give a shred of love to her, even though... this might be a little unfair.
After Jia Cong left, Miaoyu sat upright in front of the desk, and tears began to fall from her eyes without her knowing when.
"How can I achieve both in this world, to live up to both the Tathagata and you?" Miaoyu muttered to herself. After a long while, she took the green jade bowl from Jia Cong and drank the remaining tea in one gulp. Her tears disappeared as she quietly chanted, "Once I have seen the sea, all other waters are but puddles; except for Mount Wushan, all other clouds are but wisps! Now that I am among the flowers, I am too lazy to look back, partly because of my cultivation and partly because of you..."
Three days passed in a flash, and soon it was the day when Jia Cong hosted a banquet for the Wang, Fan and Yuwen families.
