Volume 2: A sudden change in the prison, a red-clothed man goes out to find a thief Chapter 232: Steamed Buns Are Always Tastier When They’re Hot
The last three days of March passed quietly, and in April, the old monk began to recite sutras for Li Si.
Jinshan Temple was still deserted that day, but there were a few more birds perched on the mountain gate and singing.
In the Buddhist hall, the muffled sound of the wooden fish could be heard. The old monk struck the wooden fish while he plucked the rosary beads with his hands and lowered his head to recite scriptures.
Li Si sat behind him and listened silently. It was probably only at this time that he could barely sit up straight. The old monk didn't hit him hard when he beat him before, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed at this time, let alone sit up.
But even so, there was still not much respect on the part of this thief. He just closed his eyes and listened to the scriptures. It was unclear whether he fell asleep or was just resting his eyes.
Only after a passage of scripture was finished did he frown slightly, open his eyes, look at the old monk and ask.
"Why are you reciting this sutra so strangely? It seems to be a lot more sharp than before."
"Really?" The old monk was about to continue chanting, but stopped because of Li Si's words.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the wooden fish in front of him. After a while, he answered.
"I guess I'm still angry after fighting with you the day before yesterday."
Li Si looked at the old monk for a while, then suddenly sighed, changed his posture and sat on the ground sideways.
"I can't fight with you again while I'm still angry. Tell me straight, do you have something to tell me?"
Ever since the old monk said those inexplicable words to him, he has always felt strange, as if the old monk did not tell him something.
He didn't like this, nor did he like to guess the deep meaning of other people's words. If there was really something, he would rather the old monk could explain it more clearly so that he would know what to do.
After hearing Li Si's question, the old monk stopped beating the wooden fish and chanting.
He was silent for a moment, seemed to let out a breath, and finally spoke.
"My old man is about to pass away."
The voice in the hall was a little hoarse, making the figure in front of the altar seem a little thinner.
This man is really looking more and more like a pile of bones.
Li Si's expression stiffened slightly, and then he shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care and said.
"Well, then you can go, but what does this have to do with what you said before?"
Since the old monk was about to pass away, why would he tell him how to kill him? Li Si couldn't understand this.
"I don't know whether I will become a Buddha or a devil." The old monk paused, put down the scripture in his hand, and spoke calmly.
He had killed too many people for revenge in his life, and his heart had long since died. He had been away from the world for thirty years, but he still hadn't been able to get rid of his sins. The faces of those he had killed in those years were still vivid in his mind. The evil words and insults he had said were still in the monk's heart.
People in this world are different. Some people can live happily even after killing countless people. Some people can't sleep at night after killing only one person. For the old monk, the grudges in the past are his inner demons. Even if he killed all his enemies, his inner demons did not disappear, but became stronger.
That year, the Shaolin disciples went down the mountain to train, and the abbot asked them not to be tainted by worldly affairs. Among the five disciples, one became stupid, one became greedy, one became angry, and one was able to ignore everything.
The old abbot never said until his death who of them did the right thing, but one thing was beyond doubt.
That is Yuanyuan, or Yuanji, who was definitely wrong. He had been killing people since he came down the mountain, not for worldly matters, but for his own grudges. At that time, he had no Buddha nature at all, but was just following the demons in his heart. He knew he was wrong, so he persuaded Yuanjie to go back, but he made the same mistake again and again.
By the time he came to his senses, the evil nature had already been deeply rooted in his heart and was difficult to eradicate.
So he hid himself away from the world and changed his Buddhist name to Yuanji.
He wanted to feed the devil with his body, to suffer the same fate as it did.
For this reason, he practiced Zen meditation, chanted sutras and recited Buddha's name all day long. But how could the inner demon be eliminated so easily? The struggle of the mind was enough to make a person like the old monk exhausted.
His body became thinner and thinner, and his flesh and blood seemed to have become food for his inner demons, being "eaten" clean bit by bit.
There were countless times when the old monk felt that he could not control his inner demons and wanted to end his life, but his inner demons stopped him. Obviously, his inner demons did not want him to die. And Yuanji himself could no longer tell whether he was a Buddha or a demon. Maybe he just didn't want to die?
Li Si was left behind by the old monk's Buddha nature, and he took him in. So in front of Li Si, the old monk always looked like a monk.
At the same time, Li Si is the old monk's last resort. If he becomes possessed by a demon, he hopes that Li Si can kill him and prevent him from becoming a scourge to the world.
Even though this disaster may have been planted long ago.
In the Buddhist hall, after calmly explaining all this to Li Si, the old monk struck the wooden fish again and said calmly, "So if I accidentally fall into the devil's way before I pass away, you can kill me and let me rest in peace."
He did not let Li Si take action now because he was afraid that he would not be able to control his temper and would resist on the spot.
The inner demon didn't want him to die, very much. But as a monk, he wanted to die, very much.
In this light, it is very ridiculous to say the Buddhist name "Yuanji" at this time, isn't it?
Li Si sat behind the old monk and listened quietly to all his instructions, his expression looking a little stiff.
Because it seems that the old monk had taken him in with this in mind from the very beginning.
You can call it taking advantage of me, or you can call it helpless...
Li Si sat there for a long while, then gave a dry laugh.
He looked at the ground, maintaining a somewhat dry smile on his face, and asked softly.
"Don't you think this is a bit too harsh?"
The old monk knocked the wooden fish without answering.
"You were the first person I saw after I came out of the mountain."
Li Si didn't know why he said this. He just spoke and gradually lowered his brows.
He thought that his life was not completely a wandering one. At least Jinshan Temple was a home for him, allowing him to come back once a year.
It turned out that in the end the old monk just asked me to kill him.
To make him look like a real ghost...
"I am also a human being. Isn't it too cruel to me to do this?" Li Si asked again, his tone calm, even though his hands were on his legs, tightly grasping the hem of his clothes.
He can't let go of his past life, he doesn't want to have too many involvements with the people in this world, he has a cold temper, but just like he said, he is also a human being.
For twenty-eight years, is he supposed to think it's fake?
"You have a calm personality, so you can always do it." The old monk finally answered calmly, and then continued to recite the Sutra of Rebirth.
This time, Li Si stopped laughing, he couldn't laugh anymore.
As he was reciting, the old monk stopped reciting. He couldn't recite anymore either.
…
Many years ago, on that snowy day in Jinshan Temple, the monk also said the same thing to the children.
Your temperament is too cold, you can't be hot.
But is it really hot ? Perhaps only the monk himself knows.
At least when eating the red bean paste buns, the child gave him half of it.
