Chapter 291
Chapter 291
The Seven Deaths for Life Exchange was like a shadow I could never escape.
It was the reason I had survived, and it was also the reason I had died.
Because of it, both of my families had been destroyed. Then I came all the way to Lincheng only to encounter the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange again.
Those words terrified me more than any ghost.
Now, any topic connected to the Seven Deaths for Life Exchange provoked an instinctive reaction in me.
Lin Yin was an atheist. She would not ask me about Life Extension for no reason.
“I was only… asking casually.”
Her gaze drifted as she explained, “You know I’m an atheist and don’t believe in such things. But I think for myself too. You and Seventh Master speak with insight and don’t resemble charlatans, yet both of you believe in ghosts and gods. I thought there might truly be things in this world that ordinary people can’t understand, so I became curious…”
Curiosity was human nature, but some matters were better left unexplored.
Lin Xiaohua was her younger brother, and he was terminally ill. If she became genuinely curious about Life Extension, she might eventually believe in it. And if she believed, she would surely try to act on it.
But this was one matter on which no one should ever act.
The water in the pot had begun boiling. I lowered the heat, then joined Lin Yin in the living room.
I spoke to her earnestly. “Being an atheist doesn’t mean you must investigate these things. Even though Seventh Master and I believe in ghosts and gods, we still believe that life and death are fated, while wealth and status lie with Heaven. When someone becomes gravely ill, recovery is their fate, and failure to recover is their fate as well.”
“The Life Extension you asked about violates reason. If a person’s time hasn’t come, then there is nothing wrong with using lawful and reasonable medical treatment. But if their allotted lifespan is exhausted and even doctors can’t save them, any so-called Life Extension will inevitably rely on harming someone else. That is inhumane and violates human nature.”
I did not dare explain it too explicitly.
Anyone facing the death of a loved one could easily do something extreme.
I was a living example.
After listening, Lin Yin fell silent. My words seemed to disappoint her.
She asked, “What would you do if someone in your family were about to die?”
I met her gaze and answered without hesitation. “I would do everything in my power to save them. If I could exchange my own life for theirs, I would. If even that were impossible, I would stay beside them and help them finish the final part of their life. I would never keep them alive by hurting someone else.”
“When explaining his view of life and death, Zhuangzi said that life follows death, and death begins life. He meant that living is a process of walking step by step toward death. When we die, we return to the place we occupied before birth. Wherever you were before you were born is where you will return after you die. So we shouldn’t place too much weight on death. We should treasure every day we are alive.”
I did not like lecturing people. I did not believe I possessed the experience or authority for it.
These words were simply what I truly believed.
But unexpectedly… I made Lin Yin cry.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward again. I had no idea how to comfort a girl.
Tears streaming down her face, she suddenly rested her head on my shoulder.
I did not dare move, terrified that Boss Lin would suddenly return and witness the scene.
She probably only dreaded the day Lin Xiaohua would leave her and needed a shoulder for a moment.
But I was so uncomfortable that my toes nearly tore through my slippers.
Fortunately, Lin Yin soon lifted her head from my shoulder.
She wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry, Mr. Chen. I lost control of myself.”
I shook my head. “It’s all right. Birth, aging, illness, and death are part of being human. I hope you can come to terms with it.”
Her eyes red, she forced herself to smile. I had to admit, that was the most beautiful expression a girl could wear, especially Lin Yin.
“Mr. Chen, you’re truly different. It’s hard to imagine you’re only two years older than me, yet you understand so much more.”
I smiled awkwardly, but inwardly I could only sigh.
I had paid for that understanding with the deaths of my parents. I did not want to know so much.
Only beliefs like the ones I had just expressed could offer me any comfort for the tragedies I had endured.
At that moment, I noticed a copy of the Book of Changes on the sofa. It must have been the book Lin Yin was reading earlier.
Curious, I asked, “You read this too?”
Lin Yin smiled. “I told you, I’m very curious. Although I’m a materialist, meeting you made me want to learn whether this world truly has another side.”
Before, I had not been certain.
Now I was. She might genuinely be interested in me.
But she had expressed herself so subtly that I could hardly act aloof and reject her outright, or even signal a refusal.
Pretending not to understand, I explained, “This is actually a work of philosophy, not mysticism. It contains an extremely broad range of ideas and wisdom.”
Lin Yin said, “But it mentions the Heavenly Dao. There’s one part I don’t understand. It says people should follow the Heavenly Dao and emulate the Great Dao, but it also says people should possess independent will. So should we accept our fate, or resist its injustice?”
I nodded. “Let me tell you a story.”
The story concerned a bodhisattva’s disciple who needed to pass a test. The test was simple: he had to sit beside the bodhisattva in a temple for one day. As long as he did not speak throughout that day, he would pass.
After the test began, a wealthy man entered the temple. When he finished offering incense, he accidentally left his wallet on the floor.
Next, a poor man came inside. He had visited the temple that day to pray for money to treat a sick family member. By chance, he found the rich man’s wallet. Naturally, the poor man was overjoyed and believed the bodhisattva had answered his prayer.
Then a young man entered. He was about to embark on a long sea voyage and hoped the bodhisattva would bless him with a safe return.
At that moment, the wealthy man came back for his wallet. He assumed the young man had stolen it, and the two began arguing bitterly.
The bodhisattva’s disciple had remained silent until then, but he could no longer restrain himself. He stepped forward and told the wealthy man that a poor man had picked up his wallet, urging him to hurry outside and give chase.
The wealthy man naturally went after the poor man. At that moment, the bodhisattva appeared and declared that the disciple had failed the test.
The disciple did not understand and asked the bodhisattva why he had failed.
The bodhisattva explained that the wealthy man did not need the money, while the poor man’s discovery of the wallet was Heaven’s will. It would help him through his crisis and pay for his family member’s treatment.
As for the falsely accused young man, the ship he was about to board would soon sink. If he had continued arguing with the wealthy man for only a few more minutes, he would have missed it. Being falsely accused would have saved his life.
But because the disciple had intervened, he altered the young man’s chain of cause and effect.
I asked Lin Yin, “If you ignore the bodhisattva’s explanation afterward and consider only the disciple’s actions, do you think he was right or wrong?”