Chapter 226
Chapter 226
The moment he uttered the words “oil exhausted, lamp burned out,” Liu Junyan and I both froze.
Liu Junyan instinctively tightened his grip on my hand.
He stared at me nervously, as though trying to find some clue in my expression.
I was a little nervous too. I carefully thought back over my recent physical condition.
My soul often wandered outside my body.
I was afraid to sleep.
The two ribs that had liquefied ached faintly from time to time.
The character ‘Slave’ on my right cheek was growing more vivid by the day.
Other than that, I didn’t seem to be suffering from any further discomfort.
Surely I was nowhere near the point of “oil exhausted, lamp burned out” yet?
I asked cautiously, “Abbot, are you saying I’m about to reach the point of ‘oil exhausted, lamp burned out’?”
Abbot Kongji smiled and shook his head. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu’s Fate Pattern… is extremely complicated. Even though I have met and observed countless people over the years, I still cannot truly fathom it. As for what ‘oil exhausted, lamp burned out’ actually refers to, perhaps only Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu herself will be able to make complete sense of it in the end.”
This… Why did I feel like Abbot Kongji’s words had only become even more profound and baffling?
“Is there any way to remedy it?” Liu Junyan asked, unwilling to give up. “If the oil has run out, can we refill it?”
Abbot Kongji continued to smile. Raising one hand, he gestured for us to proceed. “The Buddha Lamp is still enshrined before the Buddha. Chan Master, you may take Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu there yourself. Whatever you wish to do, go ahead and do it.”
He had addressed Liu Junyan as “Chan Master.”
We had previously speculated that Liu Junyan was most likely the reincarnation of Chan Master Dahui.
So here at Great Dharma King Temple, in Abbot Kongji’s eyes, Liu Junyan was Chan Master Dahui, wasn’t he?
Liu Junyan nodded and took my hand, preparing to leave.
Abbot Kongji added, “Chan Master, Mount Song is blessed with remarkable people and natural beauty. When you have time, you should take Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu around and enjoy the scenery of Mount Song.”
The New Year had only just passed, and it wasn’t yet the season when spring brought warmth and flowers bloomed.
The plants and trees on Mount Song had yet to fully awaken. Staying here to enjoy the scenery at a time like this?
That explanation felt rather forced.
But Abbot Kongji wouldn’t have said such a thing for no reason. There had to be a deeper meaning behind his words.
Liu Junyan replied, “All right. I will.”
Liu Junyan led me out of the meditation room and headed toward the side hall in the west.
He knew the way by heart. When he pushed open the side hall’s heavy doors, the first thing I saw was the compassionate-looking Buddha statue seated in the place of honor.
Over a thousand Eternal Lamps were densely arranged around the Buddha.
Another Eternal Lamp rested in the Buddha’s upturned left hand.
That Eternal Lamp was larger than all the others and looked far more ancient.
But at that moment, the Lamp Oil inside it was almost completely gone. Its flame was so weak that it looked as though a single gust of wind could snuff it out.
This was the Buddha Lamp Liu Junyan had enshrined for me at Great Dharma King Temple.
Liu Junyan and I offered incense together and prayed devoutly for a while.
Afterward, he personally tried to pour some oil into the Buddha Lamp.
Strangely enough, the opening of the Buddha Lamp was clearly quite wide, and Liu Junyan moved with great care, yet the oil simply refused to go in. It slowly ran down from the rim instead.
Liu Junyan tried several times, but not a single drop of Lamp Oil went in.
“Ah Yan, don’t waste the Lamp Oil.” I stopped him. “Come outside for a walk with me.”
Liu Junyan silently set down the Lamp Oil, walked over, and stroked my head. “All right. Let’s go for a walk. I’ll take you to see where I live.”
I smiled and asked, “Where you live? Isn’t it inside this Temple?”
We had spent several hours driving here, then talked to Abbot Kongji for some time. By now, it was already past four in the afternoon.
I had assumed we would spend the night in one of the temple’s guest rooms.
“We won’t be staying at the temple,” Liu Junyan said. “The last time I came, Abbot Kongji arranged permanent quarters for me.”
“Permanent quarters?” I asked curiously. “I heard him address you as ‘Chan Master’ just now. It seems you really do share some fated connection with Great Dharma King Temple.”
Liu Junyan couldn’t explain it either. “My Awakening hasn’t restored all my memories, even with the passage of time. I only remember Mount Song and Great Dharma King Temple. As for what happened here in the past, there seems to be a gap in my memories. I can’t recall any of it.”
“It’s okay. If you can’t remember, and your Awakening can’t bring those memories back, none of that matters.” I tried my best to sound relaxed. “It’s all in the past, and there’s no use chasing after what’s already gone. We only need to cherish the present.”
As we spoke, we left Great Dharma King Temple, and Liu Junyan led me east.
At this time of year, aside from the evergreen pines and cypresses, a few early-spring plants were beginning to bud across Mount Song.
The farther east we went, the lower the terrain became.
After walking for more than ten minutes, I spotted a canyon in the distance.
A small stone house stood on the cliff at the canyon’s eastern side.
The weather was lovely today. The setting sun cast its afterglow over the house, gilding its roof in a layer of golden light.
The door was closed but unlocked.
Liu Junyan pushed it open. The interior was spotless and stocked with basic necessities. It had clearly been cleaned in advance.
The stone house was divided into an outer room and an inner room. The outer room contained a square table and several benches, and the tea on the table was still warm.
The inner room was a bedroom. In addition to the bed, a large desk stood against the eastern wall.
On the desk were brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. Beside it stood a vase holding several scrolls that looked quite old.
I walked over and unfurled one. It was a landscape painting.
The scene it depicted was the view from the stone house’s rear window.
I opened the rest of the scrolls one after another and discovered that they all shared the same subject.
Every painting showed the view from the rear window.
There were scenes from spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Yet without exception, all of them depicted the landscape at night.
More specifically, they were all scenes from nights when the moon was full.
And every painting was signed “Xingyi.”
Xingyi… Liu Xingyi?
The paintings had been left here, so Liu Junyan must have seen all of them on his previous visit.
Just how long had this stone house been here?
Liu Xingyi must have loved spending time here back then.
I carefully rolled up each painting and placed them back in the vase.
When I turned around, I saw Liu Junyan standing by the rear window and gazing outside, lost in thought.
I walked over and gently leaned against him.
Liu Junyan put an arm around my shoulders. I nestled closer, standing side by side with him as we admired the scenery outside.
At that moment, it felt as though we were the only two people left in the world.
Beyond the window stretched the vast canyon, thick with trees. Every now and then, a bird would flit past.
It was peaceful and beautiful.
We stood there like that for a long, long time.
We remained until the sun had set and Abbot Kongji sent a young novice monk to deliver dinner and hot water.
The young monk told us that all the necessities had been prepared and that we should make ourselves at home. If we needed anything else, we only had to ask, and he would bring it to us.
Liu Junyan and I thanked him. After dinner, we washed up, but neither of us felt the slightest bit sleepy.
So I suggested taking a walk along the edge of the canyon.
It had truly been a long time since we’d had the chance to slow down and enjoy such an unhurried life.
If not for all the complications surrounding us, I thought Liu Junyan would probably enjoy a secluded life like this.