Translation checker: Rin
Editor: a.s.
The place Huang Yuliang was heading to lay on the border of Henan and Shanxi, a location unfamiliar to Li Yan. He’d never been there before. In fact, he hadn’t even heard of the place. From train to bus to mule cart, Li Yan watched as the landscape around him transitioned from modern to ancient. If it weren’t for the incongruously dressed young master beside him, he might have felt a bit like he’d traveled through time.
They slowly passed by a small village nestled in the mountains with sparsely scattered houses. Seeing that they were about to enter the mountains and it was already past four o’clock in the afternoon, Li Yan was very worried about whether there would be a place to stay if they walked any further into the mountains. However, seeing Huang Yuliang’s calm demeanor, he felt less anxious. At the foot of a mountain, the old man driving the mule cart stopped and spoke to Huang Yuliang in the local dialect, to which Huang Yuliang nodded in understanding, and then handed the old man a hundred yuan for the ride. The old man happily drove off.
“It’s a pity we didn’t come at the right time. The scenery around here is beautiful in the spring and summer,” Huang Yuliang remarked as he started to climb the mountain steps. Calling it steps was a bit of a stretch. It was more like a path trodden by the villagers over the years.
Looking at Huang Yuliang’s leather shoes, Li Yan thought, who would wear such stylish shoes after knowing that they’d be climbing the mountains?
“The place where this person lives is truly tranquil.”
“As a Buddhist practitioner, of course, one resides in a pure and quiet environment.”
Only then did Li Yan realize that they were visiting a monk or nun.
Because it was an undeveloped area, everything in the mountains remained untouched, and even the frequent coming and going of villagers didn’t disturb its natural beauty. The air was fresh and cool, making Li Yan feel exceptionally comfortable.
“Well, since we’re about to meet the man himself, can’t you reveal a little more?” Li Yan asked.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Huang Yuliang slowed his pace, glanced around, and asked, “What aspect? Are you curious about the master we’re about to meet, or your father’s last item?”
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“Rfnfg rffc bcf.”
Huang Yuliang chuckled. “Good answer. If you’ve seen one, you believe; if you haven’t, you don’t, right?”
“How can I believe something I haven’t seen?”
“That’s why, compared to what I could say, what you’ll see with your own eyes is more real.”
“Okay, okay, go on. I believe you.” Li Yan thought it’d be better to have some understanding before meeting the master Huang Yuliang mentioned. If he went into the meeting completely ignorant, he’d undoubtedly appear awkward and risk making a fool of himself later.
“Humans, ghosts, spirits, monsters, demons, immortals, and gods, these are just a few rough categories.” Huang Yuliang took a moment to collect his thoughts. “In this world, each of them exists, with their own boundaries. Crossing these boundaries leads to disharmony.”
“so？”
“Disharmony needs to be harmonized.” Huang Yuliang smiled. “Just like in Western mythology, an angel gave the Book of Leaves to humans, but because the knowledge contained within exceeded what humans needed to understand, God commanded the angel to take it back.”
“Are you suggesting that my father’s last possession doesn’t belong to humans?”
“If the facts align with what I know.”
Li Yan’s mind was suddenly thrown into confusion. He carefully pondered the truth behind Huang Yuliang’s words—if it was true, what would it mean, and if it was false, what would the other party gain from it.
After walking together for a long time, the two fell into a thoughtful silence.
As the sky darkened and the mountain wind grew colder, almost piercing through them, Li Yan followed Huang Yuliang around a bend in the mountainside, and there, a temple gate stood before them. Unlike the rugged mountain path, the steps and the vegetation on either side of the road here were meticulously maintained.
“Hanjing Temple…”
“This is a very famous temple,” Huang Yuliang said with a smile. “Do you see the trees by the roadside? In spring, they bloom into a sea of peach blossoms.”
Li Yan thought for a moment and felt that a sea of vibrant pink seemed a bit mismatched with the serene atmosphere of the temple. He thought that evergreen pines and cypress or the golden hues of ginkgo trees would carry more of the spiritual essence of Buddhism. As the two approached, Huang Yuliang only stood in front of the gate without any intention to knock. Just as Li Yan found this odd, the gate opened, revealing a sturdy and robust monk with a broad nose and square face, exuding a stern Arhat-like impression.
Both Li Yan and Huang Yuliang clasped their hands together in greeting, and the monk reciprocated the gesture in a simple manner. At that moment, a slender and small monk emerged from behind the gate. He was wearing glasses that were as thick as the bottom of a beer bottle, and it seemed that they were about to crush his nose bridge.
“Patrons, please follow me. The master is waiting in the guest hall.”
Li Yan was secretly amazed. This master seemed to possess some extraordinary abilities for him to predict the time so accurately.
Passing through the temple gate, guided by the bespectacled monk, Li Yan glanced around as they walked. The temple was indeed small, but its facilities were no less than those of a typical temple. After passing by the Lotus Pond and the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, the two followed the monk to the eastern guest room, where they met the so-called Master. To Li Yan’s surprise, the master appeared quite young, perhaps only around twenty-three or twenty-four. Likely due to the ascetic life in the mountains, his visage was gaunt, with eyes as calm and clear as water. His most striking feature was a pair of long earlobes that seemed to embody the spirit of Buddha.
“The two patrons have come from afar. Please have some water and take a rest first.”
Huang Yuliang stepped forward and clasped his hands together in greeting. “Master Changwen.”
Changwen also offered his respects. “Our abbot passed away a few days ago. He specifically instructed that there would be esteemed guests today, and that I, Changwen, should replace him to assist both of you with all my efforts.”
Even the usually composed Huang Yuliang revealed a moment of astonishment upon hearing this. What was going on? Was the person they were supposed to find someone other than this Changwen?
After pondering for a few seconds, Huang Yuliang nodded and returned to his seat. Taking a sip of water, he said, “About five years ago, I met you once, and when I came again, you and your five fellow brothers were in seclusion for cultivation. You were often absent from the temple at that time, so it’s understandable if you don’t remember me.” Huang Yuliang took a momentary pause. “My mother, surnamed Huang, is an old acquaintance of Master Benyuan. I’m sure you’ve heard of her.”
Master Changwen, with a sudden realization, nodded. “Originally, Master Benyuan’s instructions were not clear, making me puzzled. Now, things are clearer.”
“Here’s the situation.” Huang Yuliang gestured towards Li Yan. “This is Mr. Li. According to my investigation, it is highly probable that his father got his hands on one of the Immortal’s Tail stone statues. However, I can’t find any trace of him.” Huang Yuliang quickly glanced at Li Yan. “As if he’s deliberately hiding.”
“Perhaps he hasn’t been affected by it yet.”
Huang Yuliang had a similar assumption. Hearing someone expressing the same thought, he couldn’t help but straighten his posture a bit. “Maybe he hasn’t been affected for the time being.”
Changwen assented with a nod and gave a slight smile to Li Yan, who’d been silently listening the whole time. “Patron Li, I assume you might find it all rather unclear. There are many recorded books in the temple. Later, I’ll have my disciple send them to you.” Then, he turned to Huang Yuliang. “Since Patron Huang brought you here, he must want to tell you the whole story.”
“That’s correct.” Even before Li Yan could speak, Huang Yuliang said, “I’m thinking that since I can’t easily find Mr. Li’s father’s whereabouts on my end, I hope you can help me locate the whereabouts of the stone statue, Master. It’d be a win-win situation.”
“Amitabha.” Changwen clasped his hands together. “In his lifetime, Master Benyuan only managed to retrieve three stone statues. I will certainly do my utmost to assist you, Patron Huang.”
Huang Yuliang and Li Yan both stood up from their seats and bowed respectfully to Changwen to show their gratitude.
Thank you for the translation! :3
There’s a double “so?”
Thanks for the chapter! Amitabha.
thanks!