Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1271 - 398: The Light of Merit, Box_3

Chapter 1271: Chapter 398: The Light of Merit, Box_3

Xuetuan naturally understood this and strongly agreed with Mo Yan’s argument.

While they conversed, the group arrived at the Great Treasure Hall. Gazing upon the compassionate Buddha, Mo Yan, with a heart free of distractions, knelt with her family on the meditation cushions in earnest prayer.

The Six Beasts followed them inside as well. Liaokong saw this and did not stop them; as if unaware they were fierce wild beasts, he even had the Little Novice Monk bring over six additional cushions.

The Six Beasts, now seated in a row, sniffed at Liaokong’s action with disdain. They were ferocious beasts, and they did not believe in the Buddha, so why kneel before him? However, they were aware of where they were and did not make trouble. Even Little Flower, who usually loved to play, remained still and quietly watched the praying Mo Family members with an air of indignation.

Mo Yan pressed her palms together and slowly closed her eyes to pray to the Buddha. What was her wish? It seemed as though she had one, yet it also seemed like she did not. She hoped her family would stay healthy and safe, yearned to support a loved one for a lifetime and grow old together, and wished that Xuetuan would soon be able to transform and gain freedom... But these things she could accomplish on her own, and it seemed as if praying to the Buddha would be of little use if she could not.

Abbot Liaokong quietly observed from the side, his gaze seemingly fixed on the Mo Family members, but a careful observation would reveal that from beginning to end, his sight lingered on Mo Yan with an incredulous expression.

Ordinary people could not see it, but as an enlightened monk, Liaokong could observe a person’s aura. In his eyes, Mo Yan was like a cocoon glowing with golden light, with the aura surrounding her almost searing his eyes, making it hard for him to look directly at her.

This golden light was none other than the radiance of accumulated virtue.

Mo Yan had been reincarnated nine times, and this life was her tenth. From her first life, she had been ceaselessly accumulating virtue. By now, these virtues had condensed into a golden sphere invisible to ordinary people, enveloping her entirely like a giant golden cocoon, to the extent that even Liaokong could not discern her specific features.

Such profound virtue, Liaokong had only seen in one other person before. He withdrew his gaze, which then inadvertently fell upon Xiao Ruiyuan, kneeling next to Mo Yan, and a more intense color of surprise emerged in his eyes.

In stark contrast to Mo Yan, around Xiao Ruiyuan wrapped a darkness as black as ink, which was not the aura of death, but of thick, heavy murderous intent. Such murderous intent only appeared on those who had committed countless murders and were extremely wicked, or on soldiers who had been on the battlefield, slaying numerous enemies.

To Liaokong’s surprise, amidst this thick darkness of black murderous intent, there were specks of golden light that devoured the aura of darkness. It was this hint of golden light that changed the fate of the murderous intent’s owner from a lonely and early death to living safely onward.

Seeing the golden light overflowing from Mo Yan, lingering and twining around the other four, Liaokong suddenly understood something, and his face revealed a look of realization.

What Liaokong saw and thought, the Mo Family of course did not know. After they had devoutly made their wishes to the Buddha and added a generous sum to the merit box, they were taken by the Little Novice Monk arranged by Liaokong to the rear courtyard’s rooms for rest, except for Mo Yan whom he had retained.

"You go rest as well, make sure to keep an eye on Little Flower and the others, don’t let them cause any trouble, lest they frighten the monks in the temple." Seeing that Xiao Ruiyuan was reluctant to leave, Mo Yan pushed him, urging him to hurry away.

Xiao Ruiyuan glanced at Liaokong, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly led the Six Beasts away.

"Benefactor, please follow this monk," Liaokong said without further ado, leaving these words before he started walking ahead.

Mo Yan followed without hesitation, as there were some things she too wanted to know.

Liaokong led Mo Yan out of the Great Treasure Hall, through a long corridor, to a secluded courtyard in the back mountain. Ancient trees reached the sky, buildings were worn, and walls showed the mottled marks of time, clearly not a place where pilgrims would stay.

Liaokong stopped in front of one of the buildings. The tightly shut door opened from the inside, and out walked a monk dressed in gray robes. The monk also had white hair and eyebrows, yet his face was free of wrinkles and he seemed much younger than Liaokong.

Stepping forward, Liaokong pressed his palms together in a respectful greeting, "Venerable Great-Uncle Master."

The monk nodded slightly, his modest gaze fell upon Mo Yan, revealing a compassionate smile, and his long, drawn-out voice seemed to come from afar in the sky, "You have come."

Originally immersed in the phrase "Uncle Master," Mo Yan, still pondering over the true age of the monk, suddenly awoke from the monk’s "You have come." Her mind stirred, and intuition told her that this "You have come" was not as simple as it sounded. This monk might have already perceived something.

Facing those wise eyes that seemed to peer into everything, Mo Yan instantly shelved all her careful thoughts and respectfully bowed, "Greetings, Master!"

The master smiled warmly, "My Dharma name is Du Jie, Benefactor may call me Du Jie."

Du Jie? What a strange Dharma name! Mo Yan’s brow twitched, suppressing the odd feeling in her heart, she bowed again, "Master Du Jie." Directly calling him by his Dharma name seemed rather presumptuous, so she still added the word "Master."

Master Du Jie, smiling, shook his head and did not correct the address, his wise eyes as if embracing all beings under the heavens, "Benefactor has come from afar, and I, Du Jie, have nothing with which to entertain you, but for a pot of freshly brewed wild tea. If Benefactor does not disdain it, please come in and have a cup."

Mo Yan was very aware that the real reason for her visit was to see this Master Du Jie, so she naturally did not mind. Seeing that Master Du Jie had already turned, she quickly followed him.

Liaokong watched the wooden door slowly close, a flicker of hope crossing his aged face. He chanted a prayer and then turned and slowly walked out of this secluded courtyard.

The furnishings inside the meditation room were very simple; aside from the table and chairs and the meditation area, there wasn’t even a bed, just the full-bodied aroma of tea lingering in the nose. Mo Yan sat cross-legged on the cushion, finding herself filled with awe for Master Du Jie, who was brewing tea opposite her.

It is not hard to cultivate Buddhism, but what is difficult is to keep one’s secular heart, and to sustain this solitude for years on end, achieving a mind as still as water.

"Benefactor, please!"

In the moment that Mo Yan was lost in thought, Master Du Jie had already finished brewing the tea.

The tea cup was made of the simplest coarse pottery, with tiny raised granules visible at a glance. While appearing so rudimentary, the delicate fragrance of the tea could not have been produced by even the finest purple clay pot, only the Cloud and Mist Tea from Space could compare.

Seeming to notice the surprise in Mo Yan, Master Du Jie explained, "This tea grows on the cliff tops of mountain peaks, and the tea tree already spans a millennium. Perhaps due to its age, it has absorbed the spiritual energy of the mountains, and the tea has improved year by year."

So it was an ancient tea tree of a thousand years! Mo Yan realized, understanding that for a tea to survive a millennium was not easy. It was even more remarkable that the tea it produced kept getting better, likely, as Master Du Jie said, absorbing the spiritual energy of the mountains.

She took a sip from the cup and indeed, it was fresh, mellow, and fragrant, a truly exceptional tea. Mo Yan immediately praised, "Excellent tea!"

Master Du Jie gave a slight smile and also raised his tea cup.

As Mo Yan savored the tea, her mind pondered why Du Jie had sought her out. Surely it wasn’t just to see through her identity and then invite her for tea and a chat?

But this time Mo Yan was wrong; Master Du Jie really just invited her for a chat over tea, except before leaving, he handed her a dusty, very inconspicuous box.

"Master Du Jie, I cannot accept this without merit," Mo Yan immediately refused. Although she did not know what was inside the box, Master Du Jie’s attitude seemed casual, yet even if it were just a blade of grass, she wouldn’t accept it.

As soon as she had spoken, Xuetuan’s voice suddenly came through her consciousness, more urgent than ever before, "Yanyan, take it, quickly take it."

Startled, Mo Yan quickly asked, "What exactly is in this box?"

"I don’t know, but it must be something good; I can feel it!" Xuetuan’s voice became even more pressing, persuading Mo Yan, "If the old monk is giving you something, he must have his reasons, just accept it with peace of mind."