Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1273 - 399 Shariputra, Grace and Love_2

Chapter 1273: Chapter 399 Shariputra, Grace and Love_2

Fearing she might damage it, Mo Yan didn’t dare to pick it up with her hands. She just turned it over in the light several times, but couldn’t make out what it was. Thus, she asked Xue tuanzi, "What exactly is this? How is it useful to you?"

"It’s a Shariputra!" Xue tuanzi replied solemnly, his tone filled with veneration, "It’s what remains after those monks pass away in meditation, containing the Power of Faith and merit they accumulated throughout their lives."

If it were just judging by appearances, Xue tuanzi wouldn’t have known what it was either, but just then he had used a secret technique to trace back the origin of the golden granules, only then did he understand their provenance, and he felt immediate and deep respect for those monks who had cultivated Shariputras.

"Shariputra? It’s actually a Shariputra!" Mo Yan was startled, for she had often heard about Shariputras in both her modern life and in this life.

It was said that a Shariputra comes through the cultivation of discipline, concentration, and wisdom, combined with the practitioner’s own great vows. It is extremely rare and precious. Since Xue tuanzi could sense a significant amount of Power of Faith and merit contained within it, there surely was no mistake.

No wonder, no wonder Master Du Jie had said that in others’ hands, this object would only be a dead item, for he had already known she needed a great amount of merit and the Power of Faith. This priceless gift was truly more than she could bear.

Through Xue tuanzi’s account, Mo Yan gradually understood the origins of these eight Shariputras.

A thousand years ago, an enlightened monk gathered the strength of virtuous men and women and used alms to build Bao Hua Temple. At that time, Bao Hua Temple didn’t have the scale it boasts today, yet once built, it quickly became immensely popular, gaining a reputation among the many temples, nunneries, and Taoist temples in Jing City. More and more people came to worship, and, by now, it had become the most prominent temple in Jing City.

The enlightened monk who initiated Bao Hua Temple’s construction allowed his disciple to become the Abbot, while he retreated to the back mountain for quiet cultivation, rarely showing himself in public. No one knew his real age, but when he passed away in meditation, Bao Hua Temple had already existed for a hundred years.

After the monk was cremated, the then-Abbot, his grand-disciple, found a golden Shariputra among his ashes. He followed the master’s last command and preserved it in a box.

Latterly, another distinguished monk undertook painstaking cultivation at the site where the previous monk had practiced and also passed away in meditation after a hundred years, leaving behind a golden Shariputra, which was similarly saved in a box.

...

Over a thousand years, there has always been an ascetic monk in seclusion behind Bao Hua Temple, and when they passed away in meditation after a hundred years, they left behind these eight Shariputras.

These eight monks who partook in arduous practice had another thing in common—they all shared the same dharma name: Du Jie!

"Yanyan, perhaps Master Du Jie gave you this box in connection with the colossal calamity that will occur several decades from now! In your first life, Great Chu collapsed, people starved, and Bao Hua Temple was also reduced to ashes in a great fire. I surmise that the first Master Du Jie might have foreseen this and calculated the disaster a thousand years later, making a point to establish Bao Hua Temple to use the power of meritorious deeds to neutralize this catastrophe," Xue tuanzi speculated. He could only infer about the Shariputra from the visions associated with it and couldn’t probe into the thoughts of these eight masters.

"Your speculation might be correct, but Emperor Huian is still in power, and Chu Heng is also alive and well. It’s unlikely that Great Chu would tread the same old path. Master Du Jie giving me such valuable Shariputras has indeed put me at a great advantage," Mo Yan, holding the box, felt as if it weighed a thousand catties in her hands.

"Some things are beyond human control. Just because Great Chu hasn’t followed that old path doesn’t mean the catastrophe won’t arrive! Besides, you’re the one who changed Great Chu’s history. These eight Shariputras might be Master Du Jie’s way of thanking you. With them, I can transform sooner. If that disaster truly recurs, having been endowed with such a boon, I will surely find a way to prevent it," Xue tuanzi said, unwilling to give up what they had obtained, especially since it could set him free ahead of time. However, he was well aware that nothing in the world came without a price; to gain much, one had to sacrifice much. That was only fair.

Mo Yan was just a bit emotional, she never thought about returning the items. Seeing Xue tuanzi so anxious, she couldn’t help but laugh, "Don’t worry, if Master Du Jie gave this to you deliberately, I won’t decide on my own. However, regarding the merit and Power of Faith inside the Shariputra, how can it be counted on your behalf?"

At this news, Xue tuanzi finally felt relieved and spoke cheerily, "It’s quite simple! Just place the Shariputra next to the Merit Pearl! But don’t do it now; wait until I reach the Ninth Level, and then break through to the Tenth Level all at once. With the aid of this Power of Faith, transforming will be much easier."