In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1006: The Buddha Said, It Cannot Be Told!

Chapter 1006: Chapter 1006: The Buddha Said, It Cannot Be Told!

After the great fire that year, Huangjue Temple lost a massive number of its incense guests.

Furthermore, with the new emperor’s ascent to the throne, which involved encircling and investigating the whereabouts of Monk Liao Jue, the already sparse incense of Huangjue Temple grew even thinner, with hardly a glimpse of incense guests to be seen.

From a distance, Su Pan’er gazed at the Bell and Drum Tower where she had once encountered Liao Jue. The tower still stood tall against the sky, the very place where she once saw Bald Donkey Liao Jue.

It also made Su Pan’er very emotional.

The news of the Empress’s visit to Huangjue Temple had already reached the temple.

Master Yunhai, the abbot of the temple, personally came out to welcome her.

Upon seeing Su Pan’er, he recited a high-pitched Buddhist chant.

"The Empress graces our temple with her presence, casting glory upon this humble place. On behalf of all the monks of Huangjue Temple, I welcome Your Majesty’s noble visit."

Su Pan’er squinted at Master Yunhai, a faint smile on her lips.

"The master is too kind. Today, my palace visits your esteemed temple to worship Buddha, I’m afraid we’re imposing."

Master Yunhai bowed deeply, escorting Su Pan’er and her entourage towards the grand hall. He led them into the grand hall.

Su Pan’er first offered three incense sticks in the grand hall, and also made some temple donations. Seeing that she was weary, Master Yunhai then led them to the Zen Room.

"Empress, please be seated."

Master Yunhai sincerely invited her to join him in a tea ceremony.

Su Pan’er did not decline and sat down opposite Master Yunhai.

"Does Your Majesty believe in Buddhism?"

Master Yunhai’s face was full of smiles as he recited a Buddhist chant.

Su Pan’er shook her head, not concealing her inner likes and dislikes even while in the house of Buddha: "Of course I don’t!"

Originally, she had no particular aversion or fondness for Buddhism or Daoism, but after experiencing so much, after enduring so many incidents, her disbelief only grew stronger.

Could gods or Buddhas help her?

Why do good people always die young, while evil thrives for thousands of years?

The corners of Su Pan’er’s mouth lifted in a smile like a gentle breeze brushing against the willows: "I didn’t believe in the past, but now, I actually do."

If there were no gods or Buddhas, then how could she have arrived in this world?

Master Yunhai chuckled, then sat cross-legged and began to prepare the tea.

"The Buddha said that life is plagued by eight forms of suffering. Only by relaxing the body and mind, returning to oneself, can one escape from suffering and transcend the mundane world!"

Master Yunhai spoke simply yet insightfully: "It’s natural for people to be unable to escape the eight sufferings. Thus, when people turn to Buddhism, what they believe in is faith, and with faith, everything exists... and everything looks forward! The varied tastes of life, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, must all be experienced, just like this cup of tea. It starts with a slight bitterness, but in the end turns into sweetness, leaving an endless aftertaste."

As Master Yunhai spoke, he poured the freshly made tea into the tea cup, then replaced the lid and set down the kettle, making a gesture of invitation.

Su Pan’er stared at the tea cup, reluctant to drink for quite some time.

His words, spoken so calmly and with an unchanged expression, stirred ripples across Su Pan’er’s still heart.

Life is innately bitter.

After tasting all the flavors life has to offer, when the bitterness ends, sweetness begins, and a spring arrives.

Su Pan’er slowly reached out, lifted the tea cup, and said, "In that case, Master, you must have long transcended the mundane world." Then she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

"Outsiders, naturally, do not dwell in the mortal realm."

Master Yunhai had a thick skin: "Empress, how is the tea?"

Su Pan’er arched an eyebrow; she had been preoccupied with her thoughts, simply picked up the tea and drank it down, much like a bull chomping on a peony—how could she have paid attention to the taste?

"Why not have another cup?"

Master Yunhai didn’t wait for her response and took the initiative to refill Su Pan’er’s cup.

Because of what had just happened, Su Pan’er now carefully savored the tea as she held the tea cup once again.

Even though Su Pan’er was proficient in tea ceremony, she couldn’t say she had a particular fondness for it.

In her past life, her mentor was fond of drinking tea, and the elder who taught her the Internal Strength Method had a soft spot for Cloud and Mist tea. He was the one who taught her how to prepare tea.

The tea that Master Yunhai was currently brewing was this very top-grade Cloud Mist Tea. The water used was collected from the perennial snow on the mountain peak, bringing a unique crispness when it touched the palate.

Perhaps it was a shift in her state of mind, but Su Pan’er felt that this tea surpassed the Cloud and Mist tea that the elder had brewed in her previous years!

It was one notch richer without being too strong, and one notch subtler without being bland.

She gently sipped, the refreshment sliding down her throat, leaving a lingering fragrance on her lips and teeth.

She couldn’t help but take another sip, then sat in silence for a long while.

"The Buddha says that all forms are illusory, everything should follow its natural course. Empress, there is no need for you to be overly attached. Try to see things in a more detached way."

See things in a more detached way?

Only by putting oneself in another’s shoes can one truly understand their feelings. Does he expect her to let go of that Old Bald Donkey Liao Jue?

A smile from Little Yanyan flashed before Su Pan’er’s eyes, and she scoffed inwardly.

Impossible!

With a hollow laugh, Su Pan’er said, "Even if it is an illusion, like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water! However, I believe that what is called ’many paths leading to the same destination’ is nothing more than this."

Master Yunhai sighed and shook his head.

"The Buddha said, it cannot be spoken!"

Cannot be spoken, should not be spoken, must not be spoken!

The more one says, the more mistakes one makes!

Once spoken, all is mistaken!

Su Pan’er lowered her thick eyelashes, hiding the coldness in her eyes.

No sense in saying more when our thoughts do not meet!

She then stood up, "Since the Master chooses not to speak, then do not stop me. I am tired and will go rest in the Zen Room."

Master Yunhai chanted the Buddha’s name, brought his hands together in a sign of respect, and saw Su Pan’er out of the Zen Room, before instructing a little novice monk to guide her and watched as she walked away.

Su Pan’er walked slowly along the small path in the temple, surrounded by quiet. Other than the soft sound of their footsteps on the ground, there were no other sounds, making the place feel exceedingly empty and silent.

Back then, it was here in Huangjue Temple that she first met Liao Jue, which caused her spiritual consciousness to be injured. Later, she had a blessing in disguise when she took the Dragon Snow Pill, which greatly improved her spiritual consciousness. Unfortunately, thereafter, a fire broke out in Huangjue Temple, and she, along with the then-young Little Yanyan and Qin Hong, left the place.

All that remained in her memory was the raging fire on that silent night.

Looking up, she saw the ruins left behind after the fire, still exposed on the mountainside.

Gazing at those ruins, she could see the Nunnery across the mountain stream.

There, another person familiar to Su Pan’er still lived, someone intimately tied to her life—her twin sister.

The moment her sister came to mind, Su Pan’er stood still, silent for a long while.

In the past, her sister had stopped her, hoping she would help her escape the sea of suffering. She still remembered that stubborn girl, emaciated, wearing an oversized monk’s robe, with the gleam of hatred in the bottom of her eyes so striking.

It was just a pity that the fire turned all her plans into nothingness, and who knew what had become of her now!

Does she still reside within this ancestral hall?