986 Spring Breeze Turns into Rain and the Compassionate Ark Liberates All (1/2)
Yes, that was the truth.
Sangsang could not get rid of the world of mortals embodied in her. Therefore, she searched for the Buddha and entered the world inside the chessboard. She deeply bonded with Ning Que in that world and thus experienced the three poisons of attachment, aversion and obsession.
Ning Que wanted to save her, so he helped her shake off the three poisons of attachment, aversion and obsession to dispel the world of immortals in her body. By building the statue of Buddha, they had cut her bond to the human world.
The Academy did not see this, neither did the Buddha plan it this way. Throughout the endless samsara, no living beings could have ever predicted her will because she is Heaven.
The Buddha could see through cause and effect. But she was the rule of cause and effect. She used the Buddha's trap to defeat the Academy's plan, and dug out the possibility from the impossible. That was Haotian's greatest wisdom, and Ning Que's greatest pain.
Ning Que stood on top of the city walls and stared indifferently in the spring breeze. He said, ”When we were in the small courtyard in Chaoyang City… It must have been fun for you to watch me cheerfully running around, buying supplies and cooking every meal for you. I have called many people ”idiot” throughout my life. I thought they were indeed stupid. Now I finally realize I am the stupidest idiot in the world.”
Sangsang walked up to his side and looked at the human world that was bathing in the spring breeze. She held her hands behind her back and said, ”There was no deceit because I didn't know either. It was only when the result of cause and effect was unveiled that I realized what my will was.”
Ning Que mocked, ”Do you think I would believe you?”
Sangsang said, ”It doesn't matter whether you believe or not. Like I said in the Academy yesterday, no one knew what would have happened, not even me. That's really Heaven's works.”
”Indeed. Heaven's works. Actually, during our last few years in the chessboard I already sensed it, but I refused to believe it. That was why I never asked. I worked hard with my iron cutlass to build the statue of Buddha on that mountain. Although you were on my back, I had always been lonely. I was so lonely that I even wanted to die…”
Ning Que looked at the crowded streets and lively markets inside the city walls and continued, ”Whenever you were awake, you seldom talked to me. At the beginning I thought you were just too tired. Then I realized it was because you did not want to talk to me… I was very disappointed and became worried. Because that meant your feelings for me were fading, or that you were hiding something. What was that you were hiding?” He turned to Sangsang and said calmly, ”Were you afraid that if you were to stay too close to me, you won't be able to cut your bond with the human world? If that's the case, then I could at least find some relief.”
Instead of answering, Sangsang asked, ”Since you already sensed it and began to worry, why didn't you say or do anything?”
”The Heaven predicts everything. It is indeed scary. Yet I'm not scared at all. Because I still have the God-Stunning Array. You shouldn't have told me this. I don't think you have completely dispelled the world of immortals from your body. The Academy might have used the God-Stunning Array against Heaven and you would have been able to return to the Divine Kingdom through that. But now it would never happen.” Ning Que said emotionlessly, ”Even if you were to become the ruthless Haotian again, as long as you cannot return to the Divine Kingdom, then there would be nothing worse than what we had in the Divine Hall of Light previously. We are bound to be entangled, no less than a pair of burned omelettes.”
Sangsang said, ”I told you this because even without the help of the God-Stunning Array I can still return to the Divine Kingdom.”
Ning Que said, ”Don't brag. You are not a buffalo.”
Sangsang corrected him, ”It was a black pig.”
Ning Que said, ”No matter what color the pig is, there's no way you can return.”
Sangsang said, ”Inside the world of the chessboard, I experienced the endless suffering of the mortal world. I had my own flesh cut to dispel the poisons to cut the bond with human world. I even saw the Ark. My divine will is well illuminated now.”
Ning Que recalled the horrible Ark in Nirvana and felt worried.
”Your Master was different from the Buddha. He integrated himself with the human world. Even I was not able to locate him. But the Buddha tried to hide from me by creating a separate space with the help of assembled wills of all living beings. They were both great Divine Abilities. I could not integrate with the human world, therefore I could only use the Buddha's way to obtain the power from his separate space.”
Sangsang continued. ”Belief is the wills of all living beings. I am the owner of the world and have numerous pious followers. Throughout the hundreds of thousands of years, I have overlooked the human world with indifference and never thought of making a good use of or to enhance the power generated from the belief of all living beings. I have learned a lot from the Buddha regarding this issue.”
Ning Que asked, ”Do you mean the Ark?”
Sangsang said, ”The Buddha wanted to liberate all the living beings, therefore all living beings helped him reach Nirvana. I want my followers to help me, so I need to help them first. Then I can embark and head for my destination.”
Ning Que asked, ”Where is your destination?”
Sangsang answered, ”I was born in the Divine Kingdom. My destination is of course the Divine Kingdom.”
Ning Que looked above to the gray sky and said nothing.
Sangsang reached out to somewhere in the south. Several miles to the south of the city was the Academy.
The indigo lion Sangsang brought out of the chessboard was preparing for a fight against a big white goose. The lion's mane was erected and it was growling to threaten the goose. But instead of making an attack, it looked to the far away meadow from time to time.
The big white goose was already a big trouble for it, yet there was an old ox napping on the meadow. It knew clearly that if the old ox were to wake up, it would be doomed.
The indigo lion could not understand why it had been confronted with so many horrifying beings ever since it left the chessboard. It was completely different from what it learned in the chessboard. This world was so vicious.
All of a sudden, an invisible power broke through the Cloud Gate Array from above, got hold of the indigo lion and disappeared immediately. The big white goose looked above but could not find the new invader. It got bored and went to take a bath in the brook.
Then the indigo lion appeared on top of the city wall on Sangsang's hand. Its hair was held tightly and it was in pain. It worried that she would pluck out its hair so it did not dare to resist.
Sangsang flicked her sleeves toward the outside of the city walls and a refreshing breeze blew gently throughout the human world.
Years ago during the Rite to Light, there was also a refreshing breeze that blew gently across the human world. But this time it was more refreshing and gentle, and it brought more vitality.
The refreshing breeze first came to the Divine Halls of West-Hill. The peach blossoms in the valley bloomed even more charmingly in the breeze. The followers kneeling on the plateaus and the front yard were rejuvenated by the breeze.