Chapter 339: Chan In The Rain (1/2)

The rain was just like a broken string of pearls dropping from the sky, splashing on the quiet limestone street, raising a hazy mist.

Su Xing ducked his head as he dodged under an eave. He looked up at this roaring downpour, shouting to himself about his bad luck. He had come to this Central Celestial for no more than a day just to see this most celebrated place of the Buddha Kingdom. How could he have anticipated that in just a moment, a great rain would fall. Furthermore, this rain also oddly stuck to his body like dewdrops, with even Star Energy having difficulty evaporating it away. Reportedly, this was called Buddha Rain, and each raindrop polluted karma.

“Wu, wu.” Gongsun Huang let out an uncomfortable whimper.

Su Xing smiled. He took out a towel and helped wipe her clean. “Little Huang, shall we hide from the rain for now or go back?”

Gongsun Huang cocked her head and showed a pained face.

“Let’s take cover from the rain for now, then, see if this Buddha Rain is any bit interesting.” Su Xing nodded.

“Eh?”

Only then at this time did Su Xing see that under the eaves was also a girl similarly hiding from the rain.

That girl could make anyone feel extremely blinded. That gentle and beautiful face had a sort of indescribable purity and holiness. Her expression was calm as a dry well, her soft hair like rolling waves. Due to being caught in the Buddha Rain just now, the raindrops stuck to the girl’s simple attire, moistening her skin that seemed delicate enough to break from just blowing on it. Her slender curves were fully exposed, and even though this was so, Su Xing nevertheless felt that the girl before his eyes had a kind of inviolable sanctity, one that made people unable to raise even the slightest profane idea.

The girl’s face wore contemplation. She gazed at the hazy downpour, her gaze a deep azure, deep like the sea to the point of making people feel they were helplessly falling in.

She was just like a meticulously carved and chiseled piece of fine jade.

So beautiful.

Even if Su Xing was accustomed to seeing every sort of lovely appearance, he could not help but be moved once more by that sort of pure and holy beauty of the girl in front of him.

The girl concentrated on the downpour entirely, completely overlooking Su Xing and Gongsun Huang as if they were air.

Gongsun Huang once again sat upon Su Xing’s shoulder. The little loli also noticed the woman beside them.

Su Xing’s gaze returned to this rain. He extended a hand to catch a few raindrops that dribbled along the roof and fell. He regretfully said: “This rain truly has made Buddhism create many evils.”

“Why does Benefactor say this?” The girl’s gaze glanced at him, her sharp brows wrinkled.

“Buddha says there is a world in a flower. If that is so, then a raindrop is also a world. Now, there is a downpour falling here, and there are also trillions of worlds, falling to the earth and nevertheless immediately dying. Could it not be because of Buddhism’s description?” Su Xing looked at that mist.

Hearing his sophistry, the girl showed the tranquility of still waters: “Flowers bloom and flowers fall, life and death alternate in turn, and all living things enter samsara. This is karma itself. To say that Buddhism created this evil, Benefactor is tricked by Mara.”1

Su Xing showed a bit of surprise. The girl was more comprehending of Chan than he had imagined.

“Actually, this karma2 is also sophistry.” Su Xing carefully challenged.

“How do you say?” The girl was not angry.

Su Xing said: “Buddha says where there is cause,3 there must be effect,4 but tracing back to before Heaven and Earth split, what was the cause of that??”

“That would be samsara.” The girl calmly answered.

Su Xing was speechless.

This girl honestly was sharp enough to not break a sweat.

“Do you also believe in Buddhism?” Gongsun Huang said.

“Believe and also do not believe.”

“…No need to make every sentence so Chan in meaning…” Su Xing smiled.

The girl smiled, her gaze again returning to the rain, unable to pierce through, unable to see clearly.

“Your Highness?” Gongsun Huang curiously said to Su Xing.

“Little Huang, what do you say about me spitting at a statue of Buddha again?” Su Xing was speechless.

Gongsun Huang shook her head.

The meaning was, Your Highness, could you be any more disgusting??

Gongsun Huang passed the towel over to Su Xing, her expression watching the girl with even more care than with Su Xing.

“The meditative mind cannot be treated as food to eat, yes, you’d better wipe down a bit.” Su Xing passed the towel to the girl.

The girl wanted to say something, but Su Xing promptly interrupted her, saying that she best not give some dharma or such in refusal.

“Indebted to your kindness.” The girl was slightly taken aback. Then, she took the towel.

“Your Servant is Su Xing, this is…” When Su Xing was about to introduce Gongsun Huang, he hesitated. It was reasonable to say that he was to introduce her as his wife, but good Heavems, she was only seven or eight years old in appearance.

“Little Huang.”

The girl faintly nodded. The moisture of the rain wiped past her temples, she clapped her hands together in prayer: “Poor Nun is Chan Xin.”5

“Chan Xin?”

Su Xing’s brows rose.

“Your Highness.” Gongsun Huang softly called.

Su Xing shook his head. He looked pensively at Chan Xin.

Su Xing gazed at the rain, and he suddenly felt this rain was considerably meditative, quiet as still waters. There was something apparently stirring in Sea of Consciousness. The Meditative Mind Lotus Seed slowly cracked open, faintly with the signs of germination. Su Xing felt this, and he immediately shut his eyes, circulating the Absolute Sincerity Soul Technique.

However, afterwards, no other reaction could be seen, as if that feeling just now was only an illusion.

The rain showed no signs of abating. When Su Xing saw that this rain was without end, he just so happened to consider going back anyways. Just at this moment, he heard a creaking sound, and the main gate opened.

The two turned their heads.

A little novice monk walked out.

“Master Jia Ye6 invites Benefactors to step into the temple away from the rain.”

“Eh?”

Only then did Su Xing notice that the place they were hiding from the rain was actually the back gate of someone else’s temple. On this side, Su Xing still hesitated to enter. Chan Xin respectfully saluted and followed the little novice monk into the monastery. Su Xing did not delay when he saw this.

The inner part of the temples was more wide than he had imagined. A gilded walkway extending across the rear garden was more imposing style than the imperial court. Golden para trees and every sort of Buddhist flora were planted in the surroundings.

Across the walkway, they saw an eight-section Heavenly Dragon pavilion. Under the pavilion’s roof was a kindly old man in the middle of chanting.