The Living Buddha didn't seem to speak Mandarin. He turned to the young lama and said a few words. The young lama then said to Zhuang Rui, "This string of prayer beads is made of dzi beads and has been blessed by the Living Buddha. It has been worn for decades and can bring you merit and benefits, and protect you in all things. However, you must remember that this thing cannot be touched by outsiders."
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed upon hearing this. Although he did not know what a dzi bead was, the fact that this thing had been worn by a living Buddha for decades was enough to prove that this dzi bead bracelet was an antique.
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but look at his wrist. The dzi beads were dark brown, each one full and round, radiating a warm luster. On each individual dzi bead, it seemed as if there were several eyes. Between each dzi bead, there was a small spacer bead, presumably to prevent the dzi beads from colliding and being damaged. However, Zhuang Rui did not dare to use his spiritual energy to look at them now, because he was afraid that the old lama in front of him had some unknown supernatural power that would see through his true nature.
"Tudichi, Tudichi..."
Zhuang Rui used the only Tibetan he knew besides "Tashi Delek" to express his gratitude to the Living Buddha and his satisfaction with the gift.
Zhuang Rui was unaware that Living Buddhas would never bestow such personal items, which they had worn for decades, upon others. These items were often used when a Living Buddha reincarnated. It was a rare honor for him to bestow this item upon Zhuang Rui, which explained why Basang looked envious.
The Living Buddha smiled and beckoned to the little white lion on the ground. The little guy immediately ran to the Living Buddha's feet. The Living Buddha bent down with some effort, picked up the little white lion, and said a few words.
Zhuang Rui was somewhat surprised to see this scene. He knew that this little thing was unwilling to get close to anyone except him, but at this moment it was so intimate with this old lama. It seemed that this Living Buddha was indeed quite influential.
“The Living Buddha said that the fact that this Tibetan Mastiff King from the Great Snow Mountain can follow you shows that you are a kind-hearted person. Moreover, the fact that you were able to comprehend Zen principles after entering the painting studios of the successive Tibetan kings and Living Buddhas in Jokhang Temple also proves that you have a deep affinity with Buddhism. I hope that you will treat this Tibetan Mastiff King well in the future, and it will bring you good luck.”
The young lama actually had something he hadn't told Zhuang Rui. When the little white lion first entered the Living Buddha's room, the Living Buddha asked it if it was willing to become the guardian mastiff of the Jokhang Temple. The little guy shook its head and ran out of the room. The young lama chased after it and that's when he found Zhuang Rui and realized that this mastiff king had already recognized its master.
"This little guy is a Tibetan Mastiff? And a king of mastiffs at that! Damn it, what kind of idiot is Liu Chuan? What kind of taste does he have?"
Upon hearing the young lama's words, Zhuang Rui looked at the little creature in the Living Buddha's arms in surprise. He secretly rejoiced, thinking that if he hadn't had the good intentions to treat the little guy, the pride of the Tibetan Mastiff King probably wouldn't have followed him so easily. When he got back, he would give Liu Chuan a good talking-to, so that the guy wouldn't always treat the two mixed Tibetan Mastiffs like treasures.
"This guy might really have a connection with Buddhism. I'll have to find some Buddhist scriptures to read later."
As for comprehending Zen principles, Zhuang Rui didn't take it to heart. He wasn't comprehending any Zen principles at all; he was just enjoying a feast of spiritual energy. However, the fact that the Living Buddha said this proved that he hadn't seen the problem with the spiritual energy in his eyes, which reassured Zhuang Rui a lot.
After speaking for a while, the Living Buddha seemed a little tired. He stroked the little white lion's head with his right hand for a while, muttering some words, and then put the little guy back on the ground. He waved to Zhuang Rui, indicating that they could leave.
Led by the little lama, Zhuang Rui found his way to the second floor. However, along the way, he noticed that there were lamas guarding the room he had just entered. He wondered how the little creature had managed to avoid the lamas and lead him into that magical room. Zhuang Rui looked down at the little creature with affection and found it wrapped around his finger and sucking on it incessantly. It must be hungry, just like him.
With the white hada draped around his neck, Zhuang Rui was still a little dazed even after walking down the stairs to the exit of the Jokhang Temple. Today's gains were truly immense. Not to mention the empowerment and blessing from the Living Buddha and the bracelet he received, the upgrade in the spiritual energy in his eyes alone was enough to make Zhuang Rui ecstatic. You see, the lack of spiritual energy in his eyes had troubled him for a long time.
"Zhuang Rui, Zhuang Rui, where have you been?"
Zhuang Rui, who was grinning foolishly with his head down, suddenly heard someone calling his name. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Liu Chuan standing at the door of a room next to the toll booth of Jokhang Temple, waving at him. Behind him, Qin Xuanbing, Zhou Rui, and the others were all there.
"Why are you here?"
Zhuang Rui walked over and casually asked, but he immediately realized that he had been taken to the Jokhang Temple for fighting and had not shown up for an entire afternoon. These people must have been looking for him for quite some time. If this had happened to Liu Chuan, he would probably be anxious too.
"Zhuang Rui, are you alright? Did the lamas here bully you?"
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui, Qin Xuanbing lost her usual composure and grabbed his hand, urgently asking, "What's wrong?" After speaking, she realized that everyone was looking at her strangely. Qin Xuanbing blushed, quickly let go of Zhuang Rui's hand, and hid behind Lei Lei somewhat embarrassedly.
"Hey, can't you hold on a little longer? I've never even held a girl's hand before."
Touching the spot where Qin Xuanbing had just held his hand, Zhuang Rui wore a wistful expression, which only made Qin Xuanbing's face turn even redder. She stomped her feet angrily, unaware that Zhuang Rui hadn't done it on purpose. His girlfriend from university, whom he dated, had just reached the point of holding hands with him when her whole family immigrated. So, strictly speaking, apart from his little niece, this was the first time a girl had ever taken the initiative to hold Zhuang Rui's hand.
"Zhuang Rui, where did you go? Didn't I tell you not to wander around?"
Gegu Lama, standing to the side, was furious after hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, but he couldn't confront the girl directly. So he vented his anger on Zhuang Rui. Besides, he was the one who brought Zhuang Rui in, and if he caused any trouble in the temple, he would have to take responsibility.
When Gegu Lama asked him this question, Zhuang Rui really didn't know how to answer. Could it be that he had stood in a room for an entire afternoon, and then the Living Buddha Lama gave him an initiation and blessing, and then bestowed upon him a treasure? Although it was a true story, if he hadn't experienced it himself, he probably wouldn't have believed it even if he told it.
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and then said, "I was summoned by the Living Buddha to listen to Buddhist scriptures, and he even gave me a bracelet."
As he spoke, Zhuang Rui raised his wrist and pulled his clothes up to reveal the dzi bead bracelet on his wrist. He thought to himself, "You probably won't believe me if I say I have a connection with Buddhism, but since the Living Buddha said so, I guess you won't make things difficult for me anymore." However, Zhuang Rui did not notice that Gegu Lama's expression changed drastically after hearing his words.
"Where did you get this string of dzi beads?"
Upon seeing the dzi bead bracelet, Gegu Lama asked sternly, stepping forward to grab Zhuang Rui's wrist while reaching for the bracelet with his other hand.
Gegu Lama didn't know if the bracelet belonged to a Living Buddha in the monastery, as he wasn't qualified to see Living Buddhas frequently. However, Gegu Lama was very familiar with dzi beads. He immediately recognized the dzi beads on Zhuang Rui's wrist as old dzi beads, hand-polished and shaped, then soaked in natural resin and various natural herbs. The patterns were then painted by a lama while chanting scriptures, and finally blessed to form such a bracelet. It was priceless; even within the Jokhang Temple, there would definitely be no more than three such bracelets.
Such a precious item could already be considered a Buddhist artifact. Even a Living Buddha would not easily give it away. That's why Gegu Lama captured Zhuang Rui. As the Iron Staff Lama of Jokhang Temple, he was naturally responsible for the safety of the temple.
Zhuang Rui reacted quickly, using his right arm to shove Ge Gu's hand away from grabbing the dzi bead bracelet, and said to Ge Gu, "The Living Buddha said that outsiders cannot touch this thing."
Gegu Lama was taken aback upon hearing this. He knew that dzi beads were not to be touched by anyone other than their owner. Hearing Zhuang Rui say this, he believed it to some extent. However, the origin of the dzi bead was of great importance, so Gegu asked again, "What does this Living Buddha you are talking about look like? How old is he?"
Zhuang Rui inwardly cursed himself for being stupid, not even asking the Living Buddha's name. He could only describe the old lama's appearance and approximate age. After hearing this, Gegu Lama believed him to some extent, but he still wanted to verify it. He called over a few lamas at the door and asked them to accompany Zhuang Rui, probably because he was afraid Zhuang Rui would run away. He then hurriedly entered the Jokhang Temple.
"Is there anything to eat? I'm starving."
After Gegu Lama left, Zhuang Rui said to Liu Chuan that living on the plateau requires a lot of physical exertion every day. He hadn't eaten anything at noon, and now he felt extremely hungry.
"No, buddy, I haven't finished eating lunch yet."
Liu Chuan replied irritably that in order to find Zhuang Rui, the group of them had only managed a quick bite for lunch and were now feeling quite hungry.
"Zhuang Rui, you eat first."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's state, Qin Xuanbing felt a pang of pity and took out several bags of dried beef jerky from her bag, handing them to Zhuang Rui.
"Xuanbing, thank you. I'll treat you to a big meal later."
Zhuang Rui stuffed beef jerky into his mouth impatiently while mumbling incoherently. He also tore the beef jerky into shreds and fed it to the little white lion in his arms. The little thing was probably starving, as it ate with great relish. It hadn't even been weaned yet and was already eating meat.
"Are you going to have a big meal with Xuanxuan alone, leaving the rest of us behind?"
No sooner had Zhuang Rui finished speaking than Liu Chuan said in a sarcastic tone, calling Xuanxuan so affectionately that Lei Lei's little hand accurately touched the soft flesh of Liu Chuan's waist.
Zhuang Rui was not thin-skinned, and he was a little slow to react to the words. He didn't change his expression after hearing them, but Qin Xuanbing blushed and showed a shy side that was not usually seen.
Bai Meng'an sighed inwardly. No young master in Hong Kong had ever seen this side of Qin Xuanbing. Although she had seen it, it was a pity that Qin Xuanbing's feminine demeanor was not shown to her. She couldn't help but feel secretly jealous of Zhuang Rui's good luck.
As everyone was chatting and laughing, Gegu Lama came out of the temple, followed by Basang, the young lama Zhuang Rui knew. Seeing the young lama, Zhuang Rui felt relieved.
Sure enough, when Gegu Lama spoke to Zhuang Rui again, his attitude became much more respectful, almost as if he were treating an elder. He had already found out that the person who could receive a personal empowerment and blessing from the Jokhang Temple Living Buddha, who had not been involved in the affairs of the Jokhang Temple for a long time, and who was also given personal items, must have an extraordinary background. Little did he know that Zhuang Rui was actually benefiting from the little white lion in his arms.
"The Living Buddha asked me to tell you that all sentient beings, from beginningless time, have been deluded into thinking they are things."
After saying a few cryptic words to Zhuang Rui, the young lama Basang returned to the temple, leaving everyone bewildered. However, Zhuang Rui remembered those words and planned to look them up when he got back.
Chapter 85 Lhasa Night, Qin Xuanbing's Kiss
After leaving the Jokhang Temple, the group found a hotel to sit down. Zhuang Rui recounted his experiences at the Jokhang Temple to everyone, omitting the part about the spiritual energy in his eyes. Even so, everyone was extremely envious of Zhuang Rui for gaining the favor of the Living Buddha.
"Hey Wood, after the Living Buddha gave you the empowerment, did you develop any special abilities?"
After listening to Zhuang Rui's account, Liu Chuan stopped drinking and looked Zhuang Rui up and down.
"Of course I can see through things. I can see right now that you're not wearing underwear. If you don't believe me, let's confirm it right here."
Zhuang Rui was naturally very familiar with the thuggish tactics used to deal with Liu Chuan.
"If you're wearing underwear, you can give me this little white lion, okay?"
Liu Chuan understood from Zhuang Rui's story that the little white lion was a purebred snow mastiff. He immediately stood up, ready to take off his pants to verify its identity, which immediately drew the ire of the women, making the atmosphere in the private room even more lively.
Everyone readily accepted the fact that the little white lion was the king of mastiffs. The intelligence the little guy had shown along the way had already demonstrated that it was no ordinary Chow Chow.
"Zhuang Rui, I've heard that Tibetan dzi beads are very beneficial to the human body, but there are many fakes now. This string of dzi beads was worn by a living Buddha, so you should keep it safe."
As for the dzi bead bracelet that Zhuang Rui obtained, no one really knew its value. Zhou Rui only knew that dzi beads were extremely precious in Tibet, especially since it was worn by a Living Buddha. He immediately instructed Zhuang Rui to keep the bracelet safe, as it might become Zhuang Rui's greatest gain from this trip.
Afterwards, Zhuang Rui was naturally ripped off by everyone, but since he had a very fruitful day, he didn't care. Everyone ate happily, except for Bai Meng'an, who seemed to have some unresolved issues and got drunk again. It was Zhou Rui who had to carry him back to the hotel.
Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan were staying in a double suite, but Liu Chuan wasn't in the room at the moment. As soon as he returned to the hotel, he ran to Lei Lei's room to fawn over her. He originally wanted to drag Zhuang Rui along, but Zhuang Rui refused. He wanted to be alone and test what new functions his spiritual energy had gained after the upgrade.
Zhuang Rui first took out the sandalwood root carving he had found in Hefei and used his spiritual energy to examine it.
Zhuang Rui's eyes could originally only see about one centimeter of depth in wooden objects, but now he easily saw through the sandalwood root carving. The beautiful and delicate internal grain of the sandalwood was clearly visible to Zhuang Rui. However, the root carving had lost its spiritual energy, so Zhuang Rui had no way to try to absorb it, and he didn't have any antiques or similar items around him.
"Oh right, how could I forget about this..."
The dzi bead given to him by the Living Buddha must be an old item. Zhuang Rui slapped his forehead, quickly took the dzi bead bracelet off his wrist, put it in his palm, and examined it carefully.
The spiritual energy had completely transformed into purple, making it much easier to manipulate. With just a thought, the spiritual energy followed his gaze into the interior of the dzi bead, and a beautiful world instantly appeared before Zhuang Rui's eyes. The small space of the dzi bead was filled with all sorts of magnificent colors, a dazzling array of hues. It seemed as if there was a magnetic field inside the dzi bead, encircling all the beautiful colors in a circle, like a rainbow after the rain, radiating seven-colored light.
This string of dzi beads did not disappoint Zhuang Rui; it was indeed filled with rich spiritual energy.
However, when the spiritual energy seeped into Zhuang Rui's eyes, it couldn't merge with it. The two streams of spiritual energy went their separate ways, clearly distinct. When Zhuang Rui tried to control his own spiritual energy to envelop the spiritual energy within the celestial pearl, he found that the spiritual energy was slippery like swimming fish. Even if he managed to surround it, he couldn't merge with it. The two seemingly similar streams of spiritual energy maintained a state of complete detachment.
"how so?"
If the inability to absorb the spiritual energy from the thangkas on the walls of the Jokhang Temple was a coincidence, the fact that he couldn't even absorb the spiritual energy from the dzi bead made Zhuang Rui feel a sense of unease. If he couldn't absorb spiritual energy from this point on, wouldn't he lose it forever when the spiritual energy in his eye was completely depleted?
Zhuang Rui felt somewhat lost. As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Zhuang Rui had become accustomed to the help he received from the spiritual energy in his eyes. Although the spiritual energy had been upgraded and was now plentiful, there would always be a day when it would run out. If he lost the spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui really didn't know what he would do.
Staring blankly at the dzi bead bracelet in his palm, Zhuang Rui's thoughts drifted. Scenes from after he developed spiritual energy resurfaced before his eyes: discovering treasures among his grandfather's belongings, and finding bargains at the market. As these scenes played out before him again, Zhuang Rui realized that he could no longer live without the spiritual energy in his eyes.
Unaware that, lacking his own mental control, the spiritual energy in his eyes had become somewhat chaotic, passing through the dzi bead bracelet and surging wildly into his right hand, Zhuang Rui realized something was wrong when he felt a comfortable sensation in his right hand. He quickly withdrew the spiritual energy back into his eyes, but nearly a third of it had been reduced—more than he had used to heal his arm.
Zhuang Rui felt a pang of heartache. He hadn't even solved the problem of absorbing spiritual energy, and now he had wasted so much of it. If it weren't for the fact that this right hand was his own, Zhuang Rui would have loved to cut it off. But there was nothing he could do now. Zhuang Rui collapsed heavily onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Um?"
As Zhuang Rui lay on the bed, he suddenly noticed that with each rotation of the spiritual energy in the small pupil of his eye, the originally faint wisps of spiritual energy seemed to grow stronger, and the total amount of spiritual energy that had previously decreased also seemed to be slowly increasing.
Fearing it was just his imagination, Zhuang Rui quickly sat up, took several deep breaths to calm his excited heart, and began to carefully record the size and shape of each strand of spiritual energy. After the spiritual energy entered his small pupil and circulated for a week, he would compare it with the previous record.
In fact, Zhuang Rui had this feeling when he was at Jokhang Temple, but that was in a room full of spiritual energy. At that time, he thought that the increase in spiritual energy in his eyes was absorbed from the outside, and he was in a hurry to find the little white lion, so he did not carefully experience it.
"That's right, spiritual energy is being generated automatically..."
After observing for a full half hour, Zhuang Rui finally confirmed his discovery. Overjoyed, he realized that his eyes could generate spiritual energy on their own, so whether he could absorb spiritual energy from the antiques became completely irrelevant.
Moreover, experiments observing dzi beads have shown that Zhuang Rui can still discern whether antiques possess spiritual energy. In other words, he can still use this method to authenticate antiques in the future.
"Since the eyes will no longer absorb spiritual energy from objects, can we determine the age of an object by the amount of spiritual energy it contains?"
Zhuang Rui never expected that the problem that had troubled him for more than a month would be completely solved after this spiritual energy upgrade. After solving the problem of replenishing spiritual energy, Zhuang Rui felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, and he became incredibly relaxed. Some problems that he hadn't thought of before also appeared in his mind. For a moment, Zhuang Rui, who had returned to bed, began to let his mind wander.
"Hey buddy, thinking about women? You're so lost in thought. I called you to go look at some pretty girls, but you wouldn't go."
Liu Chuan pushed open the door and entered, interrupting Zhuang Rui's thoughts.
"Get out of my way! If I were to look at your Lei Lei, you'd be ready to fight me to the death!"
Zhuang Rui sat up, laughed, and retorted. He was in a great mood and didn't care that Liu Chuan had interrupted his train of thought.
"That's your sister-in-law. If you dare look at her too much, I'll gouge your eyes out."
Liu Chuan widened his eyes and said.
"By the way, Wood, were all those things you said at the restaurant true? Is this little thing really a Tibetan Mastiff, and a king of mastiffs at that?"
Looking at the little white lion thrashing around Zhuang Rui's body, Liu Chuan asked with some doubt, "Not counting the silly dog I raised when I was a child, I've been running a pet shop for four or five years now. I can't believe I could mistake a Chow Chow."
Upon hearing Liu Chuan's words, the little guy actually turned his head and let out a low growl at Liu Chuan. Although his voice was a bit immature, it still had a bit of the style of the Golden Mastiff King back then. The other two little mastiffs, upon hearing the little white lion's roar, actually moved closer to Liu Chuan in fear.
"How would I know? That's what the Living Buddha said. You don't think your eyesight is better than the Living Buddha's, do you? Judging from your two Tibetan Mastiff puppies, that's very likely."