Ling Qi had business to attend to and couldn't go. The Eighth Miss was a young lady from a respectable family and couldn't travel alone. But as the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding," so Mo Xi decided to see it through and gladly went along.
Staying at a temple
When the eldest young lady goes out, she has to pack her trunks and bags until she's exhausted. The eighth young lady's maid, Mo Fu, is so busy that she can't even stand still. She has all sorts of things to pack, such as a dressing mirror inlaid with silver and white jade, a rosewood dressing box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and hairpins, a pair of Hetian jade cups, and incense sticks scented with osmanthus.
Perhaps unable to bear it any longer, the Eighth Miss herself began to prepare her own attire. It was understandable; a temple was different from a mansion, and one's clothing for chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha shouldn't be too extravagant. This Eighth Miss, however, was sincere, packing two trunks full of clothes alone. In Mo Xi's eyes, while seemingly simple, each piece was comparable to a magnificent gown. Leaving aside other items, just consider this gradient sky-blue soft gauze dress; it was as if a drop of dark ink slowly spread, almost disappearing at the hem. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with two circles of cloud patterns in dark silver thread, making each step truly a blossoming of flowers, a faint trace of ink.
While the Ling family was in chaos packing their bags, Mo Xi went directly to Ru Wu to pull strings.
When I arrived, I happened to find this wicked monk personally brewing wine in the bamboo grove behind the mountain. His wide sleeves were rolled up, his feet shod in straw sandals, and he held a large blue-and-white porcelain bowl painted with koi fish, pouring water into a matching vat. A gust of wind blew, and behind him, a thousand lush green bamboo stalks swayed in unison, like surging green waves, making his snow-white monk's robes billow like flowing clouds, as if he were about to ride the wind and return home. What a peerless, wicked monk!
Mo Xi immediately pointed out that he did not abide by the rules and regulations.
Without even raising his head, he said, "In order to inspire all people to have true faith, I constantly reveal inconceivable things."
Mo Xi persisted, saying, "He can adorn the Buddha statue with gold after drinking alcohol. He can also transport countless large logs from the well. You, on the other hand, can't even transport well water after drinking alcohol. How can you learn from him?"
Both men quoted a line from Master Yin Guang's reply to Pang Qizhen, essentially saying that a saint with great supernatural powers like Ji Gong could spread Buddhism through the method of "wine and meat passing through the intestines, but Buddha remaining in the heart," but this was only to indicate the inconceivable realm of Buddhism when circumstances allowed. However, Ji Gong, after drinking, could pull wood from a well—could an ordinary person do that? This is not something that can be easily learned. This was used to admonish those who spread Buddhism that they must abide by the Buddha's precepts. Those who do not abide by the Buddha's rules are demons.
Ruwu tossed the bowl aside without offering any explanation, only asking her what had happened.
Mo Xi only said that some female relatives wanted to go to the temple to worship Buddha, and asked if it would be possible to arrange for them to stay in a quieter place.
Ruwu readily agreed. So the Songwu Courtyard, which was not usually open to worshippers, was renovated by the young novice monks who dusted and watered it.
Miss Eight, however, knew that Songwu Temple was too close to the Sutra Repository, making it difficult to prevent theft if it were opened to worshippers, so it was always locked. Curious, she inquired, "Such a tranquil place, with flowing water and singing kingfishers, I wonder if Miss Mu knows anyone in the temple who would allow her to stay?"
"It is Master Ruwu." Since Mo Xi became friends with Ruwu as an equal, they often talked late into the night by candlelight, and all the monks in the temple knew this.
The Eighth Miss's eyes lit up, and she said, "Miss Mu, do you know Master Ruwu? I have a favor to ask. I have a knot in my heart that I haven't untied, and I would like to ask Master Ruwu for some guidance. Could Miss Mu please convey my request?" She then gave a graceful bow, her tearful eyes gazing wistfully at Mo Xi. No wonder people often say that it's hardest to resist the kindness of a beautiful woman. Mo Xi felt that if she refused, it would be a heinous crime. It seemed this Eighth Miss had mistaken Ruwu for a penitent priest.
Unexpectedly, when Ruwu heard that it was the eighth young lady of the Ling family who wanted to see him, he put on airs and said that he did not want to have a pleasant conversation with the young ladies of wealthy families, as it was nothing more than about love, sorrow and parting, which was very boring.
Ru Wu was a proud and aloof person who rarely befriended others. Mo Xi didn't press the issue, but instead took the opportunity to ask to see the scriptures. She knew that when trying to get something out of someone, you had to take a step back to get two steps forward. If the other party had just refused one request, it wouldn't be good to immediately refuse a second one.
As expected, the fog granted its promise.
After the vegetarian meal, they were led by a young novice monk to the Sutra Repository. The Eighth Miss, somewhat dejected at her failed attempt to see the Master, didn't utter a single word to Mo Xi. Mo Xi, however, was not offended. He simply admired the treasures housed in the repository with great interest.
The library houses over four hundred pieces of calligraphy, paintings, and artifacts, many of which are extremely valuable, such as Tang Dynasty manuscripts from Dunhuang, scrolls from Leifeng Pagoda, and a handscroll of the Diamond Sutra written by Dong Qichang. The most precious of these, the Tang Dynasty manuscripts from Dunhuang, date back to before the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. Other items include numerous ritual implements used by abbots throughout history. Many of these treasures, however, were ones Mo Xi had only seen in modern times, such as Dong Qichang's Diamond Sutra, which evoked a sense of disorientation.
After leaving the library and finishing our evening meal, it was time for our evening prayers.
The main hall bell tolls. There's a short pause between every ten strikes. After thirty strikes, the monks begin their rounds, checking the names of those who have signed the register and entering the hall to pay homage to the Buddha. After four or five strikes, the monks gradually arrive, and the evening chanting begins.
Mo Xi did not want to go, but the Eighth Miss said that her sins were grave and she needed to recite scriptures to repent. Mo Xi had no choice but to go to the main hall with her.
There are three lessons in the evening service:
The first lesson consists of paying homage to the Buddha, reciting the Amitabha Sutra, circumambulating the Buddha, and returning to one's place, expressing the wish to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
The second lesson involved worshipping the Eighty-Eight Buddhas and reciting the *Great Repentance Liturgy*. The Eighty-Eight Buddhas consist of the Fifty-Three Buddhas plus the Thirty-Five Buddhas. The Fifty-Three Buddhas, whose names appear in the *Sutra of the Two Bodhisattvas, Medicine King and Medicine Superior*, are past Buddhas of the Saha world; the Thirty-Five Buddhas, whose names appear in the *Vinaya-sutra*, are Buddhas of the present ten directions. These eighty-eight Buddhas can all act as repentance masters for sentient beings, to whom they can express their desire to repent of their transgressions. The *Great Repentance Liturgy* also originates from the *Vinaya-sutra*. Repentance, *qian* being an abbreviation of the Sanskrit word *qianmo*, is the meaning of confessing one's faults to others and seeking forgiveness and tolerance. It can also be interpreted as eliminating past karma and refraining from creating new karma in the future. In ancient times, it was stipulated that reciting the *Great Repentance Liturgy* required performing one hundred and eight prostrations, which Mo Xi felt was far more solemn and dignified than the modern practice of kneeling and reciting without bowing.
Mo Xi accompanied the Eighth Miss throughout the entire ceremony, but since the two could not appear in public, they chanted sutras separately from the monks, separated by a wall. The sound of over a thousand people chanting in unison was indeed awe-inspiring. The Eighth Miss closed her eyes, knelt on the prayer mat, and chanted devoutly.
The third lesson was reciting the "Ritual of Feeding the Hungry Ghosts at Mengshan," and taking a small amount from the daily midday meal to offer to the hungry ghosts, extending the blessings to the netherworld after recitation and repentance. The seats for the hungry ghosts in the cold forest to receive food were arranged on the right side of the temple gate, with Abbot Zhiqing personally presiding over the feeding ceremony. Mo Xi secretly sneered; these monks were actually just putting on a show, not even believing in the netherworld themselves. Otherwise, why would they, after the feeding ceremony, reuse the leftover food intended for the netherworld, drying it and sending it to the temple's leftover food storage "Zhanfan" (a type of rice storage facility), accumulating it for a year, and then cooking it into Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month to distribute to believers?
After finishing their evening prayers, the two returned to Songwu Temple to rest, which we won't go into detail about.
Practicing swordsmanship in the bamboo forest
( ) The next day, Yunqi Bamboo Path.
Yunqi Bamboo Path is located in Yunqi Valley of Wuyun Mountain, southwest of West Lake and on the north bank of the Qiantang River. Legend has it that colorful auspicious clouds from Wuyun Mountain often fly to and linger in the valley, hence the name "Yunqi" (meaning "cloud-dwelling"). The slopes here are covered with bamboo groves, and tall bamboos surround the path.
Mo Xi loves autumn and winter the most. In the former, yellow leaves blanket the ground, and ancient trees seem to hold a special place in the heart; in the latter, the forest is silent and still, and birds peck at the snow.
Towering green shadows, a babbling brook.
Since it was inconvenient for Mo Xi to practice martial arts in the temple, he practiced swordsmanship in the morning mist and bamboo forest.
Once inside the temple, whenever there was nothing to do, I would study the Diamond Sutra that Ru Wu had given me, and surprisingly discovered that Buddhist principles and swordsmanship could be integrated. This brought me to a higher level of spiritual development, which was an unexpected joy.
For example, this passage:
At that time, Subhuti said to the Buddha: "World Honored One! What should this sutra be called? How should we uphold it?" The Buddha told Subhuti: "This sutra is called the Diamond Prajnaparamita. You should uphold it by this name. Why? Subhuti! The Buddha spoke of Prajnaparamita, but it is not Prajnaparamita; it is simply called Prajnaparamita."
In other words, spiritual practice:
The essence of the entire sutra lies in its title, therefore it should be upheld accordingly. Vajra is the unchanging essence, not to be swayed by external circumstances; Prajna is the wondrous application of wisdom, manifested in daily life; Paramita is the completion of things, therefore one should diligently accomplish everything. One should not cling to the teachings of Vajra Prajna Paramita, only then can they be truly effective.
This is the same principle as the sword intent of "Flowing Frost Sword": when the mind moves, the body moves, and the sword turns at will.
Suddenly sensing someone watching her practice swordsmanship by a distant spring, she silently practiced another move. As she finished, she lightly touched the ground with her toes and leaped onto the bamboo, swiftly heading towards the person's hiding place. With each leap, she moved with the momentum of the bamboo, using the rebound force of each jump, making her three times faster than she usually walked on the ground.
The newcomer reacted quickly, seemingly unwilling to fight her. He turned and rushed to the water's edge, leaping into the ten-foot waterfall. Using the force of the rushing water, he went straight into the depths of the cold pool.
Mo Xi couldn't catch up and had to give up.
This person's movements were extremely strange, almost as if they could teleport. Even with her eyesight, she couldn't discern the method of their lightness skill.
Unable to concentrate on practicing any longer, and with it almost time for morning lessons, fearing that the Eighth Miss might be looking for him, he turned back to the temple.
After breakfast, the Eighth Miss invited her to go to the Huayan Hall to worship Buddha.
Upon exiting the temple gate, one encounters a young novice monk holding a book of merit, and one is obliged to donate some incense money.
Mo Xi wrote "ten taels" of silver with a flourish, then signed her name, "Mu Shi." Fortunately, the character "Mu" was consistent between simplified and traditional characters; otherwise, she would have been forced to write a garbled, illegible simplified version. What also deeply bothered her was that women in ancient times couldn't reveal their names; looking around, almost every page was filled with "Mr./Ms." However, as an assassin, she didn't need to make a name for herself as a woman, so it didn't matter.
As the Eighth Miss was signing her name, her folding fan, made of Xiangfei bamboo, accidentally fell to the ground. Mo Xi bent down to pick it up for her. The fan surface was not visible, but it was quite ingenious; when folded, it resembled a graceful, upright ink hibiscus. The Eighth Miss took it and carefully brushed away the dust. Mo Fu smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss Mu. Our young lady treasures this fan. Even my name was changed because of it. The fan surface is made of silver silk, a secret of Biluo Pavilion, which Young Master Du personally sourced. The young lady then commissioned someone to paint and inscribe it." The Eighth Miss scolded her, "Why are you so nosy?" Mo Xi replied with a smile, "It's nothing. It was just a small favor."
The Eighth Miss was very generous, donating one hundred taels of silver in one go. The young novice monk smiled broadly, flattering her, "The lady donated quite a lot yesterday, and you're donating again today, which shows your devotion to Buddhism and your kindness to others; your heart is truly sincere." It seemed that the Eighth Miss had already visited the Huayan Hall when the two of them had their separate meals yesterday. The Eighth Miss didn't say much, only nodded, and left with Mo Fu.