The Grand Lama was overjoyed, but he needed to organize what the Living Buddha had just said, so he didn't have time to spend with Zhuang Rui anymore.
"Okay, okay, I'll definitely come when I have time..."
Zhuang Rui was also eager to leave, so he nodded repeatedly and readily agreed.
But after turning around, Zhuang Rui made up his mind that he would never come to Jokhang Temple again unless absolutely necessary. Listening to a four or five-year-old child talk about his past and present lives was just too bizarre.
Chapter 1307 Past Life and Present Life (Part 2)
"The previous life of a Living Buddha was a Guru, a Dharma King, or a person with great abilities. What about me? Who was I in my previous life? Was I a singing girl on the Qinhuai River, or a prisoner at the execution ground in Beijing?"
After leaving the Living Buddha's room, Zhuang Rui was momentarily dazed. Since everyone has a past life and a present life, what about himself? What kind of person was he in his past life?
In a daze, Zhuang Rui felt the scene in front of him shift, as if he had appeared high in the sky. He could clearly hear the sound of gunfire and cannons. Below, on a battlefield engulfed in flames, a fierce battle was taking place.
A small squad of Japanese soldiers, their rifles bearing the Rising Sun flag, were attacking a hilltop. The defenders on the hilltop were out of ammunition and supplies, and several Japanese swords lay before them.
A general with only one arm, after giving his final pep talk, led a counter-charge down the mountain. Swords flashed, blood splattered, and the sound of gunfire ceased, replaced by shouts of battle and the screams of dying men.
Suddenly, the scene in front of Zhuang Rui turned black and white. He clearly "saw" three bayonets piercing the general's chest at the same time. Zhuang Rui looked down at the souls watching the battle in the sky and seemed to feel the pain as well, just as the Living Buddha had said, they were slowly melting like ice.
Zhuang Rui felt powerless, as if he was about to fall into a deep sleep. The sky around him darkened, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.
"roar!"
A low growl interrupted Zhuang Rui's reverie, abruptly pulling him from the war-torn place. The scene spun, and the corridors of the Jokhang Temple reappeared before him.
"What...what's wrong with me?"
Zhuang Rui felt his mouth and tongue were dry and his whole body was weak. When he touched his clothes, they were completely soaked with sweat, and even his legs felt weak.
"White Lion, thank you..."
Looking at the white lion gently tugging at his clothes with its big mouth, Zhuang Rui actually felt like he had escaped death. If it weren't for the white lion's low roar, his soul might have really melted away like ice.
"Waaah..."
The white lion rubbed its big head against Zhuang Rui's body vigorously. Its intelligent eyes made Zhuang Rui's heart, which had been suppressed and felt extremely uncomfortable, slowly recover.
"Could that... be my past life?"
A realization dawned on Zhuang Rui's mind, because at the moment he "saw" the general's death, Zhuang Rui himself seemed to be shrouded in the shadow of death, and the feeling of powerlessness and despair almost made him break down.
"Being able to see one's past life might not be a good thing; it might lead to even more suffering..."
After what had just happened, Zhuang Rui felt a greater sense of respect for the little living Buddha in the room. Each life represented a cycle of reincarnation, an additional lifetime of experience.
Zhuang Rui only "saw" a little bit of the scene before he almost got lost in it. If it were someone with a weak will, they probably would have developed schizophrenia and been sent to a mental hospital long ago.
The Living Buddha has been reincarnated more than ten times, yet he remains calm and composed. Perhaps he has already seen through all the ways of the world, which is why he can face them with a calm mind.
"Hehe, just live this life to the fullest, why bother about the past life?"
When Zhuang Rui walked out of the corridor and saw Qin Xuanbing waiting at the door, his mood brightened. Life is short, and with a virtuous wife and intelligent children, that's enough.
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui emerge, Liu Chuan shouted, "Hey, did you get the Heavenly Bead for me yet?"
"Get out of the way! This string of dzi beads was almost ruined. Let's go back. We're going to the Great Snow Mountain tomorrow..."
Zhuang Rui raised his leg and gave Liu Chuan a feint kick. After "seeing" the tragedy of his past life, he cherished his current life even more.
"Hey, this guy seems like a completely different person. I'll go and have a chat with the Living Buddha later..."
Looking at Zhuang Rui, Liu Chuan scratched his head. He always felt that Zhuang Rui seemed to be a little different from before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Liu Chuan wasn't the only one with this feeling; Peng Fei and the others felt the same way. However, none of them thought about it in detail. Perhaps Zhuang Rui had received another blessing from the Living Buddha?
Upon returning to their villa complex, Zhuang Rui learned that Ouyang Zhenhua had already returned to Beijing. After staying there for another day, the group drove from Lhasa to Zogang.
Although the route was slightly different from my first trip to Tibet, the scenery along the way was just as beautiful. In spring, Tibet is full of blooming flowers, and everywhere on this roof of the world, which is closest to the sky, is lush and green.
Looking at the wildflowers at the foot of the mountain and the snow on the summit, everyone was in a very good mood, and the hardships of the journey turned into bursts of laughter.
Zhuang Rui decided that once his children were a little older, he would definitely bring them to Tibet. Only here could they feel the beauty of nature and appreciate the true natural scenery.
After the enthronement ceremony of the reincarnated Living Buddha, everyone was very relaxed. They basically just traveled around sightseeing and didn't walk very fast. It was a week later that they arrived at Zogang County at the foot of the Daxue Mountain.
"Gah... Gah gah!"
Just as they entered Zogang County, the golden eagle that had been circling above several off-road vehicles suddenly let out a series of urgent cries.
Zhuang Rui stopped the car, opened the door, and shouted loudly at the golden eagle in the sky, "Golden eagle, go, go find your parents..."
Golden eagles have an extremely long lifespan, generally over fifty years. Zhuang Rui believed that the two golden eagles must still be living on the snowy mountain. However, he felt a little regretful that he could not witness the golden eagles reuniting in time.
"quack……"
After circling the off-road vehicle a few times, the golden eagle flapped its wings and flew towards the distant snow-capped mountains.
Watching the golden eagle depart, Zhuang Rui felt an eagerness to go to Gama Village, to meet the simple and honest Tibetan people, and to see the snow leopards that guard the snow-capped mountains.
However, it was already late, and after a week of travel, Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing were both experiencing mild altitude sickness. Zhuang Rui could only go into the city to rest for a day and head to Gama Village early the next morning. ...
"Mr. Zhuang, welcome back to Zogang. On behalf of all the people of the county, thank you..."
To Zhuang Rui's surprise, just as they settled into the guesthouse where they had stayed last time, the county magistrate of Zogang County, Lhunzhu—no, now Lhunzhu should be the secretary—came to visit them with Lhaba Tsering.
The news of the reincarnated Living Buddha had already spread, and the mountain village where the Living Buddha was reincarnated had become a well-known holy site. Every day, many devout Tibetans would flock there from all directions to worship.
Even Buddhist lay followers from mainland China and Taiwan traveled long distances to come and made many donations to the local government, which greatly improved the lives of the Zogang people.
The gratitude expressed by Secretary Lunzhu was not because Zhuang Rui had been a member of the group searching for reincarnated children, but because of the contributions Zhuang Rui made to the county before and after his last departure from Zogang.
At that time, Zhuang Rui donated a batch of medical equipment worth millions of yuan to the county hospital. After leaving, he also had his foundation build more than ten Hope Primary Schools in some remote areas. All of this was done without any return.
Although the money and goods were nothing to Zhuang Rui, they enabled many out-of-school children to return to school and provided timely assistance to many infants who developed heart disease due to altitude sickness.
So when Secretary Lunzhu received the call from the guesthouse, he immediately rushed over, presented Zhuang Rui with a hada (a ceremonial scarf), and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
"Secretary Lunzhu, under your leadership, the lives of the people in Zogang have improved a lot. This is all thanks to you, and has nothing to do with me..."
Looking at Lunzhu, who was as thin as ever, Zhuang Rui smiled. He believed that Lunzhu was a good official, much better than those fat, big-eared officials in the mainland who spent their days working at the dinner table.
"Mr. Zhuang, your batch of medical equipment allows us to save more than ten children with congenital heart disease every year. Even the regional hospital often transfers patients here..."
Dean Laba Tsering looked much better than before. Seeing patients receive treatment is the happiest thing for any conscientious medical worker, and all these changes were brought about by Zhuang Rui.
"Hehe, let's not talk about that. By the way, how's the situation in Gama Village? Secretary Lunzhu, could you send a guide to come with us to Gama Village tomorrow?"
Zhuang Rui's donations and the construction of the Hope Primary School weren't for fame. He smiled and changed the subject, revealing his genuine concern for that beautiful, picturesque mountain village.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhuang. Gama Village is doing very well. In the past year or so, many tourists have visited there, and the villagers' lives have improved. Yes, we have built a mobile clinic there, so villagers don't have to travel all the way out of the mountains to the hospital for minor ailments..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Lunzhu gave him a brief introduction to the situation in Gama Village. The appearance of the reincarnated Living Buddha has made that remote little mountain village a sacred place in the hearts of many Tibetans.
As soon as Secretary Lunzhu finished speaking, Dean Laba Ciren said, "Mr. Zhuang, I'll go with you tomorrow. Our hospital's mobile clinic is going to Gama Village, so let's go together..."
"Great! That would be wonderful. Let's go together tomorrow..."
After hearing what Laba Tsering said, Zhuang Rui readily agreed. Several years had passed, and being able to set foot on familiar land with an old friend was a very happy thing.
The next morning, Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing, having had a good rest, were fully recovered. After meeting up with the hospital's mobile ambulance, the four vehicles headed towards the snowy mountain.
Chapter 1308 Gun Wound
To show the local government's respect for Zhuang Rui's trip, Secretary Lunzhu specially sent the director of the county party committee office to accompany him, who sat in Zhuang Rui's car.
In addition, several comrades from the county public security bureau caught up with Zhuang Rui's convoy after it left the city. This was also arranged by Secretary Lunzhu. In some situations, the presence of the police is quite useful.
"Director Pubu, your government has done a lot of work!"
After the convoy left the county town, Zhuang Rui discovered that the road leading to Daxue Mountain had been renovated and was much better than before.
Along this not-so-wide road, one can often see solitary monks and devout Tibetans walking to the small mountain village where the reincarnation of the Living Buddha is located for pilgrimage.
"Hehe, we were poor before, so there was nothing we could do. Now that conditions are better, Secretary Lunzhu built this road..."
Director Pubu was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with the characteristic highland red on his face, and he spoke in a very simple and honest manner.
After hearing Pubu's words, Zhuang Rui nodded and said, "Yes, if you want to get rich, build roads first. It's easier said than done..."
Due to Tibet's unique geographical location, building roads in the Tibetan region is an extremely risky job. The railway that runs through Tibet and the highway built decades ago have buried the remains of countless road construction workers.
Zhuang Rui's topic was somewhat heavy, and Pu Bu nodded without answering. The car fell silent, but this didn't last long. After the car arrived at the open grassland, the outline of the snow-capped mountains clearly appeared in front of everyone.
Apart from Peng Fei, the others were visiting the Great Snow Mountain for the first time. As the distant snow-capped mountains drew closer, the women in the cars chattered incessantly on their walkie-talkies.
“Mr. Zhuang, we…we still have to walk in. This road is just too difficult to repair…”
When they arrived at the entrance to the mountain, Pubu looked embarrassed. The road could only be built this far. Going any further would cost more money than their small county town could afford.
"Okay, no problem, everyone get off the bus..."
Zhuang Rui shouted into the walkie-talkie, pushed open the car door and got out. He looked up at the sky and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Logically speaking, given Xiao Jin's intelligence, it should have come to greet me since I've come all this way. So why is there no sign of it in the sky?
"Xuanbing, that snow leopard saw me off right there back then..."
Zhou Rui, Peng Fei, and others helped the hospital vehicle move equipment, but Zhuang Rui did not step forward to help. Instead, he looked at a rock wall in the ravine. He remembered very clearly the snow leopard's figure on it when he left years ago.
"Yes, that snow leopard was so intelligent, and those two golden eagles followed our car for quite a distance..."
Dean Laba Tsering had traveled with Zhuang Rui last time, and those animals left a very deep impression on him. The white lion is still there, but he doesn't know what happened to the other animals in the mountains.
"I've heard Zhuang Rui mention it many times. Shall we take it back this time?"
Qin Xuanbing gently grasped Zhuang Rui's hand. She could sense that her husband had a special affection for this place.
"Hehe, let's forget it. Once a snow leopard leaves the snow-capped mountains, it can no longer be called a snow leopard..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head and laughed. After seeing that the supplies on the truck had been unloaded, he said, "Let's go, we're getting ready to go into the mountains. Um, take this walking stick, the road isn't easy to walk on..."
Zhuang Rui looked up at the sky and was somewhat disappointed, but as he took his backpack off the car, he suddenly heard the cry of an eagle.
"Is that Xiao Jin?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly looked up and saw two dark figures flying out from behind the mountain that was blocking the valley. He was overjoyed, slammed the car door shut, and waved his arms in the air.
"Gah...gagga..."