Chapter 184
The so-called Maya literally means "illusion power".
Hebe pointed to the ground.
Illusion activated.
With her and the Bodhi Tree as the center, the area suddenly rises up.
A mountain peak, neither too big nor too small, emerged from the clouds and mist. Withered vines and old trees, exotic flowers and auspicious herbs, tall bamboos and pines, blue stones and flowing water... all sorts of images appeared on the barren mountain, like layers being loaded and rendered, quickly transforming from false to "real".
After a few breaths, the illusion was complete.
Hebe stood under the Bodhi Tree, looked around, and then clapped her hands gently.
A majestic courtyard rose from the ground.
The Bodhi Tree stands in the courtyard, its shadow swaying gently.
A smug smile appeared on Hebe's face.
With a mischievous grin, she pointed, and a stone tablet rose up outside the courtyard, bearing ten large characters.
—Spiritual Terrace, Square Inch Mountain, Slanting Moon, Three Stars Cave.
The clouds and mist came in, obscuring both Fangcun Mountain and the Bodhi Tree.
The place was empty and desolate, like a wilderness where nothing had ever existed.
Hebe stood in the shade of the tree, happily stretching out her arms. "None of you are immortals, only I am..."
The girl in the blue and white robe took a deep breath, then put her hands behind her back and spoke calmly.
"From this day forward, I am the Patriarch Bodhi."
—How can the immortals of Cathay not be immortals?
258 Traitorous Immortals
The priests finished their work at six o'clock in the evening and changed their clothes on time. While their wives cooked porridge, they took the opportunity to drink a few cups of Soma wine.
They lived like this for thirty years, until the city collapsed— the Aryans from the other side of the earth attacked and soon destroyed this ancient landscape.
Night fell over the Ganges Plain, and sorrow permeated the faces of the priests.
"Vyasa didn't come to class again."
Even in the later Vedic and Dharma Ages, the priests who transformed into Brahmin still bore the responsibility of preaching, teaching, and resolving doubts.
However, in this "prehistoric era," the priests who had not yet become Brahmin were only slightly superior to other commoners in status, without a significant gap between them.
The Bhrigu Immortal sat by the fire, gazing melancholically at the flickering flames.
The Ant-hill Immortal also sat by the fire, comforting his teacher. "Master, don't worry. Perhaps Vyasa is just unable to accept the future revealed by 'Brahma' for the time being. Once she understands, she will return to our side."
In fact, in later legends, both of these immortals were renowned.
The Bhrigu Immortal is revered as "Lord of Life," the creator of the universe. He is also one of the Seven Great Immortals in the Bharata epic, corresponding to the Big Dipper in the sky. His name signifies supreme authority.
According to legend, the Bhrigu Immortal once searched for a deity suitable for mortals to worship as the highest faith.
He first visited Brahma, only to find that Brahma was unwilling to see him—of course, this was just a side note; in short, the Bhrigu Immortal believed that Brahma was not worthy of mortals' faith.
He then visited Shiva and saw Shiva communicating with his wife at close range.
The Bhrigu Immortal was furious, thinking, "I have important business here, and you're doing yoga in there? You're simply not taking me seriously."
The sage directly issued a curse: Since Shiva is so enthusiastic about yoga, then your future image of faith on earth will be a stone pillar shaped like Lingam!
Naturally, Shiva is indifferent to it as well.
Finally, the Bhrigu Immortal found Vishnu, and what was this guardian deity doing? He was lying on a bed of snakes, having his companion massage his feet.
The Bhrigu Immortal's temper had been flaring up along the way. Seeing this, the old sage rushed forward and stomped on Vishnu's chest.
"Damn it, how did the Trimurti become like this?!"
Vishnu was not angry at all; in fact, he even massaged the feet of the Bhrigu Immortal.
After the old sage had eaten and drunk his fill, he went back and thought to himself, "I came with anger, but Vishnu repaid evil with kindness."
I might as well reciprocate and make Vishnu the greatest faith in the world!
This is how the Vishnu school of thought has become so popular today—of course, this is what the Vishnu school boasts about; the Shaivism has a completely different story.
As for the Ant-hill Immortal, his experiences were not as legendary as his teacher's.
This immortal's name comes from the fact that he once remained in deep meditation for so long that he was unaware even when ants built nests on his body. However, the greatest reason he is known to mortals is that he compiled the Ramayana, one of the two great epics.
However, these two immortals do not yet resemble the figures in later myths and legends who could command the wind and rain at will.
They were like Doctor supervisors shaking their heads and sighing helplessly as they watched students frantically sneaking food during a group meeting.
"Ant mound! I have high hopes for both of you."
The Bhrigu Immortal touched the topknot of his hair. "I have received a prophecy that you and Vyasa will define two different eras."
"Yes, teacher." The Ant-hill Immortal respectfully clasped his hands together before his teacher. "I already know my mission: to assist you and other sages in the future to establish a great civilization called the Vedas on the ruins of Mohenjo-daro ..."
"Not only that, you will also lead a great Lord in the Vedic Age, laying the foundation for the great glory of our priesthood!"
The Bhrigu Immortal placed his hand on the shoulder of his prized disciple. "After that, it will be Vyasa's turn—she will become the Bharata of the Dharma Age, proclaiming the supreme authority of the Dharma, and staining this land red with her blood..."
"This is not only my expectation of you." The Bhrigu Immortal's hand gradually tightened. "The other great immortals will never easily let the opportunity to decide history and define the future slip through their fingers... So you must fight! You must seize! You must fight for the right to define the Dharma!"
"I know, teacher!" The Ant-hill Immortal clasped his hands together. "I will certainly not bring shame upon you!"
"Of course I believe you. Because you are my most trusted disciple, you are like my own son!"
The Bhrigu Immortal sighed loudly, "But Vyasa? Now the whole of Mohenjo-daro is talking about 'lazybones who lies under the Bodhi Tree sleeping all day long'! Can someone like her be considered to be practicing asceticism?"
"Teacher!" the Ant-hill Immortal replied, "Vyasa's talent far surpasses mine by ten times, even a hundred times. I only received enlightenment in the Pure Land, but she hasn't even truly entered the Pure Land yet, and she has already been bestowed the honorific title of 'sage' by Brahma!"
"Looking back over five hundred years of history, which ascetic has possessed such talent?" the Ant-hill Immortal earnestly advised. "Moreover, when I saw the destruction of Mohenjo-daro in the Pure Land, and our civilization burned by blue flames of anger, I was also filled with dread."
"Vyasa has not yet entered the Pure Land, but what she sees and hears is clearer than what I see and hear."
The Ant-hill Immortal knelt beside his teacher. "Putting myself in his shoes, I can understand Vyasa's feelings."
The white-haired, white-bearded Bhrigu Immortal, smiled bitterly in silence.
"Anthill, why do you try to persuade me? Brahma has already revealed that a new Dharma will be born in the process of His collision with another being, and that Dharma will be named Vishnu. And the price for Vishnu's birth will be the destruction of Mohenjo-daro."
"This is not something I can decide, but a prophecy accepted by all the immortals." The Bhrigu Immortal comforted his disciple, "In the new era, we, and our families, will be able to rise to a higher class and enjoy greater glory!"
"Ant Mound, think about it. Do you want your bloodline to enjoy eternal glory, or do you want to become enslaved commoners like these people?!"
He pointed to the group of "students" by the fire, swaying their heads and copying classics onto the stone slabs.
The teenagers attending night school were completely unaware of the conversation between the two immortals.
They had no idea that they were right there by the fire, discussing their future fate with indifference and mockery.
Around the bonfire, Maya Illusionary Power formed a dense curtain.
Through the curtain, one can only see the Ant-hill Immortal "giving a lesson" and the Bhrigu Immortal meditating.
Amidst the crowd, Hebe swayed and nodded along with the students around him, a cold smile secretly rising in his heart.
Her true form is still under the Bodhi Tree.
Two hours ago.
The group of mischievous kids, who felt a chill run down their spines after being glared at by Hebe, immediately lost interest.
After running around a few more streets, they realized that no matter how much they played around or did pranks, they couldn't get excited.
I wanted to sing a few lines of Nursery Rhyme about Vyasa as I used to, but when the words came to my lips, those deep green eyes involuntarily appeared in my mind.
The children were so disappointed that they went home, and Kama did too.
She didn't do anything too outrageous among the children.
She was never the first to steal butter when the other children did (though she ate quite a lot herself); and when the other children smashed the cowgirl's milk jug with their homemade slingshots, she only drank the milk and always returned the jug intact.
The reason is simple: Kama was not as carefree and bold as the other children.
Therefore, the look Hebe gave them left an exceptionally deep impression on Kama's mind.
So when Kama returned home, he hastily drank a few mouthfuls of his mother's porridge and then fell asleep.
The mother wasn't surprised, because these children also had to attend night school.
Even if you force him, you can't let the energetic Kama go to sleep early.
She did not notice that Kama on the bed was frowning and muttering something.
— Kama had a dream.
She had never had such a vivid dream before.
In her dream, she felt her soul leave her body and travel along the path she had walked during the day, while the gradually cooling night wind lifted her up and carried her away.
In a daze, she saw a bright silver mist, within which candlelight seemed to flicker.
She went inside and discovered that it was actually a mountain.
Looking up, all you see is lush grass and blooming flowers, with a stream flowing gently in the distance; take a step forward, and suddenly you're in a woodland, with dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, and a stone path leading into the depths of the forest; take another step forward, and you feel as if you're on a cloud, but when the clouds clear, you find yourself on the edge of a cliff.
Wherever Kama was, she could see a magical white deer.
This white deer is enormous, with gentle features.
It has huge antlers on its head, and nine-colored flowers bloom between the branches of the antlers. Twelve bronze plates are hanging on the antlers, making a tinkling sound.
Kama was not afraid of what she was experiencing. She happily followed the white deer through the ever-changing Fangcun Mountain, completely unaware of the passage of time.
On the bed, Hebe slowly opened her eyes.
Those who have progressed through the path under the Lamp's Principle can easily perform these operations.
Many of those who attain higher levels of enlightenment through the Lamp's Principle even abandon their frail physical bodies and walk purely in spirit between the mortal world and the wasteland.
If they so choose, they can easily drag everyone in a big city like London into the same dream.
As for Hebe's current actions, they were merely a spur-of-the-moment decision.
She walked slowly through the city streets, gazing at this ancient prehistoric city. Before entering the Lostbelt, this city was merely a silent, ancient ruin in the desert, but now it was so vibrant. No matter how many times she saw this scene, it would always leave Hebe in awe.
Following her memory, Hebe slowly walked into the "night school" and found her seat by the fire.
She began to read the writing on the stone and clay tablets.
But soon, she saw two sages emerge from the depths of the room— the Bhrigu Immortal waved his hand and laid down a curtain of Maya Illusionary Power beside the fire.
The two immortals then proceeded to discuss topics of civilization, the future, and prophecy, seemingly oblivious to the presence of others.
"I laughed."
This was the first thought that popped into Hebe's mind when she heard the two immortals talking about this topic.
Naturally, the Maya Illusionary Power set up by the two immortals was completely non-existent for Hebe.
Although the myths and history of Bharata are chaotic, Hebe can still refer to the history of India in his previous life.
—Although in her eyes, the two were pretty much the same, the latter was still better than the former.
The conversation between the two immortals resolved some problems that had troubled her for a long time.
For example, how did the original civilizations of the Ganges basin decline and how was Mohenjo-daro destroyed?
After all, the priestly class at that time gradually evolved into the Brahmin.
After the conquests of war and the rise and fall of faiths, achieving this peaceful step is no easy feat... Just like in Hebe's previous life, those foreign dynasties that entered the Central Plains eventually chose to rule with Confucianism by holding imperial examinations.
But what if these Brahmin, represented by the immortals, had foreseen this and surrendered early to welcome the king's army?
Thinking of those scholars who had submitted their surrender petitions earlier, Hebe could only smile coldly to himself.
There is nothing new under the sun.
What intrigued her even more were their frequent mentions of "Pure Land," "Dharma," and "Immortals."