Buddha's Heart

Bai's Zhao Qian isn't a vase; she naturally has ways to break such spells. Watching her pick up a paper talisman and silently recite an incantation, she easily separated the paper figure from the curse talisman.

"This person is so mean, they made me hit my head," Yu Xiao Xue said angrily, touching her forehead with displeasure.

Only then did I remember Yu Xiao Xue was sitting behind me. I quickly checked her injuries and found no swelling; a little rubbing would make it better.

Our happy journey took a turn because of this incident. Zhao Qian had just cried, and she wasn't talking much. I felt like this person deserved a lesson.

The Zhao Family's ancestral home occupied a vast area, like a resort estate. The arrangement of the surrounding trees likely held some significance, as they were a family of Xuanmen geomancy experts. It couldn't be simple, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand it.

It made sense, though. Grandpa Zhao was quite the wealthy landowner. Turning the ancestral home into a resort for rest and recuperation wouldn't be difficult.

The parking lot outside the estate was already filling up with cars, most of them high-end models worth three to five hundred thousand. It seemed the guests this time were all wealthy and influential.

Zhao He was already anxiously waiting for us at the estate entrance. It seemed Zhao Yi had told him about the attempt to trip us up.

"If it weren't for Brother Tian, I would have beaten that kid just now. Damn, he's so sinister!" Zhao He cursed vehemently.

"Thanks to Brother Tian, or I would have been in trouble. I don't know where he got my hair, but he tied it to a small figure with my birth details and that paper talisman, wanting me to be cursed with misfortune constantly."

The paper talisman was stuck to the ground with glue. With cars coming and going, it was like the effect of those old ladies beating small figures. And with the addition of the misfortune talisman, it escalated to being trampled by thousands and cursed by ten thousand. Those cursed would, at best, stumble when walking. Over time, they might get into car accidents or suffer other misfortunes and die unjustly. It was incredibly malicious.

"Someone like that will face retribution, right, Brother Tian?" Yu Xiao Xue said, shaking her little fists.

I nodded and looked at Zhao Qian. She happened to meet my gaze, her face blushing slightly with emotion. I had saved her life again.

"Damn old beast! He's so ruthless to his own niece. I'm going to confront him!" Zhao He was furious and rolled up his sleeves to go reason with Zhao Zhou, but Zhao Qian stopped him.

"Brother, reasoning with him won't make him admit it. It was the same last time. Once he complains to Grandma, we'll be the bad guys." Zhao Qian was anxious. Zhao He's mind worked in straight lines, how could he deal with someone who played dirty?

"We still can't let him get away with it!" Zhao He's teeth gnashed in anger.

"Alright, Dad is probably waiting for us. Let's take it one step at a time. Anyway, they didn't manage to harm me." Zhao Qian was quite patient. A malicious thing like a misfortune talisman wasn't something to be trifled with.

I followed the siblings with Yu Xiao Xue to the ancestral hall behind the estate.

As expected of a prominent family, the ancestral hall was enormous, occupying at least two hundred square meters. From the outside, it looked to be over ten meters long.

The Zhao Family didn't have rules against outsiders entering, so it accommodated quite a few people. There were dozens, even a hundred, men and women, with many great-grandchildren already running around the hall.

Old Master Zhao was likely still inside the inner hall offering incense and sacrifices, so the hundred or so people were divided into several groups. For example, the descendants of the eldest son, Zhao Xi, were in one cluster, the second son, Zhao Zhou's, in another, and the third daughter, Zhao Yuan's, in yet another. The factions were clear. It seemed their respective entourages hadn't all arrived yet, and the situation was uncertain, so they weren't interacting, resembling a tripartite confrontation.

Zhao He led us to the left-hand faction.

A thin, pale man in his fifties stood beside several Taoist priests. The rest were relatives from Zhao Qian's mother's side. Her mother was a high-ranking official in the county. Although she hadn't come to avoid suspicion, Zhao Qian's maternal uncles and other relatives were present to lend support.

"Dad!" Zhao Qian and Zhao He greeted Zhao Xi.

"Mm." Zhao Xi nodded, glancing at me and Yu Xiao Xue behind Zhao Qian. He knew they hadn't invited Witch Zhou and looked slightly disappointed. "You couldn't invite Senior Zhou Xian?"

"No, I've disappointed you, but..." Zhao Qian bit her lip, then intended to introduce me and Yu Xiao Xue to her father.

"Never mind if you couldn't. Senior Zhou Xian doesn't act lightly." Zhao Xi waved his hand dismissively. "You must be Zhao He and Zhao Qian's friends, right? Please sit down. I have some matters to discuss with these Taoist priests and don't have time to entertain you."

"Dad! He..." Zhao Qian tried to say more, but I stopped her.

"It's alright, Uncle Zhao, please attend to your business," I replied politely. It wasn't Zhao Xi's fault. We were essentially here to watch the show. Zhao Xi being this courteous was already more than we could ask for. Expecting him to treat us as honored guests would be tactless.

I glanced at the several Taoist priests dressed in yellow robes, unable to discern their sect, as they hadn't made a move. They didn't even look at us properly.

The main hall of the ancestral temple was set up with many tables laden with cold dishes, such as braised beef and cashew-coated pig tongue, for us guests. Yu Xiao Xue, being young and not having a say, could only feast at the dining table.

"I'm sorry. My dad is usually quite nice, but he's been feeling unwell lately, so his mood isn't great," Zhao Qian explained to me.

"It's fine. I'm not here to help anyway," I said with a smile, picking up my chopsticks and taking some cashew nuts and braised beef.

Zhao Qian didn't know what else to say and looked at her brother. Zhao He looked at me, stroking his chin, at a loss.

After a while, he blurted out, "Brother Tian, shall we... have some baijiu?"

"Brother, that's not appropriate!" Zhao Qian immediately objected.

"It's fine, let's have a little," I said decisively.

No sooner said than done, Zhao He went to get two bottles of Jinliufu and poured me a glass.

The other two families nearby didn't pay attention to us. Zhao Yi was chatting with his cronies, so the two of us immediately started drinking. Zhao Qian and Yu Xiao Xue stood by, bored.

Soon, most of the guests had arrived. Old Master Zhao, in a wheelchair, also came out from the inner hall. He was emaciated, his face covered in age spots. Lying in his armchair, he was still on an IV drip and could barely speak. He looked like he could pass away at any moment.

I scanned Old Master Zhao but saw no signs of a fierce ghost possessing him. It seemed the ghost had likely hidden itself due to the crowd and the fact that this was an ancestral hall, a place that suppressed evil. The ritual would probably have to start with summoning the ghost, otherwise, there was no way to proceed.

Grandma Zhao had a fierce look on her face. She must have been the one managing the household in her youth. Pushing the wheelchair, she scanned the three families with a frown.

"Zhao Xi, Zhao Zhou, Zhao Yuan, you three see it. Your father has been reduced to this by that thing. Now is the time for you to save him. Who will go first?" Grandma Zhao spoke with great authority, getting straight to the point without any preamble.

The heads of the three families immediately became agitated. After all, everyone was confident in their ability to save him. They had all invited esteemed masters with significant expense and effort. Whoever saved their father first would be in charge from then on.

"Mom, I'm the eldest son, let me go first. I've invited Layman Shengyun from Sanxian Temple and his disciples, who specialize in exorcising fierce ghosts. If that doesn't work, let my second and third siblings try," Zhao Xi said, trying to assert his seniority over the other two. He was the eldest, and this was his usual demeanor, not yielding to others.

Zhao Zhou let out a cold snort but didn't retort. He merely exchanged glances with an elder beside him, who was about seventy or eighty years old. The elder remained dignified and unperturbed, seemingly telling Zhao Zhou to be patient, and then gave a smile with an unknown meaning.

Grandma Zhao glanced at the elder beside Zhao Zhou and smiled with delight, nodding at him as if she knew him. It seemed the elder's identity was quite extraordinary.

"Big Brother, which corner is Sanxian Temple from? Don't blame me, your third sister, for not knowing since I live in the city. How much did you even pay? My brother-in-law donated over a million for incense at Pantian Temple and finally managed to invite Abbot Jishi after several attempts. Dad is already like this, so let Abbot Jishi go first, lest some low-tier charlatan messes with him again," the third daughter, Zhao Yuan, protested. Why should he go first? Her husband was someone who could navigate both the underworld and the legitimate world in the city. Her brother-in-law was rich and willful!

The person they invited was Abbot Jishi. Look at the bearing of the abbot. How could he compare to your broke Taoist priests from Sanxian Temple?

You know, I looked over at Monk Jishi and sure enough, he was putting on quite the show. He wore a bright red fukuden robe, leaned on a dragon-headed tin staff in his right hand, and carried a red sandalwood alms bowl in his left. Those things were expensive! Anyone seeing him might think Zhang Jizhong was remaking Journey to the West.

What's more, Monk Jishi brought over a dozen lackeys. Even Tang Sanzang only had three disciples. With this kind of presence, forget a simple duel; nobody would dare challenge him even to a brawl.

Monk Jishi looked to be in his sixties or seventies, but he had kind eyes and a benevolent face. Anyone who saw him would feel instantly reassured. He stepped forward, kindly shaking his head at Zhao Yuan and saying, "Benefactress, please do not speak rashly. Patriarch Bodhidharma once said: the Buddha is not found externally; the Buddha is within the heart. The incense and karmic connection you have invoked is not for this humble monk Jishi, but merely for the Buddha's Heart."

The old lady of the Zhao family was also a devout Buddhist. Hearing Monk Jishi talk about the Buddha's Heart, she felt he was truly an enlightened monk. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded, thinking, See? Just these few words show his caliber. This one might actually succeed.

To my surprise, Zhao Yuan was stunned when Monk Jishi spoke to her like that. She looked at him pleadingly and said, "No, Master Abbot, you're on my side! My family paid a hefty sum. I don't understand all this Buddha's Heart stuff. After spending so much money, just tell me, can you do it or not?"

The old lady of the Zhao family frowned. Why is this third daughter so dense?

"All sentient beings are inherently Buddha. It is through delusion that they become ordinary. The Buddha's Heart is the process by which we break through delusion, awaken, and find our true nature. Benefactress, evil does not come from without; it arises from the mind. When the righteous Dharma arises in the heart, evil naturally departs." Monk Jishi explained again, seeing that she didn't understand.

Zhao Yuan, however, didn't grasp any of it. All she cared about was money. Hearing this, she thought the old monk couldn't do it and immediately got aggressive, "Can you do it?"

"I... I can do it!" Monk Jishi's face fell. I've never met anyone so uncultured. I said all that, and all you got was that one word?

"Tian Ge, Xue understood that. He said he can do it," Yu Xiao Xue said, chewing on her braised beef.

Zhao Qian, standing beside me, burst out laughing after hearing that. The wine I had just swallowed came spraying out of my mouth. I was speechless. Alas, poor monk. Trying to act cool with the wrong person.