"Namo Amitabha Buddha, Tathagata, Tathagata..."
In one of Charity House's rooms, Ben Zhi held an old man's hand and softly recited the Rebirth Mantra. Even with the window open for ventilation, the room was still thick with the smell of medicine, the smoke of cheap white candles, the dampness rising from the bedding, and the putrid stench emanating from the old man's organs.
If death had a smell, it would probably be the smell of this room.
Yet Ben Zhi felt no disgust. He slowly and compassionately finished reciting the Rebirth Mantra, closed the old man's eyes, and two Charity House volunteers came in and wrapped the old man in a mat.
"Carry him to the oxcart out back. Tomorrow morning, take him to the county's Pauper's Graveyard."
"Yes, Little Master."
During these days when the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard monks were on duty at Charity House, they had to patrol the wards three times every night. This was the first patrol, and afterward they could sleep for an hour. Ben Zhi opened the ward door as if opening the gates to the Infernal Prison. Faint but distinct moans, sighs, and breathing filled his ears without pause. Several candles could not possibly illuminate the enormous ward; they could only light up the despairing faces tortured by illness.
Ben Zhi was not a monk of the Medicine Dispensing Courtyard and naturally did not know how to treat illnesses. He had only come to see what the patients needed help with, such as feeding them water, turning them over and wiping away their sweat, or cleaning up filth. Without a doubt, these were tedious and thankless chores. Even when he encountered patients who had lost control of their bowels, Ben Zhi would look troubled, but in the end, he still completed his night patrol conscientiously.
"Amitabha."
After reciting a Buddhist invocation, Ben Zhi closed the ward door. When he passed the entryway and saw the person standing at the main entrance, his face immediately went pale. He instinctively took two steps back and struck the beam behind him.
"You, you, you..."
The person standing at the entrance was small and frail, but his hair was smooth and his skin fair. Even dressed only in rough cloth and without shoes, he could not hide his natural beauty. Anyone who saw him would secretly praise him as a handsome youth. Yet Ben Zhi was inexplicably terrified—he had clearly lured this person into a trap only half an hour ago!
Not one boy or girl who had fallen into the trap had ever appeared before Ben Zhi again. Not a single one.
"Hello, Little Master. Can I stay here for free overnight? I heard from someone else that this place didn't charge anything, so I came. If it really is free, I'll go tell my brother to come too."
Ben Zhi's thoughts stirred, and he asked, "What... what's your name?"
"My name is An Liu."
An Wu, An Liu—they were brothers after all. But the two brothers looked far too alike... Were they twins?
Ben Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that An Liu was still waiting for his reply, he nodded. "It doesn't cost anything."
"Good. Take me inside, then."
"Aren't you going to look for your brother?"
"I left a marker. He'll come when he sees it."
Ben Zhi did not say anything more and led An Liu deeper into Charity House. He had walked this path countless times, and Charity House was a place he knew extremely well. Yet for some reason, the farther he went this time, the more uneasy he became, as if he were walking toward the gaping maw of a giant beast.
When they reached the door of the utility room, Ben Zhi paused, but then he lifted his foot and led An Liu into a single room inside.
"I thought it would be a communal room."
"Charity House keeps one relatively clean private room until nighttime. If a benefactor comes to see how Charity House is being operated, we invite him to stay here." Ben Zhi said, "It's already so late today that no benefactor will come. You can stay here tonight. The bedding is old, but it's clean."
"If you want to wash up, there's a well in the courtyard outside."
"The latrine is in the corner of the courtyard."
After explaining the important details, Ben Zhi intended to leave. Right now, he only wanted to hurry back to his room, recite the Diamond Sutra once, and go to sleep. He did not want to think about or do anything else. However, just as he turned around, he heard An Liu stand up and say, "My brother should be here soon. I'll go outside and look for him."
After a brief hesitation, Ben Zhi turned back to face An Liu. "This humble monk needs to move a bucket into the courtyard. Benefactor, could you help me?"
Soon, it was the same utility room, in the same place.
An Liu noticed nothing and obediently stood on the other side of the bucket.
Seeing this, Ben Zhi relaxed as well. He had almost thought that An Wu had returned to claim his life—bah, bah, bah! What nonsense about claiming lives? They had only been sent to serve the Buddha. They were entering the Great Bliss and Great Compassion. He had not committed evil; he was merely saving all living beings.
The instant Ben Zhi reached for the hemp rope, An Liu somehow produced another rope and lassoed Ben Zhi. A restraint like a rope would naturally trigger the Buddha's protection. As long as Ben Zhi exerted force, he could break free. But the mechanism had already been triggered, and An Liu, who was holding the rope, had already fallen!
Everything happened in a flash. Ben Zhi, caught in the rope, was dragged into the pit as well. Even after he broke free of the rope on the slide, he had no choice but to slide with An Liu toward the unknown depths of Chang'an City, toward the only forbidden ground within Anguo Temple that he had never entered!
"Ahhh!"
Even though he landed in straw, the numerous injuries caused by the slide still made Ben Zhi cry out in pain. He opened his eyes and saw a martial monk outside the iron bars. He immediately shouted, "Senior Brother, save me!"
"You're... Ben Zhi from the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard? How did you fall down too?"
"He lassoed me, so I slid down with him!"
Ben Zhi looked at An Liu in shock and fear, only to realize that he could not tell which brother was which. An Wu and An Liu were standing together, and they looked far too alike. Even their eyebrows were identical. Aside from the creases in their clothes, there was no difference between them.
The martial monk frowned. "Who are you? That boy knew about Charity House's mechanism from the beginning? That's impossible... Could that stinking brat who came in earlier have leaked the information? Forget it. They're locked up now anyway. It doesn't matter."
"Should we open the door?" another martial monk asked.
"Open my ass. Look at those two boys squatting right by the cell door. If we open it, won't they run out?"
"Use Fire Oil."
"Sure." An Liu grinned. "Come on, burn me. I promise I won't dodge. Then I'll go over and embrace this harmful little monk and see whether he has a sarira hidden inside him or a heart as vicious as a snake or scorpion."
"No, don't! Please!" Ben Zhi trembled and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. "Benefactor, I really didn't mean to hurt anyone. Please, let me go. Senior Brother, Senior Brother, don't burn us!"
"You didn't mean to hurt anyone?"
The speaker was not An Liu, but a pale girl lying on the ground not far away. Her voice was weak, but the hatred in her gritted words was still unmistakable. "You little monk, I... I trusted you so much. I even brought you vegetarian food to eat. Whatever you said Charity House lacked, I bought for you. And yet you... you deceived me like this, deceived me..." As she cursed, she began to sob softly, but soon no sound came out. She was so hungry that she no longer had the strength to cry.
Ben Zhi's whole body trembled. He lowered his head until it touched the ground, not daring to meet anyone's eyes, and stammered, "I... I don't know. It was all my master's orders. All the senior and junior brothers do this. I don't know. I really don't know... I never thought of hurting anyone..."
An Liu suddenly said, "I gave you a chance once."
Ben Zhi's entire body shuddered, and he fell silent.