Wen Ning had thought Tathagata would give him a straight answer.
Either he was there, or he wasn't.
He had even prepared for both possibilities: if he was there, Wen Ning would ask what it would take to meet him.
If he wasn't, Wen Ning would ask where to find him.
But Wen Ning had never imagined this.
The first thing Tathagata said had absolutely nothing to do with the Sandalwood Merit Buddha.
"Heavenly Official Wen."
Tathagata's voice was resonant, filled with compassion.
"Have you ever heard the story of Ananda?"
Wen Ning froze for a moment.
Ananda? His mind raced. One of the Buddha's disciples.
But why was Tathagata suddenly bringing up Ananda?
He didn't dare ask, so he simply shook his head.
Tathagata suddenly gave a soft smile, filled with the compassion of one who had seen through everything in the world.
His voice echoed through the Mahavira Hall.
"Ananda once fell in love with a woman.
"Then the Buddha asked him, 'How much do you love this woman?'
"Ananda answered, 'I would become a stone bridge, enduring five hundred years of wind, five hundred years of sun, and five hundred years of rain, if only she would walk across me.'"
At this, Wen Ning suddenly felt a flicker of understanding.
"Then the Buddha asked Ananda, 'Five hundred years of hardship, merely for one passing encounter? You must understand that after five hundred years, she may spare you only a fleeting glance and remember nothing of you.'"
"Ananda answered me, 'Even a single glance would be enough.'"
As Tathagata recounted this exchange between the Buddha and Ananda,
Wen Ning stood in the center of the hall, maintaining a respectful posture while feeling utterly lost.
He vaguely remembered hearing the story of Ananda becoming a stone bridge and waiting