Karmic Mirror Terrace, and the water-like surface instantly transformed into dozens of different scenes.
There are vast mountains and forests, bustling villages, and majestic towns. These are all karmic imprints of these wicked bandits, the manifestation of the essence of their lives.
Among them, the one-eyed bandit leader Zhang Erhu was the most prominent, simply because he was the youngest.
Xu Xiao and Xuanzang both focused their attention on the ringleader, wanting to see how this child, who looked only eleven or twelve years old in the picture, would become a notorious bandit in the Yamanaka.
In the video, an eleven or twelve-year-old child, dressed in dirty clothes, is squatting in a corner, just before sunset.
An old scholar passing by saw that he was young and turned back, saying, "Young boy, is there nowhere to rest? Why don't you come back with me? I'll provide you with a few days' worth of food."
Young Zhang Erhu nodded, and was then taken in by the old master. He enjoyed several days of good food and was given a clean set of clothes before settling down at his home.
Originally, this was supposed to be a story of a kind-hearted old man helping a young child, and even if the ending wasn't about the child repaying his kindness, it would have been about them parting ways and never seeing each other again.
But everything was a mistake; reality is far more disgusting and cruel than any story!
That night, twelve-year-old Zhang Erhu took advantage of the darkness to kill the old master's family of five, and even raped his granddaughter, before fleeing with the family's valuables.
It wasn't until three days later, when a foul stench emanated from the old scholar's house, that the neighbors discovered it.
Because Zhang Erhu was brought into the house at night, few people knew of his existence, which gave this villain time to continue to evade justice.
From a vagrant to a petty thief, and then to a bandit, Zhang Erhu committed crimes for nearly thirty years.
During this period, he committed countless murders and robberies, and the atrocities he committed were too numerous to count. He could hardly be called human; he was more like a beast.
Even from the fleeting images reflected in the mirror, one can see his brutality: raping pregnant women, torturing and murdering the elderly and children, burning people alive, and slaughtering entire villages...
Scenes echoed in the mirror, causing Xuanzang was outside the city, to turn pale. His hands clasped together trembled uncontrollably, and the " Amitabha Buddha " he uttered, which had been resounding at first, became barely a whisper.
The chanting of Buddhist prayers could no longer be heard, and two lines of clear tears slid down his cheeks. He too was born of a mother and raised by others; such a scene would have a tremendous impact on a monk.
Xuanzang couldn't imagine how he would feel if such a scene happened to him.
The golden light of merit that had been contained around him fluctuated violently, flickering unpredictably, indicating the enormous shock his mind had suffered.
"What? You can't take it already? It's not over yet. This is just Zhang Erhu. What do you think the others are?"
Xu Xiao forced Xuanzang to open his eyes, making him stare intently at everything reflected in the mirror.
The mirror's light shifted, revealing one by one the deepest evils of dozens of bandits' lives: rape, kidnapping, torture and murder of the innocent, cannibalism, using human bones as weapons... Each and every one of these acts was shocking, presenting the darkest side of humanity without reservation on the Karmic Mirror Terrace, a truly appalling sight.
Tears streamed down Xuanzang's face; his heart ached for the souls of those who had perished tragically.
With a wave of his sleeve, Xu Xiao unleashed the Karmic Fire of Hell directly onto the Karmic Mirror Terrace, allowing the souls of dozens of bandits to experience the horrors of Hell punishment.
After a long while, the light on the mirror slowly faded and returned to calm, leaving only dozens of bandit souls twisted and trembling with fear and pain in front of the mirror, and Xuanzang lying limply on the ground, his face ashen.
Xu Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, his voice cold and clear. " Master Xuanzang, do you still think these people are 'people with unextinguished good roots' who can instantly become Buddhas simply by laying down their butcher knives? Do they have even a shred of reverence for life? Do they have even a trace of fear of cause and effect? In their eyes, your compassion is nothing but a joke of weakness and vulnerability."
Xuanzang struggled to lift his head, his face ashen, but his eyes still held a hint of stubbornness:
"Immortal Master... this humble monk... this humble monk is not unaware of its evil!"
However... the Buddha said that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature; a single thought of enlightenment is Buddhahood, and a single thought of delusion is mortalhood.
They are drowning in the sea of suffering, blinded by the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, and committing boundless evil deeds. It is precisely because of their profound ignorance that they need the teachings and salvation of Buddhism even more!
If killing is driven by evil, and violence is used to quell violence, resulting in a cycle of revenge, when will the world ever see an end to conflict? Only by laying down the butcher's knife, sincerely repenting, and being influenced by the Buddha's teachings can one sever the root of evil and turn from wickedness to good! This is great compassion, not weakness!
"Education? Redemption?" Xu Xiao scoffed. No wonder he was Tang Sanzang, the Great Holy Mother of Journey to the Journey to the West.
Without experiencing the tribulations of Journey to the Journey to the West, without nearly being eaten alive by monsters several times, it's clear that people aren't changed by what they've seen!
Only after experiencing hardship, only when the knife truly cuts into their own bodies, will these people stop being so saintly!
Unfortunately, Xu Xiao could only discuss philosophy with him in person, and could not use other special methods for the time being.
Fortunately, the scenes unfolding on the Karmic Mirror Terrace were not entirely useless; Xuanzang's wretchedness demonstrated that he was not as strong as he claimed.
Xu Xiao continued his verbal attack on Xuanzang with undisguised sarcasm.
"Master, your words about 'laying down the butcher's knife and instantly becoming a Buddha' are nothing but excuses for these inhuman beasts to escape punishment and prolong their lives!"
Look at what this Karmic Mirror Terrace reflects—have they ever felt the slightest remorse? Have they ever felt even a shred of guilt for the lives they have slaughtered?
No!
Their eyes are filled only with the pleasure of violence and the greed of plunder!
Their "letting go" is nothing more than their swords becoming dull, their power weakening, or being forced to "let go" by a "strongman" like me!
Once they regain their freedom and wield weapons, they will only become more ruthless! You claim that the boundless power of Buddhism can reform even the most stubborn and subdue demons, but you don't realize that some evils in this world have already penetrated to the bone marrow, their demonic roots deeply ingrained, and cannot be changed by education alone; only thunder can eradicate them!
Xuanzang remained silent, only weeping. The golden light of merit constantly shimmering around him was enough to show that his Buddhist heart was unstable.
Xu Xiao stepped forward, placing his hands firmly on Xuanzang's shoulders, his gaze sharp as lightning, piercing Xuanzang's eyes.
"You only know how to persuade people to do good, but you don't know that condoning evil is aiding evil! You only talk about being compassionate, but you don't know that tolerating and nurturing wickedness!"
"You Buddhist Sect emphasize cause and effect, very well then. Today, I, this immortal, will use the Dao of Cause and Effect to show you with your own eyes what terrible consequences will result if we let these villains go, as you say, and they 'lay down their butcher knives'!"
Before he finished speaking, Xu Xiao pointed his fingers like a sword, and a point of chaotic light suddenly shone from his fingertip, containing the power of the Law of Cause and Effect that he had comprehended. He then slammed his finger on the edge of the Karmic Mirror Terrace!
"Buzz--!"
The Karmic Mirror Terrace trembled violently once more, but the Xuan light did not return to the past. Instead, it rippled outwards like a lake surface after a stone was thrown in.