Buse Tests a Man, Baochai Seeks a Treasure
---- Mountain North Circuit, Phoenix Cry Prefecture, Office of the Duke of Qin
On the ninth day of the eleventh month of the 494th year of the Qianfeng Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, the deity in charge of the laws and regulations concerning taboos and auspicious events was in charge.
Today is the anniversary of the death of Sejue, the founder of Original Response Temple. As a Buddhist disciple of this generation, Gada is required to abstain from meat, alcohol, killing, and sexual misconduct, and to perform the ritual of applying compassion and wisdom, which involves applying white sandalwood to the forehead, dotting blood cinnabar on the eyebrows, and applying gold honey to the lips.
"Buddha's disciple, from whom did this letter arrive?"
Gada chuckled softly, then glanced at the table again before speaking slowly, "Nothing, just a friend from Shannan Circuit."
The woman took another step forward, pressing her soft body against Gada's broad back. He felt two hot mounds collide with him, and before he could speak, he heard her giggle softly:
"Is that the young sect leader surnamed Kang from Pingrong County? Does he have some trouble that he knows of the Buddha's kind heart and has come to him for help?"
"No, not at all," Gada turned around and began to speak softly and familiarly. Hearing two soft, wet moans, he finally spoke:
"His letter said that some of his clansmen, who originally lived in Si Prefecture, had recently become better off and were planning to move here. However, they had some disagreements with that wild monk named Huang Mi from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, so they came to me to see if I could mediate and reduce Huang Mi's killing."
The woman in front of him was burning hot and had difficulty speaking, managing to utter only a few words:
"This young sect leader has too narrow a vision; he doesn't even know who Buddha is. What difficulty is there for Buddha? He only needs to send a letter, and those wild monks like Huang Mi won't dare to utter a single word."
Gada laughed out loud and pushed the soft, fragrant woman in front of him away. "She is, after all, a seasoned yogi, and the leading figure of our Esoteric Buddhism in the Shannan Circuit. How could she be as despicable as you make her out to be?"
Although Gada said this, he actually did just as Consort Ming said, casually finding a token and affixing the spirit seal. After all, Gada still wanted to earn this favor from Sect Leader Kang Da.
The concubine who had just been pushed away came back up, draped in a thin veil. Before she could speak, Gada spoke:
"I have already spoken with Zhu Tong, the chief clerk of the Office of the Duke of Qin, about your family's relocation to Mountain North Circuit. There is a piece of land in Fa Prefecture that is currently unclaimed, and we can move there within six months."
"Fa Prefecture. Isn't that the place Fearless Tower?" Mingfei's beautiful eyes flickered for a moment, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.
"Haha, if you manage your household well, it will be yours in the future." Gada chuckled, slapping his hips, and urged Mingfei to speak:
"Hurry up and get ready. We have guests coming later, so dress nicely to entertain them."
Consort Ming feigned shyness and gave him a playful slap. Only after watching Gada leave the bedroom did she gracefully move aside and put on her brocade robe.
As she turned around, she saw a mandala platform with the Sanskrit word "compassion" written on all four sides of the bed banners. This was a rare item that only high-ranking monks of Original Response Temple could obtain.
The original intention was for monks to form a large mudra when lying down, resembling the reclining Buddha in Nirvana, to facilitate their practice. However, most eminent monks felt that performing joyful activities while lying down was also twice as effective, which is considered to have another wonderful use.
Consort Ming saw only slender arms and waists lying on the platform, all as white as jade and as delicate as frost, yet adorned with red plum blossoms, making one feel only a sense of lifelessness.
Mingfei was clearly used to such tragic deaths. She simply summoned a chained eunuch and whispered, "The Buddha was in high spirits yesterday, but these women are not fortunate enough to enjoy them."
The long-browed eunuch was very perceptive and immediately understood. "I will clean up later so as not to delay Wisdom Consort Baochai, and the Buddhist monk's practice tonight."
"Hmm," Wisdom Consort Baochai nodded for a moment, then continued:
"The maidservants have a list, clearly indicating which households sent these women as tribute. Each household should receive some provisions from the treasury according to custom, keeping them quiet and preventing them from tarnishing the Buddha's reputation. Also, have them send over some good goods, so as not to spoil the Buddha's mood."
"Yes, I understand."
"Go down and summon the robe-servant to help me undress. The Buddha's disciple has guests who need my service."
"Yes,"
When Gada saw Bu Se, who had just attained the Golden Core Buse, enter his hall, the latter still had a hint of unease in his eyes that was hard to conceal.
That makes sense, considering that this person was merely an eighth-rank steward in the Original Buddha Sect in his early years, a nobody with virtually no Dao Path.
It was only by daring to come to Shannan Circuit to make a living that he was able to take up the position of Chief Secretary in the Sima Office Fei Nanying after giving up his Original Buddha Sect disciple, and then follow Hunmei to form the Golden Core Formation Pill and attain the status of a Master.
Such Nascent Soul, with no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage and facing a difficult Dao Path enlightenment, are not particularly valuable under the Exoteric Buddhism Sect, though they may not be numerous. They are far from being comparable to Gada, the Buddhist disciple of Original Response Temple.
Moreover, the relationship between the two was awkward. Although the Original Buddha Sect and Original Response Temple both belonged to the Buddhist tradition, one was the ancestor of the Exoteric Buddhism of this dynasty, and the other was the source of the Great Wei Esoteric Buddhism. Therefore, the two rarely interacted.
To be honest, the relationship between these two families is perhaps not as close as that with many other families of different kinds.
Buse, it was quite a rare and extraordinary event that Buse was able to visit this time. This aroused the curiosity of Gada, who always prided himself on being able to calculate everything, and he came early to wait.
May all Buddhist friends attain Buddhahood soon.
May the Buddha's disciple be well.
After exchanging greetings, the two took their seats as host and guest. Gada used his finger as a knife to cut off a piece of dark brown tea brick, about the size of a human head, from the table. He then placed it into the boiling Snowfield Spirit Liquid, which contained blood essence, and cooked it carefully.
A Buse, indescribable odor immediately filled the hall. While Bu Se remained unfazed, Gada found it delightful and laughed, saying:
"This bitter blood tea was kindly given to me by the Zen Master before I left the temple. The Zen Master told me that it had Unified Prayer Wheel at the foot of the Great Snow Mountain for a thousand years, and its Buddhist power is extremely pure. I have heard that you, my friend, are a connoisseur of tea, so I humbly request you to taste it. I hope you will not find it unpalatable."
Buse had never been a tea drinker before, but upon hearing Gada's words, he readily agreed, picked up his cup, and drank it all down, suppressing the churning in his stomach. He then insincerely praised, "Truly excellent tea! The first sip felt like enlightenment under the Bodhi tree; I almost had a sudden awakening!"
"Haha, if that's the case, please have a few more cups, fellow Buddhist." Gada's smile deepened. He was quite composed, and without asking Buse the purpose of this visit, he simply offered tea, appearing to be a genuinely hospitable host.
The more one drinks this tea, the stronger one's inner will becomes, and the fuller one's spiritual energy becomes, almost surpassing the cultivation of an ordinary monk over half a year.
However, Buse felt as if the spiritual energy within his body had been stained with a trace of blood.
Although this posed no major threat to him, if an ordinary shaman were not careful, it would be inevitable that he would Qi Deviation in the future. This made him curse inwardly, "That little bald thief is truly vicious."
Buse knew that if he didn't speak at this moment, it would be somewhat inconsistent with his status as a newly appointed gacha master.
So he put down the gilded teacup in his hand, put his palms together, and said, "I hope you will know, Buddhist disciple, that I have come to your door today with an important matter that I must tell you."
Upon hearing this, Gada seemed uninterested, merely raising an eyebrow slightly. He then poured tea and asked in a low voice, "Oh, is that so? May I speak frankly, fellow Buddhist? I am not a petty person; if it is truly an important matter, I will certainly help you attain Buddhahood."
Whether it was Gada's imagination or Buse, after hearing the sound, Bu Se's interest was greatly aroused again. After pondering for a while, he spoke again:
"Reporting to the Buddha, the Imperial Guard General Shu Zhengde said during the grand discussion at the Duke's residence the other day: ' Original Response Temple has always been fickle, and the officials of the Duke's residence should not have any expectations. Gada is the current Buddha of Original Response Temple. Even if he is not favored by the abbot Gelie, he is still a threat. The officials should be cautious. Perhaps his life can be spared, but he should not be allowed to return to his sect to avoid causing further trouble.'"
As soon Buse finished speaking, Gada paused in his hand holding the teapot, but his smile remained unchanged. He didn't reply, but simply said again, "Have some tea, have some tea."
"The Duke did not respond at the time, but Marquis of Gucheng Fei Nanying in the hall, saying: ' Gada is an envoy, how can he be treated like a hostage? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Duke's mansion?!' The discussion in the hall continued, and it was only after the chief clerk Zhu Tong advised that it be discussed later that the Duke agreed and the controversy was quelled."
When Buse spoke these words, his expression became much more serious. "Please, Buddhist disciple, make your preparations as soon as possible."
Gada bowed and expressed his gratitude, but his face showed no worry. "Thank you for your kindness, fellow Buddhist. I understand. The monks of the Great Snow Mountain are always upright, believing in repaying kindness and not speaking falsehoods. Please speak frankly, fellow Buddhist. What do you want from me?"
Buse, accustomed to Zen riddles, was clearly taken aback. After a few breaths, he calmed down and replied in the same tone as Gada:
"When I was in the sect, I heard that Original Response Temple possessed a copy of the 'Records of the Samye Rainbow Lock Terma,' which is a wonderful Buddhist text. I wonder if any Buddhist disciple would be so kind as to lend it to me for a few months to appreciate?"
The latter nodded for a moment, his eyes showing genuine appreciation, and then said:
"My fellow Buddhists are indeed discerning. This 'Records of the Samye Rainbow Lock Terma' is indeed the method for strengthening the foundation and cultivating one's vital energy that I, Master Shi Xiucheng of Original Response Temple, have most frequently borrowed since his passing. It can save ordinary people five or six years of wasted time and a hundred years of smooth sailing on the Dao Path afterward."
As soon as he closed his lips, a ray of Buddhist light appeared at his fingertips. When it landed in front of Buse, it transformed into a silk scroll with a line of Sanskrit text on the cover, which was exactly the same as the "Records of the Samye Rainbow Lock Terma" that the latter had mentioned.
Buse suppress his composure, Bu Se clasped his hands in prayer, chanting the Buddha's name without stopping. For a Buddhist monk, this was an expression of near-tearful gratitude.
Gada no arrogance, but instead offered words of comfort, "I will be staying on the Mountain North Circuit for quite some time, and I will need the good care of the Buddhist friends afterwards."
"Rest assured, disciple of Buddha, I will certainly speak frankly and without reservation afterward."
Buse carefully put the silk scroll away and was about to take his leave when a fragrant breeze wafted over him. He looked up and saw a beautiful young woman, dressed in light and elegant clothes, walking gracefully towards him.
"Baochai, quickly serve tea to your Buddhist friends."
Gada's voice was gentle and calm. He was a very generous person. Even though his Buse eyes were fixed on that snowy white ravine, it did not make him feel the slightest bit dissatisfied.
"Buddhist friend, please have some tea."
Strangely enough, when I drank the blood tea served by Wisdom Consort Baochai, I did Buse notice any saltiness or fishiness in it. It was truly like a fine nectar.
"My Buddhist disciple enjoys meditating and drinking tea with others. I would also like to invite more Buddhist friends over in the future, so that they can share more Buddhist teachings with me, Baochai."
Regardless of how beautiful and charming the Mingfei in front of him was, the moment her soft, sweet breath touched his face, he almost lost his Buse.
When the latter bit her tongue and realized what was happening, she was struck by the exquisite beauty of Wisdom Consort Baochai.
Even though Buse knew Buse that he had just been using seductive arts to disturb his mind, he couldn't utter a single harsh word. After swallowing several mouthfuls of saliva, Buse replied with a laugh, "Certainly, certainly."
Just then, the eunuch who had just finished his work came out to see him off, and with great difficulty, he managed to escort the lecherous man, who kept turning Buse to look at him, to the door.
After the guests left, Wisdom Consort Baochai's alluring demeanor only intensified. She leaned against Gada as if her bones had been removed, and asked curiously, "You already have plenty of spies in the Duke's mansion, why bother finding another one?"
The latter laughed, "It's rare for Exoteric Buddhism monk to come here on his own. It's not some extraordinary Secret Method anyway. It's just that these wild monks still believe in those rumors from outside. Why are they unwilling to give up the true Dharma of Buddhism?"
The beautiful girl in his arms, with her hair tied in a black bun and looking very adorable, asked in a clear voice, "This wild monk, in his pursuit of Core Formation, has resorted to inferior methods and ruined his future. Does he still deserve the respect of a Buddhist disciple?"
"That's alright. Although his future is bleak, he is still someone who can participate in discussions in the main hall of the government, and he also has some connections within the Original Buddha Sect. I have no shortage of inferior methods; I have plenty of ways to manipulate and bring him under my control. However..."
Gada paused here, then lifted Wisdom Consort Baochai's beautiful chin. "Afterwards, don't hold back. Quickly refine this fellow into a sex slave, so you can command him at will. Since you're going to take in a dog, how can you be stingy with a few pieces of meat?!"
"Then the Buddhist disciple must make amends to this slave properly."
The two were unaware that even their private conversation had been Buse by the lecherous man who had just stepped outside. After the Golden Core monk parted from the eunuch, the lingering lust in his eyes vanished instantly, and he murmured:
"Yes, this Gada is clearly not favored by Gelie, yet his expenses are far more extravagant than those of previous Daozi from Original Response Temple. It's not that he's not being cultivated. His spiritual strength, among those of his generation, is perhaps only slightly inferior to that Kang boy from Pingrong County."
But his master, Jiada, is dead, and his lineage has been without a Zen master for nearly five hundred years. Are the monks of Original Response Temple truly so selfless and superior to my Original Buddha Sect? Or was Funeng, who died at the hands of that brat Kang, not the one who was truly to be devoured by the one from the Great Snow Mountain?
Meanwhile, the Sect Leader Kang Da, whom Buse was talking about, had already arrived at the Artisan Office of the Office of the Duke of Qin along with Fei Tianqin.