Chapter 21: Fate Brings Us Together

The Dharma assembly soon drew to a close, and Master Du’e ceased rolling the prayer beads in his hand.

“Amitabha Buddha, today’s sermon ends here. Next, my disciples Jie Kong and Hui Xin will distribute the Buddha’s water to all benefactors. Those who wish to offer incense and make vows may pay their respects to the Buddha before me.”

Upon hearing this, Jian felt a surge of disdain. To demand that the villagers pay homage to Buddha and contribute incense offerings to aid his cultivation—what a charlatan monk.

Yet the villagers of Stone Village, deeply grateful, obediently formed a long line under the guidance of a respected elder, patiently waiting for the two disciples to hand out the Buddha’s water.

The young man at the front eagerly accepted the bowl of water and gulped it down in large mouthfuls. After finishing, he looked satisfied and energized, though unsteady on his feet, and promptly stepped aside.

“Senior Brother, have you noticed that every villager who drinks that so-called Buddha’s water turns flushed, seemingly intoxicated, staggering as if drunk?” Hui Xin observed carefully.

“You have a keen eye. I suspect that water is just ordinary well water laced with hallucinogenic herbs,” Jian replied, sharing his suspicion.

“Senior Brother, perhaps we should leave. It’s not our place to interfere as outsiders.”

“Not so fast. Let’s take a look around the village first.”

The two men and the beast slowly withdrew from the villagers’ view, until they reached a dilapidated mud house, where they found a scruffy, curled-up child.

Liu An approached cautiously and gently patted the child’s shoulder.

Startled, the child flailed his hands wildly, repeatedly calling out, “Mother, mother, where are you?”

“Blind,” Liu An murmured.

As the boy turned, Liu An saw his shrunken, sightless eyes, and his heart was deeply moved by the boy’s pitiable state.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I’m just a traveler passing through who saw you alone and was concerned. I wanted to ask if you need any help.”

“What are you doing in my house? Get out! Stay away from my child!” A woman cautiously approached, holding a bowl of water, her eyes wary of the two men and the beast before her.

“Child, drink quickly. Drink this sacred ash Buddha’s water, and your eyes will soon be healed,” the woman whispered tearfully, offering the bowl to the boy’s lips.

The child obediently drank deeply, even remarking how sweet it was.

Liu An, moved by the suffering mother and child, asked Jian to give them some meat, which they handed over. The rich aroma of the meat’s fat made the mother and child swallow hard with longing.

“Please eat without fear. We mean no harm. We only entered your home because we pitied the lonely child. We will leave immediately; you need not be afraid,” Liu An said softly.

“Sir, your fine clothing shows you are no bandit. Ask whatever you wish,” the woman said, taking the meat, first giving a large portion to her son and carefully wrapping the rest in cloth, not eating herself.

Seeing this, Liu An had Jian give her more meat, all of which she accepted gratefully.

“Thank you, sir. Your kindness is beyond words.”

“I want to ask, how far is this village from Linjiang City?”

“Linjiang City? I’ve never heard of it. The nearest city is called Heiyun City. It takes a full day on foot to reach it.”

“Oh. Then, what can you tell me about the monk who gave today’s sermon?”

“You mean Master Du’e? He is a true Buddha incarnate, here to save us suffering folk. He is the abbot of Lingxia Temple and often comes down from the mountain to pray for the people and distribute grain. Praying at Lingxia Temple is very effective. A woman who was once barren spent a night there and soon became pregnant. An old man who had been dead for a day was brought to the temple by his son, and Master Du’e revived him; he stood up and spoke. Such miracles are countless.”

Liu An and Jian found these tales too far-fetched to believe, but seeing the woman’s devout eyes, they refrained from shattering her faith, wary that doing so might break her spirit and will to live.

“Soon, the annual blessing festival will arrive. You should try to catch the event and draw a fortune at the temple—it’s very auspicious,” the woman babbled, sharing all she knew.

Liu An interrupted gently, voicing a pressing doubt: “Is there some strange illness afflicting your village? Some villagers’ hands and feet…”

At this, the woman’s face fell with sorrow, as if recalling painful memories.

“Our village is cursed. We call it the Withered Wood Disease. Once, our village thrived by the mountains and rivers, with good harvests year-round. But then a stranger came, disturbing our peace. Since then, strange calamities struck—drought, locusts, and finally this curse.”

“My poor husband died because of it. Now, as a widow and mother, I struggle to survive. To keep going, I even…” Her voice faltered, and she bowed her head in shame, unwilling to continue.

Seeing this, Liu An refrained from pressing further, gently stroked the child’s head, bid the mother and son farewell, and turned to leave.

Jian and the beast, seeing Liu An move, followed closely.

“Next, let’s visit Lingxia Temple,” Liu An said quietly, though his tone held a trace of emotion.

Jian did not object; he too wanted to see the temple shrouded in such mystical tales.

“Oh, Senior Brother, you mentioned an interesting young monk. Let’s find him and have a chat,” Liu An suddenly proposed.

“Let’s go.”

They returned to the village center beneath a great tree, where they saw a group of monks eating a vegetarian meal.

Liu An approached the young monk warmly and smiled. “Young monk, might I have some steamed buns?”

The monk swallowed his food, reached into a cloth sack, and handed him three buns. “Amitabha Buddha, benefactor, I have only these three. Please take them all.”

Liu An took the buns and asked, “Why do you stay away from them? Aren’t you all from the same temple?”

“Benefactor, you misunderstand. I am a solitary ascetic. I came upon them preaching here while on my own practice journey. I intended to debate the Dharma with them to deepen my understanding, but after some contact, I abandoned that idea. After finishing my meal, I will leave.”

“Young monk, would you like to come with us to Lingxia Temple? Perhaps you will gain new insight there.”

The young monk considered briefly, then replied, “Since fate has brought us together, I shall accompany you to see.”

Pleased, Liu An shared the buns with Jian and the beast, then sat down, continuing to converse amiably with the young monk.