radicalducati Chapter 343 The Black Bear Spirit, Guanyin Temple, Mother's Day
Chapter 343 The Black Bear Spirit, Guanyin Temple, Mother's Day
"These senior colleagues are truly full of energy."
Lu Qian watched as the figures of the old men, bickering and joking, disappeared into the mountains and forests. In the distance, he could hear occasional booming sounds and loud, angry curses.
"We're all about to die, if we don't make a fuss now, we won't have another chance to make a fuss later."
Lu Ci took over the conversation, stepped forward from the group of spectators, and walked slowly down the mountain path with his hands behind his back.
"Xiao Qian, you've been wandering around outside for so long. You'll accompany me on this final journey."
"Old Master, hypocrite, skinflint Wang, see you later!"
On the mountain path, he turned his back and waved to those behind him. The simple jacket he wore gave him a sharp and austere air of elegance.
At this moment, he was no longer the mad wolf clan leader who hid in the mountains, but a leisurely traveler who roamed the world and observed its sights, walking with light steps on his own path.
On this journey, he no longer had to bear the burden of his family or worry about the future of the Lü family. He simply walked his own path as a person named "Lü Ci".
"Greetings, esteemed seniors."
Lu Qian bowed to the three of them, then, holding his whisk and carrying his peach-shaped sword, he strode forward, following in Lu Ci's footsteps.
Just as Lü Qian was about to walk out of the forest, he suddenly stopped, took off his Taoist robe, and with a flick of his wrist, the robe was sent to Lu Jin's hand by a nimble force.
"Patriarch Lu, this Taoist robe belongs to the Sanyi Sect from now on. The Left Sect Master has already agreed."
Lu Qian's voice reached Lu Jin's ears along with the Taoist robe. After giving away the outer robe, the young Taoist was only wearing an inner robe and cloth shoes, but he seemed more relaxed than before, as light as a breeze, and disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Lu Jin had just received the Taoist robe and was still somewhat confused, thinking it was another joke by Lü Qian. Just as he was about to laugh and throw the robe back, strange runes suddenly began to flow among the crisscrossing threads on the robe.
Even under the cover of sunlight, these runes were still dazzling, as if they had a life of their own, flowing freely in Lu Jin's hands.
"This is... the Triple Rebirth, finally complete."
Upon seeing these runes, Lu Jin's angry smile froze instantly. He then silently folded the Taoist robe neatly and held it in his hands.
"Good luck, Lao Lu, why are you putting it away? The Celestial Master and I haven't had enough yet."
Wang Ai squinted her small eyes and watched with a smile as Lu Jin changed his expression. She chuckled and teased, "What's wrong? Now that you've got this Taoist robe, you're still reluctant to hold a grand event so we can admire it?"
"Go away, get out of here."
Lu Jin carefully put away the Taoist robe in his hand. At this moment, he regarded the robe as a priceless treasure. He waved his hand at the two of them with feigned impatience.
"What era are we living in? Why bother with all that empty fame? Besides, if I were to hold a 'Taoist Robe Conference,' who knows which Sun Wukong might steal it from me."
"Hahaha, Old Lu, you're comparing yourself to the Black Wind King. But that Black Bear Spirit has the bearing of a kiln fireman and the appearance of a charcoal seller, while you, Lu Jin, with your white hair and white clothes, how are you any like him?"
Hearing the teasing from his two peers, Lu Jin didn't take it to heart. His smile grew even wider. Holding his Taoist robe, he moved lightly and easily, and in just a few steps, he had floated seven or eight zhang away.
"If turning black could grant me such a treasure, I wouldn't mind transforming into a black bear spirit. Guanyin Temple was rebuilt after the fire, and now Sanyi Gate can also be rebuilt."
"Hahaha......"
Laughter among old friends echoed through the woods in the morning, their voices cheerful and clear, like the gentle breeze and dew in the mountains, soft and warm.
"Without greed, without joy, without attachment, without anger, Lu Jin has truly let go of the black bear in his heart."
The old celestial master watched Lu Jin's retreating figure, nodded, and then led his two disciples down the mountain.
"It seems that more good news will happen in a while."
Wang Ai gazed at the dilapidated and decaying gate of the Sanyi Gate not far away, then led his descendants away from the place.
"My dear grandson, let's go first. After a while, when the reconstruction of Trinity Gate is completed, your great-grandfather will bring you back for a feast. Then we'll come back and show you how the rebuilt Trinity Gate is different from the one we have now."
Wang Bing followed behind Wang Ai. Now, under Wang Ai's guidance, he began a journey to travel and explore the world. Although it seemed like he was just playing around in the human world, in Wang Ai's words, this was the most suitable way for Wang Bing to cultivate.
The essence of Wang Family Divine Painting lies not in how many rivers and mountains can be depicted or how many mystical things can be portrayed in a single stroke, but in how large an inkwell the person holding the brush can hold in their mind and how many wondrous colors can be mixed.
Although Shen Tu uses a brush, he actually uses his heart. The brushstrokes that fall on reality are actually the expression and release of his spiritual spirit.
What Wang Ai needs to do now is to use this vast world, the scenery of the four seasons, and all living things in all directions to polish and sculpt Wang Bing's still immature heart and still hazy spirit.
Rather than painting a vast landscape on that eight-foot-long desk, it's better to use that vast landscape to cleanse the writer's three-inch-long mind.
Even if this path may be long and costly, the Wang family can afford it, and Wang Ai doesn't care. How could Wang Ai not take good care of his precious child?
Wang Bing has not yet understood Wang Ai's good intentions, or rather, Wang Ai does not want her schemes to disrupt Wang Bing's natural growth and development.
At this moment, Wang Bing followed behind Wang Ai, looked back at the old site of the Sanyi Gate, and asked Wang Ai curiously, "Grandpa, what riddle were you talking about with the Old Celestial Master and the Lu family before? Isn't the Black Bear Spirit a monster from Journey to the West?"
"Furthermore, wasn't the missing item from Guanyin Temple a Buddhist robe—a brocade kasaya? How come you're calling it a Taoist robe?"
"Hahaha, it's definitely a monster. The book also says that the Black Bear Spirit stole the Buddha's robe and wanted to hold a Buddha's robe assembly."
Wang Ai kept walking, but slowed down so that Wang Bing, who was listening to the lecture beside him, could hear his voice clearly.
"In Journey to the West, during the ordeal at Guanyin Temple, the Black Bear Spirit called himself the Black Wind King and lived in Black Wind Mountain and Black Wind Cave. But this bear spirit, who was so dark that he was boundless, was actually a Buddhist and Taoist practitioner. He did not intentionally harm people and even discussed Taoism and Buddhism with Elder Jinchi and others."
"In other words, the black bear spirit had a black face but a white heart, while the monks of Guanyin Temple were the opposite."
"As monks, they lived in the Liuyun Lower Temple of the Bodhisattva. Although they chanted Buddhist scriptures, their minds were full of business ideas."
"When Tang Sanzang and his disciples came to visit, they were initially arrogant but later became respectful. They even used the gold and silver in their clothes to measure morality and cultivation. When they saw the Buddha's robe, they became greedy and lost their desires. The originally righteous temple was burned to ashes."
At this point, Wang Ai stopped and pointed with her cane at the dilapidated gate of the Trinity Gate, saying softly, "Look, isn't it similar to the old site of the Trinity Gate today, a complete mess?"