Chapter 249: Pink Skulls and White Bones
The Golden Summit was utterly silent, broken only by the sound of prayer beads turning. From time to time, the Buddhist light behind a monk's head would dissipate, and he would fall from the air.
Old Tathagata glanced around, taking in the expressions of the various Bodhisattvas, Venerables, and Arhats. Li Tianxing, the former Demon Cult Leader, had appeared before the assembled monks using Si Youyou's beauty, disrupting their minds, damaging their Buddha-hearts, and giving rise to a tangle of distracting thoughts.
Even his recent grand display of Buddhist Dharma, which had roused the physical bodies of the many Tathagatas within the Thousand Buddha Pagoda, could only suppress them temporarily.
The dissipation of the Buddhist light behind their heads and their fall from the sky signified the shattering of their Buddha-hearts. The Buddhist path emphasizes spiritual cultivation. When the Buddha-heart is broken and stained with karmic consequences, the mind collapses. What fell were not monks, but ordinary mortals.
They fell from the sky, descending from a place high above and far from the mortal world back into the mundane realm. Some would repent and turn back, finding the shore. Others would leave the Great Thunderclap Monastery to struggle in the mortal world, seeking liberation. But once worldly thoughts arise, liberation becomes difficult.
Si Youyou's beauty had caused many high-ranking members of the Great Thunderclap Monastery to fall, resulting in heavy losses.
However, this couldn't be blamed on Qin Mu and the others. After all, they had warned Old Tathagata. It was he who insisted on seeing Granny Si's true face to test their Buddha-hearts.
A few people on the mountain remained steadfast, their Buddha-hearts unshaken. These eminent monks were enlightened beings from different races, not humans. Although Granny Si was beautiful, she wasn't of their race. These monks couldn't see any beauty in her; to them, she was just a stinking bag of skin.
"Your cultivation is still insufficient. You cling to appearances and have not seen the true essence."
Old Tathagata looked around, instructing the monks, "You see her beauty and cannot control yourselves, but you don't realize that the beauty you see is merely what you perceive as beauty, not true beauty. For instance, Senior Brother Hai Kong, do you find her beautiful?"
He addressed an eminent monk who was an enlightened being from a different race. The monk replied, "She is not of my race. I cannot perceive her beauty."
Old Tathagata smiled. "If beauty cannot be perceived across different races, it is not true beauty, only an appearance. Beauty is the Great Truth, the Great Thusness, the Great Enlightenment, the Great Wisdom. Cult Leader Li, the skin you are obsessed with is not true beauty. Among all living beings, your beauty only occupies the word 'human.' Don't you see how narrow that is?"
The monks felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. Qin Mu also found his words profoundly reasonable. No wonder he was Old Tathagata, one who had attained Great Enlightenment. He might indeed be able to subdue this heart demon, Li Tianxing.
The reason Li Tianxing wanted to become Granny Si was precisely because Granny Si was too beautiful, disrupting his Dao-heart and giving rise to evil and demonic thoughts, making him want to become Granny Si.
Granny Si giggled. "Old Tathagata, among the ten thousand paths of the world, my Heavenly Saint Cult only occupies the word 'human.' Your Buddhist sect occupies all ten thousand paths. Can you truly occupy them all? Enough talk. What ability do you have to subdue me?"
Old Tathagata smiled faintly, took out a bronze mirror, and handed it to a nearby Venerable. "Give this to him."
The Venerable took the bronze mirror and walked down the high altar towards Granny Si. When he saw her face, his heart pounded again. He quickly closed his eyes, not daring to look.
He delivered the mirror. Granny Si took it in her hands, admired her reflection, and giggled. "Truly a peerless beauty. Even I am moved."
The monks saw her seductive manner and found it hard to control themselves.
Old Tathagata smiled. "Turn the mirror over."
Granny Si turned the mirror over. In it appeared a skeleton, vaguely resembling what she would look like after death.
"What does Cult Leader Li think?"
Old Tathagata smiled. "Even if you are a peerless beauty, at the end of life, you are nothing but a pile of dry bones. Do you think dry bones are still beautiful?"
Granny Si threw the bronze mirror to the ground, crushed it underfoot, and said nonchalantly, "Just a trick to fool ordinary mortals, talking about pink skulls and white bones. Tathagata, I understand the principle. I am not like you, wanting to live gloriously in the next life. For me, living this life with a bang is enough. Seeking a future life is the act of a coward. Your little tricks cannot subdue me. You say a mirror can convert me? How about this: let me take a walk around your Great Thunderclap Monastery, and we'll see if you convert me, or if I convert all your big and little monks. Shall we make a bet?"
Old Tathagata frowned slightly. "You have no spiritual root."
Blind also sensed something was wrong. "Brother, spiritual roots are nonsense. Just strike directly and subdue him!"
Old Tathagata pondered for a moment. "Cult Leader Li was once a Demon Cult Leader. I will take her into the Thousand Buddha Pagoda to subdue her. Monks, your concentration is shallow, your cultivation insufficient. Stay outside the pagoda and lend your support."
The monks acknowledged and walked down from the high altar, gathering around the Thousand Buddha Pagoda. Some monks inside the pagoda hurriedly came out, not daring to stay within.
Old Tathagata smiled. "Cult Leader Qin, you are also a Demon Cult Leader, deeply steeped in demonic nature. Since ancient times, Buddha and demon have been divided. You are a guest who has come seeking help, so I will not subdue you. However, while I am subduing Cult Leader Li, I hope you will stay at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, listen to some Buddhist teachings, and dissolve the aggression in your heart, so that you may commit fewer killings in the future."
Horse and Blind understood clearly. Old Tathagata intended to keep them at the Great Thunderclap Monastery. If he could convert them, good; if not, he would prevent them from leaving.
Qin Mu was overjoyed. "Senior Brother, your insight is profound! Then we will impose on your hospitality. I wish Senior Brother success in subduing the old demon Li Tianxing soon! That would be a great merit!"
Old Tathagata smiled faintly and instructed, "Let these benefactors stay in the monastery."
A Venerable hesitated. "World-Honored One, many places in the monastery are sacred sites of our faith. What if they wander around and bump into things..."
"Let them go. The Great Thunderclap Monastery has nothing to hide from the light."
Old Tathagata said, "I even showed the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra to the National Teacher. Can the Demon Cult Leader's evil deeds surpass those of the National Teacher? Cult Leader Qin is also a living being. There are no outsiders in the Great Thunderclap Monastery."
The Venerable acknowledged and came over to guide them.
Qin Mu smiled. "Senior Brother, does the monastery have vegetarian meals? I've been eating too much greasy food during the New Year and would like something light."
The Venerable glanced at him, turned his prayer beads, suppressed the urge to subdue demons and monsters, and said, "If the Cult Leader stays at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, we can provide vegetarian meals for a lifetime."
Qin Mu laughed heartily and said to Blind, "Not afraid we'll eat them out of house and home."
Blind snorted coldly. "Horse, do you think Tathagata can subdue Li Tianxing?"
Horse hesitated. "One Tathagata might not be enough, but the Thousand Buddha Pagoda contains a thousand Tathagatas, all beings of calm minds, bright natures, and true vision. It's probably possible. But they have all passed away, and Cult Leader Li is also extraordinary... What I fear now is that Old Tathagata might deliberately fail to subdue her, intentionally trapping Granny Si in the pagoda. If Granny Si is trapped here, we will be trapped here too."
The Venerable led them to a guest room. "Benefactors, feel free to stay. The bookshelves are full of Buddhist scriptures. Please read at your leisure."
Qin Mu looked. The bookshelves held many Buddhist scriptures. Horse shook his head. "These scriptures only have the texts, no divine powers. Just take a look."
The Venerable said, "Divine powers cannot withstand karma. Don't you understand, Horse King God?"
Horse said calmly, "Without divine powers, how can one withstand karma? You are Tathagata's disciple? That makes you my junior brother. Your realm is too low. Withdraw. Don't display your shallow knowledge before me."
The Venerable felt both ashamed and humiliated, turned, and left.
Blind said leisurely, "Horse and I are old bones. Staying here is fine, but Mu'er, you are the Demon Cult Leader. If you are trapped here for life, won't you die of old age here? I'll find a chance to send you down the mountain."
Qin Mu shook his head. "Let's wait until Granny is better. Blind Grandpa, Horse Grandpa, since we rarely come to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, let's take a look around."
Horse smiled. "Haven't you always wanted to see the Hundred Dragons Diagram? I'll take you to the dragon reliefs."
Qin Mu was overjoyed.
The three walked out of the guest room and saw an old monk sitting outside the door, chanting sutras to Dragon Qilin. The dragon qilin was already fast asleep, snoring loudly.
"Even Fatty Dragon wants to be converted?"
Qin Mu found it both amusing and exasperating. He said to the old monk, "Chan Master, this glutton eats half a peck of Crimson Fire Spirit Pills every day. If you convert him, can you afford to keep him?"
The old monk stopped chanting, glanced at him, and said, "I can afford it."
Qin Mu was stunned. "Truly wealthy. Chan Master, please continue."
Horse led the way, descending through the clouds to the mountainside. He pointed ahead. "That is the Hundred Dragons Diagram."
Qin Mu looked. Giant pillars stood tall, each carved with dragon reliefs. Beneath the pillars, hundreds of monks were studying the carvings, comprehending Dao techniques and divine powers.
Many monks were testing their powers, their primal energy forming dragon shapes that flew through the air. Buddhist light shone brightly, quite extraordinary.
Some monks were sparring, verifying what they had learned and understood.
Several old monks saw them approach and quickly greeted Horse. "Senior Brother has arrived."
Horse returned the greeting without disrespect.
An old monk said happily, "Senior Brother made a big splash here back then. We still remember your heroic bearing."
Qin Mu walked forward, stood before a dragon pillar, and examined it closely, his heart full of admiration. The hundred postures of the celestial dragon were vividly depicted in the stone carvings on this pillar.
Horse was skilled in carving, using wood to create lifelike figures. He had likely imitated these carvings here.
The Hundred Dragons Diagram was indeed key to cultivating the Eight Forms of Thunderclap, but the real key was the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. Without it, it was difficult to cultivate the Eight Forms of Thunderclap to their peak.
However, Qin Mu had already comprehended the Great Unification Technique. His mastery of the Eight Forms of Thunderclap was no weaker than that achieved through cultivating the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra.
Just then, a voice suddenly called out, "Cowherd!"
Qin Mu turned around. A white-robed monk was staring at him in surprise. The monk looked familiar. Qin Mu suddenly realized who it was and said happily, "So it's Little Monk Mingxin! We met at Granny Temple in the Great Ruins!"
The little monk was named Mingxin. Old Monk Jingming had brought him to find Horse, using the Kshigarbha Staff to bet against Horse. Qin Mu had defeated Mingxin, and the Kshigarbha Staff had fallen into Qin Mu's hands, later given to the Demon Ape.
Mingxin walked quickly over. He had grown quite a bit, slightly taller than Qin Mu.
Qin Mu had only started growing in the last six months, shooting up rapidly.
Mingxin looked him over, eager for a fight. "It's been years since I last saw you. I wonder if your skills have improved?"
Qin Mu sighed. "They have. Since defeating you, I've made rapid progress and am now a completely different person."