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墨書 Inktalez
Seongjin felt as if his insides were about to burst upon hearing this, tears streaming down his face as he repeatedly bowed on the ground, pleading, "Master! Please listen to your disciple. Once, Aland the Venerable mistakenly entered a brothel and lost the precepts of a practitioner by spending the night with a courtesan. Yet Buddha did not consider it a grave sin; he merely offered guidance. Although I have made mistakes, they are far lighter than those of Aland the Venerable. Why must you send me to Fengdu for punishment?" The master replied, "Aland the Venerable did not practice evil arts; despite being in a place of indulgence, his heart remained pure. But you, at the sight of beauty, become restless and consumed by thoughts of wealth and glory. How can you be compared to Aland the Venerable? Your sins are profound, and the suffering of reincarnation is likely unavoidable!" After hearing this, Seongjin could only cry incessantly, no longer daring to defend himself. The master continued, "If a person harbors distracting thoughts, even in deep mountains and forests, they cannot attain enlightenment. Conversely, if one can maintain their true heart, even amidst worldly chaos, there will come a day when they can turn danger into safety and return to the right path. If one day you can return to the mountain gate, I will personally come down to fetch you. Go now without any doubts!"
Seongjin understood that what had happened today was irreversible. He bowed several times towards the Buddha hall and his master before bidding farewell to his fellow disciples and following the Yellow Turban Warrior. The two passed through the eerie Ghost Gate and past the heart-wrenching Nostalgia Platform until they arrived outside Fengdu City. The gatekeeper ghost saw someone approaching and asked, "Who goes there?" The warrior replied, "I am here under orders from Master Liuguan to escort a sinner for judgment." Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper opened the city gate and let them in. The Yellow Turban Warrior brought Seongjin directly to the Hall of Samara and reported the situation to King Yama. King Yama ordered someone to bring Seongjin forward and pointed at him saying, "I have long heard that Master Liuguan possesses profound skills. Although he is cultivating at Mage Nanyue Lotus Peak, his name has already been recorded by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. I thought that he had achieved great enlightenment and was spreading virtue among beings. Why then do you disgrace your master today?" Seongjin, feeling deeply ashamed, took a moment before speaking: "I was foolish for a moment; I encountered the fairy Mage Nanyue on a bridge and could not control my restless heart. This led to my offense against my master, resulting in my being sent here for judgment." Upon hearing this, King Yama commanded his two attendants to report to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, saying, "Mage Nanyue Master Liuguan has sent Yellow Turban Warrior with disciple Seongjin for your decision. However, this Seongjin is different from other sinners; please discern wisely." Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva responded, "Practitioners come and go; it is all part of fate; there is no need for further inquiry." Just as King Yama was about to act according to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's instructions, two ghost attendants entered to report: "Your Majesty, Yellow Turban Warrior, under orders from Master Liuguan, has brought eight more sinners who are waiting outside for judgment." Hearing this, Seongjin was taken aback.
The King summoned those eight sinners into the hall. Eight fairies from Mage Nanyue, with their heads bowed and eyes downcast, stepped into the Hall of Samara and knelt on the ground. The King spoke: "You fairies from Mage Nanyue, listen closely. You possess endless pleasures and carefree lives; why have you been punished to come here?" The eight fairies replied shamefully: "We report to Your Majesty that we were sent by Madam Wei to learn etiquette from Master Liuguan. On our way, we encountered monk Seongjin, exchanged a few words with him, but that master claimed we disturbed his quiet cultivation and reported us to Lady Wei, which led us here before Your Majesty. Whether we live or die is up to Your Majesty's decision. We hope for your great mercy in allowing us to return to our joyful realm." Upon hearing this, the King summoned nine ghost attendants and whispered a few instructions: "Quickly take these nine back to the human realm without error!" After speaking, a fierce wind swept through before them, lifting all nine into the air and blowing them in all directions.
Seongjin, unable to resist, was pushed by the wind until he landed on solid ground after an unknown amount of time when it finally calmed down. Regaining his composure, he looked around to see green mountains surrounding him with clear streams winding through them. At the foot of the mountain were scattered homes hidden among lush greenery. The ghost attendant brought Seongjin before one such home and entered it himself. Alone outside the door, Seongjin felt anxious as he overheard several women inside talking. One said: "It's strange; this year marks over fifty for Madam Yang, yet she has just become pregnant. Now that her time is near but still no signs of labor; I wonder what could be wrong." In his heart, Seongjin thought: "Now that I am about to reincarnate in this world but see only an illusory soul form while my physical body remains at Lotus Peak, it must have turned to ash long ago. I am still young and haven't had time to take on a disciple; who will collect my remains?" This thought brought him deep sorrow.
After a while, the ghost attendant came out from inside and waved at Seongjin, saying: "This is Da Tang Kingdom, Huainan Dao, Xiuzhou County. This family’s surname is Yang; your father is a scholar while your mother is named Liu, known for her kindness. You have a predestined connection with them; you are here now to be their son. There’s no time to waste; hurry inside!"
Upon entering the house, he saw a man wearing a cloth cap and coarse clothes sitting in the main room over a stove brewing medicine with fragrant aromas wafting through the air. Faint sounds of painful groans came from within another room. The ghost attendant urged him inside while feeling hesitant about entering himself. Suddenly pushed from behind by the attendant, Seongjin fell straight onto the ground feeling dizzy as if everything was upside down. He cried out for help but found himself voiceless like an infant's wail.
The maid rushed in announcing: "Madam has given birth to a young master!" The scholar entered with a bowl of medicine; husband and wife exchanged smiles filled with joy. As soon as he was fed milk when hungry or stopped crying when full—initially remembering events at Lotus Temple, but gradually growing up understanding parental love caused those memories of his past life to fade away slowly.
The scholar noticed that his son had extraordinary bones and handsome features; stroking his head he said: "This child must be descended from celestial beings!" Thus he named him Shao You, courtesy name Qianli.
Time flew by quickly; before long, Yang Shaoyou turned ten years old. He was strikingly handsome like jade with bright eyes like morning stars; possessing an extraordinary demeanor with profound thoughts—he resembled an elegant gentleman. One day,Yang the Recluse said to his wife,Liu: "I am not an ordinary man; because of our earthly connection I have stayed here for so long. Friends from Penglai have repeatedly invited me back but I hesitated due to concern for your solitude. Now heaven has favored us with this intelligent child who will surely rise above others in future endeavors becoming a pillar of our nation. Since you now have support for your later years I shall have no more worries about leaving you behind."
One day a group of Daoist Priests gathered in front of their home—some riding white deer while others rode azure phoenixes—heading off into deep mountains alongside their father.Yang the Recluse thereafter only occasionally sent letters from above but never returned home again.
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