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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 46: Grudge (Part Six)
Men talk about women when they are together, and women talk about men. They discuss food, clothing, and the workplace.
I forced a bitter smile and remained silent.
Due to my silence, the atmosphere in the car became heavy and oppressive until Gousi turned on the player.
The player was set to a free comedy channel, which I found uninteresting. It was like a lullaby, effectively lulling me into sleep.
Sleeping in the car was more enjoyable than sleeping in a big bed. The swaying motion, the uphill climbs, felt like a cradle to me. I fell into a deep sleep, unaware of how Gousi managed to reach Ten-Mile Temple until I heard someone calling me to wake up. I opened my eyes to find myself staring at Ten-Mile Temple.
The ancient temple exuded charm, with the sound of bells ringing and melodious chants filling the air! A young novice was sweeping the ground; upon seeing us, he grabbed his broom and ran away.
Gousi parked the car but didn’t get out right away. He waited for Qin Jian's car to arrive before we all got out together.
There were three men and one woman—me, Qin Jian, Gousi, and Chi Xinrong.
The three men exchanged glances with the lone woman, hesitant to make any moves until someone came to relay a message.
Before long, the novice who had run off earlier returned, clasping his hands together as he addressed us: “Three elders may enter; the female must stay behind.”
“Why do I have to stay?” I asked in surprise.
“You just stay quiet,” he replied. Fearing that Chi Xinrong might say something inappropriate, I quickly instructed her to follow Qin Jian as they entered the temple under the novice's guidance. Once inside, we couldn’t just wander into the meditation rooms; we had to wait for an invitation.
First, the novice led me to a place that was empty except for a stack of scriptures placed on a table. I didn’t see anything else—no tablets or anything else of interest—just an antique candlestick.
Just as I was about to ask a question, the novice waved his hand: “Master, you carry too much taint; you need to recite scriptures here for purification before you can enter the offering hall to meet Respectful Mother.” I knew coming to Ten-Mile Temple wouldn’t be easy; even after entering, my taint would prevent me from meeting Mother's Tablet immediately.
After the novice left, I quickly washed my hands in a copper basin next to the table, lit an incense stick to purify my hands, and only then did I pick up a scripture. Sitting cross-legged, I began to silently recite it word by word. At that moment, I couldn’t afford any distractions; I needed complete focus and silence as I recited the scripture.
This is the first page of the Heart Sutra. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, while deeply practicing Prajnaparamita, perceived that the five aggregates are empty and transcended all suffering. Sariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is precisely emptiness, emptiness is precisely form. Sensation, Thought, Action, Consciousness are also like this. Sariputra, all dharmas are empty by nature; they are neither born nor destroyed, neither defiled nor pure, neither increased nor decreased.
I am guilty; I clearly sensed that something would happen to Zhao Di, yet I failed to recognize it. My eyes were fixed on the Heart Sutra text while my mind wandered elsewhere. A wave of metallic sweetness surged up, and I opened my mouth—blood! I must not be distracted; I need to focus my mind and eliminate distractions once again.
I don't know how much time passed, but one scripture after another was placed on the table beside me. My mind was crystal clear, and my heart was as calm as still water; I understood many things! Just as I finished reciting the last scripture's final page, the door suddenly opened.
A blinding white light pierced my eyes, making it impossible for me to open them. I squeezed my eyes shut and when I opened them again, the white light had vanished. Then, I vaguely saw a person with a lantern waving at me. Confused, I looked around; there was no one else here but me, so it must be calling me.
I thought to myself, could it be dark already? Otherwise, why would a Taoist carry a lantern?
As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I stood up and slowly walked toward the door.
As I got closer, I realized that the person holding the lantern was not a Taoist but a boy dressed in blue.
The boy walked ahead of me; I could never see his face. Several times I tried to quicken my pace to catch a glimpse of him, but each time he seemed to bounce away like he had springs in his feet and ran far ahead.
Thus, we maintained a certain distance between us as we walked neither fast nor slow toward a very narrow Serpentine Path. This path twisted like a crawling snake, extending endlessly. Just as I thought about turning back, the boy suddenly vanished.
Then I saw rows of houses that looked just like those in a Residential Area. There were signs at the doors with numbers on them.
I remembered that reciting the Heart Sutra was supposed to calm the mind; however, as I left that meditation room, I felt dazed as if my soul had left my body. It made me a bit fearful; logically speaking, there shouldn't be anything sinister here causing trouble, which is why I felt bold enough to follow the boy with the lantern.
What place is this? As I focused my gaze, there was no foul or evil spirit presence; instead, there was a faint fragrance lingering in the air.
There must be trees here that emit fragrance—perhaps an Osmanthus Tree or a Camphor Tree. The possibility of it being an Osmanthus Tree is low since they bloom seasonally; now it's Late Autumn and winter is approaching soon. So it can't be an Osmanthus Tree—could it be a Camphor Tree?
That also seems unlikely; this scent resembles sandalwood.
In fact, I didn't have time to investigate what this fragrance was because someone was staring at me intently. I hadn't noticed when this person appeared or where they came from; they seemed to have emerged from underground like a land deity from folklore.
Suddenly, they appeared right in front of me.
He startled me and then asked in a sarcastic tone, "Which one are you looking for? State your name."
I truly didn't understand what he meant. Since he was asking, I couldn't just ignore him, especially since we were still in the vicinity of Ten-Mile Temple. I explained to this person that I was brought here by a child carrying a lantern, but he seemed uninterested in my explanation, rolling his eyes and waiting silently for my response.
Reluctantly, I replied, "Unknown."
I thought that after hearing my answer of "Unknown," this strange man would send me back, but to my surprise, he not only didn’t send me away but also snapped his fingers as if calculating something. Then he exclaimed "Oh!" and gestured for me to follow him.
"Unknown" was just a random choice; I had no idea what else to say. I had come to Ten-Mile Temple to pay my respects at Mother's Tablet, but I never expected such bizarre events to unfold. Moreover, I couldn't just casually reveal my name to someone I didn't know.
Names shouldn't be shared with strangers unless there’s a special reason.
"Unknown" means someone without a name, and this strange man seemed intent on taking me somewhere. Just as I was about to ask him where we were going, he suddenly stopped and pointed at a door, indicating that this was the place. The door had the number 46 on it—what did that mean?
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