Chapter 1014: Nameless Little Temple
“The school is different from back then.” Sikong Toutian explained: “Who knows how, but in these last couple of years it suddenly became a lot stronger. Maybe the king really has a flair for ruling. They have great hidden resources and strength. As for that Mortal King, he was still wasting time on his Saint Physique, but later on, it turned into an Immortal Physique out of nowhere.”
“Boss, I’m not just making assumptions right now.” Sikong Toutian went on: “The school is claiming that the Mortal King made their Hell Suppressing Jewel Law complete. To tell the truth, I don’t believe this at all. Heh, with the skill of the saint child back then, if he could fix this physique law, then both Jikong Wudi and Mei Suyao would have become Immortal Emperors already.”
He paused for a bit here: “Although the saint child was a bit talented with a commendable calm demeanor, I feel that he alone absolutely cannot complete an Immortal Physique Law!”
Li Qiye listened with a smile. Nothing could elude his eyes. The Mortal King was not cultivating the jewel law from their school — he knew this very well.
“Boss, there is another thing I need to tell you.” Sikong Toutian looked at Li Qiye with his relaxed expression and revealed: “I have found out some news, the saint child wants to marry Miss Chen. However, there are some reasons for apprehension, so he hasn’t made a move yet.”
“With just him alone?” Li Qiye chuckled without saying anything.
The guy quickly grinned and said: “Of course, only Boss is deserving of Miss Chen.”
Li Qiye leered at him and leisurely spoke: “Does your master know that you came here to steal? Did you tell the Mortal Monarch as well?”
The guy was startled after hearing this. His neck shrunk from fear as he wryly coughed: “Haha, Boss, I am sucking up... no, Boss is really incredibly wise, number one across the eons. Me running errands for you with all of my heart is something that my master and the Mortal Monarch would be proud of.”
“What about the matter of you stealing?” Li Qiye asked while looking at the guy.
He coughed in response: “Oh, oh, Boss, you should know this too, not everyone is a saint. No one is always right and perfect, right? I am only stealing some little things, I’m sure the seniors won’t really mind.”
“Sikong Toutian oh Sikong Toutian, you can only be described as an incurable little brat.” Li Qiye smilingly stated.
“I am honored to be praised by Boss.” Sikong Toutian didn’t give a damn and grinned happily.
Li Qiye smiled too and understood that this Sikong Toutian couldn’t be changed. He was a prodigal son that ran around all over the world, completely different from others who were hellbent on cultivation to reach the top or even rule the world.
In fact, Sikong Toutian’s talents were no lesser than that of any other genius. However, he didn’t care about it. He only wanted to roam the world as his ambitions didn’t include domination.
“Everyone has their own wishes, it cannot be forced.” In the end, this was all Li Qiye could say.
Sikong Toutian looked at him and said: “Does Boss want to go anywhere or have anything you want me to do?”
Li Qiye looked at him with one eye and said: “No need. I don’t want to hunt for any treasures right now. I just want to meditate with the Buddhist faith in peace, read all the scriptures and visit the three thousand temples. Of course, if you want to be a monk, I can also convert you and help you get there.”
“A monk? Hah, Boss, this lowly one is full of vulgarity, I cannot become a monk.” Sikong Toutian was scared after hearing this and immediately refused.
Of course, he also found it strange and had to ask: “Why does Boss want to cultivate Buddhism?”
He naturally didn’t believe Li Qiye ran here to become a monk. He knew that Li Qiye was definitely not the type who would want to be one!
Li Qiye revealed a mysterious smile and slowly said: “It’s a secret.”
Sikong Toutian didn’t dare to ask for more and smiled: “If that’s the case, then this lowly one will not disturb your meditation any longer. If you ever need someone to run some errands, just call for me. I will come running.”
After he left, Li Qiye continued on. After several days, he finally made it to a temple.
This temple was situated along a desolate ridge. Very few people came to this modest-sized temple. It seemed to only be a small square-shaped courtyard.
From the peeling red walls, one could tell that it had been built a very long time ago. Moreover, it could be seen it was not a popular place since there were no pilgrims visiting here at all.
There were too many temples at the plateau. Some were very prosperous, so naturally, the other extreme existed as well.
Although this temple had no visitors offering incense, it was still open and welcomed visitors.
Li Qiye went before it and became quiet for a moment before he eventually entered. It was a bit dark inside with a very simple yet elegant design. Despite the lack of guests, there was still incense burning inside. This meant that there were still monks worshipping Buddha in this temple.
In the main hall, Li Qiye saw a statue across the wafting smoke. To be exact, it was the statue of a Bodhisattva.
One could faintly see it through all the smoke. It was a woman with her left hand forming a lotus mudra while her right hand formed an unidentifiable mudra. She sat on a lotus flower while leaning so no one could really see her face. From her figure, she should be quite beautiful, to a transcendent level in fact. It was very rare to find a statue of this caliber. Perhaps out of all the temples in this plain, only this temple worshiped the Bodhisattva.
Li Qiye slowly sat down in a meditative pose on a futon and quietly stared at this Bodhisattva.
Suddenly, he became overwhelmed and lost track of time as if he had forgotten everything else. He continued to stare at it.
It was a relic of the unrecallable past, but Li Qiye couldn’t help but remember bits and pieces at this moment.
“Enchantress or goddess... this doesn’t matter. In the end, it was as ephemeral as a wisp of smoke.” Li Qiye was lost in a daze and murmured: “There were too many unforgettable things back then. I, I don’t really know what to say. All along, I have never liked conversion, but if it gave you peace and freedom, then I am glad for it.”
Having said that, he sighed softly and felt a bit lost. There had been countless passengers of all shapes and forms in his life. Immortal Emperors, true gods, mortals... Some were more unforgettable than others.
He had many followers once. They were willing to contribute everything for him and would even sacrifice their own lives for his sake! This Bodhisattva ahead was one of them. There were dangerous moments back then, moments when she was the first to stand in front of him!
The years went by and during a peaceful era, she chose to convert to Buddhism and peacefully passed away here.
Li Qiye’s heart quivered while looking at her statue and felt his emotions running amok. His stone heart had been polished so many times that there was no shaking it. However, this was an exception. Time was the cruelest thing in this world. Even if it couldn’t take away an immortal being, it could take away other things... Those who stood by your side, family, friendship...
An old nun came by while he was dazed. She had a cold demeanor and was as calm as the water in a well. She asked: “Offering incense or seeking shelter?”
Li Qiye didn’t answer right away. He stood up and quietly lit some incense then bowed once. After putting the incense sticks on the altar, he looked deeply at the Bodhisattva for a bit before turning around.
He looked at the old nun and flatly said: “Just shelter for one.”
The nun was indifferent. She took out a key and handed it over to Li Qiye before coldly saying: “The room on the west side, take care of your own meals.” With that, she turned away.
Li Qiye didn’t say anything else. He took the key and entered the room on the west side. Judging from the dust that had built up, there hadn’t been anyone staying here for a very long time.
He was not in a hurry and silently meditated to embrace this rare moment of tranquility. Before anyone knew it, he felt isolated and solitary. This was a type of serene peace that allowed one to be without distress.
Perhaps when she came here that year, she was also pursuing this kind of tranquility.
No one came to bother his meditation in the temple. There was only an old nun in this place. She was both the abbess and the caretaker.
She didn’t care about anything and didn’t ask Li Qiye anything either. Outside of meditation, she usually chanted scriptures. She passed her time in this manner for what seemed to be an unchanging eternity, as if there was no time here, no sun or moon. Everything was forgotten in this place — mundane matters, time, fame, fortune... they all lapsed into oblivion, leaving only peace behind.