CHAPTER 467: CHAPTER 404: AN EXCESSIVE BUDDHA HEART IS ALSO A HEART DEMON

"...!"

Upon hearing this Buddhist verse, Yu Wenqian’s clear eyes slightly darkened.

He then gave a faint smile and said, "Master, this verse is well written."

Master Xinzeng also smiled and said, "What is good about it?"

Yu Wenqian replied, "The line that is well penned is—’think long enough and it becomes a demon.’

Hearing him repeat this phrase once more, the others still hadn’t grasped its meaning, but Yu Wenye’s eyes had already dimmed. Upon hearing this, Master Xinzeng clapped his hands and laughed, "Indeed, Young Master is insightful. True, I have stayed in this Dayan Temple, watched countless pilgrims come and go, observed the ups and downs of officials. I have seen both Buddhas and demons. Though Buddha is not a demon, the boundary between Buddha and demon is but a thin line."

"..."

"To understand is to be Buddha; to not understand is to be a demon."

Yu Wenqian nodded thoughtfully and said, "Greed is the Heart Demon, delusion is the Heart Demon, obsession is the Heart Demon. Although the boundary between Buddha and demon is thin, Buddha has never been the Heart Demon."

Saying thus, he looked at Master Xinzeng again with a smile, "Master, when you look at me, is it greed, delusion, or obsession that you see?"

Xinzeng was taken aback.

Once again, he looked at the handsome young man before him, who, although still clad in a white monk’s robe, with the wind passing through the mountain gate slightly lifting the hem, and did not appear to have drastically changed from the ethereal presence he’d once been, was no longer someone untouched by earthly matters. Even if he was now part of this world, it seemed to be purified by his presence, making him ever harder to discern, much like standing in a fog.

No one could associate the word "demon" with him.

After pondering for a long while, Xinzeng finally spoke, "Young Master has already let go of worldly possessions—neither greedy nor delusional, with no obsessions."

Yu Wenqian smiled and said, "Thank you, Master."

Finished speaking, he clasped his hands together in a respectful gesture, turned, and descended the steps to board the Duke Mansion’s carriage.

Master Xinzeng stood in the center of the mountain gate, gazing at his figure in silence for a long while, a look of bewilderment appearing on his face, which was even more worldly than an ordinary person’s. He gently shook his head, took a long breath, and then turned to enter the Dayan Temple.

Seeing this scene, Shang Ruyi felt her heart sink.

In truth, anyone observant could tell that this was a brief contest between Master Xinzeng and Yu Wenqian!

Although Master Xinzeng seemed a worldly person, displaying courtiership unbefitting a person of the Buddhist Sect in front of the powerful, he was not a mundane person thorough and through. Rather, someone so utterly mundane that he transcended it. Without a trace of cultivation, he wouldn’t have secured the position of abbot in this Buddhist Holy Land, even with imperial support.

Judging by that Buddhist verse he just spoke, his level of cultivation is comparable to anyone attending today’s Dharma assembly.

Even so, he couldn’t deal with Yu Wenqian.

This makes one imagine the profound depth of Yu Wenqian’s cultivation and his intense Buddha heart—beyond the ordinary imagination.

What Shang Ruyi couldn’t understand was why Master Xinzeng chose this moment to present that verse to Yu Wenqian. What was his true intention?

With thoughts racing, she followed Yu Wenye down the steps towards their carriage. Though it was only a short distance, the cultivators around them who attended the assembly were clearly touched by the previous dialogue, constantly discussing it, yet no one could quite articulate it.

Just as Shang Ruyi was about to board the carriage, she suddenly heard a long sigh from the front—

"Buddha has never been the Heart Demon, haha..."

Looking up, it was the elder Jiang Yu.

He was on horseback, with the reins tangled in a mess, and a young man wearing a bamboo hat was sorting them out, so he hadn’t left yet. He sat leisurely on the horse, glanced at the Yu Wenqian who was already on the carriage, then looked at Master Xinzeng disappearing into the mountain gate, muttering something too low for Shang Ruyi to hear amidst the surrounding noise.

At this moment, Jiang Yu seemed to feel her gaze, looked up at Shang Ruyi, and immediately put on a broad smile.

Shang Ruyi also gave him a complicated smile in return.

She hesitated about whether to go over and ask the elder about his insights into the previous remark, but before she could take a step, the young man had untangled the reins, turned the horse around, and headed in another direction.

At this moment, a joyful voice suddenly came from behind—

"Sister Ruyi!"

Turning her head, she saw a figure, like a calf, rushing forward and almost bumping into her. Fortunately, Yu Wenye’s quick reflexes grabbed this "calf"—it was none other than Shantong’er.

Seeing him, Yu Wenye frowned and said, "Rushing in like that could hurt someone."

Shantong’er scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

Seeing him, Shang Ruyi was both surprised and delighted, saying with a smile, "Shantong’er, why are you here?"

Shantong’er joyfully replied, "I was outside the city hearing there was a Dharma assembly at Dayan Temple today and that there’d be a vegetarian feast. So I asked Brother Nie to bring me into the city to have a look, hehe."

Looking up, she indeed saw that the young man named Nie Chong was also following behind him.

This person looked the same as when they first met, still bearing an exhausted expression as if perpetually in need of sleep. He respectfully saluted Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi, saying, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, we were actually stationed outside the city, awaiting the Second Young Master’s orders, but Ninth Master here was insistent on entering the city; no one could stop him. I had no choice but to accompany him, and I ask for the Second Young Master’s forgiveness."

Shantong’er stuck out his tongue and shrank back shyly.

Yu Wenye cast a stern glance at him, then looked at Nie Chong and said, "You haven’t been formally conscripted into the army, so today’s actions don’t count as misconduct. But in the future, you are not permitted to act without orders. Understood?"

"Yes."

Nie Chong didn’t say much more, bowing courteously before standing upright again.

He glanced behind Shang Ruyi.

Before Shang Ruyi could say anything more, she felt someone tug at her sleeve. Looking down, she found Shantong’er staring up at her eagerly: "Sister Ruyi, can I go into the temple for a meal today? The temple meal at Dayan Temple is tastier than elsewhere."

"..."

"And it’s filling."

Shang Ruyi was almost amused by his greedy expression. She glanced at Yu Wenye and, seeing he had no intention of stopping them, said, "You can go eat today, but remember, if you officially join the army in the future, you can’t act like this anymore, do you understand?"

Hearing he could go into the temple for a meal, Shantong’er was so happy he nearly jumped up.

He hurriedly grabbed Nie Chong’s hand: "Brother Nie, let’s go, quickly, or else the meal will be all snatched up."

Nie Chong didn’t follow him immediately but withdrew his gaze from behind Shang Ruyi and asked, "Young Madam, there was an old man on horseback over there just now — do you know who he is?"

"Him?"

Shang Ruyi, unsure why Nie Chong would ask about Jiang Yu, briefly explained the old man’s identity, then looked at him: "Do you know him?"

Nie Chong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

He said, "I just found what he said to be a bit intriguing."

Shang Ruyi looked at him in surprise: "You heard him speaking just now?"

Nie Chong nodded.

Shang Ruyi asked, "What did he say?"

Nie Chong said, "He said — the Buddha’s heart, if excessive, is also a heart demon."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Nie Chong glanced back at the convoy, which had been waiting outside the mountain gate for a long time, ready to depart, then said softly, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, it seems Duke Sheng is urging you to leave. I’ll take Shantong’er and go first. Once he’s had his meal, we’ll return to the outskirts of the city and await the Second Young Master’s instructions."

Yu Wenye nodded, and Nie Chong bowed, then took the impatient Shantong’er into Dayan Temple.

As soon as they left, sure enough, Xue Daotong approached and said softly, "Second Young Master, the Duke is urging."

Only then did Yu Wenye turn back, and saw Yu Wenquan on the other side sitting in the carriage, his face clearly impatient as the wind lifted a corner of the curtain. The two of them ceased delaying and quickly boarded their carriage. The company immediately departed from Dayan Temple.

The journey was smooth.

The two of them sat silently in the carriage.

It wasn’t that there was nothing to say, but rather that their minds were tangled, each unable to find the thread’s end and thus unable to start the conversation.

But after a long silence, it was Shang Ruyi who spoke first.

She asked, "What did you say to the Princess?"

Yu Wenye raised an eyebrow slightly and looked down at her — it seemed he hadn’t expected her to start with this topic, but also seemed as if he had been waiting for it for a long time, the originally somewhat gloomy eyes showing a hint of amusement at this moment.

He said, "Why ask?"

"Can’t I?"

"No."

"Then—"

"But I don’t want to answer."

"..."

Shang Ruyi was momentarily stunned, then immediately realized — he was deliberately teasing her.

In fact, those normally stern eyes were now evidently sparkling with a hint of mirth, as if he had long been waiting for her to ask, just to give her this answer.

She immediately turned her face away in slight anger.

Seeing Shang Ruyi looking somewhat sulky, Yu Wenye couldn’t help but curve his lips into a faint smile.

However, after the smile, the gloom in his eyes grew even deeper.

At this moment, the two truly stopped talking, and the monotonous sound of the carriage bumping along the road accompanied them back to the Duke Mansion.

But this time, unlike their previous return, they hadn’t even reached the entrance before hearing a noisy clamor coming from ahead. Shang Ruyi lifted the curtain with her hand, took a glance ahead, and her eyes widened with amazement.

"What’s wrong?"

Yu Wenye beside her spoke up again.

Shang Ruyi didn’t sulk anymore, just looked outside again and then turned back with a complicated expression: "Look."

Yu Wenye shifted, almost leaning half his body over her, to look out the window — only to see the Duke Mansion festooned with lanterns and streamers, bustling like a festival. Aunt Hui had already led all the household staff to don new clothes, lined up neatly, eagerly awaiting at the gate.