The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Who is Tara in Chapter 2018?

Outside the Tibetan caravan's cowhide tents, four campfires, fueled by a mixture of cow dung and cypress branches, crackled and popped.

The orange-red flames licked at the night sky over the plateau, baking the damp earth within a ten-step radius with a warm scent of grass.

Many young Tibetans were brewing butter tea in copper kettles, the firelight dancing on their weathered faces, as if trying to imprint the stories of their journeys across the Qiangtang wilderness into their high-altitude rosy complexions.

Suddenly someone started playing the Zha Nianqin. In the instant the six strings vibrated, sparks flew out like startled fireflies.

Four bonfires were lit in total. Hassan's bonfire was the smallest because it had the fewest people. Besides Hassan, there were only four young Tibetans with him, plus Feng Jiuxiao and the other eight. They gathered around the bonfire in twos and threes, unlike the other bonfires where people sat in a large, dense circle.

The three large circles each had over twenty people, while Feng Jiuxiao's circle only had thirteen, yet it looked about the same size as the other three. This was mainly because the spacing between people was so large. Feng Jiuxiao, Pang Shiwu, Zeng Yong, and Big Wolf each had four or five people between them; Yuan Zishan and Chili were practically huddled together, and Chang Zijing and Erni were also quite close. Otherwise, their circle would probably be even larger than the other three!
Across the campfire, several young men from a Tibetan merchant caravan stared intently at the chili peppers.

In their eyes, this is the most beautiful Han girl!

Beautiful, generous, lively, and straightforward!
The Han girls next to her were also very pretty, but they didn't talk much. Compared to the girls from their hometown who could sing and dance, they were far inferior!

As Chili looked across the flames at Hassan, she noticed that several young men beside him were staring at her. She immediately said, annoyed, "Miss, those men are looking at you. In broad daylight, it's impolite to look at someone in public, yet they stare at you without any restraint. It's extremely rude!"

Yuan Zishan glanced at them and laughed, "They're looking at you!"

Chili was taken aback: "Looking at me? Why are you looking at me?" She touched her face, "There's nothing on my face, is there?"

Yuan Zishan whispered, "They think you're pretty!"

Chili's eyes widened, "What the heck?"

"What's wrong? Are you that insecure?"

"No, miss, you can't joke around!"

"I'm not kidding you!"

"With you next to me, will they stare at me?"

Why are you so insecure?

"Who lacks confidence? I've always been confident!"

"Then what are you still doubting?"

"It's not that I doubt anything, it's just that the logic doesn't hold up! I may be good-looking, but compared to you, I'm really not as good. This isn't about being insecure, it's a fact!" Chili said confidently.

Chang Zijing, standing nearby, chuckled, "Chili, they are definitely watching you!"

Chili said, "How about we make a bet?"

Chang Zijin said, "What kind of bet? Let's bet on who they're actually watching."

"Yes!"

"Okay! I'll bet with you! What's the prize?"

Chili thought for a moment, "If you win, I'll buy you rouge for a year! If you lose, you have to buy me all the rouge for a year!"

Chang Zijin laughed and said, "The prize is too small!"

Chili suddenly had a bad feeling, but she didn't believe a miracle could happen, and immediately said, "Tell me!"

Chang Zijin said, "Besides a year's supply of rouge, I also want five gold-threaded silk skirts, three gold hairpins, and an emerald bracelet! I don't want any substandard items!"

The chili pepper suddenly fell silent!

She looked at Chang Zijing, "Sister Zijing, are you really that confident?"

Chang Zijin laughed and said, "It's not too late to admit defeat now. I won't accept a single prize!"

Chili immediately shouted, "I didn't lose, why should I admit defeat? The bet is over!" She looked at Yuan Zishan, "Miss, aren't you going to join in?"

Yuan Zishan laughed and said, "If I get involved again, you'll probably lose everything!"

Chili's eyes widened: "What do you mean?"

Yuan Zishan laughed and said, "Didn't your sister Zijing tell you that if you surrender now, we'll let you go? You don't need any of those rouges or emeralds! Are you still going to insist?"

Chili was incredulous: "Miss, do you also think I'll lose?"

Yuan Zishan also looked incredulous: "Didn't I just tell you the answer? Did you really think you would win?"

"But……"

"But what?"

Chili blinked. "But I don't believe it! These greenhorns aren't young anymore, they all look over eighteen, they're all normal men. Unless they're blind, they can't possibly think I'm prettier than Miss! Sister Zijing! I'll bet! It's just an emerald bracelet, if I lose I'll buy it for you!"

Yuan Zishan reminded her, "Chili, an emerald bracelet isn't cheap!"

Chili said, "I know! A lower grade one has impurities and uneven color, and it will cost at least five hundred taels. A better grade one that is clear and bright green will cost one thousand five hundred taels. As for the imperial grade one, it is priceless and simply cannot be bought!"

Yuan Zishan said, "Then why are you still gambling?"

Chili said, "Miss, why don't you believe me?"

Yuan Zishan looked helpless. "The facts are there, if you don't lose, who will? Look again, who are they even looking at?"

Chili looked intently across the street again, only to find that the young men all had their heads down. How could she possibly make eye contact with them?
She insisted, "They're definitely watching you!"

Yuan Zishan shook her head and smiled bitterly, "What a silly girl! Fine! A thousand well-intentioned words of advice are not as effective as letting reality teach you a lesson once!"

Chili immediately pouted: "Miss, you're mocking me again!"

Yuan Zishan looked at the chili pepper with a smile, "Where did I mock you?"

"You didn't mock me? Then what kind of lesson did you teach me? Was it profound?"

"Honest advice is hard to swallow, silly girl! You'd be happy to hear sweet words from me?"

"I don't listen to sweet talk!"

Chang Zijing then laughed, "Chili, have you thought it through? It's not too late to back out now!" Erni thought to herself: Knowing Chili's temperament, it would have been better if you hadn't said that. With your provocation, even if Chili wanted to give up, she wouldn't this time. Zijing is definitely going to win Chili over this time!
Yuan Zishan whispered, "Hurry up and say you're giving up!"

Chili gritted her teeth and said, "No! I can't give up! This is a great opportunity to defeat her!" Yuan Zishan didn't dare to respond! Chili's words were too blatant; she clearly wanted to vent Yuan Zishan's anger and suppress Chang Zijing's "arrogant arrogance"!
Chang Zijin gave a thumbs up and laughed, "Great! The top-quality emerald bracelet is almost in my hands, thank you, Chili Girl!"

Chili pouted and said, "Since we've already made the bet, let's find out the result now!"

Chang Zijin smiled and said, "Okay! Then who will go and verify it?"

Everyone looked at each other, and finally all their eyes turned to Feng Jiuxiao!
Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "Given my relationship with Zishan, we should avoid suspicion. Brother Zeng, please go ahead!"

Zeng Yong said, "Those kids don't even dare to look at me. If I go and ask them, they probably won't dare to utter a sound! Let Brother Big go instead!"

Bigwolf immediately looked left and right, his gaze sweeping around. When it landed on Pang Shiwu, Pang Shiwu immediately refused: "I have to avoid any appearance of impropriety with my relationship with Chili!"

When her gaze fell on Erni, Erni also shook her head: "I...I also want to avoid suspicion!"

Big Wolf was taken aback. "Erni, you're neither the one being commented on nor one of the bettors. What are you trying to avoid?"

Erni was also taken aback. "Yes, what am I trying to avoid?"

She was already secretly regretting it!
Why should I avoid suspicion? Isn't it just because I feel I'm getting close to Chang Zijing?
But this is just my opinion! Pang Shiwu, Yuan Zishan, and Big Wolf—none of them showed favoritism. They treated me and others the same way! Yuan Zishan never distanced herself from Chang Zijin just because she rode in the same car with her every day!

You've become attached to appearances! You've become attached to appearances!

It was supposed to be a joke, but my behavior made everyone think I was scheming!

A wave of regret washed over me!

Seeing that Bigwolf's gaze was still expectant of her answer, she quickly forced a smile: "I was just joking! Why would I avoid suspicion? I'll go ask right away!"

She stood up and walked straight to Hassan, then crouched down slightly and asked with a smile, "Uncle, may I ask them a few questions?" Hassan was a little surprised, but still nodded: "Go ahead!"

Erni first looked at the young Tibetan man to Hassan's left and smiled, "Hello!"

The Tibetan young man was somewhat taken aback, but still politely replied, "Hello."

"What's your name?"

"Dawa!"

“Oh, Dawa, I have a question for you, when you were looking over there just now…”

The young man's expression suddenly changed, and he said nervously, "I was looking at the campfire, I wasn't looking at you!" Peeping at others, especially other people's girls, is not just a matter of being impolite; it will be severely punished according to the clan rules!

Erni took out a silver ingot and smiled, "Don't be nervous." Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Don't be nervous, it's like this..." She began to mutter softly, and Dawa's expression began to change dramatically. One moment his eyes widened in astonishment, the next he nodded repeatedly with an "I see" look, and then he even showed a shy expression, secretly glancing at Chili twice. This time, Chili actually felt that the young Tibetan man had actually looked at her, and she had a bad feeling!

When the silver ingot was handed to Dawa, he glanced at Hassan's expression. Erni smiled and said, "Uncle Hassan, is it alright if I give him a small consultation fee?"

Hassan said, "That's between the two of you, I don't care."

Erni gestured for Dawa to quickly put it away, and Dawa's face lit up with joy as he immediately stuffed the silver ingot into his pocket!
Erni gestured for Dawa to ask the two Tibetan youths on the other side of Hassan.

Dawa immediately moved to Hassan's other side, whispered something to the two Tibetan lads, and quickly returned, saying in a low voice, "They're the same as me."

Erni smiled faintly and said, "Thank you!" She then curtsied and retreated.
Chili immediately asked, "How is it?"

Erni said seriously, "Chili, do you believe me?"

Chili said with displeasure, "Hurry up, Erni, stop with all that nonsense!"

Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "That's right! Hurry up and tell Chili what happened, or she'll bite us!"

Erni laughed and said, "Chili, you lost!"

Chili was stunned. "Impossible!"

Erni sighed, "See, you don't believe me!"

Chili said, "Who said I don't believe you!"

"Then why do you say it's impossible?"

"I'm just having trouble accepting it right now!"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "Chili pepper, I have a way to help you verify it."

Chili's eyes immediately lit up: "Oh, then hurry up!"

Feng Jiuxiao chuckled and suddenly said loudly to Hassan across the campfire, "Uncle Hassan, I would like to ask you a question!"

Hassan said, "Please speak!"

"I'd like to ask, what kind of girls do young people in Tibet like the most? For example, do they prefer tall girls or girls of average height? Do they prefer girls with big eyes, double eyelids, or single eyelids?"

Hassan smiled. He had overheard most of what Erni had asked Dawa earlier. “Different places nurture different people. Our Tibetan standards for judging beauty are indeed slightly different from yours. For example, we consider a rosy complexion as beautiful, while you Han Chinese from the Central Plains consider a snow-white complexion as beautiful, right?”

"Correct!"

"In terms of physique, we Tibetans value strength and power as beauty, while you Han Chinese value slenderness and willow-like grace; in terms of decorative preferences, Tibetan girls like turquoise, silver ornaments, and practical tools, while Han Chinese girls prefer gold hairpins, silk skirts, and embroidered shoes, right?"

"Correct!"

"In the minds of us Tibetans, the ideal image of a beautiful woman is a shepherdess like Tara, while most of you Han people prefer talented women who stay at home, right?"

"Correct!"

"In short, the beauty of Tibetan women lies in the sun-like glow on their cheeks, the silver knife at their waist, and even more so in their lowered eyelashes when they chant sutras."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Listening to the old man's words is better than reading books for ten years!"

Hassan smiled and said, "I remember a wise man once said that the standard of beauty in Tibet is a combination of vitality, faith, and practicality. They are not flowers in a greenhouse, but Gesang flowers blooming in the wind and snow of the plateau—they can chant sutras and pray for blessings, and they can also ride horses and interpret the unique beauty of the snowy plateau in the harsh environment!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I understand. The general standard for beautiful women in Tibet is that they can calmly recite scriptures, ride horses and fight or herd sheep, and they should be strong and powerful. In our Han Chinese terms, they should be heroic and valiant."

Hassan said, “That’s right, this girl in red is the closest to our Tibetan standard of beauty! Although her skin is snow-white, her eyes are full of heroic spirit, and her speech and behavior are completely natural. She has the appearance of a man and is blessed with good fortune. She is exactly the ideal type in the hearts of our Tibetan men!”

Chili opened her mouth wide and was momentarily stunned!

Yuan Zishan sighed, "Fifteen hundred taels are gone."

Chang Zijing raised her wrist and laughed, "The emerald has been found!"

Erni thought to herself: Zijing just got an emerald bracelet?
Zeng Yong suddenly lowered his voice and said to Erni, "You also like emerald bracelets?"

Erni immediately exclaimed, "Too expensive!"

Zeng Yong immediately laughed: "If you like it, you like it. Why bring up the price? I'll take care of the price issue."

Chili suddenly asked, "Uncle Hassan, may I ask who Tara is?" Hassan just said that his ideal type of woman is someone like Tara, and he himself is very close to Tara. So who exactly is Tara?
Hassan said, “In Buddhism, Tara is the embodiment of Avalokiteshvara’s tears, symbolizing compassion, wisdom and salvation. She manifests in different forms to protect sentient beings from suffering, and is especially regarded as the ultimate example of achievement for female practitioners.”

Chili was taken aback. "A tear of Guanyin? Am I like a tear?"

Hassan laughed and said, "Legend has it that Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, seeing sentient beings drowning in the sea of ​​suffering, shed tears of compassion, and those tears transformed into Green Tara and White Tara. Green Tara said: 'I am willing to take on the form of a woman to liberate sentient beings from the eight difficulties, until the cycle of rebirth ends!' From then on, she became the refuge of all beings. In later generations, there were twenty-one other forms of Tara, including white, black, and red!"
The most common forms of Tara are Green Tara and White Tara. Green Tara's body color is green—symbolizing vitality and success; her posture is with her right leg hanging down, representing her readiness to rise and save beings, and her left leg crossed, representing meditative wisdom; her right hand forms the wish-granting mudra, holding an utpala flower, symbolizing blessings, while her left hand forms the Three Jewels mudra, holding a blue lotus, symbolizing purity; her mantra is—Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha.

Feng Jiuxiao said, "So this is the kind of person the Han people call a bodhisattva."

Hassan said, “That’s one way to put it. White Tara’s body is as white as moonlight, symbolizing purity and healing; her facial features are: one eye on her forehead, one eye on her palm, and one eye on the sole of her foot, for a total of seven eyes, representing insight into all suffering! She holds a vase of longevity, representing the bestowal of health and wisdom; her mantra is: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayubhune Jnapchen Guru Soha.”

Feng Jiuxiao asked, "What is a heart incantation?"

Hassan said, "The key to accessing the energy of compassion!"

"You said Tara saves people from eight difficulties. What are those eight difficulties?"

"The eight difficulties are: the lion (arrogance), the elephant (foolishness), the fire (anger), the snake (jealousy), the thief (greed), the prison (karmic obstacles), the non-human beings (wrong views), and the water (desire)."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Chili, do you understand now? You are now a compassionate and merciful bodhisattva who saves people from suffering!"

Chili bit her lip and suddenly looked at Pang Shiwu, "Give me some money!"

Pang Shiwu asked, "How much?"

Chili retorted angrily, "You know perfectly well what I'm asking! How much does an emerald bracelet cost? How much do three gold hairpins cost? How much does a year's worth of rouge and five gold-threaded skirts cost in total?"

Pang Shiwu patted his chest, "No problem! It'll be enough! I'll go buy some more!"

Chili said, "Double!"

Pang Shiwu was taken aback. "Double portions?"

Chili said, "You have to pay me back whatever amount I lose!"

Pang Shiwu laughed and said, "Is this a big deal?"

Feng Jiuxiao said calmly, "Four portions!"

Pang Shiwu was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "It's a small matter!"

Zeng Yong gave a thumbs up and said, "What a sight!" Erni asked in a low voice, "What are you talking about? How did it become four portions?"

Zeng Ma whispered, "Each of you four girls should have one!"

Erni's mouth dropped open, and she pointed at her nose, "I got a share too? The emerald bracelet? The gold-threaded skirt?"

Zeng Yong laughed and said, "Of course! That's why we say Young Master Feng has such an impressive presence."

Thank you for your strong support and encouragement from Yudong!