My enemies became my companions

Chapter 711 What if she's a fake (Part 2)

The sandalwood scent is stronger now.

The mountain wind whipped the banners and prayer flags, and thousands of believers gathered beneath the Buddhist altar, their chanting rising and falling like waves.

The Medicine Buddha statue was carried to the center of the high platform, where it shone brightly under the light of thousands of lamps, making the entire mountain seem to be immersed in a sea of ​​golden light. Master Huiming held a willow branch and sprinkled water before the altar, his voice like a bronze chime: "May all sentient beings be free from suffering and attain happiness, may ignorance be dispelled, and may the light of wisdom illuminate the world."

May ignorance be dispelled—

Millions of believers echoed the chant, their voices rising in waves and reverberating through the valley.

The town was packed with people, and the enormous Buddha statue was making the abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness) towards all beings, its face benevolent. Yin Tingxue glanced at it and remembered how, when she was a child, she would hide inside the Buddha statue, as if she were a filthy creature inside it. Facing the worship of thousands of devout men and women, she felt extremely flustered.

She lowered her eyes slightly, lost in thought.

"What happens next?"

Upon hearing the voice, Yin Tingxue slowly opened her eyes and saw Chen Yi standing beside her. Perhaps because she was too petite, he was much taller than her, making him seem like a mother's figure, which made it hard not to feel at ease.

Yin Tingxue had learned to look at him calmly, and after a pause, she slowly said:
“Nothing else happened. The believers here once again revealed their demonic nature. Then, I converted them. It was here that I officially became involved with the Medicine Buddha’s karma.”

Chen Yi knew long ago about the Buddhist concept of cause and effect and reincarnation, that everything in the present must have a cause in the past. Even if the Bodhisattva Medicine had extraordinary abilities, he could not create something out of nothing or make his wishes come true. He was bound to be connected with Yin Tingxue through karma.

Yin Tingxue pointed to the Medicine Buddha statue, "Back then, I hid inside the Buddha statue, feeling both scared and excited. I didn't dare tell my mother about it afterwards, but it was really interesting at the time."

The Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult spoke with an unusual calmness, completely unlike the excitement and exhilaration the little fox had when recounting childhood anecdotes.

Chen Yi lowered his eyes slightly.

So, was the girl's seemingly wonderful childhood just a caged bird?
Chen Yi was filled with unspeakable thoughts and didn't know what to say. If she thought back, it was true that her mother was, in the end, an incarnation of the Medicine Bodhisattva.

No matter how much a mere avatar harbors ulterior motives, it cannot completely defy the will of the original. From a young age, she has lived amidst these entanglements of cause and effect, though she is unaware of it.

Chen Yi looked at the Dharma assembly again, seeing the overflowing Buddha light and the swirling sandalwood incense.
"What can I do to help you clear your mind of ignorance?"

Yin Tingxue glanced at him, her gaze somewhat unreadable, and slowly said, "You'll help me... save them?"

Chen Yi was stunned for a moment, then pointed to himself, "Me?"

"good."

...............

The scent of sandalwood grew stronger, almost solidifying, mingling with the breath of thousands of believers and the smoke from burning candles, forming a misty haze in the valley.

Carefully prepared flower petals of various colors were continuously tossed into the air by monks and devout believers. The vibrant colors danced in the wind, landing on people's shoulders and hair, as well as on the cold and solemn Buddha statues, adding a touch of ethereal splendor to this solemn ceremony.

On the high platform, Master Huiming, with his solemn and dignified appearance, recounted the twelve great vows of the Medicine Buddha and the Dharma for escaping suffering and attaining happiness.

Below the stage, hundreds of monks, dressed in robes, chanted in unison, their voices rising like a tide, one wave higher than the next, as if to cleanse the world of all its impurities and troubles.

The believers prostrated themselves on the ground, some listening intently, some chanting silently with their eyes closed, and some moved to tears. Their faces were filled with an almost obsessive devotion, as if they were entrusting their entire being and all their hopes to the radiant Buddha seated high on the lotus platform.

The altar shone with golden light, and the chanting was deafening.

The Medicine Buddha statue looks down with lowered eyes, holding a medicine bowl in its right hand and making the abhaya mudra with its left hand. Its gaze is compassionate, conveying relief from disasters and calamities.

The rising wisps of sandalwood incense drifted and swirled, passing over the frenzied crowd, and dissipated completely by the riverbank, leaving the once bustling stone arch bridge deserted.

Yin Tingxue stood alone in the middle of the bridge, with the flowing water gurgling below.

She lowered her head slightly, not looking at the flowing water, but gazing at her blurry reflection on the bridge. Her lips moved slightly as she softly recited a prayer.

"Supreme Bright One, Light of the Ten Directions, may my body and mind be pure..."

Her shadow seemed to be subtly shifting.

The incantation flowed through my mind, and a mysterious connection was quietly established.

For some reason, perhaps because she had a moment of clarity back then and left the world of ignorance, there was a mysterious connection between her and the Bright Lord. Yin Tingxue always felt that the feeling this supreme deity gave her was not pure majesty and awe, but rather a kind of indescribable familiarity.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she chuckled to herself. If the gods did not give believers this sense of closeness and reliance, how could they gather followers and offer comfort in this vast world?

Having sensed that she had enough, Yin Tingxue, as a saintess, spoke without much respect, directly asking, "Do you know what I'm thinking?"

She seemed neither like a saint nor a believer.

Even if I knew, you had already made up your mind.

After a moment of silence, the other end said this.

He saw right through her thoughts. Yin Tingxue wasn't surprised; she simply continued, following her own train of thought, "I have no more attachment to him. The lingering hatred I felt before was merely a suspicion that he might really be Chen Yi. But now it seems he's just another Buddha masquerading as a savior."

I have long since left this place, I have long since attained enlightenment, and I have eradicated all ignorance. I would never manifest such scenes. Therefore, everything must be a manifestation of these lingering Buddha spirits.

A rare, faint, self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips.
"Even if he really is Chen Yi, why should I hate him anymore? He's already dead and has nowhere to be buried. The past grudges are over, and I... have let it go."

On the other side of the lake, Mingzun paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, he certainly died without a burial place."

Mingzun's calm and composed demeanor, as if he were still in a deep well no matter what he faced, always made Yin Tingxue feel inexplicably uneasy.

Moreover, whenever she committed evil deeds, the Venerable One would always offer kind words of comfort, as if in His eyes Yin Tingxue was still the compassionate person she was back then.

Even though she was a saintess of the religion, she always harbored a deep-seated aversion to this supreme being. If she hadn't been in a predicament and her mind hadn't been wavering, she would never have taken the initiative to communicate with the Venerable One.

If such thoughts were known to the fanatical believers in the church, it would probably cause a huge uproar.

A flicker of anger rose within her, and with a hint of impatience, she asked directly, "After I leave this world of ignorance, what do you want me to do next?"

The Venerable One's response remained concise, even somewhat perfunctory: "Leave here first."

Yin Tingxue's gaze suddenly turned cold, and she let out a cold snort.

She turned back again, gazing at the distant altar bathed in Buddhist light and filled with the resounding chants of sutras. Her gaze was deep and unfathomable. After a moment of silence, she asked softly, as if confirming something, or perhaps as a final test: "Really... we'll leave him here?"

"Do what you want to do."

Yin Tingxue was slightly taken aback; He didn't try to stop her for even a moment, which made her feel uneasy.

So she left.

The sandalwood incense wafted around her as her figure disappeared into the crowd outside the town.

Chen Yi was left alone here.

………………… Master Huiming’s sermon gradually subsided, and the lingering echo of the last sentence of the Lotus Sutra was drowned out by the even more surging chanting of Buddha’s name from the audience.

The chanting of "Namo Bhaisajyaguru Vaidurya Prabha Tathagata" was like a tsunami, wave after wave, crashing against the valley and impacting everyone's eardrums and mind. The atmosphere of the entire Dharma assembly was pushed to its peak, both fervent and solemn.

Chen Yi stood on the edge of the frenzied crowd, his figure as upright as a lone pine, a stark contrast to the trembling, tearful believers around him.

His face remained completely unmoved, as if he were watching a spectacle that had nothing to do with him.

He frowned slightly, his mind not on the Dharma assembly itself, but on Yin Tingxue's seemingly random question, "You... you'll help me save them?"

What makes this little fox so sure he can save people? She has never been compatible with Buddhism and has no interest in the so-called salvation of sentient beings, and is even quite disgusted by it. Is she pushing this matter onto him out of desperation, or is there another reason?
An even more absurd thought popped up uncontrollably: that old bald monk said he had the "appearance of a joyful Buddha," what kind of scene would it be if he really used this to save people?
Was he really going to do that in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of thousands of people...? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh. This was truly going to be an open gathering.

The scene was so shocking that even he found it utterly outrageous.

Just as his thoughts were wandering, Master Huiming on the high platform seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally scanning the crowd, and finally fixed his gaze on Chen Yi.

The old monk's face showed neither sorrow nor joy, but he remained truly calm and composed. Suddenly, he raised his voice, his tone like a resounding bell, overpowering the chanting and clearly reaching Chen Yi's ears:

"The Buddha said that all sentient beings suffer because of ignorance and the entanglement of karma. Today, before the Buddha, there is nowhere to hide, so let us be revealed!"

As he uttered his last word, it was as if his words had become law, and a sudden change occurred!

The thousands of believers below the stage, who were originally just devout with at most some personal obsessions and sorrows, began to have their bodies and faces violently distorted and changed!
The previously vague demonic image now erupted completely, so clear it was chilling.

Those with the appearance of greed have bodies swollen like balls, with countless gold and silver jewels seemingly writhing beneath their skin, emitting a teeth-grinding grinding sound. Those with the appearance of anger have ferocious faces, spewing blackish-red flames from their mouths and noses, their fingernails turning black and long, tearing at their own clothes. Those with the appearance of infatuation have unfocused eyes, muttering incantations, surrounded by countless illusory figures, the manifestations of their unresolved obsessions.

The signs of illness, death, unfulfilled desires, resentment and hatred, separation from loved ones... all the images that had flashed by before now came to life!
The entire area beneath the altar instantly transformed from a solemn sacred space into a hellish realm engulfed in boundless karmic flames. The twisted "people" struggled and wailed in agony, yet instinctively reached out their deformed arms toward the Medicine Buddha statue on the high platform, whose eyes still lowered in compassion, pleading for salvation.

The chanting continued, but it seemed to have become the background music to this hellish scene, making it sound incredibly eerie.

Chen Yi's pupils contracted sharply. Even with his resolute will, he was still overwhelmed by the sudden and drastic change.

He narrowed his eyes.

Was this the same scene the little fox saw back then?
So she couldn't help... and slept with these people.

Master Huiming's gaze pierced through the chaotic and terrifying scene, fixing firmly on Chen Yi, his voice carrying a strange penetrating power:

“Benefactor Chen, do you see this? This is the suffering of sentient beings due to ignorance! You have the joyful appearance of a Buddha, afflictions are enlightenment, and greed, anger, and ignorance are also the ferry boat! If you do not cross now, when will you?”

Spend?
Looking at the scene before him, which was even more terrifying than the chaotic dance of demons, Chen Yi was momentarily at a loss.

It's not just about being at a loss about how to guide people...

Furthermore...

Chen Yi turned around and searched around. After a long while, he looked out of the town...

Little fox, where did she go?

………………

Yin Tingxue fled the town.

The town's glow gradually faded, lengthening her shadow. The longer it stretched, the more blurred the shadow became, until it disappeared into the shadows like a broken thread.

The town's glow eventually faded into a blurry golden dot at the edge of the field of vision, like the last glimpse of light before falling into an abyss.

She trekked through the deathly silence, following the route from her distant memory.

Memory is like ink soaked in water; many details have become blurred, but the general direction and a few key landmarks remain as clear as if they were engraved in one's bones.

She dared not stop for a moment, fearing that if she stopped, she would be assimilated by this all-consuming darkness, or... be detected by that roaming, terrifying being.

As she passed through a particularly dark area, a familiar sense of oppression descended upon her without warning.

The darkness of the sky seemed to suddenly descend, and a heavy, tangible shadow slowly covered her. Yin Tingxue's heart almost stopped. She froze on the spot, completely holding her breath, as if she had turned into a stubborn rock by the roadside.

The enormous shadow hovered above her head for a moment, like murky river water overflowing the pebbles on the riverbed, failing to notice anything amiss, before slowly moving away and crawling towards the direction from which faint chanting still emanated in the distance.

Only when the suffocating sense of oppression completely disappeared did Yin Tingxue slowly exhale a breath of stale air, her back already soaked with cold sweat.

She dared not delay and continued on her way.

I don't know how long I walked, perhaps a moment, perhaps eternity, but in this desolate place where even time seemed to have frozen, the outline of a building finally appeared in the gloom ahead.

It was a dilapidated temple, far smaller than the one where the ceremony had just been held, standing alone in the void, as if it had been forgotten by the world.

The walls are mottled, revealing a dark color inside. The eaves are collapsed, covered with black, spiderweb-like fuzz. Yet, this dilapidated temple, which looks like it could be blown down by a gust of wind, seals the Five Poisonous Dead Tree.

Arrived.

A resolute glint flashed in Yin Tingxue's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, she used all her strength to rush toward the tightly closed, dark red door covered with strange and twisted patterns.

She thought she would be able to push open the door as easily as she remembered.

However, the door remained completely still.

Yin Tingxue looked up in astonishment, and, refusing to believe it, pushed the door open again. This time, she used all the remaining power in her body, and her true energy was released from her palm.

"boom!"

A dull thud was heard.

She felt as if she had crashed into an ancient mountain; the force of the impact numbed her arms and sent a sharp pain through her shoulders. The seemingly decaying wooden door, however, now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds and as solid as refined steel.
The door remained completely unresponsive, not even a speck of dust was shaken off.

Why? That's not how I remember it!

She clearly remembered that it was from here that she pushed open this door and saw the completely different light outside...

Panic gripped them like a leech.

"Why...why can't I push it open, why can't I get out? Didn't I already...have a clear understanding in a single thought?"

Could my memory be faulty? Or... has this world of ignorance itself changed? Or perhaps...

A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and Chen Yi's face appeared in her mind.
Could it be that she really is the unwitting one who grants his every wish...?

If that's the case, then she's... a fake?
The surrounding darkness was boundless and deathly silent, and an unprecedented sense of isolation and despair engulfed her like a tide.

Yin Tingxue's pupils contracted sharply as she stared in disbelief at the unmoved temple gate before her. An unprecedented sense of isolation and despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

If she's an imposter, then where is the real Yin Tingxue?!
(End of this chapter)