795: Chapter 795 Lu Xueqi and Biyao (174)

The Buddha nodded: "That is the Purifying Buddha Light. It is not in the Buddhist scriptures, not in the temples, and not in any 'treasure.' It is within every person who lives with kindness. That old woman never asked for anything in her life; she only kept giving—giving to her son, to the children in the village, to everyone who needed help. Her heart was as clean as snow, so when she died, her body naturally lit up."

Su Han was silent for a long time. He remembered his original intention for coming to the Buddhist Realm—to obtain a Magic Treasure to take back to the Human Realm to deal with the evil entities. He had thought the Purifying Buddha Light was a Talismanic Incantation, a sarira, or a Magical Artifact that could be packed into a box and taken away. But now he understood that the light was hidden in people's hearts.

"Buddha," Su Han spoke, his voice hoarse, "then how am I supposed to bring back the Purifying Buddha Light? I can't possibly bring every person from the Human Realm to the Buddhist Realm, can I?"

The Buddha smiled slightly: "You do not need to bring it back. You only need to let yourself become that light."

Su Han was stunned.

"You have already passed the three trials," the Buddha said, "Your kindness is real, your wisdom is real, and your perseverance is also real. But you are still missing one thing."

"Please guide me, Buddha."

The Buddha struck the wooden fish. Dong. This sound was louder than all the previous ones, causing the eternal lamps in the great hall to sway together.

"You must let go of one thing before you can take hold of the Purifying Buddha Light."

"Let go of what?"

"Let go of your obsession with 'obtaining'," the Buddha said. "You came to the Buddhist Realm to 'obtain' the Purifying Buddha Light. You climbed the Spirit Mountain to 'obtain' the qualification to pass. You knelt before me to 'obtain' my gift. You are always wanting to 'obtain,' but the Purifying Buddha Light is precisely something that cannot be 'obtained.' The more you want it, the further away it gets from you."

Su Han's heart skipped a beat. He knew the Buddha was right; he had indeed been taking every step with a purpose. He thought about the result in everything he did, including extending a helping hand to the child in the illusion; subconsciously, he was also thinking, 'Will this let me pass the test?' He thought he was doing good, but in reality, there was a demand hidden behind his kindness.

"Then what should I do?" Su Han asked, "I can't just do nothing and wait for the evil entities to destroy the Human Realm."

The Buddha stood up from the lotus platform, walked down, and approached Su Han. He was half a head shorter than Su Han, but when he stood before him, Su Han felt as if he were facing a mountain. The Buddha reached out and pressed his hand on top of Su Han's head, gently patting it as if giving a blessing to a child.

"Go back," the Buddha said, "Return to the Human Realm. Do not face the evil entities with a heart of 'seeking'; face them with a heart of 'protection.' When you stop thinking about 'I want to use the Purifying Buddha Light' to eliminate it, and instead think 'I want to protect those people,' the light within you will naturally shine."

Su Han looked up: "Is this the answer you give me?"

"This is all I can give you." The Buddha withdrew his hand, returned to the lotus platform, and sat down again, "I cannot give you the Purifying Buddha Light, but I can tell you where it is. It is within every person you truly wish to protect. When you love them, you are shining."

Su Han knelt there, his mind in turmoil. When he came, he thought he would return fully loaded with a treasure; now, he was empty-handed, carrying only a principle that sounded like empty talk. But strangely, he did not feel disappointed. The golden light on the old woman's forehead lingered in his mind; that kind of radiance was not bestowed by anyone—it grew from within her.

He remembered practicing sword techniques on the back mountain of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect when he was a child and once falling off a cliff, breaking his leg. His Master had carried him on his back for an entire night up the mountain path to return to the Sect, his sweat soaking through his Master's robes. He lay on his Master's back and asked: "Master, why are you so good to me?" His Master didn't even turn his head and said: "Because you are my Disciple." The tone was as casual as saying: "The weather is nice today." At that time, he felt it was only natural, but thinking about it now, there wasn't a single word in his Master's statement about 'I want you to repay me.'

"I understand." Su Han stood up and bowed deeply to the Buddha, "Thank you for your guidance, Buddha. This Disciple will take his leave."

The Buddha nodded and struck the wooden fish: "Go. Pass through that door, and you will return directly to the outside of the West Heavenly Gate. Take care of yourself regarding the matters of the Human Realm."

Su Han turned and walked toward the door of the great hall. Just after taking two steps, the Buddha's voice came from behind him: "Su Han."

He stopped and looked back.

The Buddha took something out of his sleeve—a string of bodhi beads, eighteen beads, each glowing with a warm amber luster. He tossed it casually, and the string of beads flew over and landed in Su Han's palm.

"This string of beads has been with me for three hundred years," the Buddha said, "It has no magical power, but I have touched it day after day, and it has absorbed a bit of my aura. Wear it as a memento. If you truly do not know how to 'shine,' touch these beads and think of the old woman you saw in the great hall today."

Su Han looked down at the simple bodhi beads in his palm and suddenly felt a sting in his nose. He slipped the bracelet onto his wrist; it fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made.

"Thank you, Buddha."

He pushed open the door of the great hall and stepped out.

With a flash of white light, Su Han found himself standing outside the West Heavenly Gate. The three large characters "West Heavenly Gate" were carved on the lintel behind him, exactly the same as when he arrived. The guards at the gate were still there, and seeing him come out, they were slightly taken aback: "You... you actually went in? And came back alive?"

Su Han smiled and cupped his hands: "Thank you for guarding the gate, Your Excellency. We shall meet again."

The guard looked him over and suddenly exclaimed: "Eh? Your aura... how has it changed?"

Su Han looked down at himself. He was still wearing the same gray robes, and the same sword was still hanging at his waist, but the guard was right; he could feel that there was indeed a change in him. The Chaos Power was still flowing slowly in his Dantian, and the Heavenly Gang Righteous Qi was still lurking deep in his Meridians, but something was different. It was an indescribable feeling, like waking up in the morning to find that it had snowed all night, and the whole world had become both quiet and bright.

He lifted his wrist and looked at the string of bodhi beads. The luster of the beads showed a warm amber color in the sunlight of the Immortal Realm.

"Perhaps," Su Han looked up toward the east—the direction of the Human Realm, "there is a little light in my heart."

He leaped, transformed into a stream of light, and flew toward the Human Realm.

The journey back was much faster than the journey there. When Su Han passed through the border of the Immortal Realm, he met several patrolling Disciples of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect. They were overjoyed to see him, but then their expressions revealed worry.

"Senior Brother Su! You are back! The Sect Master asked us to wait here for you, saying that the situation in the Human Realm... is not very good." (End of chapter)