Lanke Chess Edge

Chapter 419: The Mysterious Fog Reappears

Tie Feng stood there for a long time, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and he remembered a refined gentleman with a black jade hairpin in his hair.In just a short while, when Tie Feng looked back at the old gentleman again, he had vanished. With so many pilgrims coming and going at Daliang Monastery, it wouldn’t be easy to find him again.

“Feng’er, what are you standing there for? Come in quickly!”

Upon hearing his mother’s voice, Tie Feng disregarded everyone else for the moment, replied, “coming,” and entered the Mingwang Buddha of Inscription Hall.

The statue of the Mingwang Buddha inside the hall, with his hands forming mudra gestures, was solemn and dignified. Its gilded body appeared hazy rather than dazzling under the sunlight and the light of the ever-burning lamps, inspiring awe just by the very sight.

Like all the worshippers, Tie Feng, his mother, and the maid Huanhuan took incense and kowtowed, and afterwards, then generously poured money into the donation box.

…

The inner courtyard of Daliang Monastery was generally open to worshippers on a limited basis, but on days like today, only a very small number of people could enter the inner courtyard.

However, the Old Dragon did not appear before the monks at the entrances of the inner courtyard at all. He passed by them without anyone noticing. Not even some of the monks who cultivated Buddhism were aware of his presence.

The Old Dragon’s purpose was very clear. He walked through courtyards and gates, relying on his senses, until he reached the depths of the back courtyard, where he could already see a large, verdant tree.

“Hey, this is it!”

With a chuckle, the Old Dragon strode quickly toward the courtyard. When he was still some distance away, he noticed that there was some kind of array or barrier set up, but in his eyes, it was very crude; it was certainly impossible for them to block a True Dragon like him.

The Old Dragon walked through the barrier as if nothing was there, without even causing a ripple, and stepped into the so-called forbidden area of ​​Daliang Monastery.

Upon entering the courtyard, the Old Dragon’s gaze sharpened. He saw three monks under a tree: two appeared old and one young, though he knew the young one was not young by human standards.

These three people were Huitong and two other elderly monks from the monastery. At this moment, they sat cross-legged on cushions, meditating under the tree where the scholars had been discussing the Dharma.

The eminent monks of Daliang Monastery were now all aware that practicing under this tree helped cultivate wisdom through meditation. Not only was the spiritual energy abundant, but they also gained comprehension of Buddhist teachings much more effectively. If one was lucky and possessed innate wisdom, they might even catch a glimpse of some extraordinary phenomena. Therefore, monks cultivated here almost every day.

However, there were risks involved in this practice. It wasn’t that strange phenomena caused inner demons, but rather that some monks would lose track of time as they meditated, and often needed to be woken up by outsiders. Last time, the abbot of Daliang Monastery sat in meditation for more than half a month. If Huitong hadn’t sensed something was wrong and woken him up, he might have starved to death.

After the abbot of Daliang Temple drank half a pot of thick porridge with pickled vegetables, he set a rule that anyone going to the forbidden area for cultivation must set aside a time in advance and have someone wake them up at that time; otherwise, they would not be allowed to enter.

Spiritual practice was sometimes quite subjective. This didn’t mean that it didn’t require material supplements, but rather that only the individual could truly understand how long a particular stage of cultivation would require for themselves. If an outsider tried to make a judgement, it it would be difficult for them to tell whether they would be interrupting a crucial stage of cultivation and causing discord. It was best to determine the length of time for themselves.

At this moment, the Old Dragon saw that the three monks were sitting upright under the tree, so he did not disturb them. He slowly walked to the tree and carefully observed it. Then he looked at another spot under the tree: the place where Ji Yuan and the old monk Fo Yin had sat. Even now, the Taoist energy still remained concentrated there, and did not dissipate.

The three monks showed great respect for this place. Even as they cultivated under the tree, they did not dare to move their cushions to that location. In the Old Dragon’s view, this was both a sign of respect and a display of wisdom. If one’s cultivation was insufficient, sitting in that place would just be inviting trouble; it wouldn’t necessarily lead to death, but it would certainly not be pleasant.

More than a quarter of an hour passed, and the three monks under the tree remained motionless in meditation. In the meantime, the Old Dragon had been carefully observing the place for quite some time, and his initial interest transformed into his current serious frown.

The discussion between Ji Yuan and the old monk Fo Yin was far more profound than the Old Dragon had imagined. Ji Yuan’s statement of, “We both had quite the enjoyable time. I benefited greatly,” seemed to be no joke.

The Old Dragon walked back to the tree and looked at a newly erected stone tablet behind the three monks.

The stone tablet had been inscribed with text and painted with gold. The text read: “Under the Bodhi Tree.”

“Under the Bodhi tree…what a beautiful scene! The monks of Daliang Monastery are quite interesting!”

The Old Dragon naturally recognized that the tree was actually a banyan tree, but since Ji Yuan and the old monk Fo Yin had been discussing the Dharma here for a long time, what harm was there in changing the name of the tree?

After careful consideration, the Old Dragon opened its mouth.

“Haaah…”

With a barely audible exhalation, a thick, peculiar vapor spewed from the Old Dragon’s mouth. This vapor surged out extremely quickly, soon forming mist that permeated the surroundings and rapidly spread to more distant places.

Having made a special trip to Daliang Monastery, the Old Dragon certainly didn’t want to just gain some superficial knowledge; he wanted to understand it thoroughly, which naturally required some special methods.

The fog spread further and faster, and after passing over several small courtyards, it no longer simply spread outwards, but seemed to cause a large-scale weather change.1 The entire western area of Tongqiu Prefecture was slowly enveloped in fog, and it still continued to expand.

In just over ten breaths, a sudden fog had enveloped the entire capital of Tongqiu Prefecture and a large area outside the city.

The fog wasn’t tall or thick, but it came suddenly and mysteriously, making one feel as if the surroundings had become hazy without even realizing it.

At this crucial moment of the New Year, people inside the capital were fine, but those around Daliang Monastery were noticeably more excited, with many saying it was a blessing from heaven.

For the vast majority of ordinary people and pilgrims, aside from the initial surprise and novelty, this didn’t have much impact. However, it might not be the case for some people with keen intuition.

Beneath the tree in the forbidden area of ​​Daliang Monastery, the Old Dragon’s gaze swept across his surroundings. He seemed to see Ji Yuan and the old monk Foyin sitting back down under the tree. One of them pointed to the sky, and instantly the mist churned into a sea, with waves surging like a dark tide.

A tremendous roar echoed through the waves.

The sea exploded, and an enormous fish carrying endless volumes of seawater soared into the sky, dancing in the air and controlling the wind and clouds.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, the enormous fish, bathed in lightning, wind, and rain, transformed into an equally enormous Peng bird.2

“When the Peng bird migrates to the Southern Ocean, it stirs up the water for three thousand li, and soars straight up ninety thousand li on a whirlwind…”

Ji Yuan’s voice echoed amidst the endless waves.

“Praise be! Heaven and earth are boundless, the Way of Heaven is boundless, and so am I…”

An aged voice rang out, and an enormous golden hand suddenly appeared above the Peng rising into the sky, as if the sky were pressing down. It was unclear whether it wanted to capture or touch the Peng.

Golden fragments shattered and filled the sky, transforming into a crystal-clear celestial river, and the Peng soared directly into the heavens…

The Old Dragon stared in slightly shock at the strange phenomenon that appeared in the fog and was magnified in his mind. Ji Yuan and that old monk Fo Yin really had some skill!

Meanwhile, the three monks under the tree were frowning frequently, clearly sensing the change in their meditation and becoming restless.

Meanwhile, within the Daliang Monastery, those who were more perceptive than ordinary people gradually sensed the peculiarities.

A little boy was holding his mother’s hand, with a half-eaten candied hawthorn skewer in his hand. Just as he was about to take another bite, he noticed that the bamboo skewer in his hand was turning emerald green, and the candied hawthorn on it was starting to sprout. Soon it grew into a small shoot and even bloomed with small flowers.

“Hey! Mommy, Mommy, my candied hawthorn has blossomed!”

The child excitedly called out to his mother, but the woman only glanced at him and ignored him.

“Mother–“

The child shook off his mother’s hand, only to receive a smack on the head. He could only rub his forehead and look at the candied hawthorns again, but the flowers and leaves had vanished.

A young woman came to the temple to pray for her beloved’s safety, and also wanted to know if her beloved reciprocated her feelings. After the fortune-telling container and sticks had been shaken, a single red thread emerged instead.

The fluttering red thread was exquisite, dancing around the woman. Sometimes it floated above her head, and sometimes it wrapped around her like a thin ribbon. The girl watched in wonder and amazement. In her daze, she reached out and grabbed it, and even felt it as she touched the thin thread. Then everything disappeared.

Looking down at the bamboo sticks on the ground, she saw that a monk had already picked them up for her.

“Praise be, benefactor, this is a very auspicious divination!”

On the other side, Tie Feng saw that his mother was still chatting with an old monk inside, so he walked out of the Mingwang Buddha of Inscription Hall. Taking advantage of the slightly higher terrain, he looked around and saw that all he could see was white fog, and the houses and buildings appeared hazy.

“How strange, why did a fog suddenly appear?”

Suddenly, Tie Feng’s eyes widened. To the west, a giant hand appeared, draped in a wide-sleeved white robe, its fingertips grasping a gleaming black jade hairpin.

With a casual stroke of the giant hand holding the hairpin, a mighty river appeared in the distance, truly connecting heaven and earth, with rolling waves and a vast expanse of white mist in its waters.

Then suddenly another enormous golden hand appeared, scooped up water from the Tongtian River and sprinkling it, transforming it into a huge ship with a golden character for “Crossing” on its sail.

Tie Feng rubbed his eyes and looked again; the fog in the distance was still fog. The great river, giant hand, and enormous ship had all vanished.

T/n: I’m back! Thank you all for your patience ❤

T/n: those poor meteorologists around Daliang Monastery A Peng bird is an enormous mythological bird of prey that transforms from a fish. It comes from the Taoist classic Zhuangzi, which has previously been mentioned in this story in chapter 179 as a representation of true liberation and wandering. (T/n: random thought — Peng, a bird that transforms from a fish… any relation to penguins, I wonder?)

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