The Mirror of Fate

The two exchanged a brief glance, before simultaneously diverting their gazes in perfect harmony.

At that very moment, Kongji had already reached the center of the great hall.

He first bowed respectfully toward the three Buddha statues, then rose and clasped his hands together, offering a smile to the crowd as a gesture of greeting.

He then spoke with a smile, "Amitabha. It is an honor to have such esteemed benefactors travel thousands of miles to visit our humble temple."

Seeing this, the others quickly returned the gesture, saying, "Amitabha."

Although Ji Rong's movements were slightly delayed, she still managed to follow the crowd, placing her hands together in a salute.

As she lowered her hands, she thought to herself, recalling how, when she first encountered this scene in the game, Kongji had a lot of rambling dialogue. Back then, she could skip through it, but now, it seemed she would be stuck here for at least an hour or two.

As Ji Rong had predicted, Kongji stood in the hall for a long time, reciting an array of mysterious and cryptic verses, such as the Three Truths Verse and the Nirvana Verse, that made her head spin with confusion.

Eventually, the lengthy speech ended, and the group followed Kongji to the main courtyard, where they began to listen to the Dharma debate.

The debates at Bodhi Temple were similar to regular ones but with distinct differences.

Though they were held in the temple's vast courtyard with the participants seated on the ground for a back-and-forth question-and-answer exchange, the usual theatrics, such as "pulling at robes" or "pacing back and forth", were absent. The atmosphere felt less intense and more serene, allowing the true essence to emerge in silence.

Of course, Ji Rong had always thought that this part of the story was probably designed this way to save on production costs, after all, it was just a game.

The debate began with a disciple posing a question, followed by Kongji's response.

The disciple asked, "Master, how can one attain Buddhahood through ordinary meditation? Does it require sitting in meditation, calming the six senses, and preventing delusions in order to reach liberation and achieve Buddhahood?"

Kongji smiled and replied, "Amitabha, refrain from all evil, uphold all good deeds, and this is the way of meditation."

The disciple clasped his hands together, seemingly enlightened, and then stepped back.

Next, another disciple sat down and asked, "Master, the phrase 'refrain from all evil, uphold all good deeds' is something even a three-year-old child could understand."

Kongji smiled and said, "You are right, benefactor."

The disciple stood, his posture defiant.

However, Kongji continued, "Though even a child can say this, it is not something an elder in their years, or a cultivator of the Way, can easily practice."

The disciple was momentarily stunned, his face flushing with embarrassment. He then bowed to Kongji and reluctantly withdrew.

This back-and-forth continued for half the day, and Ji Rong, sitting on a cushion, was struggling to keep her eyes open from boredom.

As she idly played with the silk handkerchief in her hands, she suddenly thought of Gu Baiyi, who was waiting outside the main courtyard. If only she could send a message to her, she would have suggested that the heroine leave first, after all, with all this talk, she had no idea when it would end.

Just as Ji Rong was nearly falling asleep, the debate was drawing to a close.

Kongji rose from his cushion and smiled, "Today, through the teachings of the Buddha, I have gained much insight."

The others rose and clasped their hands together, saying, "Amitabha."

Ji Rong glanced up at Kongji and thought to herself, Of course, you've gained insight, considering you say that every year after the debate.

According to the original plot, the debate should have ended there.

However, Kongji remained standing, his gaze turning toward the crowd as he spoke, "Earlier, a benefactor asked me, 'What is the meaning of the phrase, "All forms are illusions, but if you see beyond forms, you see the Tathagata?"

"Coincidentally, the Bodhi Temple has a precious mirror called the 'Mirror of Fate,' which can reveal past lives. To demonstrate this principle, I shall now bring forth this mirror."

With that, he swept his sleeve, and the sound of his robe swishing echoed as the mirror appeared before everyone's eyes.

The mirror was round, large enough for a person to reflect their full image.

The front was polished from bronze, while the back was engraved with inscriptions and decorated with a depiction of the Bodhi tree. The edges were adorned with patterns of dragons and phoenixes, inlaid with turquoise and embellished with jade and colorful paints.

The Mirror of Fate had an ancient and intricate design, its decorations vivid and lifelike, meticulously crafted.

Ji Rong stared at the mirror, realizing that it certainly didn't look like something the game's designers could have created.

Meanwhile, Kongji smiled at the crowd and casually pointed to a disciple, instructing him to stand before the Mirror of Fate.

The disciple, amazed at his good fortune, stood up in a daze and obediently stepped in front of the mirror.

But instead of the disciple's reflection, a picturesque mountain appeared in the mirror.

A winding path appeared through the wild terrain.

Spring grass was lush, and a woodcutter carrying a bundle of firewood walked deeper into the forest.

The disciple stood before the mirror, utterly astonished, and asked, "Master, what does this mean?"

Kongji smiled and replied, "Amitabha, the Mirror of Fate shows your past life. You were a woodcutter in your previous life, living a simple life amidst the mountains."

The disciple's eyes widened in understanding. "So that was it."

Ji Rong thought to herself, I don't quite understand what Kongji is trying to achieve with this mirror.

Once the disciple stepped away, Kongji's gaze turned toward Jiang Fei. He smiled and asked, "Benefactor Jiang, are you curious about your past life? Would you like to try?"

Jiang Fei remained silent for a moment, then replied, "I am not curious."

The other disciples were puzzled. Who would be so bold as to openly reject Kongji's offer?

However, once they learned it was Jiang Fei, they weren't surprised at all. After all, if it were Jiang Fei, anything she did made sense.

Jiang Fei, known for her straightforwardness, thought for a moment and then added, "But I could try."

Kongji smiled, clearly pleased with her response.

But when his eyes shifted to the woman sitting next to Jiang Fei, his expression faltered for an instant.

Before meeting Ji Rong, Kongji had always believed that the Sword Saint's appearance was unparalleled in the world.

But this woman...

She resembled the Sword Saint so much.

As Kongji looked closer, he realized she didn't quite match up. Compared to Yue Qianqiu, Ji Rong appeared much more casual, not as precise or dignified.

On the other side, Jiang Fei had already reached the Mirror of Fate, staring quietly at its surface.

The mirror revealed a sea of clouds.

Amidst the mist, a Taoist priest could be seen soaring on a sword, rising toward the sky.

Ji Rong thought to herself, If Jiang Fei was that Taoist in her past life, it fits her character. She's always been free-spirited, with no constraints.

But the scene in the mirror continued, eventually focusing on the Taoist priest's shoulder.

There, perched a small grayish-blue bird.

When the wind blew, the bird remained calm, unaffected.

The crowd was stunned.

Jiang Fei's past life had been... a little bird?

Ji Rong, equally shocked, thought, Wait, Jiang Fei was a beast in her past life?

Yet Jiang Fei simply smiled at the bird and said, "It seems I lived much more freely in my past life than I do now."

Ji Rong: ...

You're already living so freely now. How much freer could you be?

Just as Ji Rong was musing to herself, the sound of a robe brushing against stone reached her ears. Kongji had already approached.

When Ji Rong looked up, she found herself staring directly at Kongji's face.

Although Kongji had been meditating for two hundred years, he had attained the Dao in his middle age, which meant he was still in his prime, not yet forty.

When players of Sword God heard Kongji's Dharma name, they naturally imagined him as an elderly man draped in a cassock, with a kindly and benevolent face.

However, this wasn't the case. Kongji had a well-defined face with elegant features, more resembling a scholarly scholar holding a book than an old monk.

Someone asked Kongji, "Master, you appear so youthful. How do you manage to command the respect of the young novices of the Bodhi Temple?"

Kongji smiled helplessly and replied, "A man is born with a frame of seven feet. When he dies, he is reduced to a mere coffin of soil. The body is nothing but an external vessel. Even if I were covered in white hair, I wouldn't be any wiser than a novice who strikes the bell. A monk practices Zen to cultivate his heart, not his appearance. That's all."

Ji Rong, who was deeply moved by Kongji's words, thought to herself that he truly was an enlightened monk, seeing through things so clearly.

However, Kongji then smiled at her and said, "This benefactor, would you care to try the Mirror of Karma?"

Ji Rong: ???

She had the odd feeling that her luck had gone overboard.

But, Ji Rong stood up and calmly said, "Alright."

Appearing composed on the outside, Ji Rong's heart was actually a little uneasy. What if the mirror showed her scenes from her modern life? That might startle everyone present.

Nevertheless, Ji Rong walked toward the Mirror of Karma.

In truth, she was thinking about her room, her chips, her computer, and her phone.

Of course, she also somewhat missed her sister, the one who took care of the finances but never offered any emotional comfort.

She had often wondered if her sister and she were born of the same mother.

In fact, her sister had once said to her flatly, "Why do you think we're real sisters?"

"You were raised by me, not by your mother. Where did you even get a mother from? Was she blown in by the wind?"

Ji Rong, standing in front of the Mirror of Karma, found herself wanting to see that cold-hearted woman again.

But instead, the mirror reflected her own image.

At that moment, Ji Rong gazed at the woman in the mirror, dressed in light silk and holding a silver sword, her expression frozen.

The woman was holding the Qinghe Sword, her head slightly bowed as she gazed at the plum blossom-filled courtyard.

Then, she lifted her head, and through the thin veil of the Mirror of Karma, her eyes locked with Ji Rong's.

Ji Rong, standing in front of the mirror, gripped the Qinghe Sword.

The woman in the mirror stood in the Wantangju, also holding the Qinghe Sword, calmly looking at her.

Kongji, watching the scene reflected in the mirror, showed a hint of surprise.

He had originally thought this woman was somehow connected to the Sword Saint, but now it seemed not. Yet, why did the Mirror of Karma show this woman's current appearance?

He was puzzled.

Ji Rong's grip tightened around the sword, her palms sweating.

She thought of a possibility, but if it were true, it would be too absurd to believe.

In reality, Ji Rong would rather believe that the Mirror of Karma was malfunctioning than to accept that she had any connection to the original owner of the body.

Ji Rong felt dizzy. On one hand, she felt this world wasn't just a game.

On the other hand, the world's artifacts were telling her that she was part of it?

No way.

How could she possibly not be a modern person? How could she be an NPC in a game?

Even if the original owner wasn't an NPC and was a real person, she could never be the same as the original.

Ji Rong thought to herself: How could she be as foolish as the original owner, a hopeless romantic? If she were truly the original owner, she might as well throw herself off a cliff.

Just as Ji Rong was spiraling into her thoughts about the original owner, the image in the Mirror of Karma shifted again.

Everyone was shocked. How could the mirror change twice?

Jiang Fei frowned.

The Mirror of Karma usually only revealed one scene from the past. She had never heard of it changing more than once.

The image now showed a vast, snowy landscape.

The scene was blurry, but they could make out a sword stuck in the snow.

Ji Rong stared intently at the sword embedded in the snow.

It was as white as frost, gleaming coldly—Qinghe Sword.

Before she could take in the surroundings, the scene on the mirror vanished, returning to its previous state.

Ji Rong stood before the mirror, silent for a long while.

Then, she turned and calmly said to Kongji, "Master, this mirror is broken."

Kongji shook his head and said, "Benefactor, the Mirror of Karma is an ancient artifact. It cannot possibly be flawed."

Ji Rong looked at Kongji and asked, "If it cannot be wrong, then may I ask Master to explain what those images mean?"

Kongji joined his hands in a prayer gesture and said, "Through karmic connections, all things are born. The Buddha's teachings are vast, how could there be randomness? I only know that everything is inevitable. The Dao is simple, but the truth is hard to discern."

Ji Rong nearly laughed out loud.

What kind of explanation was that? It was no explanation at all.

Perhaps because she had been conditioned to "Doubtless," Ji Rong suddenly felt a chill in her bones.

She even wished she could return to Gu Baiyi's side to get rid of this poison.

As the debate came to an end and everyone began to leave, Ji Rong felt an eerie sensation about the place and quickly turned to leave.

But Kongji called out to her from behind, "Wait! Benefactor, please stay."

Ji Rong turned, frowning slightly.

She looked at Kongji, wondering if he was really calling her.

After all, she and Kongji weren't exactly familiar. They had no relationship to speak of, and had never met before.

But Kongji smiled and said, "I see you are quite familiar. Could I speak with you for a moment?"

Ji Rong thought to herself, My bodyguard is waiting outside. Don't stop me, old man.

She wasn't polite and immediately declined, "Master, I have other matters to attend to. I won't be able to spare any time today…"

Kongji smiled and said, "Benefactor, what I wish to speak about is related to the Sword Saint."

Ji Rong froze.

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