Chapter 60: The Living Buddha (2 / 2)

I scratched my head awkwardly.

"I guess... maybe... that's me."

"Oh my god!" Jiang Shiyu's eyes widened. "Do you even know that last time the Japanese monk Kongwen from Hōryū-ji Temple came with several Cabinet officials to seek teachings from the Master? Chinese diplomats personally accompanied them. And do you know what the Master said to them?"

"W-What did he say?" I stammered, a little caught off guard by her excitement.

Jiang Shiyu said,

"The Master said there would be more people burning incense the next day, so today he had to polish the Buddha's golden body and had no time to meet them."

I was stunned. What a character. Polishing the Buddha's golden body? Does a living Master really need to do that? But before I could say anything, Master Miaoyin spoke up:

"Benefactor, would you be willing to entrust those cursed objects to me?"

"Cursed objects?" Jiang Shiyu asked, confused.

I pointed at her and replied to Miaoyin,

"Master, is it okay to take them out now? These things are really sinister—I don't want them to affect her."

Honestly, in terms of dealing with malevolent items, Taoism focuses on destruction, while Buddhism focuses on purification. Plus, I had stored them in my Qing Nang pouch for a long time. Suddenly pulling them out might be dangerous, especially since Jiang Shiyu didn't have any ancestral protection like I did.

Master Miaoyin gestured for me not to worry.

In front of Jiang Shiyu, I took out the jade pendant and willow leaf. The moment the two evil items were revealed, I could clearly feel the air in the room tremble slightly—but in the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal.

At that moment, I noticed both the jade pendant and the willow leaf had turned a deep brown, an eerie color that gave off a strange, unsettling aura.

"Master, how did you know about these two cursed items?" I asked in confusion.

Miaoyin simply smiled,

"The Buddha says you and I are destined. If there is destiny, you will naturally come."

That gave me a headache. Ever since I started encountering these high monks, I've grown increasingly uneasy around them. They seem to love speaking in riddles. Fated with Buddha? If my Taoist Grandmaster heard that, wouldn't he beat me with a stick?

"These two cursed items have significant origins. Would you like to hear their stories?" asked Miaoyin.

Before I could respond, Jiang Shiyu answered eagerly, urging Miaoyin to tell the tale. Clearly, the two were quite familiar with each other. I nodded in agreement.

Once Miaoyin finished his explanation, I finally understood the truth:

The jade was originally a divine tool used by Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva (Dìzàng Wáng) during his teachings in the underworld. Among all the Bodhisattvas, none are more revered than Kṣitigarbha, who once made the great vow:

"Until the hells are emptied, I shall not attain Buddhahood."

With unwavering compassion, he sought to liberate all wicked spirits from hell, guiding them toward rebirth and reincarnation.

But how could evil ever be truly eliminated from the world? If there are always wicked people, how can hell ever be emptied?

Thus, life after life, Kṣitigarbha continues preaching in the depths of hell. During one such sermon, a wicked spirit once asked:

"Bodhisattva, I've spent my whole life doing good deeds. I accidentally killed someone in a dispute and was sentenced to hell. But my friend, who was a butcher and killed pigs all his life, let go of his knife just before dying—and he attained Buddhahood. How is that fair?"

Kṣitigarbha replied:

"The butcher's knife represents ill will, unwholesome speech, unwholesome actions, and all delusions and attachments. The butcher saw through them and awakened—thus, he attained enlightenment.But you cling to merit and dwell on gain and loss. Even your good deeds are tainted by calculation, and therefore you cannot attain Buddhahood.All beings are equal. If you can also let go of your attachments, you too can become a Buddha."

The ghost said again,

"I still don't accept this."

At that, Kṣitigarbha tossed him a piece of jade and said:

"Hold this jade in your mouth. When you gain insight, you will become a Buddha."

The true meaning was that the jade in the mouth represents desire—and only when one suppresses desire and attains clarity of mind can one become enlightened.

However, the ghost remained defiant. With the jade still in its mouth, it secretly escaped the underworld and returned to the mortal realm, accumulating hatred and resentment. The jade eventually absorbed so much filth and malevolence that it transformed into "Death Jade", saturated with evil desire and resentment.

The spirit committed heinous crimes until it was slain by a Taoist. That cursed jade, now imbued with wicked power, became a cursed relic and passed into the mortal world.

As for the willow leaf, according to the Master, it was the true body of the Mu Hu Ghost (the ghost from the grave). That ghost had no form or identity—the willow leaf was the medium it possessed, the embodiment of pure resentment.