Chapter 54: Encountering the Buddhist Sect

Chapter 54: Encountering the Buddhist Sect

Upon inquiry, the siblings did not hide anything and revealed everything.

At the end of last year, with a large group of refugees arriving, an old midwife came to this place.

This midwife was in her seventies or eighties, claiming to be Mother Luo, blind in her left eye and deaf in her right ear.

Since Mother Luo happened to have some family-inherited medical skills, she made a living from it and settled down in this area.

Mother Luo did not charge a fee; a meal was enough. Moreover, her skills were indeed effective, as she could cure seven out of ten people.

Most of the people here were poor and had difficulty seeking medical treatment, so Mother Luo gradually gained some reputation.

To the extent that she won over people's hearts, and those who gathered around Mother Luo were called the Luo Sect.

In early February, Mother Luo changed the rules of her medical practice.

"Mother Luo is so kind! She sees that some families can't even afford meals, so she doesn't ask for meals anymore. They just need to follow her and recite a few passages or listen to her lectures," Hua Jie obviously held Mother Luo in high regard.

"Recite passages? Listen to lectures?" Meng Yuan felt that Mother Luo was becoming more and more peculiar.

"Yes!" Hua Jie nodded repeatedly, "Mother Luo said that after reciting passages and listening to lectures, this life will be spent as a horse or a cow, and the next life will be in the Blissful World, where they will feast on tofu banquets every day!"

Great! In the Blissful World, there's no grand feast of meat, just tofu banquets! What a rule-abiding person!

"Do you know which sect's teachings are these?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Didn't Mother Luo say so?" Hua Jie was curious, and it seemed that Qingguo's policy of deprecating Buddhism was indeed effective, as she had never heard of this.

"It's fine if you don't know." Meng Yuan smiled and said, "Recite a passage for me to listen to."

Meng Yuan enjoyed listening to opera performances, and if it were narrated like the Great Tail Venerable, with a mix of seriousness and humor, it would be even more interesting.

"I forgot, who would remember such things?" Hua Jie spread her hands.

Meng Yuan felt that Hua Jie was slightly more capable than Xiang Ling and her daughter. Forgetfulness aside, at least Hua Jie had attended the lectures.

"I do remember a few lines from the Universal Gate Chapter," Hua Jie's brother immediately recited it like a song, "Noble son, if there are countless beings, as many as the sands of the Ganges, suffering and afflicted..."

The youth started scratching his head.

Meng Yuan was almost certain that this Mother Luo was likely from a Buddhist background and was spreading Buddhist teachings.

Qingguo's national policy was to respect Confucianism, honor Taoism, and deprecate Buddhism. Only in Ping'an Prefecture was there a Buddhist lineage allowed. No Buddhist temples or teachings were permitted elsewhere.

Moreover, Buddhism spoke of this life and the next, the concept of karma, and the cycle of the Six Realms, and the idea of cause and effect, were appealing to the common folk.

The Taoist pursuit of freedom and detachment would find these concerns trivial. Confucianism, with its emphasis on establishing one's destiny and cultivating the mind, would merely advise these people to focus on both internal and external cultivation.

Buddhism's teachings, however, were precisely tailored for these individuals.

This was the reason why the Buddhist Sect had coexisted with Confucianism and Taoism for so long.

Of course, Buddhism's concepts of emptiness and impermanence, and the cleverness of its intellectual debates, also gained the admiration of some scholars. As a result, many of the three teachings' ideas were interconnected and complementary.

Hence, Mother Luo was not unique; there were others like her in various places. They borrowed some Buddhist concepts, combined them with Confucian and Taoist teachings, and then wandered among the poor, quickly gathering a group of followers.

"What does Mother Luo often say?" Meng Yuan couldn't help but think of the Great Tail Venerable.

"I'll think about it!" Hua Jie smacked her lips, but after thinking for a long time, she still couldn't remember, proving that Mother Luo's good intentions had been fed to the dogs, just like how the Great Tail Venerable's eggs had been coaxed away by Xiang Ling and her mother.

"When I asked for medicine on my sister's behalf, Mother Luo said that everyone in the world is wronged, and all emotions lead to calamity." Hua Jie's brother spoke.

Isn't this the Great Tail Venerable's retelling of the Master's words?

Meng Yuan felt that he had underestimated Mother Luo. He asked immediately, "Do you still have the medicine that Mother Luo gave you?"

"We can only receive one portion per day. Tomorrow's portion needs to be collected in the evening," Hua Jie replied.

How is this similar to the Great Tail Venerable's approach? Even Meng Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

"Where does Mother Luo live?" Meng Yuan didn't intend to provoke Mother Luo; instead, he planned to return and report the matter.

"Mother Luo has moved to a new place and doesn't allow us to reveal it. But since you're asking, there's nothing I can't tell you. She lives..." Hua Jie was about to speak when suddenly her eyes rolled back, and she began foaming at the mouth, her body convulsing.

Her brother immediately panicked, not knowing what to do.

Meng Yuan drew his knife and cut off a piece of wood from the stool, stuffing it into Hua Jie's mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue.

Observing Hua Jie's condition, Meng Yuan guessed that this was probably some sort of Seed Mantra Technique. If Hua Jie was about to reveal Mother Luo's hiding place to a stranger, this would happen.

Hua Jie's brother quickly scooped up a ladle of water and splashed it on her face.

"The fortune teller said that my sister and I have wretched lives. Even if we have wealth, we can't enjoy it. Indeed, right after receiving your money, trouble followed!"

Hua Jie's brother sobbed as he took out all the silver from her embrace and pushed it towards Meng Yuan, "Sir, you came here specifically to inform my sister, and you even helped her out of the quagmire. My sister and I are very grateful, but we dare not accept this money."

Meng Yuan didn't take the silver and asked, "Why did your sister fall ill in early February?"

"Before the spring rain, she suddenly became ill for no reason," the youth cried, "I spent all the money I earned on medicine, but it didn't help. Then someone mentioned Mother Luo, so I invited her. She prescribed medicine, and my sister slowly recovered."

"I remember you saying that in early February, Mother Luo changed the rules for seeing patients?" Meng Yuan asked again.

"Yes," the youth replied.

As Meng Yuan was about to ask more questions, there was a knock on the door.

The knocking was gentle and slow, not like someone in a hurry to pass the time.

Meng Yuan drew his knife and opened the door. Surprisingly, there were three people outside, one of whom was the familiar Zhang Guinian.

Upon seeing Meng Yuan, Zhang Guinian examined him up and down, then smiled, "Sneaking out for a snack behind Old Nie's back?"

He glanced into the room, "Oh, you're lying on the ground? A stroke?"

"Uncle Zhang, what are you doing here?" Meng Yuan had no time for jokes. Suddenly, he realized, "Are you here to investigate Mother Luo?"

"No wonder Old Nie praised your wit!" Zhang Guinian chuckled, "Someone from the Luo Sect came to take a look, so I came to check it out. Turns out it was you, kid!"

"I unintentionally learned about Mother Luo's situation. Just as I was about to ask for her address, this happened," Meng Yuan explained.

"It's a minor Seed Mantra Technique. She'll be fine in a couple of days," Zhang Guinian said as he entered the room, glanced at Hua Jie, and then stepped out. He looked at Meng Yuan and asked, "Are you still able to fight?"

"Then I'll count you in!" Zhang Guinian patted Meng Yuan's shoulder with a hearty laugh.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end