Chapter 41: The Buddha's Child

Beneath the moonlight stood a young monk, his white robe shimmering faintly. His face, though youthful, bore an expression of neither joy nor sorrow, imbued with a hint of nascent Buddhahood.

He gazed at Chen Ji and spoke, his voice clear and calm, "My name is Luo Zhui Sa Jia, though most prefer to call me Little Monk. You may also address me thus."

From atop the wall, the White Carp County Lord peered down at Chen Ji and introduced, "Little Monk is a reincarnated Buddha-child, incredibly powerful! If he says you are powerful, then you most certainly are!"

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment. "A reincarnated Buddha-child finds scaling walls difficult?"

A faint blush touched the Little Monk's cheeks. "I have not yet achieved full cultivation. My master enjoined me to recite the Earth Store Bodhisattva Fundamental Vow Sutra ten thousand times. I have only reached seventy thousand recitations, and my great vow is not yet complete..."

Chen Ji pondered. The Little Monk's words revealed much: his path of cultivation involved the recitation of sutras and the fulfillment of a great vow. The ten thousand recitations were a threshold, and upon completion, he would likely gain greater power. That he so readily divulged his path spoke of an unusual honesty.

At this moment, the World Son, his gaze filled with curiosity, sized up Chen Ji. "Little Monk, you say he is powerful? He doesn't appear so." The World Son was no longer clad in his daytime furs, but in a black cross-collared robe embroidered with silver lotus flowers – a garment of plain elegance that seemed at odds with his somewhat flamboyant demeanor.

The Little Monk brushed dust from his robe. His face, that of a boy of fourteen or fifteen, was clear and unblemished. He pointed to his chest. "My words of power do not refer to strength, but to the heart. Within every heart reside three thieves: greed, anger, and delusion. This brother's heart has already banished greed and anger, leaving only the word 'delusion.' That is already very powerful."

"Greed is the unbearable tide of desire. How many calamities in this world arise from the word 'greed'? To be without greed does not mean to shun wealth, but to know restraint."

"Anger is the heat of unreasoning fury. If a person still harbors anger, they cannot be called wise, for anger blinds the heart-mind."

Chen Ji seemed to grasp something. "Then what of delusion?"

The Little Monk smiled. "Delusion is obsession. With obsession, there is no liberation."

The White Carp County Lord straddled the wall, her attire neat and masculine: white shirt, white trousers, white boots, and a white jade hairpin. Only the pendant at her neck was of red jade, like the touch of crimson on the forehead of a white brocade carp.

She rested her chin in her hand, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Little Monk, you speak so mysteriously. How many thieves have you yourself vanquished?"

The Little Monk thought for a moment. "I am the same; only the word 'delusion' remains."

The White Carp County Lord pressed on. "If only 'delusion' remains, why not cut it?"

"It is not that I do not cut it, but that I do not yet possess it," the Little Monk explained. "I do not yet have 'delusion,' and thus cannot sever it. My master sent me to the Central Plains this time specifically for me to find 'delusion,' and then to cut it. I have not yet found it, nor do I know what 'delusion' is, but my master says that when the day comes that I encounter it, I will know naturally."

"Eh, you never spoke of this before... But is it not better to be without 'delusion'? Why seek it out? Is that not redundant?" The White Carp looked puzzled.

The Little Monk shook his head. "This is a tribulation. Without experiencing tribulation, one cannot become a Buddha."

Beside them, the World Son leaned against the wall, bored. "You who have left the mundane world hold compassion as your root. Why do you always speak of cutting and severing? Is fighting and killing not better!"

The Little Monk shook his head. "My Gé Níng Sect never speaks of compassion."

"Oh? Then what do you speak of?"

"Great Fearlessness."

The White Carp County Lord settled herself on the wall, crossing her legs. "Brother, enough with the talk. Help me down."

"Hey, coming," the World Son said, approaching the wall's edge and letting his sister step onto his shoulder to jump down.

Chen Ji watched in silence. The World Son and the White Carp County Lord, though born of different mothers, shared an exceptionally close bond. And this World Son, clearly already twenty years old, still lacked any semblance of proper decorum...

Wait, Black Cloud had mentioned there was also a Ling Yun County Lord born of Quiet Concubine in the Prince's Manor. Why was she not with them?

At this moment, the World Son looked at Chen Ji. "This one is..."

"Chen Ji."

The World Son burst into laughter. "Chen Ji ah, I see you are a talented individual. We are destined to become very good friends. But there's no time to chat today; many friends are waiting outside the door. We'll take our leave now. We are all children of the Jianghu; we shall meet again if fate wills it!"

Zhu White Carp also chimed in hastily, "Right, right, right! I'll bring you some of the Ma family's donkey meat fire-baked bread when we come back in the morning!"

With that, the World Son led the Little Monk and the White Carp County Lord away.

Chen Ji raised an arm to block their path. "Wait a moment."

"Ah?" The World Son stepped back. "What is it?"

Chen Ji said, "A sealing fee. Ten taels of silver per person, otherwise I'll shout for the Prince's Manor guards."

The World Son cried out in surprise. "Wow, you think we don't know the going rate! Ten taels of silver can buy a house in the suburbs! Why don't you just rob someone... Little Monk, didn't you say he had already severed the word 'greed'?!"

The Little Monk hesitated for a moment. "This explains that he has already exercised great restraint."

World Son: "?"

The White Carp County Lord looked at Chen Ji. "One tael of silver per person per instance. We'll have many more encounters in the future. You need to consider the long-term flow, otherwise, we won't pass through here again!"

Chen Ji said, "Alright!"

The White Carp looked at the World Son with a helpless expression. "Brother, he agreed so quickly. Did I cut too much?"

"It seems so."

Chen Ji clarified, "One person, one instance, one tael. This time there are three of you, so you need to give three taels."

At this moment, someone outside the door shouted through the crack, "World Son, County Lord, are you coming out?"

The World Son looked at the White Carp County Lord. "Let's give him the money. The people outside are getting impatient."

Zhu White Carp reluctantly took out a plain-colored small sachet from her sleeve, withdrew three pieces of 'silver peanuts,' and slapped them into Chen Ji's palm. "Here! Can we leave now?"

Chen Ji moved aside, a position of deference. He laughed. "Receive patronage. I wish everyone a happy evening of play."

The World Son hurried to pull open the large doors of the main hall, only to see more than ten people waiting outside, some with knives and swords at their waists, like a motley crew of Jianghu folk.

Chen Ji even spotted Liang Dog Er and Liang Cat Er among the crowd.

At the door, the World Son asked, "Where shall we go to play?"

Liang Dog Er squinted, a smile on his face. "Luo City is only lively in one place at night, and that's the East Market. The best place to play in the East Market is none other than Red Clothes Lane! Let's go, World Son, lead us to Red Clothes Lane for a drink!"

Chen Ji was astonished.

A County Lord, a monk, and the World Son heading to Red Clothes Lane?!

At this moment, the White Carp County Lord carefully, meticulously closed the large doors of the medical hall, leaving only a small gap. She saw Chen Ji watching from a distance, wrinkled her nose, let out a cold哼, and quickly closed the door completely.

Chen Ji weighed the 'silver peanuts' in his hand. Black Cloud climbed onto the apricot tree, tucking his two claws as he lay on a branch.

Black Cloud let out a meow. "They're not bad people, are they?"

Chen Ji smiled. "As the World Son and County Lord, they were not angered by my obstruction, and from beginning to end, they did not use their identities to pressure me. Indeed, they are already very good people."