Techniques and Dao

Chapter 100 Daqian Zen Temple (1)

Is Buddha omnipotent?

Buddha is not omnipotent.

The Buddha can empty all appearances and attain the wisdom of all dharmas, but cannot immediately extinguish fixed karma; the Buddha can know the nature of all beings and the affairs of countless eons, but cannot guide those without affinity; the Buddha can liberate countless sentient beings, but cannot exhaust the realm of sentient beings. These are called the three impossibilities.

The Buddha can see everything and know everything, but the Buddha said it cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken.

The two teenagers jumped from the roof of St. Pingning Hospital and plunged into the abyss.

The only thing accompanying them was the manuscript paper fluttering in the air like snowflakes. Hua Sheng looked at the manuscript paper, not caring where he would be taken.

They didn't even care whether they were alive or dead.

*Snap!* It sounded like paper being torn.

He passed through several torn sheets of paper and then noticed that his hospital gown was gone, replaced by the Taoist robe of the Shudao Academy. The robe was torn in many places due to the previous battles of the Candlelight Eye and the Qiankun Guardian, and was in a very tattered state.

"We're back!" Hua Sheng exclaimed joyfully upon seeing this. "Supreme Lord! We're back, we're back in Shengpingning!"

But he didn't hear Tai Shang Xiao Jun's voice. A piece of paper flew around his eyes, and he desperately tried to shake it off.

At some point, he could no longer see the figure of Taishang Xiaojun among these fluttering manuscripts.

Hua Sheng exclaimed, "The Supreme Lord? The Supreme Lord!"

Beneath her feet lay a vast mountain range covered in green vegetation, and the whistling wind in her ears reminded Hua Sheng of the time she had soared through the skies with Wei Yu and Tai Shang Xiao Jun.

That was the mountaintop shrouded in mist, and below it stood a temple.

The temple is surrounded by green trees and flowers. It is as magnificent as an ancient temple with a thousand-year history, and its architecture is antique and elegant.

The glazed tiles are resplendent in gold, the ancient walls are vermilion, and the majestic gate tower is solemn and dignified.

Is it a temple? The scene before Hanamori's eyes became clearer and clearer, the ground looking like a train rushing towards him.

Hua Sheng suddenly realized that if he fell like that, he would die.
"Hurry up as a law!"

He quickly used his cloud-riding technique.

The clouds quickly gathered beneath his feet, but the speed at which they fell was too fast. Just as Hua Sheng was about to ride the clouds, his foot slipped, and he fell off half of a cloud.

He had no time to think anymore, so he shouted again, "Cloud Riding Technique! So be it!"

It was too late. Hua Sheng still crashed headfirst into the glazed tiles of the temple, shattering them instantly and sending fragments flying everywhere.

The broken glass is incomparably magnificent.

The fragments shimmered with a dazzling array of seven colors under the sunlight. Reflected in her eyes, Hana even had the illusion of having ascended to paradise.

Everything felt like a scene in slow motion, and Hanamori suddenly realized that even if she were to fall to her death, she could accept it with equanimity.

At least he didn't fall onto the concrete of "reality," but died a fitting death amidst this dazzling light.

With a loud bang, Huasheng was thrown off the glazed tile roof and landed heavily on the brick floor. Everything went black, and she lost consciousness.

I don't know how much time passed before I heard someone shouting:
"Benefactor, young benefactor!"

When Hua Sheng opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a meditation room.

The wooden bed in the meditation room was simple and elegant, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it shabby. Some white, semi-transparent mosquito netting hung above the headboard.

Standing beside the bed was a gaunt old monk, dressed in a bright yellow patchwork robe with wide sleeves, a round collar, and a square front. Seeing that Hua Sheng had woken up, he put his hands together in a gesture of respect.

Seeing the old man bow, Hua Sheng hurriedly tried to get up, but as soon as he bent over, he felt a sharp pain and numbness all over his body and could not move. He could only turn to the side and answer, "Master, you...hello!" The old monk said, "Benefactor, don't move rashly. You descended from mid-air. If it weren't for the Taoist robes of the Shudao Academy protecting you, you would probably have been smashed to pieces long ago."

Hua Sheng asked, "Master, is this Sheng Pingning?"

“Benefactor, I do not know how to answer this question. It is, and it is not.”

Hua Sheng was somewhat confused: "What does this mean?"

“Benefactor, the place you have fallen into is Daqian Temple.”

"Zen temple?"

"Exactly."

“I…have never heard of it.”

The old monk smiled and said, "Young benefactor, judging from your attire, you should be a disciple of the Daoist Academy. It's understandable that you haven't heard of the Daqian Zen Temple in this Shengpingning."

Hua Sheng didn't understand and before he could ask, he heard the old monk continue, "Young benefactor, although your body is fine, it's best to rest more to recover to your usual state."

Hua Sheng clearly didn't want to stay in bed. He had been lying there for too many days before coming here and was eager to return to the Daoist Academy. He had to ask, "Master, do you have any medicine? Like the Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Pill? Give me just one so I can get up. I need to go back."

The old monk put his hands together and said, "Daqian Temple has never had such a thing."

"Do you have any medicine? The kind that will make you jump around right away?"

The old monk smiled and said, "There is medicine. But after taking it, I'm afraid it won't make you lively and energetic immediately."

"What kind of medicine is there?"

"Herbal medicines".

What kind of medicine is "herbal medicine"?

"Herbal medicine is just medicinal herbs."

"Common herbs?"

"It's very ordinary."

"How long do I need to take this medicine for my body to recover?"

"You'll recover the day you recover."

Hua Sheng became somewhat impatient upon hearing this and said, "No, Master, don't play these word games with me. You have to tell me exactly how many days?"

"It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone or tendon."

Hua Sheng nearly fell off the bed, hurriedly saying, "Master, don't joke around. This is just ordinary treatment in the mortal world! Your medical level is too backward."

“What is backward is not necessarily bad,” the old monk replied. “Young benefactor, you have spent too much time in the Taoist Academy, so you may be too eager to achieve quick results. But this is different; this is the Great Thousand Zen Temple.”

"Isn't Daqian Temple in Shengpingning?"

"As I just said, it is both here and there."

"Alright, alright, I understand! Master, your medical skills are truly..."

Hua Sheng felt a headache coming on, but as soon as he said it, he realized he had let something slip. After all, someone had saved his life, and saying such a thing seemed rash and rude.

But the old monk showed no displeasure whatsoever. Instead, he said, “Young benefactor, your entry into Daqian Temple is the result of the karma you created in the past. Therefore, you must repay the karma you created here. Once you are healed, the debt will be cleared, and you can leave then. Besides… even if I let you leave now, you will not be able to leave the temple.”

(End of this chapter)