Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Born in the same era as the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi [Seeking recommendation votes]_1
Sha Chen had always been keeping an eye on his doppelganger’s situation.
And the doppelganger had one very important task—to lead the reincarnated Jin Chanzi astray. If Buddhism wanted to strike at him, Sha Chen had to strike back. The best way was to lead Jin Chanzi astray and let Buddhism deal with the headache. But Buddhism wasn’t easy to fool, and there were bound to be many people guarding Jin Chanzi to prevent any issues. Sha Chen needed his doppelganger to undergo reincarnation so that after rebirth, it would have a proper identity.
The doppelganger arrived at Naihe Bridge, chanting the [Undying Scripture] and [Hero Spirit Formula], its spirit undying. Seeing this, the Judge thought it was the reincarnation of a great figure and did not dare to obstruct, allowing passage. Meng Po felt the same when she saw this. For such figures undergoing reincarnation, whether to retain their memories was their own decision, and she dared not intervene.
When they arrived at the Six Paths of Samsara, the Judge serving under King Qinguang guarded the site. Seeing the luster surrounding Sha Chen’s doppelganger, he also dared not obstruct. The Judge took the initiative to approach, saying, "Noble immortal, your lifespan in the Realm of People has ended. Where would you like to reincarnate?"
At this moment, Sha Chen’s doppelganger appeared as a rat, but that did not hinder the Judge’s eagerness to please.
It nodded and said, "To China..."
The Judge nodded and said, "Arranged."
And so, he pushed Sha Chen’s doppelganger into the Realm of People for reincarnation.
「The mundane world.」
In China, Chenjia Village.
That day, Sha Chen’s doppelganger was born. He had just been born. His mother suffered a difficult labor. His father, upon seeing he was a boy, nearly killed him as well.
However, the child seemed to be calamitous to his parents. After his father raised him for a year, he drowned in a river in a drunken stupor. The doppelganger was then raised by the village elders, surviving on the charity of many homes.
If you think he was the most miserable child, that might not be the case. Another child was born a year after Sha Chen’s doppelganger. In the year he was born, both of his parents died—a truly tragic case. When this child was born, the heavens showed auspicious signs, the ground sprouted golden lotus flowers, wild beasts spoke in human tongues, and even a ewe came to offer milk. The villagers deemed it a miracle and called him a chosen child of heaven.
But they felt that the village was unworthy of raising such a child. So, they nurtured him until he was three years old, then sent him along with Sha Chen’s doppelganger to a temple deep in the mountains. Mortals dared not raise him, so they left it to the Buddha.
The two then settled in the temple, raised by monks. The child was three years old, while Sha Chen’s doppelganger was four. The monks were very kind to the three-year-old child, Chen Liu’er by secular name. They lavished him with care, imparted Buddhist Law, and taught him Buddhist scriptures. As for the four-year-old, Sha Chen’s doppelganger secularly named Chen Hanshan, their attitude was generally indifferent, and they hardly cared for him at all. If it weren’t for the deep bond between Chen Liu’er and Chen Hanshan, the monks would probably have driven Chen Hanshan down the mountain.
「That day.」
The temple was in discussion.
The Abbot said, "Liu’er is already sensible. It’s time to teach him specific Buddhist Law, to strengthen his aspiration towards Buddhism, and to pave the way for his Journey to the West when he comes of age."
The monks under him nodded, their faces smiling.
But a plump Monk spoke up, "Abbot, we were tasked by Lingjiu Mountain to raise the Journey to the West pilgrim here. We should ensure the pilgrim learns to detach from all four elements. Yet, he has a strong bond with Chen Hanshan, which I fear may prove difficult to sever."
The other monks also nodded and whispered among themselves.
The Abbot said, "I also do not understand why. We were only meant to have Liu’er come to the temple, yet unexpectedly, the secular Hanshan was also brought along." He continued, "His familial tie is as Liu’er’s clan brother. The two are inseparable, and I fear he might become Liu’er’s greatest attachment."
The other monks, their eyes glinting fiercely, said, "The greatest fear for the pilgrim is attachment, hence the death of his parents. As for this clan brother, he must not stay; otherwise, the pilgrim might cling and not set out on the pilgrimage."
The others nodded, agreeing deeply.
The Abbot said, "That child is also bright and has an even greater understanding of Buddhist Law than Liu’er. If it weren’t for confirming Liu’er’s identity, I would have thought he was the pilgrim."
"Enough. Let’s wait and see. There are still more than ten years. The pilgrim should have a complete childhood. The happier he is now, the more profound his enlightenment will be when he eventually loses it all."
The monks praised in unison, "The Abbot is wise."
「Behind the mountain.」
Hanshan, the doppelganger, and Chen Liu’er, Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation, lived together, inseparable as shadows. Due to Hanshan’s deliberate closeness, Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation obeyed him without question, relying on him completely, and admired him greatly.
One day, the three-year-old Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation said to Hanshan, "Brother, Huang from the temple bullied me again."
Hanshan said, "Don’t worry. I’ll kill it tomorrow, stew it, and it will strengthen your body."
Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation was aghast and said, "But Huang is a living being! Killing it, isn’t that breaking the precepts of Buddhism?"
Hanshan said, "Little Liu’er, you’re not a monk. Why do you care about Buddhist precepts?"
Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation said, "But the Abbot intends for us to join Buddhism and become monks, and we’ve received their kindness too."
Hanshan was troubled; he hadn’t expected Jin Chanzi’s affinity for Buddhism to be so deeply ingrained. It would take persistent, cumulative effort to change this.
He laughed and said, "If they ask us to become monks, we can simply choose not to."
Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation said, "But refusing will anger the Abbot."
Hanshan laughed and said, "If he gets angry, he violates the Buddhist precept against wrath. Wouldn’t the Abbot be in the wrong then too?"
Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation thought about it and felt this made sense.
When Chen Liu’er wanted to argue further, Hanshan played his trump card: "Little Liu’er, let me ask you, do you trust me or do you trust the Abbot and the others?"
Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation did not hesitate and said, "I trust you. You’re my brother, my only family."
Hanshan smiled and said, "Do you know why I don’t have a good impression of them? It’s because when we both entered the mountain, they were so good to you, but so disdainful towards me."
He began instilling the notion that Buddhism was not good into Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation.
「That night.」
Hanshan actually went and killed Huang, then directly made stewed soup for Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation to eat.
When the young child heard Huang had been killed and made into soup, he couldn’t help but stubbornly argue with Hanshan, "Even though Huang bullied me, it was still a living being!"
Hanshan said, "That’s why I added plenty of cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, and dried chili to it; I didn’t treat it poorly."
Chen Liu’er painfully swallowed.
Hanshan put two pieces into his bowl and said, "Try it, it’s quite tasty."
Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation, Chen Liu’er, ate two bowls with tears in his eyes.
Smiling gleefully, he said, "It’s really delicious."
「The next day.」
Some monks found that Huang was missing. Upon seeing a pile of bones in the back mountain, they were nearly furious to death. After Hanshan and Chen Liu’er learned of this, they assured each other to stay united, vowing not to betray each other or admit to anything, no matter what.
Under pressure, Chen Liu’er stood his ground, while Hanshan stepped back.
When all the monks were staring at Chen Liu’er, he was stunned, turning to glance at Hanshan in disbelief.
What happened to the vow not to admit or betray each other?
Chen Liu’er steeled himself and admitted, "I’m sorry. Huang bullied me, and then, in a fit of anger, I killed it. Then I stewed and ate it."
As he spoke, saliva sprayed from his mouth.
The monks were on the verge of madness.
The Abbot was even more troubled.
It’s over. Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation had broken the precepts; they would be punished by Lingjiu Mountain. The child had violated half of the precepts all at once. How did this happen!?
The Abbot angrily said, "Why did you kill it, and even eat it? Couldn’t you have just thrown rocks at it to make it stop bullying you?"
Jin Chanzi was somewhat scared, glancing at Hanshan, whose expression hadn’t changed.
Bracing himself, though feeling somewhat timid, Chen Liu’er’s tone was surprisingly firm as he said meekly, "I did throw rocks at it first. When that didn’t work, I ended up stoning it to death."
Chaos erupted in the temple. Amidst the shouting and yelling, someone cried, "Quick, someone! The Abbot has fainted!"