Nightfall

Ning Que’s laughter, full of joy and spirit, flew from the cliff, traversed green peer flowers, and floated over the Buddha’s light as well as the wilted scripture petals, and echoed among countless temples. It couldn’t be overwhelmed. It ran over the sutra-chanting of millions of monks and the ringing of profound bells.

Ever since the Rite to Light, when he became invincible in the human world, he had been tortured for countless times by Sangsang, unable to retaliate. If she were to strike, then he can only miserably stand back, without any chances to engage. In the palace of Jingdu, it appeared that he won against the Sage of Calligraphy, but it actually due to her power. Thus, he ended up handling miscellaneous affairs such as carrying the luggage, walking the horse, mending, and washing.

To break free from Buddha’s inhibition, he simply took out his iron knife and wrote several talismans. Why wouldn’t he feel brisk and neat?

The voice of the Chief Monk echoed again. “In the past, you helped her when the Buddhists came after her. Why are you still helping her now? Does it mean that the Academy is going against the Headmaster’s will?”

Ning Que said, “The Academy’s defiance against the lord is their business. She is my wife. Even if we do have some problems, they’re domestic affairs. Why is Buddha meddling? After hiding and evading for countless years, he just suddenly comes out to take advantage of us during a quarrel. How is this fair? This is disgusting.”

The chief monk said, “Causes and effects. The latter is the one that matters.”

Ning Que said, “If Buddha’s so-said effects will eventually end up with the world down the hill, then the Academy certainly won’t let his causes and effects come into being.”

The chief monk seriously asked, “Why?”

Ning Que said, “Because it is disgusting.”

The chief monk fell into silence.

Ning Que was flying high, and will not stop at this point. He shouted, “Is the Buddha beneficent? Can anyone among the tens of thousands of monks in Xuankong Temple confidently tell us what his beneficence is?”

The chief monk said indifferently, “So go die with Haotian.”

Ning Que said, “You’re a pretentious bastard, much like me back in the old days. Disgusting indeed.”

While holding on the big black umbrella, Sangsang was looking at Ning Que and said, “You’re quite disgusting.”

Ning Que said helplessly, “See your own position and stance clearly first, alright?”

At that moment, the huge text of scriptures was still dissipating into countless falling petals after being scribbled. It was extremely dangerous, yet no longer emitted exotic fragrance and was less coercive.

The Buddha’s light was growing, with continuous sutra-chanting and praying from countless believers of numerous temples and the Wilderness down the mount.

Buddha left myriad foreshadowings, as vast and boundless as an ocean. How could Ning Que possibly solve them all? The extremely dangerous dharma-vessel was hidden in the human world until that moment.

…

…

Rain fell upon Chaoyang.

In the drizzle, the seventy-two temples looked very solemn and respected.

When the bell rang in the hidden Xuankong Temple in the western wilderness, bells from the seventy-two temples would ring simultaneously. Tones echoed among every street, alley, and in the hearts of all the believers.

Buddha’s bell could clarify minds and also raise their guard. It did not matter if they were old women making shoe soles around corners in alleys or the young emperor with an immature appearance. They all went to temples, under the guidance of bell tones.

All Buddhist temples in Chaoyang were packed with believers, men and women, old and young. All of them, kneeled in front of a Buddha’s statue, continued to kowtow and pray. A dark and dense mass of believers kneeled down on the stone terrace in front the lake, one next to the other in the White Tower Temple.

The lake water was very clear and peaceful and reflected the beautiful White Tower and weeping willows alongside shores. They were the most famous sceneries and best memories for locals in Chaoyang.

Autumn wind slightly blew, while lake water was rippled. The White Tower mirrored on the surface of the lake was getting distorted. It was a most common view, but the non-stop praying believers beside the lake were exceptionally astonished because the actual White Tower beside the lake was also distorted along with the distortion of its reflection on the lake!

The shadow of the tower was inverted imagery. How could it have an effect on the authentic White Tower?

The autumn wind gradually blew harder, and roared past the surface of the lake. After the blowing shook the lake water, the tower and tree shadows were shattered. The imagery was vague.

The White Tower beside the lake was gradually getting blurred, as if it was about to disappear into the air!

The surface of the lake shook increasingly fiercely. The spoondrift, thrown up with white sprays, looked much like the clouds in the sky, and also like boiling water in a pot. The imagery of the White Tower turned into foam, then finally vanished.

Boom! A huge blare!

The lake water suddenly disappeared, with only a dry lakebed left!

The White Tower beside the lake was gone at the same time!

The White Tower accompanied believers for countless years in Yuelun Kingdom, so it had been part of their spiritual beliefs or at least the memories. Yet it vanished just like that in front of them at that moment.

All of the witnesses felt that they would never see the White Tower again and that the most famous scenery in Chaoyang City would never come back.

The believers were startled by the loss. The sorrow and sentiments were so overwhelming that they didn’t know what to do. The only thing they could do was to kneel beside the lake, kowtow, and pray toward the remains of the bottom altars of the White Tower, more devoutly than ever before.

…

…

The firmament above Xuankong Temple had been covered by a thick layer of clouds.

Ever since he began to aim to exterminate Haotian, Buddha had had no intentions of sparing her with the clear and blue sky.

Suddenly, an extremely horrible sound of wind rang out in the lofty firmament.

The middle of the cloud layer bulged for thousands of meters and depressed downward. The bumped cloud cluster was about to touch the peak of the giant mount. At its bottom, it was thundering and lightening, and then rain rushed down.

The rain was not ordinary water, but the lake water by the White Tower Temple, transported from the human world countless miles away. There were plenty of swimming fish and snapped lotus flowers in the water

As the rain was pouring down, the bumped cloud cluster cracked all of a sudden.

The White Tower appeared, bursting out of the louds, and then it fell down the cliff plateau amid these mounts.

The White Tower also came from the human world countless miles away. Carrying the awareness of all the believers of Buddhism in the human world, it jumped from other space to the Western Paradise, aiming to suppress Haotian by imprisoning her under the tower.

During the autumn years ago, the Chief Monk of Scripture thought to trap Sangsang under the White Tower. Years later, in this autumn, the means left by the Buddha had finally made it come true!

…

…

Intense waterfalls fell on the cliff plateau. Pear trees were hanging on their branches, and little green pears amid the green leaves still held on, instead of falling down to the ground. Numerous streams flew down along the cliffside, and became very fine waterfalls.

While holding onto the big black umbrella, Sangsang calmly stood in the rainstorm of the lake water.

Without an umbrella, Ning Que was wet within seconds, with a couple of dead-snake-like lotus twigs hanging on his shoulders and a greasy loach drilling in his chest. He looked very messy.

It was not the lake water that drove him uncomfortable, but the White Tower bursting out of the clouds.

The bumped part of the cloud layer was so close to the peak that part of the White Tower was about to pass by the Buddha’s Shrine Hall, and unswervingly suppress the area on the cliff plateau with Sangsang and Ning Que!

The White Tower that was falling from the dome contained the paramount coercion of Buddha, which beefed up the Buddha’s light upon the cliff plateau. They shared a subtle bond in and between, which couldn’t be broken up.

As the most powerful dharma-vessel left in the human world by Buddha, it was supposed to befall on the Buddha’s palm.

Ning Que didn’t care that Buddha calling in his own treasure, but at that moment, he and Sangsang were standing within the Buddha’s palm and couldn’t get away. It was easy to say they would definitely be suppressed and imprisoned if the White Tower were ti down. After that, there would be no way to shake it off.

With the falling of the White Tower, Buddha’s coercion was approaching. Ning Que held the iron knife, looked around purposelessly, without any countermeasures. Looking over his back, he saw that she was still in a daze under the umbrella.

Fresh blood was sprayed out of his mouth.

After he wiped off the blood around the corner of his mouth, she was still drifting away.

Ning Que was helplessly anguished and shouted to her, “My lord! What is the drifting for at this very moment? It’s time to show your supernatural power!”

Sangsang looked up at the falling White Tower in the Buddha’s light.

When the rainstorm stopped, the clouds layer suddenly came to peace. The White Tower abruptly slowed down, as if it was suspended up in the air.

If it had continued to fall down, the White Tower would have fallen on the cliff plateau and imprisoned her and Ning Que.

In order to get rid of the present dilemma, they must find a way to leave the cliff plateau. However, they must break out the macrocosm consisting of the Buddha’ light, scriptures, and the shared awareness of millions of believers.

That was Buddha’s Western Paradise.

Sangsang wouldn’t pay such a large cost, due to the existence of the Academy in the human world.

She thought quietly with her hands clasped behind her back and expressionlessly looked at the White Tower.

Ning Que was helpless while he was looking at her. He slashed out the iron knife, broke out a couple of scriptures falling down the cliff, and cut a way to her side. Afterward, he crushed into the big black umbrella and shouted near her ear, “Wake up!”

Sangsang still looked the same and said, “I wasn’t asleep.”

Ning Que said, “Do something. I don’t want to end up like Xu Xian.”

Sangsang said, “It was the White Snake who was imprisoned under that tower.”

Ning Que was annoyed and said, “If you were the White Snake, how could I lead a life outside the tower?”

Sangsang looked at the White Tower and said, “I was weakened by your Academy, so that I can’t defeat it.”

Ning Que said, “Is it my fault? Alright, it is my fault. You’re Haotian, who should behold some sort of magical weapon.”

Sangsang pointed at the big black umbrella while looking at him.

Ning Que was very upset and said, “Do you see how many weapons were left by Buddha? Do you just have a torn umbrella like this?”

The big black umbrella did look quite torn. And if the umbrella was animated and able to perceive, then it would have felt very unfair.

Sangsang wasn’t grievous because grief was one of emotions that puny humans processed. She said, “The weak require so many preparations. I need nothing in the human world.” In her eyes, Buddha was part of the weak.

Ning Que said, “The weak would have suppressed you, the powerful one.”

Sangsang looked at him and replied, “Do you think I’m going to be beaten by the Buddhist trick?”

Ning Que said, “I’m witnessing the performance of a tragedy.”

Sangsang said, “You’re daydreaming.”

Ning Que said, “Is the cracking of Heaven his wildest dream?”

“I’ve said no. And it never will be.” Her eyes suddenly shifted to the package behind Ning Que. She said expressionlessly, while looking at the chessboard left by Buddha, “Because I am Haotian, while you…are nothing.”