Chapter 1273: Chapter 698: Epiphany
Yin Tingxue staggered back two steps, standing there dumbfounded, her lips trembling.
Seeing that Yin Tingxue seemed to have something to say, Chen Yi’s gaze was vigilant, and he moved slightly forward, half of his body subtly shielding Yin Tingxue.
Her longing for her mother had never ceased, whether when confined in the Prince Mansion, forced to become a concubine, or later returning to Yintai Temple in utter despair. It was always the chord most easily touched in her heart. No matter how well-behaved or knowledgeable Yin Tingxue was, nor how profound her cultivation became, she was ultimately just a little girl longing for her mother.
In her hazy moments, she would see him as the reincarnation of her mother, hence her frequent dependency. Chen Yi could tell, yet his narrow-mindedness never liked it, and being regarded as her mother felt incredibly odd, even if deliberately abandoning it; he ultimately couldn’t wield too much force even on the bed.
However, if she wants to recognize Medicine Buddha as her mother, she might as well call him mother.
At this thought, Chen Yi’s hand was already resting on the hilt of his sword. He couldn’t understand why Medicine Buddha, long dead, would appear at this moment, perhaps a result of wishful thinking, but he was ready to wield the Destruction Zen Sword once more.
The woman with a face indistinguishable from Yin Tingxue’s mother consort, yet with an ethereal and divine demeanor, approached slowly.
Her face held a loving and gentle smile as her gaze passed over Chen Yi to fall on Yin Tingxue.
Chen Yi’s gaze turned cold; his fingertip lightly rubbed over the hilt’s patterns, True Qi surging quietly, Sword Intent flowed at his fingertips, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Just as he was about to draw his sword,
"No... it’s not you!" Yin Tingxue’s trembling voice suddenly rang out, carrying a kind of near-desperate resolve. She staggered back half a step again, staring at that woman with determination, "You’re not my mother!"
Chen Yi’s movements paused, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.
Indeed, it was unexpected that Yin Tingxue truly recognized this was Medicine Buddha and not her mother.
The gentle smile on Medicine Buddha’s face froze slightly, then seemingly held a trace of reproach towards the child. She sighed softly, her voice still heartbreakingly gentle, "Tingxue..."
This time, Chen Yi hesitated not a bit.
The sword light flared, like a cold bolt of electricity, piercing straight ahead.
Shh!
It was a sound of cutting through air; the sword’s edge pierced unobstructed through the woman’s heart.
No blood splashed, no screams resounded. The figure of Medicine Buddha dissipated like light smoke blown by the wind, or like a reflection cast into water, silently vanishing, leaving only a faint scent of sandalwood lingering, soon consumed by the ancient street’s lifeless silence.
Yin Tingxue’s pupils widened intensely, staring dazedly at the empty space ahead, her breath rapid, cold sweat beading her forehead.
Chen Yi sheathed his sword, turning to face her, fully prepared for accusations, resentment, or even another blade against him since, after all, he’d just killed a figure with her mother’s face in front of her.
However, the anticipated reprimand did not arrive.
Yin Tingxue merely raised her eyes slowly, her gaze lingering complexly on his face for a long time.
Her lips moved a few times, finally, with extreme difficulty, she uttered two words:
"Thank you."
Chen Yi was astonished; these two words coming from the Demon Sect Saintess, bristling with hostility, constantly declaring he was merely an illusion, truly surprised him.
Yin Tingxue turned her face away, no longer meeting his gaze, instead directly stated, "Go!"
She hurriedly took off, leading the way through the alleyways, Chen Yi followed closely behind, able to discern Yin Tingxue’s troubled thoughts even without opening the Heavenly Eye.
If this ancient street is a manifestation of Yin Tingxue’s memory.
Then now is the 24th year of Qingying, which is when Yin Tingxue was ten years old, a year shared in memory by both the former Demon Sect Saintess and the current Little Fox.
Yet he’d never heard the Little Fox mention any of it; the former Demon Sect Saintess, however, had always been apprehensive about it.
Combining it with the earlier appearance of Medicine Buddha...
In a daze, Chen Yi seemed to perceive a crucial point; how could the inherently compassionate Little Fox willingly become a ruthless Demon Sect Saintess? Her mother consort was embodied by Medicine Buddha, likely destined as a pawn on the chessboard from birth.
The Demon Sect Saintess was so wary of it, even to the point of fear; perhaps in her recollection, this place was a chess eye of the arrangement.
Just because he met her at this moment, this encounter became an obsolete piece.
Turning left and right, Yin Tingxue’s pace quickened, nearly running; however, the surrounding alleyways seemed alive, continuously twisting and extending, the scenery of blue bricks and gray tiles repeatedly appearing, she seemed trapped in a silent labyrinth, futilely spinning around, unable to truly escape.
After running for an unknown length of time, finally, the end of the alleyway ahead was no longer the suffocating repetitive scene, a hint of unusual light permeated through.
Yin Tingxue suddenly dashed ahead, Chen Yi closely followed, stepped out of the alleyway as a deep, continuous chant surged into their ears.
A lengthy procession of prayer and blessing was moving slowly on the now much wider street.
At the center of the procession were dozens of monks wearing dark red Kasayas, their heads bowed, faces hidden in the deep shadows of their hoods, hands clasped in prayer, murmuring obscure Sanskrit incessantly.
The chanting wasn’t solemn, rather low, monotonous, repetitive, like whispers rising from the depths of the earth.
On both sides of the procession, pale-faced novice monks scattered petals constantly.
The initially fresh flowers fell to the ground, instantly fading, turning into withered and dark dead flowers.
The entire procession silent, apart from the ongoing chant, no other sound, as pedestrians hurriedly passed by on both sides.
Chen Yi listened intently, finding the repeated Sanskrit somewhat familiar; the Little Fox had once spoken about Buddhist Law, even recited a few verses.
He suddenly recalled it was a verse from the Diamond Sutra: All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew, also like lightning...
He was about to call out to Yin Tingxue when he noticed that the ever decisive and ruthless Demon Sect Saintess suddenly froze again in place, trembling uncontrollably.
Her lips bloodless, gaze vacant, seemingly caught in a profound fear, muttering repeatedly, her voice so broken it was nearly inaudible: "No... no... I don’t want enlightenment... I don’t want..."
Enlightenment? Enlightenment of what? Chen Yi’s mind brimmed with confusion, a feeling of ominous premonition gripping his heart.
The procession, seemingly responding to the stubborn voice, gradually came to a halt; the monks stood still one by one, then those deeply bowed heads turned simultaneously!
Countless gazes focused, the chanting had ceased unbeknownst to them, a deathly silence shrouded the street.
Following that, the procession parted, a monk dressed in scarlet Kasaya stepped out amid them, indistinguishable from the others in appearance.
She slowly raised her head, revealing a face from beneath the hood.
It was the Medicine Buddha who had just vanished into thin air,
"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew, also like lightning... Tingxue, what you see and feel is all false, let go of your obsession to find your true self."
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