Chapter 16: Opportunity Intercepted by Father

The Buddha statue was smeared with damp mud.

Xie Jiuniang carefully wiped it clean, then applied a few dust-dispelling spells.^[1]Dust-dispelling spells: Spells used to remove dust, dirt, or impurities from objects or areas. A glittering golden Buddha statue revealed its full appearance—a pot-bellied Maitreya Buddha with a benevolent smile.

Xie Jiuniang excitedly described the earlier scene, “The statue was buried under the mud and rocks. If that section of the mountain hadn’t collapsed, it would never have seen the light of day. No wonder we couldn’t find it before.”

“Let me examine it,” Xie Shen said, taking the little golden Buddha and inspecting it from all angles. “At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about it, except for the extremely lifelike eyes sculpted on this Buddha.”

As he spoke, his finger accidentally brushed against the statue’s right eye.

Suddenly, a golden light burst forth from the statue, enveloping him completely.

Xie Jiuniang was startled. “Father?!”

Beside her, Mo Lan was equally alarmed but quickly realized her husband’s calm demeanor showed no signs of an attack. She promptly realized he must have encountered an incredible opportunity and hurriedly pulled her tense daughter aside, transmitting^[2]Transmitting: Communicating telepathically using one’s spiritual energy or senses., “Jiu’er, don’t be afraid. Your father may have stumbled upon great fortune.”

Xie Jiuniang’s earlier reaction was merely out of concern. Now, observing her father’s state closely, it indeed resembled someone who had seized a fortuitous opportunity.

The mother and daughter didn’t dare disturb him. They quietly retreated to a distance, remaining utterly silent to avoid disturbance. Fortunately, they had activated the isolation and defensive formation earlier, so there was no need to worry about outside interference.

Xie Jiuniang’s little heart was beating fast with excitement as she rubbed her little hands together. “Mother, did Father receive an inheritance?”^[3]Inheritance: The process of receiving and assimilating the cultivation techniques, knowledge, or comprehension from a predecessor or master.

“I’m not sure. We can just ask him when he wakes up,” Mo Lan said, equally thrilled but maintaining more composure than her daughter. “However, you went through so much effort to obtain this opportunity, only for your father to snatch it halfway. Are you upset?”

Xie Jiuniang rolled her eyes at her mother.

If it were someone else, she wouldn’t just be upset but might even become murderous. However, since it was her own father, she felt no anger, only delight.

Then she thought of something else, “Mother, can Buddhist cultivators marry and have children?”

Mo Lan understood her implication and couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, at least for secular disciples.”^[4]Secular disciples: Buddhist practitioners who do not renounce the secular world and may marry or have families, as opposed to monastic disciples who take vows of celibacy.

Xie Jiuniang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

While her father obtaining such an opportunity was undoubtedly a fantastic thing, she didn’t want it to cause issues between her parents’ relationship.

Thus, the mother and daughter communicated through their spiritual senses while observing Xie Shen’s inheritance process.

It lasted three full days and nights.

Yet for Xie Shen, those three days passed like the blink of an eye. When he reopened his eyes, the scene before him had completely changed. His daughter and wife, who should have been right in front of him, were now seated beneath the eaves.

Xie Jiuniang immediately noticed her father’s awakening and scurried over, her bright eyes shining with excitement as she asked, “Father! You’re awake, how do you feel?”

“Daughter?” Xie Shen regained his senses, met by his daughter’s inquisitive, limpid eyes. “It was the inheritance of a great Zen Buddhist master named Yuan Yi, along with his lifelong insights and comprehensions.”

“Wow!” Xie Jiuniang grinned and gave her father a thumbs up. “With a great master’s insights, Father can take fewer detours when cultivating. Father is so amazing! From now on, Mother’s and my safety will depend on you. However…”

She glanced at Mo Lan beside her.

She shot a sidelong glance at Mo Lan beside her and leaned in to whisper in Xie Shen’s ear, “Father, can Zen Buddhist cultivators marry and have children?”

Before she could finish, the back of her head was knocked by Mo Lan.

Mo Lan laughingly scolded, “You mischievous little child, always letting your mind wander. Is your skin itching for a beating?”

“Hahaha!” Xie Shen laughed heartily.

Xie Jiuniang looked aggrieved, shooting an accusing glare at her father. “Father, you’re laughing? Aren’t you going to stop your wife from hitting your precious daughter?”

“In front of the wife, even treasures are useless,” Xie Shen said, his words directly stabbing her heart.

Xie Jiuniang glanced at him disgruntledly. “Ow.”

Xie Shen, “…”

Seeing this, Mo Lan couldn’t stop laughing.

Xie Shen felt the need to explain some common knowledge about the cultivation world to his daughter. Whether it was Daoists, body cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, ghost cultivators, or demon cultivators, their cultivation methods differed, but all paths led to the same destination—Ascension.^[5]Ascension: The ultimate goal of cultivation, which involves transcending the mortal realm and attaining a higher state of existence, such as immortality or enlightenment.

As for marriage, it had little relation to one’s cultivation method but more to personal preferences. Other cultivator types aside, did Buddhist cultivators truly practice celibacy and abstain from worldly attachments?

How naive!

It wasn’t that they didn’t have women. It was that they freaking knew how to play!

For example, the Buddhist holy maidens^[6]Buddhist holy maidens: Young women who are raised and trained as Buddhist disciples, often serving as attendants or spiritual companions to monks or cultivators. they raised?

Or going to the mortal realm to save all living beings, encountering beauties and experiencing love tribulations.^[7]Love tribulations: Romantic or emotional entanglements that can arise when cultivators interact with mortals or encounter beauty while on their spiritual journey.

Xie Jiuniang’s worldview was thoroughly refreshed.

Mo Lan glared at her husband in warning. “Our daughter is still young. What nonsense are you teaching her? Do you not use your brain at all?”

“I’m just clearing up our daughter’s confusion,” Xie Shen said with an ingratiating smile. “If I don’t explain it clearly, she’ll keep worrying about you and me. Speaking of inheritances, obtaining one is truly a matter of fortune…”

Zen Master Yuan Yi had perished in the final battle against the demon race. Before going to the battlefield, he was already prepared to die. Unwilling to let his inheritance be cut off, he sealed his main cultivation technique, the ‘Mind Sutra of Timeless Impartiality’ and his lifelong insights within the eyes of that Buddha statue. He then used a spell to send the statue back to his sect’s grounds.

However, the statue took an errant path and ended up deep in the rear mountain, buried so profoundly underground that it remained undiscovered for ages.

Furthermore, Zen Buddhism was not the same as Buddhist cultivation.

Zen was merely a branch of Buddhism, with its own unique methods and techniques.

Buddhism emphasized compassion, empathy for all beings, and the cultivation of merits.^[8]Cultivation of merits: The accumulation of good deeds, virtuous actions, and positive karma, which is considered essential for advancing in the Buddhist path of cultivation. Only by perfecting one’s merits could one attain Buddhahood.^[9]Buddhahood: The ultimate state of enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, which is the goal of Buddhist cultivation.

Zen pursued the supreme wisdom and inner serenity, espousing plainness and a return to one’s innate nature. By comprehending the state of non-action^[10]State of non-action: A state of inner stillness, detachment, and effortless awareness, which is a crucial aspect of Zen Buddhist cultivation., one could transcend the mortal realm and ascend to immortality.

Perhaps that explanation was too profound. To put it simply, Buddhist cultivators usually had to rush around everywhere doing good deeds, working hard to earn merit.

While Zen cultivators entered deep meditation and contemplated.

They didn’t need to go everywhere. Just give them a meditation room where they could quietly sit in meditation and that was enough. They could also accumulate merit, but it wasn’t a necessity.

Xie Jiuniang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Zen cultivation wasn’t bad. Not bad at all!

Otherwise, the thought of her father constantly chanting “Amitabha”^[11]Amitabha: A common Buddhist mantra or chant, invoking the name of the Buddha Amitabha, which is often associated with Pure Land Buddhism. would truly be unbearable.

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