Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

In the eyes of Confucian scholars who are well-read in poetry and literature, orchids have always been a flower of special significance. Confucius expressed his aspirations in "Yi Lan Cao", Queen Zheng Xiu gave birth to a son after dreaming of orchids, and the emperor named his palace Lantai.

The falling of orchid branches, even if one does not try to understand the mysterious meaning behind it, inevitably indicates one thing, that is, the beauty that one seeks in one's heart has become a bubble.

After Chen Guangrui saw clearly what he had written, his face turned pale, and he pushed the paper back to the fortune teller with a glimmer of hope.

The other party did not take it directly, but instead put a white silk handkerchief in his hand, took it up through the handkerchief and looked at it, then shook his head: "It's ominous, very ominous."

Chen Guangrui's ominous feeling was immediately confirmed, and he said anxiously, "Please give me some advice, sir."

The fortune teller said, "If you predict marriage, then the two will be separated and never come back together. If you predict career, then there will be turmoil everywhere and it will be difficult to take a step forward. If you predict family property, then the family wealth will be gone and only a little bit of seedlings will remain..."

The more he spoke, the more miserable it became. Chen Guangrui didn't dare to listen any more and asked, "Is there any way to resolve this?"

The fortune teller waved his fan and said, "I will give you four sentences: 'The flowers are withered and the moon is waning, the mirror is broken and the hairpins are separated, stop coming and going, and things will be peaceful.'"

These four sentences are written with great charm and the meaning is also simple. They are nothing more than warning Chen Guangrui that breaking up with Yin Wenjiao and his career going downhill is a foregone conclusion, and continuing to cling to it will only make the situation worse. It is better to accept this reality, live your life peacefully, and find peace for the rest of your life.

Chen Guangrui understood. Old Madam Zhang and even the Dragon King of Hongjiang had advised him to do something similar, but he just wouldn't listen. Chen Guangrui couldn't swallow the anger that had caused him to fall from grace in just a few dozen days, all because of Yin Wenjiao.

He pushed the table away and nearly knocked over the fortune-telling stall sign. He stood up abruptly and calmed his breath before realizing his mistake: "I'm afraid the fortune-teller's fortune-telling is wrong this time."

He tried to stay calm, slowly stood up, and picked up the basket of cakes at his feet again. "After I get through this, I will personally send twenty strings of cash to you, sir, as a fee for fortune-telling."

The fortune teller watched him and the Dragon King of Hongjiang go away, his eyes turned listless, and he said in a low voice, quite frustrated, "You are stubborn and recalcitrant."

The clear sound of the bell shattered the morning mist and flowed down from the foothills, followed by the Buddhist chanting of the monks, which was full of pure and mysterious meaning. The morning bell and evening drum are the daily practice of the monks.

Xuanzang sat among the monks, reciting the "Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's Warning to the Public" with the others. His handsome face showed a peaceful expression: "This day has passed, and my life has also diminished. I am like a fish without water. What joy is there in this!"

"We should work hard, as if putting out a fire, but remember impermanence, and be careful not to be negligent!"

As he was reciting, he suddenly felt a pain in his heart, and the tone of the scripture he was reciting suddenly changed. He resisted the urge to raise his hand to wipe away the cold sweat on his forehead, and he was hesitant. He had the same feeling only two months ago. He didn't think much of it at the time, but later he found out that it was around that time that his biological mother Yin Wenjiao committed suicide. Even though she survived the disaster, she still went through a lot of pain and torture, and still felt like she was reborn from the ashes. What would the same feeling be this time? Could it be his heartless father?

Xuanzang's intuition was undoubtedly extremely accurate. When he stepped out of the door, he immediately recognized a face that looked 60% similar to his own among the many pilgrims. Chen Guangrui was standing among the devout believers, holding a basket of something in his arms. He looked more than ten years older than the last time he saw him in Hongzhou, and his face was full of flattering smiles. When he saw Xuanzang noticed him, he happily took a few steps towards him, but seemed to think of something he regretted, and stopped in a huff, looking at Xuanzang with shame and regret in his eyes.

Xuanzang was so fooled by his performance that he softened his heart and thought to himself: The sea of ​​sin is endless, but turning back is the shore. As long as he is willing to let go of his delusions, repent of his past and make a new start, why wouldn't Buddha give him a chance?

The kind-hearted nature of a Buddhist made Xuanzang unable to assume the evil side of human nature. Even if he knew in advance about all the evil things the other person had done, he was just hoping for the best.

So, when Chen Guangrui stammered and asked him if they could find a quiet place to talk, Xuanzang took him to the cell in the back mountain where he had been in seclusion.

As soon as Chen Guangrui sat down, he diligently lifted the white cloth on the basket and took out the cakes and pastries one by one: "This is the Hu cake made at home. Your father got up early in the morning and went to the kitchen to watch the cook make it. There is a lot of oil in it, and the portion is quite large. Your father is not lucky. I have little kinship with you and don't know what you like to eat. I only remember that when I was young, my family was poor and I craved the Hu cakes from the old Wang family in the West Market the most. I would always copy books for my classmates and earn a few coins to buy two. I would put them in my arms and take them home, and share one with your grandmother." He picked out a Hu cake, wrapped it in a dry lotus leaf, and handed it to Xuanzang, saying eagerly, "Jiang Liuer, would you like to try it?"

Xuanzang felt sad after hearing his words of recalling the past and thinking of the good times. He sighed, took the Hu Bing and put it on the table: "Father, since you know that life is not easy, why did you treat mother so harshly? Father lived in poverty when he was young, but he also had the ambition to make a difference. Mother was abducted by thieves for fifteen years, but she also had the will to survive. Father will be proud of his success in the imperial examination, and mother will be rescued by grandfather and have a bright new life. Father, since he sympathizes with the sufferings of his childhood, should also sympathize with mother's helplessness back then."

Looking at the innocent compassion that appeared on Xuanzang's face, which was very similar to his own, Chen Guangrui's pupils dimmed and he lowered his head.

He always boasted of being a great man, but at this moment he actually started to shed tears, his voice choking with sobs: "I, your father, don't know why I was so obsessed. No matter how many mistakes I made, it was all your fault."

He raised his face to let Xuanzang see the tears in his eyes. "When I was trapped in the Dragon Palace in Hongjiang, I missed your mother day and night. Every time I opened my eyes and closed them, I could only see her being coerced by Liu Hong. I was also gnashing my teeth and beating my heart. I was in great pain and only hated myself for being a dead man and not being able to return to the world of the living to kill that bastard and rescue your mother. After finally returning to the world of the living, I opened my eyes and saw you and your son looking at each other with concern. The tenderness and attachment at that moment are really indescribable."

He wiped away his tears and said bitterly: "Father is so confused!"

As he said this, he slapped himself in the face, "I am unworthy of being a husband if I treat my wife harshly!"

He slapped himself again: "If I don't do anything to make amends and let my own flesh and blood become a monk, I am unworthy of being a father!"

He slapped himself again: "I was blinded by wealth and accepted bribes. I am unworthy of being a minister!"

Xuanzang was stunned for a long while before he reacted. He hurried over to hold him back. He saw that his face was red and swollen from the beating he had done. It was obvious that he had beaten him hard. He looked away reluctantly: "Why are you doing this to me?"

Chen Guangrui's eyes were blurred with tears. He grabbed his large monk's robe and knelt down: "Jiang Liu'er, please forgive your father."

"What should I do?" Xuanzang was suddenly at a loss.