Chapter 153: The Merciful Venerable
On the way driving to Magic City University, Chen Xiaolin found a topic to keep the atmosphere from being too stuffy.
“Master Li, speaking of which, who was the deity you performed a ritual to offer tribute to that day in the amusement park? It didn’t feel like a familiar deity.” Chen Xiaolin asked casually.
Li Duojin immediately put on a pious appearance and introduced with sincere enthusiasm: “It’s indeed not one familiar to the public. To be precise, in this world, except for a very few individuals, no one knows or remembers His being.”
“So He is?”
“Unrememberable, must not remember—this is the result He deliberately created, but you can call Him Venerable.” Li Duojin sighed and said, “I only know that in a scripture passed down through generations of my ancestors, that Bodhisattva is evaluated as such: ‘Enduring and unmoving like the earth, deep contemplation and profound secrecy like a hidden storehouse’.”
“Bodhisattva, Venerable? What does that sentence in the scripture you just mentioned mean?” Chen Xiaolin found it mysterious and curiously pressed on.
So, is the deity that Li Duojin believes in merely a mundane faith, or a supernatural “life” that truly exists like those abnormal gods but is secretive and unpredictable?
If it’s the latter, what is the purpose of this ability to deliberately make people unable to remember Him?
If no one can remember His being, who could continue to believe in Him?
Chen Xiaolin oddly glanced at Li Duojin, as if not understanding how his ancestors had passed down this strange faith through generations.
Regarding Chen Xiaolin’s inquiry, Li Duojin shook his head: “I don’t know, but in my understanding, the Venerable possesses great vows and superdivine concentration, with wisdom profound and immeasurable. Unfortunately, no one can remember His story, which also prevents us from fully comprehending the meaning of that sentence.”
“Mysterious.” Chen Xiaolin commented on this. Although she had a momentary suspicion that Li Duojin was fooling her, seeing someone who seemed to have even deceived himself, with piety and regret overflowing, no actor, no matter how skilled, could perform such authenticity.
Hearing Chen Xiaolin’s words, Li Duojin was not annoyed and instead smiled: “You might not believe what I say, but what I want to say is that He is a real great being.”
“Is He terrifying?”
“The Venerable never gets angry; He is extremely kind.”
“How do you know?”
“I have communicated with Him and heard some stories from Him.”
“Didn’t you just say that no one can remember His story?”
“Mm, to be precise, it’s that it can’t be remembered fully. If I retell it, you might find the story somewhat inexplicable, but based on my impression of that story, it’s actually quite simple.” Li Duojin scratched his head and said, “Once, a person mistakenly entered the Venerable’s shrine. This man was probably kind-hearted; he pleaded with the Venerable to extend the lifespan of one of his dying servants, believing his servant was a good person who shouldn’t leave the world so easily. The Venerable meditated on the scriptures intently and did not respond immediately. The man was hot-tempered and actually slapped the Venerable.”
Chen Xiaolin: “……Did that person die?”
“It was an ancient matter; if put in modern times, that person would definitely be dead.” Li Duojin laughed, “However, afterwards, the Venerable who was interrupted awoke, smiled and extended one finger to him, pointing virtually at him. Immediately after, the man woke from his dream, and upon waking, he discovered that his originally critically ill servant had become full of vitality again. Only then did he realize that the Venerable had responded to him and extended his servant’s life.”
“Hiss……So merciful? He didn’t even get angry about that?” Chen Xiaolin was shocked; this was more than merciful—it was practically no temper at all.
However, Li Duojin’s next sentence completely made Chen Xiaolin unable to grasp the meaning of the word “mercy.”
“Yeah, and afterwards, that servant indeed did good deeds for a long time. It turns out the meaning of the Venerable extending one finger was to add one cycle to that servant’s lifespan, that is, twelve years. Even though that irritable guy later fell into ruin, his only offspring born with his wife and concubines died at twelve years old, leaving no heirs, and even later the irritable guy couldn’t afford to pay the servant’s wages, but that kind servant remained loyal to their family without abandoning them……”
Listening to the story, Chen Xiaolin fell silent.
That Venerable must have gotten angry, right?
“So damn merciful.” Chen Xiaolin said fiercely.
“Yes, repaying grudge with virtue—truly worthy of praise.” Li Duojin sighed.
Hearing this, Chen Xiaolin remained silent for a long time thereafter and shifted slightly to sit closer to the window.
Forty-five minutes later, the two arrived at Magic City University where Wang Zijin was studying.
Wang Zijin herself was standing at the university gate, quietly waiting for their arrival.
The moment she first saw Wang Zijin, Chen Xiaolin clearly felt that Wang Zijin and Wang Kui Shan were father and daughter.
Although Wang Zijin was a tall, quite beautiful female university student, while her father Wang Kui Shan looked rustic and had an ordinary appearance, their looks completely different, the inferior demeanor they unconsciously revealed when facing others was almost carved from the same mold.
Facing the exquisitely made-up, glamorous beauty reporter Chen Xiaolin, and the handsome, kind, gentle, and refined Master Li Duojin, Wang Zijin appeared somewhat reserved. The three sat at one table, yet Wang Zijin, who was actually taller than Li Duojin, seemed even smaller than Chen Xiaolin, humbly lowering her head.
Although Chen Xiaolin hoped the other wouldn’t be so cautious toward her, regrettably, this didn’t give the other much encouragement.
Helplessly, Chen Xiaolin could only shift the topic to the other’s father Wang Kui Shan, telling her about the things that had happened to Wang Kui Shan that she knew.
Upon learning that her father was in danger and possibly related to an anomaly event involving lives, Wang Zijin’s little face turned pale, and she was even more worried about her father.
“No, my father would absolutely never do those things.” Wang Zijin shook her head, hoping the two would believe her, her hopeful gaze looking at them.
Li Duojin said: “To prove your father’s innocence and to protect his safety, we want to know about your father, especially things from the recent days. When he called you, what else did he say to you?”
His gentle tone and soft gaze made Wang Zijin relax a bit. Facing their inquiry, Wang Zijin lightly bit her lips, her eyes struggling for a moment, then slowly said: “My father sent me some money, told me to take good care of the people at home, and then told me never to look for him again.”
“Did you ask him why you couldn’t go find him?” Chen Xiaolin asked curiously.
“I did, but he didn’t reply to me, just hung up the phone. After that, I couldn’t get through to his phone anymore and couldn’t contact him.” Wang Zijin painfully clutched her head, “What trouble has my father run into? Please help my father, okay?”
