Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 290 - The Two-Life Buddha Wheel (1)

The last trace of black mist dissipated, and the surroundings became clear.

It was a solemnly colored law hall, not very spacious, with small arc-shaped walls. Painted on the walls were illustrations of the Five-Pleasure Life and Death Wheel. It seemed to be the top of the Five-Wheel Pagoda.

Had she passed the final trial of the Five-Wheel Pagoda? But why was there no reward?

She heard creaking sounds. Zanxing looked up and saw, directly ahead, a skeleton clad in a brown monk’s robe seated.

The skeleton had presumably been a Buddhist cultivator in life, sitting on a stone platform before her. The stone platform was surrounded by golden honeysuckle flowers. The honeysuckle seemed to have maintained its vitality in an extraordinary way, blooming brilliantly as if it had been that way for a century. The Buddhist cultivator’s posture was gentle and natural, with arms resting casually on his knees. In his palm lay a small spinning wheel.

The spinning wheel was half gold and half black, slowly rotating in his hand. The irritating creaking sound came from this wheel.

Was this the Dharma body of Master Jingshan? Zanxing wondered about the spinning wheel. Did its rotation mean that the cycle within the white tower was not yet complete?

Just as Zanxing was thinking this, she suddenly heard a muffled grunt. Turning around, she saw someone appearing from the void, planting a silver spear on the ground before standing firmly.

“Gu Baiying?” she was stunned.

Gu Baiying also saw Zanxing, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He stood firm and stared at Zanxing, asking, “How are you here?”

“I came out of the trial of the Five-Wheel Pagoda,” Zanxing said, a thought stirring in her mind. “Did you also experience Master Jingshan’s lifetime?”

“Naturally.” Gu Baiying’s gaze fell on the skeleton of the Buddhist cultivator before them, his expression darkening slightly. “He had a truly tragic fate.”

“So,” Zanxing looked at him, “when the people begged Master to put down the staff, you did not?”

“Why should I?” Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow, his tone blunt. “If I killed that bastard first, the grain in his estate would naturally be mine. I could then provide relief to the disaster victims. Isn’t that more satisfying for everyone?” The young man sneered. “Why should I sacrifice myself?”

Zanxing thought to herself that this was indeed Gu Baiying’s temperament. He was not one to compromise for the sake of others. However, it was surprising that they both had similar thoughts. She wondered if this could be considered a mutual understanding.

“Hey,” he glanced at Zanxing with an unclear meaning in his eyes. “How did you get out?”

Zanxing thought for a moment before replying, “It seems Immortal Gu has forgotten that I am from the demon race. Demons are known for their ruthlessness and bloodshed. As a demon, why should I become a Buddha?”

Her tone was very calm.

Her eyes were gentle and serene, her black hair flowing with a faint dark blue sheen, reminiscent of vines in the abyss, climbing through the ever-present cracks, entwining around a person’s body tightly, and finally reflecting in their eyes.

He suddenly lost focus for a moment.

In the next instant, Zanxing’s voice broke the silence, “You’re injured?”

Blood slowly seeped through Gu Baiying’s white brocade robe, dyeing the fabric a vivid red. To onlookers, it was a startling sight.

He came back to his senses and casually glanced at his wound. “It’s just a minor injury, not life-threatening,” he said nonchalantly.

Zanxing remained silent. It seemed that after experiencing Master Jingshan’s lifetime, Gu Baiying had also confronted his inner demons. The inner demons in the Buddha Pagoda were identical to the cultivator’s own skills and techniques, making overcoming these mental barriers quite difficult.

However, since he appeared lively and full of spirit, he probably wasn’t in serious trouble. Zanxing then murmured, “I wonder how the others are doing now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a thud, and someone fell from the void. She quickly turned around to see Mingjing, covered in wounds, appearing suddenly in the hall.

Compared to Zanxing and Gu Baiying, he looked much more wretched. His gray monk’s robe was almost entirely stained and soaked with blood, and it continued to seep more. His face was also very pale, as if he had lost half his life in the trial.

Zanxing hurried over to help him up and asked, “Master Mingjing, how did you get such severe injuries?”

Mingjing looked at Zanxing and, seeing that she was unharmed, let out a sigh of relief. “As long as the young princess is alright.”

His look of relief and hidden affection gave Zanxing goosebumps. She wondered if Mingjing might truly see her as a stepdaughter. While she had no objections to the personal matters of Bu Jiang, being looked at by someone who appeared to be of a similar age as if she were his daughter was somewhat awkward.

As she was thinking, she heard Gu Baiying’s impatient voice: “Buddhist cultivator, what exactly is going on in this tower? Can you explain it?”

Neither Zanxing nor Gu Baiying practiced Buddhism, so naturally, Mingjing was the one who knew the most about Master Jingshan.

Mingjing seemed to have anticipated Gu Baiying’s question. He lowered his eyes and, after a while, spoke softly, “Self-nature confusion is sentient beings; self-nature awakening is Buddha. The master did not resolve his delusions or adhere to the true Buddha. Illusory thoughts cover the self-nature, preventing clarity. This puzzle was set in the tower’s tomb to await the coming ones to resolve it.”

This aligned with Zanxing’s thoughts.

“So what about the inner demons we encountered later?” Zanxing asked. “Does Master Jingshan’s inner demon mean that he could not become a Buddha?”

Mingjing nodded, confirming Zanxing’s guess.

Zanxing fell silent. It was indeed tragic that Master Jingshan, who had devoted his life to goodness, became a creature neither Buddha nor demon after death, with his obsession trapped in the white tower for a century without release.

“And what about you?” Gu Baiying looked at Mingjing with a raised chin. “As a Buddhist cultivator free of delusions, you’re badly injured. Could it be that you cannot overcome your own inner demons?” His gaze was somewhat provocative. “What are your inner demons that have tortured a cultivator like this?”

Mingjing was taken aback, his expression becoming somewhat uncomfortable.

Zanxing: “…”

Seeing Mingjing’s increasing embarrassment, Zanxing decided to step in and change the topic. “Since we have passed the trial of Master Jingshan, why was there no reward? Also,” she moved aside to let Mingjing see the Buddhist skeleton clearly, “this skeleton must be the Dharma body left by Master Jingshan, right? But what is that spinning wheel? Why is it still rotating?”

The small spinning wheel in the monk’s bony palm turned slowly, half gold and half a deep black, making the creaking sound with each rotation, echoing clearly in the hall.

Mingjing’s expression suddenly changed.

He murmured, “The Two-Life Buddha Wheel?”