Chapter 143: Buddhist Disciple 3

The journey to Taixi Mountain was long, and Wu Xin, like an ordinary person, kept walking. Most of the time, he walked on foot instead of riding in a carriage or on horseback.

The donkey accompanied them for a while, but it disappeared on a morning a few days later.

When Qian asked about it, Wu Xin replied, “We’ve reached the boundaries of where it lives, so I sent it home.”

Qian understood, realizing that the donkey didn’t want to leave its home, so it was fine.

At least she didn’t have to walk. If not riding the donkey, she could sit in Wu Xin’s arms.

Although his build wasn’t tall, he had an imposing presence that made him seem unmovable. Sometimes Qian almost bounced around on him, but he always kept his posture steady, with his arm flat, supporting her.

Whenever they passed through towns, there were restaurants and inns, so food and lodging weren’t an issue. In the villages, they could sometimes find a place to stay with farmers. However, there were also stretches of desolate dirt roads, where no one could be seen around, forcing them to camp out in the wilderness.

It was pitch dark, with no light except for the faint reflection of Wu Xin’s head, which shimmered a little.

The wind was strong, howling like some wild animal’s cry. From beneath the cloak covering her head, Qian peeked out with her eyes, too frightened by the dark wilderness to make a sound, and shrank further into Wu Xin’s arms.

They ate steamed buns they had packed when passing through town, warmed up for her to eat.

Qian held the bun and nibbled slowly, starting from hot and finishing it when it had cooled. She didn’t finish even one.

“Qian, are you scared?”

Qian nodded, pulling her feet onto Wu Xin’s legs, “I don’t want to sleep here.”

She told him, “I want to sleep in a bed.”

If it were an ordinary father and mother, a child asking to sleep in a bed in the wilderness would likely have a slap delivered to their bottom. But Wu Xin, hearing her request, actually stood up and carried her.

“I’ll go look for a place nearby.”

Hearing this, Qian became excited and grabbed the fabric of his clothes, “I’ll come look with you!”

In this wild forest, whether anyone lived here was uncertain, but there were certainly mountain spirits and wild beasts.

Wu Xin walked with the child for about a mile, then saw a century-old banyan tree, with a fox hole in the trunk.

On the way, Qian, already sleepy, tilted her head back, mouth half-open, almost falling asleep. Suddenly, she heard a sound. Her soft neck shot upright, and when she opened her eyes, a large house appeared in front of her.

She didn’t think it strange that such a white-walled, green-tiled house stood here in the middle of the wilderness. She was just glad they had found a house.

They stood at the door, where the owner, a woman in white, stood holding a lantern. She pulled the door open, her expression unfriendly, forcing a smile as she said, “We’re just ordinary people… We’ve lived in this mountain for many years without ever causing trouble…”

Wu Xin remained calm, speaking as if he were just seeking a place to stay at an ordinary farm, “Excuse me for the intrusion, we’re passing through, it’s getting late, and the wind and snow are fierce. May we rest here for the night?”

The woman was stunned, unable to respond immediately, her expression growing more confused and dazed. “Venerable Master… You’re here to stay?”

Such a high-ranking monk coming to the mountain spirits’ cave in the middle of the night wasn’t to slay demons but to seek lodging? She had never heard of such a thing!

It was like a cat entering a mouse hole and not catching the mice, but just going to sleep in the hole.

Qian, listening to their conversation, looked up at her father with worry and whispered, “Does Auntie not want us to stay here?”

Were they going to have to sit outside under the tree and face the wind again?

The woman holding the lantern also looked worried, but she didn’t dare refuse.

“Please come in, please come in, as long as you don’t mind the humble nature of our home!”

She hurriedly invited them in. As soon as the door opened, several figures in white clothing scattered from behind the door, slipping into a room in the back in the blink of an eye.

“They are my younger, unworthy relatives. They’re too shy to meet strangers, please forgive them.” The woman led them into the hall. The room was brightly lit with many lamps, and the furniture sparkled, causing Qian to struggle free from her cloak to take a look.

Two girls came forward, carrying several trays full of wild fruits. But for some reason, they were trembling so much that the plates made a clinking sound when placed on the table. As soon as they placed the plates down, they covered their heads and rushed away.

The woman stood aside, anxious but forcing a smile, trying to offer them fruit.

Wu Xin thanked her but didn’t eat. Instead, he picked the reddest one and handed it to Qian. Qian also thanked the woman.

Just as she was saying thanks, Qian noticed something moving under the woman’s sleeve, and soon a tiny white fluffy head peeked out.

Qian immediately pointed at it in surprise and shouted, “Fox dog!”

Then she asked to play with the “Little Dog.”

Wu Xin glanced at the woman, whose face had almost turned blue, and shook his head.

This was the first time in ten or more days that Wu Xin truly saw how difficult the child could be.

Normally, Qian was obedient—once she had eaten and drunk her fill, she rarely caused trouble. But when she wanted something, she had to have it, and if she couldn’t get it or was forbidden, she would cry and fuss, making it hard to handle.

Wu Xin could only discuss with the woman if Qian could play for a little while longer.

Qian happily played with the “Fox Dog,” stroking its soft fur, hugging it tightly and refusing to let go, rubbing its ears, its tail, and even complimenting it, “You’re so pretty, so cute!”

She picked up the little, tearful creature and rubbed its face hard, quickly messing up its soft fur.

The atmosphere in the room was awkward as the two elders watched the child play.

Seeing that the woman was getting more uncomfortable, Wu Xin spoke up, asking Qian to return the “Little Dog” and go to sleep.

With her new toy, Qian didn’t want to let go so soon. She shook her head and held the little creature even tighter, making it whine loudly.

“Qian, you promised me earlier, just play for a little while. Remember?”

“It’s not yet ‘a little while.’”

“We arrived, and you said you were tired. Now why won’t you sleep?”

“I’m not tired. I can still play.”

“But your playmate is already going to rest.”

“He’s not tired, he wants to play with me too.”

No matter what, she just wouldn’t let go. Any other parent would have started to get angry by now, but Wu Xin had no reaction. He was looking at the child, meeting her gaze, speaking in a calm tone, and his voice didn’t even raise in volume.

At first, Qian didn’t want to listen and made an uncooperative gesture. But his slow and steady words seemed to worm their way into her ears, and despite herself, Qian had to listen.

As she listened, her expression started to become dazed, and before she knew it, she let go of the “Fox Dog” in her arms.

What she didn’t realize was that her father was best at two things: one was convincing people with “reason,” and the other was convincing them with “virtue.”

At that moment, she was convinced. Watching his mouth move, countless sounds seemed to spin in her mind like a swarm of bees, making her dizzy, her eyes sparkling, shaking and shaking, until finally, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Wu Xin calmly closed his mouth, scooped her up with one arm, and sent her off to bed.

When Qian woke up in the morning, she remembered the pretty “Fox Dog” from last night. Just as she was about to say she wanted to play, she heard her bald father about to speak. She immediately covered her ears with both hands, not daring to say she wanted to play anymore.

Because of this, Qian developed a habit. Every time her father opened his mouth, no matter what he said, she instinctively wanted to cover her ears.

She was in his arms again, and this was the perfect position to cover his mouth.

When Wu Xin said goodbye to the host family, just as he thanked them, Qian immediately slapped her hand over his mouth.

Once they left the place they had stayed at, Wu Xin asked if she was hungry. The child immediately covered her mouth again.

No matter what he said, she kept covering her mouth. After a few times, it seemed she had become addicted to it, always watching Wu Xin’s mouth. As soon as she saw him about to speak, she would cover it, and even when she covered it, she would laugh, giggling nonstop, as if she was enjoying it for some reason.

Wu Xin smiled faintly as he watched her joyful expression.

Soon, Qian was amazed to find that even though she was covering his mouth, his voice still reached her ears. She released her hands and saw that his mouth wasn’t moving, but the voice was still there.

Where was the sound coming from?!

Qian, of course, had no idea that this was the “mantra” used in Buddhist practice, not transmitted by the mouth but by the heart. It was usually used to intimidate demons or to impart teachings to disciples.

She curiously poked around his head again and again, finally confirming that he was producing the sound with his nose.

One day, as they passed through a village, Wu Xin approached a house to ask for lodging.

The elderly woman of the household was very kind, offering them hot water, preparing to cook for them, and chatting warmly with Wu Xin. She would ask where they were from and why such a small child was traveling with a Venerable Master.

As she watched Wu Xin carry the child up and down, always holding her, the child’s shoes seemed as if they had never touched any dirt.

The old woman couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “The child must be at least three years old, right? How can you always be carrying her? You need to put her down and let her walk more.”

Wu Xin, the Venerable Master, rare as it was, fell silent for a moment and asked, “At this age, can she walk on her own?”

He looked at Qian, and she responded with an innocent look.

He put her down, and Qian walked around the room for a while before coming back to him, reaching her arms out to be carried again.

Yes, just like that—often, when he put her down, she wouldn’t walk for long before wanting to be carried again. Before he knew it, he was always carrying her.

The eager old woman finally saw through the young monk and realized he wasn’t as experienced with children as he appeared. So, she eagerly began imparting decades of child-rearing wisdom.

She taught him, for instance, how to undo a child’s hair before bed, how to wash her hands and feet, the order in which to dress her, and so on. Wu Xin, the Venerable Master, listened attentively, nodding in understanding.

The next day was unusually sunny, and it was warm enough to feel the heat of the sun. They were walking on a rare smooth official road.

Wu Xin, remembering the old woman’s advice, put Qian down to let her walk.

At first, Qian obediently walked on her own, but after a short time, she started complaining that she was hot. Wu Xin took off her outer floral cotton coat and held it in his hand.

Soon, she reached out her hands, wanting to be carried.

Wu Xin saw through her laziness and said, “I’ll carry you once we reach that big tree ahead.”

Qian looked at the big tree, then walked less than a hundred meters, panting hard, her tongue hanging out like Little Dog, obviously exaggerating.

Despite her noisy panting, when looked at closely, there wasn’t a trace of sweat on her.

“Dad, pick me up.”

Wu Xin looked at her. Seeing that he didn’t intend to carry her, Qian squatted down and directly sat on his cloth shoes.

Unable to lift his foot, Wu Xin finally gave in and carried her.

When they stopped to rest, Wu Xin didn’t carry her anymore and let her play on the ground.

Once she started playing, she ran around without calling it tiring, digging in the nearby grass.

The winter mud had formed a thin layer of ice, and there was still some leftover snow. The child jumped on it, but suddenly her feet slipped, and she rolled straight into the mud pit, getting herself covered in black mud.

As Wu Xin stood up to go over, the child pulled her head out of the mud, her face half-covered in dirt.

Wu Xin: “…”