The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 207 - 202: This Love Can Wait to Become a Memory

Chapter 207: Chapter 202: This Love Can Wait to Become a Memory

The woman named Yu Gui kneeled before the Buddha statue, praying earnestly.

That day, the Buddha Ancestor finally manifested.

"Amitabha Buddha! Where sincerity resides, even metal and stone will open. Devotee, do you pray so fervently just to see that man once more?" the Buddha Ancestor asked, with his hands together, a visage of compassionate grief nodding in enquiry.

"Buddha Ancestor, all I ask is to see him one more time, even if it’s just a glance, then I will have no regrets," Yu Gui prayed devoutly.

"As you plant, so you reap. For this attachment, you must forsake all that you have now, including your current life. Are you still willing?" the Buddha Ancestor asked.

In this world, there are always those madly in love; as once the Venerable Ape was mad for the sword, the young woman was mad for love. She nodded, saying without regret or rancor.

"Buddha said, ’Five hundred lifetimes of looking back can earn a passing encounter in this life.’ If you wish to see him again, endure five hundred years of austere penance. Are you still willing?" the Buddha Ancestor asked.

"I am willing."

"It will be very painful."

"I am willing!" The girl’s resolve was as unbreakable as metal and stone.

The Buddha Ancestor smiled and said, "Then follow me."

With a wave of his hand, he led Yu Gui to stand on his palm, which resembled a lotus leaf, and they traveled on a cloud to the outskirts. There, he pointed towards the base of the mountain and said, "If you want to see him, you may have to endure five hundred years of hardships, exposed to wind, rain, sun, and frost. I hope you won’t regret it."

"Buddha Ancestor, I will never regret it," Yu Gui replied with her hands together, bowing again to the Buddha Ancestor.

Thus, the Buddha Ancestor threw the young girl at the foot of the mountain, turning her into a green rock. As a rock, she bore daily the hardships of wind, rain, sun, and frost, and even the loneliness of not having anyone to talk to. The area was scarcely populated; a hundred years passed without seeing a single soul. But Yu Gui knew these were trials, these were tests; deliberately waiting for a bond meant waiting five hundred years. Chance encounters were the result of five hundred lifetimes of glances, but sought-after fates meant enduring five hundred years of torturous hardships.

A hundred years later, the Buddha Ancestor came to ask, "Is it painful?"

"Yes!"

"Do you regret it?"

"No!"

The Buddha Ancestor turned and walked away, sighing softly. Yu Gui continued to wait. Her heart was as steadfast as stone, determined to meet the person she loved, even if only for a moment, willing to endure such torment! Waiting was long, especially a five-hundred-year wait. Alone, she endured the howling wind, the beating rain, the harsh frost... At night, she could always hear the sound of rain on banana leaves. If only she could warm a pot of light wine, even memories would feel cozy. Unfortunately, she was now just a piece of rock.

Four hundred years passed, and the Buddha Ancestor came again.

"I have a sword that can sever foolish attachments. If you no longer wish to suffer from this emotional torment, perhaps I can help you sever these foolish desires," the Buddha Ancestor said, holding a gleaming Sword of Wisdom.

"No! I don’t want to forget him. It’s already been four hundred years. I will keep waiting. Buddha Ancestor, I do not regret!" the rock trembled slightly, stubbornly and decisively speaking.

The Buddha Ancestor left again. To expect a stubborn rock to nod was indeed difficult. Though she was human, she was as steadfast as a solid rock.

In Jiangnan, a stone bridge was to be constructed, and a batch of stonecutters arrived at the mountain base and carried her off in a cart.

Chopped by axes, and carved by hammers, she endured excruciating pain, yet still clenched her teeth and persisted. She thought to herself, "It’s already been four hundred ninety-nine years. Just one more year, and I will see him. I can endure this pain!"

She was carved into a piece of railing and became part of the stone bridge.

On the very day the stone bridge was completed, she finally saw him.

He hurried across the stone bridge, and she brushed past him, watching his figure disappear into the distance. Five hundred years of hardship culminated in that fleeting moment.

"You saw him," the voice of the Buddha Ancestor echoed, neither sad nor happy.

"Buddha Ancestor, why am I part of the bridge railing? I want to touch him, or let him touch me," Yu Gui said, unable to hide her dissatisfaction.

The Buddha Ancestor thought deeply and then said, "Then you must endure another five hundred years of hardships."

"I am willing!"

"It will still be very painful."

"I am not afraid of pain."

"Amitabha Buddha!" the Buddha Ancestor said, with his hands together, pulling Yu Gui from the railing and placing her inside a large tree.

The next five hundred years of reincarnation began.

This time, as a large tree, it wasn’t so lonely; she was beside a busy road, watching people come and go, and horses gallop past. Yet, this was also a kind of pain, pining daily for his arrival, only to be disappointed again and again. This pain was worse than being battered by wind and rain or the autumn leaves falling.

Through countless passings, none were him. When will you come?

The Buddha Ancestor knew of her relentless fixation and hadn’t appeared again in these five hundred years. Finally, the four hundred ninety-ninth year arrived.

She was cut down, enduring the pain of chopping and hammering, made into an umbrella, and placed in a sundries store.

That day, a heavy rain began, and he finally arrived.

He entered the store, seemingly quite familiar with the owner, and he borrowed her. As he selected an umbrella, her heart almost burst with excitement.

She finally made contact with him, feeling his warmth. His palm was as warm as a furnace. Five hundred years later, he remained as dashing, enchanting as ever.

The rain had stopped, and she was sent back to the grocery store. She knew that perhaps the next meeting would be in five hundred years.

How many people bow their heads in search and yet never come out? In one’s youth, one always believes that there will be an answer. Only when tired do they realize, what use are so many answers to life? How can a moment of joy be exchanged for a lifetime of ephemeral dreams? What good is it for mere fleeting beauty to turn into a thousand years of foolish love and bitter waiting? From then on, life has become a faded phoenix coronet and robe of state. She quietly thought, it had already been a thousand years.

"Do you still wish to be his wife? That would require another thousand years of cultivation," the voice of the Buddha Ancestor sounded.

Yu Gui, however, smiled lightly, a calm and shallow smile, and shook her head, saying, "No need!"

The Buddha Ancestor asked, "Why? A thousand years have passed, another thousand years isn’t long."

Yu Gui sighed, "This is already very good. I love him, but I don’t necessarily have to become his wife."

The Buddha Ancestor seemed thoughtful and nodded.

Yu Gui inquired, "Is his wife also suffering like this?"

The Buddha Ancestor could not help but smile, merely smiling without speaking.

Yu Gui suddenly took a deep breath and laughed, "I could have done it, but no need! Five hundred backward glances for just one passing encounter is enough, why persist further? Persisting too much might just turn into a heart demon."

The Buddha Ancestor gently tapped her forehead, and a cinnabar mole appeared on her forehead.

"Buddha Ancestor?"

"Hmm...you’ve finally understood." The Buddha Ancestor descended from the Lotus Platform, shed his golden Kasaya, and changed into his simple Kasaya, along with the familiar cloth shoes and monk’s hat. The Buddha Beads in his hand slowly turned as he smiled at her.

"What?" asked Yu Gui, confused.

"Someone has cultivated for two thousand years for you, now, he can finally wait one thousand years less," the Buddha Ancestor said with a smile.

The cinnabar mole on Yu Gui’s forehead emitted a red light. Memories flooded her mind like a tide, and she too could not help but smile, saying, "Master Hui Zhi! Do you still want to watch me dance?"

Hui Zhi, however, shook his head and said, "I’m not called Hui Zhi, my name is Equal to Heaven."

Yu Gui wrinkled her brows and thought for a long time before breaking into a smile again, saying, "No, you’re not Equal to Heaven, you’re Sun Wukong!"

Hui Zhi stepped forward, taking her hand and softly said, "A heart demon is not always something that must be eradicated. If one understands and lets go of attachments, one can also achieve Buddhahood."

Yu Gui, laughing, hugged him and tearfully said, "I know. You’re going to wake up, and when you do, I will be gone. The man I have waited for a thousand years, he must be my attachment, right? If I cultivate for another thousand years, would you just have to cut off your attachment? In reality, I am just a figment of your imagination..."

Hui Zhi stroked her long hair and softly said, "Yes, I’m going to wake up!"

Yu Gui blinked her eyes, crystal-like and dreamy, and asked, "Then will you forget me?"

"Never! We will eventually meet again, perhaps that day is far off, requiring another two thousand years of cultivation!" said Hui Zhi.

"By that time, I won’t be Yu Gui, and you won’t be the great monk anymore, right?" she asked.

"Right!" Hui Zhi replied, smiling and gently stroking her hair. Though reluctant, he knew that all dreams eventually come to an end.

He led her up to Mount Sumeru, bowed down before Amitabha Buddha, and said, "Buddha Ancestor, I’ve truly understood!"

A person carrying a Bamboo Staff appeared beside Amitabha Buddha and nodded to him, "Understood, then go."

"The Sutra of the Other Shore contains a strand of Amitabha’s Divine Sense that led you to understand my true Dharma. My Divine Sense will take you out," the person with the Bamboo Staff said with a smile.

"Zhunti Buddha Ancestor," Hui Zhi bowed again to Zhunti Buddha Ancestor.

Looking at Hui Zhi, Yu Gui said, "Sun Wukong, remember to come find me!"

Hui Zhi nodded with a smile: "Definitely!"

"Hmm, I’ll wait for you!"

Hui Zhi placed his hands together in prayer and kneeled in front of Zhunti and Amitabha, Zhunti holding his Bamboo Staff, asked with a smile, "Won’t you stay a little longer?"

Hui Zhi shook his head, "No, it is ultimately a dream. It will end sooner or later; better to wake up sooner."

Zhunti nodded slightly.

Hui Zhi then asked, "Where are Zhunti Buddha Ancestor and Amitabha now? How can I help to rescue them?"

Zhunti said, "Don’t worry. We are ultimately the Sages of the Heavenly Dao. Tathagata cannot trouble us! We will naturally come out at the right time."

Hui Zhi said, "Since Zhunti Buddha Ancestor already has a plan, I won’t ask any more. Please send me out, Buddha Ancestor!"

Zhunti raised his Bamboo Staff and gently tapped him three times on the head. Yu Gui immediately burst into tears, rushing forward to embrace him, but alas, his body had already vanished.

"Well done, well done!" both Buddha Ancestors softly exclaimed as the universe shattered, returning to Chaos.

When the Daoist Equal to Heaven opened his eyes, the Sword of Wisdom was still in his hand. Where was any stabbing into his chest at all? His heart, no longer joyous or sorrowful, had let go of attachments. What heart demon was left? How could the illusions of the Outer Domain Demon World confuse him anymore?

For the subsequent story, please tune in next time. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it at Starting Point (qidian.com) with your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)