Chapter 376: Guanyin Bodhisattva

"Fa Hai! Again him!"

Xiao Qing rose unhappily and said, "How can this old monk be so relentless!"

Gu Qing returned from outside; the Dragon Boat Festival had passed, Xiao Qing had emerged from the well, and after hearing the public trial of Doctor Shi, he became deeply enraged, suspecting Fa Hai's hand behind it all.

Behind Xu Gan stood Fa Hai; behind Doctor Shi stood Qin Gui. Both manipulated Gu Qing's business, dragging him into the whirlpool of intrigue to lure him into separating from Bai Suzhen.

"I fear not the thief who steals, but the one who lingers in thought."

Gu Qing sighed and said, "Let him have a little more time."

Recently, Gu Qing had been secretly refining the Zhuxian Sword and the Celestial Lock using the Maoshan Sect's resources, preparing to give Fa Hai a grand surprise.

Now that the Dragon Boat Festival had passed, the feverish heat on Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing's bodies had subsided. Gu Qing looked at the two women, his smile growing less pure; he immediately began inscribing talismans, ready to have Chang'e extinguish the moonlight.

"Don't…"

Bai Suzhen felt it was too much to trouble Chang'e constantly, and she stopped Gu Qing, saying, "We three can sit together and talk just fine. To disturb the Immortal Lady every day—how could we ever repay such grace?"

In the Moon Palace, Chang'e's divine radiance was cold and clear; she gave a slight nod.

This cold, luminous, lofty, and eternally noble goddess, after agreeing to shield Gu Qing from prying eyes, now watched daily—and even she felt unclean.

"Again, calling for a truce?"

Gu Qing frowned.

Bai Suzhen suddenly flushed with shame and anger, saying, "There was never any marital bond between us. That day, I was mentally drained, my thoughts nearly frozen—that's why I let you manipulate me, forgetting I could move my own limbs, could have fetched medicine for myself and Xiao Qing…"

"Gu Qing, relationships built on power dissolve when power fades; those built on wealth scatter when wealth runs out. Ours is built on grace—I humbled myself to please you, not like you and Xiao Qing, who are lovers in affection. Once the child is born, I will…"

Gu Qing saw Bai Suzhen's pained expression and hurried to comfort her, knowing it was due to pregnancy-induced emotional instability; on another level, Bai Suzhen always felt Gu Qing and Xiao Qing were a pair, while she herself was a mistake.

Yet, having conceived at once, she had no choice but to submit.

"Our bond is built on emotion, on heart."

Gu Qing gently embraced Bai Suzhen and comforted her, saying, "If I hadn't truly grown fond of you, why would I risk my life to stand beside you against Fa Hai?"

After this soothing, Bai Suzhen's emotions gradually stabilized; when she looked at Xiao Qing, her eyes held a new shyness—she knew this was a good husband to sisters, yet she herself was hopelessly entangled.

"Sister, I welcome you."

Xiao Qing stepped forward.

Xiao Qing blamed only herself for her initial dishonesty—cross-dressing, creating obstacles in her romance, breeding misunderstandings. As for Gu Qing, she felt he was blameless.

The three gathered close, chatting idly; Gu Qing lay atop Bai Suzhen's belly, giving fetal instruction to the future Purple Micro Star, speaking only Daoist teachings—like the peace and prosperity of the world described in the *Taiping Jing*, or the lines from the *Yuanshi Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing*: "Equal compassion and love, strangers become kin, the state secure, the people abundant, rejoicing in peace."

The ideas Gu Qing expanded upon were not the yin-yang interdependence of Taiji, but rather the yin-yang opposition of struggle—he called it "yin-yang contradiction." Bai Suzhen didn't understand, yet her horizons broadened.

Bai Suzhen tenderly stroked Gu Qing's hair; the three of them drifted into drowsy sleep.

"Gu Qing… Gu Qing…"

Someone gently shook Gu Qing, prompting him to open his eyes. Before him stood a little girl in red robes, youthful and delicate, with dark, lively eyes. Seeing him awake, she blinked waterily and said, "The Bodhisattva is waiting for you."

What Bodhisattva?

Gu Qing focused his mind, trying to recall—but his thoughts felt blank. Then, with a flicker of intent, he activated his Good Deeds system; memories surged back. He turned his head and saw himself, Bai Suzhen, and Xiao Qing asleep on the bed.

Was this a divine dream? Or soul departure?

Gu Qing studied the girl before him, then said, "So you're the Dragon Girl—then the Guanyin Bodhisattva is waiting for me."

Bai Suzhen had often bowed before the Guanyin Bodhisattva; Gu Qing, always beside her, recognized both the Bodhisattva's statue and the Dragon Girl. Remembering Bai Suzhen's connection to Guanyin, he stepped forward and followed the Dragon Girl out of the room.

In the tale of the White Snake, Bai Suzhen repeatedly portrayed Guanyin and received warnings from the Bodhisattva—clearly, she was being shown special favor.

Entering the courtyard, Gu Qing saw a white-robed figure: eyebrows like new moons, eyes like blue lotuses, serene and smiling, compassionate and solemn. No willow branch, no jade vase—only boundless, immeasurable Buddhist compassion.

"Disciple Gu Qing pays homage to the Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Gu Qing bowed to the Bodhisattva.

"Good, good."

The Guanyin Bodhisattva's voice, compassionate and sorrowful, clear and profound, said: "Gu Qing, you have established the Tongren Hall in the mortal realm, practicing charity and benefiting all beings—your merit is immense."

In Buddhism, charity is divided into three kinds: material giving, Dharma giving, and fearlessness giving.

In the Tongren Hall, Gu Qing treated patients, distributed medical prescriptions, and opposed Prince Liang—these actions correspond to the three forms of charity; his founding of the Cao Bang also aided the poor, aligning with all three.

"Heaven has no favorites; it aids only the good."

Gu Qing said calmly, "As a Daoist, I act to help others and cultivate goodness—I never thought so deeply."

Though the Bodhisattva was vast, Gu Qing's stance was firm.

The Bodhisattva's gaze was clear; her voice grew even more compassionate: "Your sincerity in goodness is real, your inner troubles are real too. If you abandon inner afflictions and benefit beings externally, you have already awakened Bodhicitta. Water it daily, let it take root and sprout—your future will surely bear fruit."

The Guanyin Bodhisattva taught Gu Qing the way of awakening Bodhicitta.

Gu Qing fell silent, then said, "I do good simply because I am good by nature. I seek no wealth, beauty, fame, food, or the Three Bodies, Four Wisdoms, Five Eyes, Six Supernatural Powers. Bodhisattva, you overestimate me."

Gu Qing did good because he was bound to the Good Deeds system—it fulfilled others' wishes and strengthened his own power, a win-win. When he met an enemy, he could win twice.

The Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled without change, saying, "If you truly sought nothing—no wealth, beauty, fame, food, no Three Bodies, Four Wisdoms, Five Eyes, Six Supernatural Powers, no attachment to all dharmas—you would have already attained Prajna."

One who does not cling to any dharma is Prajna.

Gu Qing spoke to deities as brothers, harboring many private desires; yet when the Bodhisattva exposed him, he only smiled.

"I truly cannot let go of many things."

Gu Qing admitted frankly.

"Cannot let go… Fa Hai cannot let go either."

The Bodhisattva sighed sorrowfully: "Gu Qing, walk with me."

One must respect the Bodhisattva's face.

Gu Qing nodded. With a flicker of intent, he rose with the Bodhisattva into the clouds, standing atop the sky, drifting northward. He turned his head and looked toward Hangzhou—within an instant, the city shrank to the size of a fist, invisible.

(End of Chapter)