Chapter 226: Love Tribulation of Three Lifetimes

Xu Jia discussed Buddhist scriptures with his mother for a while.

"The most important thought in the Lotus Sutra is the One Buddha Vehicle, which means that all sentient beings possess Buddha Nature, and all sentient beings can attain Buddhahood."

Xu Mu was surprised: "Can I also attain Buddhahood?"

"Naturally. Previously, Mother, you recited the Guanyin Heart Mantra; this sutra contains the 'Universal Gate Chapter of Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa' which corresponds to it."

"Mother, you should start learning this sutra from the Universal Gate Chapter to understand the great vows, great kindness, and great compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva, thereby initiating deep introspection and strengthening your Buddha Nature."

"Then, by realizing the true nature of all phenomena and understanding Emptiness, you can enter the cultivation of the Three Vehicles: the Voice-Hearer, the Self-Enlightened, and the Bodhisattva."

"If you have some realization of this sutra, it is not difficult to achieve a Bodhisattva Fruit Position."

"However, this sutra does not have a true method for gradual cultivation; it can be combined with the Yogacarabhumi Sastra. By matching the Seventeen Stages of Achievement with the Three Vehicles, one can clearly understand the levels required from the beginning to the attainment of a Bodhisattva."

Xu Jia had read all these Buddhist scriptures, and he also had "collisions of wisdom."

Now, explaining them one by one to his old mother, he had many different insights. But Xu Jia did not actively practice Dharma; this stuff was just something to be understood.

Hearing Xu Jia's lecture, Xu Mu first felt the joy of hearing the Buddha, and then surprise, thinking: My son is truly not a person of the mortal world; he is an Immortal Buddha from heaven descended to the lower realm.

When Xu Jia lectured on the Buddha, Gui Linggao, the war eagle, and even Kan Yinwu, as well as Sheng Ying'er, were all attracted.

For a time, wisdom was born in them.

Xu Jia and his mother discussed the Dharma for two hours, lecturing until the two Great Sea Lamps beneath the Bodhisattva shone with great light, and lecturing until Jialan Protectors and Jieti Protectors appeared in the sky within the Dharma Realm, with celestial maidens scattering flowers and singing wonderful music.

After Xu Jia finished, these things did not disperse but remained in the Dharma Realm of the Buddha hall, continuing to protect the Dao.

They were not particularly high-level Protectors or heavenly beings, but they counted as some "security," so Xu Jia did not drive them away, though he did not offer them Incense Fire.

Leaving the Buddha hall, Xu Jia felt refreshed, and then he remembered he still had to take in a disciple named "Chen Liuxian," who was an apprentice to Li Dafu, the doctor who had treated him at the county pharmacy, and who had a snake demon wife named Liu Ruyan.

"This is bad; this disciple who hasn't even entered the sect yet, won't he have his vital essence drained by the snake demon?"

Xu Jia silently calculated and found that the person was not yet dead, which put his mind at ease.

After bathing and changing clothes for a while, Xiao Hong brought newly kneaded pills for Xu Jia to taste.

"Young Master, these are pills with added Ganoderma powder, called Immortal Ganoderma Pills. Would you like to taste them?"

"Immortal Ganoderma Pills? I haven't passed down this recipe."

Xiao Hong chuckled and said: "It's something we figured out together."

"You? Besides you, who else?"

"There's the Works Official, Old Master Niu and the others."

Xu Jia thought inexplicably: "Self-composed a good prescription," but since he was already an Earth Immortal True Person, he shouldn't be poisoned to death, so he asked: "What did you use to make the Immortal Ganoderma Pills?"

"We consulted the Materia Medica and found that it records nine types of Immortal Grade items, so we used Ganoderma powder as the main ingredient, and the other eight Immortal Grade items—Polygonatum, Fleeceflower Root, Snow Lotus, Dendrobium, Ginseng, Poria, Pearl, and Cistanche—as supplements."

"And according to the method you gave for processing herbs, we processed them all, used refined honey to make them into pills, and covered them with gold foil. Everyone says they are Immortal Pills!"

Xu Jia:? Are you sure they won't kill anyone?

But he still encouraged her fully and, under her expectant gaze, consumed one pill. This pill was about the size of a little finger, covered in gold foil, and felt heavy in his hand.

Swallowing it into his stomach, he only felt a churning sensation. These were all "Immortal Grade" items in traditional medicine, "bait medicine" long consumed by ancient alchemists, things that would make one an Immortal if consumed for a long time, although the Immortals they became were basically "Corpse Severance Immortals" or "Ghost Immortals," belonging to the early "List of Immortals."

But it could not be denied that these things indeed had some miraculous effects. If an ordinary person ate them, they would be unable to handle the nourishment, resulting in nosebleeds, cold sweats, and fever. But Xu Jia was an Earth Immortal; this medicinal power churned for a while before being quickly absorbed by his Inner Landscape Heaven and Earth. Inside, the Snow Lotus was from the snowy mountains, the Cistanche from the Da Mo, the Pearl from the South Sea, the Ginseng from the Northeast, the Dendrobium from Yunnan, the Poria from Sichuan... Southeast, Northwest, and Center; the Five Elements were different, and the cold and heat were different.

"You developed these Immortal Ganoderma Pills very well, but you'd better stop developing them; good things are being wasted." Xu Jia sighed: "These things don't become Immortal Pills just by being combined simply; otherwise, how many people could become Immortals?"

Xiao Hong became disappointed: "Then these can't be eaten? Can't be used?"

"Only martial artists can withstand the clash of this medicinal nature. Ordinary people eating them like this, in as little as seven days or as long as half a year, will definitely die. First, they will have unexplained nosebleeds, then fever, then their bodies will become bloated, then they will sweat like oil, be restless at night, have hyperactive desires, and finally die suddenly in their sleep. You tell me, isn't it powerful? It can even be compared to those Golden Pills that poisoned emperors in the past."

【Note: This line is a continuation of the previous paragraph's thought.】

Xu Jia said: "These pills are not to be made again. If you want to develop more, you cannot just rely on your imagination. First, read the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, especially the 'Ancient Heavenly Truth Treatise' chapter; this is the general outline. Then go read the Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica to familiarize yourself with medicinal properties. Finally, read the Treatise on Cold Damage to understand human diseases. Also, you have practiced the Old Farmer Technique I passed down; use it to perceive medicinal properties subtly. Only then can you start to ponder and develop new pill recipes."

Xiao Hong nodded repeatedly: "Okay, Young Master, I will read more books."

Xiao Qing stood on the side and asked curiously: "Young Master, can I practice this Old Farmer Technique with Sister Xiao Hong? She is so strong, and I also want to be stronger."

She was holding the big chubby boy Xu Jian, her chest heaving, but she was only sixteen or seventeen, and the baby she had previously given birth to was a girl who had been thrown into a ditch by her mother-in-law.

Xu Jia nodded: "If the maids and nannies want to practice, Xiao Hong, you can teach them together. It's just that they need to take Small Five Elements Pills, so they can only be issued eighteen pills a month along with their wages."

Small Five Elements Pills were also very expensive, and eighteen pills were actually very few, only enough for two days—nine pills a day, taken mixed with wine, to strengthen the body and fill in deficiencies.

Xiao Qing was overjoyed: "Thank you, Young Master!" At this moment, Xu Jian started wailing, and she blushed: "Young Master, I'm going to feed the little young master!"

"Go!"

Xu Jia suddenly thought: "You are breastfeeding, you had better not take medicine for the time being!"

Only then did he walk out of the Xu residence, used Sword Escape, broke through the Dharma Realm, and came to find his cheap disciple....

"Madam, why are we leaving?" Chen Liuxian was grabbing a prescription for an old woman, and beside him, Liu Ruyan was dressed in white, very beautiful and moving, but her expression was anxious.

"My family feels it is inconvenient for me to be far away, and they want me to be closer to home. I am the only daughter in my family, so they want to see you, my husband. My family has millions in assets and a hundred acres of fertile land." Liu Ruyan said carefully: "When we get to my home, wouldn't it be better if we open a medical clinic ourselves?"

"Ah? When I first met you, Madam, you said you were all alone, your parents were dead, you were relying on relatives but were driven out, had no home, and were wandering the streets..."

Chen Liuxian held Liu Ruyan's shoulders: "Madam, although we share the same bed, sometimes I really don't know which of your words are true and which are false."

Liu Ruyan's heart was in chaos, not knowing how to answer.

"But as long as it's you, true or false doesn't matter. But I am currently learning skills from my master. If you want me to leave here, there must be a reason. My parents and clansmen are all here. If I leave, not to mention anything else, I must at least take my parents. If we leave, where are we going? Where will we settle down?"

Liu Ruyan suddenly said: "You just don't want to go with me, right? In your heart, I am just not as important as others..."

"Clap, clap, clap!" Xu Jia entered the pharmacy clapping: "Little Doctor Chen, Miss Liu, we meet again."

Liu Ruyan was shocked to see Xu Jia. Last time, Xu Jia hit her casually, and half her face was ruined. Later, she had to tell Xu Jia the news of the Dexing Earth Treasure to escape.

She hid for more than half a month afterward before she could trade for a piece of Mermaid Skin from other demons to cover her face and block the injury that could never heal.

Xu Jia actually didn't want to be Fa Hai and break up this pair, but this Liu Ruyan's thinking was wrong before. Knowing that her demon Qi and snake venom would cause people to lose their lives even if she didn't actively hurt them, Xu Jia had actively lectured Chen Liuxian to learn immortality and Dharma to resist the demon Qi.

But Liu Ruyan said that if Chen Liuxian learned Dharma, he would discover she was a snake demon and would likely leave her, so she refused Xu Jia and even wanted to ambush him, only to be countered by Xu Jia.

This snake demon's essence might be wanting to learn to be human and wanting to pass the "Love Tribulation," while Chen Liuxian was just a tool, and this tool even had excellent natural talent and good character.

"Eh? Liar? It's you again?"

"A swindler?" Xu Jia clicked his tongue and said, "The commoners in Dexing next door are about to build a living shrine for this poor Daoist, yet you call me a swindler. How truly heartbreaking."

He then said, "I possess the method to become an Immortal and attain the Dao, which I intended to impart to you, but you are entangled in sinful karma and have your own tribulations to face; the time is not yet right."

Afterward, he looked at Liu Ruyan: "A great tribulation is also descending upon you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Liuxian was extremely indignant and shielded Liu Ruyan behind him: "Where did this demonic Daoist come from? How dare you curse my wife like this?"

Xu Jia merely sneered, and the next moment, he vanished.

Reappearing, he arrived at the Yushan City God Temple, where the City God immediately manifested: "This minor deity pays respects to the Heavenly Master!"

Xu Jia waved his hand: "No need for formalities, no need for formalities!"

His current status was completely different from before; previously, Xu Jia was a Lushan Master and had to ask the City God for permission to deploy troops, but now he was a Heavenly Master, capable of commissioning or deposing deities. If he did not carve a plaque that read "Exempt from bowing and paying respects," all the local Earth Spirits and Water Deities within a hundred-mile radius would come to bow and pay their respects.

"The Heavenly Master has arrived suddenly; is there any instruction you have for this minor deity?"

"I have come to ask you: that Hu Agui previously opened the Cuichun Pavilion in the city, and you did not interfere, which was a meritorious act, but now there is a snake demon mixing with a pharmacy doctor—what is her background?"

The City God asked upon hearing this: "Her? Why does the Heavenly Master ask about her?"

"Her husband, Chen Liuxian, shares a master-disciple bond with me. I have a set of diagrams and Registers I wish to impart to him, which record the affairs of all Immortals, demons, and ghosts under heaven."

"Previously, when the three Flood Dragons caused chaos beneath Dexing, I did not know the details, yet she was able to understand them. Therefore, I want to ask what her background is—is she some second-generation descendant, or does she have a master? That way, I can go and petition her elders to lodge a complaint."

"I see," the City God said. "This Liu Ruyan bears the surname Liu and hails from Lishan. There is a Great Deity at Lishan who is an incarnation of the Mother of Humanity, Nüwa, known as Lishan Old Mother. The Old Mother has a disciple who founded the Lishan Sect. The Lishan Sect is a lineage of the Three Realms, with Daochang in the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm; it is a famous and major sect."

"Within the Lishan Sect of this realm, there exists a Spirit Root of Heaven and Earth passed down from the Shangjie, called the Love Root. This Love Root blooms with Love Flowers and bears Love Fruit. Once one consumes the Love Fruit, they can trigger a Love Tribulation in advance. After passing this tribulation and continuing to cultivate, one will be as different from their former self as clouds are from mud."

"This snake demon comes from the Lishan Sect. Because she ate the Love Fruit, she secretly left the mountain gate to seek out a predestined marriage."

"Her relationship with this Chen Liuxian is a sinful karma spanning three lifetimes. In the first two lifetimes, Chen Liuxian was a practitioner of the Dao. In one lifetime, he joined Longhu Mountain and was a disciple under the Thirty-Fourth Generation Heavenly Master. He once entered the capital to lecture on scriptures and met this demon. The demon transformed into a white dragon, calling herself a Dragon Girl, and engaged in a romance with Chen Liuxian. However, the Lishan Sect later captured her, and Longhu Mountain did not permit its disciples to fall in love with demons, so the love of that first lifetime ended in separation."

"In the second lifetime, Chen Liuxian was a Daoist at Ge Immortal Mountain, skilled in medicine and healing. Due to a plague, he descended the mountain and met Liu Ruyan, a disciple of the Lishan Sect who had finished her confinement and was also descending the mountain to distribute medicine. The two drove away evil and cut down the plague, but they still could not be together because, at that time, Chen Liuxian had contracted the plague and fallen into the Eight Difficulties. Liu Ruyan cut out her own snake gall to cure his plague, ultimately dying, and Chen Liuxian lived out his second lifetime in lonely regret until his death."

"Her fellow disciples brought Liu Ruyan's corpse back to Lishan, and later, somehow, she was reincarnated and came looking for him again."

"In this lifetime, Chen Liuxian's affinity for the Dao is not as deep as in the previous two, and he has only become a child of an ordinary family, yet he still encountered Liu Ruyan."

The City God shook his head: "I do not know why this Lishan Sect insists on cultivating this Love Root, growing these Love Flowers and Love Fruits, only to come out and bring disaster to people."

"Because Liu Ruyan has the merit of curing the plague, we did not stop her or interfere with her."

"We also do not wish to get involved in this sinful karma of three lifetimes."

Xu Jia muttered to himself: What a brain-dead television drama plot.

"No wonder this Liu Ruyan is unwilling to let Chen Liuxian cultivate the Dao in this lifetime; it must have become an obsession. It is no longer a question of whether they love each other or not."

The City God said: "If the Heavenly Master possesses great wisdom and can awaken them, severing their threads of love, Chen Liuxian could join the Heavenly Master's sect; he likely has the potential to become an Immortal in this lifetime. As for Liu Ruyan, it would be best to ask the Lishan Sect to know how to handle her."

"Lishan is far away in Xi'an," Xu Jia said. "Why should I go there? It would be better if you wrote a letter on my behalf to inform the Xi'an World City God."

The Yushan City God nodded: "That would also be good. I actually have a headache over it too; after all, Love Tribulations are always prone to colluding with Heavenly Disasters and human calamities. I even suspect that the recent great flood was triggered by the two of them here."

(End of chapter)