Chapter 74: Blind Old Man, Silly Living Buddha

Gui Linggao's grandfather is named Gui Suishou, and he has lived in Jinsha Creek for over one hundred and twenty years. Although it is said that a thousand-year-old tortoise and a ten-thousand-year-old turtle exist, the lifespan of an ordinary grass turtle is only thirty to fifty years; being able to live over one hundred and twenty years makes him a long-lived, cultivated turtle with profound wisdom.

He scolded, "The human heart holds treacherous and unfathomable dangers. Never mind their utilitarianism—it looks like they are about to make their fortune, but even if a Sage were to appear in the world, what does that have to do with us?"

The master of the Water Mansion, the Jinsha Creek Dragon King, said, "He has only just passed the Fishery Tribulation and his knowledge is limited, but since he led someone to the bank and submitted a petition to the gods, it is difficult for us to stay uninvolved."

The Jinsha Creek Water Deity only holds a Ninth Rank Register; having attained Didao as a loach, he has only cultivated here for fifty years. In truth, he rarely interacts with people, follows the laws of nature, and just stays tucked away in the Water Mansion to cultivate, hoping to attain a Dragon Body soon.

The "Dragon Phase" seen in the Dharma Realm is actually just the secular world's materialization of the belief that "where there is a dragon in the water, it is efficacious"; it is not something truly cultivated, much like how Xu Jia observes the spirit of mountain ranges, which is like a centipede dragon.

The Jinsha Creek Dragon King deliberated, "Since he wants to make his fortune, he must be lacking some Literary Luck. Although Jinsha Creek is small, it connects to Mirror Lake. In the previous dynasty, there was a Metropolitan Graduate official who washed his brush by the creek. The ink-infused writing irrigated a plum tree, causing it to bloom with Ink Plums the following year. The fragrance overflowed, enabling people to improve their literary thoughts and open their literary apertures."

"Later, the Ink Plums were spotted by a plum-splitting craftsman, who split them into 'sick plums' to sell to literati and poets. When this Metropolitan Graduate official retired and returned to his hometown, he washed his brush once more and composed a poem to cherish the past. Thus, the ink and the soul of the Ink Plums merged, forming an Ink Pill, which I obtained."

"Just take this Ink Pill to him and have him take it with yellow wine; then his stomach will be filled with ink, and he will be able to write essays."

……

Gui Linggao did not expect that both the Water Mansion Creek Deity and his grandfather would be unwilling to cause trouble, so he had no choice but to hold the Ink Pill in his mouth and leave the water.

Gui Linggao came to Xu Jia's side and spat out the pill; it was actually an ink stick the size of a peanut, with a plum blossom mark on it.

Gui Linggao watched with eager eyes, feeling a bit cautious, terrified that Xu Jia might drive him out of the house.

Xu Jia smelled the Ink Pill; the fragrance was pungent and extremely refreshing, and he immediately knew this was a gift from the Jinsha Creek Water Deity.

He thought to himself, "This one is quite easy to deal with; he even sent a gift for me."

He immediately picked up Gui Linggao and prepared to head back, waiting for a clear reply from the two at night.

……

"Eh, today is market day." Xu Jia saw Hu Jinhua out at the market selling vegetables. He was still in the guise of an old woman, bickering with another old woman: "Two Copper Coins, and you still want to tear off the vegetable stalks? I won't sell to you!"

"Every household has them stacked neatly; you have rotten leaves, and you still have the nerve to put them out!"

"If you aren't buying, don't pull at mine!" Hu Jinhua was already bristling with anger, but this was precisely his way of learning from humans; he was observing this old woman's language, behavior, and actions, and the humanity within him was becoming increasingly complete.

Xu Jia walked up to him, and Hu Jinhua was startled.

Xu Jia waved his hand: "It has nothing to do with you; I was just curious and came to look. Is this how you all in Wild Fox Cave usually exchange things for money?"

Hu Jinhua nodded: "Selling some wild vegetables from the mountains. Now we have planted some ourselves, but they haven't grown yet. Today we sold over ten catties, and the little foxes picked wild fruits and wild vegetables, earning over twenty Copper Coins."

Hu Jinhua showed the Copper Coins to Xu Jia: "Those shamans and sorcerers are actually much like me; they are really just farming and selling vegetables. Now that the Fox Immortal Hall is established, we can't completely rely on that to make a living."

Xu Jia said: "We don't earn money from the poor; we simply seek gratitude from others. If you really want to open a business, you have to target the wealthy families. You should pay more attention to the local wealthy households; that way, life will be easier." Xu Jia didn't mind the dirt and sat down beside him, helping him call out to customers.

Although Xu Jia selling vegetables was a novelty that attracted people, when it came to actually making a sale, not many were willing to give him the face.

Instead, the stall next to them spoke up: "Young man, the way you are shouting has no melody; it won't sell well. It's neither pleasant to hear nor good for your throat. If you shout for too long, you'll lose your voice."

The stall next to them belonged to a blind fortune-teller. One eye was completely closed, while the other seemed to still have some light. In front of him was a small stool with a revolving lamp on it, inscribed with the three characters "Horse-Front Divination." Beside him, a dull-witted, silly-smiling, dark and chubby middle-aged woman was constantly watching this Xia Laohan with both eyes. It was as if this old man was her everything.

"Then how should I shout?" Xu Jia asked humbly for advice.

The blind old man was happy to hear this, took up a stringed instrument, and began to sing: "Blind eyes observe the world's affairs, fingertips stroke the strings. Three silk threads pull together, telling all of human fate. The paths of wealth, poverty, and rank are all created by the heart. Though blind eyes cannot see, the spirit connects to heaven and earth. Fortune-telling is not a delusion; sincerity verifies the truth. Those who come, set your hearts at ease, and sit to listen to the old man's words!"

He had few teeth left and his voice was slurred, yet it was rugged and resonant, attracting people in the market to gather in a circle.

The old woman who had just been pulling at the vegetable stalks immediately sat down on the small stool: "It's been a long time since a fortune-teller came by; please, calculate my fortune well~"

Xu Jia saw that this blind old man seemed somewhat extraordinary, so he began to observe him.

"I don't calculate for free!"

"If your calculation is accurate, I certainly won't give you less?"

"Accurate or not? You don't know how this old man went blind? It was because I leaked too many heavenly secrets, and Heaven blinded me."

"The one next to me is my wife; she is a Living Buddha Reincarnation, full of great mercy and compassion. Don't look at her as silly; you all with your ten schemes aren't as smart as she is..."

Xu Jia took another look. This dull Sha Huofo had one eye looking east and one eye looking west, drool at the corner of her mouth, yet she wore a smile. She was clean, wearing a red garment, only the shoes on her feet were dirty with mud.

Her two eyes seemed to be looking in different directions, but her spirit was focused on one place, bright and clear. Her smile carried a heart-warming power, and the direction she looked was always toward the blind old man who could not see the light.

It was just like the Buddha's mercy and compassion for the world, in a way the world could not see.

Xu Jia felt a sudden touch of emotion, but Hu Jinhua said: "These two are just like those shamans and sorcerers; they have a hard time living, so they start pretending to be supernatural. They probably don't have any real ability."

Xu Jia's wisdom had increased, so he did not look down on them, only saying: "In this world, one does not judge a superior person by their Divine Ability or Dharma Power. Look at that Sha Huofo; she corresponds to the state of Buddha, possessing the spirit of finding joy in the world's suffering, much like the 'innocent child' mentioned by the Daoists. She looks dull and silly, but how many people want to cultivate to this state and fail to reach it?"

"Ah? Are there people who want to cultivate into a fool?" Hu Jinhua could not see any sense of a superior person in these two at all.

Just as others would not know that this vegetable-selling old woman was actually a Fox Immortal.

(End of chapter)