Chapter 150 – Heaven Knows, Earth Knows, You and I Know

Just as Ye Kuang and Wuxin were thoroughly enjoying their meal, the auntie casually asked with a smile, “So, how’s my family’s meat wontons?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Kuang’s expression instantly changed.

When he turned to look across the table, Wuxin was already staring back at him.

In that instant, Wuxin’s face turned completely pale, his lips trembling as he murmured, “Patron Ye, what filling did this humble monk just consume?”

As he asked this, the young monk seemed to cling to a sliver of hope.

Hearing the question, the auntie answered without looking up, “What else could it be? My meat is premium black pork loin cuts.”

“Then… did this humble monk just… eat meat?” Upon hearing this, Wuxin’s eyes flickered uncertainly, unsure whether he was asking Ye Kuang or merely muttering to himself.

Seeing the young monk instantly become distraught, Ye Kuang finally realized how reckless he had been about the wonton incident.

He felt a deep sense of guilt.

“Wuxin, don’t be like this. It’s just a little meat—it’s no big deal…”

But as he spoke, he couldn’t help but press his lips shut.

Wuxin’s gaze was icy, distinctly tinged with threads of cold anger.

“Patron Ye, did you already know the wontons had meat filling and deliberately let this humble monk eat them?”

“Well… um…”

Seeing Ye Kuang’s hesitant demeanor, Wuxin instantly understood everything.

At this realization, the young monk abruptly stood up, his resolute attitude as if he were drawing a clear line between himself and Ye Kuang.

“Auntie, keep the change.” Seeing this, Ye Kuang was taken aback and quickly pulled out a twenty-yuan bill to hand to the auntie, retrieving the hundred-yuan red bill before rushing out after Wuxin.

Left behind, the auntie muttered in confusion, “Did I say something wrong? Ah… whatever…”

Meanwhile.

Despite exerting all his effort, Ye Kuang could only watch as the young monk’s figure grew increasingly distant.

Only then did he feel overwhelming regret.

“I shouldn’t have tricked the young monk into breaking his vows, I shouldn’t have deceived such a kind-hearted young monk, I shouldn’t have…”

One could say his heart was filled with immense guilt, and he couldn’t stop inwardly repeating words of remorse.

It wasn’t until half an hour later, when they reached the tourist attraction “Bodhidharma Temple,” that he finally caught up with the young monk.

By then, Ye Kuang was nearly exhausted, having expended over half of his Dantian True Qi, which showed just how much strain he had endured.

Drenched in sweat and soaked through, he looked as if he had been fished out of a river.

Just as he was about to step forward to apologize, he noticed Wuxin standing motionless, his eyes completely devoid of spirit.

This truly frightened Ye Kuang.

“Young monk, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, Wuxin suddenly began walking forward.

At the same time, the gatekeeper noticed someone trying to enter the attraction without a ticket and angrily stepped forward to stop them.

Seeing this, Ye Kuang hurriedly pulled out a fifty-yuan green bill, handing it over with a pained expression.

Only then did the gatekeeper grumble under his breath and return to the ticket booth.

Meanwhile, Ye Kuang stuck close to Wuxin, bustling about—sometimes buying tea to quench their thirst, sometimes casually sharing anecdotes about Bodhidharma.Of course, these accounts were read aloud by him while he searched on his phone.

As for who Bodhidharma was, he had never heard of him.

But being exceptionally clever, he thought to himself: This Bodhidharma must be related to Zen Buddhism.

“Did you know that this Ancestral Master Bodhidharma once traveled throughout the Central Plains teaching Zen? At the time, opinions about his Zen teachings were divided, but among the people, he was revered as the Ancestral Master Bodhidharma. You could say he was the founder of Zen Buddhism!” Ye Kuang said.

Wuxin: “Bodhidharma… Ancestral Master?”

Hearing the young monk seemed interested, Ye Kuang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid the young monk would ignore him from then on.

It seemed he still had some impressive knowledge in certain areas.

Thinking this, he began to guide him step by step: “Although Zen Buddhism isn’t accepted by everyone, that very fact highlights its uniqueness.”

Before he even finished speaking, Ye Kuang looked directly into the young monk’s lifeless eyes and said with a bitter smile: “Just like life itself—it has its joys and sorrows, partings and reunions. We can’t lose all hope because of it, nor should we live confined by others’ differing opinions. People must keep looking forward and moving ahead.”

Hearing this, Wuxin felt a stir in his heart.

But Ye Kuang had no way of knowing this.

He continued sharing his personal views, guiding him patiently step by step: “Do you know why the Buddha is revered as an Ancestral Master?”

Wuxin asked woodenly: “Why?”

Ye Kuang frantically searched around but couldn’t find the answer he wanted. He could only say with a crestfallen expression: “I don’t know either.”

Wuxin: “……”

Seeing that the young monk was now fully engaged, Ye Kuang pretended to sigh with regret: “If I could learn the secret to becoming a Buddha, I’d convert to Buddhism right away and become a monk. It wouldn’t be so bad—no need to struggle for a living, and I could cultivate boundless Buddhist wisdom. Why not take that path?”

“Freedom in mind, freedom in spirit, freedom in bliss…”

Ye Kuang rambled on intermittently until he felt his mouth going dry. He then opened a bottle of mineral water and took large gulps.

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

Only after several swallows did he feel somewhat better.

Unbeknownst to him, a glimmer of light had briefly flickered in Wuxin’s vacant eyes, only to fade again. The young monk murmured to himself: “But I, a humble monk, have broken even the most basic monastic rules. It seems I am not truly devoted to the Buddha.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Wuxin seemed to sink into despondency once more.

Seeing this, Ye Kuang felt a pang of guilt and explained with a bitter smile: “Young monk, honestly, don’t overthink it. The fault in this matter doesn’t lie with you—it lies with me.”

He then directly explained why he had tempted Wuxin into eating wontons.

After hearing this, Wuxin couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. It seemed he had gained some understanding from Ye Kuang’s honesty.

After all, having an extra enforcer by his side was better than having none at all!

Wasn’t that true?

Thinking this, Wuxin let out a bitter laugh: “Patron Ye, do you think this humble monk can still attain Buddhahood?”

After asking, he couldn’t help but mock himself: “Now that I’ve broken the precepts, how can I possibly attain Buddhahood? It seems there is no Buddha in my heart…””Not so… not so…” Ye Kuang suddenly shook his head like a wave upon hearing this. In this moment, a spark of wisdom finally sprouted in his heart, eyes, and ears, as he eloquently spoke the profound truth of boundless Buddhist doctrine: “Nothing in this world is absolute. Have you not heard the saying: ‘Meat and wine may pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart’?”

Hearing this, Wuxin couldn’t help but shudder all over, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Ye Kuang’s profile.

These words struck Wuxin like a divine revelation, thoroughly shaking the young monk’s very soul.

As for the origin of the name “Wuxin” (Awakened Heart), it was only at this moment that the young monk began to understand the true meaning behind the dharma name given by his master.

“Wuxin… Wuxin…” The young monk then froze in place, appearing utterly stunned, before murmuring to himself: “The abbot once said this humble monk would encounter a noble person when venturing out. Only now do I understand the meaning behind his words. So this is it… so this is it…”

Hearing this, Ye Kuang couldn’t help but be taken aback as well.

But when he saw the gleaming light in Wuxin’s eyes, he quickly cried out in alarm: “Hey now, don’t look at me with those eyes! This fellow has no connection with Buddhism – I still want to take a wife, eat meat heartily, and drink wine freely…”

At this point, he seemed to notice some inexplicable change in Wuxin’s state, and could only continue: “Even if monastics break precepts, they can still attain Buddhahood. Because when the heart contains Buddha, you too can be called Buddha. As the saying goes: if you don’t tell and I don’t tell, only heaven and earth will know, and only you and I will know…”