Chapter 11 – Become a Buddha (2)
On Green Dragon Mountain, he’d faced a demonic face that was many times larger than him.
What I had to face was my inner demon that suffocated me.
I had to be as strong as him to be as nonchalant and fearless.
Thus, I decided to study metaphysics from Grandpa during my free time. He was happy to teach me. He said that building a foundation now was good so I wouldn’t be clueless when Chinese Tunic brought me away.
As for Chinese Tunic’s identity, I’d asked Grandpa, but he didn’t know either. He just said that if he was this powerful at his age, he must have a powerful teacher. Judging by his relationship with the military cadre, he seemed to have a deep official background. He may come from some mysterious organization.
Grandpa didn’t say it then, but I later learned that this mysterious organization was probably the legendary “Dragon Group.”
Metaphysics had five groups: Mountain, Medicine, Destiny, Physiognomy, and Divination. They seemed like five branches, but all actually came from the same source—the five yin yang elements of the Great Tao Theory.
According to myths, an emperor was once aided by the fairy Xuan Nv. She gave him a divine book to break past cursed spells. After the emperor resolved the crisis, he ordered Cang Jie to invent a written language to record the spells in the divine book. This book was called the Golden-Seal Jade Letter. This was the origin of metaphysics. Throughout the 5,000 years of history, many other famous metaphysics books were created, such as Plum Blossom Divination, Najia Broken Divination, Liuren Divine Lecture, the popular Taiyi Shenshu, Qimen Dunjia and more.
Grandpa’s aged book had mentions of all five categories. He also bought all sorts of books from street stalls every now and then. But as he said, they were all beginner material. Even if he became an expert in all the books, he still wouldn’t be a true metaphysics scholar. However, it was more than enough to establish a foundation. Other than my homework time, I spent most of my time studying these books in my room. After all, no one would play with me even if I went outside.
Chinese Tunic sent one letter after this. He didn’t mention Kunlun. The letter only had one line: no matter how the storm blows, no matter how it rises and falls, no matter how they dance wildly, stay unmoved with a heart as firm as a boulder.
Seeing this, tears flowed down my face instantly.
Who could understand a child that everyone thought was a damned bastard?
Who could understand being isolated by everyone at school and mocked endlessly?
I wanted to have friends too, but after class, they all played with each other. Who would play with the child of a mountain ghost?
I was obsessed with Grandpa’s metaphysics books. I locked myself in his room as soon as school was over for the day. Others may think this was my hobby, but where would I go other than this room?
Grandpa loved me, but some things couldn’t be made up for. Seeing that other kids had loving parents, I’d gone to kneel before my mother’s grave so many times, crying for a mother that I’d never seen for.
Chinese Tunic’s words spoke to the weakest and most helpless part of my heart. The man I’d only met once undoubtedly pointed out the direction for me again, telling me how to stand firm in a difficult situation.
Stand unmoved with a heart like a boulder!
I put this letter in a safe place and wrote a line on the wall by my bed:
The mortal world is a challenge to make me stronger. So I heard, I shall become a Buddha in the end.