Chapter 2: Flying Pavilion of Daiyun Temple

  "When the Qingming Festival rain falls, people on the road are about to lose their souls...". As he muttered to himself, Xie Chaoyang unknowingly fell into a trance: "I've been in this world for a month now! Dad and mom, how are you?!...". Tears welled up, flowing down from the corners of his eyes. Just a few nights ago, Xie Chaoyang still often dreamed of his mother wailing over his own corpse, while he could only watch without being able to comfort her. After about an hour or so, Xie Chaoyang came back to his senses from his sorrow, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his hand, and bitterly smiled twice, muttering to himself: "Since I've come here, I can only face reality! From now on, I am Lin Aofeng, let the past Xie Chaoyang go with the cycle of rebirth!"

  "Master! The old master and mistress are calling you!" Just then, the personal maid Cui Yi appeared behind Lin Ao Feng. This fourteen-year-old maid, although not dressed in a fancy way, had a figure that was curvaceous in all the right places, with a delicate face that made one have improper thoughts. With an adult's mindset and a child's body, Zhu Jia, when facing his personal maid, always wore a gloomy expression, as if he had lost his parents - who could blame him for only being able to look but not touch?

  Seeing the young master's lack of response, Cui Yi continued to ask: "Do I carry you over or do you walk over yourself?!" Lin Ao Feng pouted and said with a tone of resentment: "I'll walk over myself! No need for you to carry me!" After that, Lin Ao Feng swayed out of his own room.

  In that life, due to his parents' work reasons, Xie Chaoyang lacked his parents' love from a young age. This reincarnation seemed like heaven's compensation for him.

  As he entered the living room, Lin Aofeng ran into his mother Cheng Xuemei's arms. Looking at her beloved son, Cheng Xuemei smiled and teased Lin Aofeng, saying: "Little Peak, good boy! Tomorrow we'll go on an outing to sweep the tombs, okay?!"

  Lin Aofeng smiled and replied in a milky voice: "Okay!"

  Upon hearing Lin Ao Feng's words, Father Lin Guo Dong smiled and took his son from his wife, saying: "Xue Mei, have you noticed that our son has become increasingly clever since he recovered from his illness?"

  Cheng Xue Mei laughed and shook her head, "You used to say he was stupid, now you're saying he's smart! What kind of father are you?! Ah! The child is still young and has delicate skin, don't use your beard to scratch him!"... Not long after, the sound of laughter from the three of them came from the living room.

  The next morning, Lin Guodong took his wife and children to the Daiyun Mountain outside Dehua City in their family car. The Daiyun Mountain, also known as the Welcoming Snow Mountain, has an elevation of 1856 meters, with a majestic and steep terrain, and is called the "Roof Ridge of Fujian". It is the second highest peak within the borders of Fujian Province, overlooking Taiwan's Alishan from afar.

  Arriving at the foot of Daiyun Mountain, Lin Guodong instructed his servants and bodyguards to wait by the car, while he personally carried the tribute, incense, candles, and paper money, accompanied by his wife and son, walking up the mountain. Along the stone steps built by previous generations, they walked for about half an hour, until the road ahead disappeared. Lin Guodong led his wife and son into the woods beside the road, and soon a series of graves appeared before them. Afraid that their son would be frightened, Cheng Xue Mei picked him up and whispered as they walked: "Don't be afraid, son, this is our family's ancestral tomb. All members of the Lin family are buried here after death."

  Lin Ao Feng looked around, just as he was about to ask a question, his father Lin Guo Dong quickly walked to the front of a large tomb covering an area of about 20 square meters. He put down the things in his hand, carefully cleaned up the weeds around the tomb, added new soil on top of it, lit incense and candles, offered sacrifices, knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. Then he said to Lin Ao Feng: "Feng Er, come and kneel! Pay respects to your grandfather and grandmother!"

  "Ah!" Lin Aofeng responded with a nod, slowly sliding down from his mother's arms and walking towards where his father was. He would occasionally turn his head to look back at his mother, seeing her smile at him as if encouraging him not to be afraid. Lin Aofeng lowered his head and quickened his pace. When he reached the tombstone, Lin Aofeng swiftly knelt down and kowtowed three times before standing up again. Seeing Lin Aofeng's behavior, Lin Guodong nodded in satisfaction and said: "Wait a bit, I'll take you to play at the temple on the mountain later, but you're not allowed to be naughty! Otherwise, when we get home, you'll get a spanking!"

  When Lin Guodong finished speaking, Lin Aofeng muttered to himself: "It's really sad to have become smaller! I'm a 30-year-old heart with a 3-year-old body! It's so torturous!" Lin Aofeng pouted and suddenly burst into tears. Standing beside him, Cheng Xue Mei saw her son suddenly start crying and immediately looked worried, hastily picking up Lin Aofeng and saying: "Aofeng, be good! Mommy's treasure, it's all your father's fault!"

  Lin Aofeng leaned into his mother's chest, wiping away tears while sneaking a glance at his father's expression. Lin Guodong saw that his wife was unhappy and immediately accompanied her with a smile, saying: "Xuemei, it's all my fault! I shouldn't have scared Feng'er just now!"

  "Hmph!" Cheng Xue Mei snorted, turning her head to say solemnly: "Lin Guo Dong! Listen up! Feng Er's illness has just gotten better. If you scare him again and he gets a relapse, I'll fight you to the death!"

  "No! No! No! Can't you see I know I was wrong?! Lin Guodong begged his wife with a low profile, while constantly giving his son a signal. Lin Aofeng still leaned on his mother's bosom, pretending not to have seen anything. Seeing this scene, Lin Guodong thought to himself: "Why am I so unlucky?! My son finally recovered from his illness, and I can finally stop sleeping in the study room. Now it seems that tonight I'll have to sleep in the study room again! Why am I so unfortunate?!"

  Cheng Xue Mei knew that she could throw a small tantrum, but couldn't overdo it. Seeing her husband still looking gloomy, Cheng Xue Mei sighed and said: "I won't hold this against you for now! Let's see how you behave from now on. If you behave well, we'll consider this matter settled; if not, you can continue sleeping in the study!"

  When Lin Guodong heard his wife's words, he was overjoyed in his heart and secretly thought: "My wife is so considerate! She knows how to pamper me! Next, I'll make sure to perform well and strive for tonight..." Realizing his mistake, Lin Guodong immediately calmed down and smiled, saying: "Don't worry, my dear! I promise I won't disappoint you!" Understanding the meaning behind her husband's words, Cheng Xue Mei playfully pecked Lin Guodong on the cheek, her face involuntarily flushing red.

  An hour later, after paying respects to their ancestors, Lin Guodong held his wife and son's hands and walked out of the forest. Along the mountain path, they followed the sparse crowd towards Daiyun Temple.

  Daiyun Temple, located at the southern foot of Daiyun Mountain, was built in the second year of Kaiping during the Later Liang Dynasty. On the way to Daiyun Temple, the clear brook babbles, birds chirp, and the pine trees whisper. The ancient stone path winds its way up the mountain. Daiyun Temple is majestic and grand, with its back against a giant cliff and facing layers of distant mountains. As ordinary people arrive at the temple, they feel their hearts and minds suddenly broadened.

  Halfway, the lively and agile Lin Ao Feng broke free from his mother's hand and ran quickly, occasionally turning back to shout: "Dad, mom! Hurry up!" Lin Ao Feng's spirited breath was seen by the old monk jumping water on the mountain, who nodded in satisfaction and muttered to himself: "It's really the Buddha's manifestation, sending me a disciple. It seems that my martial arts have someone to inherit now!"

  Unconsciously, it was already approaching noon when Lin Aofeng followed his parents to the front of Daiyun Temple. The white-walled and red-tiled Daiyun Temple deeply attracted Lin Aofeng. Seeing her son in a daze, Cheng Xue Mei asked: "Feng'er, what are you thinking about?" Lin Aofeng tilted his head and asked: "Mother, why is this temple white-walled and red-tiled? Aren't other temples yellow-walled and red-tiled?"

  Cheng Xuemei, who had never thought about this issue before, was immediately at a loss when her son asked her this question and looked to her husband for help. Lin Guodong saw the pleading look in his wife's eyes and revealed a helpless expression. At that moment, a Buddhist monk passing by helped them out of the awkward situation: "No matter what color it is, it represents the purity and solemnity of the temple. As long as you have Buddha in your heart, there is Buddha everywhere."

  "Thank you, Master!" Lin Guodong bowed to the monk.

  "Amitabha Buddha, well done! Well done!" The ascetic monk returned a courtesy and quickly walked into the Temple of Wearing Clouds.

  Daiyun Temple is a three-advance and three-open brick-and-wood structure, consisting of the Daxiong Treasure Hall, the Ancestor's Hall, and the Chan House, among other affiliated buildings. The front exterior wall has seven openings, with wing houses and dining halls on both sides inside the temple. The Daxiong Treasure Hall enshrines Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Bhaisajyaguru Buddha. The Ancestor's Hall enshrines Cigan Zushi and Tanpi Zushi, while the two rooms on either side are dedicated to Gongfude Tianwang and Guanyin.

  Lin Guodong and his wife led their son, Lin Aofeng, to burn incense and kowtow in front of every Buddha statue in each grand hall. After finishing, Lin Aofeng pulled on his father's sleeve and asked: "Shouldn't we head back now?"

  Lin Guodong shook his head and said: "Wait a little longer, let Master Hui Neng help you finish the divination, and then we'll go back!"

  "Ah!" Lin Aofeng responded with a low head and pouted. Cheng Xuemei saw her son's listless expression and squatted down, asking: "What's wrong? Why aren't you happy?"

  Lin Ao Feng suddenly turned his head to look at his father standing beside him, then nodded and said: "Mom, I'm hungry! I want to go home and eat the steamed meat with rice flour and Mei Cai meat you made."

  "Alright! I'll be back home later, and my mother will cook for you!" Just as Cheng Xue Mei's words fell, a small monk was called to the front by Lin Guo Dong. Lin Guo Dong bowed and asked: "Young master, is the Great Master Fangzhang here?"

  Xiaoyi replied with a single-handed Buddhist greeting: "Master Lin, the abbot has been waiting for you in the back Chan room for a long time. Please follow me!" Lin Guodong followed Xiaoyi towards the direction of the Chan room with his wife and son.

  As he entered the Zen room, before Lin Guodong could speak, the abbot opened his eyes and looked at Lin Guodong, saying: "Lin donor, you've arrived! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

  "Master Hui Neng, I've been waiting for you! My son has just recovered from a serious illness. I'd like to ask Master to bless my son. Also, I know that Master's words are as good as gold and his Buddhist teachings are profound. I'd like to ask Master to..."