Chapter 40: An Unexpected Encounter with an Old Acquaintance

  The Wuzushi Temple was built on the mountain waist, with pavilions, towers and temples all hidden by green trees and bamboo. There were multiple gates and small roads connecting them, forming a typical corridor-style layout, rich in garden scenery. In the midst of war and chaos, this place was like a paradise on earth. Lu Xuehua was still young after all, and after a short period of recuperation, her body quickly recovered. In this thousand-year-old temple, listening to the morning bell and evening drum every day, listening to Master Miao Lian's explanation of Buddhist scriptures, Lu Xuehua felt her mood gradually calming down, forgetting her troubles and thoughts for a while.

  Time flies quickly. Another night with a bright moon and sparse stars.

  Lu Xuehua was dazed for a moment, and it seemed that he had arrived at his own home. Looking at the familiar gate, he couldn't help but feel excited in his heart. Just as he was about to shout "Father and mother, I'm back!", he thought again, it's better to sneak in quietly and give everyone an unexpected surprise. So, he didn't enter through the main door, but instead sneaked in from the side door of the kitchen.

  However, the vast Lu mansion was eerily empty. Just as he was wondering what was going on, he suddenly discovered several headless corpses lying in the front hall! Lu Xuehua was shocked and lost his color, shouting "Dad! Mom!" as he frantically rushed towards the inner chamber. But just then, a huge fire broke out at home, and he was surrounded by flames, at a loss for what to do. Just as he was about to give up hope, his parents appeared beside him, hastily patting out the flames. When the fire was extinguished, he was filled with questions, wanting to ask his parents what had happened at home. But just then, his parents floated lightly in front of him, smiling and waving goodbye before disappearing into the boundless dark sky.

  Lu Xuehua suddenly came to her senses, waking up with a start. It was another South Ko dream! Lu Xuehua's heart was racing and she couldn't fall asleep again. She thought about the nightmares she had before about Mei Xia and felt extremely anxious. A strong feeling of homesickness erupted like a volcano. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the moonlight and bamboo shadows outside the window, waiting for dawn. He made up his mind to hurry back to Lei Jiang early tomorrow morning to see his parents and Mei Xia as soon as possible.

  ２

  As soon as the sky broke dawn, Lu Xuehua was waiting outside the Dahongbao Hall for Master Miao Lian to finish his morning lesson.

  Miao Lian Master came out and saw Lu Xuehua, but didn't feel surprised, only smiled lightly: "Xuehua, why so early!"

  Lu Xuehua recounted her dreams from the previous night and before about Mei Xia to Master Miao Lian with a worried heart. "Master, is it auspicious or ominous?"

  Miao Lian thought for a moment: "Xue Hua, there must be a will of heaven in the dark. Dreams are born from the heart, you might have been thinking about your hometown too much!"

  Lu Xuehua hastily said: "I was just about to bid farewell to Master!"

  Master Miao Lian seemed to have expected this, his eyes full of kindness: "Xue Hua, you are dignified and elegant in appearance, with a clear and calm mind, intelligent and wise by nature, and kind-hearted. Your ancestors also accumulated three generations of good deeds, and had a connection with the Buddha. I am already old, and was thinking..." At this point, Master Miao Lian looked at Lu Xue Hua, lost in thought and speechless.

  Lu Xuehua immediately understood: "Xuehua thanks the master for his appreciation! But this is a big deal, I'll go home and discuss it with my parents before getting back to the master!"

  Master Miao Lian didn't say much more, he took out a yellow fragrance bag and handed it to Lu Xuehua: "Xuehua, we can also be considered to have a destined encounter, there are four lines of mantra in here, you just bring it with you, let the Bodhisattva bless you!"

  Lu Xuehua took over the sachet with both hands and solemnly put it into her breast pocket. At this time, a little monk came over and took a steaming hot bundle of cloth.

  Miao Lian Dashi said: "The war is chaotic, and the temple also lacks food. I let my disciples prepare some mixed grain rice balls for you to fill your hunger on the road!"

  Lu Xuehua was deeply grateful. She bid a reluctant farewell to Master Miao Lian and the Temple of the Fifth Ancestor.

  Miao Lian Dashi kept watching as Lu Xuehua's figure disappeared into the bamboo forest, remaining silent for a long time.

  Xiaoyi curiously asked: "Master, you like Lu Shizhu so much, will he come back?"

  Miao Lian sighed: "This time Snowflake went, it was a narrow escape from death. The mountains were treacherous and numerous, I have no fate to see him again!"

  "Master's spiritual power is boundless and will surely protect him!" The young monk comforted the troubled Myozen Master.

  "Disciple! The realm of the Buddha's law is to follow the natural order of heaven, many causes and effects are beyond human control." Master Miao Lian joined her palms together and softly chanted: "Plum blossoms bloom in the fire, benevolent heart assists your talent; mountains and rivers eventually pass away, lotus flowers return to the Tathagata."

  Xiaosha looked up at Master Miao Lian with a puzzled expression.

  ３

  From Huangmei to Leijiang, the most convenient and safe way is by waterway, crossing over Po Lake back to Leijiang.

  Early summer at Bo Lake, the water and sky merged into one color, with misty waves stretching far away. Lu Xuehua searched along the lake for three days but didn't find a single small boat.

  The dry rations given by Master Miao Lian had been consumed long ago. He could only barely dig up some lotus roots by the lake and drink some lake water to fill his hunger, but how could this little nutrition and calories satisfy the needs of a 20-year-old adult male? Gradually, he felt that his physical strength was failing, his head spinning and eyes dimming, and he weakly sat down by the lake, just as he was about to give up hope. Suddenly, in his dazed eyes, he saw a small boat appearing among the reeds in the lake. With his last bit of energy, he struggled to stand up and waved his hands repeatedly.

  A small boat came floating along. A lean young fisherman stood at the bow.

  Lu Xuehua stared at him with empty and spiritless eyes due to hunger, saying: "Boatman, I want to cross the lake to Leijiang!"

  The fisherman looked him up and down: "Young man, the fare is very expensive!"

  Upon hearing the familiar accent of Leijiang, Lu Xuehua's spirit was suddenly lifted, and all his hardships from the past few months vanished into thin air. He couldn't help but forget his parents' parting words and hastily said: "I am the son of the Lu family in Leijiang Grain Depot. If you take me to Leijiang, my parents will definitely thank you!"

  The fisherman exclaimed "Oh!" and his eyes lit up instantly. "Since you're the young master of the Lu family, please come aboard!"

  Lu Xuehua returned home like an arrow, said "thank you" and jumped onto the small boat. As soon as he stepped on the boat, he suddenly felt the boat shake, lost his balance, and with a "splash", he fell into the water. Lu Xuehua couldn't swim, so he flailed his arms and legs wildly, just exposing his head, and shouted "Save me!"

  He saw the fisherman also jump into his hands, and his heart was just a little wider, but immediately became tense again! The fisherman did not lift him out of the water, but pulled him to the bottom of the water!

  "Gudong gudong", Lu Xuehua was suddenly at a loss, and after gulping down several mouthfuls of water, she didn't know anything anymore.

  ４

  Dimly, Lu Xuehua felt that there seemed to be a noisy sound by his ear, the sound was both faint and seemed to come from afar, yet murky as if it came from underground. A somewhat familiar voice kept calling in his ear: "Young Master! Young Master!"

  Upon hearing such a familiar voice, Lu Xuehua suddenly opened her eyes to find in front of her the familiar face of old steward Lu Ning, full of vicissitudes.

  His eyes lit up as he gazed at Lu Ning, just about to shout "Ning Bo!" but only managed to move his lips without making a sound.

  Many people around him, seeing him open his eyes, exclaimed: "Wake up! Wake up!" Lu Xuehua only then noticed that she was leaning over a large pot like a puddle of mud, trying to pour out water. Lu Xuehua also felt uncomfortable and wanted to vomit, but couldn't vomit at all.

  When Lu Xuehua opened her eyes, Lu Ning was overjoyed and hastily brought a bowl of hot millet porridge, feeding it to Lu Xuehua one mouthful at a time. After the hot millet porridge was poured down, Lu Xuehua felt slightly more comfortable, but in an instant, he had a severe abdominal pain, and the millet porridge mixed with a column of water spurted out from his mouth and nose, followed by "gulps" of clear water, then some paste-like grass roots, and finally black-greenish black water emitting a foul odor. That vomiting was simply shocking, Lu Xuehua felt like her eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets, and her liver and gallbladder seemed to be being vomited out as well.

  Although, the people around let out a long sigh of relief: "Alright, alright! Now that the water control is out, everything will be fine!" After vomiting, Lu Xuehua felt weak all over, her body feeling light and floating, and she was helplessly lifted from the big pot and laid down on a small bed.

  Runing brought another large bowl of hot millet porridge and fed Ruxuehua spoonful by spoonful again. With a little hot food in her empty stomach, Ruxuehua felt much more clear-headed. Ruxuehua tightly grasped Runing with a hoarse voice and asked urgently: "Ning Bo, is it you? Have I arrived home? Take me to see my parents quickly! Is Xia'er okay?"

  Lu Xuehua felt a warmth on her face, and when she looked closely, Lu Ning was already tearfully: "Young master, I've been looking for you with great difficulty! Where did you go? It's all over, the Lu family is finished, the Mei family is also finished!"

  Lu Xuehua suddenly came to, using all his strength to struggle and sit up, shaking Lu Ning: "Old steward, quickly tell me, what happened to the Lu family and the Mei family? What about Xia'er? What really happened at Lei Jiang?"

  Lu Ning wrapped his arms around Lu Xuehua, burying his head in her chest, and let out a long sigh: "Where to start? Let's begin with the misfortune that befell the mother-daughter duo of the Mei family..."