“Sister, think this through! Even if you’re fat and ugly and can’t find a cultivation partner, you shouldn’t abandon the mortal world!” Yin Ya pleaded.
“Shut up. I’m not your sister,” Nan Yan retorted.
“I’ve sworn brotherhood with your big brother, so I’m your second brother now. As the elder, I’m like a father to you. You should listen to me—becoming a nun isn’t a good idea.”
Yin Ya continued his earnest persuasion, nearly resorting to tears and threats. Nan Yan, thoroughly annoyed, said, “Shao Cang is my second brother. What right do you have, coming later?”
Yin Ya asked, “How old is your big brother?”
“Sixteen or seventeen,” Nan Yan replied.
Yin Ya reasoned confidently, “Look, your big brother is missing. In ten years, he’ll be 26 or 27. I’ll be 25, and you’ll be 19. Your Shao Cang brother will forever be 15. Aren’t I older? Shouldn’t you call me the second brother?”
The phrase “Your Shao Cang brother will forever be 15” instantly dispelled the faint hint of warmth on Nan Yan’s face. She stood up woodenly and said, “You’re good at comforting people, haha.”
“That’s not what I meant…” Yin Ya started, but Nan Yan slammed the temple door shut.
She slowly walked to a pavilion behind Bodhi Mountain Temple, where an old monk sat, pondering a complex position on a jade Go board.
Nan Yan bowed from afar, “Master Chi Ku.”
“Ah Yan, come sit,” the monk invited.
Nan Yan sat on the meditation cushion opposite Chi Ku. Though not well-versed in Go, she could see that the black stones seemed dominant, forcing the white stones to retreat steadily.
“Has Ah Yan let go today?” Chi Ku asked kindly.
After a moment of silence, Nan Yan bowed her head and said, “Nan Yan has few worldly attachments left. I only wish to eradicate evil practices. Please, Master, shave my head tomorrow.”
Master Chi Ku smiled gently. “You’re still so young. Isn’t it too early to sever all worldly ties?”
Nan Yan turned her head, her small eyes reflecting the clouds outside the pavilion. With a world-weary expression, she said, “I’ll never love anyone else in this life. Shaving my head will cleanse my heart.”
Master Chi Ku thought to himself, “If your mother had half your enlightenment back then, how could things have ended up like this?”
Her words seemed to shock the old monk. After a long pause, he adopted the tone of a wise elder and advised, “The path of Buddhist cultivation lies in the heart, not in appearances. Buddha enlightens all beings. As long as your heart turns to Buddha, everywhere can be a pure land of enlightenment—”
Nan Yan interrupted, “This cruel world has broken my heart. Now I only want to become a monk and be a demon-slaying Buddhist cultivator.”
Master Chi Ku tried to persuade her, “There’s no such thing as a demon-slaying Buddhist cultivator. Buddhism prioritizes enlightenment—”
“Please don’t try to dissuade me, Master. Only Buddhist techniques are most effective against evil cultivators. My mind is made up. Please shave my head and give me a Dharma name.”
Master Chi Ku sighed deeply. “Come to the main hall tomorrow to receive the robe and bowl. As for shaving your head, let me be frank: your heart still clings to worldly attachments. Even if you shave off your hair now, it will grow back. Only when you truly let go and find inner peace will you achieve true purity of the six senses and radiance atop your head?”
The master’s calm voice gradually soothed Nan Yan’s anxiety. At that moment, a bell rang from the distant mountains. Nan Yan said, “Master, I have gained some insight.”
Master Chi Ku picked up a Go stone and smiled. “Please, share your thoughts.”
Nan Yan pointed at the ordinary worshippers climbing the mountain. Under the scorching sun, one removed his hat to cool off, revealing a shiny bald head.
Nan Yan said, “To transcend the mortal world, one must first seek within it. The commoner’s shining head shows true inner peace. In my lifetime, I wish to follow this path.”
Master Chi Ku’s Go stone fell onto the board with a clatter as he inwardly wept. Buddha forgive me, but being naturally bald and finding inner peace are not the same thing…
Meanwhile, Yin Ya, unable to break through the small barrier in the Buddha Hall, finally caught an early-rising disciple sweeping the floor. He urgently asked if Nan Yan truly intended to cut off her “three thousand troublesome hair strands” and convert to Buddhism.
The young disciple, initially fearful of the fierce fox spirit, had grown accustomed to Yin Ya’s presence. He calmly replied, “Yes, Master Chi Ku set up the altar to transmit precepts early this morning. However, since Sister is still young, they haven’t shaved her head yet, fearing she might catch a cold.”
Yin Ya’s anxiety eased slightly. He then asked, “Did that old baldly try to persuade her to switch to Buddhist cultivation methods?”
The disciple trembled, “No… Master Chi Ku didn’t mention that. After giving her a Dharma name and the robe and bowl, he said nothing about cultivation techniques. He only said that Senior Sister Zhen Yuan has exceptional talent but needs to temper her character. So he assigned her a task: to convert Senior Brother Zhen Fang from demon to righteous path within twenty years.”
Yin Ya struggled to process this information. “Wait, who’s Senior Sister Zhen Yuan?”
The disciple explained, “That’s Nan Yan. Master Chi Ku said the mortal world’s vastness lies within heaven and earth’s square and circle. Seeing her impressive figure, he chose the character ‘Yuan’ (circle) for her name in the ‘Zhen’ generation. And since you’re her sworn brother, once she converts you to Buddhism, you’ll be given the Dharma name Zhen Fang.”
Yin Ya’s expression went blank. “Did anyone ask for my consent in this?”
The disciple shyly added, “Senior Sister Zhen Yuan said brothers and sisters are family, so everyone should be included.”
Yin Ya finally realized he should never have come to this Buddhist place of right and wrong.
Later that day, Nan Yan reappeared. She was still chubby but now wore gray monk robes and a worn string of 108 small prayer beads around her neck, wrapped twice to avoid getting in the way.
Expressionless, she said, “Master Chi Ku says you’re under my care now. If I successfully convert you, I’ll be qualified to challenge the evil cultivators of Si State.”
Unsure where to begin criticizing, Yin Ya cautiously asked, “How do you plan to convert me?”
Nan Yan replied, “First, abstain from alcohol, meat, wealth, and sex.”
Yin Ya pleaded, “Just end me quickly.”
Nan Yan sat on a meditation cushion opposite Yin Ya, unsurprised by his attitude. She calmly said, “No rush. Before coming, I sought advice from a serene visitor from the pharmacy downhill. To save someone, one must first listen to the patient’s needs to prescribe the right medicine. Come, tell me your requirements.”
Yin Ya retreated to the altar, rubbing his arms nervously. “I think you’re the one who needs medicine. You’re scaring me.”
Glancing at the Buddha statue on the altar, Nan Yan said to Yin Ya, “I’ve been so self-absorbed lately that I forgot you’ve been seeking women to ease your demonic blood’s torment. I have a solution for your problem.”
Yin Ya tensed as the chubby girl approached. “You mean…”
Nan Yan stepped closer, reached into her storage pouch, and suddenly slapped a talisman on Yin Ya’s bottom.
“You—” Yin Ya couldn’t finish his sentence as he realized it was a form-breaking talisman, usable only by Core Formation cultivators. In a flash of purple light, a massive six-tailed white fox occupied half the hall.
Nan Yan instinctively closed her eyes at the purple flash. When she opened them, her face was buried in soft, fluffy fur. Her hand grasped the smooth coat, and she couldn’t help but stroke it a few more times.
“How dare you stroke me!” The six-tailed fox, enraged, tossed Nan Yan onto a nearby cushion. In his beast form, he had the strength to shake a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His claws struck the Buddha-empowered stone tiles, cracking them.