novelraw Chapter 87 Suffering for the Sake of Saving Face
Chapter 87 Suffering for the Sake of Saving Face
Chapter 78 Suffering for the Sake of Saving Face
Thinking of this, Shen Yi secretly used the divination technique from "The Seven Fairies of Joy", and made a hand seal with his fingertips. A faint golden light quietly flowed around him.
Although "Happy Seven Fairies" is slightly inferior to "The Legend of the White Snake" in terms of actual level, it has all the necessary elements.
For example, the Jade Emperor had already predicted the resurgence of the Yin Shi King ten thousand years ago, which shows that this technique is not just a name. Even though the world is different, it is not difficult to use it to deduce the past and present lives of Xu Xian.
A moment later, Shen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.
It turns out that Xu Xian is the virtuous man from the classic legend, whose destiny is exceptionally precious. Such a person is destined to attain enlightenment after his last life—either become a Buddha or an immortal.
No wonder Xu Xian became a monk in the original story; it was all arranged perfectly.
Shen Yi secretly wondered if Xu Xian's fate was related to Buddha or Guanyin. After all, the title of "Ten-times Good Person" was a hot commodity everywhere. Both Buddhism and Taoism wanted it. Whoever got it would gain the supreme merit of "converting a great virtuous person".
But then I thought about it again and realized it was unlikely.
This version of Xu Xian may seem weak, but he is actually very manly. If he knew that he had been manipulated by others all his life, he would probably overturn the altar on the spot and confront Guanyin and Buddha directly. Guanyin and Buddha would more likely just go with the flow.
For example, the bald monk Fahai had his three Buddhist treasures sealed with dust-sealing talismans by his master, Zen Master Qianye, because he knew that his disciple's character was not good enough and that he could not become a Buddha.
And what happened to Fahai?
She then turned around and tried to trick Xu Xian, hoping to coax him into copying the Guanyin Sutra to break the seal, and also planned to take the opportunity to get rid of the Green and White Snakes.
However, virtuous people are not so easily manipulated; just consider how terrible the consequences could be. This can be seen in the fate of Fahai. In the original "Legend of the White Snake," Fahai was able to become an immortal, but in this version, he went mad and became possessed by evil spirits.
Becoming a Buddha?
It's hard to say whether I'll be reborn as a human in my next life.
This time, Xu Xian's visit to the Banbuduo Inn is probably for the same reason.
It is estimated that he really did fall into the water by accident, so the boatman took the opportunity to row the boat to his side, coaxing him to ask for help in person, thus forming a good relationship with him.
The boatman was actually a deity who guided Banbuduo across the river. He was entrusted by Guanyin Bodhisattva to guide those with affinity. By opening the door, Xu Xian had voluntarily incurred a karmic debt, making it perfectly legitimate for the Bodhisattva to come and save him in the future.
Hmm, does that mean I've also formed a good relationship with Xu Xian?
Shen Yi glanced at Fahai with a strange expression. This guy really deserved to be called a self-sacrificing person, making way for all the great powers, being used as a pawn by Buddhism and a stepping stone for Guanyin. In the end, he ended up suffering from demonic possession. He only had himself to blame.
"Boy, is it you who told the people of Luoshui Town why I wasn't sending rain?"
As Shen Yi was mentally complaining, an elderly couple suddenly walked towards them.
The old man was dressed in fine clothes. Although he looked old, his eyes were bright and his aura was as firm as a mountain. He was obviously no ordinary person. The old lady was equally elegant and noble, with a kind look in her eyes.
Shen Yi's heart skipped a beat. He immediately realized that these were the Dragon King and his wife from Luoshui Town. Not daring to be negligent, he quickly stood up and cupped his hands: "So it is the Dragon King in person. I was rude. I was really indignant when I saw those people treating the Dragon King so disrespectfully, so I couldn't help but reprimand them."
They were respectful in words, but their hearts were inevitably filled with unease.
He did, after all, put things directly and frankly. From another perspective, it was tantamount to telling everyone that the Dragon King was stingy, even though that was indeed the case.
However, given his current mediocre strength, if this petty Dragon King were to target him because of this, he would surely be in for a rough time.
Xu Xian and Fahai were both surprised when they heard this. Fahai was better off. Although he had not become a Buddha, he was still a Buddhist with profound magical power. Although the Dragon King had a high status, he had seen gods and immortals, especially the Earth God, who was not as powerful as him.
Xu Xian, on the other hand, was already uneasy. He secretly glanced at the Dragon King, then quickly lowered his head again. This was the Dragon King, a legendary figure who controlled the wind and rain and could flood thousands of miles when he was angry.
Xiaoqing and Bai Suzhen exchanged a glance and rose to bow together. Although they were demons, the Dragon King was a righteous god, and proper etiquette was essential. Xiaoqing, in particular, shrank behind Bai Suzhen, not daring to even breathe loudly.
"Haha, you're quite sensible, aren't you!"
To everyone's surprise, the Dragon King showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, he laughed loudly and slapped Shen Yi on the shoulder, causing him to sink down.
In fact, the Dragon King himself was under immense pressure from not allowing rain to fall in Luoshui Town.
As the Dragon King, there are strict rules about when it should rain and when it should stop—the Jade Emperor is watching from above, and the people are hoping for it from below; a drought of three years is already the limit.
But he was really angry. Those people used to worship him and the weather was good, and their lives were prosperous. Later, they were misled by someone and turned to worship Guanyin, completely forgetting him, their true master.
Even the Dragon King has his pride, so in a fit of anger, he stopped the rain.
However, anger is one thing, but being noticed by Heaven is another. If things really get to the point where the land is barren and the starving are everywhere, he might have to go to the execution platform—at that time, he won't be able to save his face or even his life.
But whether human or dragon, they are all obsessed with saving face, even if it means suffering for it. Even if the issue of face is a matter of life and death, they have to grit their teeth and bear it.
If it rains, you don't worship me; if it doesn't rain, you still don't worship me. So if I send rain again, wouldn't these three years of drought have been for nothing?
The old Dragon King was thus caught in a dilemma: not raining would be a loss of face, but raining might cost him his life.
Fortunately, Shen Yi appeared and helped him out of the predicament. His words made the people understand that it was not that the Dragon King was unkind, but that they were disrespectful first. In this way, the people worshipped the Dragon King again, and the Dragon King had a way to save face. He had both face and substance, so the Dragon King quickly sent down rain to avoid being blamed by the Jade Emperor.
"Young man, we really owe you a lot this time."
The old lady looked at Shen Yi with great satisfaction, "Otherwise, my old geezer—"
At this point, she couldn't help but glare at the old Dragon King again. Every time it rained, this old man would hide in Banbuduolai and dump the task of receiving the angels on her. She could only lie and say that her old man was sick. She was always worried and anxious. This time, she could finally rest easy.
"Cough cough cough!"
The old Dragon King quickly coughed a few times, abruptly interrupting his wife from revealing the truth.
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