Chapter 450: Chapter 405: Jin Naluo Meets A Xiu for the First Time
Jin Naluo slowly ascended to the second floor and stood before one of the rooms, wisps of steam emanating from within.
The sound of light laughter came from the room: "Hehe~ little monk, why don’t you come inside?"
Jin Naluo reached out to push the door, which creaked open. He walked into the room and turned to close the door behind him.
Inside, sat a large bathtub with steam rising. A beautiful woman sat within the tub, her pure white body intermittently visible through the ascending vapors.
Immediately, Jin Naluo turned his back to the tub and bowed his head, uttering, "Namo Amitabha Buddha!"
A Xiu sat in the tub, scooping up a handful of water to splash on her chest; water flowed down along her curves.
A Xiu, looking at Jin Naluo’s back, said with a smile, "You’re quite interesting, little monk!
Other men rush in wanting to devour me, but you turn your back on me."
"I have been watching the female donor all along."
"You’re obviously turning away from me; where are you looking? Do you have eyes on the back of your head?" A Xiu giggled.
"I am always watching the female donor’s heart, which is persistent. It is scarred, yet it still yearns for hope."
"Whoosh~" A Xiu stood up from the bathtub and said with a laugh, "You little monk, where are my scars? Look at how beautiful I am, and how joyously I laugh."
"Female donor, your heart is weeping!" Jin Naluo emphasized.
A Xiu’s laughter suddenly ceased, and after a moment of silence, she stepped out of the tub and picked up a sheer robe to drape over herself.
Footsteps approached from behind Jin Naluo, and a damp hand rested on his shoulder as a gentle voice said, "Jin Naluo, if you do not watch over me, how will you cross me over?"
Jin Naluo trembled and slowly turned to look behind him, only to see a woman in a thin veil standing before him, a vision of beauty fresh from a bath.
A Xiu’s finger lifted Jin Naluo’s chin, grinning mischievously, "Such a handsome little monk."
Jin Naluo took a step back, looking somewhat embarrassed.
A Xiu lowered her hand and calmly stated, "Jin Naluo, I know of you. After having converted Aliu and A Dao, you’re now here to convert me, aren’t you?"
Jin Naluo nodded slightly and said, "Yes!"
A Xiu laughed and remarked, "But if you are so fearful of me, how could you possibly convert me?"
Jin Naluo was silent for a moment before stepping forward and embracing A Xiu’s waist.
A hint of surprise and disappointment appeared in A Xiu’s eyes; her previous words weren’t false. Since Jin Naluo had converted Aliu, she had taken a keen interest in him, recognizing him as a true Buddhist cultivator. But now, it seemed, he was just another worldly man.
The next moment, a strong gust of wind blew, and A Xiu instinctively shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself on a quiet bridge under a sky full of stars, with the sound of rippling water below her mingling with the croaking of frogs and chirping of insects.
A Xiu took two steps back and tightened the sheer robe around her, feeling uneasy, and asked, "Little monk, why have you brought me here?"
Jin Naluo replied with a gentle smile, "A Xiu, how long has it been since you last came out?"
A Xiu paused, feeling a slight astonishment. How long had it been since she last came out? Her expression turned vague for a moment. It had been a very long time. When she had first entered the Red House, she would sneak out to play, but at some point, she started going out less and less, and now, it must have been several years since she had been outside!
Now, every day, her duty was to entertain one man after another. A Xiu instinctively hugged her arms.
Jin Naluo took off his robe and tenderly draped it over A Xiu’s shoulders.
A Xiu glanced at Jin Naluo and tightened the robe around her. The robe emanated a comforting scent as if it were sunshine itself.
Jin Naluo extended his hand in all directions and said, "A Xiu, look at how wonderful this world is, with its Qingfeng and Mingyue, and its mountains, rivers, grass, and trees.
The world is constantly expressing its own beauty, with life and death, light and darkness.
You don’t have to confine yourself to your small world. Instead, you should step out, behold the myriad states of the world, witness the flourish of all beings, break away from the past, and welcome a new life."
A Xiu shook her head and said, "I can’t see the beauty you speak of. All I see here is endless darkness."
"Are not the myriad stars bright?"
"They are too far away from me."
"Don’t you find joy in the sounds of frogs and insects chirping?"
A Xiu counted slowly, "We may hear joy, but in truth, they are cries of sorrow."
Jin Naluo turned his head to look at A Xiu with pity and said, "Why is your heart filled with pessimism?"
A Xiu clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to feel and perceive the world at this moment, saying softly, "This vast world, its beauty, it all belongs to you. I once yearned for it, yet I see no hope. I once resisted, only to sink into darkness."
A blinding light burst forth in front of A Xiu. She opened her eyes and saw a hand radiating light before her.
Jin Naluo smiled at A Xiu and said, "If you’re willing, I can take you away from the darkness, to a world filled with light."
A Xiu stared blankly at the luminous hand in front of her and slowly raised her hand toward the glowing hand of Jin Naluo.
Slap~A Xiu suddenly slapped Jin Naluo’s hand, brushed a strand of hair from beside her ear, turned her body toward another direction, and faked a calm giggle, "You little monk are so dull. I’m leaving." She walked away toward the distance.
Jin Naluo watched A Xiu re-enter her building, then immediately sat cross-legged on the bridge, gazing at the building, entranced. Why do I suddenly feel an unexplainable fluttering in my heart? This sensation is quite extraordinary.
A Xiu returned to her room, took off the robe and placed it on the bed. Looking at the robe, she suddenly burst into laughter, thinking what an unromantic little monk he was. Carefully, she folded the robe and put it in her chest of clothes, then sat on the bed, lost in thought. Although she said he was unromantic, she couldn’t help but feel a unique sensation towards him.
...
The following night, Jin Naluo appeared again in front of the building, holding Prayer Beads, and walked through the door.
Little Green came out frowning and said, "Why have you come again? My miss already has a visitor today, please leave!"
Jin Naluo proceeded upstairs without a word.
"Hey, don’t go up there!" Lv Zhu called out, trying to stop him, but she was somehow pushed back by a force.
Jin Naluo arrived outside A Xiu’s door, where he could clearly hear the sounds of indulgence from within. He immediately sat down cross-legged, turned the Prayer Beads, and began reciting scriptures in a low voice: "Xu Puti, what do you think? Does a Sotapanna think, ’I have obtained the Sotapanna Fruit?’ Xu Puti said, ’Not at all, World Venerable. And why? Because ’Sotapanna’ means ’entering the stream’, but there is nothing to enter — not sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or consciousness...’"
The sound of the chanting reached inside the building, causing the two people in motion to stop immediately.