My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

"Benefactor, you must be puzzled: why is it that the fields along the way are bountiful, but here, everyone wears the face of a hungry ghost?"

After the illusion dissipated, before the incense of Maitreya Buddha, the old abbot revealed his true face—skin clinging to bones, sagging downward. He was so emaciated he resembled a walking fleshly Buddha.

Chen Yi's hand remained on the hilt of his sword.

Seeing this, Yin Tingxue quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered softly:

"He means no harm; I can hear it."

Hearing this, Chen Yi looked around. Several abbots wore guilty expressions, especially the one who had accidentally let some saliva dribble; he was chanting scriptures non-stop in embarrassment.

"What's going on?"

Chen Yi finally asked.

"Namo Future Maitreya Buddha. Benefactor, you may not know—this is the Ghost Path, one of the three evil paths."

The old abbot spoke with reverence,

"Those who reside in this village were greedy and sinful in their past lives. After entering the six realms of samsara, they were reborn here, becoming hungry ghosts."

Their faces shifted at the words. Princess Xiang looked on with pity; the female crown showed more curiosity, while Dong Gong Ruoshu was innocently intrigued.

Before Chen Yi could ask further, Dong Gong Ruoshu interjected:

"Didn't you have a harvest this year? Why don't you eat the grains—did you trade them all for Buddha statues?"

Hearing this, Chen Yi secretly nodded in agreement.

The golden Buddha statues along the road had been strangely abundant.

The old abbot merely gave a mournful smile and said,

"Those fields are known as 'fields of Buddhist karma.' What grows there isn't grain but gold."

"Gold?"

"In this Ghost Path, all were greedy and sinful in their past lives. The most cherished thing—naturally—is gold. Thus, in the Ghost Path, gold is as common as dirt, while grain is as rare as a drop in the ocean."

The old abbot patiently explained.

Hearing this, the listeners were deeply astonished. None had imagined the Ghost Path would look like this.

Dong Gong Ruoshu, even more curious, asked incessantly:

"Then how do you survive?"

The question was so straightforward it clearly hadn't been well thought out.

The old abbot wasn't angered. His skeletal hands joined in prayer as he knelt before Maitreya Buddha and recited a passage of blessing from the Buddhist Scriptures:

"From my right side, I am born; from the crown of your head, Maitreya is born. While my lifespan is but a century, Maitreya's spans 84,000 years. My land is earth, your land is gold. My land is suffering, your land is joy."

When he finished, he stood up and revealed candidly:

"Namo Future Maitreya Buddha. People here cannot starve to death. By reciting Buddhist scriptures a thousand or ten thousand times, they simply keep living."

Even the ever-incredulous Miss Donggong was visibly stunned, let alone Chen Yi, whose pupils contracted slightly at the revelation.

"Living here, unable to grow grain in the fields—only gold—we erect Buddha statues, build temples, chant the Buddha's name, and practice the righteous path in hopes of attaining liberation as soon as possible.

The gold is all used to honor Buddha, never for anything else. We intentionally live in these shabby houses as a reminder to ourselves."

The old abbot's voice was calm and measured as he narrated this peculiar scene of the Thousand Buddha Village.

Glancing at the plain vegetarian meal before him, he murmured softly:

"The old go hungry, the children go hungry; hunger leads us to chant Buddhist Law, and starvation drives us to recite scriptures. The rumbling of our stomachs echoes like the sound of wooden fish, and somehow, we find it serene."

The four travelers came to an understanding.

This Thousand Buddha Village,

had many Arhats, many Bodhisattvas, many Buddhas,

but the most abundant were the hungry ghosts.

...............

They did not touch the bowls of vegetarian food but ate their own rations instead.

Under the golden sunset, Chen Yi gazed upon those glimmering fields, dazzling as a golden ocean—and indeed, it was a sea of gold.

The villagers, young and old, were all skin and bones. This was no illusion but a real, self-contained world, which meant every villager had a soul and was alive.

Children played by the roadside Buddha statues, while adults lined up outside the temple to offer incense. As the sun set and the crowds buzzed with chatter, they gossiped about daily affairs, occasionally discussing Buddhist Law, pressing their palms together in devout chanting.

Even in the human world, in devout Buddhist regions like the Western Jin, there had never been such a concentration of believers, nor such fervent piety.

"Only as hungry ghosts do they learn to chant and worship Buddha."

Chen Yi chuckled coldly.

Beside him, Princess Xiang pouted at his words.

After a while, she mustered the courage to murmur softly:

"Perhaps they don't really have a choice."

Chen Yi glanced sideways at the little fox.

"…Those who dwell near cinnabar are stained red; those near ink are stained black. People are shaped by their environment,"

Yin Tingxue observed his expression and spoke in a low voice:

"For instance, in times of chaos, how could one survive without greed or thievery?"

"Do you believe human nature is inherently good?"

"I do."

Yin Tingxue replied softly.

Chen Yi chuckled, gently patting her head.

He didn't consider himself a good person, but having a gentle-hearted little fox by his side was truly a blessing.

Reflecting on this, Chen Yi felt a surge of delight.

He enjoyed teasing her precisely because she was kind-hearted. He knew no matter how much he teased her, she would never harbor malice—that's the kind of person who's easy to bully.

Seeing that Chen Yi didn't respond, Yin Tingxue asked again:

"Don't you believe it?"

"It makes no difference, whether I do or not."

Chen Yi had always believed in being wary of others.

Yin Tingxue rolled her eyes and took the initiative to hold Chen Yi's hand, cradling it in both of hers, softening her voice:

"I believe."

She had clearly said this once already, but now repeated it.

The implication was clear—she was saying she believed that even someone like Chen Yi, a "bad man," had an inherently good nature.

Human nature was inherently good, so…?

So, he ought to treat her better and tease her less.

Such were the winding thoughts of the little fox.

She revealed her thoughts so openly, which Chen Yi found endearing. Lately, her courage had grown; she'd spoken many heartfelt words to him.

Unconsciously, she seemed to realize she could never leave him, growing increasingly attached.

Yin Tingxue gazed at the starving ghosts in the distance, her heart uneasy.

"Do you want to help them attain liberation?"

Chen Yi guessed her thoughts.

"Yes… if it's possible, it might earn some good karma for our family."

Yin Tingxue said this while looking at Chen Yi with a hopeful expression.

Chen Yi remained silent.

In the distance, the old abbot slowly approached.

The skeletal elder, draped in a Kasaya, bowed respectfully to Chen Yi upon reaching him, then said:

"I apologize for any prior offense. If the benefactor has any requests, we will do our best to accommodate."

The old abbot bore no resentment for Chen Yi who had killed dozens of villagers.

The Buddhist teachings spoke of the six realms of samsara. Chen Yi's act of killing the hungry ghosts had freed them, allowing their souls to reincarnate within this self-contained world.

What's more, they were forbidden to kill one another, for doing so deliberately would exacerbate their karmic burden, ensuring an even worse rebirth.

"How do we leave this small world of yours?"

Chen Yi asked directly.

Yin Tingxue lowered her eyes in quiet disappointment.

The old abbot pondered for a moment before replying slowly:

"When all in the Thousand Buddha Village attain liberation, you will be able to leave."

Under the setting sun, the ground was littered with starving ghosts.

The scene was akin to the end of all options—after the chickens have eaten all the grain, the dogs have licked the flour clean, and the fire has burned through the locks.