Chapter 86: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (86)
In the dimly lit room, a thin mist of smoke drifted through the air.
Bo Nian sank into the leather sofa, a slender cigarette clamped between his fingertips, its scarlet ember flickering in and out…
The person in front of him stole a glance at him, then hurriedly lowered his eyes, standing respectfully in place, breathing very lightly.
A moment later, Bo Nian spoke leisurely. His voice was somewhat low, making it unclear whether he was speaking to someone or talking to himself.
“Burning incense and worshiping Buddha? How hilarious. Someone like him actually started believing in these useless things…”
As he spoke, he flicked the ash with his finger, then raised his hand to take a slow drag. The corners of his eyes tilted up slightly; even his smoking posture carried a nonchalant allure. Unfortunately, no one in the room dared to admire it unscrupulously.
…
Only after finishing the cigarette did Bo Nian look coldly at the man in front of him.
“Since Lu Yanli dares to leave Beijing, let him never come back. Understood?”
The man froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously, his voice trembling slightly.
“Understood, Master Bo.”
Lu Yanli sat in the car, clutching a string of Buddhist beads in his palm. He slowly rubbed the beads with the pad of his thumb. His expression was even colder than before, like a lifeless statue.
In fact, since Shen Tangqing died, his heart had died with him.
He, who had never believed in ghosts or gods, began to practice vegetarianism and Buddhism. He even slowly withdrew from some of his past businesses and started doing various charities and public welfare projects.
He wanted to pray for blessings for Shen Tangqingāalthough he knew these things might be useless, just psychological comfort.
The destination of this trip was Wuxian, a remote and backward small county town.
He had accidentally heard that there was a temple called Yuntai Temple in Wuxian. It was said that the temple was very efficacious, with uninterrupted incense for a thousand years. The stairs from the foot of the mountain to the top were fully twelve thousand steps, locally known as the “Ten Thousand Steps Cloud Ladder.”
Legend had it that if one made a sincere wish and climbed the Ten Thousand Steps Cloud Ladder while kowtowing every three steps, the wish would definitely come true.
When Lu Yanli decided to go, everyone thought he was crazy. Who would actually do this because of a hearsay, somewhat absurd rumor?
Lu Yanli lowered his eyes, stopped the movement of his hands, and looked heavily out the window.
He was indeed crazy. He had already gone crazy the moment he heard the news of Shen Tangqing’s death.
Regardless of whether the rumor was true or not, he wanted to go and begābeg for a destiny with Shen Tangqing in the next life.
…
It was nearly eleven o’clock when they arrived in Wuxian.
This remote small county town seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. The streets were deserted, and almost all the shops were closed.
The car stopped at the hotel entrance. A subordinate got out diligently and opened the door for him.
Lu Yanli glanced at the hotel. The exterior walls were somewhat dilapidated, and even one of the lights on the hotel sign had gone out. However, this was already the best hotel in this county town.
After checking in, Lu Yanli took a hot bath, and his fatigue was slightly relieved.
He walked to the window and lit a cigarette. Amidst the curling smoke, his gaze drifted into the distance.
What he didn’t know was that the apartment Shen Tangqing rented was in the residential area just across the river.
They were actuallyāvery close.
…
The next day, just as dawn broke, Lu Yanli set off.
It took only about twenty minutes to drive from the town to the foot of Yuntai Temple.
After getting out of the car, Lu Yanli’s gaze fell on the winding stairs leading straight up. After a moment of silence, he slowly knelt down.
Three steps, one kowtow, climbing this Ten Thousand Steps Cloud Ladder.
With every bow, he devoutly recited a sentence in his heart:
Believer Lu Yanli begs the Bodhisattva to grant me a lifetime of destiny with Shen Tangqing.
The morning dew still condensed in the cracks of the bluestone slabs, wetting Lu Yanli’s knees. The rough stone surface wore through his suit pants.
The chill mixed with dull pain drilled into his bones, but he seemed not to feel it. Every time his forehead knocked against the stone steps, it carried a heaviness bordering on piety.
Young people carrying hiking bags held up cameras to take secret photos. The man in the lens had a straight back; his expensive shirt was covered in dust, wretched yet unbreakable.
“Look at him, he doesn’t actually believe this broken legend, does he? It’s the first time I’ve seen someone really kowtowing every three steps all the way up…”
“Who says otherwise? To believe such obviously fake rumors…”
The whispers of passersby fell into Lu Yanli’s ears, but he seemed unaware. He raised his head, the morning light falling into his eyes, empty without a single ripple.
The people discussing him were stunned when their gazes met his, and they tacitly shut their mouths…
…
When he reached the two-thousandth step, Lu Yanli’s knees began to seep blood, staining deep marks through his trousers.
An old man selling water on the way couldn’t bear to watch and couldn’t help but speak to him.
“Young man, this legend isn’t credible. Ten thousand steps is too long, give up! Don’t struggle against yourself.”
Lu Yanli’s gaze rested on the old man’s face. After a moment of silence, he slowly shook his head. His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper grinding against wood.
“Uncle, I want to try…”
He continued to kowtow upwards, each step slower than before.
The sun gradually climbed higher, stretching his shadow thin and long. The words recited in his heart turned over and over, remaining just one sentence:
Begging for a destiny with Shen Tangqing.
When he knelt to the eight-thousandth step, he was very tired. His body was reaching its limit. When getting up, he stumbled, his palm supporting himself on the stone step, cut open by sharp gravel.
Beads of blood dripped onto the bluestone slab, blooming into a rot-like red.
He supported his knees and got up slowly. Shen Tangqing’s face flashed in his vision, smiling with curved eyes and calling him “Brother Lu”…
He had actually met Shen Tangqing only a few times. Even the only photo he had was the one Fu Sizhao posted in the group chat when he wore women’s clothing.
The vague image in his mind suddenly made his eyes red. The sourness blocking his throat surged up; he bit his lower lip hard, forcing the moisture back.
Then he knelt down again, his forehead knocking against the stone step once more.
This time, he spoke softly, “Shen Tangqing, I’m almost there.”
When he finally kowtowed to the temple gate at the top of the mountain, it was almost dark.
Two subordinates who drove up the mountain to wait for him hurried forward to support him, but he waved his hand, insisting on walking by himself.
The monks in the temple were shocked looking at this man covered in injuries, barely able to stand steady. They hurried forward to ask. When they learned that Lu Yanli had actually knelt all the way up, kowtowing every three steps, the monks’ expressions became even more shocked.
What kind of determination and obsession was needed to accomplish such a thing…
…
A monk personally guided Lu Yanli to the main hall. The candlelight inside danced, reflecting on his bloodstained knees and the dirt all over his body, making him look even more wretched.
Lu Yanli knelt on the prayer cushion, looked up at the Buddha statue, and suddenly laughed.
The laughter was mixed with choking sobs, and tears finally smashed onto the cold floor tiles.
“Bodhisattva,” his voice trembled, yet every word was clear.
“Believer Lu Yanli never believed in gods or Buddhas before and has done many wrong things…”
“Now I repent and reform. I am willing to be a vegetarian and worship Buddha for the rest of my life. I hope the Bodhisattva will have mercy and grant me and Shen Tangqing a destiny in the next life…”
After speaking, he knocked his head heavily three times. His forehead hit the cushion, making a muffled sound.
The wind outside the hall rolled in with the sound of the evening bell, landing in his ears, sounding as if someone had sighed gently.
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