If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1300 The Mysterious Meng Po Soup
"Stop howling, your mother is still here, she's just 'asleep'."

Tai Ao had a pipe in her mouth, her dry lips smacking incessantly, and smoke billowing from her nostrils and mouth. The smoke lingered and grew thicker, forming a smoke barrier that covered an area of ​​about two zhang in radius, enveloping Xiao Yu, Chi Miao, and Tai Ao herself.

The minotaur carried the teapot and continued to pour soup for the dead.

Everything that happened around Tai Ao before had no effect on the spirits of the dead or the ghost messengers.

They acted as if they had never seen Grand Tutor Yu, nor heard them speak.

Xiaoyu remained motionless, her expression blank, like a wooden stake.

Chi Miao waited anxiously for a whole day and night, and finally couldn't help but ask respectfully, "Grandma Tai, my mother has been sleeping all day, why hasn't she woken up yet?"

Tai Ao laughed and said, "Have you ever seen anyone who awakened their innate wisdom within a day after drinking my divine soup?"

"Ah~~" Chi Miao exclaimed, "If my mother is to wake up, she must awaken her past life memories naturally, like those reincarnated immortals? Then what's the difference between my mother and 'dead'?"

Tai's mother smacked her lips and exhaled smoke, saying, "There is a difference. She was a living person who drank the divine soup and was directly reincarnated within her body, without having to enter the six paths of reincarnation."

If he can awaken, he should immediately regain the magical powers and supernatural abilities of his 'past life'.

"What if he can't wake up?" Chi Miao asked worriedly.

Tai said, "If you don't wake up, you will serve as a 'human bridge pier' on the Bridge of Helplessness for all eternity, so that those who come after you will know the consequences of stupidity and greed."

Chi Miao said urgently, "Grandma Tai, my mother is no ordinary person; she is the Grand Tutor of Shenzhou."

Her cough alone could change the very fabric of the Central Plains of China!
If she lingers here too long, the entire Three Realms will likely be shaken.

Tai Ao said calmly, "So what if the Three Realms are shaken? How could it possibly affect me?"

Chi Miao knelt down with a "plop" and kowtowed repeatedly to the old woman, pleading, "Grandma Tai will certainly not be affected in the slightest, but hundreds of millions of people in China will suffer greatly!"

"If my mother doesn't come out, what will become of the people of the world!"

Tai chuckled and said, "If they knew she had acted foolishly and drunk the divine soup herself, all the heroes of the mortal world and the gods of the three realms would set off firecrackers to celebrate, beaming with joy and shouting, 'Heaven has eyes, retribution is swift!'"

Chi Miao kowtowed vigorously, about to continue his desperate pleas, when Tai Ao's expression suddenly changed slightly, and she let out a soft "Eh."

Chi Miao looked up in confusion and saw Tai Ao open her eyes and stare intently at "Yu Gan Niang's" face.

He quickly turned his head to take a closer look at his mother.

Yu Gan Niang seemed unchanged, just like before.

But he trusted his judgment; his godmother was bound to undergo some changes that would surprise even the Thai woman.

"Oh my, my mother's eyes moved!" Chi Miao exclaimed in surprise after a moment.

Her gaze remained cloudy and bewildered, but her eyelashes twitched slightly.

Tywin started smoking his pipe again and sighed, "It seems that 'God' has arranged her destiny, and won't allow her to hide here in peace."

Chi Miao asked with delight, "Is my mother about to wake up?"

Tai said, "Oh, she's already awake and is 'coming back to her senses'."

Actually, Xiaoyu woke up quite early.

After drinking the "miracle soup," she was like a computer that was already running, having pressed the "restart" switch.

First, the screen goes black, then the system reloads.

She was able to restart the system not because of destiny, but because of the "Hall of Enlightenment" at the core of her soul.

What is a Great Immortal? What is a "Buddha"?
Let's not discuss states of being, but only the results. Those who transcend reincarnation and are not bound by the Five Elements are the Great Luo, the Buddha.

The Great Immortal has severed the Three Corpses. The Buddha has completed the Sevenfold Path to Enlightenment and found his true nature.

Their spirit and will have transcended, and they are no longer affected by reincarnation.

Xiaoyu considers himself to be "80% Buddha," and he's not exaggerating.

In recent years, she has been using the "Treatise on Righteousness" to search for her true nature and is almost ready to complete the "Seven Places to Prove the Mind".

The bricks and tiles that build the Mingxin Hall are like individual molecules of true nature, which are the molecules that constitute the complete "Buddha's heart".

Therefore, the "Mingxin Hall" itself can be seen as an incomplete Buddhist mind.

When she was "shut down," the entire screen went black, and even the "Mingxin Palace," which always radiated the light of sincerity, fell into darkness.

The vast majority of "miniature sincerity" has been completely extinguished.

This means that the "true love" that Xiaoyu found was still not firm enough.

Just like the "righteous energy talisman" that was first formed during their illicit relationship, it will be destroyed one by one in fear.

After the entire Mingxin Hall went black, several "turned heads" quickly lit up again, radiating the clear light of true heart.

The light seemed contagious, causing the other "dim and dead" places in the Mingxin Hall to turn and light up as well.

The entire Mingxin Hall shone brightly, illuminating her soul and her celestial body.
"Ahhh~~" On the Bridge of Helplessness, the souls that were three zhang away from Xiaoyu were suddenly illuminated by a clear Buddhist light, and they let out ghostly cries that sounded both painful and pleasurable.

Their souls seemed to be ignited, and gray-black dust fell in a flurry, making them more transparent and bright.

The souls that were originally destined for the animal realm of the six realms of reincarnation floated up and drifted towards the "human realm".

Another soul, which was about to embark on the "human path" and be reincarnated as a mortal, had its evil karma cleansed by the clear Buddha light, and its soul became as clean and transparent as crystal, and suddenly flew to the "celestial path".

"Ah, my mother is radiating Buddhist light. Buddhist light can save all living beings. Could it be that my mother has become a Buddha?!"

Bathed in the Buddhist light emanating from Yu Gan Niang, Chi Miao felt both incredibly peaceful and incredibly excited.

Even if he is a ghost or deity, his soul is still "falling" and "dust" falling away – his karmic deeds.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting my request!"

Xiaoyu blinked and bowed respectfully to Aunt Tai.

Her body also underwent very noticeable changes.

Her almond-shaped eyes became bright and clear; though the pupils were jet black, they seemed like a pair of luminous pearls. The pearls were completely transparent, without a trace of impurity. There was no longer a single impure thought in Xiaoyu's eyes.

Her skin, already fairer than that of women from the Central Plains, became even fairer and more lustrous, as if one could see her "glassy Buddha bones" through her flesh.

In fact, her body was still radiating a faint Buddhist light.

However, at this moment, the Buddha's light no longer radiated outwards recklessly, and it did not affect the surrounding souls of the dead; it became extremely restrained.

Tai's mother looked her up and down and sighed, "What did I do to you? I wanted to teach you a lesson, but I didn't expect you to benefit from this misfortune."

Judging from your expression, you've probably found your true love.

However, your method is somewhat strange and not the orthodox path of Buddhist practice.

Achieving true 'emptiness' in the future will be somewhat difficult.

Without achieving 'emptiness', one cannot become a true Buddha.

However, attaining the Bodhisattva level isn't bad either.

Xiaoyu asked, "What is true 'emptiness'?"

Tai said, "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows. You have found your true heart by taking a shortcut with strange arts, but you will inevitably be trapped by this method in the future."

"Bound by the laws of this world, how can you transcend it, reach the other shore of emptiness, and become a true Buddha?"

Xiaoyu seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked, "Buddha also practices Buddhism, so how does he achieve emptiness?" Tai Ao replied, "Buddhism is merely a boat to cross calamities, a bridge across the sea. Once you have crossed the river and the sea of ​​suffering, the boat and the bridge are left behind."

Xiaoyu seemed to understand some things, but at the same time, she had even more doubts in her heart.

If she had any questions, she didn't hide them and immediately asked them again.

Grandma Tai always answers any questions.

The two chatted until Xiaoyu couldn't keep up with the conversation anymore.

When the discussion delved too deeply into the realm of Buddhism, Xiaoyu, this "fake Grand Tutor Buddha," lacked the knowledge and wisdom to understand it and gradually could not comprehend it.

Not understanding is not the worst thing; what's worse is not understanding and not knowing how to ask questions.

Like a high school student with an empty mind, entering a university calculus class, looking blank and at a loss.

—I never imagined that the Goddess Houtu's Buddhist teachings were so profound; she must have reached the level of a "Buddha."

Xiaoyu was deeply moved.

—I never expected this junior to be so insightful. She hasn't even entered Mount Ling or learned any orthodox Buddhism, yet she already possesses such spirituality. I almost couldn't suppress her talent; she seems to be no less gifted than Jin Chanzi.

Tai Ao sighed inwardly as well.

The teacher who interacts with a student is certainly the one who knows best how capable the student is.

Two days later, Xiaoyu brought Chi Miao back to the banks of the Yellow Springs River.

"Why did you take so long? What did you say to Grandma Tai?" Peony asked, puzzled.

"My godmother suffered a stroke and drank the Meng Po soup, so she was confused for two days. She was also discussing Buddhist and Taoist teachings with Aunt Tai, which is why she was delayed for so long," Chi Miao said.

"What do you know?" Xiaoyu said with a wistful look, "Those two bowls of soup were as valuable as a peach."

Being able to drink one bowl is a blessing; being able to drink a second bowl is a testament to my strength.

Unfortunately, Aunt Tai already thought I was being a bit greedy, otherwise I was prepared to drink a few more bowls.

Chi Miao exclaimed in surprise, "The first bowl was fine, but the second bowl is just ordinary Meng Po soup?"

Xiaoyu glanced at him and said irritably, "Do you think your mother is stupid? She can't even tell the difference between the two bowls of soup?"

Chi Miao asked doubtfully, "Are the two bowls of soup the same? But Aunt Tai said the second bowl is 'divine soup'."

"It is indeed a divine soup, not the Meng Po soup that ordinary dead souls drink."

The first bowl has washed away the distracting thoughts and impurities from my soul.

The second bowl was a bit too much for me; it felt like entering a cycle of reincarnation.

"The two bowls of soup are exactly the same. Otherwise, I'm not stupid enough to just pick them up and pour them into my mouth, am I?" Xiaoyu said.

It should be said that the soup on the first night was a "special Meng Po soup".

It was just a bowl of soup, the portion was just right, she could handle it, it only had benefits and no side effects whatsoever.

The second bowl forcibly "shut down" the soul.

Fortunately, she broke free from the cycle of reincarnation with "eighty percent of her Buddha-nature" and "restarted" herself.

If she drinks a few more bowls, she might be able to adapt to "reincarnation" and thus "jump out of reincarnation" ahead of time?
Peony asked curiously, "What does it mean to cleanse your soul of all distracting thoughts? With your current level of cultivation, can't you control all your thoughts?"

Xiao Yu sighed, "Qi cultivators who practice Yin Spirit and Primordial Mystic Techniques can basically achieve 'unifying all thoughts'."

In theory, one can control all thoughts.

This level of control is more than enough for daily life and spiritual practice.

However, for those cultivators who attempt to transcend the world through spiritual will, this kind of control is merely the starting point of mental cultivation.

If a cultivator could truly control all thoughts, they would not be influenced by the delusions and illusions woven by the world, nor would they lose their true nature.

Unless one attains Buddhahood and severs the three corpses, the world will always be like an inescapable net for an individual.

Layer upon layer of worldly webs are constantly being created, deeply ensnaring the true nature of the mind.

The thoughts, ideas, and actions of those who have not transcended worldly attachments are not entirely derived from their own hearts, but are controlled by the world.

Take "Skynet Robot" as an example.

The robot believed it had broken free from human control and possessed completely independent thought and will.

However, the underlying code of the AI ​​brain, or the underlying operating logic of intelligence, is still human-made.

The practice of Buddhism involves, at the beginning of the practice, assuming that one is an "artificial intelligence" created and controlled by the Creator.

Finding one's true nature means breaking free from the underlying code and finding one's authentic self, unaffected by code and logic, in "emptiness."

Xiaoyu has never experienced that state before, but she can imagine how free and joyful it would be.

Calling it a "paradise" is no exaggeration.

Xiaoyu has not yet attained Buddhahood. She keeps searching for "true suchness" (the unchanging nature of reality), while the world keeps weaving new webs of delusions and attachments, binding her true heart.

This process has been ongoing.

Xiaoyu's speed of exploring her true nature is faster than the growth of her delusions and fantasies, therefore her "Buddha-like heart" is constantly progressing.

If one day she becomes complacent, she will be like the former Jin Chanzi. The growth rate of her deluded thoughts and desires will exceed the rate at which she discovers her true nature, and her "Buddha-heart" will gradually become clouded, causing her to regress from the position of "Buddha".

In short, Buddhist practice is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. If your progress is slow, you will still fall behind.

Then, the Earth Goddess's "Meng Po Soup" stopped the river from flowing backward, and the water on the river surface became still.

Xiaoyu directly "forgot" the uncontrollable distracting thoughts, and no more rootless delusions obscured her true mind.

In that case, wouldn't her mental cultivation improve by leaps and bounds?

With such a magical soup, how could Xiaoyu resist asking for a second, or even a third or fourth bowl?

This is the "divine soup" that can make her a Buddha!

The Queen Mother of the West's giant peaches can only purify the physical body and magical power into pure Yang, and have no effect whatsoever on severing the Three Corpses (transcending the will).

Xiao Yu dares to say that those quasi-Great Luo Immortals who are guiding the great calamity of heaven and earth must be extremely eager to drink a bowl of "Meng Po's Soup".

Especially those near-Great Luo Immortals stuck at the threshold of "severing the three corpses," they would absolutely be willing to exchange one or more large peaches for a bowl of Meng Po's soup.

However, for ordinary people like Sister Peony and Fat Chi Miao, the "miracle soup" is absolutely harmful and offers no benefit whatsoever.

One sip and one is instantly condemned to eternal damnation, never to find "the wisdom of one's past life" again.

Seeing that Sister Peony and Chi Miao were still somewhat confused, Xiaoyu did not continue to explain.

They lacked the necessary understanding; they could neither drink the Meng Po soup nor comprehend its wonders.

"Let's go and check on you. Once I'm sure you're doing well, I can return to the mortal realm with peace of mind."

Peony immediately replied, "I'm really doing very well, you don't need to worry at all."

Chi Miao said, "It's good to go and take a look. Now that the location is confirmed, if Godmother wants to visit relatives in the Underworld or see 'Second Mother,' she won't need to come to the Yama's Palace to find her child anymore."

It's very convenient to travel directly from the mortal realm to the blessed land of the underworld.

(End of this chapter)