Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 486 How Many Days Does It Take to Return to Jiankang, a Thousand Miles Away

At Fenglingdu, the soldiers of the White-Robed Army eagerly awaited their arrival each day. Finally, before they turned into "Waiting-for-Husband Stones," they saw a small boat slowly sailing on the raging river.

The small boat, without oars or sails, sailed upstream. At the bow stood an exceptionally handsome young monk, who sang aloud:

"The true scriptures of the Great Liang Moonlight are revealed, and I travel ten thousand miles in straw sandals through the snow. The old monk of Shaoshi and Yuntai is here, and he has been giving me the Dharma for three years."

Suddenly, the sound of an old sword echoed from beyond the heavens; amidst the surging winds and crashing waves, white bones lay buried. The sins of past lives, committed in this life, are now forgiven; a monk's robe serves as a sail to guide them forth!

Unfortunately, most of the soldiers in the white-robed army were rough and uncouth, unable to understand the true meaning behind the words. They looked at each other blankly and asked, "Is this the ship that came to pick us up?"

"This is way too small."

"Never mind that, hurry up and report to Commander Chen!" The scout leaped down from the city wall and went to deliver the message.

Before long, Chen Zhao helped Chen Qing up to the top of the city wall, with A Yao by his side.

With her sharp eyes, she immediately recognized the young monk as Faxiu and whispered, "He's the one who came to pick us up."

"Sister Ayao!" Faxiu, whose eyesight was also good, recognized her as well and waved vigorously.

"Please invite this young master up here to speak," Chen Qingzhi said.

~~
"Amitabha, this humble monk Faxiu greets Commander Chen." Faxiu came ashore and bowed with his palms together.

"I heard from Ayao that Master Faxiu is an old friend of Ayuan," Chen Qingzhi politely returned the greeting.

“That’s right, we’ve known each other for decades,” Fa Xiu said with a smile. “We’re closer than brothers.”

Upon hearing this, the generals couldn't help but roll their eyes inwardly. He looked so young and tender, not even twenty years old, yet they claimed to have known each other for decades... But now that he was a savior sent from heaven, of course they would do whatever he said.

"Did A-Yuan invite the young master?" Chen Qingzhi asked.

"Yes," Fa Xiu nodded and asked, "Where is he?"

Everyone's expression darkened. Fa Xiu panicked at first, but seeing that A Yao's expression was still relatively normal, she calmed herself down and asked, "Sister A Yao, is my third brother alright?"

"Something's happened," Ayao whispered. "He was killed by the Dream God."

"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Fa Xiu was struck dumb, and burst into tears, crying out, "Oh, my third brother, how could you be gone like this..."

He cried for a long time, then asked where his second and eldest brothers were. Upon learning that their fates were also unknown, he felt sad again.

"Stop crying." Seeing his uncontrollable sobs, Ayao had no choice but to persuade him, "So many people are waiting for you. You can cry after you get on the ship."

"Oh, that's true." Faxiu quickly wiped away his tears and stopped crying, saying, "Please get on the boat, everyone. This humble monk will take you across the river."

"Excuse me, young master, where is the Dream God?" Chen Qingzhi asked.

“My master has already chased them away,” Fa Xiu said. “General Chen and everyone else can cross the river without worry.”

"Oh? Who is your master?" Chen Qingzhi and the others were very shocked.

“Bodhidharma,” Faxiu said proudly, “is a true disciple of the Buddha, the 28th generation, and is not comparable to those charlatans of the Buddhist sect.”

"So it was Master Bodhidharma." Chen Qingzhi said in surprise, "When he left the capital, I was ordered to go and try to persuade him to stay. But he used his mountain-moving magic to block our way, and then crossed the river on a reed and went north in a carefree manner. Even after so many years, the master's demeanor is still fresh in my memory."

“My master helped us to settle the karmic debts from back then.” Fa Xiu urged, “Please get on the boat quickly. With my master here, the Dream God will not return.”

“Alright, but this boat of yours…” Chen Qingzhi nodded, looking at the small boat that could only accommodate two or three people standing, and couldn’t help but feel a little troubled. “Don’t worry, just get on.” Fa Xiu said confidently, “This is the same boat that carried my master across the river back then.”

"I see." Only then did Chen Qingzhi order the entire army to board the ship.

Fa Xiu wasn't exaggerating. The ship looked very small, but soldiers and horses boarded one after another, and it still couldn't be filled up. It was clearly a top-tier magic weapon.

Once everyone had boarded, Faxiu steered the boat downstream.

"Young master, just take us to the other side," Chen Qingzhi said, frowning slightly.

“My master instructed us to see this through to the end.” Fa Xiu said seriously, “Erzhu Rong’s army is still on the south bank. Given the state of the White Robe Army, even if they manage to break through the encirclement, their losses will certainly be significant.”

“So we’ll go downstream and take you directly to Jiankang,” he suggested. “My master’s boat is famous for being fast; it’ll arrive in just a few days.”

“It’s so convenient, but if we go downstream and pass through the Luoyang area, we’ll definitely be discovered by the Tianlu Army,” Ma Fonian interjected.

"Don't worry," Fa Xiu said confidently. "To outsiders, this is still just a small boat with only Chen Shuai and me on board."

"Why is it Marshal Chen and not us?" the soldiers asked, puzzled.

"Because Commander Chen is a deity, it cannot be concealed." Fa Xiu explained, then apologized, "Commander Chen's appearance is well known, so please shave your head to disguise yourself."

“How can that be?” The generals shook their heads in disapproval.

Chen Qingzhi laughed nonchalantly and said, "It's alright, I've also just become somewhat disillusioned with the world."

In truth, he knew very well that this was the price he had to pay. Bodhidharma had saved his soldiers, and he should repay Zen Buddhism in this way. In this way, people would later know that it was Buddhism that had saved him and the White-Robed Army in a moment of crisis.

He then said to Faxiu, "Thank you for your trouble, young master."

Fa Xiu then took out a razor and shaved Chen Qingzhi's head bald, and then draped a cassock over his head.

Then the two stood side by side at the bow of the boat, and as expected, they sailed smoothly past Luoyang, out of Henan and into Hebei, into the sea from Cangzhou, and then south to the mouth of the Yangtze River. Three days later, Jiankang was in sight.

"Logically, the streets should be deserted, and the entire court should be welcoming the White-Robed Army." Looking at the dock where everything seemed normal, Fa Xiu sighed softly. "We shouldn't have let you return to the capital so quietly."

"We're already thankful to be back alive," Chen Qingzhi and the generals of the White Robe Army said contentedly. "We don't even know if our brothers on the other side are alive or dead."

"Thank you very much, young master and Master Bodhidharma. If there is any need for your service in the future, I, Chen, will certainly do my best." Chen Qingzhi led the group to bow and express their gratitude to Faxiu.

“Oh, please don’t say that…” Faxiu waved her hand and said repeatedly, “My master said that one should not expect anything in return for doing good deeds, otherwise it will not be considered a meritorious act.”

"Alright." Chen Qingzhi had no choice but to stop, and after thanking them again with clasped hands, he ordered the soldiers to disembark.

"Commander Chen, I won't get off the ship," A Yao said softly.

"Okay." Chen Qingzhi already knew she was going to take Faxiu's boat to the southwest. He nodded and then asked, "I'm useless now, can Lao Ma and the others go with you?"

"No need," Ayao shook her head.

"Alright, then be very careful." Chen Qingzhi knew she was very determined and couldn't persuade her any further.

"Miss Yao, we await your good news!" The soldiers bid farewell to Yao before disembarking in formation.

(End of this chapter)