#913 - A Glimpse of Buddha

Buddhist statues in Buddhist temples, with the exception of heavenly deities like the Four Heavenly Kings, are mostly seated with their eyes closed.

Why do Buddhist statues always have their eyes closed, or perhaps half-closed?

Wei Changtian had not explored this question, but it was said that the Buddha could not bear to see the suffering of all living beings, and therefore closed his eyes.

But now, in the violently swirling gale, under Wei Changtian's astonished gaze, the enormous Shakyamuni statue, nearly ten zhang tall, actually slowly opened its eyes.

The Buddha's eyes were solemn, and within them seemed to be a profound mystery of indifference to joy or sorrow, and disregard for everything else.

If such a spectacle were seen by others, they would probably faint from fright in the next moment.

And although Wei Changtian would not faint from fright, being stared at by such a pair of eyes caused his heart to tighten suddenly, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped his heart tightly.

At that moment, even his breathing stopped for an instant.

Coming from a world where "natural science" was the mainstream understanding, to this world based on "internal energy and true qi", Wei Changtian had encountered many things he would never have dared to imagine in his previous life after transmigrating.

Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Witchcraft, Gu.

Demonic beasts, illusions, arrays, divine weapons.

All kinds of cultivation methods and supernatural powers, the earth-shattering battles between top experts, the dark and chaotic slaughter on battlefields of millions of people.

It could be said that although it had only been a little over three years, Wei Changtian's experiences and identity had given him more knowledge than the vast majority of "natives" in this world.

And having seen so much, if Wei Changtian were to choose the scene that shocked him the most, it would undoubtedly be the one before him.

To be precise, it was not the entire scene that shocked him.

What truly made him lose his senses and freeze at such a critical moment was actually just the pair of opened Buddha eyes.

This was a kind of gaze that Wei Changtian had never seen before.

It was as if it were a glance from a true Buddha.

"Brother Zhang, did you see that just now? It looked like a golden light fell near Yun'an Temple."

On the other side, about seven or eight li away from Yun'an Temple, was a residential house.

This house was not large, located at the entrance of a small alley, and had been vacant for quite some time since its owner left.

Gu Pan'er was currently walking back and forth in the house, carefully checking the condition of each room, and judging from her expression, she seemed quite satisfied.

The two brokers who accompanied her to "view the house" clearly did not have the "professional qualities" of real estate agents from her previous life, and instead of following her around and introducing the features, they stood at the door chatting idly.

One of the younger brokers looked up in a certain direction and muttered in confusion:

"Did I see things? It disappeared in the blink of an eye."

"I told you, read less at night."

The older broker curled his lip upon hearing this, clearly not taking his companion's words seriously.

"The imperial examinations happen every year, if you don't pass this year, try next year, why work so hard."

"Do you know the youngest son of the Li family in Shijing Alley?"

"Like you, he used to work during the day and study at night for the past few years, but guess what happened?"

"Did he pass the exam?"

The younger broker's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to ask something else, he was interrupted disdainfully by the older broker:

"Pass my ass, before he even took the exam, his eyes went bad."

"He can't see clearly if it's even a little far away, he can't even recognize people, and he almost made a big joke several times."

"Now it's good, not only does his father not let him study anymore, but it's even hard to find a wife."

"..."

As if to prove that "reading is harmful and not beneficial", the older broker chattered on endlessly.

The younger broker didn't seem to care much, probably because he had heard these "admonitions" many times.

He looked up at the sky again, knowing very well that he wasn't seeing things, and that a golden light had indeed fallen near Yun'an Temple just now.

He just didn't know why no one else had seen it.

"Gentlemen, I've finished looking."

Just as the younger broker was feeling puzzled, a voice rang out not far away, it was Gu Pan'er who had finished viewing the house.

Upon hearing this, the former immediately put the little interlude just now behind him, and greeted her with a smile, asking:

"Miss Gu, what do you think of this house?"

"It's better than the previous ones, but it's been unoccupied for many years, and many of the doors and windows need to be replaced."

Gu Pan'er was well-versed in the art of bargaining, and although she was very satisfied with the house, she still picked out a lot of flaws one by one.

The older broker didn't take it seriously, but the younger broker patiently answered them one by one, and then advised her quite sincerely:

"Miss Gu, although this house is a bit old, it will be as good as new with a simple renovation."

"Besides, didn't you also want to do some small business?"

"This place is at the entrance of the alley, and it's quite lively with people coming and going. You live in the backyard, tidy up the front yard, and it's enough to use it as a shop."

"This way, you can save the money for renting a shop."

Obviously, the younger broker was much more dedicated than the older one, and gave Gu Pan'er a lot of sincere advice.

The latter thought it made sense, so she nodded and asked:

"Then how much does this house cost?"

"One thousand five hundred taels."

This time, before the younger broker could open his mouth, the older broker said first: "Fixed price, not a penny less."

"Where is the logic in doing business without allowing bargaining."

Gu Pan'er frowned: "Don't think you can bully me just because I'm a woman."

"Hmph, don't say these useless things, it's just one thousand five hundred taels."

The older broker snorted coldly, glanced at the somewhat angry Gu Pan'er, and deliberately muttered: "Just a prostitute, I look down on..."

"Brother Zhang!"

Suddenly, just as Gu Pan'er was about to flare up, the younger broker loudly interrupted the older broker's words.

He pulled and dragged the latter out of the courtyard, and after a moment, he walked back and cupped his hands at Gu Pan'er with apology.

"Miss Gu, I'm really sorry."

"Brother Zhang was previously deceived by a courtesan, so that's why..."

"Alas, in any case, Brother Zhang was wrong, I apologize to you on his behalf, please don't take it to heart."

"The lowest price for this house is one thousand three hundred taels. If you think it's about right, then we can discuss it in detail."

"If you still think it's too expensive, then I have a few cheaper ones here, we can go and take a look."

He apologized sincerely and gave the lowest price.

Gu Pan'er was already used to other people's contempt and ridicule, so when the younger broker finished saying these words, the anger in her heart subsided a lot.

"Alright, one thousand three hundred taels it is."

Seeming unwilling to stay here any longer, she said simply:

"However, I'm still a little short of silver, I need to go back and raise some more."

"What's more, I still have to ask my husband about this."

"How about this, I'll come again early tomorrow morning, you prepare the contract in advance."