The pavilion.
Its top was an octagonal tower roof, studded with stars, sun, and moon as if it were the vault of heaven itself, resembling the Eight Trigrams.
The middle was supported by pillars of the Four Symbols, as if the four divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird—were guarding the four directions.
The base was a circular Tai Chi mirror, as if the Yin-Yang and Five Elements were in constant flux.
Genggu Wuming sat quietly on the stone stool of the pavilion, giving off an ethereal, elusive feeling—like the Eight Trigrams tower roof, like the Four Symbols pillars, like the Tai Chi circular mirror, like the slowly rotating great sun within this space, and like the myriad Buddhas paying homage in the sky.
She seemed to have merged with this pavilion, merged with this wondrous dharma-filled Buddha world of Miaofa Posuo, and even more so, merged with this Primordial Black Hole.
"I once told you, you need not seek me out deliberately. If we are fated, the two of us will naturally meet."
"Is that so?"
Seated atop the palm of the golden Buddha statue, backed by the radiance of the Great Sun, wearing the Five Great Wisdom King Crown and the Amitabha Kasaya, Miao Tathagata did not possess the benevolent, kindly face of a Buddha as many might imagine, nor did he have the noble bearing of an emperor. To call him evil or ugly would be far from the truth; instead, he possessed a strikingly handsome face, handsome to the point of having a somewhat demonic, bewitching quality.
If he were to remove the Five Great Wisdom King Crown from his head and shed the Amitabha Kasaya from his body, one could fairly say he was a peerlessly handsome man among the myriad worlds of the Great Wilderness.
A faint, shallow smile hung at the corner of Miao Tathagata's mouth. He then turned his gaze to Cang Yan, seated opposite Genggu Wuming, and said softly, "So Empress Langya is here as well."
If Genggu Wuming's presence was ethereal, giving a sense of unreality,
then Cang Yan's presence was similarly ethereal, but the feeling it gave was not one of unreality, but rather of vagueness, something elusive and unfathomable.
She was dressed in a grand, dark red gown, her long hair coiled high atop her head, her features stunningly beautiful, dignified, and majestic.
Her beauty was breathtakingly gorgeous, enchanting and moving, beautiful in a myriad of charming ways, beautiful in a peerless, era-defining manner.
Her aura was matchless, unparalleled. It was both sacred and luminous like the great sun, and dark and tranquil like the hidden moon in the night sky.
Like a celestial immortal of the Nine Heavens, yet also like a divine demon of the Nine Netherworlds, every smile and frown, though seemingly casual, resembled an empress descending from the heavens above, supremely noble, inspiring awe and reverence.
She sat on the stone stool, leaning against one of the long pillars, appearing somewhat languid. She held a white jade cup containing half a measure of wine, a playful smile gracing her lips.
When Miao Tathagata's voice reached her, she raised her cup in acknowledgment and said with a laugh, "Long time no see, Little Tathagata."
Cang Yan had met Miao Tathagata before, and not just once. Not only had they met, they had also crossed hands. Of course, it was merely crossing hands; they were not friends, but neither were they enemies. At the very least, Cang Yan had never regarded Miao Tathagata as an enemy, and Miao Tathagata had never regarded her as one either.
"Counting the days, it really has been a long time since I've heard any news of you."
Cang Yan drained the wine in her cup and asked with a smile, "Tell me, what have you been up to all these years?"
Cang Yan's address of Miao Tathagata as "Little Tathagata" was clearly a form of teasing. Miao Tathagata, however, did not take offense and replied, "This seat has done nothing, having been in seclusion the entire time."
"So it was seclusion. This Empress thought you had gone off to wreak havoc somewhere again."
Cang Yan gazed at the myriad Buddhas paying homage in the sky and said, "It seems your seclusion this time yielded no small gains. Did you comprehend some wondrous dharma or creation? Speak of it, let this Empress broaden her knowledge and open her eyes a bit."
"Hehe."
Miao Tathagata pressed his palms together, softly recited "Amitabha Buddha," and responded, "The Buddha said, it cannot be spoken."
Miao Tathagata had come this time for Genggu Wuming and did not wish to speak too much with Cang Yan. He looked again at Genggu Wuming and said, "Empress Tianji, it is said you never involve yourself in worldly affairs, do not uphold justice, and in your lifetime only enlighten those with whom you share a karmic connection. Is this so?"
Genggu Wuming nodded in affirmation.
"Just now you said, if the two of us are fated, we will naturally meet. Now, this seat stands before you. Dare I ask, am I your fated one?"
"Yes."
"It is said Empress Tianji has four things she does not enlighten: first, past lives and future lives; second, past and future; third, cause, effect, and fate; fourth, life, death, and reincarnation. Is this so?"
"Yes."
"You only resolve doubts and point the way through confusion. Is this so?"
"Yes."
"Excellent!"
Miao Tathagata nodded with satisfaction. "This seat has come neither to ask about past lives nor future lives, nor about cause, effect, or fate. I seek only to resolve the confusion in my heart. I hope Empress Tianji will point the way through my confusion."
As his words fell,
the expression on Miao Tathagata's bewitchingly handsome face gradually turned serious. He asked, "Does the so-called Daoless Age belong to the past or to the future?"
Genggu Wuming responded, "It belongs both to the past and to the future!"
"How is this to be understood?"
Genggu Wuming did not answer further.
"How is this to be understood?"
Miao Tathagata repeated his inquiry.
Genggu Wuming remained silent.
At this moment,
Cang Yan, to the side, spoke up: "Little Tathagata, Genggu Wuming has already answered your question. Whether you can comprehend its meaning is your own affair."
After a pause, she added with a laugh, "Don't tell me you can't even comprehend this question?
Shame on you, calling yourself Little Tathagata. If you can't even grasp the meaning of past and future, what right have you to call yourself Little Tathagata? You might as well change your name to Little Novice."
"Oh?"
Miao Tathagata looked at Cang Yan, his gaze rather unfriendly. The flames of liberation blazed fiercely within his eyes. The golden, luminous great sun hanging in the sky erupted with purifying radiance. The myriad Buddhas paying homage in the sky all sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, pressed their palms together, and chanted liberation sutras.
"So it seems Empress Langya has already comprehended the profundities of past and future?"
Miao Tathagata's voice rang out. The colossal golden Buddha behind him seemed to awaken like an ancient Buddha. Simultaneously, a vast, overwhelming might swept forth, filling heaven and earth.
*Whoosh!*
The pavilion erupted with light.
This light resembled Tai Chi radiance.
After the Tai Chi radiance bloomed, it was like the interplay of Yin and Yang, like the interweaving of light and darkness. Then, the Four Symbols carved on the four cylindrical pillars supporting the pavilion seemed to come alive, emitting the roars of dragons and the cries of tigers. Immediately after, the sun, moon, and stars within the octagonal tower roof flickered and transformed, with wind, thunder, fire, and mountain in motion.
Tai Chi gives birth to the Two Forms, the Two Forms give birth to the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols give birth to the Eight Trigrams—truly profound upon profound, wondrous upon wondrous!
The pavilion remained that same pavilion, utterly unaffected.
Such was the pavilion.
As for Genggu Wuming and Cang Yan seated within, they were even less affected. Genggu Wuming still sat upright, quiet and composed as before. Cang Yan still leaned languidly against the long pillar, that peerlessly beautiful face wearing a faint smile. She held her wine cup, pouring for herself and drinking. Glancing at Miao Tathagata, she shrugged and said, "Of course."
Miao Tathagata enunciated four words, one by one: "I!
Wish!
To!
Hear!"
Cang Yan drained the wine in her cup, tilted her head slightly, a smile that was hard to fathom hanging at the corner of her mouth. She said, "The Buddha said, it cannot be spoken..."