All Hail Cousin Brother

384 Obsession

After talking, Mr. Xian Yun had no intention of leaving.

Zhou Linghuai couldn’t be bothered with him. He turned his wheelchair and returned to the study. He took out the “Bodhisattva” and focused on repairing it.

Mr. Xian Yun sat in the courtyard and drank tea and ate snacks. He studied the chess game that Yin Huaixi had left behind, but he still couldn’t figure it out.

After thinking hard, he finally understood. Yin Huaixi had just touched the chessboard and said to him, “Everything I’ve learned is in black and white. What do you think about this game?”

This chess game contained the essence of the three schools of Confucianism and Daoism: the stars, the art of war, and strategy. It contained the vastness of the universe, and the exquisiteness of the world. Even he could only catch a glimpse of it.

Then, he recalled that back then, he had set up a precious chess game in Youzhou. In the end, Yin Huaixi had used less than the time it took to burn an incense stick to solve his chess game.

Now that Yin Huaixi had set up another Chess Game for him, he felt embarrassed.

Mr. Xian Yun shook his head. “The five elements, Yin and Yang, open up the world. They move freely and stabilize life! When a grand plan is displayed, it will shock the wind and clouds, and its hegemony will shock the world for a thousand years!”

Hence, he disrupted the chessboard and walked into the study with his hands behind his back.

Seeing that Yin Huaixi was painting, he went forward to take a look.

“Good painting, good painting.” Mr. Xian Yun slapped his thigh excitedly. “The world is inherently empty. There was originally nothing, so how could it cause dust?”

He wandered around the desk and looked at it horizontally, vertically, left and right. “Bodhisattva represents you. You have nothing to begin with, and you’re the only one left. You originally had nothing but yourself, but you have a purpose in your heart. This painting is nothing more than the greed, anger, and obsession in your heart. You should have nothing to live besides the desires of your heart. All living beings have the wisdom and virtue of Tathagata, but they can’t prove it with their delusions.”

The main subject was the person in the painting.

Zhou Linghuai was a little annoyed. “You’re disturbing me.”

The meaning of chasing him away was very obvious, but Mr. Xian Yun did not care at all. “Kid, the Buddhist Sect is particular. Your body is like a Bodhi tree, and your heart is like a mirror.” At this point, he stared at the little girl who was wearing a small plain dress. “Kid, you just have to do the opposite. You have to hold on to what you want.”

Zhou Linghuai frowned. “You should leave.”

Mr. Xian Yun stared at the painting and clicked his tongue in wonder. “What’s the hurry? I’m already here. Wouldn’t it seem like the main family isn’t treating the guest well? At the very least, I can only leave after lunch and afternoon tea.”

Whether it was eating or drinking, everything was meticulous. Why was he in a hurry to leave?

Even Zhou Linghuai couldn’t help but look up at him. “Why don’t you stay for dinner too?”

Not only did Mr. Xian Yun not think that this was ironic, but he also slapped his thigh. “This is a good idea. I feel that the Chess Game outside is incomparably exquisite. I was engrossed in studying the chess game and planned to stay in the residence for a few more days. Haha, even the excuse is perfect.”

Indeed!

This old man was still the same old man back then. What did his reputation and unfathomability have to do with him?

Zhou Linghuai couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. He put away the dried painting and turned his wheelchair to leave.

At this moment, Yu Youyao was leaning against the couch under the Parasol Tree and reading.

Seeing her cousin come over, she quickly put down her book. “Cousin, have you finished talking to Mr. Xian Yun? He’s a guest. Why aren’t you accompanying him in the Green House?”

Zhou Linghuai frowned. “He’s too annoying!”

Yu Youyao was stunned. Could it be an illusion? Why did she seem to hear so much grievance in her cousin’s words?

Yu Youyao shook her head and quickly dismissed this thought.

What was wrong?

Did it have anything to do with her cousin?

She must have heard wrongly, so Yu Youyao poured a cup of tea for her cousin. “Cousin, isn’t it a little inappropriate to leave Mr. Xianyun alone in The Green House?”

After all, he was a guest. They had to treat him well.

Zhou Linghuai shook his head. “He’s thick-skinned and won’t care about this.”

For a moment, Yu Youyao almost thought that she had heard wrongly. She blinked. “Cousin, did you just say that Mr. Xian Yun is thick-skinned?”

After Zhou Linghuai drank his tea, he put down his teacup. “Yes, shameless.”

Yu Youyao blinked. After thinking about it, she decided not to comment on this for the time being. Hence, she changed the topic. “Cousin, Mr. Xian Yun even met me just now.”

Zhou Linghuai frowned. “What did he say?”

Yu Youyao placed one hand behind her back and pretended to stroke her beard with the other. She shook her head and said, “Young Miss, you have a natural noble aura between your eyes and a purple qi lingering on your forehead. Your fate is extremely precious. If you can do good deeds, you will definitely be able to have a good start and end.” After saying that, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Do I sound like him?”

“Naughty.” Zhou Linghuai couldn’t help but laugh.

Yu Youyao choked on her laughter. It took her a while to hold back her laughter. “Does Mr. Xian Yun really know how to read people?”

Zhou Linghuai chuckled. “Any person with great virtue and knowledge will know some physiognomy techniques. This is because when a person’s morals and wisdom reach a certain level, they will know everything. Good, evil, poverty, virtue, stupidity, and trickery will all be revealed at a glance.”

Yu Youyao’s eyes widened. “It’s that magical?”

Zhou Linghuai continued, “Confucius said that a gentleman is predictable because there’s no need to be divine. Before you judge a person’s appearance, listen to their voices first. Before you hear their voices, investigate their journey first. Before you investigate their journey, look at their hearts first. Your words and actions determine a person’s physiognomy. As the saying goes, looks come from the heart.”

“The reason why sages from ancient times can become sages is only because they’re good at reading people’s hearts and knowing the world. The hearts of the people and the world can be seen. Who in the world can hide from a sage? It’s not surprising that Mr. Xian Yun is like this.”

Yu Youyao was enlightened. “In that case, Mr. Xian Yun is really not a fraud.”

When Zhou Linghuai heard this, he smiled. “There’s records of an expert in history. A high-ranking official brought three people to see this expert. The expert didn’t say that he wanted to see them, nor did he say that he didn’t want to see them. Every day, he went out for a walk. On the third day, the high-ranking official couldn’t help but ask the expert when he would be willing to see these three people.”

Yu Youyao loved to hear her cousin tell stories the most. She rested her chin on her hand and listened attentively.

“That expert said that he had already seen these three people. Every time he went out for a walk, the first person would always lower his head and not even dare to look at him. This person is a loyal and honest person. He can trust him, but heI can’t entrust him with a heavy responsibility.”

“The second person bowed respectfully every time he went out. When he left, he looked left and right. This person looks polite but he is scheming. He’s not useful.”

“As for the third person, the expert said very solemnly that no matter if he went out for a walk or at home, his eyes and brows would always be the same, and his determination would not change. This person can take on a heavy responsibility.”