As a grass, Xu Chunniang survived the autumn tenaciously, but as the weather turned colder, life became increasingly difficult.
After the first snowfall in winter, she was buried so tightly that not even a glimmer of light could be seen.
The cold, darkness and loneliness made her weaker day by day, and she could not even move the leaves.
Xu Chunniang vaguely realized that she was about to reach the end of her life.
The grass in Lili plain grows wither every year.
The power of a grass is too weak. Even if it survives the autumn, it cannot compete with the heaven and earth. It can only grow and wither in accordance with the laws of nature.
It turned out that her unwillingness and resistance allowed her to delay for some time, but she could not escape the fate of the plants.
More and more snow fell on Xu Chunniang's body, and she lay weakly on the ground, recalling the time when she was still a seed.
At that time, she worked hard to grow her hair, never thinking that one day it would wither.
Now she is like a candle in the wind, the fire of life will soon be extinguished.
Xu Chunniang suddenly understood that as a grass, life and death were all things she had to experience.
All things have a beginning and an end, life and death, these are fixed numbers.
From the time she was a seed, the outcome was already doomed.
From life to death, to life towards death.
Death is never the end of life, but a new beginning.
Xu Chunniang stretched out her leaves and waited for death to come.
In the endless darkness, her consciousness was annihilated bit by bit...
I don't know how long it took, but Xu Chunniang woke up again. She stretched her body out of habit and found that she had become a new-born fish.
She opened her mouth in surprise, and a small string of bubbles popped out of her mouth.
In this life, she became a fish in the water.
Looking around, there were hundreds of fish the same size as her.
When I was working as a weed in my previous life, I couldn't move.
Now that I have become a fish, I can swim freely in the water, so happy.
Xu Chunniang swam with the fish, enjoying freedom and rebirth. This fresh and wonderful experience was something she had never experienced when she was a weed.
However, the good times did not last long. A few days later, a big fish appeared.
The big fish just opened its mouth wide, and Xu Chunniang and the hundreds of small fish around her slid towards its mouth unconsciously.
Most of the fish fell into the belly of the big fish before they could react.
Xu Chunniang was so frightened that she kept wagging her tail and ran away against the current.
But she tried her best, but she couldn't stop the big fish from sucking, and was rushed into the big fish's mouth with the current...
After being eaten by the big fish, Xu Chunniang's consciousness fell into chaos again.
Until one day, she woke up again and found that she had become a crab.
The experience of being eaten in her previous life left her with lingering fears.
In this life, she swam to the bottom of the water and used pliers to dig a small cave to stay.
When you are hungry, you will eat some water plants. Before each meal, you will carefully observe the surrounding environment.
Relying on caution and prudence, Xu Chunliang spent the three years of being a crab safely, and died in her cave on an ordinary summer night.
Soon, Xu Chunniang ushered in the fourth, fifth, and finally the ninth life.
In her last life, she finally transformed into an adult.
Recalling the experience of her ninth life, she felt very emotional. The journey along the way was really not easy.
"Third sister, what are you doing?"
A girl in a goose-yellow shirt pushed her, covered her mouth and chuckled.
"I heard that the future second brother-in-law is a guest in the hall. How about we take a sneak peek and check on the second sister?"
Xu Chunniang shook her head, she was not interested in this.
"Do you believe in past lives and this life?"
The girl held her forehead and looked speechless.
"Third sister, why are you talking about this again? There is no such thing as past and present lives. It is clearly a lie made up by those bald donkeys, so you don't believe this."
Are these all lies? Why can she remember so clearly, even the reluctance in the first life and the fear of being eaten in the second life?
Seeing that Xu Chunniang was silent, the girl pulled her again.
"Our second brother-in-law has a very distinguished status. What's even more rare is that he is also very talented. Aren't you curious?"
Xu Chunniang shook her head, "You can go if you want. I have to go out for something. When my mother asks about it, just say I'm not feeling well and rest in the room."
After saying that, she walked towards the side door.
Looking at her back, the girl stamped her feet in anger.
"Third sister, you sneaked out again. If my mother finds out, I won't spare you!"
Before she finished speaking, the third sister had already walked away, and she rolled her eyes in anger.
Xu Chunniang left the house through the side door, walked to the street, and hired a carriage.
An hour later, the carriage stopped at the gate of Puhua Temple.
After telling the coachman to wait for her where she was, Xu Chunniang got off the carriage and entered Puhua Temple.
After offering incense in the temple, she called the monks aside and asked, "May I ask my little master, is Master Pushan in the temple?"
The monk bowed back and said, "Master Pushan has traveled all over the world and his return date has not yet been determined."
Xu Chunniang felt a little disappointed. Master Pushan was a well-known eminent monk. This was the third time she came to Puhua Temple to visit Master Pushan, but she failed every time.
Could it be said that she has no chance to meet Master Pushan?
The monk clasped his hands together and said the Buddha's name, "Donor, don't worry, the time is ripe and we will meet again."
Xu Chunniang left Puhua Temple and asked the carriage driver to go first, while she followed the carriage and walked slowly.
Subconsciously, she felt that Master Pushan, as an eminent monk, should be able to solve her confusion.
But Buddhism pays attention to fate, so three visits but no results were like some kind of hint.
Halfway down the mountain, seeing the sky getting dark, Xu Chunniang was about to get on the carriage when she suddenly saw a figure coming towards her.
The visitor was nearly seventy years old, wearing a half-old cassock, and his eyes showed a sense of stability and calmness after experiencing many vicissitudes of life.
Seeing this person, Xu Chunniang realized that the person in front of her was the Master Pushan she had been looking for.
She straightened her clothes, walked forward and bowed deeply, "May I ask if Master is Master Pushan?"
Master Pushan shook his head and smiled, "I, Pushan, am not a master.
Everyone in the world calls me a master, but I just practiced some time earlier than others."
"My little girl is confused about something, and I want to ask the master for help. I hope the master can help me solve my doubts."
"Amitabha, it's very good. It doesn't matter if the female donor says it. I will definitely know everything and say it."
"What I want to ask about is about past lives."
Xu Chunniang pondered for a moment and told what she could remember from her previous life.
"Three lives of cause and effect, six paths of reincarnation, and being able to remember past lives shows that the female donor is a person of permanent wisdom."
"But what I can remember is not just the previous life. From the time I can remember, this is already my ninth life."
"The ninth life?"
Surprise flashed in Master Pushan's eyes, and then it became clear.
"It is said that the ancient saints were able to achieve the holy body only after enduring nine lives of hardships with unwavering determination. Perhaps the female donor is also a practitioner."