EFB Chapter 48 Explanation
Chapter 48 Explanation
sunset.
Lin Shi was in the front courtyard of the Jiaoshen Temple when he heard footsteps. He looked up and recognized a father and son from Shangsha Village. The father was called Zhou Dahua, or simply Old Man Zhou, and the son was called Zhou Wang.
Old Man Zhou and Zhou Wang stood at the door, hesitant to come in.
Lin Shi simply walked out on his own.
Old Zhou rubbed his cracked palms, his wrinkles filled with distress.
Zhou Wang stood with his head bowed. The young man in his early twenties had a slightly hunched back, as if he were bent over by something invisible.
"Mr. Lin, I really, really don't know what to do."
"Wang'er worked as a shop assistant at the 'Fengyuhao' grain shop in town for eight years. He was diligent and conscientious, and the shopkeeper originally said he wanted to promote him to the second shopkeeper. But the other shop assistant was the shopkeeper's distant nephew."
Old Zhou hesitated for a long time before speaking, his voice hoarse.
"Father, didn't I say that the 'Treatise on Response and Retribution' teaches diligence in farming and cherishing blessings? If we go home and farm diligently, that's upholding the doctrine. What's the point of arguing about those things?"
Zhou Wang looked up, his eyes rimmed with dark circles.
"You're foolish!"
"Eight years! You started as an apprentice at fourteen, sweeping, carrying grain, doing accounts... Was it easy? Fighting is bad, but the opportunity is rare! Mr. Lin, tell me, how exactly should this doctrine be upheld?"
Old Zhou was so anxious that he stomped his feet.
Lin Shi saw the weariness hidden deep in Zhou Wang's eyes. It wasn't just physical exhaustion, but also the mental fatigue of years of cautiously reading people's expressions. The old man's wrinkles seemed to seep with resentment; it was a father's most simple hope for his son's future.
"Come here, all of you."
Lin Shi saw that many people had noticed the commotion, craned their necks and tilted their ears, but dared not come over. So he simply waved his hand, and more than a dozen people immediately surrounded him.
"I know Zhou Wang, he's very honest. He's been struggling in town for eight years, it hasn't been easy."
"But the teachings clearly state that we should work diligently and cherish our blessings."
Some of the villagers watching nodded, while others frowned and whispered among themselves.
Lin Shi did not stop them. He waited a while until the discussion stopped and everyone's eyes were on him before he spoke.
"Uncle Zhou. Brother Zhou Wang."
"Diligence and cherishing blessings are key. Working diligently in the shop is diligence, and returning to the countryside to farm is diligence. The crucial point is whether one's heart is at peace and whether one is on the right path."
"If the struggle requires framing, flattery, or slander, it is illegitimate, and even if one gains a position, it is not a blessing. But if one competes fairly with ability and integrity, one will have a clear conscience."
Doctrine is a lighthouse, guiding the way, but how a ship sails depends on the helmsman's ability to see the storms and the course.
Lin Shi looked at Zhou Wang and slowly began to speak, his gaze sweeping over the growing number of villagers gathered around him, all listening intently.
Zhou Wang listened intently, his hunched back straightening slightly.
"The dragon god protects those who walk the righteous path and have a kind heart."
"It is not required that everyone back down when faced with conflict or yield when faced with profit. As long as one acts in accordance with natural principles and human nature, and does not go against one's own good heart, one is following the doctrine."
Lin Shi's voice was gentle yet clear.
"Well said! Mr. Lin is right! The doctrine is to guide people towards goodness, not to make them fools!"
Shi Ping squeezed into the crowd, listening and nodding repeatedly, and couldn't help but shout it out.
"That's exactly right!"
"We farmers are diligent in farming, and we're also diligent in honest work in town. As long as we don't take the wrong path, we should still fight for what we deserve!"
Li Hua patted Zhou Wang on the shoulder.
"Walk the right path and keep a kind heart. The old man understood."
"Wang'er, did you hear that? I'm not telling you to back down, I'm telling you to fight for it fair and square!"
Old Zhou let out a long sigh, his wrinkles smoothing out, and turned to look at Zhou Wang.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Xie. I know what to do now. If it's a fair competition, I'll do my best; if it involves underhanded methods, then this second-in-command is better off without!"
A glint appeared in Zhou Wang's eyes. He took a deep breath, bowed deeply to Lin Shi, and then immediately turned around and respectfully bowed to the statue of the Flood Dragon God in the Flood Dragon God Temple.
The crowd gradually dispersed, whispering among themselves about Lin Shi's words, realizing that doctrine is not a set of rigid rules, but a living truth.
Standing under the corridor, Lin Shi felt a slight stirring in his heart. He realized that the true spread of the doctrine was accomplished through the explanation of these specific difficulties, not through lofty admonitions, but through wisdom integrated into life.
Lin Shi explained the doctrine and began to regularly preach the "Treatise on Response and Retribution" in front of the ancestral halls in both places. He did not use profound words, but only the simplest language, combined with real events that had happened in the village. For example, which family received blessings for being filial to their parents, which family helped each other repair their houses and avoided wind and rain, and which family sincerely prayed for rain and saved their drought-stricken seedlings.
Shanghe Village.
The sky was clear and the air was fresh.
Lin Shi is standing on the stone steps in front of the new ancestral hall, explaining that sincerity brings results.
The autumn sun shines warmly on people.
More than a hundred villagers listened intently, some sitting and some standing.
Only a few children were playing around on the outskirts of the crowd. After their mothers gently scolded them, they all obediently squatted down, their bright eyes wide open.
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching wail came from the outer edge of the crowd.
"Lord Dragon God, have mercy! Have mercy!"
Everyone turned around, and a ragged old woman stumbled towards them. Her hair was gray and disheveled, her patched gray shirt was covered in bits of grass, and her bare feet were covered in mud and small cuts. In her arms she held a little girl of about five or six years old. The child's face was ashen, her eyes were closed, and her limp arms hung down.
"Save my granddaughter! Her mother passed away early, and her father fell down the mountain while collecting herbs last year and has been bedridden ever since. This girl is all I have left to depend on! Since yesterday, she's had a high fever that won't go down, and she's been talking nonsense. The doctor says it might be infantile convulsions, and he can't get her medicine down. Please, sir, save my child's life! This old woman is willing to give up ten or twenty years of her life just to ensure her health!"
The old woman collapsed before the lowest stone step, her forehead slamming heavily against the bluestone with a dull thud; each cry felt like a blunt knife scraping against the heart.
"It's Granny Yu from the west of the village. Her son is paralyzed, and her daughter-in-law died in childbirth. She relies on herself to collect firewood and spin thread to make a living."
"Life is tough these days. And then this happened. If anything were to happen to me, how could I possibly go on living?"
A woman turned her face away to wipe her tears, while the men silently clenched their fists.
Lin Shi quickly descended the steps.
Under the autumn sun, the girl's face was flushed red, her lips were dry and chapped, and her breathing was rapid. When you reached out and gently touched the child's forehead, it was burning hot, like a hot coal.
"Bring the offering of clean water."
Lin Shi said in a deep voice, which was not loud, but everyone fell silent immediately.
Yang Hu rushed in at the sound of his voice and soon brought out a celadon bowl. The bowl contained clear water that was taken from Bibo Pool every morning and placed before the statue of the deity. The water was crystal clear and shimmered in the autumn sun.
"The divine was moved by their sincerity and revealed its divine power to cleanse them of their filth. This is what is meant by responding to suffering and receiving divine grace like rain, which benefits all living beings."
Lin Shi took the bowl and chanted softly, his voice as steady as an ancient well. His thoughts followed the sound and went straight to the dragon clone in the Azure Wave Pool. A drop of spiritual spring water broke through the air and fell into the bowl.
Lin Shi dipped his fingertip in water and lightly touched the girl's brow and palm. The moment the water droplets touched her skin, they faintly bluish-green tinges appeared.
The entire audience held their breath.
More than a hundred eyes were focused on the girl's small body.
Time flows slowly.
suddenly.
The girl's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Then, her rapid, bellows-like breathing gradually became long and steady.
Most incredibly, her pale, chapped lips regained a sliver of color at a speed visible to the naked eye. Although she still looked sickly, they were no longer a deathly gray.
After about half a cup of tea's time, the girl's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was initially unfocused and blank, but gradually it became focused, landing on Granny Yu's tear-streaked face.
"grandmother."
The girl called out, her voice hoarse.
Granny Yu trembled violently, stunned for a moment, and then burst into a deafening wail.
This is not sadness, but tears of joy, the release of relief after surviving a catastrophe, and the collapse of all despair.
"Thank you, Lord Jiao Shen! Thank you, Mr. Lin! Thank you, Lord Jiao Shen, for your divine intervention!"
Grandma Yu hugged her granddaughter tightly, her thin, bony arms bursting with astonishing strength as she desperately kowtowed to the statue, to the forest stone, and to the heavens.
"The Dragon God is merciful! Sincerity will move mountains!"
The crowd erupted in heartfelt cheers.
Lin Shi helped Granny Yu up, gently comforted her, and reminded her to go back and rest.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching both villages overnight.
The doctrine was no longer just ink on paper, but became a living force.
The incense in the two temples became more abundant, and the faith became more vigorous and pure.
late at night.
Lin Shi sat alone in the side hall.
"Education is not something that can be accomplished in a day. Deviations are inevitable and should be patiently explained; conflicts are common and should be weighed with wisdom. Doctrines are like channels that guide the heart toward goodness; divine guidance is like a spring that flows forth in response to sincerity. Channels need constant dredging, and springs will flow continuously."
Lin Shi opened the "Treatise on Response and Retribution" and wrote down his thoughts and insights in the blank spaces. As it turned out, establishing and spreading the religion was absolutely correct. His faith grew rapidly and became increasingly pure, nourishing the dragon at the bottom of the pool day and night, while also nourishing himself—the pure power within his body increased day by day, and his responses were no longer limited to Shixi Village but covered every inch of the two villages, including Shanghe Village.
What could it be?
Is it more than just a feeling?
Could it be intuition?!
Lin Shi seemed to be deep in thought.
These past few days, I've noticed something's definitely not right, but I can't quite put my finger on it.