2

    The Lowly Human

    "Wake up, Chu Li Nong!"

    A booming shout accompanied by a splash of cold water roused the thin man from his slumber.

    Splash!

    Startled, Chu Li Nong awoke from his deep sleep, the dampness making him shiver as he wrapped his arms around himself for warmth. Though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; his long, matted hair obstructed his vision.

    The former Bodhisattva furrowed his brow slightly, confused about what had happened.

    Wasn't I supposed to be reborn in the womb of a woman?

    Chu Li Nong remembered falling from the divine realm to the human world. Therefore, he should have encountered only the darkness of his mother's womb upon reincarnation, not the cold shivers and pain of this feeble body.

    "Stop lazing around! Get up and clean!"

    A hefty foot kicked Chu Li Nong, tumbling him over several times. The former Bodhisattva vomited digestive fluids, his eyes dimly catching glimpses of light from around the deteriorated shelter, similar to his own decaying pavilion. The wood was rotten, the ceiling covered with dust and cobwebs, with holes in the roof allowing sunlight to peek through, explaining the mold on the wooden floor beneath Chu Li Nong.

    "Chen Hao Xuan, that's enough for now; he might die," one man spoke up with a concerned voice.

    "Senior brother, Chu Li Nong would sleep to death if I didn't wake him. He would continue sleeping till dusk for sure," Chen Hao Xuan tightened the black cloth on his body, glancing maliciously at Chu Li Nong with a smirk revealing sharp canines. "Get up and clean the training yard unless you want another kick from me."

    "Chen Hao Xuan," the senior brother sighed.

    Five men surrounded Chu Li Nong, besides the one who interjected, the others took pleasure in hitting him with the flat of their swords.

    Chen Hao Xuan sneered, "You jinx," as he stepped on the head of the man on the ground. Chu Li Nong's nose throbbed with pain, his dignity trampled under the foot of Chen Hu Lang's adoptive son.

    Chen Hao Xuan was an orphan whom Chen Hu Lang had taken in and given the Chen surname.

    Chu Li Nong closed his eyes for a moment, using the remaining spiritual powers of a Bodhisattva to recall his past, and a flood of memories came rushing back.

    This body was originally named Song Li Nong.

    Song Li Nong was the only son of the master of the Heavenly Bliss Sect, which Chen Hu Lang had annihilated for practicing forbidden arts involving the confinement of human spirits for energy.

    Initially, Chen Hu Lang had no intention of sparing Song Li Nong. Seeing an image resembling Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong made Chen Hu Lang want to kill him immediately upon encounter, especially after hearing pleas for mercy, which only fueled his anger.

    "Hah, Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong, huh?" Chen Hu Lang sneered coldly, his piercing eyes not showing any emotion as he slashed through the image in Song Li Nong's hand, ‘Think he will save you!’

    Song Li Nong cried out in fear.

    Chen Hu Lang pointed his sword at the throat of the kneeling, defeated man, amidst the blazing fires consuming the Heavenly Bliss Sect. Song Li Nong continued to chant his reverence unceasingly.

    "Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong, Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong, Chu Li Nong..."

    "Shut your mouth!" Furious, Chen Hu Lang aimed to pierce the other's throat, but the tip of the sword was repelled by a brilliant golden aura from Sukhavati. The sound of the khakkhara's rings clashing echoed majestically.

    Clang.

    Chen Hu Lang's eyes widened in shock, his lips bleeding from biting down hard.

    The divine light of Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong was protecting Song Li Nong.

    "Such cruel irony," Chen Hu Lang clenched his fist, his words seething through gritted teeth, "You help the son of a sect involved in human spirit confinement?"

    Chu Li Nong now remembered. Song Li Nong was the human who had prayed for his help, so Chu Li Nong had wielded his khakkhara to create a protective spell for him once.

    "You should not be a Bodhisattva!" Chen Hu Lang dragged Song Li Nong up, intentionally taking him back to the sect.

    Because his name resembled that of a Bodhisattva, Chen Hu Lang ordered everyone to call Song Li Nong 'Chu Li Nong', the Bodhisattva difficult to venerate. Due to the main temple's destruction, anyone who worshiped would be considered an enemy by the Dark Fox Sect, making Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong a symbol of misfortune.

    This led to Song Li Nong being harassed by the disciples of the Dark Fox Sect.

    "I'm not surprised you helped him, since you have no compassion for humans," Chen Hu Lang concluded bitterly before allowing Song Li Nong to face a fate worse than death.

    "Try to survive now. See how much mercy Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong has for you," Chen Hu Lang sneered sarcastically.

    And so, Song Li Nong's hell began.

    Thud!

    "You misfortune!"

    Someone's shin kicked right into Chu Li Nong's stomach.

    "I lost in the magical duel yesterday, it must be because of you!"

    Over and over again.

    "If not for Master Chen Hu Lang's mercy before he passed away to reincarnate in the land of Sukhavati, we would have killed you already! Chu Li Nong, you bringer of misfortune!" Chen Hao Xuan grinned wickedly, kicking Chu Li Nong's chin, causing blood to fill his mouth.

    Ah...

    Chu Li Nong hadn't experienced such physical pain for nearly ten human lifetimes.

    Song Li Nong suffered torture in the Dark Fox Sect for five years until, at the age of twenty-five, his heart gave out from the torment, his internal organs were damaged beyond normal functioning.

    Chu Li Nong realized immediately upon entering Song Li Nong's body.

    This body was no different from a corpse.

    ‘I hate you! I despise you so much, Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong!’

    Song Li Nong felt sorrow that he was barely clinging to life, merely because his faith in Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong had shown through to Chen Hu Lang. Over the five years as a servant in the Dark Fox Sect, Song Li Nong cursed Chu Li Nong every day and night through tears.

    "Why did you help me that day, if it was to lead me to such a fate!"

    Song Li Nong cried out as if his heart was breaking, his skin bruising to a deep purple. He coughed up dark red fluid onto the floor, the mold-covered wood obscuring the color of the blood droplets.

    The dwelling for a servant like Song Li Nong was more pitiable than a dead man's grave.

    Song Li Nong knew his body had reached its limit...

    He voiced tremulously,

    ‘Amita... Buddha’

    Song Li Nong desperately hoped,

    ‘Amita... Buddha’

    Song Li Nong hoped to be reborn on a lotus in the land of Sukhavati if he could just keep invoking the name of Amitabha Buddha, so he persisted in doing so.

    ‘Amita, huk... Buddha, hueh...’

    Even as blood pooled in his mouth, he continued to chant the Buddha's name.

    That night, Song Li Nong shed tears for a long time until his last breath ceased, and his spirit escaped the body to be reborn once again.

    Song Li Nong died unable to let go of the disappointment that he had once placed his faith in Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong.

    Regrettably...

    Chu Li Nong opened his eyes and ceased using his divine perception to examine everything around him.

    Because Song Li Nong died unrestful, he could not enter Sukhavati. Nevertheless, he was reborn in another Buddha-field[1] to experience joy, but once his merits were exhausted, Song Li Nong would have to reincarnate again in the cycle of samsara.

    And he might not be reborn as a human; Song Li Nong had a high chance of falling into hell due to his past sins.

    It was a sad affair, as during his lifetime in the Dark Fox Sect, he had no opportunity to accumulate merits. He was beaten until his body deteriorated.

    "Hurry and clean the training yard! And clean the statue of Master Chen Hu Lang, you misfortune!" Chen Hao Xuan kicked Chu Li Nong as a parting shot and then left the dwelling with a group of fellow disciples.

    Chu Li Nong tried to push himself up to sit, but he collapsed back down as before.

    "Cough, cough," the former Bodhisattva coughed up blood.

    He understood his situation now.

    "Ah..." Chu Li Nong used a finger to wipe the bright red blood and drew healing charms on the floor; suddenly, a pure white light enveloped his battered body, slowly easing the pain.

    Chu Li Nong had come to inhabit the worthless human body in the Dark Fox Sect, which Chen Hu Lang owned while he was still alive.

    "Suitable for a human whose karma is his lineage."

    The laws of karma were terrifying.

    Chu Li Nong smiled wryly.

    His fall from grace brought him to inhabit Song Li Nong's body, to become a lowly human in the Dark Fox Sect, repaying a debt of revenge to Chen Hu Lang that was hard to forget.

    Crash!

    Chu Li Nong was thrown against the wooden wall, his body aching all over.

    For a double hour, Chu Li Nong lay recovering, motionless; Chen Hao Xuan and his companions then returned to torment him again.

    "Chu Li Nong! Why haven't you cleaned up!" Chen Hao Xuan was furious.

    Destroying the other was a pleasure for these kinds of humans.

    The disciples of the Dark Fox Sect stood around the frail man, his white robe stained with brownish dried blood blotches as if it were the norm. No one inquired about Chu Li Nong's condition.

    Chu Li Nong thought back to the images of Chen Hu Lang's childhood, a boy who nightly venerated Bodhisattva Chu Li Nong...

    What caused Chen Hu Lang to harbor such deep resentment against him?

[1] Buddha-field: A realm created by each Buddha, similar to heaven.