Chapter 312 Stab Directly at the Heart
Damian had always been kind of distant, but he'd never outright disrespect his elders. So, what was his deal with Bodhi?
Ashley, puzzled, shot Damian a WhatsApp message: [When we get off the plane, try to keep your cool. Whether Mr. Collins can help you out depends on how the conversation goes. Didn't you say you didn't want to leave empty-handed? So, please, just chill.]
It wasn't just that he didn't want to waste the trip; Ashley didn't either. They'd come all this way, climbed mountains, and put in so much effort. Were they really going to leave with nothing?
Damian glanced at his phone lazily. The high altitude made Ashley's skin glow, her light brown eyes and long lashes standing out, and her ears almost see-through with a slight blush on her nose.
Soon, Ashley got his reply: [Depends on his attitude.]
Ashley facepalmed. What did he mean by "depends on his attitude"? Who was asking for a favor here?
Ashley thought, 'Is this how you ask for help?'
When the plane landed, Ashley took a moment to steady herself. But Bodhi, the old man, seemed as steady as ever. Ashley wondered if he had some kind of mystical inner strength.
Walking along the cobblestone path into the town, Bodhi started to look sad.
At a bridge, he stopped.
Ashley and Damian, following behind, also stopped and looked at the old house across the small river. The door was tightly shut, and tall trees inside the walls had branches that extended out, blooming with fiery red flowers as if welcoming someone's return.
Ashley asked, "Bodhi, do you know the people who live here?"
Maybe because they were in a place where regular folks lived, Bodhi stopped speaking in riddles. "A long time ago, this was my home."
His home?
Ashley looked carefully. The house was old, but it didn't look abandoned. It was well-maintained, with no weeds outside, just very quiet and lifeless.
Clearly, someone was taking care of it regularly.
"Bodhi, do you want to go take a look?" Ashley asked.
Bodhi shook his head. "It's all in the past, nothing worth seeing."
He said that, but the sadness in his eyes showed that the past hadn't really gone away.
No matter how many years they practiced, they still feared being reminded of past sorrows. After all, the heart could only hold so much. It was just hidden in a corner, temporarily dormant, waiting for the spring thunder to awaken it.
Ashley felt she couldn't match Bodhi's high level of detachment, so she was deeply moved.
Damian didn't comment.
He glanced indifferently and kept walking.
Finally, they arrived outside Martin's house.
Looking at the door, Bodhi clasped his hands together, saying nothing for a long time.
Damian pushed the door open with one hand. "Bodhi, what must be faced will eventually be faced. If your heart is truly calm, why let these emotions sway you?"
'If you can't say anything nice, just shut up!' Ashley quickly interrupted him. "Bodhi, Mr. Collins is inside. You haven't seen each other for so many years; you must have a lot to talk about."
Bodhi opened his mouth but then closed it in silence.
"Mr. Collins! Mr. Collins!" A little boy saw the visitors in the yard and ran to the backyard, excitedly pulling on Martin's sleeve.
Martin, holding a jar of herbs, frowned. "How many times have I told you not to be so jumpy? You need to start acting your age."
The little boy, feeling scolded, hung his head and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Mr. Collins."
"What's going on outside?" Martin asked.
The boy looked up. "Those two people from yesterday, and they brought an old monk."
Martin's hand shook, and the jar slipped, shattering on the floor.
Could it be him?
Was it really him? Had he finally come to see him?
Martin's steps felt like they were weighed down with lead, heavy and immovable. Decades of memories pressed down on his shoulders, bending his back further and deepening the wrinkles on his face, turning it into a furrowed field.
The little boy, scared by Martin's reaction, didn't dare make a sound and shakily tugged at his arm. "Mr. Collins? What's wrong?"
Martin's right hand trembled as he slowly pointed to a corner of the room. "Go... get my... no, I'll go myself."
His steps were shaky and difficult. When he turned back, he was holding several long steel nails, each as long as a forearm, with sharp tips that could pierce the skin with a light touch.
The little boy's eyes widened. "Mr. Collins, aren't these the steel nails you usually sharpen? What are you going to do with them?"
Martin said nothing, holding the heavy steel nails as he walked to the front yard.
Bodhi stood in the main hall, surrounded by the strong smell of herbs. He didn't need to look to identify the various ingredients like angelica, forsythia, pinellia, and ginseng, as he was once very familiar with them.
The atmosphere was quiet and oppressive; Ashley could hear her heartbeat.
What kind of grudge did these brothers have that created such a tearful atmosphere even before meeting?
Martin, dragging his heavy steps, saw the elderly visitor and his eyes immediately became cloudy. Tears welled up from his deep eye sockets, sliding down the furrows of his face. "Bodhi."
He knelt without any hesitation.
Ashley instinctively wanted to run over and help. He was too frail to endure the discomfort of kneeling.
Damian quickly grabbed her hand, holding her back and shaking his head to stop her.
Bodhi, seeing his brother with completely white hair, finally showed the sadness accumulated over the years on his calm face. His hands trembled as he tried to help him up but couldn't. "You... get up."
Martin raised his hands, holding the shiny nails high above his head. "Bodhi, these steel nails are the instruments of punishment I prepared for myself. They've been waiting for you for thirty years, and finally, the day has come."
Ashley's eyes widened.
Was he really asking his brother to pierce him with the nails?
Damian's expression turned slightly cold, and he still held Ashley tightly to prevent her from interfering.
Bodhi softly chanted a Buddhist mantra. "I am now a man of the Buddhist faith, guided by the Buddha. The past is long forgotten; you should forget it, too."
Martin, tears streaming down his face, choked out, "All these years, I haven't had a single day of peace, tormented by my conscience day and night. If I didn't owe you my life, I would have ended it long ago. Living on, I only wanted to resolve my regrets. Please, grant me this."
Compared to his tearful plea, Bodhi was much calmer, suppressing his emotions and saying, "As a Buddhist, I do not kill, nor will I watch you die."
Martin's eyes were blurred with tears, unable to see the face of the person in front of him. "A life can only be repaid with a life. Since you won't do it, I'll do it myself. Dying in front of you will at least give me some closure."
With that, he suddenly pulled out a sharp steel nail and aimed it at his heart!
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
