Chapter 45 Bodhisattva

"Leader Wang has decided to pretend ignorance of this matter, treating Yan Jingming as having been killed by the imperial army."

The messenger brought Huang Chao's verbal message.

A deep sense of gratitude surged in Zhu Wen's heart; his teacher had helped him smooth over yet another troublesome affair.

However, just because Wang Xianzhi was not going to make trouble for him did not mean Wang Xianzhi's subordinates would do the same. Previously, Liu Hanhong and others had already looked upon Zhu Wen with immense displeasure. Zhu Wen knew that after killing Yan Jingming, he would need to be even more vigilant than before.

Having plunged into the rebel army and interacting with a broader array of people, it was inevitable that he would deal with more trouble.

For instance, Huo Cun once again burst in hurriedly while Zhu Wen and his second elder brother, Zhu Cun, were playing dice.

"Boss, Military Advisor Lan... she and the brothers in the camp have had quite an unpleasant falling out."

Zhu Wen was slightly stunned, immediately realizing that the little rabbit who only knew how to bite had said things that were hard to swallow to more than just him.

"What on earth did she say to those roughnecks?" Zhu Wen asked helplessly.

Huo Cun replied, "What else could it be? She told them not to bully the common people, not to bicker and brawl with one another over the spoils of war, and things like that."

These were supposed to be basic military disciplines. Furthermore, as a strategist for Huang Chao's army and the primary contributor to the victory at Song Prefecture, Zhu Wen had distributed a fair amount of wealth during the last payout, so the brothers in the camp should not have been short of money.

Besides, Zhu Cun had not infrequently lectured these lads on military discipline.

Yet, Zhu Wen immediately grasped the situation.

"A skinny, diminutive little girl dressed in men's clothing, lecturing them with high-flown principles—they are bound to detest that," Zhu Wen sighed.

"Not just that." Huo Cun cupped his hands over his cheeks, mimicking the tone of those roughnecks: "'What business does some little wench have being a military advisor? She must have crawled up into the commander's bed to get there.' 'Flat-chested and skinny-assed, what on earth does the camp commander see in her?' 'Could it be that her men's attire makes the commander fond of playing things through the backdoor?'"

Zhu Wen felt a sharp throbbing at his temples.

He rolled up his sleeves, preparing to stand up immediately.

"Third Brother, calm down." Zhu Cun's fan-like, massive palm rested upon his shoulder.

"You've already told your second brother about that young lady," Zhu Cun said with a composed expression. "Since she is someone you have taken a fancy to, naturally there is no reason for your second brother to doubt her."

"But why won't you trust for once someone you yourself have chosen?"

Zhu Wen was momentarily taken aback, instantly comprehending his second brother's intent.

Though rough on the outside and refined within, this elder brother of his actually possessed an exceptionally clear understanding of worldly affairs.

For him to intervene at this juncture was by no means the most rational decision.

It would be better to wait and observe for a few days.

Consequently, Zhu Wen pulled a hood over his head and began prowling around the camp stealthily.

He decided to see things with his own eyes.

...

"What are you pretending to be a good person for? Who doesn't know you climbed up here by whispering pillow talk?" An irritated soldier blocked the tent entrance.

"That's right, just yesterday you tried to disrupt the two of us gambling. Who do you think you are?"

Hearing the words of these two alone was enough to tell what kind of matters Lan Suting had been busying herself with these past few days.

"Please move aside." The young girl's expression was grave. "The condition of the brother inside the tent is critical. I beg you to let me enter!"

"Let you enter?" The guard at the door sneered. "What can you possibly do? Do you know anything about medicine?"

Carrying a hint of playful amusement in his eyes, he still regarded the girl as the camp commander's woman, which was why he dared not speak too harshly to her face.

"I..." Lan Suting lowered her gaze slightly. "I don't know much. But I know how to take care of people."

"Take care of people?" The soldier burst into belly-laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke of his life. "A little girl who needs someone to take care of herself wants to look after others? You've really cracked me up!"

"It's true..." Lan Suting argued. "The camp commander insisted on hiring someone for me. Actually, I've been able to take care of myself since I was a child."

Softly, she added, "I really am good at taking care of people."

As they spoke, another agonizing shriek echoed from inside the tent.

The faces of the two guards twitched. Taking advantage of her petite stature, the young girl suddenly slipped right between them. Before the two could react in time, they could only chase after her inside.

On a shared wooden platform inside the quarters lay a soldier with a sallow complexion, clutching his right arm and groaning ceaselessly.

Through the gaps in his fingers, a massive pustule was visible, from which pale green pus was oozing.

Lan Suting hurried over, her brow knitted with deep concern.

The soldier afflicted with the carbuncle was somewhat surprised to see her approach. Yet the pain instantly muddled his thoughts, making the girl's figure suddenly split into several, swaying unsteadily before his eyes.

"Don't move, just bear with it a little," the young girl said gently, pressing her jade-like finger to the soldier's forehead, and then taking out a silver ring to press down upon his malignant boil.

Next, the two biased soldiers witnessed a scene that was both incredible and unforgettable for the rest of their lives.

Such a delicate, dainty young girl, dressed in clean scholarly robes, unhesitatingly pressed her lips directly against the toxic sore of a patient who had not bathed for days and reeked of sweat and foul odors all over his body.

She gently bit the edge of the wound with her teeth, then exerted force to suck, drawing out a small clump of toxic blood from within, which she spat into the palm of her left hand.

Then she pressed her lips to the wound once more.

The two men who had just been speaking with cold sarcasm stared at each other in blank dismay.

In truth, a physician had already come by earlier, telling them that this was a typical carbuncle that required someone to suck it out with their mouth in order to heal.

Otherwise, it would be a fatal affliction.

However, having the physician suck it personally came at a steep price.

And the two men, despite being the patient's closest comrades, still harbored hesitation.

Yet a girl they had never met before, one whom they had looked down upon, had lowered her dignity to suck the poisonous sore for their brother!

Both men instantly felt as though they wanted to dig a hole and crawl underground.

One of the soldiers adroitly found a coarse pottery spittoon and brought it over for the girl to spit out the toxic blood.

Lan Suting spat a mouthful of dark blood into the spittoon held by the soldier, revealing a look of gratitude.

"Military Advisor, we were the ones who got it wrong in our heads." Tears instantly welled in the eyes of one soldier as he dropped to his knees on the spot with a loud thud. "How could we ever say ill of you? You are clearly a fairy sent down by the heavens!"

"The camp commander has always been a decisive man of great loyalty. We shouldn't have gossiped behind his back and cheapened our own character either! These eyes of ours were blind and we ran our mouths—we deserve a beating!"

With that, he delivered a fierce slap across his own face, instantly leaving five bloody handprints.

"Get up quickly!" Lan Suting's expression changed abruptly as she helped the soldier to his feet and said softly, "There's no need for this. You are the camp commander's brothers. He pays me a generous stipend every month precisely so that Suting can do something for the soldiers."

The young girl sighed gently. "When my grandfather was still around, I used to suck them like this for him too. It's just a pity that grandfather still passed away."

Quite a few soldiers had already been drawn closer by the commotion.

They finally understood what kind of person this young lady was—the one who liked to lecture them with lofty principles.

She was a girl who could love all living creatures in the world as dearly as her own parents and brothers.

To use Buddhist terminology, she was what one might call a "Bodhisattva."

Lan Suting continued to suck until no more pus could be extracted, leaving her lips slightly swollen.

"I will come back in a few days." She meticulously wiped the afflicted area for the patient with warm water, and though she originally intended to wipe down his entire body as well, she was stopped by the two tearfully grateful soldiers who insisted that, as brothers, they could take care of him themselves.

This was merely the beginning.

For every night that followed, the soldiers would see that refined, graceful figure carrying a swaying wind-lantern as she patrolled back and forth through the camp.

She kept vigil by the beds of soldiers suffering from high fevers until dawn.

She brought water, brewed medicine, bandaged wounds, and applied salves for every injured soldier.

When a soldier passed away despite all efforts, her eyes filled with tears, and with her hands pressed together in prayer, she chanted the *Infinite Life Sutra* and performed recitations to bless the departed soul.

"All you assemblies of Bodhisattvas, having heard my name, after the end of your lives, shall constantly practice the pure conduct until you attain Buddhahood. Having cultivated all manner of merits and virtues, you shall wish to be reborn in that realm..."

Hearing the crisp Buddhist chanting, the soldiers throughout the entire camp felt that this slender, graceful figure was truly a living Bodhisattva dwelling within this mortal world.

No one argued or brawled over the spoils of war anymore; no one secretly drank or gambled.

They refused to let that pure, fairy-like girl be saddened.

Even seeking women was something they now resorted to handling outside the camp—

While there were camp followers in the rebel army—many having been captured after defeating Song Wei's forces—this was naturally a normal physical need for men. Previously, soldiers seeking out camp women needed only to pay and obtain the other party's consent.

Yet now, no one dared bring camp women into the quarters anymore, fearing that those unseemly sights and sounds would pollute the pure and innocent eyes and ears of the young maiden.

If a person holds themselves to a stricter standard than they do others, then their strictness toward others leaves no room for faultfinding.

If a person loves others more than they love themselves, the ones who are loved will ultimately be moved by it.

Zhu Wen watched all these changes unfold with his own eyes, finally understanding the intention behind his second brother's advice to observe for a period of time.

At times, his second brother was truly far cleverer than he was.

"Until the hells are emptied, I vow not to become a Buddha." Zhu Wen sighed to Zhu Cun, saying, "I finally understand why Commander Kou was able to win the selfless devotion of twenty-hip top-tier knights in this world."

Lan Suting's disposition indeed bore a striking resemblance to Kou Qianzhi, who had died at Zhu Wen's hands.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen felt a pang of regret regarding his slaying of Commander Kou merely to test the Dao within his own heart.

"Human nature is both good and evil." Zhu Cun flashed a wide grin, yet the words he spoke were deeply thought-provoking. "Commander Kou possessed the strength to protect himself, which is why he could use great love to transform all living beings. As for your little military advisor, it is precisely because of the protection of your power that the soldiers dare not harbor too many wicked thoughts toward her, allowing them to be moved by her character."

Zhu Wen fell into deep thought.

Always proud and considering himself a genius, he despised all manner of filth, pettiness, and schemers.

Yet even the basest levels of human nature had never completely disappointed him.

"Protect her well." Zhu Cun patted Zhu Wen's shoulder. "No matter how you view her, if anything were to happen to such a pure girl, you would live to regret it."

With that, the solemn look vanished from Zhu Cun's eyes, and in an instant, he reverted to his usual foolish, goofy self. He let out a hearty burp, patted his belly, and strode back to his tent.

He still had a mountain of military affairs to handle on Zhu Wen's behalf.