After thinking about this, I suppressed my astonishment and said to the Twin Rakshasa, "I believe what you said, but I don't know how to enlighten you."
Actually, I didn't need to agree to their request as they wouldn't attack me anyway.
However, after the previous interaction, the Twin Rakshasa wasn't as vicious as they appeared to be. Although they weren't fully intelligent, their hearts weren't bad.
Furthermore, the Buddhists always said that saving a life was better than building a seven-floor pagoda. It was a simple task, so why not?
I didn't think that my question would cause them to be stumped.
Their face was filled with astonishment as they obviously didn't expect me to say that. They immediately raised their voice and asked me, "Does Grandmaster not know?"
After hearing their words, I felt slightly awkward.
I really didn't know how to enlighten them.
I had never experienced such a thing before. Furthermore, I wasn't a Buddhist and didn't know any scriptures. How could I learn the method to enlighten them?
I told the Twin Rakshasa about the situation. After hearing it, their expression changed from astonishment to disappointment.
Seeing this, I felt a little apologetic.
The Twin Rakshasa had waited in the Spirit Lock Tower for a thousand years just for me to enlighten them. However, they didn't expect their hopes to be dashed just like that. After their joy, they were greatly disappointed. It was hard for them to accept it.
The Twin Rakshasa hugged their heads and squatted on the ground for a long time. Seeing them like that made me feel uncomfortable, but I didn't know how to comfort them.
After about three to five minutes, they slowly raised their heads and looked at me. Their eyes were no longer as excited as before and had been replaced with emptiness.
Their throat moved, and after a long time, they squeezed out a sentence, "Is there really … no other way?"
I didn't reply to them and just stared at them for a long time. I really couldn't think of a way to help them, so I shook my head and sighed softly.
Seeing me like that, the Twin Rakshasa didn't appear to be depressed at all. Instead, they looked as though they had been relieved of a heavy burden.
They slowly stood up and cupped their hands towards me. "Since that's the case, I won't disturb Grandmaster any longer … It seems that I'm destined to be unable to leave the Spirit Lock Tower."
After saying that, he waved his hand and prepared to return to the base of the black lotus.
For the Twin Rakshasa to say something like that, they must have already lost all hope. Most people would not be able to maintain their rationality after such a great disappointment.
He just felt a little sorry for it.
With this thought in mind, an idea popped up in my mind. Once I was done with the matter at hand, I would go out and ask Reverend Miaojue if he had any solution.
The golden door in front of me hadn't closed yet. Just as I was about to step through it, the twin Rakshasa's sorrowful roars echoed behind me.
I thought that it couldn't bear the blow and wanted to vent its anger. However, when I turned around, I saw that it was lying on the ground. The black smoke around it was dispersing, as if it was about to vanish.
My heart tightened, and I gave up on the idea of going to the third floor. I hurried over and asked, "What happened?"
The twin Rakshasa seemed to be in great pain. After a long time, they finally replied to me, indicating that they weren't sure either. They only felt as if their bodies were about to split open.
Since they didn't give me a clear answer, I didn't know what to do. I asked, "How can I help you?"
However, this time, they didn't answer me. They rolled on the ground as if they were about to split open in the next second.
While my heart was burning with anxiety, I suddenly felt my hands heat up. I lowered my head and saw that the mala beads in my hands were now as big as walnuts. They were glowing with golden light.
The mala beads spun in my hands a few times then flew toward the Twin Rakshasa. I was a little shocked, and I didn't know what was going on.
The mala beads hovered above the Twin Rakshasa's heads and stopped.
At this moment, the mala beads shone brightly, covering the Twin Rakshasa's bodies.
Instantly, the Twin Rakshasa stopped screaming. It seemed they had fallen into a coma.
Under the control of the mala beads, their bodies were no longer twisted. They turned around and sat down cross-legged, putting their palms together as if they were receiving the baptism of the Buddha's light.
After seeing this scene, I was completely bewildered. I still didn't know what was going on.
At the same time, the mala beads sprinkled a beam of Buddha's light in my direction. Before I could react, the Buddha's light entered my body. My body shook, and many Sanskrit words appeared in front of me.
I had never studied Sanskrit before, but I could understand each and every golden word. It reminded me of the time when I received the Reclining Buddha Beads in Chiyou's tomb.
Although I didn't know much about Buddhist scriptures, I could vaguely recognize the golden words in front of me. It was the most common scripture used by Buddhists to release souls from purgatory, the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Original Vows Scripture.
The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Original Vows Scripture was one of the three scriptures of Ksitigarbha.
This scripture described Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's original vows, virtues, and vows. It emphasized Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's incredible vows.
The scripture recorded that Shakyamuni Buddha was in the Heavenly Palace of Kaili (the second layer of the Six Heavens of the World of Desire). He was speaking on behalf of his mother, Mahāyāna. He praised Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's great vows: "Hell isn't empty, I swear not to become a Buddha, to save all sentient beings, to become Bodhi." He also introduced the typical examples of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's cultivation.
Through the questions of Manjushri Bodhisattva, Mahāyāna Bodhisattva, the Four Heavenly Kings, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Puguang Bodhisattva, the Great Debate, the Emperor of Yama, the Evil Ghost King, the Master Ghost King, the Unbreakable Earth God, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the Void Bodhisattva Bodhisattva's dialogue with Shakyamuni Buddha, the situation in hell was explained.
In this scripture, Shakyamuni Buddha said that he had entrusted Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with the task of educating and enlightening people in the Buddha-free world after his death.
It seemed that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva wanted me to recite the 'Ksitigarbha Original Wish Scripture' that had suddenly appeared in my head.
I suddenly remembered that the Twin Rakshasa had asked me to enlighten them. Could it be that reciting the 'Ksitigarbha Original Wish Scripture' was the process of enlightening them?
In just a few minutes, all these unimaginable things had happened. That seemed to be the reason.
After thinking about this, I calmed my body and mind. I sat down cross-legged and cleared my mind of distracting thoughts. Then, I recited the 'Ksitigarbha Original Wish Scripture' according to the golden words in front of me. "This is what I have heard.
At one time, the Buddha was in the Kaili Heaven, preaching for his mother.
At that time, all the Buddhas in the infinite world, including the Great Bodhisattva Mahasattva, gathered together … "
According to legend, the 'Ksitigarbha Original Wish Scripture' could help the souls of the dead eliminate their negative karma, pay off their old debts, and repent for their evil deeds. It could also give the descendants of the dead the protection of Buddhism. Most importantly, it could prevent the reader from falling into the evil path and from dying.
During this process, I could feel my entire body relaxing. I didn't know if it was just my imagination or if the Buddhist scripture was really effective.
It took me more than half an hour to finish reading the golden words in front of me. I guessed that this was just a small part of the 'Ksitigarbha Original Wish Scripture'. If I wanted to read the entire scripture, I would need a lot of time.
At this moment, the last syllable had come out of my mouth. The golden words in front of me scattered and flew toward the Twin Rakshasa sitting cross-legged in the Buddha's light.
Those golden words didn't enter their bodies. Instead, they hovered around them and wrapped them up. They didn't leave any gaps.
After finishing this, I wasn't in a hurry to leave. First, I was interested in the Twin Rakshasa's appearance after being enlightened. Second, I needed to get the Buddhist prayer beads before I could go upstairs.
From some ancient books, I had learned that the baptism of the Buddha's light was the desire of many Buddhists.
Although I wasn't a Buddhist, perhaps I could benefit a lot from the Buddha's light.
More than half an hour had passed. I was a little tired, but the Buddha's light didn't change at all.
While I was getting impatient, the golden words wrapped around the Twin Rakshasa started to enter their bodies at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After each character disappeared, the golden light on the Twin Rakshasa's body became brighter. Gradually, I didn't dare to look at them with my naked eye.
I didn't know how long it had been, but something suddenly appeared in my hand. I rubbed my eyes and took a closer look. It was the Reclining Buddha beads.
At this moment, the beads had returned to their original appearance. However, the golden light around them had vanished.
Seeing this, I immediately turned to look at the Twin Rakshasa's position. What I saw stunned me.
Two people with Buddha's light were sitting on the Twin Rakshasa's seat.
The man was wearing a yellow monk's robe. His red hair was now bald, and his scary face had become more handsome.
The woman next to him was the female Rakshasa of the Twin Rakshasa. She didn't have her enchanting appearance anymore. Now, she looked so solemn that people didn't dare to have wild thoughts about her.
I had already prepared myself, but when I saw their changes, I couldn't help but sigh. I didn't expect that the Twin Rakshasa would look like this after being enlightened by the Buddha.
At this moment, the two of them looked at me. Their eyes were empty, and their faces were expressionless.
When they saw that I hadn't reacted yet, they stood up and walked toward me. When they were one meter away from me, they put their palms together and chanted Buddha's name. Then, they bowed to me and said, "Thank you, Grandmaster, for your kindness.
We can't repay you. From now on, we can only pray for you in the Netherworld. "
His words pulled me back from my daze. I remembered that they had said that they would ascend to the Great Path after being enlightened. Why did they say that they wanted to return to the Netherworld?
I frowned and asked the question in my mind.
After listening to me, the two of them bowed to me. "When we were being enlightened, we received a message from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. He asked us to return to the Netherworld as soon as possible and stay by his side to comprehend Buddhism. He wanted us to help the Bodhisattva save the sufferings of the Netherworld."
Then, the two of them bowed to me again. Their bodies turned into black smoke and disappeared. It was obvious that they had returned to the Netherworld.