Perhaps while speaking, Professor Jiu Kai Yicheng might still be slurping ramen on the side, with bits of onion hanging around his mouth?
Even so.
There's a calmness about him, a peacefulness that is truly lingering.
At this moment, what emerges in his mind is Uncle Sakai's round face, plump like Four Happiness meatballs, yet tranquil indeed... possessing a certain Zen-like aura, like a serene Maitreya Buddha.
After listening to this story, Gu Weijing finally understood.
Why Uncle Sakai believes he has attained enlightenment.
This "enlightenment" is unrelated to his fondness for munching on chicken thighs, nor does it relate to Uncle Sakai's frequent painting of scantily clad ladies in a certain artistic direction.
Lady Sakai is Uncle Sakai's Buddha, the Zen in his heart, his emotional anchor.
The perpetual unchanging landscape in his soul.
