Hero of Hearts Novel Chapter 7054

This resulted in many of them rising to prominence in various fields, despite humble and often difficult backgrounds.

Over the years, Maria earned immense wealth,

But she shared most of it with these children, seeking nothing in return,

Solely to ensure their lives flourished.

If one were to summarize Maria’s primary focus over the past three hundred years,

Aside from her unwavering pursuit of survival,

The rest was almost entirely about sowing the seeds of love in the world.

The children she raised knew that her life, beyond simply escaping, was a life of continuous devotion to others.

She raised generations of people under various identities and in various places,

And she also helped generations of people under various identities and in various places.

Just like Miss Saito in Kyoto, she was like the Madonna to the poor,

Lending a helping hand to any kindhearted person in need.

In those days, the children of poor families in Kyoto envied not the sons and daughters of officials and wealthy merchants,

But the orphans Miss Saito had adopted.

Later, Miss Saito left Japan, and no one knew where she went.

But her story lived on through the older generations of Kyoto.

Maria lavished countless efforts on these children, never expecting anything in return.

With the exception of those like Lao Zhang, who had no ambition and only wanted to serve Maria, they rarely disturbed their lives.

This truce wasn’t simply a desire to burden them, but more importantly,

A desperate attempt to avoid the thought of separation.

Those adopted children would eventually grow old before her.

She didn’t want to face the pain of such an eternal separation,

So she decided to give all her wealth to them, letting them live their own lives.

She would disappear from their lives during their prime years,

Refusing to contact them again.

This way, she wouldn’t have to watch the children she’d raised die before her eyes.

She’d come to see Kong Yin today, eager to investigate,

But she hadn’t expected to inadvertently accompany him through his final journey.

Looking at Kong Yin’s utterly aged, lifeless face, Maria broke down.

She clutched the rejuvenation pill in her palm, weeping uncontrollably, muttering,

“Zhengping, why are you so foolish?”

“There’s no such thing as paradise in this world.”

“I’ve taught you since childhood that death is like the extinguishing of a lamp.’

“How can a lamp, already exhausted in this world, be rekindled in another?”

So many people would crave the chance to extend their lifespan by twenty years,

But Kong Yin had passed up the opportunity, partly for her own sake.

Maria felt a deep sense of sadness.

Seeing her grief, Margaret stepped forward and gently embraced her, comforting her,

“Everyone will die. It’s just that you’ve lived too long, making it seem as if they haven’t lived long enough.”

“In fact, even without these extra twenty years of life, Master Kongyin would already be one of the rare longevity in the world.”

“Moreover, he’s a monk, so he’s probably already indifferent to worldly life and death.”

Maria’s grief deepened, and she choked up as she spoke,

“Actually, Zhengping became a monk to attain enlightenment.”

“I once told him that Buddhism is also a path to enlightenment.”

“So, since childhood, he’d harbored the desire to achieve enlightenment through Buddhism, believing that enlightenment would allow him to better and longer protect me.”

“Unexpectedly, he persisted in this decision for over a hundred years, only to realize it was completely hopeless.”

With a long sigh, Maria said, “The fact that he used his secular name instead of his Dharma name during his funeral arrangements proves that.”

“At the last moment, he had given up on his delusion about Buddhism.”

“So, what was the point of his unwavering perseverance over the past century?”

Margaret hadn’t considered this before,

But after her reminder, a sudden realization dawned on him.

It turned out that Master Kongyin had dedicated his entire life to the pursuit of enlightenment through Buddhism.

To have persisted for over a hundred years, he must have possessed a strong sense of conviction.

Only in his final moments did he realize that his efforts had been utterly in vain.

So, in his final moments, he resolved to abandon Buddhism and end his life under the secular name given to him by his adoptive mother.

Margaret was overwhelmed with mixed feelings,

Yet his admiration for Maria grew even stronger.

At this moment, Jing Qing, still supporting Kong Yin’s body, said respectfully,

“Madam, Miss Lin, the abbot’s passing is such a serious matter that we must immediately inform Master Kong Yin’s disciples.”

“If you two find it interesting, why not move to the other courtyard to discuss further while I notify the temple staff?”

Margaret naturally had no objection.

She and Maria had a very good conversation,

And spending more time together was bound to be a good thing.

Maria said somewhat dejectedly: “Madam Wade, I have finished what I needed to do.”

“And Zhengping is gone now.”

“There is no point for me to stay here, so I’d better not stay any longer.”

Margaret asked her: “Senior, don’t you plan to participate in the funeral?”

Maria shook her head dejectedly:

“No, the deceased is gone, and the funeral is just a formality.”

“Besides, Zhengping’s funeral must be organized by the Kinkakuji Temple,”

“And I can’t get involved.”

“I’d better wait until I come to Kyoto again to pay my respects at his grave.”

After that, she handed the rejuvenation pill in her hand to Margaret,

And said seriously: “Madam Wade, this rejuvenation pill was given by the young master.”

“But it is of no use to me.”

“Why don’t you keep it, and it can be used in case of emergency?”

Margaret was surprised and shook her head after a moment.

Sh then said, “Since Charlie gave this rejuvenation pill to you,”

“Senior, he must have his reasons.”

“You should keep it for yourself.”

Maria said, “The fight between Madam Wade and Victoria will probably continue for a long time.”

“Besides, this pill can save your life at a critical moment.”

“It will be more useful for you to keep it than for me.”

Margaret shook her head again and smiled,

“Senior, don’t insist.”

“I can’t accept it and I don’t want to.”

Maria smiled bitterly, “This rejuvenation pill is priceless.”

“No matter where it is, it will attract a group of people to fight for it desperately.”

“But I didn’t expect to be met with such coldness here today.”

“I’ve offered it twice in a row,”

“But I still haven’t been able to give it away.”

Margaret patted her on the back, smiled, and comforted her,

“Senior, you should keep the pill and take it back.”

“Since Charlie gave it to you, he must have his reasons.”