As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 376 Don't Flip the Table

Chapter 376 Don't Flip the Table
Some words, once spoken, are never meant for the other person to hear.

For example, the things Mingchen said to the monk.

The monk is a complete idiot; hearing these words will only make him angry, and saying them out loud will only cause internal strife and has no value whatsoever.

The reason Mingchen said that was merely a means to force those with ulterior motives to show themselves.

He didn't really want to overturn the table.

There's a cause for every wrong, and a debtor for every debt; tearing each other apart is bad for everyone.

Furthermore, destroying temples and monks along the way south would be too time-consuming and inefficient for him.

These words were actually meant for the people behind the monk.

To convey Mingchen's attitude and his desperate plan.

Bu Chen is clearly no ordinary person. He is exceptionally talented and possesses many powerful supernatural abilities. The attitude of the ghosts and gods towards him during the previous battle of Yueyang... all of this proves the point.

Mingchen summoned the man and demanded an explanation from him.

“Good sir, this humble monk greets you.”

The burning campfire illuminated the young monk's peaceful face as he bowed to Mingchen with one hand, neither humble nor arrogant.

Normally, as a disciple of Buchen, he was a little monk who didn't have much of a presence.

At this moment, however, he exuded an extraordinary aura that was completely out of place for someone of his rank.

Mingchen wasn't surprised, but simply asked, "Which Buddha are you?"

The two should actually be at odds.

After all, Mingchen had just said some menacing words about destroying temples and exterminating monks, which directly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Buddhist forces.

However, at this moment, the two were having a rather peaceful conversation.

Sometimes, conflict can be a reason and a bridge for communication.

The young monk smiled upon hearing this, lowered his head, and said, "This humble monk is merely a wanderer outside the temple, unworthy to ascend to the golden body of this precious temple."

The higher the level, the more carefully one must consider one's words, and the more weight they carry.

Some remarks that leave room for criticism need to have their subsequent impact and consequences considered.

The young monk appeared in this manner, which confused Buchen, and he then spoke with Mingchen in the dead of night.

Clearly, they didn't want to reveal their true identity publicly.

Mingchen could guess, but he wouldn't admit it, lest he give others grounds for criticism.

This meeting with Mingchen was purely private.

He pointed to the sleeping Buchen beside him, twirled his fingers and laughed, "This unruly disciple of mine has caused trouble and displeased you, so I hope you will forgive him."

These two are quite interesting.

It is clear that, nominally, the young monk is the disciple of Buchen.

However, that night, the 'little monk' made it clear that Bu Chen was his disciple.

"No crime, no crime."

It's clear that Mingchen is insane and wants to commit murder.

However, at this moment, the young monk instead said that he was not angry, unruly, and mischievous, which caused trouble.

The rules of the world have always been the same, and they have never changed.

Mingchen narrowed his eyes, not wanting to beat around the bush with the little monk, and went straight to the point, asking, "Has Buddha come here to give me an explanation?"

From beginning to end, his core objective has been singular.

Although Wang Huai himself had long been determined to die, someone still needs to pay the price for Wang Huai's death.

To expand further, Mingchen needs to increase its influence on these immortals and gods in higher dimensions.

To kill the chicken as a warning to the monkey, so that others may follow suit.

He will be held accountable if he causes serious trouble.

He's not someone to be trifled with; if you want to take advantage of him, you'd better think twice.

This move is very risky and does not fit Mingchen's cautious personality.

Because Mingchen didn't have much information, he didn't know the enemy's strength or methods.

If he fails to get the price he wants and is instead beaten, then he's doomed.

And they will suffer a terrible defeat, never to be able to hold their heads up again.

However, ever since he slew a god, he has never encountered another deity who directly confronted him and was listed in the Immortal Jade Record for him to slay.

Judging from Bodhisattva Huiji's attitude, he has a considerable chance of winning.

Life is not always peaceful and stable. Many times, we need to take a big gamble and, through these gambles, glimpse more information that ordinary people cannot access.

Mingchen was betting that his opponent also didn't know much about him and was also wary of him.

The higher they stand, the less willing they are to put themselves in danger. They will only send out their subordinates and confidants, their pawns, to test and target them.

They will only take action when they are absolutely certain that everything is foolproof.

Otherwise... the edifice of power will collapse.

Those in high positions remain untouched by worldly affairs, calculating the fate of the world as if it were a game of chess.

Chess is an exchange of interests and an art of concessions.

As long as you don't reach a dead end, there's always room for maneuver.

Therefore, Mingchen was more inclined to believe that these high-ranking immortals and Buddhas would give him an explanation rather than fight him to the death.

"Amitabha!"

The young monk neither corrected Mingchen's way of addressing him nor directly answered Mingchen's question.

He simply bowed and asked, "Does this virtuous person know the origin of our Buddha?"

Mingchen had thoroughly studied the legends and classic texts about the gods in this world.

He also had some knowledge of the myths and legends of both Buddhism and Taoism.

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, there was a prince of an ancient kingdom who lived to be three hundred years old. He experienced wealth and glory, tasted all the joys and sorrows of life, and witnessed the suffering of humanity. Seeing people sinking in an endless sea of suffering, tormented by the seven emotions and six desires, committing the transgressions of greed, anger, ignorance, and hatred, endlessly cycling through these cycles without liberation, he found life utterly meaningless. One day, under the Bodhi tree, he awakened and attained great wisdom.

He sailed in a small boat across the endless sea, glimpsed the truth of heaven and earth, and established boundless Buddhist wisdom.

Countless years have passed, and his physical body has withered away in the endless sea.

That small boat stretches for thousands of miles, transforming into the other shore of wisdom.

His primordial spirit is immortal and indestructible, thus attaining the supreme Buddhahood.

His body transformed into three spiritual children who walked among humans, spreading the Dharma, propagating great wisdom, and leading all beings to take refuge in the Buddha, transcend the sea of suffering, and no longer suffer the pain of reincarnation.

Slay demons, quell chaos, and save the people...

Each of them achieved their goal and returned to the lotus throne, attaining the position of Buddha.

They are respectively the Ancient Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Returning to Truth, the Future Maitreya Buddha, and Shakyamuni Buddha.

The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that follow are all legends passed down in Buddhist scriptures. They each have legendary achievements and eventually attain enlightenment, glimpse the other shore of wisdom, and reach the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Buddhist scriptures often praise and glorify its faith, using the most ornate language to describe its boundless power and might.

Anyway, as long as it's a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, it's great and sacred.

It doesn't give a specific rating, but expresses itself rather ambiguously, without arguing about who is superior or inferior in the power structure. Mingchen is simply picking and choosing from a bunch of positive adjectives to piece together a story.

Whether it's true or false, there's no way to verify it.

According to Mingchen's understanding.

Whether it's Buddhism or Taoism, whether it's gods or deities, they're all pretty much the same.

He preferred to compare this blissful world, which all monks longed for, to a powerful force.

The Supreme Buddha represents the highest will of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, representing supreme wisdom, supreme blessings, and supreme merit. He represents the meaning of the Buddha's existence and is the highest spiritual leader. He does not easily express his will or issue decrees.

The three Buddhas are the highest-ranking Buddhas, the incarnations of the supreme Buddha, and respectively in charge of wisdom, blessings, and merits. They are the leaders who hold power in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Of the three Buddhas, Shakyamuni Buddha has the most numerous and resounding legends, and is therefore ranked first. When Buddhists refer to 'Buddha' or 'our Buddha', they are referring to this Buddha unless otherwise specified.

Then came Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajras... all sorts of miscellaneous things, subdivided into layers, each managing aspects such as subduing demons, attaining wisdom, and guiding people through life and death.

Mingchen raised an eyebrow and asked him, "What are you trying to say?"

The young monk smiled, unconcerned by Mingchen's rude behavior. He merely glanced at the sleeping Buchen beside him and began to speak: "Good sir, you may not know this, but when the Buddha traveled throughout the world to relieve suffering, he took in ten disciples. One of them was ten zhang tall, possessed immense strength and boundless magical power, and once assisted the Buddha in vanquishing countless demons. However, because he heard anger, he broke the precept against anger and became violent. At the Lan Buddha Assembly, he was punished by the future Maitreya Buddha and banished from the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, causing him to sink into the sea of suffering. Through this enlightenment, he was able to look back and glimpse the other shore of wisdom."

This story sounds like an unofficial historical account, and it seems rather cliché. It would be impossible for it to be passed down among human believers, as it would be detrimental to the sacredness and grandeur of the faith.

Even the ten disciples of Buddha that he mentioned have very little information in Buddhist beliefs.

If this story were told to a devout Buddhist, he would probably be beaten on the spot.

However, Mingchen looked at the little monk with great interest.

A few simple words, a simple story, yet packed with information.

First, there's the issue of the young monk's and Bu Chen's identities.

He did not proactively reveal his identity because his position was extremely high and his influence was very broad. If he appeared in the world as a young monk, it would be impossible for him to admit who he was.

But he was very sincere, and through this story, he went around in circles to reveal his identity to Mingchen.

If Mingchen guessed it, then it was just Mingchen's guess.

He has never admitted it, nor has he ever said it.

If he doesn't acknowledge it, he has the final right of interpretation.

The Buddha's disciple, ten zhang tall and possessing immense strength, vanquished demons and monsters, but broke the precept against anger...

Buchen is lying right next to me, fast asleep!
Who is this talking about?

If Buchen is a disciple of Buddha, then who is this little monk who just called him a "naughty disciple"?
This is one of them.

Secondly, Bu Chen, as a disciple of Buddha, made a mistake, but at the assembly, another Buddha seized on one of his faults and punished him, throwing him out of his sphere of influence.

What does it mean?
Was Buchen really thrown away because he made a mistake?
Or rather... haven't other people made mistakes?
If someone makes a mistake, why isn't it dealt with personally by the Buddha himself?

There is no harmony within the Buddhist community.

This was a clash between top-level powers.

Buddhas should greet each other with smiles and work together to maintain the overall momentum of Buddhism.

The people below, the Buddha's disciples, are not mentioned in Buddhist scriptures and are not considered Buddhas.

In the course of conflict, it will serve as a symbol to express dissatisfaction.

It is called a punishment for not being angry, but in reality it is a slap in the face to the Buddha, who is the master.

Mingchen is very smart, and the monk is not stupid either.

The two exchanged glances, and Mingchen understood the message the other was conveying.

The little monk also knew that Mingchen understood the meaning behind his words.

He nodded slightly and continued, “Good sir, there is something you may not know. When Maitreya Buddha was spreading the wisdom of Buddhism, he saw a child with a peculiar appearance. He was born with two mouths and could distinguish between truth and falsehood. He had wise eyes and spiritual pupils that could see the essence of truth. The Buddha praised his talent and made him serve by his side. Later, because he made a mistake in discussing Buddhist scriptures, he was punished by the Buddha.”

This is the second power struggle.

Similarly, the young monk also revealed the injustice to Mingchen.

Even if he didn't say it, Mingchen could probably guess.

If injustice has nothing to do with Buddha, then the previous story was told in vain.

A disciple is still a disciple. Regardless of whether Buchen was truly wrong, Buddha is responsible for him.

My disciple, I can punish him myself, but what do you mean by punishing him?
They found a pretext to punish him again.

If you don't express your stance, your authority will be weakened.

The secret struggle between the two Buddhas resulted in the suffering of those who were not angry and those who were unjust in this mortal world.

Of course, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

They always have a background, and they are meant to be separated from ordinary people by class.

All we need to do is find another excuse to change it back.

Perhaps we can go around in circles and elevate them, adding their names to the collections passed down through generations.

The little monk narrowed his eyes and smiled at Mingchen, saying, "Bodhisattva Huiji was a wise guest from the North Sea. He possessed profound magical powers and attained wisdom. Later, the Venerable Buddha personally ferried him to the other shore of wisdom and helped him ascend the lotus throne. This matter is also recorded in human archives. If you do not believe it, you can go and find it to verify."

At such a level, even in private meetings, one would only lie about general matters, but would not fabricate details about such clearly suggestive issues as identity.

Who is whose person, who is on whose side, this cannot be faked.

Unless Mingchen is an insignificant nobody.

If Mingchen were the one, the little monk wouldn't have shown himself; this is a contradiction.
As if afraid that Mingchen wouldn't believe him, the little monk added this crucial piece of evidence.

When Wang Huai was about to execute the unjust, it was the Bodhisattva Huiji who descended to earth, intending to take the unjust criminals to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and hand them over to the Buddha for judgment.

That's what they say, but no one knows what the final outcome will be.

They said they were escorting him to be convicted, but in reality they were there to rescue him.

Even a fool can see it.

The Bodhisattva made this trip to save the Buddha's disciple.

Now, the young monk has given Mingchen a hint about the Bodhisattva's faction.

Everything is now clear.

He was telling Mingchen who his real opponent was.

Who are the enemies, and who are the friends?

Although Bu Chen used a knife against Ming Chen, there was still affection between the two.

The young monk remained calm throughout.

The relationship between the two sides is not dead!
The enemy of the enemy is the friend.

They could be on a warship.