I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 232 I Know This World Is as Fleeting as Dew (Third Update)
All life follows the instinct to survive.

First, you must survive; only then can you understand what it means to be alive.

Survival has no quality, but living can be good or bad.

However, the spirit of plants and trees does not possess any so-called survival instinct, because she is just a tree, standing there, basking in the sun, absorbing some water, and surviving without any special care.

Princess Sakura's will to live is even weaker than that of a cat.

After all, there are too many differences between plants and animals.

Even if the cat in front of him was a calico cat that could understand human speech, Bai Xuan only needed a few words to make it understand the general meaning. However, explaining Sakura-hime was much more complicated. She was the kind of person who could sleep until the heat death of the universe and had an innate cheerful and holy body.

After realizing this, Bai Xuan changed his story.

"Do you want to spend more time with your good friends? Do you want to see her more often?"

Sakura-hime's eyes lit up; talking to her about this would keep her awake.

"Of course I want to," she said, rubbing her chin. "But I can't get out, and I'll be very sleepy."

"This is because you are too weak. Because you are too weak, you can only appear once a year." Bai Xuan patiently explained, "You are too weak now. You must find a way to make yourself stronger. Perhaps one day you can become like a Bodhisattva."

Sakura-hime said with distress, "But I don't know how."

“I know how,” Bai Xuan replied. “If you want to learn, I can teach you.”

"Really?" Princess Sakura sat down cross-legged. "I want to learn."

“Learning is not enough; it requires daily practice and accumulation.” Bai Xuan repeated again: “Once you embark on this path, there is no turning back. You will become smarter than you are now, you will think more, you will feel more, and the richness of your emotions will also mean that you will gradually understand the seven emotions and six desires of the world, but you will never be as carefree as you are now. Do you... understand?”

Meeting Sakura-hime's clear yet foolish gaze, Bai Xuan knew that even if he told her these words now, she wouldn't understand the meaning behind them.

He thought for a moment, then reached out and gently touched Princess Sakura's brow.

The next moment, countless images flooded into her consciousness.

Princess Sakura stood still, watching the passage of time, the changes of civilization, birth, aging, sickness and death, rise and fall, glory and disgrace, the years on the battlefield... These were the emotions that Bai Xuan had extracted, and he had presented a corner of these things to her.

How could a tiny spirit of plants and trees understand so much? Her expression was blank, and then a variety of emotions arose: shock, enlightenment, confusion, incomprehension, trouble and anxiety. Her emotions changed many times, and finally, she seemed to fall into some kind of epiphany.

Bai Xuan said, "Do you understand now? Sometimes, being innocent and naive is not a bad thing."

“Amazing…” Princess Sakura murmured, grasping Bai Xuan’s sleeve and saying earnestly, “What you’ve been through is so wonderful… I, I seem to… um, I’m envious, yes, I’m so envious.”

My first reaction upon seeing those wasn't melancholy, but envy?

Bai Xuan opened his mouth, but some of his original thoughts changed again. He smiled and said, "Is that so? If you are so envious, perhaps you will have the opportunity to travel the world in the not-too-distant future."

"Now I'll ask you one more time, are you really sure you want to take on this path?"

"Yes!" Princess Sakura answered with utmost seriousness.

Bai Xuan pressed his finger against her forehead again.

Innate beings generally possess high comprehension; what he leaves behind is one of the Daoist methods of the true cultivation world.

Incense offerings and religious practices.

She was born to walk this path.

However, modern people don't have many beliefs, and even fewer sincerely pray to gods and Buddhas. Moreover, the positions of gods are already full. Apart from a few gods of wealth who are overflowing with incense offerings, most gods have no followers at all, and it is impossible for any new gods to be born.

Given Sakura-hime's abilities, it's impossible for her to compete with other deities for believers and incense offerings.

Offering incense is impossible, but accumulating merit might be possible.

Bai Xuan spoke slowly, his voice sounding as if it came from the heavens.

"Today, I will impart to you the Divine Path Chapter of the Three Thousand Great Daos and the Dreamlike Order..."

"The Shinto chapter is all-encompassing. You may not be able to fully understand it, but even mastering just one ten-thousandth of it will bring you immense benefits."

“‘Like a Dream’ is a dream, and dreams are an extension of inner desires. You are born with the ability to create dreams, which is your greatest advantage.”

"Through this dream, you can spread your influence and enlighten people in reality. This is your path to godhood."

"You can't compete with incense offerings, but getting answers in dreams can help you accumulate merit in the human realm."

“Accumulating good deeds is more stable than burning incense and making vows.”

Bai Xuan never does things that involve painstakingly earning merit, but it's surprisingly suitable for Sakura Princess.

Princess Sakura is still processing the contents of the Shinto arc.

The so-called Three Thousand Great Daos are mostly things researched by true cultivators. Bai Xuan merely organized them from the perspective of later generations. They have never been a complete or comprehensive set of things.

As an encyclopedia of the true cultivation world, Bai Xuan's mind is filled with so much information that it's equivalent to the Yongle Encyclopedia of the true cultivation world.

However, the content is vast and complex, and much of it is only read and memorized without ever having the opportunity to put it into practice.

Bai Xuan waited patiently.

Time flows differently in dreams than in the real world; when she is lost in contemplation, time around her slows down.

Bai Xuan even created some gadgets in his dream to pass the time, randomly pulling out a mobile phone from his memory and starting to watch funny videos.

As dawn approached, Princess Sakura still hadn't opened her eyes.

It seems that even the most intelligent innate beings would find it difficult to digest all the information in a single day.

However, as long as she can learn what Bai Xuan teaches her, it will not be difficult for her to survive in this world, and she can even quickly and steadily accumulate a large amount of merit.

Humanitarian merit comes from fulfilling people's wishes, but people have many wishes, and some of these wishes even conflict with each other.

Modern urban life is incredibly stressful, and people are carrying enormous burdens every moment. If someone could provide them with a safe haven for their souls, even if it's just whispered words in their dreams, or seeing the person they long for in their dreams, that would be healing.

That is also a good deed.

It is a far more meaningful act of merit than striking a wooden fish.

Perhaps a hundred years from now, she will become the local cherry blossom goddess in Japan.

Thinking about it this way, there is a sense of accomplishment in nurturing it.

As for what the other gods and Buddhas think.

Bai Xuan didn't even consider it. Unless someone had eaten too many red beans, they wouldn't bother him.

But, just in case.

If some foolish person really does set their sights on her in the future...

At that time, Bai Xuan would most likely not be in Japan, and there would be no time to rescue him. Even if he took revenge afterward, it would be too late.

He thought for a moment.

Use whatever you have in your dreams.

He raised his hand and cut off a branch of the cherry blossom tree in his dream. As the branch fell, Princess Cherry Blossom's sleeve also became shorter.

Pick up the fallen branch, brush it with your palm, peel off the outer bark, and shape it, making it look like a wooden sword has been taken out of the branch.

After carving the wooden sword into shape, he picked a few cherry blossoms, then cut a section of her hair from Sakura-hime's body, wrapped the hair around the cherry blossoms, and tied them to the sword hilt.

He glanced at the cherry wood sword he had casually made, quite satisfied, then pricked his fingertip and began to write on the wood…

I originally intended to write a poem.

But this is Japan, so I'll do as the Romans do and write a haiku.

——The world is in the middle of the world and the world is full of cherry blossoms.
Turn it over and write another haiku on the other side.

——Lu's world is as short as dew, but, yet...)
These two haiku are considered masterpieces.

Bai Xuan couldn't remember much of the other haiku either.

What is written is not important. Using blood as a guide, the divine power of the edict is infused into it, leaving behind a true meaning. In this way, it becomes a talisman of peace.

Whether it's Taoism or Buddhism, the important thing about so-called peace talismans is never the paper or the characters, but the magic power and supernatural abilities infused into them.

The haiku written in blood seeped into the wooden sword, forming bright red lines as if they had grown naturally within it.

He hung the wooden sword on the tree.

When the wind blows, the Sakuragi sword will spin.

After everything was taken care of, Princess Sakura still did not wake up.

Bai Xuan didn't disturb him. He raised his hand and grasped the doorknob. A door appeared in his dream. He pushed the door open and stepped out into the world of wakefulness.

He sat up, raised his hands, and stretched.

……

Not long after Bai Xuan left.

This dream then entered another person's world.

Holy Guanyin Bodhisattva.

As one of the oldest and most powerful gods and Buddhas in Tokyo, it naturally has the ability to travel through dreams.

He had received a reward for his good deeds and had come to express his gratitude.

However, they arrived a little late, coincidentally after Bai Xuan had left.

The Bodhisattva's gaze fell upon Sakura-hime, who was experiencing enlightenment under the cherry blossom tree, and he immediately sensed that she seemed to be comprehending something and undergoing some kind of transformation.

What kind of inheritance is that?
It's obviously something special.

Curiosity drove Him to take a step forward.

With that one step, an aura of death was directed at His very existence.

The wooden sword on the cherry blossom tree emitted a clear, melodious sound.

Like an autopilot missile, it raised its sword tip, aiming at the uninvited guest.

Guanyin Bodhisattva stopped in her tracks, gazing at the sword blade hanging on the cherry blossom tree. She had a premonition that if she continued forward, she might truly suffer the fate of being annihilated, body and soul... It seemed that this was the work of that great being.

He is not actually the true form of Guanyin, but rather an avatar left behind in this place.

The so-called "Eastern Crossing" is actually only partially true, because Buddhist Buddhas often have more than one incarnation.

Japan also had a period in its history when Buddhism and Taoism existed. It was during this time that the Buddhas sent their incarnations into this place in order to spread their faith.

Guanyin gazed at Sakura-hime for a long time.

He silently recited a Buddhist chant and then stepped back.

Even Guanyin couldn't help but feel a touch of genuine envy. As one of the four great Bodhisattvas, she deeply felt what it meant for times to change.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he decided to take the initiative to meet Bai Xuan, build a good relationship, and hopefully ask him about his cultivation methods.

That being is a great being who remains in this world, possessing several supernatural powers in a human body. Gods and Buddhas are as fragile as clay chickens and earthenware dogs in his hands.

In today's world, receiving even a little help from someone is a rare and precious opportunity.

The tiny cherry blossom before me, transformed into a spirit of vegetation, has already received the other's inheritance!
What an incredible opportunity!
He even left behind a sword as a protector.

Under this sword strike, even gods, demons, and monsters would be left with nothing but their complete corpses.

After the initial amazement came discomfort and inner turmoil.

With the help of a powerful being, perhaps soon she will be able to surpass herself, a bodhisattva.

No one is there to support my lofty ambitions, and I'm also letting myself down. My own failures and stagnation are certainly painful, but watching someone else take off is even more heartbreaking.

Sigh... it just so happens to be this little cherry blossom tree...

Why?

Is it just because she's prettier?

Even Buddhist monks can take on female identities!

Even the Bodhisattvas would be incredibly envious upon seeing this.

(End of this chapter)