You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 22 The Debate on the Six Realms
Based on this description, Jiang Qingyun instantly guessed what was going on. It must be that monk Tianji, it must be him.

My intuition tells me:

The monk Tianji is dangerous, yet one can't help but get close to him.

Perhaps it's just an excessive curiosity!
The construction site remains busy.

Stacks of clear red bricks were piled up like mountains. People at that time were used to seeing blue bricks but had never seen red bricks before, and passersby marveled at the sight.

Jiang Qingyun personally disliked the elaborate styles of traditional blue brick courtyard houses; he wanted to gradually promote brightly colored red brick buildings throughout Beijing.

Firing red bricks is not technically difficult; with a little guidance, the craftsmen can easily master it after a few experiments.

Before the journey, red brick houses were always criticized for their short lifespan, cracking and crumbling over time.

It's actually a poorly made pot!
As long as the masonry workmanship is up to standard, and the mortar between the bricks is properly bonded and filled without leaving gaps, rainwater cannot get in, and the red bricks will not expand and crack.

It's perfectly fine for a century-old building.

……

It's only a short walk from Shijia Hutong to Chongfu Temple; riding a horse would be even faster.

The mountain gate was solemn and dignified.

The monk in charge of receiving guests immediately came forward and led the horses away.

Jiang Qingyun stopped him and asked, "Are there any monks staying at the temple recently?"

"Yes, there is a master of divination who came from Mount Wutai."

"Is he staying for a long time or just for a short stay?"

"I don't know. The abbot often debated with him on scriptures. Master Tianji was intelligent and eloquent, and even the abbot occasionally lost to him."

"Go ahead."

A supervisor came upon hearing the news, all smiles.

Jiang Qingyun tactfully donated one tael of incense money; it wasn't much, he really couldn't bear to give any more.

In a place like Beijing, where dignitaries abound, this amount of money for incense offerings is nothing. If it weren't for the fact that the commander of the South City Garrison was in charge and needed to be given some face, the abbot probably wouldn't have bothered with it.

……

“Amitabha, benefactor, we meet again.” Monk Tianji stood in front of the Heavenly King Hall.

"Master, how have you been lately?" Jiang Qingyun also put his hands together in prayer.

"You know each other? Then you two chat. I have some things to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

The abbot left in a hurry.

Chongfu Temple has a nice environment and a fairly large area.

When they reached a small hut, the monk Tianji suddenly said, "Emperors Huizong and Qinzong stayed here during their northern hunt."

"is it?"

Jiang Qingyun genuinely didn't know, and the topic was too sensitive, so he brushed it off.

"Have you come to see this humble monk for something?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I'm currently serving as the commander of the Southern City Military Command, and I've been overseeing the construction of a charitable institution in Shijia Hutong to house refugees and abandoned infants. I just happened to be passing by and stopped by."

The monk Tianji suddenly turned around and began chanting Buddhist mantras.

“Amitabha Buddha, benefactor is an Arhat reincarnated. He cannot bear to see the suffering of the human world. When his merits are perfected, he will ascend to heaven and be ranked among the immortals.”

"Master, do you use this same line with everyone you meet? Don't you feel embarrassed?"

"We'll try to persuade as many as we can."

……

Upon reaching a pine forest, Jiang Qingyun suddenly felt a strong urge to test the monk's true character.

"Master, do you think this world is good?"

"not good."

"Appreciate further details."

"The so-called human world is nothing more than an upside-down repetition: great chaos followed by great order, and great chaos followed by great order again."

"Where is Heaven?"

"Heaven is like the Forbidden City, with strict rules, orderly seating, and extreme luxury. It would be perfect if no demons from the Three Realms were to intrude."

The wind rustled through the pine forest. Jiang Qingyun thought to himself, he was testing the monk, but wasn't the monk also testing him?

Why do you sigh, benefactor?

"I see skeletons as beautiful women, while the master sees beautiful women as skeletons. I sigh because I am ashamed of my own inferiority."

"There is no need for you to be modest, benefactor. Your actions of beheading the Imperial Observatory, pacifying the Jianghu in the Southern City, and showing compassion for abandoned infants and refugees are enough to prove that you are actually a person who is blurred between the three realms."

Which three realms?

"Demon, God, Man".

Jiang Qingyun's gaze gradually turned cold, and his hand involuntarily went to the hilt of his knife.

“Please do not be angry, benefactor. Even if I had the intention to harm you, I have no power to do so.”

……

Jiang Qingyun was so angry that he laughed, and simply sat cross-legged.

"I have nothing to do today, so come, sit down, and I'll listen to your ramblings, you crazy monk!"

The monk Tianji also sat down, picked up the fallen pine cones, and placed them in front of the two of them.

"The universe has six realms: gods, immortals, humans, demons, monsters, and the underworld. The Jade Emperor only governs three realms: gods, immortals, and humans, also known as heaven, earth, and humanity."

"The Heavenly Court governs the three realms of gods, immortals, and humans, and sometimes it can also govern the underworld."

"The human realm is the most humble and powerless. So-called emperors are nothing more than one of the strongest in the human realm."

"The demon realm is without a master, and they are scattered everywhere. Demons are ever-changing and dispersed in various realms. They hide their identities and cannot unite as one. Ultimately, their power is limited."

"The Demon Realm is full of talented people, ambitious, powerful, tyrannical and cruel. They are always thinking about breaking the existing order and are the greatest enemy of the Heavenly Court."

……

The monk Tianji fiddled with pine cones, occasionally connecting them with pine needles.

suddenly,

He looked up and smiled:
"Gods and immortals can all be called Buddhas in the human world. Do you know the difference between a Buddha and a demon?"

Jiang Qingyun silently shook his head!
"Buddha is a demon who has come ashore, and demon is a Buddha who has lost control. You have a Buddha's heart and demonic desires. The most wonderful thing is that you have both Buddha's heart and demonic desires, and neither can do anything about the other. This is what is meant by Buddha and demon being one. One thought can make you a Buddha, and one thought can make you a demon. It all depends on one thought."

boom!
A sudden clap of thunder in the summer, followed by a cool breeze carrying the earthy smell.

The rainstorm is coming.

In the distance, busy monks and pilgrims sought shelter from the rain.

Only Monk Tianji and Jiang Qingyun remained seated opposite each other, their faces covered in rainwater, which they didn't need to wipe off, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to get rid of it.

On the horizon, streaks of lightning flashed like silver snakes plunging into the ground!
……

A barrage of rolling thunderbolts struck.

All Jiang Qingyun could see was the monk Tianji opening and closing his mouth, raising his hands high, and roaring madly at the sky.

"The world does not belong to the Zhu family, nor does it belong to the Aisin Gioro clan."

"The human realm repeats a tragic cycle because the power of mortals is ultimately limited, the Heavenly Court has no intention of changing the existing order, demons cannot see the light of day, and the demons' murderous intent is too strong."

"Therefore, mortals cannot be relied upon."

"Although there is a small group of people in the human realm who have seen through the six realms, they are ultimately too soft-hearted and too weak-willed. They can only complain and write some pretentious articles in an attempt to awaken the world."

"Can ants save themselves? Can ants save themselves?"

“Benefactor! Only those of us with demonic nature yet compassion can change this corrupt world. Your killing of the Imperial Observatory that day was brilliant; they were the most dangerous stumbling blocks, observing the stars at night.”

……

The heavy rain fell to the ground and gradually turned into fog.

The pine forest was shrouded in fog.

The monk Tianji's eyes were bloodshot:
“Four years ago, I traveled the world. Along the way, I saw generals killing people, soldiers killing people, and bandits killing people. Everyone was doing the same thing—killing people.”

"On the banks of the Yangtze River, I saw a Qing soldier kill more than ten people, his body covered in blood. I went over and stared at him. He actually took out his own military rations and gave them to me. I asked him, 'Why didn't you kill me?' He actually replied, 'I don't kill monks and Taoists, for fear of divine retribution.' Ha, a guy who kills people like cutting grass, is actually afraid of divine retribution?"

"Lord Jiang, do you think there really is such a thing as divine retribution in this world?"

……

Dear readers, please be sure to follow the story and vote with your monthly tickets! Otherwise, the author's resentment will run too deep, and he might lose his compassion, allowing demonic forces to take over his entire mind. I don't even want to imagine what a demonized Xiaoxiaosheng might do!

(End of this chapter)