Chapter 776: Buddha

Chapter 776: The Buddha

Li Huowang sensed something was wrong. He clenched his fists and struck his own head several times with all his might.

When he realized this was useless, Li Huowang pulled out a long needle and thrust it between his fingers. The sharp pain finally stopped his wandering thoughts.

"Hah~" Cold sweat poured down Li Huowang's face as he exhaled slowly. He glanced at his red Daoist robe, gritted his teeth, and resolved to face whatever enemy stood before him—no matter what it was.

At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly noticed a pair of eyes watching him.

"Who is there?! Show yourself!" With a low shout, three tentacles instantly drew out three swords.

Then he saw Master Chan Du from Zhengde Temple of Great Qi walking slowly from a side alley.

"Venerable Brother Li, I have a small favor to ask. Might you be so kind as to assist me?"

"Sure enough, nothing good comes free from the sky. You agreed so readily earlier—it turns out you were setting a trap here, now demanding conditions..." After thinking for a few seconds, Li Huowang said, "What do you want me to do? I can't do much, and I'm in a hurry right now. I don’t have time to go elsewhere."

Though he was somewhat dissatisfied with how this major matter was being handled, with his people still demanding conditions, Li Huowang had grown too tired to argue.

As long as he could find a way to solve Xuanpin’s problem, everything else would be trivial.

"You need not lift a finger, just follow me," said Chan Du.

Li Huowang reinserted the three swords and followed behind Chan Du.

Although Chan Du claimed he needed help, he didn’t directly say what it was. Instead, he led Li Huowang deeper into Zhengde Temple.

No matter how dirty the temple might be, at least it looked decent.

As the sun set, Li Huowang strolled through the temple grounds, listening to the deep and distant sound of bells, gazing upon the ancient yet solemn architecture that exuded grandeur and reverence.

After walking for nearly half a stick of incense, a large hall appeared before him. It looked new, without even a plaque, and several monks were applying lacquer to wooden beams.

The hall stood beneath several majestic ginkgo trees. Since it was newly built, few visitors came. From the front, it gave off an atmosphere of tranquility and solemnity.

When Li Huowang entered with Chan Du, he found the interior completely empty. There was a lotus seat, but nothing sat upon it, and nothing else was around.

Though the hall was vacant, many incense sticks were already stuck into the incense burner. The Buddha statue hadn’t arrived yet—but the incense had.

"What does this mean? Did your Buddha run away? Are you asking me to find him?"

Chan Du shook his head. From beside him, he took three incense sticks, lit them by candlelight, and respectfully bowed before the empty pedestal.

"Brother Li, during these days, I sent my disciples out to gather information. We’ve learned that our survival wasn’t mere coincidence—we were saved by someone."

"Someone caused the dragon veins of Great Qi to connect with those of Great Li, allowing us who should have died to live on?"

Hearing this, the wariness in Li Huowang’s eyes gradually faded. He seemed to understand what kind of help they wanted. His voice dropped low as he replied, “That’s correct.”

"May I ask the name of this benefactor? Please tell me, for I believe he is connected to you." Upon hearing this topic, Chan Du’s expression immediately turned serious.

"He’s dead. What use is knowing his name now?"

"No, we, the people of Great Qi, survived only because of his grace. As monks, we cannot accept kindness without repaying it. We must establish a Buddha’s body for him, to receive homage from ten thousand people."

"Heh," Li Huowang looked at the empty throne before him and chuckled dryly. "So that makes him a Buddha? That kid? He never believed in Buddhism anyway. How absurd."

"What do you think a Buddha is, then? Is it one who has undergone three great inconceivable eons of cultivation? Or one whose merit and wisdom are perfectly perfected? Or perhaps... this very throne?" Chan Du pointed at the empty seat before him.

Li Huowang sat on the ground, raised his finger, and wrote the character “Buddha” on the marble floor. After staring at the character for a while, he sighed softly.

"One who saves all the people of the world, who shapes the lives of millions, deserves to become a Buddha. I will instruct my disciples to go into the world and inform the citizens of Great Qi who saved them, so they may come and worship, receiving the incense of ten thousand households."

"He’s dead. What good does talking about this do?"

Li Huowang raised his hand slightly. The marble slabs on the floor quickly adhered together, forming a stone sculpture resembling a scholar.

When the familiar face appeared before him, the usually composed Chan Du widened his eyes in shock. "It’s him?!"

Li Huowang, uninterested, let out a sigh and turned to leave the newly built Buddha hall.

But the monk stood motionless, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the statue. "So this is what a Buddha looks like."

Once word spread that the statue had been erected, every monk from Great Qi present in the temple dropped their bones and skin, took incense, and respectfully worshipped.

Soon after, some scattered citizens of Great Qi living in the city heard rumors and brought incense, candles, and offerings, dragging children along to kneel and worship. They didn’t stop praying even until nightfall.

Hidden in the shadows, Li Huowang quietly observed everything from afar. Listening carefully, his keen ears caught every voice among the worshippers.

He listened to their devout prayers and sincere worship, as if believing the stone would respond to them.

Only when seeing these people did Li Huowang realize—Zhang Zhuyuan really had saved countless lives.

Beside him, a monk was excitedly shouting, "Daoist, make me real! I want to do good deeds too—I want to become a Buddha!"

Li Huowang ignored him and turned to leave. Just then, he saw the abbot of Zhengde Temple, accompanied by his disciples, walking toward him with solemn expressions.

They seemed to be performing some kind of Buddhist ritual, but Li Huowang couldn’t understand what they were doing.

The abbot held a yellow silk cloth in both hands, carefully wrapping it around the stone statue. Then he took a red brush dipped in cinnabar and gently touched the center of Zhang Zhuyuan’s forehead.

Seeing the tiny red dot appear on Zhang Zhuyuan’s brow, Li Huowang couldn’t hold back anymore. He burst into laughter, shaking with mirth. "Hahahahaha!!"

His laugh was loud and carried far, unrestrained. Soon, the attention of the monks and worshippers in the temple turned toward him.

"Pfft~ Hahahaha! No worries, keep going, hahahaha!" Li Huowang laughed as he spoke, then turned and left the newly built hall.