Chapter 704: This is Buddha

Chapter 704: This Is the Buddha

“In truth, seeing the Prince of Zhao here, this old monk’s heart quailed, feeling my secret realm had suddenly become like a latrine, with people coming and going... but oddly, I let out a sigh of relief instead, for it proved that the Prince of Zhao is no god or Buddha—this matter I saw with my own eyes, not resolved by sending a horse from ten thousand li away.”

Within the monastery, Yuancheng and Yuanxing sat with Zhao Changhe around a tea table, brewing tea. Wu Zhui stood beside Zhao Changhe, happily rubbing his face against his, clearly feeling great pride in this layer of “standing on his own” work.

Yue Hongling was absent, off soaking in the hot springs.

The Buddha had been moved out of the bustling secret realm, still sitting cross-legged and motionless, proving it had never truly revived—only activated by some special means, then turned back to brick after Annihilation drained its energy. Yet a faint aura still clung to it, showing it wasn’t completely dead, with a chance to revive in the future.

Hearing Yuancheng’s grumble, Zhao Changhe sipped his tea and smiled: “It seems the master himself believes the all-knowing Buddha does not exist? Does this shake your faith?”

Yuancheng shook his head: “The Buddhist school has many branches and sects, each with different interpretations of the Buddha. After being destroyed by the former emperor, the branch that remains—ours—is somewhat unique.”

“Oh?” Zhao Changhe grew interested: “I’d like to hear the details.”

“We speak of illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature, of awakening as Buddhahood—meaning anyone in the world can become a Buddha.” Yuancheng did not speak in Zen riddles; his words were very plain: “What is the Buddha? It is merely a concept. If I achieve what the sutras describe, then I am the Buddha. If I cannot achieve it, or if I change later, then even if it were Shakyamuni himself, even if his Dharma were boundless, he would not deserve to be called Buddha.”

Zhao Changhe nodded: “I like this kind of Buddhism. Is this why, when other schools were nearly wiped out, your branch still has such strong power left?”

“Perhaps. To return to the Prince of Zhao’s earlier question—does an all-knowing Buddha exist? A Buddha must exist; if not now, then in the future, but he may not know all things. A powerful being who knows all things also exists, but he may not be a Buddha—he could be the Prince of Zhao, or Lady Yue. Of course, if the Prince of Zhao and Lady Yue were to become the Buddha and the Bodhisattva, that would not be unacceptable.”

Zhao Changhe laughed: “Saying that gives me a political hint.”

Yuancheng clapped his hands and smiled: “If the Prince of Zhao thinks so, then it is so.”

Zhao Changhe said: “I cannot be a Buddha. A Joyful Buddha would be more like it—everyone’s understanding of the Pure Land is not the same joy.”

Yuancheng: “…”

Whenever such topics turned to matters of men and women, no matter how well they could have been connected before, they instantly fell into a stalemate.

Yuanxing beside him couldn’t help but laugh: “So the Maitreya Sect hasn’t been wiped out after all—its incense will pass on forever.”

Yuancheng was also amused by this remark, and several old monks around them laughed as well.

Zhao Changhe clapped his hands and laughed too, finding these monks quite interesting.

He had rarely interacted with Buddhists or Daoists before, having had little conversation with Guichen, Xuanchong, or Yuxu on such matters, and only a brief meeting with Yuanxing. He had always held some prejudice against these sects—honestly, the same went for the Four Symbols Sect; he had always thought their faith was foolish. But now, that faith had theoretically become him, and the Four Symbols had turned into a kiln, so he couldn’t bring himself to curse it—after all, he couldn’t curse himself.

In any case, looking at it now, there was no need for prejudice. Compared to the Four Symbols Sect or the Blood God Sect, these monks’ theories were actually much better... The fact that they had spread so widely across two worlds showed they had their merits.

And Yuancheng’s words subtly signaled: We can listen to you. But the premise was that he had to fit their definition of a Buddha. Before they could even discuss it, he got stuck on the matter of men and women.

Aside from that, Yuancheng and Yuanxing both felt Zhao Changhe was quite fitting. In truth, the matter of men and women wasn’t a big deal—if he had been a couple living in harmony, the old monks might not have minded. But the problem was that this fellow had too many. Even his blade spirit could grow into a sea of people. Call that a Buddha? It would truly be a Joyful Buddha.

Yuanxing’s joke was also meant to smooth things over and break the awkwardness. With the atmosphere improved, Yuancheng could continue: “In any case, the entire monastery thanks the Prince of Zhao for his aid.”

As for who was the Buddha and such, they would set that aside for now—it couldn’t be discussed. If they did, their school would lean toward the Maitreya Sect...

Zhao Changhe said: “I must also thank Master Yuanxing again. That map back then was the matchmaker for me and Hongling, and even for me and San Niang... Its significance far exceeds what the master could have imagined back then.”

Yuanxing was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. A monk could act as a matchmaker, but never for one-to-many. Oh well.

Zhao Changhe continued: “In truth, helping you is helping myself. The enemy clearly came to sow discord between our two sides. I know Annihilation—it wants chaos in the world, not a unified Shenzhou. This was very obvious before, and you...”

He paused here, and Yuancheng tactfully said: “The Prince of Zhao need not worry. We firmly support the unification of Shenzhou and strive for the peace of the people.”

Zhao Changhe felt the phrasing sounded a bit modern and wanted to help them rephrase it... but on second thought, it was probably fine, so he said: “You uphold the faith and guide people toward goodness; the court is happy to see that. But there are a few issues I need to clarify with you.”

The fact that he said the court was happy set the tone... The monks all breathed a huge sigh of relief. After all, the decree to abolish Buddhism still hung over their heads, not yet rescinded. If Zhao Changhe had said they were illegal, the Buddhist school would have no way to resist the court and would have to go underground again, miserable. Over time, who could say they wouldn’t turn into another Maitreya Sect?

Zhao Changhe setting this tone basically meant the decree would be lifted, and everything else could be discussed.

Yuancheng then said: “Please speak, Prince of Zhao.”

Zhao Changhe said: “First, you were too hasty and easily exploited. That impatience and contentiousness are themselves demonic intent. I practice demonic arts, so I have a say in this—I have to ‘slow down’ to avoid being controlled by blood aura. How much more so for the Buddhist school?”

The monks softly chanted: “Amitabha...”

Who said this man had nothing to do with Buddhism? His meaning was clearly close.

Zhao Changhe continued: “Once that intent is exploited, it becomes the root of this disaster. The faith power absorbed by this Buddha contained a great deal of contention and chaos, causing an overflow of anger, betraying the true meaning of the Wrathful Vajra. The Vajra’s wrath is meant to subdue demons and protect the Way, to right the world’s wrongs—not to quarrel over interests or biases. It also turned the hard-won stability of Jingxiang into a source of chaos again, causing trouble for me...”

Yuancheng said: “We admit our fault.”

Zhao Changhe paused, looking at the white-browed, white-bearded old monk bowing his head in apology. He didn’t want to scold further, so he simply said: “Second, if Buddhism is to continue spreading, some rules must be set.”

“Please speak, Prince of Zhao.”

“I don’t know where you got the idea of tax exemption for temple property and corvée exemption for monks—perhaps it was a custom from earlier dynasties, or perhaps you needed such support to develop. But I’m telling you now: it’s not allowed. If you want to build temples and spread the faith, you must be treated equally in taxes and corvée. Otherwise, land annexation and population loss will lead to major conflicts sooner or later. Your temples are large now, with plenty of land. First, pay the back taxes for the four quarters, and make up for the corvée you’ve evaded—it can be converted into grain or money.”

The assembled monks looked at each other, their expressions bitter.

In normal times, they might have argued, but now the situation was stronger than them. A demon was clearly targeting their school in the shadows, and the Buddha had nearly been killed, saved only by the Prince of Zhao. Not to mention the debt of gratitude, but they also needed Zhao Changhe’s continued help. They had no leverage to argue, and could only swallow their distress.

Tax evasion was fun in the moment, but when it came time to pay back taxes, they might have to sell off their land to cover it. Luckily, there were no late fees, or they might have to tear down the temple beams and Buddha statues to sell...

Zhao Changhe sighed and said in a low voice: “As for corvée labor, it goes against my principles. When I was in Bashu, I found it very unpleasant. Aside from necessary military service, I will find a way to make this thing disappear forever, or find a substitute. But the premise is that we need a stable state, a peaceful and prosperous environment. If you have a Buddhist heart, you should help me, your king, to pacify both internal and external threats.”

The monks rose and bowed, softly chanting: “Amitabha... Who says the Prince of Zhao is not a Buddha? This is the Buddha.”

Zhao Changhe was about to add a few more words when he felt a sudden sensation. He turned his head and saw Yue Hongling leaning against the doorframe, gazing at him steadily. Her beautiful eyes held admiration and complexity, and he had no idea how long she had been watching.