The ebb and flow of empires, the affairs of the world are like chess.
Xu Qing manages the Funeral Shop, welcoming and sending off all sorts, accustomed to the ordinary folk and the powerful elite; even the most talented scholars and national rulers have stopped by.
Today, the weather is just right.
Outside the shop, a handsome monk, with a halo of Buddhist light, approaches.
Xu Qing observes his red lips and white teeth, thinking he could debut directly at Xianggu Hall!
"Sir, long time no see."
Chen Liu'Er smiles, giving Xu Qing a respectful salute with joined palms.
"That begging monk really led you astray. Tell me, what's so good about being a monk? Why not join my funeral business and embark on the path of cultivation?"
"Look at Shiyue, now free from her ghostly fetus, she has become a bright and pure immortal, undefiled by even a speck of dust."
Xu Qing felt a bit regretful, never having much fondness for monks, after all, he is the Lady Bao Sheng of this ten-mile area.
If everyone became a monk, how would his business continue?
A thriving funeral business also requires a growing population, right?
Chen Liu'Er smiled subtly and said, "Sir, you have Great Magical Power and great ambition, Shiyue following you is surely a blessing from past lives."
"But this monk is different."
Chen Liu'Er joined his palms and replied, "The karma of sentient beings is like the sea, each with its own destiny. People lost in the mundane world, with impure roots, even if they shave their heads, can't escape the entanglement of love and hate."
"Yet those who truly aspire to Bodhi, the ten directions and three times are but a single thought of purity."
"I feel the Buddha's destiny from past lives has arrived, like the moon reflecting on a cold pond, the water naturally flowing, this is the result of cause and effect, seeing one's nature to become a Buddha. Sir should be happy for the monk..."
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, this rascal who once ran bare-bottomed through the streets has, in the blink of an eye, become quite mature.
"So, does Mage Liu'Er think I have a Buddha's destiny?"
Xu Qing played with an oil-exuding walnut and looked at Chen Liu'Er with a smile.
Beside him, Xuan Yu on the counter glanced back and forth between Chen Liu'Er's bald head and Xu Qing's forehead, seemingly imagining the bald look of the Xu Immortal Family.
Chen Liu'Er, with a smile on his lips, said:
"All beings have a Buddha's destiny, but those with a destiny do not necessarily have to enter Buddhism and become disciples of the Buddha."
"Sir has Great Magical Power, great ambition, and also a compassionate heart. Knowing sir is the monk's fate, but sir is not suited to be a disciple of the Buddha."
Xu Qing found it curious: "Why is that?"
Chen Liu'Er joined his palms and said: "Nirvana Sutra states, all sentient beings have Buddha-nature, the Tathagata remains eternally unchanged."
"Meditator monks, ascetic heads, pure cultivation Taoists, wandering Daoists... all forms have their destinations. They are Buddha, they are Tao, they are human, they are sentient beings."
Chen Liu'Er appeared to radiate with Buddhist light, his demeanor compassionate as he said: "Buddha has no form, like the grass before the courtyard, is an ordinary thing. Though this monk has shaved his head today, how can anyone know if the beggar by the roadside, the sir before you, or the black cat on the counter is not a Buddha..."
On the counter, Xuan Yu blinked, wondering if this child has chanted himself silly?
A demon with nearly a thousand years of cultivation, leading the General Hall Master of the Jin Sect, how could he possibly be a Buddha...
Xu Qing smiled slightly, noncommittal.
Chen Liu'Er read the room and couldn't help but ask: "Does sir think this monk has done something wrong? If there's a mistake, please teach the monk."
Xu Qing, seeing the obedient and understanding Chen Liu'Er before him, so unlike the mischievous child he used to be, finally offered some advice:
"Your understanding of Buddhist principles is profound, the scriptures are remarkably insightful, showing you've put in great effort, and that's not wrong. But you're so focused on cultivating your nature, you've forgotten to cultivate your life."
Xu Qing sighed: "Even great monks and Bodhisattvas can discern demons and monsters, and see the human heart and ghost realm."
"You only practice Zen and cannot recognize demons or distinguish good people. Even with profound Buddhist principles, it is hard to prescribe the right remedy, let alone save others through words and deeds."
Chen Liu'Er puzzled, "Why does sir think I cannot recognize demons or see the good in people?"
Nonsense! There's a huge zombie right in front of you, and you didn't recognize it, do I need to think?
Xu Qing glanced at the overconfident Chen Liu'Er, then walked over, pointing at Cheng Caiyun, standing on her tiptoes outside the opposite Incense and Candle Shop, saying:
"See, the widow across the street is a huge demon!"
Chen Liu'Er widened his eyes, looking across the street until Cheng Caiyun, full of gossip, felt embarrassed and slipped back into the shop, then he withdrew his gaze.
"Is she really a demon?"
"Absolutely!"
Chen Liu'Er suddenly doubted himself and pursued: "Then does sir know what kind of demon that woman is?"
"She's a badger spirit! Always stealing the neighborhood's melons, lacking in great virtue!"
"..."
Chen Liu'Er questioned, "But this monk hasn't seen any melons growing around here..."
Xu Qing blurted out: "Aren't the melons all stolen by her!"
"So, Little Liu'Er, you can't only cultivate Zen principles, you must also cultivate the proper methods to distinguish demons and protect yourself!"
Xu Qing reached into his sleeve and pulled out a stack of cultivation techniques from the Mountain and River Map. Among these techniques were the Embrace Gang Child Skill, which can be cultivated to the realm of martial Celestial Person, the Qi Observation Skill that can see through illusion, and the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Skill, the Diamond Wisdom Spell, the Unmoving Bright King Seal, acquired after liberating the monks of Cizhao Temple...
Finally, Xu Qing also found a palm technique that descended from the heavens.
These cultivation techniques were not chosen at random by Xu Qing, but were carefully selected.
Chen Liu'Er entered the Buddhist sect, with intact and pure yang energy preserved internally, absolutely of a child's physical state, perfect for the Embrace Gang Child Skill.
Other techniques like the Diamond Wisdom Spell and the Bright King Seal are also ultimate yang and saintly, specifically to counter demons and monsters with divine techniques.