Seventy miles from Chang'an City stood a dilapidated village temple. Though called a temple, it didn't enshrine Buddhist bodhisattvas or arhats, nor the Great Wheel King; it was a local earth god temple. Undoubtedly, in the Sui Dynasty, temples rarely enjoyed thriving incense offerings. The earth god in this temple, perhaps feeling incredibly aggrieved, moved away in anger. Later, when villagers lacked building materials, they would dismantle it, until over time, only four crumbling walls remained.
The Central Plains dynasty before the Sui Dynasty was called the Great Zheng, ruled by the Wang clan. However, this Wang clan was not the same as the Jiangnan Wang clan, and after more than four hundred years, it finally collapsed. But the most similarity between the Wang clan's Great Zheng and the current Sui Dynasty was that neither dynasty was interested in Buddhism.
The difference was that Great Zheng did leave a gap in its embrace of Buddhism. Some monks from the West came to the Central Plains to preach, and although they didn't make Buddhism flourish, they managed to establish a foothold. After the fall of the Zheng Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict expelling monks from the country. From then on, Buddhism ceased to exist in the Central Plains. It is said that Emperor Taizu's aversion to monks stemmed from the fact that Buddhists had secretly aided the Zheng Dynasty during his rebellion. Given Taizu's strong-willed nature, how could he tolerate this?
Therefore, Buddhists declared the Central Plains a land overrun by demons, because the monks who had painstakingly built a few temples in the Zheng Dynasty were all driven back. Any hesitation resulted in severe beatings.
These local temples, unrelated to Buddhist temples, were also implicated in the Sui Dynasty's expulsion of Buddhism. It's important to understand that for a century, from the founding of the Sui Dynasty to the reign of Emperor Tianyou (Yang Yi), the Sui Dynasty was in a period where the entire population lacked religious faith. Taoism was only vigorously promoted after Emperor Tianyou ascended the throne; before that, the only faith the people of the Sui Dynasty had was in the emperor.
The people firmly believed that the Sui emperor would bring them a prosperous and fulfilling life.
The emperors of the Sui Dynasty truly achieved this, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. The rich were not arrogant, and the poor were not humble. In such a idyllic life, the people needed no religious faith. The Buddhist sect could find nothing to incite the people against the tyranny of the court; even though there were some injustices in the world, they could not stir up any discontent among the people.
This was a very peculiar period, a very peculiar country.
A century later, even the Great Wheel King abandoned the idea of continuing to preach in the Central Plains. Of course, the current Great Wheel King was not the same person as the Great Wheel King of a century ago. The succession of Buddhist Kings was very mysterious. Before his death, the previous King would designate his successor, and then the King would take this person to the secret chamber of the Golden Hall atop the Great Snow Mountain, a sacred Buddhist site. Seven days later, the new King would emerge from the chamber, inheriting the mantle, while the body of the previous King would remain in the chamber.
No one was ever allowed to see the body of the previous King again. Regardless of the new Ming King's prior cultivation level, receiving the inheritance instantly made him the most powerful person in the world. How an ordinary person could become the strongest Buddhist cultivator in just seven days remains a mystery to everyone except the Ming King himself.
Many speculated that the Buddhist sect must possess a unique method of transferring power. Before his death, the old Ming King had passed on his entire life's cultivation to the new Ming King.
The earth god temple was in a dilapidated state, even the remaining four walls had collapsed considerably. It offered no shelter from the wind or rain; this place was practically deserted except for the occasional visit by village children to catch crickets. In a corner, an old monk in grey robes set down the young man he was holding. After examining his injuries, he frowned slightly and murmured, "Merciful Ming King."
He took out a jade bottle from his robes and poured out a dark green pill. He pried open the young man's mouth, inserted the pill, and then fed him some rainwater collected in the ruined temple. The rainwater, collected a few days prior, had a slightly foul odor, but the old monk seemed unconcerned. He fed the young man a few sips and then drank some himself.
After drinking, he sat cross-legged in a relatively clean spot and closed his eyes to rest.
How long had passed? Suddenly, the unconscious young man coughed a few times, gushing black blood from his mouth, his chest heaving violently.
The old monk slowly opened his eyes and looked at him. In an instant, the young man's smooth black hair fell to the ground like snowflakes. Soon, not a single hair could be seen on his head.
After the young man's hair had all fallen and he hadn't coughed up any more blood, the old monk nodded slightly. He got up and went over to help the young monk sit up. He lifted the young man's tattered clothes and examined him; the numerous bloody wounds that had previously covered the young man's body had already scabbed over.
It was unclear what kind of elixir the old monk had given him, but it had such a miraculous effect.
After a while, the young monk slowly awoke. Opening his eyes, he saw a kind-faced old monk watching him. He quickly scrambled to his feet, knelt, and kowtowed.
"This disciple is incompetent; please punish me, Master."
...
...
The old monk sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling as he said to Chen Ya, "Before coming to the Great Sui Dynasty, I foresaw a tribulation for you. If you overcome this tribulation, it may not be a bad thing for your cultivation."
"Without Master, this disciple would already be dead," Chen Ya said, bowing his head. "You fool! I am your master, and you are my disciple. If I don't guide you through this calamity, who will? When you left the Great Snow Mountain, I gave you a Sumeru Pill, foreseeing this bloody disaster. Unfortunately, your obsession was too strong; you actually turned that Sumeru Pill into a weapon. Not only did it fail to repel the enemy, but you nearly lost your life. Now I have to use another Bodhi Pill to save your life—that's what I'm dissatisfied with."
"Disciple knows his mistake."
Chenya bowed and said, "Disciple underestimated the Sui people, which led to today's defeat."
"Being able to recognize your mistakes and reflect on them—that's growth. Your journey to the Great Sui Dynasty wasn't in vain."
"Master, how did you come to Chang'an?"
Chenya asked curiously. "Before you came, I told you that the Western Paradise is a pure land, while the East is a land teeming with demons. Don't think that just because your cultivation is high, you can look down on demons. Your cultivation is still relatively new; you don't know how many great demons have emerged from the Central Plains that even the Bright King feared. Eleven years ago, a demon who had set out from Chang'an, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, and traveled westward entered the Western Paradise. The Bright King noticed this and sent his disciples to subdue the demon."
"Who would have thought that the demon's cultivation was so high that he killed several Arhats in succession, and he also had many followers who were all highly skilled. When the Bright King learned of his disciples' sacrifice, he sent my senior brother, the Great Freedom Celestial Venerable, and my junior brother, the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable, down the mountain to meet the enemy. Lingbao fought the demon but was no match for him. Senior Brother Great Freedom personally intervened..." But this didn't stop the demon's westward advance. The Western Pure Land was devastated by the arrival of those demons, and only after the Bright King himself descended the mountain, unleashing his Vajra wrath, was the demon finally subdued.
"Eleven years ago, the demon's westward invasion was kept secret. The disciples and the world were not allowed to know. Do you know why?"
"This disciple is foolish."
"Because if this matter were known, the position of our Buddhist sect would be shaken. Throughout the world, except for the Sui people, everyone worships the Bright King. Whether Buddhist disciples or laypeople, everyone knows the Bright King's cultivation is unparalleled. But in that battle… the Bright King was actually injured."
"Ah?!"
Chen Ya suddenly raised his head, his face filled with disbelief.
"Who was that person?!"
He asked in surprise. "All we know is that he's a member of the Sui Dynasty's royal family."
The old monk sighed, "If my disciples knew this, they would surely be unable to bear it. The Ming King possesses great wisdom; he knows that if this matter were to be publicized, the mortals who believe in him and the Buddhist disciples would certainly be enraged and attack the Sui. But the Sui people are all demons; how could they fear war? Once war breaks out, there will be endless suffering. Who knows how many people will die and how many rivers and mountains will be destroyed. Since that demon has been suppressed, the Ming King has decided to keep this matter confidential."
"What does this have to do with your journey to the Central Plains, Master?"
Chenya asked. The old monk remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "Not long after you entered the Sui Dynasty, another demon lord set off westward."
"Ah!"
Chen Ya was stunned by what the old monk had said, feeling as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat: "But... but is he as ferocious as the demon lord of eleven years ago?"
"Not quite, but not far off."
The old monk said, "Eleven years ago, the Ming King went into seclusion, and Brother Shi Yuan of the Disciplinary Hall led his golden-bodied monk soldiers down the Great Snow Mountain to meet the enemy. Brother Da Zizai, fearing that the Sui people might have reinforcements..." "So they sent me to the Central Plains to investigate. After all, eleven years ago, that great demon traveled west with hundreds of followers, but this time, he only brought one person, which is extremely strange. Senior Brother Da Zizai was worried that the Sui people might have other tricks up their sleeves, so I came. I originally intended to investigate secretly and then bring you back, but I didn't expect that there are still so many experts among the Sui people. Even I am surprised by the strength of their demonic nature."
"Master, shall we go back to the Great Snow Mountain now?"
"Yes, of course we will go back."
"But..."
Chen Ya paused, hesitating to speak. The old monk said calmly, "But you are resentful, aren't you? You came here to kill Fang Jie, but you almost died here. If you don't kill him, you can't find peace of mind, can you?"
"Yes!"
Chen Ya bowed his head and said, "The Ming King once said that there is a speck of dust in my heart. If I cannot remove this dust, I will never achieve perfection. I have cultivated for many years but did not know what this dust in my heart was. After arriving in the Great Sui Dynasty, I initially thought this dust was fear of powerful enemies, but after experiencing a tribulation, I suddenly understood. My heart..." "Zhong Zhichen is Fang Jie, not the Crane Cry Daoist of the Daoist Sect. If he isn't eliminated, there will be no peace of mind."
"Foolish man."
The old monk shook his head and sighed, "I thought you would understand the teachings of the Bright King after this ordeal, but who would have thought you would sink deeper and deeper?"
"Please enlighten me, Master."
Chenya bowed, touching his head to the ground, and sincerely said, "This disciple is dull and cannot comprehend the wondrous mantras of the Bright King."
The old monk looked at Chenya with pity and said, "You are my most intelligent disciple. I originally thought you didn't need..." Whatever I want to teach you, you can understand it yourself. It seems now that the more intelligent a person is, the easier it is for them to lose their way. The dust in your heart is not any enemy, but yourself. "
"Myself?"
Chen Ya was startled for a moment and said, "This disciple is puzzled."
"You always feel that you can achieve perfection, so you are eager to achieve perfection. This is the dust in your heart. You have had a high opinion of yourself since you were young and started to practice. I did not point out that this is my fault. Today I will tell you that this dust of yours is your obsession. When you no longer obsess about perfection, you will be able to achieve perfection."
"Obsession?"
Chen Ya was silent for a while, then bowed down again and said, "Disciple understands."
"No... you don't understand yet."
The old monk smiled and said: "If you understood, you wouldn't say that you understand. How can the wonder of Buddhism be understood only by thinking about it?"
At this time, the old monk pointed outside and said, "What is that?"
Chen Ya took a look outside and saw someone coming from a distance. Carrying a package on his back and holding a wooden stick as a crutch, he had obviously traveled a long distance.
"That's a Sui person," Chenya said.
"Wrong," the old monk said calmly.
"Those are demons. The Sui people have human skin, but inside those skins are demons."
He looked outside and asked again, "What's that?"
"That's a demon."
"Wrong."
"Ah? How did I get it wrong again?"
"He's a Sui person, his demonic nature hasn't yet arisen. Before the demonic nature arises, he's still human."
"I don't understand."
"It's good that you don't understand. Understanding is what it means to not understand."
The old monk stood up and pointed towards the person walking towards them. The person trembled, then slumped to the ground.
"Bring him here, let's set off."
"Why bring him along?"
"Are you hungry?"
The old monk suddenly asked this question.