043 Buddha

"He has become a Buddha." When Li Huowang heard the abbot say this calmly, a sudden chill ran down his spine.

He abruptly looked up at the five colossal golden Buddhas around. Just moments ago, they exuded solemnity and grandeur, but now their expressions seemed to have transformed in an instant.

Li Huowang, who was about to rise to his feet, stole a glance at the brilliant sun outside the door and then fixed his gaze on the abbot before him.

The old abbot remained seated there, as calm as ever, showing neither joy nor sorrow, as if those words had never left his mouth.

"Wait, don't scare yourself. It might not be what I'm thinking."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Huowang spoke up again. "Abbot, there must be some feud between Zhengde Temple and Danyangzi, right?"

"Correct. He used to kidnap and kill people everywhere, causing great chaos. I once dispatched the martial monks from the Dharma Hall of our temple to arrest him, but he always managed to escape."

"If you can find a way to eliminate this man, it will also be a meritorious deed."

"May I ask, Master, how could such a heinous villain become a Buddha? It's simply impossible!"

"Amitabha. What he is now doesn't matter. I have the Buddha in my heart, so in my eyes, he is a Buddha."

Hearing this, Li Huowang suddenly felt irritated. This old monk wasn't being straightforward; he was speaking in riddles with him.

"Benefactor, Danyangzi is now in the vast universe. What I think of him doesn't matter. What matters is what you think of him. What you believe he is, he is. After all, now his karma lies with you, not with me."

Xinhui's voice remained calm, but this time Li Huowang understood his meaning.

"Do you mean that Danyangzi has now become something formless that can change according to people's will, similar to Lord You?"

"Exactly."

"But why? How did he turn into such a ghostly thing? The cultivation methods for becoming an immortal were all made up by me. There were so many highly poisonous substances. One should have died immediately after consuming them!"

Li Huowang racked his brains but couldn't figure out this mystery.

"I don't know," the other replied frankly, catching Li Huowang off guard. "You don't know?"

"I'm not the Future Buddha and not omniscient. As a Buddhist, I don't tell lies. If I don't know, I don't know."

After thinking for a while again, Li Huowang asked another crucial question.

"Abbot, is there a way to completely get rid of Danyangzi? Since he is our enemy, it's not a good thing to leave him like this."

He had gone to such great lengths to come all the way here just to solve this problem.

This time, Xinhui didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pondered for a while and then raised his right hand. "Come here. I need to take another look."

Looking at that wrinkled white hand, Li Huowang hesitated.

"Benefactor Xuanyang, if you still suspect that I'm going to harm you now, you shouldn't have stepped into the temple gate just now."

After a moment of thought, Li Huowang pressed his forehead against the abbot's palm.

With a "buzz", Li Huowang felt that all the colors around him suddenly brightened several times, and his whole body felt as light as if floating.

This wonderful feeling came and went quickly. When everything returned to normal, Li Huowang felt an indescribable emptiness in his heart.

He understood that, regardless of other things, this old abbot must possess some special Buddhist supernatural powers.

"Hmm... This matter is of great importance. I need to discuss countermeasures with the other elders. You can stay in the temple for now. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"I have friends outside the temple. They'll be worried if I don't go back."

Seeing Li Huowang's refusal, the abbot's tone remained unhurried.

"Whether you stay or leave is up to you. Zhengde Temple will open at dawn tomorrow. Benefactor Xuanyang, please don't go back on your word. You also know that if this trouble isn't eliminated, it will ultimately be a great hidden danger for you and all sentient beings in the world."

When Li Huowang walked out of the hall and stood in the sun, looking back inside, he found that the abbot had already turned around and started chanting scriptures to the huge golden Buddha.

Li Huowang looked up at the big sun directly above his head at noon and then at the quiet and peaceful Buddhist temple around. It seemed as if nothing had happened at all.

Just as Li Huowang had taken a few steps after turning around, the bald back of the chanting abbot's head began to wriggle.

After a while, a smooth crack slowly opened on the back of the head under the five - Buddha hat, and a huge vertical eye the size of a fist emerged, staring fixedly at Li Huowang.

At this moment, the abbot's chanting suddenly became much louder. "Form is not self... If it were self, form should not be sick or suffer distress. I desire such form... I do not desire such form... As one wishes. Therefore, one should know..."

After Li Huowang walked through the winding paths between the temples and finally came to the main entrance bustling with pilgrims, he felt as if he had returned to the human world.

Standing in the crowd, he looked back at the alley he had just come out of. "Should I trust him?" Li Huowang felt hesitant.

"Hey! Taoist priest! I'm here!" Hearing someone calling him, Li Huowang turned his head and saw the old beggar on the road not far away, waving excitedly at him.

"You came to Zhengde Temple? They let you in?"

The old beggar nodded excitedly. "Yes. Just now, that monk said that seeing how pitiful I was, I could stay in the temple to work."

"That's good. Work hard here. At least it's better than digging wild vegetables and eating offerings from the dead outside. I have something else to do and need to leave. By the way, I haven't asked your name yet."

"You can call me Monk. I like to be called Monk. Come and visit the temple when you're free."

"Hehe, according to your Buddhist saying, it depends on fate."

After saying goodbye to this old "monk", Li Huowang left Zhengde Temple.

When he arrived at the pre - arranged inn, the others immediately swarmed up.

Li Huowang raised his hand to stop them from asking further and said, "I have a task for everyone. You should disperse and ask the locals about Zhengde Temple."

Although his contact with those monks today was very normal, he still planned to listen to what the locals thought of Zhengde Temple before making a decision.

The others didn't ask any questions. They just nodded and then turned around and walked out of the inn.

As time passed, when the sun set, the seven people who had been sent out came back one after another and began to report their findings to Li Huowang.

"I heard that Zhengde Temple is the largest temple in the Western Capital City and has the most prosperous incense."

"I heard that those monks are very pious and strictly abide by the monastic rules. Last time, a monk who ate meat was directly expelled from the temple."

"I heard that the emperor in the palace also goes to that temple to worship Buddha. If you're lucky and get a good position, you might even see the emperor!"

"What I heard is about the same. Senior brother, why do you want us to inquire about Zhengde Temple?"

Li Huowang didn't answer. He didn't want to tell them about the terrifying possibility that Danyangzi might still exist, lest they worry.

After carefully pondering over their reports, Li Huowang found that he had no reason to refuse.

If he didn't trust these monks, he would have to go head - on against the "Buddha" Danyangzi. This choice was undoubtedly suicidal.

Finally, after weighing the pros and cons, Li Huowang made up his mind to return to Zhengde Temple tomorrow.