Chapter 256 - 255: Wu Zhi’s Dream
Feeling that the task of counseling commander Huang was too arduous, Jiang Li, being a mere Mahayana realm practitioner, perceived it as too challenging and decided to let commander Huang heal himself.
He called the nearby patrolling guards, advising them not to approach commander Huang, and also to keep others away
Commander Huang, overwhelmed with sorrow, unconsciously radiated a gloomy atmosphere, causing even those at the Divinity Transformation Stage who came near to lose control of their emotions and weep.
Therefore, the best course of action was to leave commander Huang alone.
The guards, following the Hall Master’s instructions, thought about it and surrounded commander Huang with a white line, setting up a sign outside the circle.
Construction in progress. Entry prohibited.
The Human Emperor celebration was taking shape, with hotels prepared for various powerful forces, waiting for their arrival.
Each powerful force was accompanied by a performance troupe, and as the host, the Imperial Palace couldn’t just let them rent their own rooms.
Even before the Human Emperor celebration had begun, traces of Jiang Li could be seen everywhere: masks, statues, and amulets all crafted in his likeness. Every little detail had been signed-off by the Imperial Palace, ensuring perfect authenticity.
“Do you have any amulets that have been consecrated by the Human Emperor?” a young monk asked a merchant.
Two monks standing next to him surreptitiously sent him a sound transmission, their tone brimming with respect. “Enlightened one, our buddhism sect handles all consecrations, why would you want to buy a Human Emperor consecrated amulet here, wouldn’t that damage our sect’s reputation?”
“Because the Human Emperor is powerful.” Wu Zhi responded, providing a concise and compelling reason.
“We don’t have any amulets consecrated by the Human Emperor.”
“Okay, then give me one Human Emperor mask.”
“Five low-level spirit stones.”
The guards were taken aback, startling the merchant, “That expensive!” Though not too much, five low-level spirit stones were not to be squandered, especially not to become a sucker for obvious exploitation.
Wu Zhi waved his hand, “The price is within a reasonable range regarding the extraordinary time and place. I’ll take it.”
Once the enlightened one made a decision, the Arhats had no choice but to pay.
“Buddhist Master Wu Zhi?” Jiang Li greeted a familiar face as he was strolling through the market.
Jiang li and Li Nian’er were eating candied hawthorns, on his treat.
“Human Emperor.” Wielding the Tower of Brahma, Wu Zhi greeted Jiang Li with a “Amitabha”.
The Arhats that tamed the dragon and the Arhat who couldn’t be tamed had already established an illusion using Buddhist Law, preventing people from recognizing Wu Zhi’s true identity, and making him appear as a harmless young monk.
Originally, Li Nian’er and Wu Zhi were equals, she was once an itinerant preacher of the Body-incorporating Sect, and he was a disciple of Buddha. Who would’ve thought that Wu Zhi would succeed the previous Master Buddha after his demise, making him one of the most respected individuals in Jiuzhou.
In honor of the friendship they once shared, Jiang Li helped the Buddhist sect to publicly announce the complete nirvana of the old Buddha Sumeru.
“Are you performing the Avalokitesvara with a thousand arms this year?” Li Nian’er, having watched Jiang Li’s 290th anniversary coronation ceremony, had a deep impression of the Buddhist sect’s Avalokitesvara performance. She heard from her father that the Buddhist sect usually performed Avalokitesvara at every ceremony.
Wu Zhi shook his head slightly, “We are presenting something different this year. As for what it will be, I ask Nian’er to wait until the day of the performance. ”
He then turned to Jiang Li and asked, “There’s something I don’t understand, may I ask the Human Emperor?”
Jiang Li nodded, and Wu Zhi, bringing only the Tower of Brahma, asked the two Arhats to wait for a while.
“Does the Human Emperor believe in the concept of reincarnation?”
“You are referring to the Underworld’s cycle of life and death, of course, I believe. Why do you ask, have you encountered some issues related to this?”
“The Buddhist scriptures state that the Underworld balances good and evil, there are six cycles of life and death, the virtuous enter the path of righteousness, the evil enter the path of sin, before reincarnation, they cross the River Lethe, drink Meng PO’s soup, and are able to wash away their past, getting reincarnated, becoming a whole new being.”
“Yes, that’s what it says.”
“Recently, I’ve been dreaming and the scenes in my dreams are quite vague. I saw an immortal drunkenly wandering in the Tianhe at night, and a forest of fairy trees blossoming and yielding fruit. These were scenes I have never seen before, and I believe these scenes might take place in the Immortal Realm!”
Jiang Li frowned, “You’re suspecting that these memories are not your own, but of your past life?”
“Yes.” Wu Zhi nodded. The frequent dreams made him doubt his Buddhist heart, and he began to ponder questions like “who am I,” “where did I come from,” and “where am I going.”
Most importantly, he was afraid that one day he would become the person from his previous life, overshadowing the memories of this life.
From what he could tell from his dreams, his past life must have been an immortal who lived several tens of thousands of years. If his past life’s memories were to awaken, his fifteen years’ worth of memories would be nothing in comparison. It would be like a single drop of water merging into the ocean, completely disappearing, he would completely turn into the person from his past life!
In Jiang Li’s eyes, Wu Zhi’s soul was incredibly powerful, carrying numerous wounds as if they were lightning strikes or burns, not at all fitting for an ordinary child.
Jianz Li had never mentioned this to Wu Zhi, fearing that Wu Zhi might
develop the same worries.
It seemed like his fears had come true.
“Have you dreamed of any specific people? Could you confirm your past identity?”
Wu Zhi shook his head, “I couldn’t see clearly, the silhouette in my dreams was blurry, I couldn’t even discern whether it was male or female.”
“What do you think?” Jiang Li asked the silent Tower of Brahma.
“I don’t have any particular thoughts. It’s just more unfamiliar memories. Wu Zhi is still Wu Zhi,” the Tower of Brahma lazily remarked, failing to understand why Jiang Li and Wu Zhi were so worried.
It was as if mocking them, seeing this as an unassailable truth in the mindset of an Immortal Artifact.
“Have you asked the immortal Elder Chang Cun?”
“I don’t trust him.” Wu Zhi was inexplicably resistant towards Elder Chang Cun. Could it be that Wu Zhi’s past life held a competitive relationship with the Elder? Jiang Li pondered.
That doesn’t make sense. Elder Chang Cun is merely an Earth Immortal, while Wu Zhi’s past life was undoubtedly more than a mere Earth Immortal, certainly having at least reached the Heavenly Immortal level.
“Then why are you discussing this with me…”
With a bitter expression, Wu Zhi said, “If one day, my personality changes drastically, I hope the Human Emperor will not be surprised. If I commit any atrocities after changing my personality, I ask the Human Emperor to show no mercy.”
Are you asking me to forcibly send two Buddhas into nirvana?
“You’re being rather pessimistic.” Wu Zhi was thinking about the worst possible scenarios—Jiang Li was worried that he might’ve been possessed by commander Huang.
Jiang Li could understand Wu Zhi’s feelings. After all, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy. Despite their seemingly impeccable understanding of Buddhism that they appeared as wise and respectable as senior monks, in the face of real-life situations, their attitudes completely differed.
If it were the Old Buddha Sumeru facing this situation, he would definitely not be in Wu Zhi’s current state.
He still needed growth.
After sharing his concerns with Jiang Li, Wu Zhi’s mood noticeably improved. When both of them returned, they found the East Sea Dragon King there.
“Big Brother.” The Arhat who couldn’t be tamed saw the East Sea Dragon King and enthusiastically greeted him.
The Arhat who couldn’t be tamed was originally known as Arhat who tamed the tiger. However, being a true dragon himself and disliking the name of the Arhat who tamed the dragon, he spontaneously changed his name.
The Arhat who couldn’t be tamed was justified in doing this. “We, the true dragon clan, are honest. We didn’t eat from your rice bowl, why should the Buddhist sect use us as stepping stones? The names given to you, Arhat who tamed the dragon and Arhat who tamed the tiger, clearly contradict the principle of equality among all beings.”
Old Buddha Sumeru felt that his argument was very reasonable, so he agreed.
Lucky for him, the ladder to become an immortal had disappeared and all the Buddhas couldn’t come down. Otherwise, they would’ve pinned the Arhat who couldn’t be tamed to the ground and given him a thorough beating.
The title of Arhat who tamed the tiger wasn’t one that could be changed on a
mere whim!