Chapter 355 - 354: Joyful Bodhisattva
The Buddhists also had to be reasonable. If you preached abstinence and denied desire right in front of us, wouldn’t that be stepping on our toes?
Our Union Sect isn’t vegetarian either!
Thus, Jiang Li saw a very peculiar scene. On one side, there were Buddhist chants purifying the soul, encouraging people to escape into the monastic life. On the other, there were sensual speeches encouraging the enjoyment of bodily pleasures, the union of Yin and Yang.
Under the lecture stage of the Union Sect, a female cultivator was swayed. She hesitantly raised her hand, indicating her desire to join the Union Sect.
A gorgeous cultivator from the Body Integration Realm came over and asked in as gentle a tone as possible, “Child, why do you want to join the Union Sect?”
“Because the Union Sect is a major sect, and I can’t escape into the monastic life.”
“Don’t you think it’s awkward to practice the Union Art?”
The female cultivator said, “Not at all. The love between men and women is a part of natural order. There’s no need to deliberately go against it. The Union Art is nurtured under such philosophy and is in line with the utmost truth of nature. There’s nothing indecorous about practicing it.”
The cultivator from the Body Integration Realm continued to ask, “But from now on, you will have to combine with many male cultivators. Are you okay with that?”
“Absolutely. I am more loving than others. I love every male cultivator. I want to give them a warm home.”
Under the guidance of the Body Integration Realm cultivator, the female cultivator gradually recognized and accepted her true nature.
The cultivator from the Body Integration Realm nodded slightly and smiled, “You have awakened. You can join under my Joyful Bodhisattva.”
The female cultivator was overjoyed, “Thank you, Bodhisattva… Wait, Joyful Bodhisattva?”
“Amitabha, I am the Joyful Bodhisattva from the Buddhist Sect.”
Dream Yu Yu sensed something was wrong. She walked over in a fit of anger, shielding the female cultivator: “Not only does your Buddhist Sect clash with us, but now you even dare to recruit under our stage!”
Joyful Bodhisattva was cultivating with flowing hair. Her black and shiny hair spread softly over her shoulders, and her satin robe highlighted her exquisite curves. Her fair skin was flushed with a faint blush, and her eyes were filled with tenderness, quite unlike the self-contained nuns.
She wasn’t in monk’s robes, and as she walked under the Union Sect’s stage, everyone thought she was an elder from the Union Sect.
Joyful Bodhisattva was calm, with one hand raised in front of her chest, “Miss Dream, I have confirmed with the people from Penglai Fairy Island, you rented the stage, not the space in front of it. Naturally, I can recruit disciples here.”
Dream Yu Yu was almost furious enough to crook her nose.
If the abstinence-promoting Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva and the Union Sect were incompatible, then Joyful Bodhisattva, who enjoyed worldly pleasures, would be a nuisance.
Dream Yu Yu had hostile relations with the Buddhist Sect’s Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva and Joyful Bodhisattva.
Joyful Bodhisattva was an outlier in the Buddhist Sect. She too sought enlightenment, but not in the next life, but in “this life.” She didn’t prohibit worldly pleasures, but instead explored various forms of entertainment.
She believed that sex was the greatest creative energy, and that through the union of men and women, human souls could merge with cosmic souls, reaching the highest spiritual realm.
This view was different from most of the Buddhist Sect, it was strange, but if traced back to its roots, the teachings of Joyful Meditation could be traced back to the Immortal Realm. In other words, Joyful Meditation could lead to Buddha’s status.
The Buddhist Sect accepted even those who were not Arhats, so one more Joyful Bodhisattva wouldn’t matter.
Pure Heart Holy Woman kept a wary eye on Joyful Bodhisattva as, to her knowledge, she also fancied Jiang Li.
Jiang Li would never fall for you!
The teachings of Joyful Bodhisattva were quite similar to those of the Union Sect, so she liked to recruit disciples near the Union Sect, with extremely high efficiency.
Had it not been for Dream Yu Yu’s interruption, she might have already acquired a disciple.
“Miss Dream, the Union Sect has many similarities with Joyful Meditation. Why not merge the Union Sect into the Buddhist Sect? I believe that with your wisdom, you could become a Bodhisattva in the Buddhist Sect.”
“Bugger off.” Dream Yu Yu, quite surprisingly, swore. Even think of merging the Union Sect, dream on!
Joyful Bodhisattva wasn’t annoyed and withdrawn with a smile, returning to the Buddhist side.
Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva was still closing her eyes, cultivating the Heavenly Vision. She sensed Joyful Bodhisattva’s return and said helplessly, “Joyful, why must you stir up trouble with the Union Sect? Isn’t it good to live in peace?”
Actually, it wasn’t the Buddhist Sect who had chosen to lecture opposite the Union Sect. When they rented the venue, no one had mentioned that it was right in front of the Union Sect.
Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva had arrived a little late. When she arrived, the Union Sect had already started their lecture, causing the Union Sect to believe that she was targeting them.
Joyful Bodhisattva said without emotion, “The Union Sect has been too arrogant lately, they need to be knocked down a peg.”
Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva felt helpless as Joyful Bodhisattva was fearful of the Union Sect’s rapid expansion, worried that Dream Yu Yu would lose her way in blind expansion, causing the Union Sect to degenerate into a den of carnal desires. Hence, she intended to show her presence, warning Dream Yu Yu to manage the Union Sect properly, or else she would incorporate the Union Sect into the Buddhist Sect.
Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva felt Joyful Bodhisattva was overdoing it. With the Imperial Palace in existence, no matter how the Union Sect developed, it would not degenerate into what Joyful Bodhisattva was worried about.
Red Dust Fairy sat for a while at the lecture stage of the Buddhist Sect, listening carefully to Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva’s discussion, then she jogged over to the Union Sect’s side to listen for a bit, before nodding lightly.
“So nice.”
Jiang Li was surprised. It made sense for the Union Sect’s side, as they spoke quite plainly, but the Buddhist Sect seemed to be speaking in riddles. Could Red Dust Fairy really understand?
“Did you understand?”
“Of course. Our Red Dust Holy Land has all sorts of books, I’ve read them all. What the Buddhist Sect is teaching is simply rudimentary Buddhist Law.” Red Dust Fairy couldn’t leave Red Dust Holy Land, so she’d sit on a peach tree and read books, leading a very leisurely life.
She read all sorts of books and could understand all sorts of books.
“But when I said ‘so nice’, I wasn’t referring to how well they lectured. If I went up to speak, I would do even better.”
Jiang Li was confused, “Then what did you mean by ‘so nice’?”
Under her veil, Red Dust Fairy revealed a joyous smile, “Two forces with completely different viewpoints can express their opinions freely on this small piece of land without interfering with one another, and without using violence to force the other side to submit. Isn’t that nice?”
Jiang Li suddenly realized that Red Dust Fairy was not naive at all. She saw through issues very clearly. The reason she always behaved like a child was probably because she had the heart of an innocent child.
Upon realizing this, Jiang Li let out a secret sigh of relief. He had been secretly worried about what to do if Red Dust Fairy turned out to be a mature and calculating individual after she grew up.
With her charm, the entire Kyushu would probably not be peaceful.
The Union Sect and the Buddhist Sect continued to compete for recruits. But it was nothing more than verbal sparring, and they didn’t really become enemies. They simply tried their best to attract female cultivators.