123: Building Faith

“I’ve thought it over, Master, you are now the only True Buddha in the Three Realms and Six Paths!” Wu Zhen said with a smile, “Now you should step forward and rescue these believers! As long as you become their faith, they will surely be able to recover their Origin Qi, and Buddhism in the world should continue! In other words, you need to develop your own followers!”

Tang Ku scratched his bald head and spread his hands helplessly, saying, “But I don’t know how to do it… Do I tell them: I am now the True Buddha, and you need to believe in me to be saved…”

“This is actually simple!” Wu Zhen said, “First, there are temples, and there needs to be your divine position in the temples!”

“Simple!” Li Shimin said with a smile, “As long as I give the order, I can immediately demolish all the Buddha statues in the surrounding temples and replace them with the Holy Monk’s Buddha statues!”

“Aren’t you afraid that the Buddhists in this world will rise up against you?!”

Tang Ku said, “You’re being too reckless!”

Li Shimin said, “Now that Buddhism has become like this, is there any difference from opposing me? It’s better to cut the Gordian knot quickly than to have more strange things happen later!”

“...And then?” Tang Ku always felt that Li Shimin’s method was a bit too radical, so he turned to ask Wu Zhen.

“Then it’s time to display divine miracles, to make them believe you are the True Buddha… For example, holding a Dharma lecture, and it would be even better if it could make people achieve Epiphany!”

Wu Zhen said, “There are many Buddhist Divine Abilities, you must know some of them!”

Tang Ku thought of how, not long ago in Daughter’s Country, in order to prevent the country’s fate from being stolen by Lunar Star Lord, he ascended the altar and preached, making everyone in the city loyal followers of Buddhism. He nodded and said, “That’s easy, I have experience! What next?”

“Then things will fall into place naturally. As long as they believe you are the True Buddha, they will naturally recover their Origin Qi, and these monks will also return to normal!” Wu Zhen said, “However, when they suddenly realize, I think many monks among them will commit suicide out of regret, such as those who committed murder, arson, and molested others’ wives and daughters…”

Tang Ku immediately frowned. In fact, he truly wanted to save the lives of all monks, but the law is merciless. Even if they truly repented, the things they had done could not be undone. Their sins could not be eliminated at present, and even if the common people believed he was the True Buddha, he could not save everyone.

“Evil causes lead to evil consequences; since they committed crimes, they must bear them!” Tang Ku said in a deep voice, “To prevent such things from spreading again, tomorrow, when I ascend the altar to preach the Dharma, all these monks will be tied up and placed in front of the square to listen, letting them awaken themselves and confess their wrongdoings. Those who should be executed will be executed, and those who should be punished will be punished, so that they are truly convinced!”

Li Shimin was overjoyed: “This is an excellent idea! It both promotes the Buddha Dharma and warns the world… Good, good, good, I will immediately arrange for people to prepare… Holy Monk, please take these esteemed individuals to the guesthouse to rest. I will have everything arranged…”

This conversation between the two had already set the tone for what was to come.

Needless to say, with the Great Tang’s strong national power, achieving such conditions was effortless. Nezha and the Bull Demon King also wanted to see what kind of state Tang Ku would appear in before everyone.

The next morning, a message came from inside the imperial palace, saying that Sanzang the Monk had returned from the Western Heaven and was going to establish a new sect in the Great Tang, discussing and spreading the Buddha Dharma.

Furthermore, due to the recent monk rebellion, these individuals would also be judged and punished in the square inside Xuanwu Gate!

At the Hour of the Tiger (3-5 AM), the square was already packed with people, and even the streets were full of common folk, all wanting to see how Sanzang the Monk would preach the Dharma and what kind of appearance he would present before everyone.

Speaking of which, due to the monks’ strange behavior, the status of Buddhism in the entire Chang’an City was already precarious. After all, no one would believe in a religion whose followers and Disciples were a group of evildoers. In truth, the real purpose of these common people was to see how those monks would be dealt with.

Before the main characters arrived, the square was already abuzz with discussions, and the common people were whispering to each other, talking about the grand event that was about to unfold.

Someone said, “Hey, have you heard? Sanzang the Monk’s return this time is to discipline these wicked monks!”

“Exactly, exactly… Xuanzang the Monk is a virtuous and eminent monk, how can these wicked monks compare? I think these monks will surely not come to a good end!” a companion next to him responded.

“It’s hard to say… After all, they are all people of their Buddhist sect, and Xuanzang the Monk is still human. Since he also has the status of the Holy Monk to His Majesty, it’s only natural for him to want to protect them!”

“Bah! If Xuanzang the Monk truly intends to shield these evildoers, then he is unworthy of being a Holy Monk. From then on, I, Xu, will no longer believe in any Buddhism!”

“Oh dear, why do you speak such disrespectful words? Before the truth comes out, as a scholar, how can you speculate about Xuanzang the Monk out of thin air!”

“Don’t be too harsh on him. His father was beaten to death by a wicked monk a few days ago, and his gold and silver were stolen, so he naturally harbors resentment! I, however, believe that Xuanzang the Monk will definitely not protect them and will let these wicked monks get what they deserve!”

...The square was full of chatter and discussion, while Li Shimin, standing on the city wall, showed a slight smile.

In fact, this was the effect he wanted. After all, the military and common people had freedom of speech, and he couldn’t possibly silence them. Such discussions, on the contrary, would heighten the Holy Monk’s mystique, making his subsequent actions more convincing.

Waiting calmly, Li Shimin sat on the Dragon Throne. A servant was already standing by with a pot of good tea. Our Li Er was in a good mood today and didn’t even use a teacup. He took the teapot, blew on it, and then showed a satisfied smile, smacking his lips and saying, “Is there any news from the Holy Monk? When will he arrive?”

Zhang Anan said, “The Holy Monk is a True Buddha, one among the immortals. How can we mortals presume to guess… Oh, Your Majesty, please look, he has arrived!”

Following Zhang Anan’s finger, Li Shimin looked in that direction and saw Tang Ku, dressed in a moon-white monk’s robe, standing gracefully on the roof opposite, smiling at the crowd in the square, without saying a word.

The Tang King secretly nodded: “What a handsome and virtuous eminent monk! This demeanor alone is enough to quell these unfavorable remarks!”

At this moment, someone in the crowd had already noticed Tang Ku’s presence and all stopped talking, looking in that direction.

One discovery led to countless others, spreading like an infection. The previously noisy and headache-inducing square seemed to quiet down in an instant. Everyone stared at the bald monk, and surprisingly, no one made a sound.

Tang Ku smiled and turned to look in another direction. A pair of Qianniu Guards escorted a large group of monks into the square. These monks were all wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, clanking as they walked, their eyes either dazed, vacant, or filled with arrogance… In short, none of them looked like monks.