190: Test

Tang Ku's face darkened as he nodded, "Mm, what was the situation at the time? Tell me about it..."

Just as Shi Jingmo was about to speak, Pigsy walked over and said to Tang Ku, "Master, this must be the other Junior Brother you mentioned... Haha, hello Junior Brother, I am your Second Senior Brother Pig Wuneng, you can also call me Senior Brother Bajie. I was originally Marshal Tianpeng from the Upper Realm who descended to the mortal world, all for the sake of..."

Pigsy's self-introduction was still the same old routine. This enthusiasm left Shi Jingmo quite bewildered. He looked at Tang Ku with a questioning gaze, but Tang Ku smiled and nodded, saying, "Just call him Second Senior Brother!"

Only then did Shi Jingmo realize, "So you're the Second Senior Brother Master mentioned who always likes to divide the luggage!"

Pigsy, who had been speaking volubly, suddenly fell silent. He turned and looked at Tang Ku with a resentful expression, saying, "Master... it's hard enough for us mortals, don't expose me! You're really not being kind at all..."

Tang Ku rolled his eyes and said, "That's enough from you. With your thick skin, do you even care about this? I have serious business here. You go take care of your Junior Brother Ao Lie first."

"Alright, I'll do as you command..."

Pigsy walked dejectedly towards Ao Lie. The Little White Dragon was still grimacing and gnawing on a green peach, muttering, "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey... so hard to eat, so hard to eat... I've never eaten such a hard-to-eat peach before..."

Shi Jingmo couldn't help but smile, "Second Senior Brother has a carefree personality; he's truly a man of strong emotions."

"Alright, stop praising him, or he'll be flying to the sky soon... Mm, let's get down to business. Did you really get anything out of them?" Tang Ku asked.

"Mm, I did... It just so happened that there were also Buddha Dharma Disciples among the Japanese envoy. So I went to the embassy under the guise of exchanging Buddha Dharma with them. As expected, it was just as you thought..."

It turned out that there were many monks in the Japanese envoy this time. They came not only to exchange Buddhist teachings but also to learn the advanced culture and knowledge of the Great Tang, so as to provide favorable conditions for Japan's development.

And especially in terms of Buddha Dharma, the monks who came this time were all exceptionally intelligent, and their stature was even a bit taller than ordinary Japanese people.

Of course, even at their tallest, they were only about 1.5 meters, which seemed a bit comical in front of Shi Jingmo, who was 1.8 meters tall.

When Shi Jingmo went to visit as the Disciple of the Great Tang's foremost eminent monk, these Japanese monks were truly overjoyed. Knowing that this was their opportunity to learn, they immediately swept the floor and welcomed Shi Jingmo into the guesthouse.

Five or six monks sat on the floor, exchanging Buddha Dharma with Shi Jingmo. Shi Jingmo did not hold back, expounding his understanding of Buddha Dharma and Buddhist scriptures, as well as the knowledge of Buddha Dharma he had learned from Tang Ku, to these foreign monks. Of course, although he could already be considered selfless, how much these monks could comprehend was unknown.

Among the opposing monks, the leader was the abbot monk of Japan's Great Dragon Temple, named Monk Yineng. He was unparalleled in eloquence and profound in Buddha Dharma. When Shi Jingmo lectured, only he could best grasp the meaning, so he regarded Shi Jingmo as a confidant. After the lecture, he invited him to drink tea.

"...It was at this time that I managed to extract some information from him..."

Shi Jingmo said, "It turns out that Japan was originally weak and dilapidated. Whether it was productivity or customs, they were like uncultured savages. Except for some noble classes, no one could enjoy a better life and treatment. But all of this began to change three years ago... It is said that an Immortal descended from the sky and negotiated with their monarch for a day and a night, hoping to exchange some seeds of grain, fruits, vegetables, and saplings for the lease of a large area north of Kyoto as a dwelling place for Immortals. And among them, there were saplings of this 'pinpo fruit', which is the apple..."

"What is that Immortal's name?" Tang Ku asked.

"That Monk Yineng doesn't know... It's their national secret!" Shi Jingmo said, "But, it is said that this Immortal is a blue-eyed old man with a big beard and a receding hairline... This is the image passed down by word of mouth among their common people..."

Blue eyes, a big beard, and a bit of a receding hairline... "Alright, this is clearly the image from Darwin's portrait..."

Tang Ku squinted and said, "Sure enough, these guys have some connection with Darwin..."

"I thought so too!" Shi Jingmo said in a deep voice, "Besides that, this Darwin is truly incredibly powerful. He used many methods to help Japan improve its farming and animal husbandry, which made their country grow stronger day by day. Even common people had food to eat and clothes to wear, and they gradually learned propriety and integrity... This guy seems to have no small ambition!"

Tang Ku nodded and sneered, "That's for sure. It seems we already know the exact location of an enemy... Haha, Japan is currently their temporary base."

"Mm, it seems that's the case... So what should we do next? Should we make a decisive move and pull out this nail first?" Shi Jingmo said in a deep voice, "I'm confident that with the combined strength of us few, we should be able to tie down Darwin. We'll first thoroughly clear out his elite troops, then turn back to deal with him. It's not impossible to win!"

Tang Ku thought for a moment, then said, "It's still too risky. If my understanding of Law were deeper, maybe there would be a chance of winning. I've already weighed it; that Darwin is definitely no ordinary person. As we are now, even if we combine our strength, we are not his match in a single encounter..."

Shi Jingmo was startled, feeling that his Master was making a mountain out of a molehill. But then he thought, he himself had never had a direct confrontation with Darwin. Seeing Tang Ku's serious expression, he couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Is Darwin even stronger than Zeus, whom you fought before?"

"Stronger than strong, he's countless times stronger!"

Tang Ku said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time for a decisive battle with them; the time is far from ripe... What we need to do now is to accumulate strength, to unite all our strongest forces into one rope, only then will we have a chance to win. And don't forget, our true opponent is not just Darwin..."

Saying that, Tang Ku looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the depths of the Universe.

Suddenly remembering the palm strike that pushed him back then, he still felt a lingering fear. Despair and Battle Intent, two almost contradictory emotions, intertwined and involuntarily surged from his heart.

Shi Jingmo was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand. We should avoid risks as much as possible, and wait until we have absolute certainty before delivering a fatal blow to the enemy!"

"Exactly, that's the principle..." Tang Ku squinted and said, "Actually, the enemy's attempt to steal the Imperial Seal this time is also a good thing; at least it made me understand many of their bottom lines..."

"Ah..."

A sudden scream from the side interrupted Tang Ku's analysis. Then Ao Lie's voice was heard saying, "What... what happened to me? Wait, Second Senior Brother, you... why are you back? You, you're finally back... Ouch..."