196: The real purpose

Arhat Jiang Long held his wine cup, his face troubled, and said, "I really have something important to tell you..."

Tang Ku ignored him, picked up his own wine cup and drained it, then directly grabbed the wine pot, turned, and left, saying softly, "Follow me!"

Arhat Jiang Long was startled, then couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head, picking up his wine cup and following him out.

The few people at the dining table didn't know what riddle they were playing, so they didn't pay much attention. Only Shi Jingmo frowned slightly, staring in the direction the two had left.

"...Arhat Jiang Long, do you think the people of Chang'an, with its eight rivers, are living in peace and contentment?"

Standing in the courtyard, Tang Ku looked at the lush pan tao tree and couldn't help but ask.

"Chang'an is the most prosperous city I have ever seen, without a doubt!"

Arhat Jiang Long also looked at the pan tao tree. "The people of Chang'an live in peace and contentment, a scene of prosperity, just like this pan tao tree before us."

"Alas... in this life, I am Tang Sanzang!"

Tang Ku drank from the wine pot, sighing softly.

Arhat Jiang Long was startled, and all the words he had prepared were left unspoken.

"...My secular surname is Chen. My Master gave me the Dharma name Xuanzang. Later, because the Buddha Tathagata needed a scripture seeker to go to the Western World to obtain the Mahayana Buddha Dharma Tripitaka, and I was born in the Great Tang, that's why I am called Tang Sanzang..."

Tang Ku turned to look at Arhat Jiang Long and said, "So, do you think I would abandon this place and flee?"

Arhat Jiang Long's expression stiffened, then he smiled bitterly and said, "You say that, but I never said you had to leave Chang'an..."

"I know what you want to say, and I know your purpose in coming!" Tang Ku said in a deep voice. "This is my home. Frankly, neither the Western World nor any other world gives me this sense of belonging. I know you want to persuade me to give up opposing the Heavenly Gods and Buddhas, and that unknown powerful being, but... I can't do it. I think, even if it were you, you wouldn't be able to do it either!"

Arhat Jiang Long scratched his bald head in annoyance, then drained the wine in his cup: "Forget it, I originally wanted to persuade you, but I didn't expect to be persuaded by you instead... Indeed, if you were me, I wouldn't leave either... Hmm, forget it, forget it. Well, since you really don't want to leave, then I can only give up. Also, since you wish to live and die with Chang'an, then I'll tell you a few more things, so you don't have too much trouble dealing with them..."

"Haha, then I truly thank you!"

Tang Ku chuckled, "What I lack now is information."

"Well, I think you've noticed that although the two factions that came to Chang'an recently are enemies, they also restrain each other. And none of them dared to directly attack Chang'an. Besides being afraid of repercussions, there's another reason..."

Before Arhat Jiang Long finished speaking, Tang Ku nodded and said, "Hmm, I know, it's for Luck, right!"

"Exactly. To put it simply, the main core objective of the struggle between the various parties is Luck!"

Arhat Jiang Long said, "And their primary goal is to seize the imperial jade seal of the Human Realm, thereby firmly grasping Luck in their own hands!"

"So, this is a battle for supremacy centered around Luck?" Tang Ku smiled slightly. "Interesting! Hmm, get to the point. Why did you insist on seeing me today? If it was just to persuade me to leave, any day would have been fine, unless... unless the Buddhist sect has some action tonight that forced you to see me and inform me of it, right?"

"Haha, nothing can be hidden from you... Indeed, the Buddhist sect will act tonight... Hmm, although many fellow Disciples have not fully recovered their Dharma power, it must be said that this method of Reincarnation and Rebirth allows the Buddhist Disciples to gather much faster than those Immortals and Gods. And now, the Four Heavenly Kings have fully recovered their Physical Bodies and Dharma power. Sent by a higher command, they should arrive in Chang'an at the hour of Chou. They will set up the Four Symbols Soul Transformation Formation in the four directions of southeast, northwest, sealing off the entire Chang'an. At that time, the entire city of Chang'an will become a Buddhist Forbidden Ground, and everyone in it will be brainwashed into Buddhist believers. By then, Chang'an will be your death trap!"

Arhat Jiang Long said in a deep voice.

"...The other two forces dare not directly attack Chang'an, so why does the Buddhist sect dare?"

Tang Ku, however, frowned slightly.

"The Buddhist sect has its own considerations. In fact, they will not directly attack the military and civilians, but rather use the Buddhist sect's usual religious tactics to take down Chang'an without bloodshed..."

Arhat Jiang Long said helplessly, "Speaking of which, tonight's operation actually didn't include me. They knew I would come to inform you immediately. So, persuading you to leave, besides being for your own good, was also part of their calculations!"

Tang Ku instantly understood: "Only a Bodhisattva could have such a mind, besides our Buddha... Haha, how fortunate is Tang Sanzang to be calculated by such a big shot..."

"I am still a Buddhist believer, so I cannot stay and help you. And you previously dealt with Mahākāśyapa and had an unpleasant encounter with Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, so you have clearly deviated from the Buddhist sect. Therefore, you have now been listed as their enemy, so you must be careful in all your actions!"

Arhat Jiang Long said helplessly, "My Dharma power has not fully recovered, so I walked all the way from the place where this Physical Body was born. I rushed and rushed, finally arriving before midnight today. Who would have thought that the Tang Dynasty's curfew would stop me outside the city? There was no other way, so I resorted to this tactic to enter the city to find you. I was afraid that if I was late, you would be drowned by the spittle of the whole city's people for being a Buddhist traitor!"

"Haha, you're thoughtful... Hmm, the Four Heavenly Kings, right? I know their Dharma power. Individually, they are not remarkable, but once they join forces, they are not so easily dealt with... I think, in fact, they don't really intend to do anything to Chang'an. They are just trying to use this opportunity to test our bottom line and our trump cards!"

Tang Ku narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then which direction will they... come from?"

"Four directions. You should know which direction each of them will attack from!"

Arhat Jiang Long said.

"Oh, I see..."

Tang Ku suddenly remembered the names of the Four Heavenly Kings and nodded secretly.

"Hmm, actually, it's very simple. I don't know what you're thinking, but the Four Heavenly Kings are not easy to deal with. If you fight them one-on-one, you should have no problem winning. So I think you should divide and conquer, deal with them one by one. Even if you take down one of them, their Formation will no longer be valid, and the crisis will be resolved..." Arhat Jiang Long suggested.

"Haha, your suggestion is good..."

Tang Ku stroked his chin and suddenly smiled, "But, I don't plan to do that..."