548: Word Test

Tang Ku frowned slightly, looking at the dilapidated fortune-telling stall before him, his heart filled with confusion!

"No Immortal Qi, no Buddha light, no Demonic Qi, nor is it a ghost or monster..."

This was a thatched cottage, simple, ordinary, with nothing remarkable about it. However, a dense purple Qi drifted above this cottage, and this purple Qi was far stronger than what had been on Wei Zheng earlier!

Whenever a great sage appears, purple Qi accompanies them; even ten thousand evils cannot invade!

Tang Ku gently pushed open the wooden gate and slowly walked into the courtyard. The courtyard was not large, perhaps even a bit cramped, but the various flowers and plants were arranged neatly and orderly, clearly indicating that there was some method to it.

"A Formation or something else?"

Tang Ku frowned slightly, "I can't tell... but this small courtyard does appear quite elegant."

The door to the main hall slowly opened, as if inviting Tang Ku inside. The monk did not hesitate at all and walked generously into the thatched cottage.

Inside the cottage, there was only a low desk. On the desk, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were arranged—well, actually, these items were strewn all over the table, appearing chaotic. Behind the desk, an old man with white hair and a white beard was hunched over, copying something.

Tang Ku stared at the old man without saying a word, as if trying to discern some clue from him. Behind him, Wu Zhen's voice came, saying, "Master, who is he?"

Wu Zhen felt somewhat confused about this mysterious old man. In her perception, this old man was just an ordinary person, yet the certain Aura existing on him actually made her feel very nervous.

Even in front of Master Tang Sanzang, she had never felt this kind of emotion.

Therefore, the moment she saw Tang Ku, she almost blurted out this question.

Tang Ku shook his head, but saw the old man opposite suddenly raise his head, looking at him with a smile, "Is knowing who I am really that important?"

Tang Ku was suddenly stunned, then immediately pressed his palms together and said, "The old gentleman is right. It was not that important to begin with; it is the Poor Monk who has become attached to appearances!"

The old man's face was very ordinary, but his smile was exceptionally infectious, making people feel very close to him.

"Little monk, have you come here for divination?" the old man smiled.

Tang Ku was stunned, then immediately said, "I am not here for divination, I am..."

The old man stared at Tang Ku with burning eyes, making him swallow the words in his throat. Then, as if possessed, he said, "I... am here for divination!"

The old man smiled, "Then are you requesting spirit-writing, divination, drawing lots, or character analysis?"

Tang Ku said solemnly, "Character analysis will do!"

The old man smiled and handed over the brush in his hand, while also bringing over a sheet of white paper.

Tang Ku thought for a moment, took the brush, but didn't know what to write. He looked up at Wu Zhen, then looked at the brush in his hand, and couldn't help but smile, "I understand..."

After speaking, his brush moved like a dragon and a snake, writing the character "Buddha" on the paper!

However, this "Buddha" character was different from any other; it was written completely backwards!

It was just like when people write a normal "Buddha" character, the ink bleeds through to the back of the paper, and you see that "Buddha" character from the reverse side!

"Analyze this character!"

Tang Ku handed the paper and brush to the old man, his face neither sad nor happy as he spoke.

"Oh, oh, oh, this character is good, this character is good!"

The old man took the paper, glanced at it, and smiled, "Then what do you wish to ask about?"

"My future!"

Tang Ku's words carried a tone of unquestionability.

"With your level, is there any point in asking about the future?" the old man said casually, then explained, "'Ren' (person) and 'Fu' (not) make 'Buddha'. 'Fu' means 'no'. If written normally, it can be interpreted as 'a person is not a Buddha', which means a person... cannot become a Buddha..."

Tang Ku frowned slightly: "If a person cannot become a Buddha, then what do you think I am? And what are Shakyamuni and those Western Paradise Buddhas?"

The old man smiled: "Don't be anxious, I haven't finished yet. I was just talking about the normal situation, but your character... is reversed!"

Tang Ku remained silent, staring at the old man without saying a word!

The old man shook his head and said: "Reversed, this character is not technically a character, but if you interpret it with the same meaning as the front side... it can be interpreted as 'a Buddha is not a person'!"

Wu Zhen, who was on the side, suddenly laughed: "Master, he is calling you 'not a person'. Not only you, he even cursed the Western Paradise Buddhas too!"

Tang Ku shook his head, not offering Wu Zhen much explanation, but instead looked at the old man and said: "All living beings in the world can become Buddhas. Those who have a Buddha heart are Buddhas. The future I ask about is the future of all living beings in this world!"

The old man laughed and said: "I know, that's why I said that... the living beings you speak of have no possibility of becoming Buddhas!"

Tang Ku frowned slightly: "Then isn't my journey in vain?"

The old man shook his head and suddenly smiled: "Whether it is in vain or not, don't you know clearly in your own heart?"

Tang Ku sat cross-legged, facing the old man, and said: "What I seek is the peace of all living beings, that they may not fall into the Avici Hell. This is my Dao, the Dao of the Guangdu Xin Buddha!"

"In the Universe, evil thoughts are rampant. With your own strength alone, how can you save them?"

The old man said.

"Saving one person is saving one person. Furthermore, the Poor Monk is not alone!"

Tang Ku suddenly smiled, looked at Wu Zhen, and said: "I have a Disciple, I have friends, and I have the support of the many soldiers and common people of the Great Tang. Who will win is still unknown!"

"Hahaha, these words are excellent!"

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "It was not in vain that I waited for you here for many years. Guangdu Xin Buddha, your reputation is well-deserved. I have a word to gift you; is the Guangdu Xin Buddha willing to listen?"

"Senior, please speak, the Poor Monk is all ears!" Tang Ku said with a hint of respect in his expression.

The old man said: "What you wrote is a reversed 'Buddha' character! The opposite of a Buddha is a Devil. Those like the Devil King Bo Xun, who use unscrupulous means to achieve their goals and bring disaster to the common people, can all be called Devils. If you want to save all living beings, you cannot be as rebellious as this character! You must hold fast to your original heart to achieve your wishes!"

"Is the Senior here just to tell me this?" Tang Ku smiled, "Then you have picked the wrong person. I may not be good at other things, but my will is very firm. Whatever I decide, I will definitely see it through to the end!"

"Hehe, this character of yours is not telling me that!" The old man shook his head and said, "Your Heart Demon is actually very heavy. At first, you always left room for maneuver in what you did, but as time passed, your code of conduct and methods have become increasingly extreme. You are compassionate, but your obsession is too deep. You bury the Heaven, bury the Earth, and bury all living beings, but in the end, you will bury yourself!"

Tang Ku felt a chill in his heart, cupped his hands and said: "Senior is right, but under the current circumstances, I have to act according to new rules. Compassion is in the heart, while extreme methods are just methods. The two seem contradictory, yet they are unrelated. My Buddha Dao... I am destined to walk it to the end!"

The old man smiled very happily: "That you can think this way shows that you have already attained enlightenment yourself. There is no need for me to say too much. How far you can walk on the road ahead depends entirely on your original heart!"

Tang Ku bowed to the old man and asked: "May I dare ask for the Senior's honorable name?"

The old man smiled: "You can just call me Lord Lu!"

Tang Ku was stunned, then immediately saw the couplets on both sides of the table. His expression was shocked, and he bowed respectfully: "So it was you... truly, thank you very much!"