578: On Tao

“As a Holy Monk, do you also speak with such foul language?”

The little girl with braided pigtails rolled her eyes and said, “I have really wasted so much time following you; can you not even recognize the aura on my body?”

Tang Ku couldn't help but say helplessly, “The contrast is just too big. That square-faced monster's image... and this cute little red apple—do you think there is any similarity between the two?”

Alright, Tang Ku had already accepted the fact in his heart that Brick was a girl, but... but this image really was the extreme of contrast.

“Ahem... um, Nezha, are... are you okay? Come back with Father!”

A handsome young man suddenly descended from the sky, stood in front of Nezha, and interrupted the conversation between Tang Ku and the others.

“Second Brother? Heh, you have already devoted yourself to the Buddha Dharma for so many years, so there's no need to concern yourself with my affairs!”

Nezha narrowed his eyes as he looked at Li Jing and said, “I am here to ask you, did you know about the destruction of the Heavenly Realm in advance?”

Li Jing was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile bitterly, “Yes... but...”

“That's all I needed to know!”

Nezha sneered, “Heh, when the Heavenly Realm was destroyed, you two escaped quickly, leaving only me, the rebellious one, there waiting to die. Is that the logic?”

Li Jing immediately felt a headache, and he said helplessly, “Nezha, listen to my explanation... I...”

“There is nothing to explain. I was worried about you when I woke up, fearing that you had already died. It turns out that I was the only one kept in the dark all along!”

Nezha said coldly, “In the past, Buddha Dipankara made me acknowledge the pagoda as my father. Now that you no longer have the Exquisite Pagoda, you are no longer my father. From now on, we go our separate ways. I won't concern myself with your damn business, and you stay out of mine... If you dare to oppose me... or the Holy Monk, or these friends of mine, then perhaps we will have no choice but to sever our ties completely!”

Li Jing's breath hitched: “Nezha, you are always my, Li Jing's, child. Your surname is Li...”

“Cutting off my flesh to return to my father and removing my bones to return to my mother—have you forgotten that?”

Nezha said in a deep voice.

“It's over...”

Mu Zha couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart, “The father-son relationship that took years to mend is now completely ruined!”

It seemed that everyone around enjoyed watching this family tragedy, but Tang Ku was somewhat displeased. He looked at Nezha and said, “Nezha, do not forget what I have taught you, and you promised me that you would not harbor hatred!”

Nezha laughed instead and said, “I haven't harbored any hatred; I simply don't want to play with them anymore!”

“Nezha!”

Tang Ku's expression sank, and he then said, “Li Jing has his own hidden difficulties... There are many things he cannot control. You have followed me for so long; even if you are not interested in Buddha Dharma, you should have understood some of it. Think back on your past experiences: other than that time at Cuiping Mountain, when has your father ever wronged you? After Immortal Master Taiyi saved you, you went through many hardships before reuniting with him. Now, a thousand years have passed; can you still not eliminate the hatred in your heart?”

Nezha couldn't help but fall silent, and said stutteringly, “I... it's not hatred, I just... I just feel... like I was abandoned by him... Do you know, Holy Monk? My heart is very sad... sad to the bone! If he truly treated me as his son, why did he leave me there during the destruction of the Heavenly Realm? You... Holy Monk, you ask him why!”

Li Jing's Face turned green and red, and it was a long while before he sighed, “It cannot be explained in a few words... Fine, if you do not acknowledge me, then don't. In the future, when there is an opportunity, I will explain it to you clearly. If you still hate me so much by then... my, Li Jing's, head is here; you can take it!”

Mu Zha knew some of the things that had happened back then and was aware of the Heavenly Realm's actions, but he was very confused about his father's approach. However, seeing that he indeed seemed to have unspeakable difficulties, he couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

Nezha glanced at Li Jing, and suddenly his eyes darted around, and he laughed, “If you want to mend our relationship, I have an idea. You and Second Brother come with me, and we will find a place to explain what happened back then. Once it's laid out, perhaps I might forgive you!”

A look of expectation immediately appeared in Li Jing's eyes, but his expression suddenly stiffened, and he smiled bitterly, “But, the current situation...”

Tang Ku suddenly looked up at the immortals and gods in the sky, and then said towards the direction of Grand Tutor Wen, “Grand Tutor Wen, this is the best opportunity to mend their father-son relationship. What do you think?”

Grand Tutor Wen looked at Li Jing, then at the helpless-looking Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord, and couldn't help but wave his hand and say, “Fine... Heavenly King Li, you should go and explain things clearly to Nezha...”

Li Jing was overjoyed, and immediately led his family soldiers, Mu Zha, and Nezha to leave Shaoshi Mountain together, flying towards a certain direction in the northwest.

Grand Tutor Wen and Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord looked at each other, and Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord said, “Holy Monk... what a brilliant overt scheme!”

How could they not see that this was Nezha intentionally drawing his neutral-leaning father away from the battlefield so that he wouldn't get involved in this mess, and it also reduced the pressure on Tang Ku.

“Heaven is my witness, this was his own decision; it has nothing to do with me... However, even if it is an overt scheme, so what?”

Tang Ku laughed, “When it comes to playing overt schemes, you Heavenly Realm folks are far superior to me, a monk!”

“Oh, what do you mean by that?”

Grand Tutor Wen said with a pointed tone.

“Heh, do you really have to make me say it out loud?”

Tang Ku narrowed his eyes and said, “If I say these things while discussing the Dao, won't it make you lose Face?”

“Ahem...”

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord coughed lightly and said, “Let's not talk about this anymore. Since the Holy Monk wishes to discuss the Dao, then let us discuss the Dao... In this Immortal Realm, there are many eloquent people of the Dao, but there are probably not many who can be your opponent. I shall throw out a Brick to attract jade and chat with you first. What do you think?”

Tang Ku smiled, “Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

“Then let's talk about the Heavenly Dao... It is said that the Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Derivation is forty-nine, leaving only one thread of life. All paths in the world lead to the same destination. In the end, this thread of life—whether it be Buddhism, Daoism, or Confucianism—can be realized when one's cultivation reaches the end, achieving a supreme position. The Buddhist school has the Bodhisattva fruit position, the Buddha fruit position, and the Arhat fruit position; while our Daoist school has the Grand Unity Golden Immortal and all kinds of revered gods, and the Confucian school has the Confucian Sage and the Sub-Sage...”

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord paused here and asked, “What does the Holy Monk think?”

Tang Ku nodded, “The Heavenly Lord is right!”

“Good, since the Holy Monk also agrees, then I have a question to ask you!”

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord suddenly looked serious and said, “Since all paths lead to the same destination, why must we distinguish between them? Wouldn't it be better if the world only had the Daoist school, or only the Buddhist school, or even just the Confucian school, which governs the world?”

Tang Ku narrowed his eyes and said, “That is a good question...”