579: Four lines from Hengqu

The words of Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord contained an obvious trap!

On the surface, he was explaining the principle that the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist Schools all lead to the same destination, but in reality, he was kicking the massive conflict regarding which School should remain directly to Tang Ku. Regardless of which School Tang Ku said should remain, he would be viewed as an enemy by the other two!

Tang Ku was a Buddhist follower. Although he had technically fallen out with the Buddhist School, there was no guarantee he wouldn't return to its embrace. Therefore, the probability of him choosing the Buddhist School was the highest. If he said that the Buddhist School should remain and the other two Schools were merely appendages, the Buddhist School would instantly become the target of public criticism.

"This Taiyi is truly cunning!"

Compassionate Guanyin gritted her teeth in hatred, but since this was the time for Tang Ku to debate with them, speaking up to accuse him of sowing discord would only make her look inferior and turn her into a laughingstock for the world.

"Heh, that's a good question!"

Tang Ku suddenly narrowed his eyes and laughed coldly, "Since they all lead to the same destination, why not... heh, why not just let all the Schools disappear altogether!"

"Whoa..."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar. Whether they were Immortals, Buddhist Disciples, or Cultivators from various Schools in the mortal world, everyone began to discuss it heatedly.

This shocking statement by Tang Ku was tantamount to offending everyone; it was equivalent to placing himself in opposition to almost everyone!

"Master's words... are truly interesting..."

Sun Wukong couldn't help but cross his arms and laugh, "Let's get ready to fight. These guys might just rush up and gang up on him in a moment!"

"Not necessarily!"

Yang Jian suddenly laughed, "Look at the expressions of those guys in the sky; they are wary of the Holy Monk!"

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord suddenly laughed playfully, "I don't quite understand what the Holy Monk means by that... Are you saying that none of these three Schools need to exist anymore? Then what are we all cultivating for... We might as well just go off and live freely and leisurely!"

Tang Ku shook his head and said, "You don't understand? I mean exactly what I said; I have no intention of belittling you... Listen, if the three Schools continue to be in this state, it would be better if they didn't exist at all, because the existence of the three Schools has seriously affected life in the mortal world!"

Grand Tutor Wen suddenly interjected, "Your words make no sense. We reside in the Heavenly Court, and all matters of the mortal world are executed by us. For example, I am in charge of the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Mansion; all matters of cloud-forming and rain-making in the world are under my jurisdiction, which has a massive impact on farming in the human world!"

"Then, you have been hidden away from the mortal world for a long time. Have you heard of the Great Tang suffering from droughts due to a lack of rain, or floods occurring anywhere due to excessive rain?"

Tang Ku laughed.

Grand Tutor Wen was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile, "So that's how it is... I understand now..."

"You understand nothing..."

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord chuckled bitterly to himself, then said to Tang Ku, "Forget about the issue of duties. If you don't explain your words clearly, I'm afraid no one will be convinced!"

"I have already explained it clearly!"

Tang Ku said in a deep voice, "Immortals are high and mighty, thinking they hold the power of life and death over all living beings, yet they do not realize they are not an indispensable part of this heaven and earth... Demons from beyond the realm run rampant, having destroyed the Buddhist School, ruined the Heavenly Court, and even completely disintegrated the entire Netherworld. However, this world continues to operate under certain rules, orderly and without chaos... This goes to show that Immortals and Buddhas... are merely a small embellishment of the Major Thousand Worlds; it is fine if they exist, and it is fine if they do not. Come to think of it, the role you play is not even as good as the great sages of the Confucian School. At the very least, when they are alive, they can do something for the common people of the mortal world, because the human world is the core of the entire world's operation..."

"Heh, you said that none of the three Schools should exist, but just now you said that the Confucian School is more useful than us. Are you trying to support the Confucian School?"

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord asked.

"...Can you stop interrupting me while I'm speaking?"

Tang Ku rolled his eyes and said, "Is this the level of quality you Heavenly Lords possess? To be honest, you are even less composed than the old fogies of my Buddhist School..."

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord was choked speechless, and after a long while, he said, "Then you should explain it clearly!"

"Hmph, of course I will explain it clearly, otherwise how can I make you convinced!"

Tang Ku said in a deep voice, "I said the Confucian School is a bit better than you, but I didn't say they should exist... The sages of the Confucian School naturally plead for the people and are beneficial to the common folk, but... the Confucian School is also the School that produces the most treacherous villains... Those who incite wars and bring disaster to the country and the people, the great villains and evildoers, all come from the Confucian School. Therefore, when the harm outweighs the benefits, it would be better if this Confucian School didn't exist either!"

Everyone present held their breath, and those Confucian Cultivators stared at Tang Ku's back, speechless. They wanted to refute him, but they couldn't say a word.

Because what Tang Ku said was actually completely correct!

Those who could truly become great sages were all experts with firm beliefs, lofty ideals, and profound knowledge. However... those treacherous officials in the court who brought disaster to the country and the people, those true great villains and evildoers, also came from the Confucian School. These people, blinded by greed, abandoned their original beliefs, which led to many man-made disasters in history, sometimes even more harmful than natural disasters.

"The more learned those vicious-minded people are, the greater the harm they cause to this world. Therefore... the Confucian School can also be discarded!"

Tang Ku smiled and looked at the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord was stunned for a long time, then said, "If the three Schools really didn't exist, would it really make the world more stable? I'm afraid... I'm afraid that's just alarmist talk!"

"Heh, isn't this just following up on your own words? You said the three Schools all lead to the same destination and that keeping one would suffice. I'm just following your logic: since they all lead to the same destination, then don't keep any of them. After all, this world will keep spinning without you!"

Tang Ku laughed, "I said keep none of them, and you say no? Then you tell me, which one is better and more appropriate to keep!"

"Well, that one sentence kicked the ball right back..."

Old Pig clapped his hands and laughed.

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord fell silent. Now, he could not answer this question at all, because just like Tang Ku before, any answer would be wrong.

"Holy Monk, does our Confucian School really have no need to exist?"

Not far from Tang Ku, a Confucian scholar holding a scroll suddenly gathered his courage and asked Tang Ku.

"Whether it is necessary or not, you must ask yourselves!"

Tang Ku said in a deep voice, "Think carefully, what do you exist for? And why do you exist?"

The scholar was stunned, then smiled bitterly, "We... we study and cultivate so that one day we can enter the government, become officials, and benefit the common people. But... but... but none of us can guarantee whether we will be blinded by the dazzling world, or whether we will become evildoers blinded by greed and with darkening hearts... I... I really don't know!"

"No, you do know!"

Tang Ku said solemnly, "I will give you, and all the Confucian Disciples of the world, a few sentences. As long as you firmly remember them and take these four sentences as your motto, your Confucian School will have value in its existence!"

"Holy Monk, please speak; we are all ears!"

The scholar took the lead and knelt before Tang Ku.

Tang Ku looked up at the sky and said to the Immortals and Buddhas, "These four sentences are also for you. Listen carefully: if you want to continue to exist, think about the purpose of your cultivation... It is said: To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish a fate for the living people, to carry on the lost teachings of the ancient sages, and to open up eternal peace for all generations!"