71: Living gods and holy monks

“Officer, I am…”

At the entrance of Qintian Prison, Tang Ku was about to bow to the guard when the guard suddenly bowed deeply to him and interrupted him with earnest words.

“Holy Monk, you’ve finally arrived! My Master has been waiting for a long time!”

Tang Ku was stunned: “Your Master knew I was coming?”

“Replying to Holy Monk, my Master instructed this morning that if a monk and a nun appeared at the entrance of Qintian Prison, they would be the Holy Monk, and to invite them directly inside!”

The guard opposite him said with a chuckle.

“Haha, as expected of him. His ability to calculate everything without error is unmatched!”

Tang Ku led Wu Zhen inside, and Wu Zhen followed behind, asking curiously: “Master, who are you going to see? How did he know we were coming?”

“We are here today to see a living Immortal Master of the Great Tang!” Tang Ku said with a smile.

“Hmph, you have already become a Buddha. Besides us true Immortal Masters, is there anyone in the human world who dares to call themselves an Immortal Master?” Wu Zhen said disdainfully, “They must be someone seeking fame.”

“Then you are mistaken!”

Tang Ku smiled, “His title as a living Immortal Master was not self-proclaimed, but given to him by the common people. He has made many contributions to the Great Tang throughout his life, ensuring our Great Tang has favorable weather and a peaceful, prosperous country. He is an extraordinary figure, and he has never boasted about his achievements, dedicating his life solely to the study of astronomy and geography. Moreover, he is skilled in the art of divination, capable of knowing five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future. Even ordinary Immortal Masters may not possess his abilities!”

“Hahahaha, Holy Monk truly overestimates this old man. How could I have such great abilities? It is the Holy Monk who, after enduring countless hardships, finally obtained the true scriptures. This is truly a great matter beneficial to the nation!”

Just as Wu Zhen was about to say he was bragging, an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a Daoist robe, strode out to greet them. He looked very enthusiastic.

“Haha, Daoist Yuan, though we have never met, we have long been spiritual acquaintances. Why be so formal?”

Tang Ku clasped his hands together, smiling in gratitude.

Daoist Yuan approached, and Wu Zhen couldn’t help but say: “Master, is this the… the living Immortal Master you spoke of? He’s not that old…”

“Haha, a living Immortal Master is a false title, I’m merely a hundred-odd years older!” Daoist Yuan cupped his hands and laughed, “This Poor Monk, Yuan Tiangang, is precisely that person you spoke of who seeks fame!”

Wu Zhen couldn't help but stick out her tongue, shrinking behind Tang Ku, and said meekly: “Daoist Yuan, please don’t be offended, I… I didn’t mean it!”

“No matter, no matter!” The old Daoist laughed, “Although a thousand years have passed, your nature is still true. With your temperament, I wonder if you can endure learning the Buddha Dharma?”

Wu Zhen was truly surprised this time: “Daoist, you can even discern my origin?”

Yuan Tiangang laughed: “What’s so special about that? This Poor Monk may not have other abilities, but I dare say my discerning eye is unparalleled in the world… While a pure body is absent, this character… you are by no means a great villain. Holy Monk, you have good judgment in taking on a disciple!”

Yuan Tiangang’s smile was hearty, not like a Daoist, but more like a Jianghu person, the kind with a very uninhibited temperament.

Tang Ku replied: “Daoist Yuan, this Poor Monk has come this time, and three-tenths of it is because of my disciple…”

Yuan Tiangang waved his hand and laughed: “Holy Monk, there’s no need to say more. I already generally understand the situation. Rest assured, the defenses of this capital city are basically impenetrable. While there were some flaws regarding people with Immortal Master power, I have already patched them up…”

“But there is only one Chang'an City in this world…” Tang Ku said with a helpless bitter smile, “Other cities do not have your protection! I am truly afraid now that those powerful enemies will target other provinces and cities below. I wonder if there is any way to avoid this as much as possible, or at least to minimize the losses for the common people.”

Yuan Tiangang couldn't help but stroke his beard in contemplation: “Holy Monk is compassionate. I have also considered this point, but… currently, there are not many good strategies. I can only distribute the Talismanic Incantations I have drawn to the prefectures, and let the soldiers and generals below patrol frequently… Hmm, this Poor Monk has calculated that there might be a great catastrophe in the world, but I do not know where it originates. Can Holy Monk enlighten me?”

Tang Ku glanced at Wu Zhen, then smiled bitterly: “This matter is hard to explain in a few words… Hmm, let me put it this way: there are no longer gods and Buddhas protecting our heaven and earth. From now on… we will have to rely on ourselves…”

One does not speak falsely in front of an Immortal Master, and moreover, protecting the Great Tang in the future will largely depend on him. Therefore, Tang Ku basically told him everything he had experienced, knew, and speculated.

Even as smart as Yuan Tiangang was, what Tang Ku said still stunned him.

“…So… so all the Holy Monks and Buddhas no longer exist?”

After Tang Ku finished speaking, Yuan Tiangang said in shock, “Wait, so this Wu Zhen… is from another world?”

Wu Zhen nodded, her expression serious: “Someone like me belongs to the lowest level of deities. There are countless powerhouses on our side. If you want to protect this city, relying solely on yourself will not be enough!”

Yuan Tiangang was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly: “Indeed… No wonder I could only calculate your age, but not your origin… So you are someone who has jumped outside of this Heavenly Dao. Even if I had more ability, I couldn’t protect so many people. This… this burden is too heavy!”

Tang Ku said: “Don’t be discouraged. We still have a few powerhouses left, and there are also powerhouses among the Yao Race. Since they reside in the human world, they must contribute to this world. We are not without any chance! And this Poor Monk personally believes that the best way is to improve our own strength, to find a way to make our weapons, to make our power, reach the point where we can slay Immortal Masters. Although it is difficult, it is not necessarily impossible!”

Yuan Tiangang was still a bit lost in thought, but Tang Ku handed over all the Magic Treasures he had obtained from Nezha, including the Binding Gold Rope, to Yuan Tiangang, and said in a deep voice: “Use these Magic Treasures. I think they will be of great use to your research in the future. I will find opportunities to send you more Magic Treasures later, to see if you can gain inspiration from them and create Immortal Artifacts that even ordinary people can use!”

“Holy Monk truly understands me, knowing I enjoy tinkering with little gadgets!”

Yuan Tiangang smiled bitterly, “I originally planned to retire after the Emperor completely… that, but now it seems difficult!”

Tang Ku also said helplessly: “Many things are actually not clear in just a few words. After the scriptures arrived in the Great Tang, many things changed. Even the Great Tang’s destiny experienced a strange mutation, for example…”

“For example, the years of the Zhenguan era extended, right?” Yuan Tiangang pursed his lips and said, “I calculated that a long time ago!”