Chapter 380 Zhao Fuer Becomes a Demon

In the carriage, after Gu Yingtian finished speaking, there was a long silence.

Zhou Tieyi finished flipping through the account book and snapped it shut. "But there are two questions you didn't explain clearly. First, why did you tell me this directly? Second, why did Monk Zhi or Dazhi Zen Temple need so many ink stones?"

Gu Yingtian replied, "I told this to Marquis Zhou, on the one hand to show the sincerity of our Ning Wangfu, and on the other hand to remind Marquis Zhou that your friends are not necessarily friends, and your enemies are not necessarily enemies. The inkstone problem started with the Mohist master three hundred years ago. He promoted the development of inkstone mining, and in the next hundred years, the three provinces of Taihang did prosper, but the problems left behind were so complicated that even those who wanted to solve the problems became complicated."

Gu Yingtian's words were rather confusing, but Zhou Tieyi understood them immediately. "You mean Monk Zhi has more than just your Ning Palace behind him?"

Gu Yingtian nodded. "Monk Zhi has been debating for more than ten years and has never lost. How many people do you think Zhou Hou have convinced? Your Majesty cares about the world. Before Zhou Hou appeared, you could only choose Monk Zhi's method. But after Zhou Hou appeared, you chose Zhou Hou, so you asked me to hand over the account book."

Zhou Tieyi chuckled. He spoke of the betrayal of interests in such a high-sounding way. He was indeed worthy of being a strategist.

"Dazhi Zen Temple originated from Gongshujia. How many people in Gongshujia support it? Zhou Hou needs to find out. Not only Gongshujia, but also many schools of Buddhism and medicine. I heard that they also support Monk Zhi's method. As for why Monk Zhi wants so many ink stones, this is also something we in Ning Wangfu are curious about. It's just that we didn't have much motivation to investigate before. They gave us a reason and we accepted it. So if Zhou Hou wants to investigate, maybe he can give us a result."

It was completely dark. Zhou Tieyi had dinner at Prince Ning's Mansion. He had no desire to sleep, so he thought about problems in the courtyard. He also helped Qin Yu, Li Jianhu and other people he wanted to train to answer questions, so that they would not be led astray by other people's fallacies.

Li Jianhu naturally had the most questions. Seeing that Zhou Tieyi was willing to answer them, he naturally asked the question that concerned him the most first, "Lord Zhou, can cutting the human brain in half really solve the mental focus of Moshi disease?"

Zhou Tieyi looked at Qin Yu. Qin Yu thought for a moment and answered Li Jianhu's question, "If this method is so effective, then why doesn't Monk Zhi promote it to the world? Instead, you, who are in Shantong Prefecture, have heard that Dazhi Zen Temple can save people, but you don't know how to do it?"

Li Jianhu reacted and thanked Qin Yu.

Zhou Tieyi then shared some of his conjectures and inferences, "There is definitely something wrong with this method. The left brain and the right brain do control rationality and sensibility respectively, but they are definitely not the 'good' and 'evil' that Gu Yingtian and Monk Zhi talk about. We cannot simply regard the left brain as the source of wisdom and the right brain as the source of desire."

"Human wisdom includes both rationality and sensibility, neither of which can be missing. I guess the good and evil they talk about should be the 'good and evil' they define. Only in this way can good and evil have a precise standard. That's why Monk Zhi said, 'Humans are like gears, operating precisely on a mechanism.'"

Qin Yu thought for a moment, "They use Buddhist scriptures as a standard?"

Zhou Tieyi thought for a moment, "It should be that the so-called Buddhist scripture itself should be a method to induce schizophrenia in people. Combined with the chaotic spiritual energy emitted by the inkstone itself, it can cause schizophrenia in people and form two selves. Because they were born from the Buddhist scripture, these two selves may have followed the standards of good and evil in the Buddhist scripture at the beginning of their birth. Of course, this also involves specific methods of practice. I don't understand it clearly, so it's just a guess."

"People act according to the good and evil in the Buddhist scriptures..."

Li Jianhu felt terrified, but at the same time he thought about it and felt that this could indeed achieve what Monk Zhi said, eradicating the root of evil and thus reaching the realm of great wisdom without killing or hatred.

However, he had studied with Zhou Tieyi for so long, and after a little thought, he found that the Buddhist scriptures he had heard sporadically before had a lot of problems.

Because in the Buddhist scriptures, the so-called 'celestial beings', 'arhats', and 'bodhisattvas' seem to only enjoy eternal happiness. There are no evil thoughts or desires, and they don't even need to work. Therefore, everything there has no motivation to develop and change, because everything there is already in the most beautiful and perfect state.

During the time he studied with Zhou Tieyi, what Li Jianhu learned most was that everything is changing, including people, good and evil, and there is no eternal and unchanging truth.

Zhou Tieyi looked at the full moon in the sky and was thinking about something else.

Before his Mingyue system was proven to be able to effectively treat the mental illness of Moshi disease, although what Monk Zhi did was heretical, his intention was good.

But after validating his Mingyue system, Monk Zhi is still unwilling to give up his method of "cutting off the roots of evil and producing good results". It can only be said that Monk Mingzhi and the various forces supporting him have other intentions and have seen the results. By then, there will be no room for easing the fight between the two sides. Just like Gu Yingtian reminded himself today, Monk Zhi has been debating in the world for more than ten years. How many people support him and how many people oppose him?

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"When I get out of here, I must report to my aunt!"

In the deep mine, it was impossible to see the sun or the sky. Zhao Fuer, who had traveled the world with Shenxiu, had a fierce expression on his face and swore an oath! He did not say the second half of his sentence about killing all the members of Dazhi Zen Temple, because he was afraid of being beaten.

In early May, Shenxiu lost a bet with Zhou Tiege and declined his uncle Kūkai's suggestion to take him back to the Fahua Temple to heal his right hand. He vowed to travel around the world to witness the truth of suffering, and to save 100,000 people with his right palm. In order to avoid Zhou Tieyi, Zhao Fuer joined Shenxiu and traveled around the world together.

They set out from Tianjing and headed south, out of the city of Tianjing and past the most prosperous center of Daxia. In June and July, there was a severe drought and no rain. In July and August, crops in many provinces failed and people fled from famine. They were caught up in the wave of fleeing famine and headed towards the three provinces of Taihang.

The three provinces of Taihang have abundant clouds and rainfall, and people make their living by mining, so they have always been the first choice for refugees.

When they first came to the three provinces of Taihang, Shenxiu and Zhao Fuer received donations from porridge shops. The "kind people" in the porridge shops even provided them with job opportunities and introduced a large number of refugees to work in various mines.

Shenxiu and Zhao Furu were sent to Shantong Prefecture, the Wofoshan Mine under the Dazhi Zen Temple.

But it was only when he really arrived at the mine that Zhao Fuer realized what sufferings in the world were. The mine bosses here would either insult him or whip him. During this time, Zhao Fuer had tried to resist. He even shouted that he was the nephew of the Queen of Heaven. But in this mining area, everyone just thought he was dreaming, because the two or three months of traveling around the world and half a month of mining career had already turned him from a rich man in Yujing Mountain into a mud man in Shantong Mansion.

The exposed skin was not only dry and covered with a layer of black charcoal ash, but also intertwined with various new and old scars. Only a human figure could be vaguely distinguished, and even the hair was only left with short stubble.

As for Zhao Taisui himself, he had not even entered the first level of the ninth level of Buddhism, let alone the mine boss.

At first, he hated Shenxiu so much that he bowed his head to his aunt so chivalrously and asked for a way to save him. Then he accompanied Shenxiu to travel around the world, but Shenxiu was really willing to trick him into this black mine!

But he was not stupid. After being beaten several times by the mine boss, he understood that if it weren't for Shenxiu, he would really be beaten to death in this black mine, and it would be useless for him to reveal his identity as Potian.

By Shenxiu's side, at least the injuries he suffered from the beating could be treated, and he would not die here in a daze. Moreover, before leaving Tianjing, Shenxiu also told him that the journey would be more difficult than he thought.

Zhao Fuer cursed and the miners around him looked at him with sympathy. This child was so pitiful. According to his taciturn companion, he had been insane since childhood and could not tell who he was at all.

As for Zhao Fuer saying that he was the nephew of the Queen Mother, the other miners didn't feel anything. In the mine where there was no sky and no earth, let alone the nephew of the Queen Mother, what could it matter even if he was the Queen Mother?
After cursing, Zhao Fuer gnashed his teeth and looked at Shenxiu who was mining silently beside him, "How long are you going to dig!"

Shenxiu did not refuse to answer Zhao Fuer. He put down the shovel in his hand, cut off from other people's perception, and replied, "There are two ways to get out. The first is that you enter the ninth level of Buddhism, the 'first meditation'. Then, even if I am not there, you can report to the mine owner. After verification by the mining area, they will let you out."

Zhao Fuer only felt that the three thoughts of greed, anger and ignorance in his heart were heavier than ever before. He didn't even have the feeling of breaking free from the cage when he just left Tianjing. How could he enter the "first level of meditation"? He said hatefully, "What about the second level?"

Shenxiu raised his head with a thoughtful expression, "Back then, Monk Zhi traveled around the world and once came to Fahua Temple to debate with the chief lecturer. I was the guest monk of the chief lecturer and heard the debate. At that time, I was actually skeptical about his so-called method of cutting off the roots of evil and gaining the fruit of wisdom. However, at that time, no one could find a better way to treat the miners' inkstone disease, so I came here to see what his method was all about, and also to see how Zhou Tieyi would deal with the inkstone."

"Then did you see it?"

Zhao Fuer's eyes were red.

Shenxiu picked up the shovel again and chiseled at the mine wall in front of him, "Almost done."

As he chiseled, a chaotic spirit gushed out from the gap and landed right on Zhao Fu'er's face. Zhao Fu'er was filled with joy, anger, sorrow and happiness and could not control his emotions at all. He felt that Shenxiu was more hateful than ever before. If it were not for him, how could he have ended up like this? He swung the shovel beside him and hit Shenxiu.

Shenxiu dodged and shouted to his companions, "He's possessed by a demon!"

(End of this chapter)