Tales of Herding Gods

Early in the morning, Qin Mu came to the monastery of buddhism that was located at Li City and knocked on the door. He sought an audience and said, “I’m here to meet Old Ma.”

The monk that received him hurriedly went back to inform.

The reason why Qin Mu said Old Ma and not Rulai Ma was because Rulai Ma was the leader of buddhism. He needed to oversee Great Thunderclap Monastery and promote buddhism. Meanwhile, Old Ma is his kin.

One was identity and one was kinship.

Coming to meet Rulai Ma, he needed to bring out the identity as Human Emperor and Heavenly Saint Cult Master. To meet Old Ma, his identity was a child raised up by Old Ma.

After a moment, the receiving monk came forward and said, “Old Ma invites you.”

Qin Mu revealed a smile and he followed him into the monastery. This monastery was given to him by the gods of Supreme Emperor Heaven. The monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery built a monastery and cultivated daily.

Qin Mu raised his head to look and he saw twenty heavens hanging hazily above the monastery. There were still numerous monks under the twenty heavens that were chanting scriptures continuously. The chantings would collide in the sky and transform into trails of buddha light, pouring into the twenty heavens.

Twenty heavens were the heavens of buddhism and the apparition of the twenty heavens that was floating above the monastery wasn’t real.

Qin Mu pulled back his gaze. At this moment, he saw a simple elder who had removed his Rulai’s cassock and looking at him with a smile.

Old Ma.

Qin Mu became agitated. Ever since Old Ma became Rulai Ma of Great Thunderclap Monastery, they couldn’t meet each other as frequently anymore. When he took off his cassock, he was meeting him as a family member so how could he not be agitated?

However, this place was the buddhist rite of Great Thunderclap Monastery and there were monks everywhere. He needed to control the feelings in his heart and not bring any trouble to Old Ma, troubles regarding the mind.

“Grandpa Ma, didn’t you guys already contact the twenty heavens long ago?”

Qin Mu was stabilizing his frame of mind and he said curiously, “Why are you still trying to get into contact with the twenty heavens? Could the buddhas of Buddha Realm not have imparted techniques and skills of a higher level?”

“They had imparted. But it wasn’t much.”

Old Ma led them to the side of those monks that were chanting and trying to make a connection with the Buddha Realm. He saw that the interior of this monastery was very wide and close to a thousand monks were sitting in the lotus position. Some sat on the flat land and some sat in the air. There were even some that sat on top of the pagoda. “The intention of the Buddha Realm is for us to focus on cultivating, to not dabble into the struggle of the mortal world. They didn’t seem to want to bother with the mortal world and it was like as if there was a lot of taboo. My intention was for them to impart more profound techniques. Buddha have the heart to save the people of the world so how could they not help when they see mortals falling into trouble?”

Qin Mu looked around. Among the thousand monks, they were male, female, humans and demons. They were all chanting and not giving peace to the twenty heavens.

This kind of fighting method was like a method of harassment. By chanting the names of buddha, the buddha would be able to hear and these monks of Great Thunderclap Monastery were doing just that.

“There were originally a few buddhas who had imparted their skills but afterward, nobody else imparted their teachings any more. I wanted to invite them down to the lower bound but they also aren’t willing to come down and assist us.”

Old Ma shook his head. “In my opinion, they aren’t actually afraid of being tainted by the mortal world, they are fearing some terrifying existence. Even though they have profound realms and profound techniques, their frame of mind has already dropped. Just a few days ago, the buddhas of the Buddha Realm couldn’t take the harassment any longer and suggested to have a contest of Dharma between Son of Buddha.

“Contest of Dharma?”

Qin Mu instantly became excited and he said with a smile, “How do they compete?”

“It’s just picking out the best disciple of Buddha and see whose attainments in Dharma is higher. This kind of competition takes place across space. I’ve sent out Zhan Kong.”

Old Ma raised his hand and pointed. “Zhan Kong is there, he has already defeated a few of the Son of Buddha from the twenty heavens.”

Qin Mu raised his head to look and he saw Devil Ape Zhan Kong sitting on a pagoda. That pagoda seemed to be on the same height as the twenty heavens. In front of him sat a Son of Buddha. He rode on a precious elephant that was covered with jade and pearls, looking extremely gorgeous.

Behind the precious elephant was a gorgeous cluster of monasteries. Light swirled behind the heads of all the huge buddhas as they put on solemn and dignified expressions.

Both of their debates were rather intense. The words of that Son of Buddha from the twenty heavens flowed out endlessly like a river and the content of his debate didn’t stop for an hour. His voice was sometimes reverberating and impassioned while deep and low at other times, making others couldn’t resist wanting to hear in detail.

This eloquence could even be said to be a lengthy speech that no one could refute.

When that Son of Buddha was done, he finally stopped speaking. With a smile on his face, he looked at the devil ape.

That devil ape stretched out his furry palm and his five thick and black fingers. With a rough voice, he said word by word, “Ultimate.”

That Buddha didn’t understand what he was trying to say and thought hard. After a moment, the devil ape said again, “Emptiness.”

That Son of Buddha frowned and thoughts surfaced in quick succession. The devil ape said, “Have.”

That Son of Buddha trembled and cried out, “Why is there have when there’s already emptiness?”

The devil ape paid no attention to him and he said, “Silence.”

That Son of Buddha was furious and shouted, “Since there’s already have, why can there still be silence? Your words don’t suit the Dharma!”

The devil ape said, “Miniature.”

That Son of Buddha couldn’t contain his anger and was about to refute everything when his body suddenly shook. He froze on the precious elephant and he looked dumbfounded. He couldn’t say a word.

Behind him, a big buddha sighed and said, “Ultimate Emptiness Have Silence Miniature. Truly marvelous, every word is like a pearl and every word is a discussion of Mahayana. When five words are linked together, they are great and profound. Kong Xiang, you have spoken for an hour and said a lengthy speech but it’s a pity they couldn’t be compared to any one word among his five words. You’ve lost, fall back.”

That Son of Buddha got up from the precious elephant and he bowed towards the devil ape before falling back.

Qin Mu was astonished and puzzled. He asked Old Ma, “Grandpa Ma, does big fella really have the root of wisdom?”

Old Ma said solemnly, “He has much root of wisdom! It’s even above mine and higher than Ming Xin!”

At this point, another Son of Buddha came from a heaven above the previous and behind him followed several buddha with huge corporeal bodies. Just as he took his seat, this Son of Buddha shone brightly around him and the dazzling light shone down from the twenty heavens, lighting up everyone in the monastery.

As this buddha’s glorious rays covered all, the monks in the monastery were astonished. “This Son of Buddha has such high cultivation in Dharma!”

The devil ape raised his hand and blocked in front of his eyes. His huge hand blocked the buddha’s rays and the shadow of his palm was cast on his face.

Just as the Son of Buddha who had just sat down wanted to debate, he was greatly startled when he saw this sight. Sweetness rushed up his throat as he vomited out a mouthful of fresh blood. He cried out, “Your attainments in Dharma is actually so high? I haven’t even had the time to say and you have already won me in the debate.” After he said so, he collapsed backward and his breath was weak.

Behind him, those few buddhas quickly saved him and finally managed to revive him. A buddha praised, “The topic Son of Buddha Pu Zhao wanted to debate was what is light? Never did he expect this little Son of Buddha had just seen through his question. He truly has no obstruction in debating! Admirable. admirable!”

Qin Mu was dumbfounded. He pulled his gaze back from the devil ape’s back with difficulty and looked at Old Ma with doubt.

He already couldn’t understand such a kind of debate.

Old Ma explained, “Son of Buddha Pu Zhao start off the question with light and he shone brightly with his buddha’s rays. Meanwhile, Zhan Kong raised his hands to block and underneath his palms was darkness. This was to tell him that when there’s light, there will be darkness, they are interdependent. Because of that, Son of Buddha Pu Zhao’s debate was just cut off and he couldn’t say everything that he had pent up in his chest, causing him to vomit blood out. From this, we can see Zhan Kong’s root of wisdom.”

Qin Mu was also speechless.

He could see that the cultivation of that Son of Buddha Pu Zhao was extremely high. He was most likely a Dharma expert on the Celestial Being Realm. Even if Qin Mu fought with him, he might not be able to defeat him.

Never did he expect Son of Buddha Pu Zhao to puke blood and almost died just from the devil ape shielding himself from the light!

The devil ape had already debated his way to Laksmi Heaven, the next heaven was Sarasvati Heaven.

From Sarasvati Heaven, several buddhas came forward with a young Son of Buddha and he sat across the devil ape. That young Son of Buddha slowly sat down and he didn’t say much. He just held onto a lotus flower and said, “None.”

The devil ape said, “Have.”

That young Son of Buddha frowned and put down the lotus. “Have.”

The devil ape said, “None.”

That young Son of Buddha rose and shouted, “Are you an ordinary folk?”

The devil ape shook his head, “I, holy.”

That young Son of Buddha asked with a deafening voice as he shouted, “You are a holy buddha?”

The devil ape shook his head again, “I, ordinary.”

The face of that young Son of Buddha flushed and he said angrily, “When my hand have, you said none, when there’s none in my hand you said have. You said you are a holy buddha so when I ask you if you are a holy buddha, you said you are an ordinary folk! What are you trying to say?”

The buddhas behind him frowned and they summoned a few vajras to escort him down. A buddha apologized to the devil ape, “Forgive him, junior brother, his heart is now in a mess. When treating there’s nothing as there’s having, sometimes there’s nothing when there’s having, when one’s heart is holy, holy is also ordinary.”

The devil ape returned the greeting but he didn’t speak.

Qin Mu was dumbstruck and his head was swelling up. He held onto his forehead as he said to Old Ma. “Old Ma, I already can’t understand anything at all. I don’t have this root of wisdom, it’s best I don’t listen to it.”

Old Ma said with a smile, “When I was as old as Zhan Kong, I could never have such attainments. Since you are already confused from listening, let us talk a stroll outside the monastery.”

Qin Mu felt he was relieved from a burden.

The two of them walked out of the monastery and Old Ma took a deep breath. With a smile, he looked at Qin Mu and said, “Mu’er, I’m Buddha now and I’m walking further and further away from you. When I don my cassock and sit on the position of Buddha, I’m no longer Old Ma from back then. In my eyes, you are all living things. But when I walk down from my position of Buddha, when I take off that cassock, I will be that Old Ma of our Disabled Elderly Village, Divine Constable Ma. You are the child that I have watched growing up.”

Qin Mu suddenly hugged him tightly.

Old Ma was stunned for a moment. He smiled and pat his back while saying, “Zhan Kong is learning very fast, Ming Xin is also a good child. The two of them will be the ones to inherit Great Thunderclap Monastery in the future. When that time comes, I won’t be Rulai anymore. I will return back to Disabled Elderly Village and we will be able to talk and laugh then, drinking wine and having a feast.”

Qin Mu asked, “Why isn’t the buddhas of the twenty heavens willing to impart their teachings or to even lend their assistance to the lower bound? Didn’t Grandpa Ma ask the reason why?”

“I have. A buddha told me the reason why Great Thunderclap Monastery could be preserved in all the previous disasters was because we don’t ask, once we ask, we won’t be protected anymore. They wanted me to not ask as well.”

Old Ma sighed and said, “This time, what we used was a dirty move taught to me by Mute. Mute told me to order the monks to chant the names of buddha and disturb their peace until they could no longer take it, only then would they talk to you. If we are able to win this debate, the buddhas of the twenty heavens would allow three people to enter the Buddha Realm to seek knowledge. However, they still won’t let the people of the Buddha Realm go down and lend up help. I thought over it carefully and having three places is still better than none.”

Right at this moment, cheers erupted from the monastery. Qin Mu and Old Ma looked at each other in the eye and they hurriedly rushed back into the monastery. They saw the monks throwing the devil ape high up into the sky, catching up and throwing him back up again!

“We won, we have won!” All of the monks were cheering excitedly.