Tales of Herding Gods

“Wild and boorish man?”

The sweeping monk held onto the broom and he said with a smile, “Does Cult Master Qin think you can push away all responsibility by calling yourself a boorish man? You have killed three hundred and sixty-seven Sons of Buddha, and also the buddha of Candra Heaven, as well as five buddhas. You have also tainted half of my Brahma Heaven and turned it into half Youdu. How could I let you off so easily?”

Qin Mu said honestly, “May Buddha punish me.”

The sweeping monk looked at him without speaking. After a while, he smiled. “If I say it’s completely your fault, that would be unfair for you. Even though you are honest and sincere, you will definitely not accept that in your heart. The people you had just killed are all people sent to the Buddha Realm from the celestial heavens. The reason why Sakra Buddha had taken away the golden willow leaf on your forehead is because he wanted to borrow your hands to wipe out the power the celestial heavens had placed in the Buddha Realm. Furthermore, by releasing Qin Fengqing, he will also harm your life. You are very clever and you already saw through this point, which was why you dared to start a massacre without fear. You know that you wouldn’t be punished even if you did this kind of thing because Sakra Buddha will definitely protect you.”

Qin Mu hung his head down. “This disciple doesn’t dare to push the blame. Sakra Buddha has the heart to use me to get rid of the power of the celestial heavens, but these Sons of Buddhas have indeed died under my hands. Also, I’m the one that had tainted the supreme sacred ground of buddhism.”

“When in front of me, you don’t have to hide what you are thinking, there’s no need and there’s no use.”

The sweeping monk added, “Your guess is right. This blame shouldn’t be yours to carry. Even though I didn’t approve what Sakra Buddha had done, I didn’t oppose him either. Lower your head.”

Qin Mu bent his body down as the sweeping monk took out a golden willow leaf. He placed it seriously on the heart of his brows and said with a smile, “However, I can’t carry this blame. If I did, the Buddha Realm will cease to exist as the celestial heavens will take the chance to destroy it and take over. Therefore, this blame can only be carried by Sakra Buddha and you. Sakra Buddha is my junior brother, so he can take on the smelliest shit. As for you, you shall carry a small part of the blame which won’t crush you.”

Qin Mu let out a sigh of relief and touched the golden willow leaf on his forehead. This made him have peace of mind. It wasn’t only because of the golden willow leaf, it was also because of Brahma Buddha’s words.

“Don’t blame Sakra Buddha, he is also thinking on behalf of buddhism. He also has his own past and knot in his heart.”

The sweeping monk walked forward while sweeping the floor. He said with a smile, “The shit he needs to take on is more than enough to torment him. It’s going to be hard for him to wash himself clean. Even though the celestial heavens knew I was the one who had silently agreed, they can’t lay their hands on me without any evidence, so they can only go for Sakra Buddha. I won’t get rid of these Youdu devil nature that is here in Brahma Heaven. This is the evidence of my Buddha Realm not getting involved. My Buddha Realm is also a victim.”

Qin Mu followed him and walked past the places he had swept. He praised, “My Buddha is wise.”

The monk sweeping the floor said, “The celestial heavens is oversized and rotten. By the time they receive this news and take action, they will take a few days. In these few days, you and Sakra Buddha shall leave the Buddha Realm, so that both of you wouldn’t be in trouble. It’s easy for you to leave the Buddha Realm, but Sakra Buddha’s cultivation realm is too high. It’s very difficult for him to leave.”

Qin Mu pondered for a moment and he asked, “Buddha has no idea how to leave here?”

“I have.”

The sweeping monk looked amused. “However, you can’t use my method, I still need to leave some face for the celestial heavens. If I send Sakra Buddha out, this face wouldn’t exist anymore. Therefore, you guys can only think of an idea yourself. Don’t involve me and the Buddha Realm.”

Qin Mu scratched his head. He suddenly cried out, “Which also means that we help the Buddha Realm clean up the power of the celestial heavens, preventing the Buddha Realm from falling into the celestial heavens’ control. Then all the shit and blame are placed on me and Sakra Buddha, while the Buddha Realm and Buddha will be completely fine. All of you will receive all the benefits while we still have to run for our lives, am I right or not?”

The sweeping monk raised his head and beamed at him. “That’s right.”

Qin Mu was dumbfounded. After a moment, he probed, “Are those in the older generation all so sinister?”

“That’s right.”

The sweeping monk chuckled. “However, we call that wise and not sinister.”

Qin Mu had a black face. “What’s the difference between wise and sinister?”

The sweeping monk continued to sweep the floor while beaming. “Actually, you and I were already fated to begin with. We have already met many times. Don’t worry, I won’t let you be at a disadvantage. I won’t be imparting an Emperor’s Throne true scripture. However, Qin Fengqing has swallowed one of my primordial spirits, and this primordial spirit has transformed into a great buddha that’s now in your third eye.”

Qin Mu touched the golden willow leaf on his forehead. He really wanted to take it down and check his reflection to see if there was a great buddha sitting in his eye. However, when he thought about how he could become the huge evil baby that was Qin Fengqing, he could only hold himself back.

“This great buddha can be sealed together with Earth Count, assisting you to suppress Qin Fengqing and prevent him from breaking out of the seal to absorb you. Furthermore, this great buddha contained my Emperor’s Throne true scripture that I can’t impart to you directly. You shall comprehend and learn it yourself, and it is up to you how much you can acquire from it.”

The sweeping monk swept the floor seriously and he said, “If you have the abilities, you will be able to comprehend what Zhan Kong can comprehend. If your comprehension is slightly weaker, you can comprehend what Ming Xin can comprehend. If you are too obsessed, it’s also possible that you might not comprehend anything. I have imparted the true scriptures and I have already rubbed the shit.”

As he swept, a courtyard somehow appeared in front of them. Sakra Buddha seemed to be focused on comprehending something.

As the sweeping monk walked in, Qin Mu followed closely behind, step by step. The sweeping monk continued to say, “Since the matter is almost settled, you guys should be leaving. Junior brother, please get up. I want to sweep away the dust your heart has left behind, so my peaceful residence wouldn’t be tainted.”

Sakra Buddha suddenly snapped out from his focus as he looked at the sweeping monk. He then looked at Qin Mu’s black face and cried out in astonishment, “Senior brother, everything is settled?”

The sweeping monk said, “It’s settled.”

Sakra Buddha probed, “The shit has been rubbed?”

The sweeping monk replied, “It’s all on your head and it’s staying there no matter how you wash it off.”

Sakra Buddha let out a sigh. “Merely a little shit. I shall just bear with it, as long as the orthodoxy of the Buddha Realm is preserved. By the way, senior brother, how big is this pile of shit? How long will it take to finally wash it off?”

The sweeping monk hesitated for a moment. “You didn’t say you wanted to wash it off, so it’s slightly big. There are also some obstructions… but it can still be washed off.”

However, he had this one sentence that he kept to himself. ‘When the heavens change, you will be able to wash it off.’

“Junior brother, you should return to your Sakra Realm and prepare to escape for your life. Bring Benefactor Qin with you too, and let him bring you out of the Buddha Realm,” the sweeping monk said.

Sakra Buddha took a glance at Qin Mu, whose face was still black, and laughed. “He is going to send me out? He has such magic power? Senior brother, I think you should be the one to send me out. You have remarkable abilities that far surpassed mine. Since you can roam the boundless worlds in your dreams, you definitely have a way to send me out safely.”

The sweeping monk didn’t say a word. He just continued to sweep the floor. Suddenly, he swept the feet of Sakra Buddha. Sakra Buddha felt the world spinning and when he came back to his senses, he had already been swept out of the door with Qin Mu. They were now standing in front of the dilapidated monastery.

The monastery being dilapidated was caused by Qin Mu smashing it. That monk popped his head out from the back of a half-collapsed wall and said to both of them. “Layperson Qin, you don’t have to worry about Zhan Kong and Ming Xin. Once they finish learning the Emperor’s Throne true scripture, they will return. Sending them off is much easier than sending both of you off. I’m currently repairing the walls, so I won’t be seeing both of you off.”

The rays behind Sakra Buddha’s head brightened again as buddha rays lighted up the surroundings. He said with a smile, “Senior brother said that this pile of shit is big enough and smelly enough. I would like to see how big and smelly it is. Little Friend Qin, stop putting on such a black face. I have let you down and dragged you into this mess…”

Qin Mu acted as if he wanted to remove the golden willow leaf. Sakra Buddha hurriedly bowed in apology as he said, “Don’t take it off. Even if you beat me up, I can still escape. Let me just apologize to you here. I will definitely repay this favor in the future.”

Qin Mu put his hands down and he said, “I, as Buddha, shall take the blame for you. Such huge blame. I might not be able to wash it off even after a very long time.”

Sakra Buddha said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I will return you your innocence. Then again, I’m also carrying my own shit. When senior brother had used my voice to speak at the start, he had rubbed the first pile of shit on me. Let us first leave this place. Even though the celestial heavens is oversized and rotten, they will receive news in a few days, and will come and seize us. Let us go back to Sakra Heaven to prepare first.”

Qin Mu’s expression softened and he nodded his head.

Sakra Buddha rose into the air with him. He looked around, and saw the corpses of Dharma King Mo Lun and a few buddhas. Seeing this, he was surprised and delighted. ‘I knew his eye was weird. I never expected its power to be so strong, to even kill a buddha like Mo Lun. Even though Mo Lun’s attainments in Dharma are half-baked, his abilities are extraordinary. This pile of shit isn’t small, but I can handle it. It’s worth it!’

He brought Qin Mu to fly across the golden sea. Suddenly, his expression turned blank. The buddha rays behind his head almost extinguished when he saw the golden sea. The buddha light in the supreme sacred ground of the Buddha Realm had almost been extinguished by half. There was intense Youdu devil qi everywhere. The sacred mountains and sacred islands had all crumbled. Countless monasteries on the sacred mountains and sacred islands had crumbled as well and sunk into the sea!

This was a complete disaster!

Sakra Buddha stared with his eyes wide open. The buddha rays behind his head flickered, as though it could be extinguished anytime. He only came to his senses after some time. He looked at Qin Mu with difficulty and asked, “This pile of shit is also going to be on me? Can we split the responsibility and share this burden with me?”

Qin Mu shook his head. “Buddha, I still have blame that’s on me…”

Sakra Buddha let out a shaky breath. He was slightly dispirited. Just like this, the supreme sacred ground of the Buddha Realm had become another Youdu. He reckoned not long later, a lot of spirits would begin to gather here—even Earth Count might come to take a tour!

Half of this Pure Land would most likely have to be given to Earth Count!

‘I need to hold on, I must stand up to this! Senior brother had said that my pile of shit will one day be washed off. He wouldn’t lie to me!’

Sakra Buddha took in a deep breath and averted his gaze from the terrible situation of Brahma Heaven. He brought Qin Mu to Sakra Heaven and said, “Senior brother had said that you have a method to bring me out of Buddha Realm. May I ask what kind of method does Little Friend Qin have?”

Qin Mu was sulky as he said, “I’m here to seek true scriptures. Not only did I not get what I wanted and can’t answer to them when I get back, but I still have to carry this blame. How am I supposed to answer to Rulai when I return? I no longer have the face to see him. Just let the celestial heavens catch me and execute me.”

Sakra Buddha understood clearly and he said with a smile, “I shall teach you by Sakra Scriptures. Even though they aren’t as good as the Emperor’s Throne true scriptures, they are Luminous Sky true scriptures after all. Senior brother’s scriptures are too profound and hard to comprehend. On the other hand, my Sakra Scriptures are much simpler, bold, and powerful. It’s easy to master and you can see the effects very quickly after you learn it. Now, you can tell me about your method to leave the Buddha Realm, right?”