When Did We Start Having to Speak to Each Other with Circumspection

Runan gazed at Ruzhong, whose appearance was abnormally aged.

As his senior brother, Ruzhong was naturally older than him, but among Great Cultivators, an age gap of a few hundred years should not result in such a vast difference in appearance.

Runan still looked like a young man, yet this Buddha, who had stayed in Western Aparagodaniya for an unknown length of time, was now withered and senile.

There were few Karmic Buddhas in the Buddhist Sect to begin with, and all of them had cultivated together in the Great Thunder Monastery, holding the same scriptures.

At the very least, Ruzhong had once taught him cultivation, taught him Buddhist doctrine, and taught him how to conduct affairs.

Time does indeed erode old memories. At least when he sat in the Great Thunder Monastery, he would question whether this former senior brother had betrayed the Buddhist Sect.

Yet, upon setting foot on this land and truly facing his former senior brother...

Those memories he thought were forgotten, and those emotions he thought were lost, surged into his heart.

Therefore...

It was true that Ruzhong was giving him time to make excuses.

But it was also true that Runan had not yet decided how to deal with him.

Because Runan understood that the Karmic Buddhas were the ultimate foundation of the Buddhist Sect.

If even the Karmic Buddhas could not be fully trusted, could they possibly rely on the Worldly Buddhas who came only for profit?

However, once certain words are spoken openly, there is no room for turning back.

A dialogue at their level sets the tone for the entire Buddhist Sect.

For Ruzhong to speak in such a way meant that he had indeed done it on purpose.

Runan could no longer treat the matter lightly. An oppressive aura surfaced around him as he spoke in a solemn tone:

"I call you Senior Brother rather than by your Buddhist title because I still remember how we cultivated bitterly together in the Great Thunder Monastery, and I remember the bond between us."

"Now I am the Revered Buddha of the Sect; naturally, I must shoulder its heavy burdens. Seeking prosperity for the Sect, liberation for all living beings, and maintaining the Sect's existence—these are my duties."

"As a Buddha of the Sect, you grew through the nurturing of its karma."

"I ask you now: if you had dissatisfaction in your heart, why did you not speak to me directly?"

"I do not believe you are unaware of the importance of this place. You know far better than I how much suffering the Buddhist Sect has endured and how many grievances it has swallowed to develop to this point!"

"Do you deny our bond as brothers, or do you deny the karma of the Buddhist Sect, refusing to acknowledge where your cultivation base came from?"

Runan tried his best to maintain a calm tone, his eyes fixed tightly on Ruzhong. He made no attempt to hide his disappointment. His voice slowed again, appearing even more heavy-hearted:

"Senior Brother! If you truly wished to go to the ends of the earth and did not want to stay here, how could I have stopped you?"

"After all these layers of history, after a thousand years."

"Senior Brother, do you truly wish to be our enemy?"

Ruzhong wore a smile on his face. He had been in the spiritually barren land of Western Aparagodaniya for a long time; whether in terms of depth of cultivation or anything else, he could no longer compare to his former junior brother, the current Revered Buddha, Runan.

That oppressive pressure felt heavy to him, and he could sense the anger within it.

Facing a figure whom anyone else would have to treat with extreme caution, Ruzhong's expression remained utterly tranquil. He opened his mouth to respond:

"You call me Senior Brother, but do you remember what you should call the person you are currently hunting without rest?"

Hearing this, Runan's eyes half-closed, and he replied with unwavering firmness:

"Naturally, the Evil Buddha!"

"The Evil Buddha..." Ruzhong looked as if he had just realized something. "Actually, to this day, I have not fully understood the rights and wrongs of the past. I do not believe that if you truly asked your heart, you would feel that the Evil Buddha was thoroughly in the wrong."

"To tell you the truth, I came to Western Aparagodaniya to avoid the storm, and I also came to protect him."

"More than that, I came to think through that very question."

"Regardless, regarding the scenario we reached back then, everyone was at fault."

"But you and I are Buddhist cultivators; ultimately, we should not be introspecting on whether there was any merit to what the Evil Buddha said."

"Back then, you were intelligent and eager to learn, insisting on seeking the true essence and refusing to engage in deceit."

"But now that you have become a Buddha, you have learned how to turn a blind eye."

Ruzhong slowly propped himself up. He looked at the Zhengyin Temple, which had been blasted until only half remained by Chu Xingchen but was now rebuilt even more magnificently than before. He sighed softly:

"Senior Brother also understands what is in your heart. You are the Revered Buddha now. Whether it is the rights and wrongs in your heart or the torment of your struggles, none of it is as important as the Buddhist Sect moving forward and going further."

"For this, it is fine to pretend not to see. For this, it is fine to do things you do not wish to do."

"You inherited the cause of the Buddhist Sect, and you inherited Master's mantle."

"I know that among us brothers, you actually value emotion and promises the most."

"Similarly, Master knew this, and the Great Scripture knew this."

"That is why you became what you are today, why you became the Revered Buddha."

"Whether this title of Revered Buddha is a shackle or not, you know far better than I."

Ruzhong spread his hands, his gaze sweeping over the vast hall and the newly carved dragons and phoenixes on the surrounding Buddhist walls:

"I know that as a senior brother, I cannot accuse you of doing anything wrong. You have already worked very hard."

"But sometimes, Senior Brother wonders..."

"Should we discard these useless murals, discard this useless grandeur, and discard the scorn or approval of others?"

"Only you and I are the True Self. Only you and I are the True Self..."

Runan was moved. With eyes half-closed, he could only lift his head to look at Ruzhong, whose expression seemed like a smile yet not a smile, his eyes containing both sorrow and joy.

After a moment of silence, Runan's tone remained as stern as before:

"This is the True Self. Senior Brother, are these words today the result of falling under someone's demonic spell? Is it that Evil Buddha?"

Ruzhong laughed involuntarily at these words. He stepped forward toward Runan.

There was some distance between him and Runan.

Several Bodhisattvas and Arhats standing before Runan stepped out, blocking the path of this Buddha who wished to approach the Revered Buddha.

Runan looked over; the figure of his former senior brother was nearly obscured from view by the Bodhisattvas and Arhats in front of him.

Conflicted in his heart, he still spoke:

"Make way!"

The words fell.

The Bodhisattvas and Arhats in front of Ruzhong stepped aside.

Runan watched his senior brother approach, step by step.

Ruzhong's pace was not fast, and the aura on his body was restrained to the point of being nearly non-existent. He slowly walked up to Runan and gently placed his hand on Runan's shoulder:

"Since when did our conversations always have to go in circles? Since when did you have to feed me lines?"

Runan raised his eyes, feeling a lump in his throat.

Ruzhong's gaze was calm as he whispered:

"Being wrong is not terrible. What is terrible is not having the courage to set things right."

Runan said coldly:

"Are you saying Master was wrong, the Great Scripture was wrong, those who died for it were wrong, and that I am also wrong?"

Ruzhong gently shook his head:

"Actually, it was I who was wrong. Back then, I shouldn't have fled, leaving you to bear all of this alone."

"You shouldered everything. Anyone else is qualified to say you are wrong, but we, your senior brothers, are the only ones who have no such right."

Runan asked coldly:

"What exactly are you trying to say? Do you intend to betray the Buddhist Sect and join that Evil Buddha? Or do you think I won't punish you?!"

"Or do you intend to raze the Buddhist Sect to the ground, discarding the blood and sweat of our predecessors and destroying the righteous Buddhist Sect?"

The smile remained on Ruzhong's somewhat withered face:

"I just wanted... to speak from the heart with you."

As a Senior Brother, isn't it undignified to vent such grievances to a Junior Brother?

The only response Runan could offer was silence.