Do Buddhist Scriptures Also Deceive People

"My senior brother is going to die..."

Yuan Kong sat on a chair, sorrowfully licking a sugar painting.

Chu Xingchen watched the scene with mild speechlessness.

Truly a disciple taught by the eminent monks of Zen Forest Temple—his words and actions were complete opposites.

This was indeed a legacy passed down through generations.

Li Yingling wore a look of pity. After all, Yuan Jing was a good man. She softly offered her condolences:

"Please accept my deepest sympathies."

Yuan Kong took a deep breath and said earnestly, "My senior brother treated me the best. I don’t want to see him die."

Chu Xingchen studied Yuan Kong's runaway demeanor and asked skeptically,

"So you ran away from home because you didn’t want to witness the abbot’s death with your own eyes?"

"What nonsense!" Yuan Kong bit fiercely into the sugar painting. "I’m going out to save him!"

"Oh..."

Chu Xingchen nodded slightly, as if humoring him.

Yuan Kong glanced around at the four of them, only to find not a single expression of belief among them.

Li Yingling sighed first. "Master, that monk was a good man. Let’s go burn some incense for him when the time comes."

"My senior brother won’t die—I will save him!"

"Good... It’s rare to see such sincerity from you, Yingling."

"Wait! Are any of you even listening to me?!"

Yuan Kong stood up, his expression resolute. "I will bring my senior brother back."

Chu Xingchen swept his divine sense over Yuan Kong. The boy cultivated through faith power and hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet...

Even if he did break through, mastering spells and adapting to his abilities would take time.

And this was an inexperienced little monk like Yuan Kong—how could he possibly save the abbot?

"You should go back and spend more time with him," Chu Xingchen said, patting Yuan Kong’s shoulder lightly. "The outside world is too dangerous. Someone like you wouldn’t even be enough to fill a beast’s teeth."

Li Yingling nodded in agreement. "Yes, and the matter with the demonic cultivators hasn’t been fully resolved yet. The envoys from the Central Continent are still investigating. It’s still dangerous out there."

"I’m not afraid!" Yuan Kong declared firmly. "If my senior brother would go through fire and water for me, then so can I for him."

"Such determination!" Chu Xingchen praised before calling out to the sugar painter across the street. "Three more sugar paintings, for Yuan Kong to take on his journey."

"Coming right up~"

Yuan Kong pressed his palms together in gratitude. "Many thanks, benefactor!"

Li Xingtian was slightly speechless. Just moments ago, Chu Xingchen had been lecturing his junior sister with utmost seriousness, yet now he’d switched moods in the blink of an eye.

Wouldn’t it be better to just drag Yuan Kong back to Zen Forest Temple at this point?

But life was about choices, and Li Xingtian understood—this was Yuan Kong’s decision for the abbot.

After a brief hesitation, Li Xingtian finally spoke up:

"Forgive my bluntness, but... how exactly do you plan to save the abbot?"

Yuan Kong scanned the four of them, thought for a moment, and then answered:

"The Galan Buddha’s Legacy."

"I found it in the scriptures. It’s said that where the Bodhisattva Galan fell, a heart lotus bloomed—one that can connect to the Buddha’s heart and extend life."

Li Xingtian couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.

A Buddha’s Bodhisattva was a Nascent Soul cultivator, a supreme powerhouse in these lands.

If it weren’t recorded, there might still be something left.

But since it was written in the scriptures, it had likely been picked clean long ago.

Could one really expect monks to have higher moral standards than that?

Yuan Kong glanced up at Li Xingtian’s expression and knew he wasn’t convinced. He was well aware of the dangers ahead.

He might not have left the temple much, but he wasn’t a fool.

"The Galan Buddha’s Legacy is protected by a Buddhist seal. Only those who match the seal can open it—and the seal can only be unlocked by a Buddha’s child."

Yuan Kong explained seriously, "In the past, whenever a Buddha’s child was born, they would go to the Central Continent to cultivate the Mahayana Dharma. I’m the only Buddha’s child left in Yuzhou City. The Galan Buddha’s Legacy is most likely still there."

"I suspect that’s why Zen Forest Temple recorded this place in their scriptures."

Chu Xingchen’s gaze sharpened as he listened. Yuan Kong’s deliberate explanation made it clear—he was trying to recruit him as a partner.

"I know your cultivation is profound, and illusions hold no power over you," Yuan Kong said, looking straight at Chu Xingchen. "I only need the heart lotus. Everything else can be yours."

Chu Xingchen chuckled. "Most of the relics in the Galan Buddha’s Legacy are Buddhist treasures. As a disciple of Buddhism, you’d just give them away?"

Yuan Kong pressed his palms together again, his voice unwavering. "Wealth moves men’s hearts, but not mine."

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. "And you’re not afraid I might be a villain?"

Yuan Kong didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced meaningfully at Chen Baiqing, who had remained silent the entire time.

In the end, Chu Xingchen relented.

The prospect of a Nascent Soul cultivator’s tomb had stirred his greed.

It wouldn’t hurt to make the trip. If the treasures were truly there, it’d be a windfall.

Grave-robbing? Absolutely! If a Core Formation cultivator like him didn’t dare rob a Nascent Soul’s grave, what was the point of cultivating immortality?

Since Chen Baiqing was still young, Li Xingtian was left behind to watch over him. After all, Li Xingtian’s cultivation techniques carried a faint trace of demonic influence—who knew what might happen if he entered a Buddhist relic?

Besides, Li Xingtian was experienced. If danger arose, he’d probably escape faster than anyone.

Li Yingling, however, joined the expedition. This would be a good opportunity to broaden her horizons.

Experience was everything.

If they were bringing Yuan Kong—a Qi Condensation cultivator relying on faith power—then one more Li Yingling at mid-Foundation Establishment wouldn’t make a difference.

According to Yuan Kong’s confident claims, the Galan Buddha’s Legacy was only dangerous on the way there. The interior was supposedly perfectly safe.

The scripture had detailed records of the realm where Bodhisattva Galan had fallen—a place akin to a heavenly Buddha land, serene and harmonious.

When Chu Xingchen asked why Yuan Kong hadn’t brought monks from Zen Forest Temple along,

Yuan Kong sighed deeply. "There aren’t many Foundation Establishment monks in the temple to begin with, and all of them are close to the abbot. If I told them, I’d probably get my backside beaten black and blue by my senior brother."

Li Yingling frowned. "Won’t the abbot worry if you sneak out like this?"

Yuan Kong grinned confidently. "I left him a letter saying I was going out to do good deeds and cultivate faith power. He’d never guess the truth."

Chu Xingchen and Li Yingling shared a look of exasperation.

Well, best to make it quick.

Chu Xingchen swiftly flew in the direction Yuan Kong had indicated.

Half a day later...

Yuan Kong stood dumbfounded before a vast, rolling river, repeatedly comparing it to the hand-drawn map in his grip.

With a quiet sigh, Chu Xingchen glanced down at the map.

If the map was accurate—and assuming Yuan Kong hadn’t botched the drawing—what lay before them should have been a towering mountain.

Not an endless stretch of water.

Yuan Kong’s voice trembled with disbelief. "Even the Buddhist scriptures lie?!"

Chu Xingchen swept his divine sense across the scene before replying:

"The scriptures didn’t lie. Your eyes and common sense did."