Peace Order
Chapter 167 - 92: Your Title!_2

Chapter 167: Chapter 92: Your Title!_2

"You must learn this well," he said.

Just then, a noisy clamor suddenly erupted from outside.

Zu Wenyuan raised his eyes slightly and muttered, "Here they come again."

Upon recalling what the young Taoist had said earlier, Li Guanyi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is it the monks?"

"Even if the Emperor forbids ordinary government officials and constables from laying hands on monks and Taoists, would they dare to come and cause a commotion in the Taoist temple at this time?"

The elder seemed never to be angered, but simply stated:

"It’s not without reason, of course. This place was originally a monastery."

"Over ten years ago, when the elder brother of Prince Puyang, who was the Regent King’s brother, was Emperor, he greatly patronized the Buddhist Sect. There were four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty. Later, Prince Puyang’s iron cavalry broke through and reduced it all to ashes with a single fire. The monks who weren’t captured and conscripted fled in all directions."

"Eventually, wandering Taoists slowly gathered here and constructed this Taoist temple."

"Gradually, the temple gained followers and some renown. That’s when the monks came to claim that this land was theirs. They demanded the Taoists leave and pay all the rent for the past ten years in one lump sum—ten thousand taels of silver."

Li Guanyi’s eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "They actually make such demands?"

"All the temples here were burned down, and they fled."

Zu Wenyuan continued, "That’s what they say."

"However, the Taoists are not of a gentle temperament either. The bickering and fighting between the two sides have happened more than once or twice. Recently, with the grand ceremony, the Emperor who reveres both Buddhism and Taoism, forbade ordinary government officials from taking action against them. It’s also said that a living Buddha from the Western Regions has come here as a guest for the large ceremony, and this has only emboldened the monks further."

Li Guanyi said in surprise, "The living Buddha from the Western Regions?"

"Isn’t there a Buddha Country in the Western Regions? The living Buddha rules over a vast territory." This was knowledge held by General Xue, and Zu Wenyuan, perplexed, could not help but point at Li Guanyi, laughing and saying:

"You, oh you, that’s such an old calendar you’re on. How is it that your knowledge seems even older than this old man’s?"

"Over five hundred years ago, a Divine General from the Central Plains waged war against the Buddha Country, taking up his Battle Halberd to shatter the living Buddha’s Golden Body and leave him spitting blood on the ground with just three moves, trampling the prestige of the Buddha Country but barely allowing it to linger on. Afterward, they harshly exploited their slaves, until one of the slaves managed to escape."

"That slave traveled across the Central Plains for over a dozen years."

"He made many friends and formed an alliance called ’The Fires of Chaos,’ before eventually returning to the Western Regions. He swept away all opposition, and thus Tuyuhun emerged; the Buddha Country of the Western Regions you speak of had long been ground into dust under the iron cavalry of Tuyuhun."

"It’s said that in his youth, a sister would sing songs for him, her voice as crisp as the wind over the grasslands. But one day, that sister vanished without a trace, and Tuyuhun, mad with grief, fled. "

"In the end, when that overlord conquered the Western Regions, the living Buddha sought to please him, offering the most exquisite music on submissive tunes played with a Bone Flute made from the leg bones of beautiful girls, and a Magic Artifact made from skulls, producing sounds as clear and distant as the wind across the grasslands."

"Under the frosty moonlight, the Western Regions’ overlord leaned on his blade, sitting solemnly through the night in the palace of the Buddha Country."

"Afterward, he captured the living Buddha and stuffed him into a bag. On the grasslands, the heavy cavalry of the Western Regions trampled back and forth for three full hours, reducing a Vajra Physique living Buddha to mincemeat."

"He raised his blade under the sun, setting fire to the palace of the Buddha, while the serfs took up swords within it."

"This brought into being his first and invincible army of the Western Regions."

"The living Buddhas of today are but martial factions, their grandeur incomparable to centuries past. Yet they now have the audacity to leave the Western Regions, come to the Central Plains, and shamelessly partake in the grand ceremony of Chen Country."

"It’s all because the reign of Tuyuhun has ended, and just like the Dangxiang people, they wish to cling to the power of Chen Country and rise again in the Western Regions."

The elder instructed Li Guanyi to take out the King Seal he carried. Cradling the small King Seal in his palm, he said:

"The golden relics passed down through the generations in Buddha Country have all been melted into it."

"Guan Yi, according to the doctrines of Buddha Country, your status is higher than that of the living Buddha, and you too can take your place upon the lotus dais."

Li Guanyi grinned without responding to the elder’s jest, and instead said:

"The Emperor’s intention is probably not just to support Buddhism, right?"

Zu Wenyuan smiled and replied, "Yes, it’s just that the aristocratic family officials and the Taoist are closely allied."

"His Majesty feels insecure, so he supports Buddhism while suppressing the Taoists, that’s all. He secured the throne amidst a struggle from several factions, so he only trusts in keeping a balance and will not allow any one side to grow too powerful. Once you understand this, you’ll realize he has always been fearful."

There are rules in the Court; the use of Sword Qi and the like is forbidden within Capital City.

Moreover, those who can project Sword Qi are at the captain level and would have some standing among monks, so they would not appear here. The old man simply pulled him aside with a slight smile and said, "No rush, no rush. Let’s take another look at the Formation Map."

Li Guanyi sat down again.

The old man continued to explain the nuances of the formation slowly and carefully.

Li Guanyi concentrated and harnessed the experience and special training of cramming for exams the night before in his previous life, forcibly memorizing the formation’s content. Finally, with the overlapping of his primordial spirit from two lives and a decade of practicing the zither strengthening his primordial spirit, he managed to commit it to memory.

Feeling his head swim and temples pulsing.

The noise outside drew closer still.

The old man watched the young man before him with a smile and asked, "Have you memorized it all?"