Rabbit Must Die
Chapter 63 Carefree is the Immortal, Open-minded is the Buddha_1

Chapter 63: Chapter 63 Carefree is the Immortal, Open-minded is the Buddha_1

A black gate swung wide open, the entrance ominous and terrifying. Soon, a procession emerged, all clad in black robes! The leader rode a five-colored divine bull, his features obscured, but exuding an aura of unmatched valor. As he passed by, the assembled Immortals stood to greet him!

Only a few did not rise to their feet, opting instead to raise their cups in salute from a distance... The rider atop the divine bull did not dismount either, instead returning the salute from afar.

Upon seeing Yang Jian, Yang Jian gave a slight nod, acknowledging the greeting.

For the first time, the man on the divine bull spoke, "Immortal Master, it’s been a long time."

Yang Jian gestured for him to sit but said nothing, his cool demeanor leaving Qin Shou envious to his core.

These individuals took their seats on the tenth level of the Cloud Altar.

"That’s the Yama Kings of Ten Halls, who govern the Netherworld, where all living beings cycle through life and death. They may not rank very high, but their power is not insignificant. The one atop the five-colored divine bull is the Emperor of the Perdition City; he is not like the Ten Yama Kings. As for his status, see for yourself..." As Dog Xiaotian spoke, the Emperor of the Perdition City reached the level of the venerable Five Elders and slowly took his seat.

Dog Xiaotian said, "Even though he sits there, the Emperor of the Perdition City is a real power player. Even when the Siyu meet him, they treat him with respect."

Qin Shou silently nodded, etching these notable figures in his memory.

Then, the sky began to open with gates of light as Star Monarchs, divine officials, and rogue immortals arrived on Phoenixes, or standing on Divine Dragons... Qin Shou’s eyes darted everywhere, trying to take it all in.

Dog Xiaotian initially tried to introduce them one by one, but soon realized it was impossible and eventually said, "You’d better just watch."

With the arrival of so many, the area below Emperor Siyu quickly filled, and the atmosphere turned lively. Especially notable were the rogue immortals, each one drinking wine and boasting loudly, looking as if they were all related to those above.

At that moment, a Buddhist chant resonated, followed by the descent of lotus flowers, as a group slowly emerged from a golden gate!

"The Buddhists have arrived!" Dog Xiaotian instinctively stood up, his expression solemn.

Seeing this, Qin Shou also rose to his feet, his mind reflexively reviewing tales of conflicts between Buddhism and Daoism from novels he’d read in the past, wondering, "Could there be a struggle here as well?"

Qin Shou inquired, "Is there any strife between Buddhism and Daoism now?"

Dog Xiaotian was taken aback and retorted, "Strife? Why would there be strife?"

Qin Shou was astonished, "So harmonious?"

Dog Xiaotian gave Qin Shou a withering look and said, "Why wouldn’t it be harmonious? The second master once said, most people in the world are good, with only a small minority being bad. Both Buddhism and Daoism are major sects. It’s inevitable that there will be minor frictions among followers, but wrongdoing is individual—it doesn’t make sense to target an entire sect."

Qin Shou was speechless at this response... Indeed, reality and legend are not the same.

Since there was no conflict between the two sides, Qin Shou no longer worried about being caught up in any grand conspiracies between Buddhism and Daoism and contentedly enjoyed the spectacle of the Immortals and Buddhas arriving from the heavens...

"Hey, is that fat guy with the head wrap Tathagata Buddha?" Qin Shou asked, pointing at the man walking in the forefront of the Buddhists.

But when Qin Shou turned around, Dog Xiaotian had already moved more than a hundred meters away, his head lowered, counting ants, pretending he didn’t know Qin Shou.

At the same time, Qin Shou felt numerous gazes upon him, and instinctively he looked up, only to find that all the Buddhist figures were looking back at him!

Embarrassed, Qin Shou extended his paw in greeting and said, "Hi..."

To Qin Shou’s surprise, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas all smiled knowingly, and not a single one seemed angered by his remark.

Someone laughed and said, "Buddha, what do you think of this rabbit analogy?"

The Tathagata Buddha chuckled and replied, "Amitabha, quite vivid."

Many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas laughed...

Following that, a group of people drifted off, each finding a seat.

Qin Shou then glanced at the other Immortals looking his way, only to find each of them giving a thumbs-up, chuckling, "Rabbit, awesome..."

Qin Shou smiled awkwardly. What could he say? Damn it, past life’s web novels and jokes were to blame; he spoke without thinking... Could he be faulted?

Despite this, Qin Shou couldn’t help but mutter to himself, "True to the Buddha and Bodhisattva’s nature, such magnanimity... indeed, novels and whatnot are deceiving, where are all these villains from... everyone is actually getting along well."

Although his time in the Heavenly Court had been short, Qin Shou had discovered that the immortals of the Heavenly Court and the Buddhas of the West all had agreeable personalities... no dark schemes or tricks, just straightforward as nerds without a hint of guile, with their emotions plainly shown on their faces, unpretentious and carefree...

Of course, he disregarded the occasional bad apple... Qin Shou was never one to focus on a speck of dirt and declare the whole rice jar contaminated; he was always the rascal drooling over the sight of white rice...

"Face the sunshine, and the world is full of sunshine." This was what Qin Shou had learned from Old Master Qin, and it was a belief he firmly held in life.

Lost in thought, Qin Shou was startled to find the Tathagata Buddha seated in the same row as the five Elders!

Qin Shou hurriedly went over to ask Dog Xiaotian, "The Tathagata Buddha is sitting in the same row as the five Elders?"

Dog Xiaotian replied matter-of-factly, "What’s so strange about that?"

Qin Shou asked, "It’s not strange?"

Dog Xiaotian explained, "Buddhism may be a major sect, but it’s ultimately under the management of the Heavenly Court. The West may not have an Overlord to suppress it, and the Buddha might be akin to an Overlord, but isn’t the title still somewhat unofficial? If the Buddha sat in the position of the Siyu Overlords, wouldn’t that imply he is equal to the Heavenly Court Overlord? The Overlord represents the Heavenly Court, so that would mean sitting on par with the Heavenly Court itself.

In fact, although many are as powerful as the Emperor Siyu and are qualified to sit in their position, unless they have rebellious intentions, they generally wouldn’t want to sit higher.

Besides, no one would really dare to treat the Buddha as one of the five Elders just because he’s sitting in their row... It’s a balance, a mutual respect. After all, the Heavenly Court was established by Saints, representing the entire cosmos..."

With that explanation, Qin Shou nodded slightly, finding some sense in it.

While they were talking, a tinkling of bells rang out, followed by three chariots slowly approaching, drawn by celestial horses from afar, with purple aura rising from the east, lotus flowers falling, and the gentle sound of immortal music...

Dog Xiaotian announced, "Emperor Ziwei of the North, Emperor Qinghua of the East, and Emperor Changsheng of the South have arrived!"

A wave of excitement surged through Qin Shou; he hadn’t expected to see these characters from mythology, the great Emperors of Taoism, in his lifetime!

The Emperor Ziwei of the North was a handsome young man dressed in a purple imperial robe, his refined demeanor lending an air of scholarly elegance; truly a noble Emperor.

Emperor Qinghua of the East, a middle-aged man, stood tall and straight like a sword, as imposing as an ancient pine, exuding authority in every glance.

Emperor Changsheng of the South was an old man, with long flowing beard, an embodiment of otherworldly wisdom and benevolence, exactly as Qin Shou had pictured an immortal to be.

After the arrival of the three Emperors, they took their seats.