Chapter 214 – Fooling around

With a single screenshot, Jiang Luo was able to con his way into several large red packets.

The group went crazy with laughter, spoofing the picture with different words to make different emoji packs. Jiang Luo laughed at their antics and went back to WeChat to ask Chi You: [Was it good?

Chi You’s response was several red packets representing silent mockery.

Jiang Luo took it all, [is this real money?

[Dear Jiang, I have lots and lots of money, apart from plutonium,] Chi You said slowly, [enough to take you anywhere in the world to enjoy life.

Jiang Luo picked up the man’s hint, [You want to travel with me?

The evil spirit said, [I just want to spend half a month with you again].

Chi You was unhappy with the frail and draggy image he had left of Jiang Luo during his escape from Dawu Mountain. He wanted to replace his previous wretchedness with a strong and perfect look.

But Chi You didn’t tell anyone, and when he opened his eyes and found himself alive, when he saw Jiang Luo beside him, wearily protecting him, an extremely strange emotion rose up in him like never before, a subtle and strange emotion that seemed to scream contentment and a sense of security.

Chi You never thought that he would be able to open his eyes again after losing consciousness, and that Jiang Luo would not give up on him even though he had become a drag.

It was a whole new experience for him.

Travel?

Jiang Luo was shamefully moved to look at Sai Liaoer, who was still watching the screen with great interest, and typed: [Sai Liaoer, is there any place in your country that is suitable for travel?

Sai Liaoer was not sleepy when it came to this, and enthusiastically told Jiang Luo about the famous tourist attractions in his country, and warmly invited him: [Jiang, our country is going to have a carnival soon, do you want to go?

Jiang Luo rubbed his chin seriously and said: [I will think about it.

The deliberately neglected predestined man knelt for three days, in a most respectful and pious manner, arriving each morning and leaving before the temple closed, without taking a break to eat, for twelve hours at a time. But although the predestined man stooped to worship Jiang Luo, he did not appear humble and pitiful; on the contrary, the predestined man was generous and unassuming. Who would think that a sincere worshipper of God is flattering and pleasing? Onlookers will only see his sincerity.

At the end of the third day of worship, the host smiled as he rose from the ground, “It is late today, so I will disturb you tomorrow.”

Just as he was about to leave, the true God, who had watched him kneel in silence for three days, finally said, “Why have you come?”

The true god’s tone was faint, and contained a few moments of doubt. Yet this doubt is all very thin, as if it were an irrelevant enquiry at the sight of an ant walking against the grain.

With a twinkle in his eyes, the fatalist respectfully bowed, “My junior would like to ask you for a few words of instruction.”

The true gods asked, “What are you being instructed about?”

The Predestined said, “Instruct the late generation how to become a god.”

This time, the true God was silent for a long time.

Such silence was silent, yet it seemed to reveal everywhere a mockery of the predestined man. The predestined man lowered his eyes and waited in silence for the words of the true God.

After a long silence, the True God said directly, “You cannot become a god.”

The fatalist smiled gently, his expression not seeing defeat, “Why?”

“How can a mortal become a god?” The True God said.

The word “mortal” made the Fatalist’s smile fade, the Fatalist’s desire to become a god had almost become an obsession, his two hundred years of hardship was to get rid of the category of “mortal”, these two words were the Fatalist’s least favourite words, almost like poking a knife at The flesh and blood of the fatalist.

He asked rhetorically, “Why can’t a mortal become a god? Since ancient times there have only been many legends of people becoming gods, immortals and Buddhas, so why can’t I?”

The predestined man bowed once more, “I would also like to ask the senior to guide me.”

The True God asked in disbelief, “Why do you want to become a god? For an immortal official’s salary, or for immortality and longevity in heaven and earth?”

The Predestined One’s expression became distant as he looked at the resting summit of Jokhang Temple, where the evening sun had darkened and enveloped a side of heaven and earth. It was as if he saw himself once finding the way to godhood for the first time in the Jokhang Temple Tibetan Buddhist Temple, “I became a god, not for this.”

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been thinking about something,” the predestined man said, simply sitting anywhere, through a door panel, and discussing it with the true god in the room, “I’ve been wondering if there is a god in this world or not.”

“We worship the gods, make offerings to them, ask them for prayers, and use their power to suppress evil spirits and demons. It is reasonable to say that if there are ghosts and spirits, there are gods, but who has ever seen a real god descend?”

“The Buddhist Siddhartha Mani became a Buddha by cutting his flesh and feeding it to an eagle. The ancestor of Taoism, Zhang Tian Shi, also cultivated from a human being to become a divine being. The old master beheaded and collected the six heavenly ghost kings on Mount Qingcheng, and began to separate human beings from ghosts, and his merits were completed and he ascended to heaven. The two religions of Buddhism and Taoism worship them, and with the power of Buddha and the Ancestors they subdue demons and remove karmic obstacles, but has anyone really seen these two? And do these two really exist?”

As if forgetting that there was a true god right next to him, the Fated One slowly said, “I became a god not for immortality, nor for heavenly spells. I was just curious. There are always people who want to do something for the sake of curiosity. Until they do, who can prove that they exist or don’t exist? When I was young I didn’t think anyone would land on the moon in a few hundred years either. It’s like other people look at me and think that becoming a god is just a distant dream of mine, something that can’t be achieved.”

He suddenly smiled, his eyes showing reminiscence, “I have lived for two hundred years, and when I went out to look for traces of God and Buddha, I have seen many wars and national disasters, large and small, including the most difficult times. I have seen many people die in exile and in exile. There were people whose own children were starving to death and who were starving to the bone themselves, yet they still had food left over to worship the gods and Buddhas. They pinned their hopes on the Taoist temples and begged the gods to relieve them of their suffering, but I didn’t see the gods actually respond to their believers.”

“Those who are dying will seek God and worship Buddha, and those who live long will also seek God and worship Buddha; those who have sinned deeply want to be cleansed of their sins, and the righteous want God and Buddha to punish those who hold the butcher’s knife in their hands.”

“Unlike them, I don’t seek gods for longevity or to pray. I just want to try and see if I can respond to my followers if I become a god,” the predestined man said indifferently, “I just want to see what it is like after becoming a god. As long as I can become a god, even if I die after becoming a god, I will be willing to do so.”

He speaks gently, yet tersely. The predestined man seeks the Way, not for profit, not to escape from life and death; he has no desires, so he looks down on the hundreds of beings who go to the gods and worship Buddhism for their own desires.

Even if the one who says he “cannot become a god” is a true god, the predestined man does not believe in the words of a true god.

Jiang Luo was silent for a long time, and I must say that the Predestined had his own theories, and his theories were extremely convincing. Even Sai Liaoer could not help but look pensive as he listened, thinking that what he said made sense.

The Fatalist had lived for two hundred years, he had seen everything and already had his own set of logic. Jiang Luo was not led astray by him, but only felt deeply the Predestined Man’s paranoia about becoming a god.

The more paranoid he is, the better his plans will go.

Only after a long time did the True God say indifferently, “All appearances are illusory.”

This is saying that the predestined person is caught up in the world.

In the Heart Sutra it is said that “all dharmas are empty” and that the essence of the phase is emptiness, but one should not cling to the essence of emptiness and be paranoid that the phase is empty.

The predestined man knew the meaning of this statement, which was nothing but to say that he was too obsessed with becoming a god, instead of becoming one. The predestined man said humbly, “Please also ask for guidance from senior.”

“You say that there are many legends of people becoming gods, immortals and Buddhas, and indeed there are many. From the smallest to Chang’e running to the moon, to Siddhartha Mani becoming a Buddha on the ground,” said the true god in a distant voice, as if coming from far away, wrapped in a cloud-like haze, “the three hundred and sixty-five ‘righteous gods’ that were enthroned during the Western Zhou Dynasty’s destruction of the Shang, most of them were enthroned after death. Most of the three hundred and sixty-five ‘proper gods’ who were enthroned during the destruction of the Shang Dynasty were enthroned after death. Confucius was revered as a saint and became a god after his death, and Qu Yuan and Wu Zixu were no different. Since ancient times, the Three Emperors and Five Emperors could also become gods after their deaths, and even Guan Er Er, who is particularly believed in by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, was also crowned as a god after his death and became the ‘Great Emperor of the Three Realms of Fulfillment’, and Guan Er Er was the most successful person to change from a human being to a god.”

“Precisely,” the predestined man smiled and took over, “the mythology says that ‘the wise and upright are gods’, and most of the minor gods on earth, such as the city gods and land masters, are also ordained by the local officials after the death of those who have left a virtuous name. Senior looks at me, is it not enough to become a god?”

Since he was determined to become a god, he has not killed a single person. He had a virtuous name and enlightenment. When he was brought into Jokhang Temple by the abbot of Jokhang Temple, the abbot said that the predestined man had a Buddhist heart.

The heart is like a rock, and like a clear platform, not happy with things, nor sad with oneself.

Any way you look at it, it’s a good material for becoming a god.

But Jiang Luo really did not believe that he could become a god. A man like the Predestined Man, who had been in the stage of being a false god for so many years, was still predicted to be killed by Chi You. If he could become a god, Jiang Luo would take his surname.

Jiang Luo was confident that he was going to start making things up, and although he hadn’t read many Buddhist scriptures, no one had ever beaten Jiang Luo at making things up.

He said, “You were once a disciple of the Buddha, so you should know what the word ‘Buddha’ is. ‘Buddha’ means ‘man foo’, i.e. man don’t want, i.e. to transcend the world and leave behind the ego.”

The fatalist froze and frowned slightly.

“The Siddhartha Mani, as you call him, became a Buddha after death. The old ancestor you speak of also ascended after feathering, not to mention the other gods and immortals I spoke to you about, which of them did not become gods after death?” Jiang Luo said, “These gods and Buddhas have transcended themselves and are detached from worldly concepts, and have the great righteousness of having a heart for the world and being willing to sacrifice for others. I say how can a mortal become a god because you still have a mortal heart. Siddhartha Mani practised for twelve years from the time of her training to the time of her enlightenment, but you have not become a god, an immortal or a Buddha in two hundred years.

The Fatalist’s face paled slightly.

“Eliminate the delusion of greed and anger, and pay off the karma of those you owe and hurt; you are obsessed with false fame, but you have violated the original righteousness of becoming a god. Use your false name to atone for your faults, and come back to pursue your path.”

The predestined man was silent for a long time, “Are you asking me to admit my faults to everyone?”

The true gods of the temple did not answer him.

The predestined man continued to ask, “You are asking me to confess, the truth of my prophecy back then?”

The true God still does not answer.

The gas incense in the incense burner in front of the predestined person suddenly snapped with a snap, as if telling the predestined person the answer.

The fatalist looked at Nagasuka with a rare look of hesitation on his face.

“Seniors, this ……”

The Predestined have never heard of people with tainted reputations becoming gods.

The true god interrupted him, as if angered by the questioning of the predestined, and his voice turned cold, “Whether you become a god or not is your business, and whether you believe or not is also your business. You go away, I want to rest.”

The predestined man stopped abruptly and withdrew from the temple in silence.

Jiang Luo waited for him to leave, stretched and began to pack his bags.

Sai Liaoer said curiously, “Jiang, what are you doing?”

“Travel,” Jiang Luo shrugged, “go out for half a month, that’s called a retreat, and when I leave, it’s the fatalists who will be anxious.”

Sai Liaoer nodded in confusion and wondered, “So where are you going to play?”

“Your country,” Jiang Luo tucked a pair of pants into his backpack, the corners of his mouth lifting, “I still want to go surfing on the beach and play on yachts and watch gypsy girls belly dance, what the hell, I’ve wanted to go out for a long time, I have the money and the time, I can go wherever I want, after half a month of surfing. Come back with souvenirs for you.”