Mutated Tao

“He has become a Buddha.”

Upon hearing the abbot’s calm words, Li Huowang felt a chill run down his spine.

He abruptly shifted his gaze toward the five giant golden Buddhas. Just a moment ago, they had seemed solemn and dignified, yet now, their demeanor seemed to have changed.

Li Huowang was just about to get up when he glanced at the bright sun outside, and then he once again looked at the abbot who was sitting before him. The old abbot was still sitting in the same spot as before, completely calm and composed, almost as though he had not just uttered those horrifying words.

Hold on, don’t scare yourself. It might not be what I am imagining.

After careful consideration, Li Huowang spoke again, “Abbot, did Dan Yangzi have some conflict with the Righteous Monastery before?”

“That’s right; he was going around killing people and causing chaos. I had sent our monastery’s warrior monks to capture him, but he managed to slip away each time. You have done a deed of great merit by coming up with a way to get rid of this person,” replied the abbot.

“Abbot, may I ask then how such an evildoer could become a Buddha? How is that possible?” questioned Li Huowang.

“Amitabha! Whatever he is now is not determined by what he was before. I have Buddha in my heart. Hence, in my heart, he is now a Buddha,” the abbot explained.

Li Huowang felt frustrated; this old monk seemed to be speaking in riddles.

“Dan Yangzi has now left behind the mundane world. It doesn’t matter what I think he is; what matters is what you think he is, since he is whatever you think he is. Moreover, his karma now lies with you, and not with me,” Xin Hui continued in a composed voice.

This time, however, Li Huowang understood the meaning the abbot was trying to convey.

“So you’re saying that Dan Yangzi has become a shapeless, ever-changing entity? Just like the Wandering Gods?” asked Li Huowang.

“Yes,” replied the abbot.

“But why? How could he become something strange like that? After all, I fabricated all those so-called Immortality techniques! And there were so many deadly poisons which should have killed him!” Li Huowang couldn’t figure this out.

“I don’t know,” The abbot replied honestly. “I am not an omniscient Buddha. At the same time, as a monk, I cannot speak falsely. I don’t know.”

Li Huowang pondered for a moment, then asked another crucial question, “Abbot, is there a way to completely get rid of Dan Yangzi? Since he is our common enemy, it’s not good to just leave him like that.”

Li Huowang had spent so much energy coming over here, just to resolve this problem; he had to get rid of Dan Yangzi, regardless of what Dan Yangzi had turned into.

This time, however, Xin Hui did not reply so quickly. He fell into deep thought, then raised his right hand. “Come here. I need to take another look.”

Li Huowang hesitated for a moment while looking at that wrinkled, white hand.

“Benefactor Xuan Yang, if you’re still suspecting that I wish to harm you, then you shouldn’t even have stepped through our temple gates,” said the abbot upon seeing Li Huowang’s hesitation.

Li Huowang paused for a moment, and then placed his forehead onto his palm.

Buzz!

Li Huowang suddenly felt all the colors around him become much more vibrant, and started feeling weightless.

However, this intriguing feeling came and went quickly. When he returned to normal, Li Huowang did not know what had just happened, and even felt a sense of emptiness within his heart.

At that moment, he understood that this abbot must have some Buddhist supernatural abilities.

“Hmm… this matter is of utmost importance. I need to discuss our strategy with the other elders. You can stay in our temple for now, and we’ll give you our reply tomorrow,” said the abbot.

Li Huowang was a little nervous when he heard that he had to stay back. “I’ve got friends on the outside. They won’t feel assured if I don’t return.”

Despite Li Huowang declining the invitation, the abbot’s tone remained unhurried. “It’s up to you whether you choose to stay or to leave. The Righteous Monastery opens at dawn. Benefactor Xuan Yang, please don’t break your promise. You know as well as I do that if we don’t get rid of this trouble, it will be a grave danger to not just you, but to all the lives in this world.”

When Li Huowang stepped outside the temple into the sunlight and looked back inward, he found that the abbot had already turned around and begun to chant toward the giant Buddha statues.

Li Huowang looked up to see the large midday sun, and then looked toward the peaceful temple surroundings.

Just after Li Huowang turned around and took a few steps away from the temple, the back of the abbot’s bald head began to squirm. Not long after, the smooth skin under the five-Buddha hat slowly split apart, revealing a fist-sized giant pupil that wriggled out and stared at Li Huowang’s departing figure.

At that moment, the old abbot’s chants suddenly increased in volume. “Form is not me… If it were me, form would not cause illness and troubles. I wish to be this form… I do not wish to be this form… Do as I please… So I should know…”

Meanwhile, Li Huowang took various turns as he retraced his steps back to the temple’s main gate, where the worshipers were gathered. Seeing the crowd, he had a feeling that he had returned to the mortal world.

He stood in the middle of the crowd and looked toward the alleyway he had just walked out of. He felt somewhat hesitant.

Should I trust him?

“Hey! Taoist! I’m here!”

Li Huowang turned back to see someone shouting for him; it was the old monk who traveled alongside his group. Li Huowang could see him waving excitedly.

“You came to the Righteous Monastery? They accepted you?” asked Li Huowang.

The old monk nodded eagerly. “Yes, that monk over there took pity on me, and allowed me to stay and work here.”

“That’s good. Make sure to work hard here; at least it’s better than digging around for wild vegetables or eating the offerings made to the dead. I’ll take my leave first. Right, I still haven’t gotten your name.”

“You can just call me Monk. I like being called Monk. Come and visit the temple when you have the time,” replied Monk.

“Keke, as you Buddhists like to say, let fate decide,” replied Li Huowang. He bid his farewell to Monk and left the Righteous Monastery.

When he arrived at the inn, the others surged forth and surrounded him like a flock of bees.

Li Huowang raised his hand to stop the questioning and said, “I have a task for everyone. Split up and go around to ask about the Righteous Monastery.”

Though his interaction with those monks today had been very normal, he still planned to listen to the opinions of the locals before planning his next move.

After getting this task, the others did not question it; they just nodded and turned to walk out of the inn.

Time trickled by. As the sun set, they all came back one by one, and reported their findings to him.

“They say that the Righteous Monastery is the largest monastery in Western Capital City. Its incense is considered the most marvelous.”

“I heard that their monks are very devout and abide by their rules quite strictly. Once, a monk stole some meat, and was immediately expelled from the temple.”

“I heard that even the Emperor goes to that temple to pray. If you’re lucky and get a good spot, you can even spot the Emperor!”

“I heard similar things as the others. Senior, why do you want us to inquire about the Righteous Monastery?”

Li Huowang did not respond; he did not want to tell them the terrifying truth that Dan Yangzi could still be alive.

After carefully sorting through their findings, he found no reason to refute the abbot’s offer. If he did not trust these monks, then he could only face this “Buddha” Dan Yangzi head-on. However, this choice would unquestionably lead to his death. After weighing the pros and cons, Li Huowang made the decision to return to the Righteous Monastery on the next day.

Chacha and Char’s Thoughts

Dan Yangzi became Buddha?!