Devour

Chapter 426: Wangchenjiang Discussion

Duanmu Jun, the head of the Dongsang Sword Sect, had a gloomy expression on his face, his words filled with sarcasm: "Venerable Dahui entered alone, yet required all the heroes in the world to wait outside. The World Honored One's sect is truly powerful, unfazed by public criticism."

His direct disciple Duanmu Qi simply cursed with sarcasm: "One bald head cultivates alone, two bald heads are lackeys, and three bald heads dare to claim to be king."

Xian Gen, despite his rough and unrestrained appearance, was actually not stupid. He could sense the sharpness and harshness of the words, and immediately retorted with a lion's roar, "Master Duanmu and his disciples are being disrespectful. We all came here with the same expectations, and we should always follow the principle of first come, first served. Unwarranted accusations only increase your sins."

Ren Yijian, the head of the Beiling Sword Sect, spoke gently but pointedly. He accused, "Unnecessarily wasting others' time is akin to stealing their money and killing them. You two are both great monks, after all. How can you not understand this?"

Of the six sword cultivators, Guo Xieke, head of the Prison Sword Sect, was the most senior and possessed the most profound skills. He sat firmly atop the rock, surveying his surroundings and warning, "Look! Another wave of pilgrims is arriving. Is the World Honored Sect also not letting them through?"

Chang Yufeng turned around and saw Cheng Bai and the others from a distance. He hurriedly greeted them, "Brother Dabai, come and sit over here. Let's all give our opinion on this matter."

Dharma King Miaoyin's face was dignified as he shouted, "Fellow Daoists heading for the Bone and Sword Burial Tomb, please stay! This road is blocked today."

But he was immediately shocked by the extraordinary aura of Cheng Bai and the others. His face changed slightly, and he quickly stood up, his tone changed to respectful: "So it is Master Li of the Eastern Confucian School who has come to visit. I am sorry for not coming to greet you."

The young people present were still bewildered upon hearing this, but the three sword sect leaders knew the significance of this title and quickly led their disciples in bowing and saying in unison, "Students respectfully welcome Master Li."

Cheng Bai and his group walked closer and calmly returned the greetings to the heroes.

Master Li asked gently, "My fellow Taoists, you are so excited to gather here by the river and have such a wonderful conversation. I'm sure you've gained a lot from it."

Dharma King Miaoyin did not dare to be disrespectful and said solemnly, "I am here to discuss with all the fellow Taoists who should be blamed for the sins."

Cheng Bai and others looked relaxed. They took out their cushions and placed them on the top of the basalt. They sat cross-legged next to the Prison Sword Sect. The others also returned to their original positions. The scene was peaceful and orderly.

With the addition of a saint to the debate, the originally subdued atmosphere suddenly became heated. The sword cultivators all looked delighted, their hearts filled with anticipation.

Chang Yufeng was already indignant, and since he was known for his outspokenness, he recounted the entire incident: "The two Zen masters of the Buddha's teachings have used Zen language to embarrass us and forbid us from making the pilgrimage to the Bone and Sword Tomb. I beg you, Master, to see clearly and uphold justice, and not allow them to hinder the path of all cultivators."

Guo Xieke smiled apologetically and said, "This is my young disciple, Chang Yufeng. He is young and ignorant, so if he has offended me, I hope you will forgive me."

"Yufeng, it's fine to call the scholar 'Master'. Calling him 'senior' seems too old!" Master Li responded with a smile. He then turned to Dharma King Miaoyin and calmly asked, "There must be a deep meaning behind the Dharma King's setting of these checkpoints. I wonder what is so profound about the topic he is discussing?"

"Acalanatha." Dharma King Miaoyin clasped his hands together and gazed towards the river. "Master, please look at that ferry boat. It's depicting the various aspects of life."

The mighty river flows eastward, waves crashing against the shore. At the Wangchen River ferry, the sounds of people bustle and throb. Residents of the surrounding, remote towns and villages bustle about making a living.

Several strong boatmen shouted slogans and worked together to push a wooden ferry from the beach into the river. As soon as the boat was launched and stabilized, the passengers who had been waiting for a long time swarmed and rushed onto the deck in a noisy manner.

The ferry drifted further and further away from the shore, leaving the once deserted beach in a state of disarray. The sand was covered with scattered footprints and deep boat tracks, with the remains of river crabs and shrimp scattered among them.

Some of these small creatures were crushed to death by the heavy ship's hull, some were trampled in the chaos of the crowd, and some were dismembered by bored people waiting for the ship, all of them ending up with broken shells and juices flowing everywhere.

Dharma King Miaoyin withdrew his gaze and asked the group in a deep voice, "I would like to ask my fellow Taoists. A boatman makes a living by ferrying people across the river, and this has led to the sudden death of shrimps and crabs. Is this the fault of the passengers, the boatman, or the shrimps and crabs themselves? Should they suffer this calamity?"

As soon as the words fell, a clear and pleasant female voice, filled with dissatisfaction and anger, scolded: "Is there any need to ask? You are just a small shrimp or crab, living peacefully in the shallows. How can you suffer such a misfortune for no reason? Where is your fault?"

The one who spoke was naturally Yao Shuang. She raised her bare hand, pointed angrily at the riverbank, and said, "It's clear that the passengers, bored while waiting for the boat, trampled on and dismembered a fragile creature for fun. This is cruel. The boatman, driven by profit, was negligent in pushing the boat, causing the boat to run over a tiny life. It was an unintentional mistake. Therefore, the fault lies with both the passengers and the boatman, and each has their own degree of culpability."

Yao Shuang finished speaking, feeling quite pleased with herself for her righteous words. Blinking her large, watery eyes, she looked at Ren Yijian expectantly, waiting for words of praise from her doting master.

Ren Yijian's eyes were deep as he sat upright, pondering over and over again: "Shuang'er has lived a privileged life since childhood, never experiencing hardship. She's kindhearted, simple and straightforward. But the world of cultivation is unlike the mortal world, full of bloodshed and fierce competition! If pushing a boat across a river is considered a fault, then cultivators like us who slaughter everything in our quest for ascension and seize the blessings of heaven and earth, at best harming innocents and at worst wiping out our entire clans and worlds, aren't we all guilty of grave sins? How can we ever be free in our sea of ​​consciousness, unhindered in our Dao heart, and fearless of the backlash of our inner demons?"

As expected, before Dharma King Miaoyin could even open his mouth, Xian Gen snorted heavily, retorting in a voice like thunder: "The donor's words may seem compassionate, but they are actually absurd and disqualified! The answer you gave is limited by the shallow views of ordinary morality. It is tantamount to denying the very foundation of a cultivator's life. You are trapped in your own web, and your future is doomed to be limited. Please return to the Beiling Sword Sect!"

"Grandmaster..." Yao Shuang blushed and felt annoyed after being refuted.

Ren Yijian closed his eyes and remained silent, just shaking his head slightly, obviously not agreeing with this point of view.

Yao Shuang suddenly felt lost and rolled her eyes at Xian Gen helplessly, but did not dare to argue anymore.

Dharma King Miaoyin looked around at the leaders of various sects present and said loudly, "Fellow Daoists, do you have any better answers to this question?"

"Yufeng, this kind of witty rhetoric and judgment of public cases is a great test of your character and knowledge! Your master has taught you how to deal with it." Guo Xieke was confident of his knowledge and experience. He coughed lightly and signaled Chang Yufeng with his eyes to come forward to answer.

Chang Yufeng received his master's instruction, held his head high, and said in a resounding voice, "Master Dharma King, in my humble opinion, this case is neither the fault of the passengers, nor the fault of the boatman, nor the fault of the shrimps and crabs!"

"Oh?" Miaoyin Dharma King Xiuya raised her eyebrows slightly and asked calmly, "The passengers, the boatman, and the shrimps and crabs are all innocent. So whose fault is it?"

Chang Yufeng looked solemn, his eyes piercing as he stared at the other person, and said shockingly: "It is the fault of Senior Dharma King!"

A strange light flashed in the eyes of Master Li and Cheng Bai, and a smug look appeared between Guo Xieke's brows. The others present were deeply shocked.

Dharma King Miaoyin seemed to have expected this, and said leisurely, "Miaoyin has been sitting here for a long time, without moving an inch. She didn't push the boat, nor did she step on the shrimp or crabs. What crime has she committed?"

Chang Yufeng displayed his eloquent speech, speaking eloquently: "Boatmen push their boats to make a living, passengers board to cross the river, and shrimps and crabs peacefully inhabit the shallows, only to suffer an unforeseen disaster. All things in the world are in the cycle of reincarnation, and there is no right or wrong. Sin arises from the mind; when the mind dies, sin ceases. How can an unintentional action constitute a crime? Even if there was a mistake, it was an unintentional one. But Senior Dharma King, you fabricated stories, fabricating right and wrong to torture people. Isn't this your fault?"

These remarks are progressive, brilliant and sharp, and they cleverly shift the focus of the fault from the event itself to the act of asking questions. They involve the profound concept of "when the mind arises, all kinds of dharmas arise; when the mind ceases, all kinds of dharmas cease." They are truly brilliant!

Cheng Bai, listening in, secretly praised, "Chang Yufeng has traveled the world for many years and has extensive experience in the martial arts world. He speaks very well." Then he thought, "It's just that his words are not without a touch of sophistry."

After hearing this, Xian Gen fell into deep thought and was speechless for a moment, unable to respond.

Dharma King Miaoyin's face showed no trace of emotion or anger, and his calm voice was filled with unquestionable power. "Master Changshi is extremely clever. He can use 'creating something out of nothing' to criticize sin, using emptiness to destroy existence. He possesses considerable wisdom. However, this statement may seem clever at first, but it obscures the true relationship between cause and effect."