Chapter 56: The Emperor’s Plan for the Buddhist Crossing to the East

Chapter 56: Buddhism's Eastward Journey, The Emperor's Scheme

September 27th, Yulanpen Festival (Ghost Festival) (fictional, please do not associate with reality).

Auspicious for: opening a business, starting work, opening a store, building a stove.

Inauspicious for: moving, entering a new house, breaking ground, traveling.

As the season changed, the air became a bit chilly.

However, Sanmiao Mountain outside Yu Prefecture City was bustling with activity, with pedestrians visible everywhere on the mountain roads.

The Yulanpen Festival (Ghost Festival) was originally a festival from the Western Regions. On this day, people offered sacrifices to their parents and commemorated their ancestors. It was one of Buddhism's sacrificial festivals.

Because Buddhism flourished in the Great Zhou Dynasty and was highly valued and appreciated by successive Emperors of the Zhou Dynasty, the Yulanpen Festival (Ghost Festival) became widely popular during the Zhou Dynasty, with people vying to emulate it.

Later, with the collapse of the Zhou Dynasty, Buddhism's status in Great Yan gradually declined, even facing resistance from many Schools, leading to its gradual decline. Most Buddhist Sects retreated to the Western Regions, and Buddhist sacrifices and festivals naturally became desolate.

But today seemed different. Along the way, people gathered like ants, slowly making their way towards Faxi Temple on Sanmiao Mountain, making it much livelier than previous Yulanpen Festivals (Ghost Festival).

This was because today, in addition to being the Buddhist Yulanpen Festival (Ghost Festival), was also the grand gathering organized by the Cao Gang to denounce the Demonic Sect. Although the Ghost Swordsman of the Demonic Sect was already dead, the campaign against the Demonic Sect still had to proceed.

In the Scripture Depository, Fa Zhi sat on a futon, eyes slightly closed, reciting scriptures.

Beside him, the red-lipped and white-toothed young monk Fa Wu also had a focused expression.

"Great Master Fa Zhi, long time no see."

Just then, a deep voice came from outside the hall.

Outside the hall, the man was about forty years old, his eyes as calm as a deep abyss, his face devoid of any expression, like the cold ice on a snowy mountain. His loose red cloak made him appear somewhat aloof, and a yellow jade token carved with the character 'Xuan' hung from his waist.

The moment Fa Wu saw the man, he felt an extreme chill throughout his body, as if he had suddenly gone from the cool autumn to the bitter cold of winter.

Behind the cold man followed three Gold Character Constables in black cloaks, with Hong Yuanwu in the middle.

"The first time we met was in Xingping Year 7. Now it's Xingping Year 13, and six years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Fa Zhi stood up with a sigh of emotion and said, "Lord Gan, you are still the same as ever. Besides your martial arts improving, your appearance hasn't changed much."

In Great Yan, the first thing one needed to understand when traversing the Jianghu was the Great Yan Emperor's sharpest blade and Sharp Weapon, the Black Robe Guard.

It was precisely because of the Black Robe Guard that the current Emperor could rest easy. One could say that the Black Robe Guard was like a Sharp Weapon that the Emperor hung over the Jianghu.

The Black Robe Guard was divided into four Ranks of experts: Jade, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Among them, there were seventy-two Gold Character experts, known as the Seventy-two Earthly Fiends of Great Tiangang. Each of them possessed Peak Second Rank cultivation, and almost every one of them had the strength to enter the tiger rankings, but because they held official positions, they were not listed on the Jianghu dragon and tiger rankings.

Next were the Jade Character experts, of whom there were thirty-six, hence they were called the Great Tiangang.

Jade Character experts were even more formidable, with the lowest cultivation being First Rank, and many among them were Jade Character experts who had formed Human Flower and Earth Flower Realm.

Every year, the imperial court would recruit Jianghu experts into the Black Robe Guard. Once a Great Tiangang or Earthly Fiend died in battle, someone would immediately fill their place, so the Black Robe Guard had an extremely abundant reserve of personnel, astonishing all Jianghu forces.

The Black Robe Guard's reputation in the Jianghu was even more thunderous and renowned. As a Sharp Weapon for the Emperor to deal with the Jianghu, its role was self-evident: to clear out any unruly elements in Great Yan for the Emperor.

No force in the Jianghu wanted to be sought out by the Black Robe Guard, not even the seven major top Jianghu forces.

This cold man before them was Gan Yue, the Heavenly Prison Star, one of the Thirty-Six Great Tiangang.

Fa Wu, however, looked at Gan Yue with a puzzled expression. He hadn't expected his Senior Brother to be an old acquaintance of this cold man. Xingping Year 7… he must have been only two years old then.

"Great Master Fa Zhi flatters me."

Gan Yue said indifferently, "Appearance is but a skin."

Fa Zhi put his palms together and softly said, "Lord Gan's wisdom is profound and extremely rare. His future achievements are immeasurable."

"To advance further, I, Gan, dare not imagine."

Gan Yue waved his hand, "I have come here under orders to assist Great Master in suppressing this evil entity. I wonder what the situation is now?"

At this time, he was one of the Thirty-Six Great Tiangang, the most top-tier expert of the Black Robe Guard, and in the Jianghu, he also possessed First Rank cultivation. To advance further would be even more difficult.

Fa Zhi's brows furrowed, then he sighed, "A few days ago, the Yin Qi dispersed, and coupled with the collapse of the Buddha statue yesterday, I fear this evil entity is about to emerge. This monk feels that this is just a sign, or rather, a warning."

Seeing Fa Zhi's solemn expression, Gan Yue couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is this evil entity?"

This monk before him was the head of the Great Sun Courtyard of Leiyin Temple, one of the Eighteen Arhats of the Western Regions.

An expert who could be called an Arhat in the Western Regions would have at least First Rank Human Flower Realm cultivation. His strength was so profound and unfathomable that even he might not be able to see through it, yet the person before him had such a solemn expression, which was enough to show how terrifying the Sealed object was.

"This monk is not entirely clear. Many ancient texts have been lost, and many things recorded within them are not very clear."

Fa Zhi shook his head, "However, this Seal was left by the Great Zhou Dynasty. Besides Faxi Temple, there are other places that also have this evil entity. Once the evil entity breaks free from the Seal, there will be a great catastrophe."

"A great catastrophe?!"

Hearing this, Gan Yue couldn't help but recall an event from several years ago.

At that time, in the Imperial Study, Zhong Binru, the Sword-Wielding Eunuch and one of the Emperor's three chief eunuchs, inquired about how to curb the current Zhenyi Sect. As an attendant listening in, Gan Yue was fortunate enough to be present.

He clearly remembered what the Emperor said: If there are five monkeys and you have five peaches, if you distribute the five peaches to the five monkeys, they will surely be dissatisfied with their master. But if you only offer four peaches, they will only fight amongst themselves, and in turn, they will be respectful to their master.

If An Jing were present, he would surely understand the profound meaning. The current Great Yan Emperor was merely transforming class contradictions into internal contradictions.

Currently, the seven major Schools of the world occupy more than half of the Jianghu, and among this half of the Jianghu, the Zhenyi Sect, revered as the national religion, dominates the world, occupying a large portion, meaning half of the Jianghu belongs to the Zhenyi Sect.

As an Emperor, how could he be willing to see the Zhenyi Sect monopolize the Jianghu? Although the Sect Leader of the Zhenyi Sect had the merit of supporting him from the beginning, and the world's number one expert residing on Zhenyi Mountain was even a close friend of his.

But in the human world, an Emperor is an Emperor.

And because Western Regions Buddhism withdrew from Great Yan during the chaos of the Nine Kingdoms, now that the country is peaceful and the society stable, if Buddhism were to be brought back, it could throw a huge stone into the chaotic Jianghu, stirring up a storm.

There were simply too many advantages to bringing Buddhism back.

According to historical records, Buddhism should flourish in times of peace, which could stabilize the country and society. On another front, the return of Buddhism could curb the development of the Zhenyi Sect, even strike a blow at its arrogance, and resist the possible resurgence of the Demonic Sect.

The Western Regions were known as the Three Thousand Buddhist Kingdoms. Although somewhat exaggerated, there were indeed many Buddhist Schools, divided into Chan Sect and Esoteric Sect, with numerous experts, no less formidable than the Zhenyi Sect.

In addition, it could also suppress the unknown Seal left by the Zhou Dynasty. And although Buddhism knew this was an open conspiracy, in order to return to their homeland and spread Buddhist scriptures, they had no choice but to step into it.

And the Emperor had already begun to plan and set up such an exquisite chess game several years ago, which made people unable to help but sigh in admiration.

Fa Zhi pondered for a long time, then said, "This monk believes that the loosening of this Seal might also be the work of someone with ulterior motives. I ask Lord Gan to pay close attention."

Fa Zhi suspected this was the work of the Demonic Sect, but he did not say it aloud.

"Man-made?!"

Gan Yue's eyes narrowed into slits, and he sneered, "Someone wants to make this world unstable?"

Thanks to the ultimate = Young Master for the reward, thank you!