He was born as a blacksmith, but he dominated the world

Chapter 361 The Meaning of Penance (Additional Chapter 20)

"That ascetic does not value worldly fame, wealth, gold, silver, jewelry, elixirs, weapons, or any other external things, so it is difficult to buy him off. If you want that thing, I'm afraid you'll have to rob it."

"Robbery?" Jiang Lin was not surprised. In fact, he had considered this possibility before coming here.

It doesn't work to reason with unreasonable people.

"Which family is the most powerful here?" Jiang Lin asked again.

The shopkeeper replied, "The nobleman here is called Jiumo. He is a descendant of the Buddha's national master hundreds of years ago. But he has always been a loner and doesn't care about other worldly affairs. He has no intersection with other noble clans."

Seeing Jiang Lin nod slightly, as if he was relaxed, the shopkeeper quickly added: "The alchemist a hundred years ago was suspected to have been beaten to death by Jiumo. If this is true, the thing must be in their hands."

"Although this clan is unique and all of them are ascetics, they are very powerful. It is said that there are four saints of the Shimen who have reached the realm of divine martial arts, as well as many masters such as the Shimen Eight Talents and Ten Philosophers. They are not easy to deal with. Moreover, the ascetics are united. If you provoke one of them, you will be hunted down by the ascetics of the entire Sangzhou. Even if you escape from Sangzhou, you can't escape."

"So... even if the imperial court is here, they are very cautious and will not easily get involved in matters related to ascetics."

Jiang Lin listened in silence. If it was just an ordinary Divine Martial Realm, he could shoot an arrow through the heart of not only the Four Saints, but even the Eighth or Tenth Saint.

But if it is about dealing with the ascetics of the entire Sangzhou, that is another matter.

What's more, the shopkeeper said that even if we leave Sangzhou, we will still be hunted down.

It is impossible for me to kill all the ascetics in Sangzhou. Even a ruthless person like Emperor Taizu failed to do it.

If you can't kill them all, it's like a dog-skin plaster that you can't get rid of.

The hard approach didn't work, and the soft approach didn't work either. Jiang Lin was a little confused for a moment. What should he do?

"Is there any other way?" Jiang Lin asked.

The shopkeeper showed hesitation and said, "There is a way, but the master may not agree."

"any solution?"

"Even if you become an ascetic and blend in, you may have a chance." The shopkeeper said, "But it is easy to become an ascetic, but it is difficult to escape from the sea of ​​suffering."

Jiang Lin didn't know what to say. If you can't beat them, just join them, right?

He looked at the shopkeeper, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

The shopkeeper seemed to understand what he wanted to say, and smiled bitterly, "Are you thinking that the Watchtower sent someone to disguise as an ascetic to fish in troubled waters?"

"We sent people to try it before you came. It's not difficult to become an ascetic, but it's extremely difficult to pass the test of three tribulations and nine difficulties. Several people died before they even passed the three tribulations."

Jiang Lin was surprised when he heard this. The shopkeeper repeated the so-called three disasters and nine difficulties.

The so-called three disasters are the disaster of war, the disaster of plague, and the disaster of famine.

There will be war for seven days, plague for seventy-seven days, and famine for seven hundred and seventy-seven days.

How many people in the world can survive being surrounded and hacked by people of the same level for seven days without dying?
They luckily survived, but another seventy-seven days of plague came, which was the deadly poison released by Jiumo.

After enduring these seventy-seven days, you will have to have your stomach cut open and starve for another seven hundred and seventy-seven days.

The Nine Difficulties are said to be what the Buddha encountered when he attained enlightenment.

The first difficulty is to practice hard for five hundred years and then spit out a sharp sword from your mouth. The second difficulty is to practice hard for five hundred years and then attack with hidden power. The third difficulty is to push the mountain and crush the top of the head. The fourth difficulty is to prick the feet with strange trees. The fifth difficulty is to kill the disciples. The sixth difficulty is to eat the poison of the monster. The seventh difficulty is to expose the spine and blow the strong wind. The eighth difficulty is to practice hard for six years. The ninth difficulty is to have the skin peeled off.

Once these three disasters and nine difficulties are overcome, one will transcend the human world and attain the supreme fruit like the Buddha, which means the end of arduous practice.

But many ascetics cannot even get through the three tribulations, let alone the nine tribulations that follow.

For hundreds of years, no one has ever heard of anyone being able to survive the three calamities and nine difficulties to become a Buddha or a patriarch.

Jiang Lin felt a little horrified when he heard this. Is this what ascetic practice is?

This is simply extreme self-abuse. No wonder Sangzhou has so few people. Who would be willing to come to this damn place?

Those who were able to stay may not have even left the city gate.

“So once you leave the city, it’s easy to be forced to practice hardship, because fewer and fewer people are willing to do so nowadays.” The shopkeeper said at last.

Jiang Lin didn't know what to say. In such a disaster, it was normal to be unwilling to practice hard. Those who were willing to do so were the ones with a problem in their brains.

But to infiltrate the ascetic camp, one would have to go through so many hardships and it would take a long time, and Jiang Lin was obviously unwilling to do so.

The shopkeeper said, "It doesn't necessarily have to last that long. I heard that the ascetic has a magic weapon in his hand, which is a world of its own, called the Sumeru Wheel. When going through the tribulation here, the time inside and outside will be different. But to enter the Sumeru Wheel, you must first be approved by the Four Saints of the Shimen. As for what will happen after that, I don't know."

After all, Zuowang Tower is just a gang force. Although Jiang Lin has cultivated many Yuanwu realm masters with his elixirs, they are nothing compared to the hard-working practitioners in Sangzhou.

It's good enough to be able to find out so many things.

"Sumeru Wheel?" Jiang Lin listened thoughtfully. He had heard of Sumeru, mustard seed, and the small thousand worlds before.

I just didn't expect that there is a similar saying in this world.

As for the recognition from the Four Saints of Shimen, it might be related to one's cultivation. Jiang Lin was quite confident about this.

His cultivation is naturally not the highest in the world, but there is probably no one who can be compared with him at the same level.

Even if the blacksmith master was reborn at this time, he couldn't beat him. "Sir, the tea is cold. I'll change it for you." said the shopkeeper.

"No problem." Jiang Lin drank the tea in one gulp and put it on the table. Then he took out a map that he had prepared long ago and spread it out, saying, "Take a look at this map and help me determine the approximate location."

The shopkeeper came forward and saw an overlapping map.

The bottom part is a portion of the military aircraft map, and the top part is a very blurry section.

After comparing for a long time, the shopkeeper said, "This place may be near the Xumi Mountain Range. It is said that before Emperor Taizu came, it was also called Sumilu. Later, Emperor Taizu destroyed the mountain and demolished the temple. He smashed the ten-thousand-foot-high Xumi Mountain with one palm, forming a mountain range that stretches for hundreds of miles. The Four Saints of the Shimen are also in this Xumi Mountain Range."

Jiang Lin was surprised when he heard this. Could the thousand-foot-high Mount Sumeru be shattered with just one palm?
How powerful was Emperor Taizu of Daqian back then?
I guess he must be at least a strong man in the Daowu realm.

In today's Daqian, the peak of the Divine Martial Realm is already the limit. Even the Taoist sect cannot get out of the Dao Martial Realm. Why is that?
Logically speaking, Daqian has been fighting for hundreds of years and has become increasingly powerful, so its descendants should also become stronger and stronger.

But within this territory, people feel that it is getting weaker and weaker.

Of course, it is also possible that it was just a fabrication and flattery of Emperor Taizu by later generations, and he was not actually that powerful.

However, with the guidance of the shopkeeper, we can roughly judge that the inheritance of the strange fire and the alchemy should be in the hands of the ascetic practitioners if nothing unexpected happens.

For Jiang Lin, this was good news as it saved him from running around.

The more Jiang Lin knew about this broken place, Sangzhou, the more he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Just looking at the shirtless and barefoot shopkeeper, Jiang Lin couldn't help but sigh and said, "It's really hard for you. If you can't make it, just give up Sangzhou. Daqian is big enough. Even without this state, Zuowanglou can still develop."

"Your Excellency is so kind. We should devote ourselves to this mission and sacrifice our lives for it. How can we retreat just because of the hardships here?"

The shopkeeper poured Jiang Lin another cup of hot tea, held it in front of him with both hands, and said, "There is no other person like you in the whole Daqian."

Jiang Lin took the tea, took a sip in silence, and it tasted a little bitter.

"After we go back, I'll ask Tian Daheng to give you some more subsidies." Jiang Lin said, "Don't refuse this matter."

The shopkeeper hummed: "Thank you, sir."

"Draw a detailed copy of this map for me and mark the route, and I'll go out for a walk." Jiang Lin said.

"Yes!"

Then Jiang Lin got up and went out.

A man who was also shirtless and barefoot came over and said respectfully: "The shopkeeper ordered me to follow you, sir. If you have any instructions, just tell me."

"No instructions, just take a walk."

Jiang Lin said this without stopping.

The man followed behind without saying a word.

After leaving the shop, Jiang Lin walked along the mud slab.

Compared to Kyoto, the conditions here are too harsh. The houses are dilapidated, the people are pale and thin, and their clothes are strange.

Some wore linen clothes, some wore clothes woven from branches, and even the women were mostly dressed in rags and looked more like beggars.

As for the naughty children, there were many of them with naked buttocks.

Although it is a city, there are only a few businesses, and even if there are, most of them are furniture.

There was no food, cloth, clothes, or snacks.

Jiang Lin looked around and saw that the situation was similar. He couldn't help but ask, "Why is this place called Mashi Bay?"

The man behind him quickly replied: "It is said that there was a big river in the north of the city in the past. People often fished here. Other states also passed by water from here. It was quite prosperous, so it was called Mashi Bay."

"Big river?" Jiang Lin was slightly surprised. When he came here, this place was a scorched earth, but there was not even a drop of water.

The man continued, "It is said that Emperor Taizu besieged Mashiwan and brought this river to other states with his mighty power. He besieged it for several years, and countless people in the city starved to death before he captured it."

Jiang Lin was silent, and suddenly he understood why Sangzhou was so xenophobic, and especially hated things related to Daqian.

Practice hard, practice hard. If you have not experienced extreme hardship before, why would you practice like this?

One of the three disasters is to have one's stomach cut open and starve for 777 days. Maybe this is related to this.

The man also looked around and whispered, "Outside the city are all ascetics, no one dares to go out casually, and there is not much water for farming in the city. The trade route of Sangzhou has been abandoned for many years, so most people here are short of food and clothing."

Jiang Lin frowned slightly. He didn't think he was a saint, but seeing such suffering in the world, he still felt a little bit reluctant.

If you want to practice hardship, just suffer by yourself. Why bring others along?

In the previous life, Buddhism was only about persuading people to be weird, chanting scriptures and reciting Buddha's name. I have never heard of anything like forcing people in.

However, the Buddhist kingdom in Daqian was destroyed, and the remaining ascetics are difficult to understand.

It's as if the disaster that happened hundreds of years ago has been transformed into today's resentment, and he wants to take extreme revenge on everyone in the world.

What is the point of such ascetic practice?
(End of this chapter)