Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Seeing the two men hurling insults at each other, the old man quickly advised, "Brave men, please don't fight. It was indeed this brave man who saved my daughter and me!"

As she spoke, the girl next to her nodded in agreement, "Yes!"

"Is that true?"

The man in white looked slightly suspicious, as if he didn't quite believe it, but most importantly, he didn't doubt his own judgment.

"En!"

The old man and the young girl responded in unison, "It really is, it really is."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Bin became displeased. He waved his hand and said, "What do you mean by 'real' or 'fake'? Do I look like a bandit?"

As he spoke, he was very unhappy. Being wronged was naturally unpleasant.

The old man and the young girl thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much for saving our lives, brave man."

Hearing this, Zhao Bin felt a little better and said with a smile, "It's my duty to help the old man when he sees injustice."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his gaze toward the man in white held a hint of smugness.

It's as if it's saying, "See? I didn't lie! I'm not a robber!"

The old man exclaimed, "My surname is Wang. My hometown was flooded, so I took my daughter to stay with relatives. I didn't know the names of my two benefactors!"

As he spoke, he clasped his hands in greeting and inquired about the lives of the two men. If it hadn't been for their appearance today, the father and daughter would definitely be dead.

Although the man in white didn't actually help, he acted out of kindness regardless.

“Old man, my name is Chen Liang. Recently, I heard that the floods are severe and many displaced people have taken to the mountains to become bandits and rob others of their property, so you should be careful when you go out.”

As he spoke, Chen Liang reminded him with great concern. Indeed, he was Chen Liang, another disciple of Ji Gong in the original story.

By sheer coincidence, the two met here and a rather misunderstanding ensued.

The old man replied, "Yes! Life is already hard enough for the poor, and now they have to be robbed by bandits. What kind of world is this!"

As he spoke, he sighed inwardly, secretly blaming God for being blind.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Bin's lips curled up, and he smiled, "Well, wherever you're going, old man, I'll take you there."

As he said this, he decided to see the good deed through to the end, seeing the person off to the very end.

Old Man Wang was extremely grateful upon hearing this and replied, "This is truly wonderful!"

As he spoke, he was overjoyed. He had just witnessed Zhao Bin's skills, and with him on the journey, he no longer needed to worry about bandits.

The old man smiled and said, "This hero Chen should come along too!"

As he spoke, he extended an invitation to Chen Liang, saying it would be even better if he could come.

"Uh, I............."

Chen Liang was about to answer when Zhao Bin interrupted him, saying, "Ignore people who can't distinguish right from wrong."

As he spoke, he uttered these words with a slightly disdainful tone.

He paused, then said, "Old man, let's go!"

Zhao Bin walked up to the two men, essentially inviting them to embark on their journey.

Uh uh uh!

A flock of crows flew overhead, and Chen Liang looked as if he had eaten dog poop. However, he did not chase after them. Although he disliked the other party, he had wronged them after all.

"Um, this..."

In the end, the old man was helped away by Zhao Bin.

Chen Liang thought to himself, "I don't need to worry about this kid Zhao Bin escorting the two people. It's a good opportunity to go to Lingyin Temple and meet this widely acclaimed Living Buddha. If he really has the ability, I'll become his disciple!"

After thinking about this, Chen Liang continued on his way.

Because of Li Xiuyuan's interference, Bai Ling has not yet found her savior Chen Liang, and she will not be deceived by him.

In addition, Chen Liang was very interested in Lingyin Temple because it had long since deviated from the original story and was now incredibly powerful.

Because Li Xiuyuan often manifests his power at the foot of the mountain and displays his powerful magic, ordinary people highly regard him, to the point of being obsessed.

Chapter 267 The Holy Monk Daoji

Lingyin Temple is located northwest of West Lake in Zhejiang Province, bordering the lake on one side and backed by mountains on the other.

Nestled between Feilai Peak and Beigao Peak at the foot of Lingyin Mountain, the two peaks stand side by side, surrounded by lush forests and ancient temples amidst ever-changing clouds and mist. It is a simple, tranquil, and scenic paradise.

In the main hall, there are various golden Buddha statues, from the Tathagata Buddha to the Bodhisattvas and the Eighteen Arhats, all standing prominently in the main hall. These Buddha statues are lifelike and radiate golden light.

Finally, at the very top of the mountain stands a huge statue of Shakyamuni, which is Li Xiuyuan's Future Buddha statue, which he personally tailored for himself.

The Future Buddha in the image is actually an image formed by the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra visualized in Li Xiuyuan's mind. It is a visualization of himself, which is now being displayed.

From the outside, it looks nothing special, but if someone looks closely, they will find that the statue and Li Xiuyuan look very similar.

This shows that Li Xiuyuan was incredibly bold, daring to erect his own statue and place it above all the Buddhas. I doubt anyone else would dare to do that!

However, Li Xiuyuan was not worried. Unless one was familiar with him and practiced the True Sutra of the Sun Tathagata, it would be difficult to recognize this huge Shakyamuni statue.

On this day, a special guest arrived at the foot of Lingyin Temple. He was dressed in white and was a handsome young man. He had traveled a long way to get here and was filled with admiration as he looked at the majestic Lingyin Temple.

Sure enough, the rumors outside were mostly true. The temple here was incredibly prosperous. Looking at the monks and visitors coming and going, Chen Liang thought to himself, if they really have the ability, I must pay my respects.

Meanwhile, on another ancient road, a guest arrived. He was dressed in a martial arts outfit and was none other than Zhao Bin.

It turned out that the old man, Wang, was visiting relatives because his home had been flooded. He happened to be in the market at the foot of Lingyin Temple. Since the distance wasn't far, Zhao Bin dropped off the two men and then went to Lingyin Temple.

Zhao Bin hadn't forgotten that his main purpose was to become an apprentice. Because he was delayed on the way, he was slower than Chen Liang, but his martial arts skills were superior, so he quickly caught up.

The two were not much faster or slower. When Zhao Bin saw Chen Liang, he wondered, "Why is this rascal here at Lingyin Temple?"

Thinking to himself, Zhao Bin quickened his pace and soon arrived in front of Chen Liang, calling out, "Hey, what are you doing at Lingyin Temple!"

As he spoke, he wondered if, like him, the other person had come to become his apprentice.

what!

Hearing someone calling, Chen Liang snapped out of his daze and, upon seeing Zhao Bin, asked, "What are you doing at Lingyin Temple again?"

As he spoke, he asked questions without giving a direct answer.

Zhao Bin choked on his words and snorted coldly, "What's it to you?"

With that, he continued walking forward without giving anyone face.

Hurrah!

Seeing that the other party had left him behind, Chen Liang felt a surge of competitive spirit for some reason and quickly chased after them.

The two chased and fled, and in no time they had covered the ancient road that stretched for several miles. They arrived at the gate of Lingyin Temple and met the gatekeeper, Xiao Shatuo.

The two men said in unison, "Hey, little monk, may I ask if the Holy Monk Wenji is here?"

"You're here to see Daoji too?"

The two of them asked each other a question in perfect unison, and then each gave a cold snort to ease their awkwardness.

After listening to the two men's conversation, Xiao Sha Tuo smiled and said, "Do you two have any business with the Abbot? If you have any words to say, we can pass them on for me."

As they spoke, they thought to themselves that Daoji was very busy, and ordinary people would never see him unless it was something important.

Therefore, when many people come to the temple to worship, they are usually not received.

Because Lingyin Temple receives hundreds or even thousands of visitors every day, more than half of whom want to see Li Xiuyuan.

However, Li Xiuyuan is not so cheap. He usually does not meet with outsiders. At most, he will relay important matters on their behalf.

The two men were clearly unaware of this. Zhao Bin smiled and said, "Yes, I am Master Daoji, and my newly accepted disciple is named Zhao Bin. I came here specifically to see him."

As he spoke, a hint of smugness appeared on his lips. He glanced at Chen Liang beside him and felt much better.

The young monk beside him asked, "And what about this benefactor?"

As he spoke, he was a little surprised. So it was Uncle Daoji, his newly accepted disciple! How come we've never heard of him? But considering that Li Xiuyuan is usually extremely mysterious.

Ordinary monks at Lingyin Temple rarely see him, so it's not surprising.

“This… I… I admire Master Daoji’s reputation and wish to pay him a visit.”

Since Chen Liang has no connection with Zhao Bin, this is the only way he can say it.

If Li Xiuyuan were here, he would surely be filled with emotion. In the original novel, Chen Liang became Daoji's disciple first, and Zhao Bin became his disciple later.

Now it's completely reversed; life is truly incredible.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Sha Tuo nodded and said, "We will have someone report to our abbot, but whether he is willing to see you is beyond our control."

As he spoke, a young monk rushed into the temple to quickly inform the people.

"What? My disciple is outside and wants to come and see me."

Li Xiuyuan stood in the courtyard, staring in astonishment at the monk who was reporting. He thought to himself, "When did I become your disciple?"

Li Xiuyuan had taken in many disciples, but he couldn't recall who it was for the moment.

"Yes, Uncle Daoji, they are waiting outside."

Li Xiuyuan nodded and replied, "Alright! Bring them over. I want to see who they are."

As he spoke, a sense of curiosity began to stir within him.