Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Chapter 268 The Master Deceiver Li Xiuyuan

"Then, what about the other person, Uncle Daoji? Would you like to meet with him?"

As he spoke, Xiao Sha Tuo asked Li Xiu Yuan for his opinion. Everyone at Lingyin Temple had to consider his feelings, so whether Chen Liang could meet the holy monk depended on Li Xiu Yuan's mood.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan thought to himself, "Since they came with my disciple, it wouldn't hurt to receive them." He said calmly, "Alright! Lead the two of them into the courtyard."

Having said that, he immediately made his decision. As for why he would meet with outsiders, it was out of consideration for his apprentice.

At the same time, Xiao Shatuo rushed outside and said in a deep voice, "The two abbots are willing to see you."

As he spoke, he respectfully clasped his hands, gesturing for the two men to enter the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Chen Liang and Zhao Bin exchanged glances, then each grunted softly and walked towards the courtyard. Led by Xiao Shatuo, they arrived in front of Li Xiuyuan.

The two men saw a man dressed in a radiant golden monk's robe standing before them. Zhao Bin nodded and said, "Greetings, Master!"

As he spoke, he knelt down on one knee and bowed to Li Xiuyuan.

Chen Liang, standing to the side, calmly said, "I am Chen Liang, greetings, Master!"

As he spoke, he simply clasped his hands in a salute. As for respect or anything like that, it was not really a matter of course. After all, Chen Liang had never seen Li Xiuyuan's abilities, so naturally he had no admiration for him.

Upon seeing Chen Liang and Zhao Bin, Li Xiuyuan thought to himself that they were indeed good buddies. He never expected that they would meet under such circumstances and arrive at Lingyin Temple at the same time.

Li Xiuyuan hesitated for a moment and then said, "Zhao Bin, there's no need for such formalities!"

As he spoke, he looked Zhao Bin up and down, and was somewhat surprised to see that Zhao Bin had entered the first level of the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Bin mastered the basics so quickly. However, upon closer examination, given Zhao Bin's existing martial arts foundation, it was indeed easy for him to learn the basics.

Looking at Chen Liang next to him, he also has an extraordinary foundation in martial arts. However, in the original work, he was quickly bewitched by Bai Ling, which is understandable because the difference in their cultivation levels is too great.

After listening to his master's words, Zhao Bin stood up from the side.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Amitabha, may I ask what business this benefactor has with me?"

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Liang. Li Xiuyuan thought to himself, "Bai Ling has been searching for this guy for many years, wanting to repay his kindness from back then. Now it's just the right time for me to repay it for him."

After hearing Li Xiuyuan's question, Chen Liang calmly replied, "I've heard that there's a living Buddha monk at Lingyin Temple, but I'm not that impressive after meeting him today."

As he spoke, he looked Li Xiuyuan up and down and found that he was no different from an ordinary person.

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Before Li Xiuyuan could speak, Zhao Bin, who was standing next to him, became displeased. The other party was his master, and he couldn't allow others to insult him. He was about to make a move.

As the saying goes: "Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher!"

In Zhao Bin's heart, Li Xiuyuan was like a father, so naturally he never disliked him.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up, and he chuckled, "Zhao Bin, don't be rude."

With that, he waved his hand, signaling Zhao Bin to step back.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Oh, why is this humble monk not worthy of being called a Living Buddha or a Holy Monk?"

As he spoke, his face showed no emotion, and he looked directly at Chen Liang beside him.

Chen Liang felt extremely uncomfortable under Li Xiuyuan's gaze, but he would not yield to him. He said coldly, "If you were truly a master, why would it be so difficult to even meet? You're putting on too much airs."

As he spoke, he felt a little resentful. He had waited outside for a long time before he could finally see the monk; Li Xiuyuan was indeed putting on airs.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan couldn't help but smile slightly and said, "So that's why you think I'm putting on airs."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Do you know how many worshippers Lingyin Temple has?"

After hearing Li Xiuyuan's question, Chen Liang shook his head and said, "I don't know, but judging from the number of people coming and going in the temple, there must be quite a few!"

As he spoke, he thought to himself, "How could I, an outsider, know about the affairs of your Lingyin Temple?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up, and he chuckled, "Let me tell you, every day hundreds or even thousands of people come to Lingyin Temple to worship Buddha. Nine out of ten of them want to see this humble monk."

He paused and then said, "Wouldn't it be too troublesome if I met with everyone?"

He then recounted the story.

Upon hearing this, Chen Liang asked, "In that case, you can just show up once a day, and each time you meet hundreds or thousands of people. Wouldn't that save a lot of time?"

As he spoke, he voiced his doubts.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "You are arrogant, young man. The reason why I am honored to be called a Living Buddha and Holy Monk is because of my profound Buddhist teachings and powerful magical abilities."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "If one were to preach and discuss the doctrines every day, how could one cultivate oneself? Over the years, I have been at the foot of Lingyin Temple, punishing evil and promoting good, and saving countless people. Most of the people who have come to find me over the years have come to thank me."

"Furthermore, they are nothing but trivial matters. If I were to deal with them all, even ten or eight clones wouldn't be enough!"

"Furthermore, how can we, as monks, be obsessed with the respect of others? The only true principle is to cultivate ourselves properly."

As he spoke, a slight sigh escaped his lips.

"So that's how it is! I never imagined that the master was so devoted to Buddhism that he would avoid receiving thanks from ordinary people."

"I am worthy of being called a virtuous monk. Please accept my bow."

As he spoke, he bowed respectfully, and this time it was truly heartfelt.

In Chen Liang's mind, Li Xiuyuan was the kind of person who only did good deeds and didn't ask for thanks. He was a worthy monk who had attained enlightenment. Thinking of this, and recalling his arrogant words just now, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"Hehe, you brat, you know how powerful my master is, don't you!"

When Zhao Bin saw Chen Liang lower his head, he couldn't help but be sarcastic, as if to say that his judgment was correct and that his master was so good.

Chapter 269 Becoming a Disciple of Daoji

After hearing this, Chen Liang agreed with Zhao Bin's words, but he still couldn't stand Zhao Bin's arrogant attitude.

“Holy Monk, your Buddhist teachings are profound, and I greatly admire you. I wish to become your disciple and cultivate under your tutelage. I hope you will grant my request.”

As he spoke, Chen Liang knelt down on the ground, begging Li Xiuyuan to accept him as a disciple.

"Hey, are you deliberately trying to go against me? Why do you want to become a disciple just because I did?"

When Zhao Bin saw that Chen Liang wanted to become his apprentice, he blurted out what was on his mind.

After listening to Zhao Bin's words, Chen Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Why would I be so bored as to go against you for no reason? I sincerely admire the Holy Monk, so I have come from afar. I hope the Holy Monk can accept me as his disciple."

As he spoke, he bowed twice more to Li Xiuyuan.

Seeing that Chen Liang was sincere and genuinely wanted to become his disciple, Li Xiuyuan, considering his affinity with Buddhism, decided to accept him.

Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, this humble monk agrees to accept you as my disciple, but you need to undergo a test to see if you can become my disciple."

As he spoke, he pointed out a beam of golden light that entered Chen Liang's mind. This beam contained the cultivation method of the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra. If Chen Liang's aptitude was sufficient, he could master it.

In Buddhism, the concept of predestined affinity is emphasized. Chen Liang's arrival with Zhao Bin proves that he and Li Xiu are destined to be together. Moreover, Chen Liang is honest, kind, and has a strong sense of justice, so he would be suitable to be accepted into the Buddhist order.

Most importantly, Li Xiuyuan knew that Bai Ling had been searching for Chen Liang's reincarnation for many years, but had never found a trace of him.

Now that Li Xiuyuan has accepted Chen Liang, he can inform Bai Ling later so that she can find a way to repay his kindness. If that doesn't work, Li Xiuyuan can step in to help her repay the debt.

In short, he first contacted Chen Liang, gave him hope, and encouraged him to focus on his studies and stay by his side.

Throughout various fantasy worlds, the vast majority of female demons who are saved by men repay their kindness with their bodies. Examples include Bai Suzhen in *The Legend of the White Snake*, and Bai Ling and Bai Xue from *The Living Buddha Ji Gong*.

However, now that Li Xiuyuan has taken Bai Ling's body, she will have to find another way to repay the favor. She will not give her body to someone she has no feelings for.

Moreover, now that Bai Ling has become Li Xiuyuan's woman, how could she be allowed to be touched by other men!

hum!

Chen Liang felt a massive influx of information into his mind, followed by a complete visualization of Shakyamuni. He knew in his heart that this was the image of the Tathagata that he often worshipped under the Buddha statue.

"Thank you very much, Master. I am deeply grateful."

As he spoke, Chen Liang knelt down on the ground again and kowtowed three times to Li Xiuyuan.

Seeing Chen Liang kneeling on the ground, Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly and said, "No need for formalities!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and helped Chen Liang up from the ground.

Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "Chen Liang, in the future you will become my disciple. For now, you are only a nominal disciple. If you want to become my true disciple, you will need to work hard to cultivate and enter the first level of the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra."

As he spoke, he warned Chen Liang not to assume that becoming his disciple meant he had truly become his student.

In reality, Li Xiuyuan didn't have many requirements for accepting disciples. He was willing to accept any disciple as long as they could earn him merit points or sin points. But the most important thing was whether he was happy to accept disciples.

Otherwise, even if he encountered someone with stronger qualifications than Zhao Bin and Chen Liang, he would still disdain them.

No matter how powerful you are, can your talent compare to that of the Six-Eared Macaque? This is no longer the early primordial era, where all sorts of innate gods and demons roam the earth. There are very few who can rival the Six-Eared Macaque.

"Yes, disciple will keep Master's teachings in mind."

Chen Liang responded respectfully, no longer daring to relax his guard.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Zhao Bin, you are my disciple. You need to take good care of your junior brother in the future. Remember not to kill your fellow disciples."

As he spoke, his nonchalant tone conveyed an unparalleled sense of pressure.

"Yes, Master!"

The two answered in unison, no longer daring to have any other thoughts.

Seeing the two people's performance, Li Xiuyuan was very satisfied and smiled, "Well, in our Buddhist sect, we emphasize saving all sentient beings. As the saying goes, it's not that easy!"

If you encounter any injustice, you can intervene. If you can't win a fight, you can return to your master.

As he spoke, his solemn voice rang in their ears.