I, the poor monk Tang San, buried the sky, buried the earth, buried all living beings

On Earth, everything is proceeding according to plan, and the plans discussed by everyone are being implemented step by step. It can be said that this is a race against time.

Time flies, and two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

At Shaolin Temple, the abbot, Master Huisheng, suddenly had an idea. He opened his eyes from his meditation and, having pondered for a long time, said to his novice monk, "Two wandering monks have arrived from Shaoshi Mountain, one male and one female. They are dusty and their faces are covered with vicissitudes of life. Their true appearance is no longer recognizable. Go and greet them. I will grant them whatever they ask for. Do you understand?"

The novice monk couldn't help but wonder, "A male and female monk, could it be a monk and a nun? This is really strange. How can a monk and a nun travel together in this world? Wouldn't it cause misunderstanding and be immoral?"

Master Huisheng suddenly tapped the novice monk on the head and said, "Instead of practicing Zen and martial arts, you spend every day thinking about random things. You should know that there are countless Zen practitioners in this world. Regardless of gender, they are all family. If you focus on your practice and eliminate all distractions, what difference does it make between men and women? Moreover, these two... Forget it, you won't understand even if I tell you. You just need to help them complete the registration procedures..."

The novice monk covered his bald head and went out depressed!

The old monk smiled helplessly and said, "This little novice monk doesn't know their origins. Would you suffer any loss if you went to receive them? This is a great opportunity! Oh, and I have to tell Master about this..."

On the hillside of Shaoshi Mountain, Tang Ku took Wuzhen and climbed all the way up, telling her the story of Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism.

At this moment, Tang Ku's image was no longer as handsome as before. He was now wearing a tattered monk's robe, had long, slightly curly hair, and a big beard!

Wu Zhen, on the other hand, looked cleaner than Tang Ku. He wore a hood to hide his long hair, and his face had become somewhat darker. He no longer had the beauty he had before... Although one could vaguely see that his appearance was extraordinary, it was completely different from his previous image.

"... Zen Buddhism is a major sect of our Buddhist community. Its methods of sudden enlightenment and understanding of the Dharma are unique. In the future, Zen Buddhism will almost dominate the Central Plains... Of course, the essence of Mahayana Buddhism, which aims to attain Buddhahood through enlightenment, is also encompassed within it!" Tang Kudao said, "Dharma, the founder of the Buddhist sect, faced the wall for nine years. Whether in terms of technique, dharma, body, or mind, he had already reached the standard for Buddhahood. However, his single-minded pursuit of Buddhahood was to save all sentient beings, so he voluntarily forfeited the opportunity to attain Buddhahood. After passing on Zen Buddhism to the Second Patriarch Huike, he faked his own death and traveled the world spreading the Dharma. The Eighteen Bodhidharma Techniques, originally invented for the monks to practice, have since spawned numerous unique skills, making Shaolin Temple a leader in both Buddhism and the martial arts world!"

Wu Zhen's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he clasped his hands together and said, "So, this Bodhidharma Patriarch is indeed much greater than the Buddhas of the Western Paradise!"

"That's right. If all the Buddhas in the Western Paradise had the same broad mind as him, not only would there be more Buddhist believers, but there would also be more people doing good deeds in this world. Nowadays, whether it's Taoism or Buddhism, they are all full of intrigue and scheming. The stronger the magic power, the heavier the selfishness. To a certain extent, they are no longer worthy of being called Buddhas!

Tang Ku explained.

"Disciple thinks that there is no need to be too harsh on them. Whether it is the Buddha or the Jade Emperor, they all have selfish desires, and even saints are not immune to this!" Wuzhen said solemnly.

She followed Tang Ku on his journey to the West again, studying Buddhism along the way. She was no longer the ignorant goddess who had just entered the secular world.

"But a saint can weigh the pros and cons, finding the most balanced approach to benefit all people... Do you remember those pseudo-saints I mentioned? The reason they became pseudo-saints instead of achieving sainthood is because of their selfishness, which has reached the point of wrath and resentment from heaven and man. To achieve the so-called righteousness, they kill and take without limit, treating all people as ants. That's why they were sealed away by the great god Pangu! Therefore, whether you are selfish or not is not important. What matters is how you choose to deal with your selfishness!"

Tang Ku clasped his hands together and said with a smile, "Master Rong is putting a piece of gold on his face. What we need to do now is to find a way to protect this world and save all the people in the world!"

Wu Zhen clasped his hands together, smiled sweetly, and said, "After you have saved the common people, will you return to secular life and go find your daughter kingdom's king?"

"Don't hang out with your second senior brother and the others. Humph, they don't have much ability, but they've learned to be talkative!" Tang Ku rolled his eyes and said, "Even if I really return to secular life, I will only be a lonely man. I won't marry anyone!"

Wuzhen just smiled and said nothing, following Tang Ku up the mountain.

They did not take the main road, but went straight to the back mountain of Shaoshi Mountain.

The young monk who had just talked with Master Huisheng scratched his bald head and waited outside the temple gate. Sparks came out of his feet from walking back and forth, but the two people his master had mentioned still didn't come. He wanted to go down the mountain to look for them, but he was afraid that there would be too many forks in the road. If he missed them, he would have a hard time explaining himself. He could not help but look down the mountain anxiously.

Suddenly, a group of monks carrying two buckets of water appeared before the novice monk, their hands raised. The leading monk, seeing his anxious look, asked curiously, "Tanzhi, what are you doing here? What kind of training are you doing, going back and forth?"

"Hey, don't mention it. My master asked me to welcome two monks, a man and a woman, to the temple to stay, but I waited for half a day and there was no sign of anyone. I was so anxious!" The novice monk said with a helpless smile?

"Oh? You mean a man and a woman, monks from outside the area? Just now, when we were getting water and passing halfway up the mountain, we saw them heading towards the back of the mountain!"

The leading monk laughed.

The novice monk was stunned for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he ran towards his master's meditation room without looking back. Just as he pushed open the door, he heard his master sigh and say, "Now that you're back, don't look for them anymore. You and them are not meant to be together after all!"

On the back mountain, Tang Ku had already brought Wu Zhen to a cave and stopped. Tang Ku said, "This should be Bodhidharma Cave. Legend has it that he faced a wall for nine years, leaving his own shadow imprinted on the wall. This shows how profound his Buddhist teachings were. It was also here that he passed on Zen to the Second Patriarch Huike..."

"He was still a mortal back then, right? Even a god would find it difficult to face the wall for nine years without food or water. This level of perseverance alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people..."

Wuzhen clasped his hands together and bowed towards the cave.

Suddenly, a voice like the mighty sound of a bell rang out from the cave: "Who was I before I was born? Who was I when I was born?"

Tang Ku was solemn, clasped his hands together and said: "Before I was born, all living things were me. If I am born, I will be all living things!"

There was a moment of silence in the cave, and then someone sighed and said, "Brother, you are truly admirable for your compassion. Please come in!"