I am a living immortal.

This surprised Chen Dong.

After thinking for a moment, he walked towards the old monk under the Bodhi tree, stopped the crowd who wanted to follow him, and came to the tree alone. The old monk was much older than the abbot in terms of age, but Chen Dong saw at a glance that the other's physique was not even half of the abbot's.

Why do we age? Our appearance reflects our heart. Excessive worry often only adds to our troubles. Seeing it but being unable to do anything about it is just a waste of time.

No wonder the old monk would say that.

The old monk did not react at all to Chen Dong's arrival, and his skinny fingers kept fiddling with the wooden Buddhist beads.

"What are you worried about?" Chen Dong asked.

When the old monk heard this, he opened his cloudy eyes and looked at Chen Dong standing beside him. Instead of answering the question, he said, "Why do you need to know?"

"You have no way, but maybe I do." Chen Dong said confidently, not caring about the old monk's words.

"Ask others about their affairs, and accept their results."

"Are you sure you want to listen?"

"Whether you accept or not, I have the final say," Chen Dong said arrogantly. The old monk's eyes cleared a little at this, as if he wanted to see Chen Dong more clearly. But Chen Dong stood there like a cloud of mist, like an observer, not participating in the cycle of this world, looking out of place.

"You are very special." The old monk's voice was hoarse, as if he had not spoken for a long time, but every word he spoke was slow and clear.

"Yes!" Chen Dong admitted.

"So I want to find out why this is so special. But before that, why don't you tell me about your troubles?"

"I have seen the truth of this world." The old monk said slowly.

"What truth?"

"This world is built on falsehood. Besides you, I, him, the ground, the sky, my thoughts, and this tree are all false. Yet my sense of touch, hearing, sight, and smell tell me these are real. I'm trapped between truth and falsehood. One step forward is true, one step back is false. I want to be true, and I don't want to be false."

"Why?" The old monk looked at Chen Dong.

This look was very special, full of ups and downs and struggles, and he seemed to be the only life-saving straw.

Hearing this, Chen Dong stared at the swaying leaves. He hadn't considered this, even after the old monk's reminder. Since arriving in this strange world, everything he saw seemed real. Did that door lead him to another world, or was he simply drowning in his own obsession?

It wasn't impossible to think so. If he wanted to stand out, he would have an almighty sun, a vast stage for his own development. And his personality seemed to have changed because of his power.

Everything was so unbelievable that it seemed fake, yet everything was also very real. At that moment, he understood what the old monk said.

Is this true? He doesn't know.

Is this fake? He has no way of knowing.

His thoughts sank into the lake of his heart, and he stared directly at the sun he had blocked. And this omnipotent sun flickered twice in his gaze, as if answering.

When Chen Dong heard the sun's answer, he actually smiled: "So why do you exist?"

The sun remained motionless and unresponsive, as if its previous answer was false.

What did the sun say?

Chen Dong's thoughts returned, and he said what Taiyang had said: "Is this important?"

True and false, real and fake, are all just a thought away. If you see something as true, it's true. Just like a piece of gold, it looks the same, it's made of the same ingredients. Who cares where it came from? Was it born naturally or was it created by humans? Just like gold, it's gold.

Isn't that how the world is?

What you see, touch, and perceive is the same as the real world. Even if it is built on falsehood, it is real.

This is what is called borrowing something from something else.

Truth or falsehood aside, Chen Dong did think about something. The emperor had once said he would bring about an unprecedented change in the Han Dynasty. He hadn't been clear at first about what this so-called change was, but now he had a clue. If this world was built on falsehood and was transforming into reality, then the so-called change might not be happening in this world, but in his own.

A clash of two worlds?

No, from what he saw, even the Yan Dynasty wouldn't be a match for this Han Dynasty, let alone a disaster. You have to know that change isn't always a good thing; it can also be a bad thing. This suggests that somewhere he hasn't seen, there's a force far superior to the current Han Dynasty.

Chen Dong's knowledge of his former world was limited, so he couldn't guess what was going on. But he knew one thing: that door wouldn't have brought him here for no reason. Whether it was fate or karma, it had granted him supreme authority, and it must have meant for him to do something.

All he could do was use his own strength to change this big man and make him stronger. This was in line with his own logic, so he just went with the flow?

He didn't know. He knew too little about the old world, and even less about this one, so he took it one step at a time.

But what is certain is that it is definitely not a coincidence that I came here.

Put aside all unnecessary distractions and do what you want to do. He has the ability to back himself up. Whether it's good or bad, you won't know until you get to that point. Too much hesitation will only add to your troubles.

Thinking of this, I suddenly felt enlightened. No matter what the future holds, just do it.

The old monk was stunned when he heard what Chen Dong said, then suddenly realized. Yes, whether this world is real or fake, what does it have to do with him, a monk? Does it matter to him? It seems not.

Chen Dong looked at the old monk and continued, "If it's fake, what can you do? Live your life in a muddle? Why not live a more authentic life and add a touch of reality to this fake world?"

"If it's true, then there's no need to worry. The world is real, and you are real too, so why are you worrying?"

"You are absolutely right. You are just making trouble for yourself."

What does it mean to be confused by one's own situation? This old monk is just like that.

"Honestly, what does the truth and falsehood of the world have to do with you? Besides, you can't even tell the difference between the truth and falsehood in the world, and you are here talking nonsense about it. You have only a superficial understanding and are extremely stupid. You are right, you are just worrying about nothing."

"I take back what I said before. You are not as good as your abbot."

"Also, I advise you to think about something practical instead of this and that. Maybe you should change the tree and think about it here, old monk."

"what?"

"What? The entire Lotus Buddha Kingdom will be confiscated. This tree and the place where you are sitting will all belong to the Han people." Chen Dong pointed at the Bodhi tree and then at the ground under the old monk's buttocks.