All races revere me as the Heavenly Emperor, solely because of my nine disciples!

"mother……"

Zhou Baoyu called out softly, and he could sense the deep sorrow and a hint of hidden anger in his mother's heart.

“Baoyu, do you know… your father and I carried travel permits from several counties along the way. Logically, there shouldn’t have been any problems with this shipment of grain. Those officials can’t make things difficult for us!”

"That's true. They don't dare to make things difficult openly, but people's hearts are unpredictable. Who would be willing to give up such an opportunity in private?"

"So along the way, we've encountered all sorts of dangers. Everyone says it was the work of river bandits, but do you think that's possible?"

After pondering for a long time, Xu Zifu said something that left Zhou Baoyu speechless.

This is what Xu Zifu meant when he said that people are always powerless to control their own destiny; if you don't take what belongs to others, others will definitely take what belongs to you.

Killing is ultimately unavoidable.

Zhou Baoyu stopped talking, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.

"Baoyu, I understand that some things are hard to accept. After all, this is not what you wanted to see, and it's completely different from what you've always been like!"

"But Mother still remembers what you said when you were little: 'What is happiness?'"

"My mother said that happiness is about discovery. Discovering the beauty around you, that is happiness!"

"But right now, it seems you've overlooked that. All you see is the killing around you, and perhaps you think your father went too far!"

"But have you ever considered that, even though it's all about killing, the current imperial court's killings lead to endless natural and man-made disasters. What kind of misery will the people of that world suffer when those bandits carve out their own territory one day?"

"And if your father is the one who ultimately succeeds in reaching that point, who do you think could do it better than your father?"

"Could your father harm the people of this world?"

Seeing this, Xu Zifu changed the subject, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhou Baoyu.

Zhou Baoyu felt a tremor in his heart. He had to admit that his mother was right.

My father may be shrewd, but he's definitely not a bad person. At least for now, he's been very kind to everyone. If he were emperor, he would be far better than the current emperor.

But... killing is killing, so why distinguish between good and bad?

Even if the Zhou family seizes the throne today, and the father is wise and powerful, bringing peace and prosperity to the land, what about decades from now? Will the next emperor be able to achieve the same?

Even if the next emperor can do it, what about the emperor after that, and the emperor after that?

Who can guarantee that the Zhou emperors will remain wise forever?

Who can guarantee that the Zhou family will have wise rulers generation after generation?

In the end, won't they also become the culprits who bring disaster to the world? At that time, won't it still cause new bloodshed?

At this moment, Zhou Baoyu had many thoughts on his mind.

However, he didn't say many things aloud; he just kept them silently in his heart.

"Mother, Qingshan Rock isn't far from here, I want to go for a walk there!"

After a long while, Zhou Baoyu suddenly looked up at his mother and said.

"Okay... Mother will go with you!"

“Master Qingshan said long ago that you have an affinity with Buddhism and with Qingshan Temple. May the Bodhisattva of Blessings always bless you, and I also want to go and pay my respects to the Bodhisattva!”

"How about we set off tomorrow?"

Xu Zifu nodded, agreeing to all of his son's requests.

"Thank you, Mother..."

Zhou Baoyu nodded and sincerely thanked him.

"By the way, child, would you like to know the strange and wonderful things your mother encountered along the way?"

"Do you know about the immortal? Your mother has met the legendary immortal!"

Seeing that Zhou Baoyu was not very interested, Xu Zifu quickly changed the subject and chatted with Zhou Baoyu until late at night before letting him rest.

The next morning, with the help of seven or eight thousand people, all the grain was finally unloaded.

Everyone here was exhausted and went to rest, while Zhou Baoyu and Xu Zifu got up early, invited the monk Qingshan, and brought more than a dozen martial arts masters to escort Zhou Baoyu and his mother towards Qingshan Rock.

Qingshan Rock is not far from Yunhai Mountain, or rather, Qingshan Rock is a scenic spot in Yunhai Mountain, only twenty or thirty miles away.

In the afternoon, Zhou Baoyu and the others arrived at the place.

The Yunhai Mountains are named so because every morning when the sun rises, they are covered by a sea of ​​clouds, which is a spectacular sight.

Qingshan Rock is a cliff in the sea of ​​clouds, covered with temples, which are temples dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Blessing.

Legend has it that ancient relics, prehistoric relics, were once unearthed here.

The person who unearthed the ancient site was the patriarch of Qingshan Temple, who later attained enlightenment and became a Buddha, ascending to heaven in broad daylight.

From then on, this place became the sacred site of the Qingshan Patriarch and the Blessing Bodhisattva, attracting many believers. People from the surrounding counties were basically all followers of Qingshan Temple.

The Zhou family was no exception. From birth, Zhou Baoyu was influenced by those around him and was always the most devout believer of the Bodhisattva of Blessing.

He believes in the Blessing Bodhisattva not because the Blessing Bodhisattva is a god or Buddha, nor to seek blessings, but because of what the Blessing Bodhisattva said in a dream when he was a child.

The Bodhisattva of Blessing says, "Blessing resides in the heart."

Everyone has two different pairs of eyes: one for the outside world, and one for the inside. Only by looking with your heart can you see happiness.

From a young age, Zhou Baoyu observed the world with the eyes of his heart. His world was always full of joy, and whether it was a blessing or a curse, it was a blessing to him.

Even when he was sick, he treated it as a blessing.

In the past, when Zhou Baoyu came to Qingshan Temple, he would rush to the stone statue of the Blessing Bodhisattva as if he were visiting his mother, just like coming home.

But today, he came with a different mindset.

He felt as if he had escaped an unfamiliar world and returned to a familiar place.

Previously, in his mind, the outside world was no different from this place. The Bodhisattva was omnipresent, and blessings were omnipresent.

But now, it seems that only here can he find everything he wants.

That feeling of returning home made him stand on the mountainside, outside the temple, motionless for a long time, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

Suddenly, Zhou Baoyu sensed something.

He couldn't help but cover his chest, where a jade pendant on his chest was radiating warmth.

He took out the jade pendant and clearly saw a flash of light on it.

Zhou Baoyu always remembered that the reason his parents named him Baoyu was because he was holding a precious jade in his hand when he was born.

He had carried this precious jade with him all these years, and there was nothing unusual about it. But now, this jade pendant caught his attention.

"Baoyu, what are you daydreaming about? Come on, let's offer incense to the Bodhisattva!"

His mother's voice came, and Zhou Baoyu responded, put away the jade, and walked into the temple with his mother, arriving in front of the Bodhisattva statue.

After paying their respects, the monk Qingshan personally led the mother and daughter to the backyard, where they stayed in a side room.

“Benefactors, please stay here at your leisure. Later in the evening, the temple will be chanting sutras. If you two are free, you can cleanse your souls together!”

When Qingshan returned to the temple, he became Master Qingshan again, no longer the monk who fought and killed outside. He looked at Zhou Baoyu and his mother with a kind expression.

"Thank you, Master. We will definitely be there later!"

Xu Zifu returned the greeting, and after seeing the monk Qingshan off, she looked at Zhou Baoyu: "Child, you must be tired after traveling all day. Rest first. We'll chant sutras together later!"

Zhou Baoyu nodded slightly. He didn't feel tired, but he still returned to his room and couldn't fall asleep.

Because he discovered that the precious jade in his chest was getting warmer and warmer, and seemed to have become more spiritual, as if it wanted to guide him in some way!