The Buddha is actually me

Chapter 420: The Secret of the Heart, the Strange Truth

"Zhang...Brother Zhang?"

The moment he saw Zhang Jiuyang, Sanbao's eyes showed surprise. Although he didn't know why Brother Zhang came out of the gourd, he relaxed instantly.

When I saw that figure, I had an inexplicable sense of security, as if even if the sky fell, Brother Zhang would be able to hold it up.

After experiencing a series of events in the Lingguan Temple, Zhang Jiuyang had long been an image in his mind of a mysterious and otherworldly master with great skills and a sense of justice, making people feel warm and reliable.

Zhang Jiuyang floated down, touched his smooth and shiny head, and a hint of emotion appeared in his eyes.

This little monk named Sanbao really has a natural Buddhist heart, is compassionate, has great wisdom, and has great luck.

Last time, he was practicing the Silver Arhat realm of the immortal golden body in the mountains and was spotted by Sanbao. Now he is practicing the Jade Tripod Immortal Technique in the gourd. The gourd has been around for a long time and finally ended up in Sanbao's hands again.

Zhang Jiuyang didn't expect that even though he had hidden the gourd in the mud at the bottom of the river, it would be dug out by someone.

He was practicing magic at the time and felt something in his heart, but he didn't care because the magic weapon had already recognized him as its master and no one else could use it.

For example, the man selling gourds, he actually used the gourd to hold water, but he did not discover all these magical properties. The gourds were filled with water quickly, and there was not a trace of spiritual energy.

Without Zhang Jiuyang's permission, no one else can use this gourd.

That is, he was aware of the predicament that Sanbao was facing, so he secretly helped him, and made use of the magical effect of the magic gourd to gather essence and store energy, turning ordinary water into spiritual liquid.

This gourd can originally collect moonlight to brew jade liquid, and collect sun essence to brew golden liquid. Now after being nourished by purple energy, its ability has been further enhanced, and it can be said to turn decay into magic.

During this process, he was also observing the Three Jewels.

This boy has extremely high wisdom, and what is even more rare is that he has a firm mind and is compassionate. If he can practice Buddhism diligently, his future achievements will be limitless.

He wanted to establish his own sect, and he didn't care about the differences between sects. He hoped that his disciples could learn from the strengths of others and let a hundred schools of thought flourish.

As long as we share the same aspirations, we are fellow Taoists.

"Tao, who is the Taoist priest?"

The county magistrate stared at Zhang Jiuyang with wide eyes, trembling as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight, but he still mustered up the courage to ask.

The people watching were very curious. Zhang Jiuyang keenly noticed that there were quite a few cultivators among the people, but their cultivation was relatively low, most of them were in the first realm, and the second realm was very rare.

Unlike ordinary people, those cultivators could see something, which made them even more shocked. They looked at Zhang Jiuyang with fiery eyes.

Immortal in the gourd?

The world is vast in the cup, and the sun and moon are long in the gourd.

This person has such a big tone, and coupled with his immortal-like temperament and the Taoist charm in his every move, he must be an unfathomable and top-notch master!

He is a legendary figure who is hard to find.

For those wandering cultivators in Jiuzhou, let alone a great cultivator like Zhang Jiuyang whose strength can challenge the sixth realm, even the third realm is considered a master, and the fourth realm is rare.

The fifth realm is for those who are beyond the world and you may not see them once in your lifetime.

As for the Six Realms...

For them, that is the pinnacle of cultivation, and they are like land gods walking in the world.

Of course, they didn’t know Zhang Jiuyang’s true strength. Many people speculated that he might be at the third or even fourth level, but even so, they were already excited.

"Senior, I am a casual cultivator named Pan Jingren..."

"I am Zhou Lei, a disciple of Jiujiang Sect. Senior, would you mind coming over to have a chat?"

"Senior's demeanor is truly admirable. I, a humble cultivator named Qu Ying, am willing to take you as my master, hold your horse and stirrups, and serve you closely..."

The people around suddenly found it unbelievable that those monks who had been so dignified just now now showed a flattering look and spoke in extremely humble terms.

Only then did they realize that even though they were both immortals, there were such huge differences between them.

The county magistrate's expression suddenly changed. From the attitudes of other cultivators, he had realized that the man in white in front of him was not simple. Could he be in the fourth realm?
Listening to the chaotic noises around him, Zhang Jiuyang frowned slightly.

He had not expected that in this small Shigu Town, there were so many low-level cultivators. He had just finished his retreat, and had fully comprehended Yuding's Taoism. His Taoism had improved, and his supernatural powers had greatly increased. Even though he wanted to restrain himself, the natural Taoist charm in his every move could not be completely hidden.

"Certainly!"

Zhang Jiuyang did not like the fanatical flattery and fawning around him, or even the secret seduction of the female monk. He waved his hand and used the immobilization technique from the Thirty-Six Jade Ding Techniques.

In his palm, golden light condensed into the shape of the word "ding". When it was shone from a distance, all the sounds disappeared and the people around him froze in an instant.

He sighed softly, and for the first time he understood why those famous monks always liked to travel around the world incognito.

He is not well-known now, but just by showing a little bit of his strength, he has attracted so many people to follow him. This shows how deeply rooted the idea that the strong are respected is in the world of cultivation.

If he founded a sect and gained fame in the Luotian Grand Ceremony and his reputation spread throughout the nine provinces, I'm afraid these people will become even crazier.

This is a good thing and a bad thing.

He took out the pale golden waist badge of the Imperial Observatory and threw it to the county magistrate in an indifferent voice.

"The Imperial Observatory is investigating the case."

The immobilization spell only immobilized the monks, while the county magistrate, constables and the common people were not affected at all.

The three words "Imperial Observatory" exploded in the county magistrate's mind like thunder. He even felt a burning sensation on his palm, and the token seemed to have turned into burning charcoal.

A heart pounding.

Although the Imperial Observatory did not interfere in state affairs, it was in charge of all matters concerning ghosts and gods in the world and had enormous power. How could he, a mere county magistrate, dare to offend the people in the Imperial Observatory?
However, he soon saw that there was no specific job title engraved on the front of the token, only the word "foreign".

He felt relieved, as this meant that the other party was not from the Imperial Observatory, but someone's subordinate.

He couldn't afford to offend anyone from the Imperial Observatory, not even Si Chen. But if it was just someone outside of Si Chen, it wouldn't be that serious...

Thinking of this, he turned to the back of the token and saw the two words "Yue Ling".

Boom!

The county magistrate's body trembled, and the token in his hand almost fell to the ground. With a sad face, he quickly straightened his clothes and bowed deeply to Zhang Jiuyang.

"I am so ignorant that I didn't realize that it was the Ninth Master who came to visit. I am so disrespectful, so disrespectful!"

That expression and posture were full of fear and trepidation, and there was a hint of flattery and passion in the depths of his eyes.

After serving as an official for many years, the name Yue Ling is so famous that it is well-known.

It is a rare news in the world that a woman was appointed as a general and granted a title of nobility. Now she is one of the six great nobility of the Imperial Observatory, and I heard that she will be promoted to deputy supervisor.

And this legendary woman, for so many years, has only had one peripheral figure in the Imperial Observatory, and that is Zhang Jiuyang.

"Master Jiu?"

Zhang Jiuyang was a little puzzled and asked: "Do you know me?"

He was only in his twenties, how could he be called "Master"? And the other person was an old man in his fifties or sixties. The county magistrate immediately showed a look of admiration and said, "Everyone knows that you and Yue Jianhou have a deep friendship and shared life and death together. You have solved many major and strange cases together. Even the current emperor has heard of your name!"

"It is my honor to be able to call you Master Jiu."

The county magistrate's voice was particularly sincere, as if he had admired Zhang Jiuyang and Yue Ling for a long time.

As the saying goes, you shouldn't hit a smiling person. Zhang Jiuyang couldn't get angry with him in this state, so he had to reach out his hand and lightly touch his forehead.

Questioning one’s heart among the 72 Jade Tripod Techniques.

The county magistrate felt a stream of cool air rushing into his head, and his spirits lifted. He thought it was a reward from Zhang Jiuyang, and quickly put on a flattering smile.

"Why do you call me Master Jiu?"

Zhang Jiuyang asked again.

The county magistrate was startled and wondered why this man asked the same question twice.
But it doesn't matter. He likes compliments, so I should just flatter him shamelessly. If I can make him happy, maybe it will be a blessing in disguise.

He thought so, but what he said was completely different.

"Bah, what a bullshit Ninth Master, you are just a kid who hasn't even grown all his hair yet. If it weren't for Yue Ling's reputation, I wouldn't bother to pay attention to you!"

"I call you Master Jiu because I want to curry your favor so that you won't continue investigating. If you find out what happened, I will lose my head too!"

His face was pale and he looked terrified. He tried his best to control his mouth and even covered it with his hands, but it was of no avail.

For a moment, he looked at Zhang Jiuyang with eyes full of fear and sweat pouring down.

Zhang Jiuyang was not angry, but smiled faintly and continued to ask: "What is it that makes you so afraid of me investigating it?"

The county magistrate was also a ruthless man. He actually bit his tongue hard, trying to cut it off to prevent himself from saying the rest of the words.

Unfortunately, the one who performed the Jade Ding Heart Questioning Method was not the young Taoist priest who had just started out, but the master of Taoism, Zhang Jiuyang.

As soon as he opened his mouth, his teeth and tongue were completely out of his control, and in public, he spoke out the secret that he had sworn to keep hidden forever.

"I'm afraid of being tracked down by you. The strange disease was caused by Old Xu at the well. Every night, Old Xu would poison the well in the town, and then sell medicine to treat the disease and take the opportunity to raise the price..."

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, the people around were shocked and looked at Shopkeeper Xu who was pressed under the gourd with angry eyes.

At this moment, Shopkeeper Xu was almost out of breath, with only his last breath left. He looked at Zhang Jiuyang with an extremely resentful look, and tried to open his mouth to say something, but in the end he was unable to speak.

As he spat out the last mouthful of blood, all life force was completely cut off. Even his soul was taken away by the gourd and turned into nourishment for the heavenly way in the gourd.

As for his body, it actually grew layers of snake skin, very similar to those of people who were infected with strange diseases.

"Okay, so he is actually a snake demon!"

"Could it be possible that we would grow rashes on our bodies?
"It's too easy for him to die like this. He really deserves to be torn into pieces!"

"Yes, cut into pieces!"

……

People were filled with righteous indignation and fury, but Manager Xu was dead after all, and they had no place to vent their anger.

At this moment, Zhang Jiuyang asked again.

"So what did you do in this matter?"

The county magistrate was completely devastated and in despair, standing there like a fool.

"We split the money from selling medicine 60% to 40% with me taking 60% and him taking 40%. I will provide him with protection, block the news, and crack down on other medicine shops..."

"Dog officer!"

"You bastard, return my son's life to me!"

"You have to die!!!"

The people rushed forward one after another, as if they wanted to skin the county magistrate alive, pull out his tendons, and beat him to death with their fists.

"Save me, save me!"

"I am an official appointed by the imperial court, Zhang Jiuyang, you have no right to punish me!"

“Save me—Ah!!!”

Screams rang out one after another, becoming increasingly fainter until they could no longer be heard and completely disappeared.

As for the constables, they had already fled at the sight of this.

Zhang Jiuyang just watched all this coldly. Sanbao sighed, with a look of pity in his eyes.

"Brother Zhang, it turns out that Shopkeeper Xu is the snake demon who poisoned the place. But as a human being and the official of this place, why would the county magistrate go along with him?"

"Is it so difficult to let go of the greed in people's hearts?"

Hearing this question, Zhang Jiuyang showed a meaningful smile on his face.

"Sanbao, do you really think that Shopkeeper Xu is a demon and the county magistrate is a human?"

Sanbao was stunned and looked puzzled.

Zhang Jiuyang did not speak, but a drop of blood seeped from his fingertips and gently drew a line between Sanbao's eyebrows, forming a vertical pupil-like shape.

"Take a good look at that. What is that?"

Sanbao looked carefully and felt that everything in front of his eyes was blurry and his pupils were burning. After a while, his vision was no longer blurry.

The next moment, his pupils shrank.

I saw that on the shoulders of the people, there were horrible monsters standing. They were about one foot in size, with ugly faces and ferocious looks.

They kept whispering in the ears of the people, no one knew what they were saying. The people soon became more violent, their eyes turned red, and not only did they beat the county magistrate to death, they even tore him apart with their hands and bit him with their teeth, as if they wanted to cut off his flesh and blood inch by inch and eat it raw.

The situation was gradually getting out of control, and the more the people were trapped in hatred, the more excited the monsters became. They fed on hatred and violence, and their bodies grew larger and larger.

There was originally a monster on the county magistrate's body, but when the county magistrate died, the monster flew out and landed on the shoulder of another person, merging with the monster on his body and becoming even more powerful.

What’s even more bizarre is that after the monsters had eaten and drunk their fill, they put away their evil looks, began to sit cross-legged with their eyes closed, and chanted scriptures in a low voice.

It was as if he had instantly transformed from a devil into a great monk.

The people quickly regained their senses. They threw away the flesh and blood they had torn off their hands, wiped it on their clothes, and gave Zhang Jiuyang and Sanbao a grateful smile.

In the bright sunshine, the smile was very kind, but for some reason, Sanbao suddenly shuddered.

……

(End of this chapter)