Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

On the high platform, Tang Sanzang pondered for a moment, and finally spoke slowly: "Okay, this time in order to rescue the five hundred imprisoned monks, in order to obtain the pass, and more importantly, to promote my Buddhist teachings, I have to do it."

When Sun Wukong heard this, he immediately stepped forward and gently carried Tang Sanzang down from the high platform. Tang Sanzang put his hands together, whispered "Amitabha", and then said solemnly: "I am willing to complete the unfinished debate at the Chang'an Water and Land Dharma Assembly with the Great Master."

Seeing this, Liu Er Mihou quickly expressed his opinion: "I will return to Jiuji Mountain and ask Master to come out of the mountain." As he said this, he clasped his fists to everyone and said, "Please wait for a moment."

Before he finished his words, the six-eared macaque flashed, leaped, somersaulted, and rushed towards the direction of Jiuji Mountain.

At this time, King Chechi came down from the Five Phoenix Tower with his civil and military ministers. As they walked, the king said, "The Grand Master is coming soon. We must prepare well to welcome him. Set up the ceremonial guards quickly."

Tang Sanzang and his disciples watched this scene quietly. Zhu Bajie couldn't help but smacked his lips and whispered, "Wow, the Grand Master is coming. The whole Chechi Kingdom is so solemn. It shows how high his status is in Chechi."

Sun Wukong glanced at Tang Sanzang, feeling somewhat worried, and asked, "Master, are you sure this time?"

Tang Sanzang sang a "yes", but his face showed a bit of helplessness, and he could only say: "Master, I can only do my best."

As time passed, the location changed to the imperial city of Chechi. Because an important discussion was about to take place, the witnesses were not limited to the King of Chechi and his ministers, but attracted more people.

They specially set up the place for discussing the Dharma on the altar outside the imperial palace.

The king sat in the first seat, and the guard of honor formed a grand formation, all to welcome the arrival of the great state teacher Lin Nan.

Lin Nan had not been to the city for some time, and their welcome was enough to show his high status in Chechi State.

All this fell into the eyes of Tang Sanzang and his disciples, and they couldn't help but feel a little incredible. Tang Sanzang sighed: "In Chang'an, the Tang Emperor is the most respected. Even if I am a teacher, although I can get the Tang Emperor's recognition, I can't get the love of so many people."

As he spoke, he looked around and saw the people around him cheering and jumping for joy, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation. He continued, "Even if the Emperor of Tang was in Chang'an, he wouldn't be loved by so many people and be so excited to see him."

Zhu Bajie asked curiously, "Master, you are the younger brother of the Tang Dynasty. Do you have such prestige and influence in the Tang Dynasty's Chang'an City?"

Tang Sanzang shook his head without even thinking about it and denied it, saying, "Although my master has some reputation in Chang'an, it is far less than this."

Sun Wukong also muttered to himself, "This great national master's position in Chechi is really too powerful. He became the national master just because he successfully prayed for rain 20 years ago. Why does he have such great love and influence among the people in Chechi?"

This question has been bothering Sun Wukong, and Tang Sanzang is also puzzled.

As time went by, the time for the discussion finally approached. King Chechi and others were ready, and the people gathered together. Almost everyone in the city gathered together, waiting for the arrival of the great master.

Everyone's eyes were all in one direction, that was where Jiuji Mountain was. Tang Sanzang and his disciples couldn't help but look in that direction too.

Suddenly, a purple aura surged from the sky, and it quickly grew larger, filling the entire sky in the blink of an eye. The purple aura stretched for thousands of miles, allowing people to see it clearly.

"Purple air is coming from the east, a saint is about to appear." Someone whispered, "The great master is coming!"

As soon as the voice fell, a high-pitched dragon roar sounded from the purple air. A white light appeared in the purple air, which turned out to be a winding and leaping white dragon, its body as white as jade, shining brightly.

And on the back of the dragon stood a Taoist priest, who was none other than the great national master Lin Nan.

"What a grand ceremony!" Sun Wukong muttered to himself, "It's quite similar to the majesty of me when I was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven."

On the side, Zhu Bajie glanced at Sun Wukong and wanted to mutter something, but he held back in the end.

Lin Nan came on a dragon, coming out of Jiuji Mountain and heading straight to Chechi Imperial City. He came here to discuss the law and spread his power.

In addition, the people were united in purpose and had one mind, so there was a connection between heaven and man, and strange visions occurred, forming a spectacular scene of purple air covering a thousand miles.

Lin Nan rode the dragon and quickly flew across the sky and arrived above the imperial city.

"Grand Master!" Suddenly, someone shouted loudly in the quiet city.

Suddenly, as if a chain reaction had been triggered, one after another started shouting. In the blink of an eye, there was only one voice left in the whole city: "Grand Master! Grand Master!"

People shouted loudly, expressing their respect and admiration for the great master.

The white dragon let out a long roar and slowly landed in front of Tang Sanzang and his disciples, suppressing many noisy voices at the same time.

Lin Nan floated down from the dragon's back and landed on the ground.

"Grand Master..." King Chechi walked forward excitedly and bowed deeply to Lin Nan.

Behind him, civil and military officials also saluted, many of them even knelt down and paid great respects to Lin Nan.

This is a disciple's etiquette and also a high respect for the great master.

In a blink of an eye, half of the two groups of civil and military officials bowed down. When Tang Sanzang and his disciples saw this, Zhu Bajie couldn't help but sigh: "It's really so majestic! This great master is so comfortable doing this."

Sun Wukong was a little surprised when he saw this scene, and he didn't understand why they were so enthusiastic about Lin Nan. He muttered in his heart: "If they are like this, even if they meet the real immortals in heaven or the Bodhisattvas in Lingshan, they won't be so pious, right?"

At this time, Lin Nan stretched out his hand slightly and lifted up all the people with his magic power. King Chechi looked at Lin Nan's still young face and felt a little emotional.

"Time flies! It has been many years since the last time the Grand Master discussed the Dharma on this altar." The king said with emotion, "Many years have passed. I am already over fifty years old, but the Grand Master is still as charming as ever."

"Your Majesty is still as charming and elegant as ever." Lin Nan responded with a smile.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Lin Nan's gaze turned and fell on Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

"Master Xuanzang, long time no see." He nodded to Tang Sanzang and said hello. "Amitabha! I greet you, great master." Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and saluted.

Lin Nan went on to say, "In the Tang Dynasty, even the Emperor was a devout Buddhist. There were hundreds of temples and thousands of monks around Chang'an City. But now in the Chechi Imperial City, there is not a single Buddhist temple, only Taoist temples and hundreds of Taoist priests."

As he said this, he looked at Tang Sanzang and asked, "Do you think the people of Chechi Imperial City are richer and happier than the people of Chang'an?"

In the past, the two had a debate in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, but it was interrupted by Guanyin Bodhisattva and the debate was cut short halfway.

Now Lin Nan brought up this topic again obviously wanting to continue the unfinished debate.

Tang Sanzang was speechless for a moment when facing Lin Nan's question. At this time, Sun Wukong couldn't help but interrupt and said, "The Tang Dynasty is the center of humanity and a prosperous place, so it is naturally better than Chechi."

Lin Nan smiled and turned to Sun Wukong and asked, "Have you ever been to the Tang Dynasty? Have you ever stayed in Chang'an?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said calmly: "I have never been to the Tang Dynasty nor stayed in Chang'an City. But I think that the center of humanity should be more prosperous and affluent than here."

Lin Nan nodded and looked at Tang Sanzang and said, "Perhaps you can ask Master Xuanzang if this is true? Is Chang'an as prosperous as Sun Wukong said?"

As he spoke, his eyes fell on Tang Sanzang. Sun Wukong also looked at his master expectantly, wanting to hear his opinion.

Tang Sanzang was helpless in the face of such an inquiry. He pondered for a moment and then slowly shook his head and began to compare Chang'an City with the current Chechi Imperial City.

As Lin Nan expected, he nodded slightly, then slowly said: "Since the matter is clear, why is Master Xuanzang silent?"

Tang Sanzang sighed and said softly: "Chang'an City is indeed not comparable to Chechi Imperial City." There was a hint of helplessness in his words, as if he was acknowledging this fact.

Then, he continued to explain: "However, the Tang Dynasty does not have as many sacred objects as the Chechi Kingdom, so there is such a gap, but this has no direct connection with Buddhism."

Lin Nan heard this, but shook his head, his tone firm: "How can you say it has nothing to do with it?" He paused, and continued, "Buddhists usually do not work, they just meditate and chant scriptures. They always say that they want to show kindness to the public, but in fact they rely on the support of believers to live."

He looked around, his eyes revealing a profoundness: "Look at those Buddhist temples, all of them are extremely luxurious, with golden and bronze statues of Buddha, and gold and silver decorations everywhere in the Buddhist temples. Just in the vicinity of Chang'an City, the construction costs of those Buddhist temples and the daily expenses of the monks are enough to feed tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people."

At this point, his tone became a little heavy: "However, there are still many beggars in Chang'an City, and there are slums, and many people can't even get enough food. Master Xuanzang, how can you say that this has nothing to do with Buddhism?"

Lin Nan stared at Tang Sanzang, as if he wanted to see through his heart: "And Chechi Imperial City did not build a Buddhist temple, but used these resources to benefit the people, so everyone here can live a prosperous life."

Tang Sanzang shook his head, as if he wanted to refute, but Lin Nan raised his hand and interrupted him: "Since Master Xuanzang wants to debate, let's go to the stage and let the people of Chechi come to witness it."

After saying that, Lin Nan's figure flashed and landed lightly on the altar. Sun Wukong was not interested in Lin Nan's words. As a cultivator, he did not care much about worldly matters. He just watched all this quietly, without much ripples in his heart.

However, he still said to Tang Sanzang: "Master, you should go and have a debate with him, and make the true meaning of our Buddhism clear, so as to rescue the five hundred imprisoned monks."

After saying this, Sun Wukong used his magical powers to allow Tang Sanzang to float down onto the altar.

The two men sat cross-legged, facing each other, and their words were amplified by magic so that everyone in the city could hear them clearly.

Tang Sanzang spoke first: "What the great master said just now is not without reason. However..." He paused and continued, "The Buddha's compassion cultivates the human heart, which can eliminate all kinds of karma and evil thoughts in people's hearts, guide people to be good, make people's hearts calm, and no longer have resentment."

His tone was firm and confident: "Although the division of labor between Buddhism and the secular world is different, there are actually similarities. The great master cannot say that the existence of Buddhism and Buddhist temples is unnecessary."

Lin Nan shook his head slightly, with a faint smile on his face: "What do you mean by eliminating other people's karma? There are many Buddhist temples in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty. Aren't monks there for their own practice? They require believers to chant the Buddha's name on their own so that they can escape from the sea of ​​suffering. And ordinary people work in agriculture and produce crops by tilling the land."

Tang Sanzang was startled when he heard this. Lin Nan's words seemed to have hit him so hard. This was indeed a drawback of "Hinayana Buddhism", which was more focused on self-salvation.

However, Tang Sanzang did not hesitate for too long. He sighed and said slowly: "Buddhism is divided into Mahayana and Hinayana. Hinayana Buddhism does emphasize self-salvation. But I am traveling west this time to seek Mahayana Buddhism in the West."

His eyes gleamed with determination: "As long as the Mahayana Buddhism comes, we can save all living beings."

Lin Nan smiled slightly, not paying attention to Tang Sanzang's attempt to change the subject. He said softly, "Since Master Xuanzang mentioned the difference between Hinayana and Mahayana, let's put this topic aside for now."

He paused and continued, "I would like to ask you, Master. If there is a Buddhist temple, and the authorities are tracking down criminals, they find that the criminals are hiding in the temple and have transformed into monks. However, before they became monks, they were all evildoers, killing families, raping and robbing, and doing all kinds of evil. But one day they suddenly realized and became Buddhist monks. In this case, the authorities entered the temple to arrest them, but were blocked by Buddhists, who claimed that 'put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha, and should not be pursued.' Master, is this right or wrong?"

Lin Nan's tone was filled with sarcasm: "And secular laws often have rules that harboring a criminal is an accomplice. In this case, the abbot of a Buddhist temple is also guilty of a capital crime. I wonder if Master Xuanzang agrees with this statement?"

Tang Sanzang was silent for a moment after hearing this, then slowly shook his head: "Buddhism does have the saying 'turning back is the shore', which is a great merit in Buddhism. The abbot's actions are not wrong."

Lin Nan pressed on, "So, the authorities are wrong? The law is wrong?" He stared at Tang Sanzang, "Also, those whose homes were confiscated and whose families were exterminated were wrong? Those who were raped and robbed were wrong? In this case, who is the great merit of Buddhism for? Who will pay for the lives of the innocent people?"

Tang Sanzang was silent. He had no words to say. Under the altar, the crowd of onlookers were also silent. They were all thinking seriously about this question.

Below the stage, Tang Sanzang's disciples were extremely anxious because their master was unable to respond for a moment.

After a while, Tang Sanzang slowly spoke: "What the abbot did is not wrong in Buddhism. But he harbored a criminal, and good deeds cannot offset his karma. He can choose to sacrifice his life for justice."

Hearing this, Lin Nan clapped his hands and said in a sarcastic tone, "What a heroic act of sacrificing one's life for justice. You've made a criminal sound quite courageous."

He paused and continued, "This is why Buddhism is so intolerable in Chechi Country. It is obviously not practical, but there are all kinds of reasons to justify it."

Tang Sanzang said "Amitabha" with a bit of shame on his face: "It's not because of Buddhism, but because of my lack of cultivation. When I get the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, I will surely be able to save the world."

Lin Nan said calmly, "Then let's talk about it after you obtain the Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures. In our Chechi Kingdom, we must continue to develop in this way and not allow Buddhism. As for the five hundred imprisoned monks, they have enjoyed the offerings of Chechi Kingdom for many years before. Now it is only natural for them to move cement and serve the people."

On the altar of Chechi Imperial City, in full view of the public, Lin Nan's words made it difficult for the holy monk Tang Sanzang from the Tang Dynasty to respond, leaving him speechless. (End of this chapter)