Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 323 Roots
Sitting Garden.

"Where will three thousand Buddhist temples be built?" This was the first time Ren Yuan had heard of this.

"I don't remember." The Fifth Dimension had heard of it, but unfortunately he had forgotten it all...

"..." Chen Qingzhi had no choice but to explain: "This was the condition that the Buddha provided to help the emperor after the Fushan Weir burst."

"Didn't it say 'abandon Taoism and follow Buddhism'?" Ren Yuan asked.

"Abandoning Taoism and following Buddhism is not just talk, but action is needed." Chen Qingzhi sighed and said, "Building 3,000 Buddhist temples in Yangzhou within ten years is what the emperor must do."

"This is too... outrageous!" Ren Yuan was shocked. Although the Yangzhou at that time was not the Yangzhou Prefecture in later generations, but it was the number one state in the world with seven counties under its jurisdiction, including Danyang, Wujun, Kuaiji, etc., occupying most of Jiangnan.

But building 3,000 Buddhist temples in seven counties is a bit too much. On average, more than 400 temples were built in each county. This is how Xiao Du's "480 temples in the Southern Dynasties" came about.

"There are thousands or hundreds of monks in a temple. To fill these 3,000 temples, converting our 20,000 people is far from enough." Ren Yuanqu counted with his fingers.

"Yes. At least 100,000 monks are needed, and they are all strong laborers." The Fifth Dimension nodded and said, "If we really build 3,000 temples, the court will not only go bankrupt, but also lose all its manpower."

"Moreover, these monks do not produce anything and rely on the people for support. They also occupy a lot of farmland and do not have to pay taxes. How can Daliang survive if such a big leech is sucking blood from their bodies?" Ren Yuan continued, "No wonder the emperor wants to fight them."

"What you said is correct, but it is not comprehensive." Chen Qingzhi said calmly: "These three thousand Buddhist temples have even more terrible dangers, because the Buddha is not for spreading the Dharma, but..."

After a pause, he said in a shocking tone, "It is to create another dreamland in reality."

"What?" Ren Yuan and the Fifth Dimension were stunned. Isn't this too outrageous?
"Then what will the real world become? Will it be like the dreamland?"

"We will have to sleep during the day and at night from now on?" For the first time, Ren Yuan felt that his imagination was too limited. He could not imagine what the scene would be like.
"Perhaps by then, there will be no boundary between dreams and reality, and people will live directly in dreams, unable to tell whether they are awake or asleep, just like Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly..." Chen Qingzhi said, shaking his head and smiling bitterly, "Until that day, no one can imagine what it really looks like."

"But what is certain is that this is a necessary miracle for the Dream God to be promoted to the Lord God." After a pause, Chen Qingzhi said in a deep voice: "By then, whether it is reality or dreams, they will become the kingdom of the Dream God. He will be completely immortal and completely superior to all living beings. Compared with the legendary ancient Lord Gods such as Chi You and Ying Long, he will be no less powerful."

"But in this way, Daliang will no longer be the emperor's Daliang, but will become the kingdom of the God of Dreams. We will no longer have our own will, but will sleepwalk in the kingdom of God for our entire lives." Chen Qingzhi sighed and said:

"The emperor was not convinced, and neither were we, so we had this contest. Unfortunately, the difference in strength was too great, and we ultimately failed."

"I see." Ren Yuan and Diwuwei finally understood the story behind the New Year's Day drama.

"But General Chen, won't there be trouble if you speak of gods so recklessly?" Ren Yuan asked worriedly.

"It doesn't matter." Chen Qingzhi shook his head and said, "This time He should really be asleep and can't hear what we say."

"It turns out that Chen Shuai knows more than we do..." The fifth dimension's expression dimmed.

"Don't think too much." Chen Qingzhi knew what he was thinking, so he said in a gentle voice: "I was by the emperor's side back then, so I do know more about the inside story. But you also know that the dream god is very secretive, and many times the emperor and I can only rely on guessing. If we want to piece together the truth, we must send someone to find out." "But, the number of people who can use magical powers to enter and exit the dreamland is very limited, so I can only send you." He said to the Fifth Dimension apologetically: "The matter is too serious. Once it is exposed, even the emperor will be in trouble, so I can only hide it from you. As a result, you really encountered danger. I am so sorry. All the responsibility lies with me."

"Master Chen, you are too polite. This is our duty." The Fifth Dimension sighed and said, "Among the Eighteen Forbidden Rules, there is a rule that says 'You are not allowed to ask about things that you shouldn't ask about', not to mention that it is our duty to obey orders or to be a ghostwriter."

"Thank you for your understanding." Chen Qingzhi thanked him sincerely, and then apologized to Ren Yuan:
"I didn't tell you the truth about the 'Poyang Prince Poisoning Case' and the 'Temple of Heaven Saltpeter Brick Case'. In fact, what you found was correct. It was just that I had to play dumb due to the situation."

"I understand." Ren Yuan naturally did not have as much emotion as the Fifth Dimension, and said softly: "This is also Chen Shuai's love for us."

He even had a vague feeling that Chen Qianzhi's decision to delay the opening of the Nine Apertures of the Fifth Dimension was actually a form of protection... Otherwise, it would have been the Fifth Dimension who died in the battle of Tongtai Temple, not Wu Zhe.

"I'm glad you think so." Chen Qingzhi smiled happily and said, "Don't worry, your efforts have paid off. You have effectively cooperated with our plan."

"What do you mean?" Ren Yuan was stunned.

"Let Xiao Baoyin believe that we have been completely kept in the dark." Chen Qingzhi said with a smile.

"Puff..." The fifth dimension almost couldn't hold it back.

"Haha." Ren Yuan smiled awkwardly and said self-deprecatingly, "I was indeed completely kept in the dark."

"Sorry, sorry." Chen Qingzhi spread his hands towards him and Diwuwei and said, "To express my apology, you can ask whatever you want to know. I promise to tell you everything I know."

"..." Ren Yuan and the Fifth Dimension looked at each other. Such a good opportunity, of course, could not be missed. The latter said: "Ask."

"Yes." Ren Yuan nodded and asked softly, "Excuse me, Chen Shuai, what is the relationship between Buddha, Dream God, and Wu Yang?"

"It's a trinity." Chen Qingzhi answered straightforwardly: "Buddha is the shell, Meng Shen is the godhead, and Wu Yang is the original soul."

Seeing that Ren Yuan and Diwuwei were still a little confused, Chen Qingzhi further explained: "Have you heard about the meteor shower during the Battle of Kunyang?"

"I've heard of it." Ren Yuan nodded, "It is said that the meteor shower brought the gods and demons back to the human world."

"Then do you know where this meteorite shower came from?" Chen Qianzhi asked again.

"Could it be Wu Yang and that Wu Xian who are behind this?" Ren Yuan's pupils suddenly shrank.

"That's right." Chen Qingzhi nodded and said, "It was the Ten Witches who summoned the Demon God back."

"Ten witches? Are they the ten great witches in the Classic of Mountains and Seas who are responsible for communicating between heaven and earth?" The Fifth Dimension was shocked, "Or are they their descendants?"

(End of this chapter)