Chosen Evolution: I can load the protagonist template

Chapter 796 Life or Faith, That Is the Question
Are the monks of Zhiyuan Temple truly devoted to Buddhism? Cheng Tian didn't know.

All he knew was that people only have the energy to think about random things after they've eaten their fill.

The vast amount of stone needed for the large-scale construction projects in Chechi Kingdom was all collected by the exiled monks. The monks paid a heavy price for this, even losing their lives. After all, even modern mines and quarries are quite dangerous, let alone in ancient times.

Because of their veneration of Taoism and rejection of Buddhism, the Three Immortals subjected the monks to cruel enslavement.

Those monks who survive under such cruel slavery must have had a strong will to live.

Given the right conditions, some of them would certainly be willing to give up something in order to survive, including the beliefs they uphold.

Clearly, the order to persuade people to change their faith in this quarry was issued by Cheng Tian in the name of the Three Immortals.

Having become the Grassroots Gods and confirmed their successful landing, the three immortals, who had no background, cherished their current status even more than they had imagined. Even if they had doubts about Cheng Tian's orders, they would carry them out without hesitation.

Choosing sides half-heartedly is tantamount to absolute disloyalty, and now is the time for these three newly emerged warlords to prove themselves.

They are just arrogant, not really stupid; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to learn the Five Thunder Orthodox Method.

The three immortals knew that their only place to make a name for themselves was in Chechi Kingdom, so they did whatever Cheng Tian said without hesitation, even if it might harm their own interests in Chechi Kingdom.

The king, who was easily swayed, was no exception. He simply said, "It's all up to the immortals to decide," and delegated power directly, making himself seem like a human-shaped seal from the Kingdom of Chechi.

Fortunately, he encountered a tiger, deer, and sheep who were single-mindedly seeking immortality and almost always granted the people's requests for rain. At most, they couldn't help but want to persecute the monks. As a result, Chechi Kingdom not only did not decline, but prospered instead.

If it were some other wicked monster that loved to eat people, who knows what kind of mess this place would be in.

The Taoist priests of Chechi Kingdom were naturally very dissatisfied with this order, because it would not only reduce the number of people they could enslave at will, but also increase the number of fellow Taoists who would compete with them for food.

Despite their dissatisfaction, they dared not do anything, after all, Chechi Kingdom was a small place where you could see the king and queen while strolling down the street, so they could only follow orders as instructed.

Just as Cheng Tian had expected, the five hundred monks were indeed not a block of iron. After the Taoist announced the new order, some of them immediately took off their dusty, tattered, and drafty monk robes and came to the Taoist with eager, even pleading, eyes.

Those who decisively chose to convert were mainly young and old monks.

This included the young monk who had previously cursed the Taoist priests.

Faced with this situation, the middle-aged monk who had kicked the young monk earlier as a warning simply raised his calloused and wounded hand to try to reach the young man, and then let it fall limply.

Now, what right does he have to point fingers at people who can't even afford to eat?

The middle-aged monk vaguely sensed that something was wrong, and it was very likely that the Three Demon Immortals were using some kind of more covert and vicious special method, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The damage caused by long-term hard labor and whipping to the elderly and weak is irreversible. As people get older, their fear of death intensifies, which is only natural. Therefore, it is understandable that elderly monks turn to faith.

The young monks, lacking experience, were unable to perceive the inherent dangers. Now, presented with an opportunity to escape their suffering and continue living normal lives, they were bound to seize it tightly. But soon, the middle-aged monk's eyes met those of other monks of similar age who hadn't yet set off, and a similar gleam appeared in their eyes.

Then, the middle-aged monk no longer hesitated and joined the ranks of those who converted.

This monk made this choice after objectively analyzing the current situation, viewing "conversion" as a temporary expedient.

If one truly wants to revive Buddhism, then at least one must first ensure the stability of one's current situation. And without a doubt, if one insists on believing in Buddhism and does not try to escape one's status as a laborer, unless divine intervention occurs, it will be almost impossible to change the status quo, let alone overthrow Taoism.

While some may change their faith, others will remain true to their original beliefs.

Of the 500 monks currently scattered throughout Chechi Kingdom, at least 150 have already converted to Christianity, while the remaining 300-plus have also made their own responses.

A few staunch believers began to loudly condemn those who converted, but most protested by remaining silent.

They ignored the letter's proposal and simply pounded the stones with their hammers, seemingly venting their frustrations rather than working.

It didn't take long for the number of monks officially registered at Zhiyuan Temple to drop to 365.

But the situation wasn't over yet, as the person in charge of distributing the robes added further explanations.

The gist is that although the monks have converted to Buddhism, it doesn't mean that the work they were supposed to do will just disappear out of thin air. All the missing labor force needs to be completed by these monks who have stayed true to their original faith and are devoted to Buddhism.

Moreover, the corresponding completion targets will be directly equated with these bald Taoist priests who have just converted to Taoism.

Suddenly, they went from being pitiful people who shared hardships to being in a relationship of overseer and laborer.

Want benefits? Sure, but you'll have to do hard labor in return!
Furthermore, the Imperial Advisor allowed the overseers to help the laborers with their work; the quotas were assigned that way, and they could do whatever they wanted.

The moment this supplementary explanation was issued, the atmosphere at the entire quarry site changed instantly. All the monks showed expressions of surprise, and their gazes towards each other were filled with considerable entanglement.

"Oh, changing clothes isn't enough. You also need to come with us to pay homage to the Three Pure Ones before you can receive your conversion benefits."

After the Taoist priest finished speaking, he turned and left. After a brief, suffocating silence, the former monk, now dressed in a Taoist robe, followed him with varying expressions.

At the same time, Erlang Shen was looking at his incarnation in the mortal realm with a gaze even more indescribable than when he witnessed a mountain-splitting axe cutting down a sea urchin.

To put it simply, Cheng Tian's actions were even more serious than the consequences of directly executing five hundred monks.

After all, this has escalated to the level of seizing faith!

Thinking of this, Erlang Shen shifted his gaze, and the figures of Tang Sanzang and his disciples had already appeared at the city gate of Chechi Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)