Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 326 Clash in a Dream
Zhao Yifu returned to Baiyun Mountain with two boys and a blue ox.

After Laozi finished expounding the Dao to him, he left the Tushita Palace decisively and returned to the Taiqing Heaven Eight Scenery Palace.

The Tushita Palace, which is actually where Laozi refines elixirs in the Heavenly Court, is a kind of 'workstation', so it is naturally no longer needed at this time.

The boy was an assistant in alchemy, and the green ox was a 'commuting tool'. Since they didn't need to go to work, they naturally wouldn't be brought back to the Eight Views Palace.

So they simply handed everything over to Zhao Yifu to take care of.

Upon arriving at Liaoshan, the two boys and the green ox were settled not far from Tianyu, where they would build their own cave dwellings for temporary residence.

Anyway, this mountain is full of spiritual energy, and any place can be transformed into a celestial abode with just a little tidying up, so it doesn't disgrace the status of these three disciples of the sages.

Of course, the most important reason is that Zhao Yifu was originally a 'little master' in their hearts, belonging to the master's family.

Thus, the demons of the Heavenly Prison in the Burning Mountain suddenly found themselves with three powerful figures above them... the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, who possessed the Vajra Bracelet capable of taking away all weapons; the Golden Horned King, who carried the Purple-Gold Red Gourd; and the Silver Horned King, who carried the Jade Purification Bottle...

These three seem to require absolutely no attention from him. After all, they already have 'social experience' of living in the mortal realm.

After settling them in, Zhao Yifu began to seriously comprehend his own Great Luo Realm.

The Great Luo Golden Immortal is theoretically an omnipotent realm.

Just like now, he saw Yiyi sunbathing there, and suddenly with a wave of his hand, another identical black cat appeared in the shimmering water of the pool in front of him.

The black cat was incredibly lifelike, with the exact same expression and appearance as Yiyi, but it was essentially just an illusion.

It's like an illusion that has a physical form, as if it were a real thing!
This is the effect of his interference with reality through his dream world.

He had realized that one of the greatest benefits this dream world brought him was the extremely enhanced illusion magic.

Zhao Yifu was studying when he suddenly sensed someone intruding into his illusion array.

The other party clearly made no attempt to conceal their presence, moving through the illusion array as if it were flat ground, without the slightest doubt.

Zhao Yifu looked down and saw a handsome monk in yellow robes walking up the hillside step by step.

This made Zhao Yifu deeply regretful.

He should have strengthened the defensive formations of his own Baiyun Mountain immediately!
Looking back at the Shit Mountain Illusion Array from his current perspective, it was truly worthless.

Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything now, so he could only receive this 'unpleasant guest' first.

His primordial spirit shifted, and he naturally sensed that the other party's cultivation level was similar to his own, and in terms of Buddhist attainment, he should be a Bodhisattva.

He then inquired from afar on the mountain, "I wonder which Bodhisattva has come to visit my Baiyun Mountain?"

The handsome and tall monk in yellow robes laughed heartily, "This humble monk, Ayiduo, knows there are capable people in these mountains, so I have come to pay my respects."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu immediately said, "So it's Bodhisattva Ajita! Bodhisattva, please come in..."

As he spoke, he waited for them halfway up the mountain.

He was always impeccable in his manners; after all, most saints were stingy, and he would never leave such a handle on them.

When Ajita Bodhisattva saw Zhao Yifu, he dared not presume to speak of the Great Dao: "Greetings, Lord of Dreams, this humble monk pays his respects."

Zhao Yifu knew that this Bodhisattva was coming for him.

Zhao Yifu returned the greeting, pondering how to respond, when suddenly he heard a male and female voice singing in harmony overhead: "Walk, walk, walk, heroes, follow me..."

Well, those Eight Immortals who've fallen into demonic ways are indulging in unrestrained behavior up there.

Zhao Yifu quickly turned around and said apologetically, "My eight elders have inadvertently fallen into demonic possession and are currently indulging themselves uncontrollably. Please forgive them, Bodhisattva."

Ayidoo shook his head and said, "Where is this demonic possession? What I heard was clearly a sound of carefree ease."

"The eight of them have found their freedom, which is something to celebrate."

This Bodhisattva clearly possessed discerning eyes, and immediately understood the state of the Eight Immortals.

That's clearly using demonic possession as an excuse to indulge in carefree pleasures.

Zhao Yifu said, "Bodhisattva, if you don't mind the simplicity, let's meet here."

Maitreya Bodhisattva smiled and said, "If the mind is settled, where can't one sit peacefully?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu couldn't help but feel more favorably disposed towards this Bodhisattva Ajita. Regardless of His purpose in coming, His character and demeanor were at least admirable.

Of course, he wouldn't actually sit on the ground with this Bodhisattva. He took out his paintbrush, dipped it in some spiritual ink, and suddenly began to paint.

The next moment, lines of ink fell from his brush, creating a suspended ink-wash pavilion beside the steep mountain path halfway up the mountain!

Coupled with the thick white fog around it, it really looked like an ink painting on white paper, carrying a kind of ethereal and otherworldly beauty.

His art had reached its culmination at this moment.

When he can use the whole world as a canvas to freely splash ink, even if what he paints looks like a child's scribbles, it is still the best painting in the world.

He led the way into the ink-wash pavilion and sat down. Ajita Bodhisattva followed him in, feeling as if he had entered an ink-wash painting.

"Wonderful, wonderful indeed! This humble monk has never seen such supernatural power before."

He was filled with wonder and praised him generously.

Zhao Yifu said tactfully, "Bodhisattva flatters me."

As he spoke, he called Yiyi over and had it brew tea and serve him.

The kitten was standing nearby, holding a kettle with its tail, occasionally spitting out a flame to boil water.

Ajita Bodhisattva praised him repeatedly, and then chatted with Zhao Yifu about all sorts of things, demonstrating an extremely profound level of knowledge.

Zhao Yifu joined in the conversation, and the two of them were able to keep up with each other no matter what the topic was. They even developed a mutual respect for one another.

Ajita Bodhisattva was truly astonished. Such profound understanding could only come from an incredibly deep foundation of knowledge and a prestigious lineage. And how long had Zhao Yifu been rising to power?
Zhao Yifu, on the other hand, deeply felt the profound knowledge of this Bodhisattva Ajita. He never imagined that chatting with this Bodhisattva could even enhance the stability of his own realm.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry at all and was only willing to continue chatting.

Zhao Yifu then asked, "May the Bodhisattva drink some wine?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva laughed and said, "The precepts are for the purpose of helping Buddhist disciples who are just beginning their practice. If you have good wine or meat, please bring it to me."

This unrestrained and bold spirit is just like that of a chivalrous hero in the martial arts world.

What else is there to say?

Zhao Yifu simply had Yiyi bring him wine and food, and had Achou serve him as well. He then drank, ate, and chatted happily with this Bodhisattva Ayiduo.

As they chatted, they got carried away and began criticizing current affairs and talking at length about the strengths and weaknesses of each other.

Zhao Yifu said that Buddhism is too flashy, loves to swindle money from believers, and prefers to stay indoors when trouble comes.

Ayiduo complained that the Taoist sect was too troublesome and liked to rebel and cause trouble.

Zhao Yifu further stated that Buddhism misleads believers into complacency and does not contribute to the development of humanity. Ayiduo, on the other hand, indicated that Taoist disciples prefer reckless action and even like to persuade rulers to pursue immortality, causing them to neglect state affairs…

The two argued for a long time, but couldn't reach a conclusion.

They gradually developed a friendship amidst the arguments. After all, they were just arguing verbally and it didn't escalate into a real battle of wits.

As he drank, Ayido drank quite a bit.

With his eyes glazed with drunkenness, he said, "Fellow Daoist, I'm so drunk I've fallen into a deep sleep. Perhaps I can enter your dream world to take a look?"

Zhao Yifu, however, said dismissively, "Go and dream your own dreams; you've already entered the dream world."

He said, “No, my own dreams are rather dull. Fellow Daoist, could you show me something different?”

Zhao Yifu smiled and said, "Alright, Bodhisattva, just go to sleep."

Then Ajita Bodhisattva fell into a deep sleep.

Zhao Yifu arrived in the dream world and saw the golden, pot-bellied Buddha statue, which made him feel somewhat troubled.

Good heavens, what does Ayiduo mean by this? Does he want to fight him in the dream world?

Or perhaps they wanted to use this method to test the potential of the dream world?
Interesting. This Bodhisattva Ajita clearly came with a mission from the West, but his way of doing things is not at all annoying.

After the two had eaten and drunk their fill and chatted like ordinary people for a long time, they finally got down to business.

Clearly, Buddhism has its eye on the power of his dream.

As for whether or not to hide our strength?
Zhao Yifu, however, felt it was unnecessary.

After all, he had reached the point where he no longer needed to hide himself. Everyone knew that his trump card was the Tai Chi Diagram, and his protective treasure was the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda.

If he hadn't been worried about the negative impact, he would have even set up the Primordial Chaos Formation on Baiyun Mountain.

So Zhao Yifu, facing the Buddha in his dream, suddenly had a wicked thought.

Ajita's dream was of a kind-faced, pot-bellied Buddha, which seemed to indicate that he had the desire to become a Buddha and to save all people.

Before the Buddha, countless believers could be seen worshipping, expressing their joy and happiness.

Zhao Yifu then started with these believers, gently tapping on that group of believers, and each of them changed their appearance.

The original state of joy and peace has turned into a state of wanting but not getting.

Each person who worships Buddha no longer expresses their joy, but rather their desires.

Worship is no longer about worshipping the Buddha's boundless wisdom, but about worshipping his omnipotence.

The Buddha in Ajita's dream remained unmoved and did not display his omnipotence. He simply recited scriptures and shared his wisdom, hoping that believers could gain wisdom to solve the problems they encountered.

At this moment, Ajita truly displayed astonishing wisdom, while the desires of these believers were actually controlled by Zhao Yifu's understanding. If Zhao Yifu judged that Ajita's wisdom was useful, it could naturally solve the problem.

The fact that these countless questions of believers were resolved one by one shows that Ajita truly possessed great wisdom.

The Buddha's greatness lies in his ability to relieve the suffering of all beings.

But Zhao Yifu chuckled lightly, indicating that this was not the end of it.

Suddenly, the believers all changed, as if they had developed a Buddhist mind because of the Buddha's guidance and wanted to follow the Buddha in their practice.

The Buddha did not accept disciples, but he still guided sentient beings through their confusion.

Thus, one believer after another, in order to serve the Buddha, willingly relinquished all attachments and entered the monastic life in a state of equality, love, and selflessness.

The Buddha accepted these people who had developed Buddha-nature with great love, and seemed not to find anything wrong with it.

However, the situation soon changed.

Those who turned to Buddhism sought to understand the profound meaning of emptiness by entering the monastic life. As a result, there was no one to cultivate the land or produce anything, and the Buddha's disciples gradually became ragged, hungry, and weak.

The Buddha was a beat slow to react. He first guided the departed souls, telling them not to fear death. Then he instructed believers not to waste their labor, telling them that they could also experience the Dharma and its benefits through work…

All of these factors helped the remaining believers overcome this difficult time.

After painstakingly transforming the Buddhist kingdom into a prosperous land, He tragically discovered that the believers were only focused on pursuing 'emptiness' and had even lost their desires, resulting in a sharp drop in the birth rate of the Buddhist kingdom, and it seemed that there would be no more newborn babies!
So the Buddha quickly patched up his teachings, saying that bringing infants into the world to enjoy happiness was also a great act of kindness, and the more children a believer had and the better they were educated, the greater their blessings would be…

Believers married and had children, treating each child born in the Buddhist kingdom with great love.

It seems to be self-consistent.

But in an instant, Zhao Yifu came up with another strange trick.

The once fertile and peaceful Buddhist kingdom suddenly changed, becoming a desolate land overrun by demons and barren of soil.

People live in great hardship on this land. Children are abducted by demons and eaten as food. Even if they are lucky enough to grow up, they must work hard to support their families.

Suffering, unbearable suffering, just as the Buddha said: all people suffer.

This is the area where the Buddha excelled. He taught people to "find joy in suffering," for if they experience suffering in this life, they will have more blessings in the next.

At the same time, the Buddha dispatched many powerful disciples to subdue demons and monsters, and finally maintained peace in this world.

All these factors ensured the believers' peace of mind and allowed them to continue to multiply.

But the earthly produce is becoming less and less, the number of believers is decreasing, and the number of newborns each year is also decreasing...

Thus, for many believers, there is no afterlife, and the signs of world destruction are becoming increasingly clear...

The scene freezes here, and this dream—more of a projection of the future than a dream—comes to an end.

Zhao Yifu asked in a tone that hinted at the solution, "Does the Bodhisattva know of any way to resolve this deadly predicament?"

The moment this question was asked, the dream shattered.

Zhao Yifu and Ayiduo sat facing each other again in the ink pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Ayiduo gave a bitter smile and said, "The only thing I can think of is to bring those who are willing to take refuge into the Pure Land before that day comes, and then let that barren land change on its own to see how it goes."

He expressed his thoughts, or rather, this was the way Buddhism dealt with that calamity.

Zhao Yifu listened noncommittally and said, "Perhaps it's a solution, but why not try to prevent that day from coming?"

Ajita said, "That is the inevitable trend, and it cannot be changed. Our Buddha has always acted in accordance with the will of Heaven."

"Moreover, wouldn't allowing those who have taken refuge to live in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss also ensure the survival of all beings in the three realms?"

Zhao Yifu didn't say anything; in fact, he didn't really have any opinion on this approach.

If this can truly preserve the spark of life and allow the Three Realms to return to their normal course, then it would indeed be a great merit.

However, this approach is somewhat passive and has the suspicion of letting the Taoist sects charge into battle while they reap the rewards...

(End of this chapter)