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Chapter 44 The Blue-haired Lion
Why should it be considered Buddhism?
Yuan Shoucheng's wrinkled face was filled with surprise.
"Buddhism? You mean... your death was orchestrated by Buddhism?"

He had calculated Chen Guangrui's fate—a life destined for death, with blood flowing into his head—but he had never foreseen that Buddhism was involved. Among the clues he had seen, there was nothing connected to Buddhism.
Chen Guangrui's question now clearly indicates that he has a good idea of ​​what's going on.

Chen Guangrui didn't respond. Yuan Shoucheng looked at his overly calm face and felt a sudden unease.

This guy... did he calculate something that even he couldn't calculate?

Really served!

Yuan Shoucheng asked no more questions, took a deep breath, and grabbed the few copper coins on the table that smelled of fish. His cloudy old eyes stared intently at the coins, he muttered something to himself, and his withered fingers suddenly flicked upwards.

The copper coins clattered as they spilled onto the wet tabletop.

I really don't believe in this nonsense. Our lineage has stopped cultivating the Dao in order to glimpse the secrets of heaven, and now we can't even calculate this?

Yuan Shoucheng's head felt like it had been hit by something, and he jerked back! His cloudy old eyes widened instantly like copper bells as he stared intently at the divination, the wrinkles on his face twisting into deep furrows.

Chen Guangrui and the Old Dragon King immediately focused their attention on his face.

A moment of deathly silence.

Yuan Shoucheng gasped sharply, making a "hoarse" sound in his throat, as if he had seen a ghost!

"Buddha's light... what's going on..."

His voice trembled with disbelief, and he shook his head violently, his tone somewhat bewildered.
"Something's not right! Something's really not right! It's the ninth year of the Wude era! The Li Tang imperial family considers themselves descendants of Laozi Li Er and is wholeheartedly devoted to Taoism! The Buddhist statues in Chang'an haven't even been consecrated! When important Buddhist figures arrive, there's not even a statue to offer them; if they want to stay, they have to go to the City God Temple first..."

As he spoke, he rapidly calculated, his fingers trembling violently.

"I haven't seen any large Buddha statues come here..."

Suddenly, his calculations abruptly stopped! He froze completely. His cloudy eyes stared intently at a non-existent point in the void, his face turning deathly pale, as if he had discovered something extremely terrifying and bizarre!
"Lion...lion?!" Yuan Shoucheng's voice became shrill, filled with extreme horror. "No! Something's wrong! Such a heavy Buddha light! I 'saw'...a blue-maned lion!"

"A green-haired lion?!" Chen Guangrui's brows furrowed instantly. A green-haired lion? Is there such a monster in Journey to the West? He quickly ran through his mind, locking onto a few monsters he could still remember.

The old Dragon King frowned, his enormous, bell-like eyes fixed on Yuan Shoucheng. "What kind of lion?"

"Light!" Yuan Shoucheng's thin finger suddenly pointed in a direction, his voice distorted with excitement and fear.
"Buddha's light! It was clinging to that beast! It left its mark right... right near Daxingshan Temple!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Shoucheng froze. He turned his head sharply, staring intently at Chen Guangrui, his eyes filled with shock and even deeper doubt.

Daxingshan Temple? Isn't that where Chen Guangrui first "became a monk"?!

Chen Guangrui remained expressionless, but his eyes held a chilling depth. He certainly wouldn't tell Yuan Shoucheng that the location for his ordination was simply a nearby temple he had chosen; as for the coincidence, that was purely a matter of chance.
Chen Guangrui nodded slowly, his voice completely calm.
"There's no mistake, this lion is the one who's trying to harm me."

"Wait, wait!" Yuan Shoucheng cried out impatiently, pressing down on the long table.
"You're jumping to conclusions way too fast! Just because this lion appeared at Daxingshan Temple with a halo of Buddha's light? What kind of evidence is that? It could be a coincidence, or it could just be passing by. The halo of Buddha's light on it might not even be directed at you!" "Evidence?" Chen Guangrui's lips curled down slightly, with an almost cold certainty.

"Some things don't require irrefutable evidence. A feeling, a 'possibility,' is enough for me to determine danger. Want concrete proof?"

He shook his head, his tone carrying a resigned calmness, "It's too difficult."

He already knew in his heart that it was the Buddhist sect that was behind this, and now that he saw the blue-haired lion, there was no need for further confirmation.

A profound sense of absurdity arose within me.

"A blue-maned lion, radiating Buddhist light, is secretly ordering mortals to become assassins and kill me? This is a despicable tactic commonly used by evil spirits! What gives it that Buddhist light? Is it because it has accumulated enough 'merit' by doing so many shady things for Buddhism? Having done so many bad things, isn't it afraid of damaging that Buddhist light?"

The old Dragon King let out a heavy, mocking snort, breaking his thoughts.

"Scholar Chen, have you gone mad from reading all this? What utter nonsense about merit! The Buddha said that whoever has Buddha's light within them must have Buddha's light! It doesn't matter if you're good or evil, immortal or demon! If you slaughter a city today, tomorrow the Buddha will be pleased and praise you for 'meritorious service in subduing demons,' and you'll still be draped in golden light! Do you understand? This is called 'killing doesn't incur karma, doing evil increases Buddha's light'! This little trick of Buddhism can only fool honest people like you!"

The Dragon King's words were like a bucket of ice water, poured hard on Chen Guangrui's heart, completely extinguishing the confusion caused by the Buddha's light, leaving only a cold clarity and an indescribable feeling of nausea.

Chen Guangrui remained silent. The Dragon King's words were like an icicle, piercing through the illusion of the hazy, illusory Buddha light.

He turned his gaze to Yuan Shoucheng, "Can we calculate it again? Can we pinpoint exactly where this blue lion is hiding now?"

He had absolutely no hope. How could the demons sent by Buddhism to orchestrate such an important plan as the descent of the Golden Cicada be so easily unearthed by a street fortune-telling stall?
Yuan Shoucheng seemed oblivious to his suspicions. His withered hand picked up the copper coins again, his eyes becoming extremely focused, as if all his energy was concentrated on the cold metal at his fingertips.

He carefully laid out the divination symbols, his cloudy eyes fixed on the table, muttering incantations. His withered fingers moved rapidly across the symbols, as if trying to connect some invisible path.

Time passed slowly. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yuan Shoucheng's forehead, and his expression grew increasingly solemn. Chen Guangrui and the Old Dragon King held their breath, their eyes fixed on his face.

suddenly!

Yuan Shoucheng's finger suddenly stopped in a certain direction, and his cloudy old eyes suddenly flashed with an incredulous light!

"Yes! There's...there's even a location?!"

He suddenly looked up at Chen Guangrui and the Old Dragon King, his voice filled with a look of astonishment that even he himself couldn't believe.
"In the southwest... right here in Chang'an! There's a... similar aura lingering! It's very faint, but I can sense it! It's... west of Zhuque Avenue... I see the place!"

Yuan Shoucheng's voice rose, and his withered hands trembled slightly!

At the very end, he suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He slammed his hand on the table, making the bamboo tube jump.

"I see that place!"

(End of this chapter)