Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

"Are you out of your mind? Shouting like that, that guy must be next door."

Matt said this, but his face still showed no seriousness; he simply crossed his legs and continued to smoke his cigar.

But the person who changed skin still waved their hand in response:

"I've already modified this room. No one but you can eavesdrop on what's going on here without my knowledge. Besides, with that old guy's strength, even if he stood right in front of us, he wouldn't be able to hear what we were saying unless we wanted to."

"snort."

Matt sneered:

"But in the end, he is the bishop of the Free City, while we are just errand boys. He can bring those useless mortal friends to the Ascension Banquet, while we fight tooth and nail for just one spot. It's not fair."

"Yes, this is so unfair. That's why we're against that old bishop."

Yi Pizhe made a gesture used in naturocratic prayer and said:

"Those petty thieves can't ruin the cult leader's plans, but they're perfect for dealing with the bishop's gang."

"Do you think that doing this won't displease the cult leader?"

Matt hesitated for a moment. But the man with the alter ego still spoke confidently:

"The High Priest doesn't care about these things. He just needs someone in the mortal realm to help him manage his businesses. And that person could be an old man like a bishop who deals with useless mortals all day long. Why can't you be one of us, skilled enough to handle things?"

Upon hearing this, Matt smiled. He put down his cigar, stood up, and gave the man a rather ungentlemanly high-five—a custom usually reserved for believers from lower social classes.

"I always learn something from talking to you, bro."

"Of course, brother."

The man who changed skin nodded slightly and then said:

"Now let's get back to the main topic. How's that guy Mian? Is there any possibility of cooperation?"

Matt shrugged and said:

"He's very wary of me, and for some reason, I feel like he looks down on us. We know so little about him. That bishop guy has kept us in the dark; we don't even know what he stole. I invited him to come to this hotel with me today, but whether he'll even come is a question. If he doesn't..."

Matt's face revealed a sinister expression.

"Then we'll have to deal with them first before we can get anything done."

"It hasn't come to that."

After picking up the cigar from the table and taking a puff, the man calmly said:

"I have some thoughts about the identity of that 'Mian.' You said he uses the alias Wang He, is it possible that it's not an alias but his real name?"

The man in the leather jacket pulled a photo from the inside pocket of his trench coat and slammed it on the table.

Matt frowned as he took the photo, only to find that the person in the picture was not Mian, but someone else.

"Wang Yuanli... I remember he was a local bigwig on Mosha Street, a Shengzhou native who tried to curry favor with the bishop's gang. You mean he's connected to 'Mian'?"

"Yes."

The man with the cigar between two fingers said:

"You know, this guy hasn't been behaving himself lately. Taking advantage of the upcoming Ascension Banquet, he's been trying to collude with other forces. Just two days ago, I killed that mortal assassin and, after obtaining the intelligence, I investigated all the way. In the end, I found out that Mian had been to Wang Yuanli's territory two days ago and even helped him defend against an attack by the Steel Skull Cult."

"Is it possible that it's just a coincidence?"

Matt frowned.

But the one who changed skin shook his head and said:

"I investigated this conflict. That night, the building where Mian was located was attacked by a superhuman from the Steel Skull Cult. The attacker even used a ritual to distort the entire interior space of the building, causing the entire building to sink into the [outer wall]. If Mian and Wang Yuanli weren't on the same side, the risk he took was far too great. Even if it was to win over Wang Yuanli, he just left without a care after the incident, which ironically brought Wang Yuanli into contact with the severely weakened Steel Skull Cult."

"It's almost like it was meticulously planned."

Matt gasped.

"And they all happen to be from Shengzhou."

"Yes, the Shengzhou people, a bunch of talking cockroaches. They are the best at forming cliques and developing their power in the gutter, seizing other people's territory."

Yi Pizhe added:

"Perhaps Mian—we might as well call him Mr. Wang—is a relative of Wang Yuanli. Poor Wang Yuanli crossed the ocean to Oceania, racking his brains to squeeze into the circle of bishops, but he hasn't even embarked on the path to ascension yet. Doesn't he harbor resentment? Isn't it possible that he could use his relative—perhaps his father's illegitimate child—to get involved with other organizations, just to take revenge on the Nativity Church at this time?"

"That makes sense."

Matt clapped and exclaimed in admiration.

"Mian's decision to reveal Wang He's real name at this time is perhaps a way to attract people within the Celestial Church who are also dissatisfied with it."

"It's quite possible; in fact, he did lure us here. While we would never betray the Celestial Church or its leader, we are indeed very dissatisfied with the bishop and his ilk."

The man who changed skin said calmly:

"In any case, we can use this information to test him. If it's true, we can pretend to cooperate with them, then kill them afterward to show our loyalty to the cult leader."

"Good idea."

Matt got excited, but soon worry resurfaced on his brow.

"But what if it's fake? What if there's even a tiny chance they're just a bunch of worthless bums who happened to steal something from the church and happened to gain some supernatural powers?"

"What should we do?"

The man who changed skin sneered:

"Then let's complete the task the bishop assigned us: kill them now, and take their heads to the bishop to claim credit. We'll use this opportunity to wipe out the bishop and all his mortal friends in one fell swoop."

"Oh, bro, you're a genius."

Matt stood up and opened his arms to hug Yi Pizhe.

Faced with his praise, Yi Pizhe simply smiled and said:

"No, brother, you're the genius."

"I?"

Matt's voice was full of doubt, but he wore the same smile as the Skinflint.

"Yes, brother, you are definitely a genius, because you are me, and I am you."

The man and Matt burst into unrestrained laughter. Matt's hands melted into the other's back, while the other's head burrowed into Matt's chest.

Two bodies that should have been completely separate melted together like slime, eventually transforming into a healthy, normal human body.

Just as they were always one entity, only temporarily separated to maximize efficiency.

"Those who change skin"—this is the power that extraordinary individuals on the path to ascension have always possessed. And men are the best on this path.

After his body was completely fused, he regained his peak strength. Countless faces passed over his face, but finally settled on the face of "Matt".

"Alright, now let's set off to see that Mian (Wang He) and do something big (become famous)!"