"You also said Gu Tianlang's existence is special, but to what extent?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't think of how to describe Gu Tianlang for a moment, saying, "Let me put it this way: Mo Wentian, that kid, gets by in the Great Desolate relying on his own solid skills. He values friendship and loyalty, has formidable strength, many friends, and extensive connections. He's welcome everywhere, and both the righteous and unorthodox paths give him face."
"As for Gu Tianlang, that kid, he also relies on his own solid skills. The difference from Mo Wentian is that Gu kid is aloof and solitary, with few friends. He's always roamed the Great Desolate alone, relying on being ruthless enough, fierce enough, and crazy enough!"
"On both the righteous and unorthodox paths, no one dares not give him face, because anyone in this world who wants to move against him has to weigh the consequences."
"To put it bluntly, Gu kid's existence is too mysterious and too bizarre. No one dares provoke him, and no one can afford to provoke him. Throughout the ages, to be able to reach a level where everyone fears and can't afford to mess with you—that kid is truly the first of his kind."
Hearing this, Shuiyue Nun asked, "So, you called him here to use him to intimidate the Eight Schools of Western Heaven Buddhism?"
"Junior Sister, this matter isn't as bad as you think. The Eight Schools of Buddhism definitely won't all come. Think about it—this time, only we disciples of the Chan Sect know about the emergence of our Chan Sect ruins, right?"
"Even if that traitor wants to covet our Chan Sect's supreme treasure and secretly colludes, he'll only collude with one of the eight schools. The reason is simple: the eight Buddhist schools have always been openly and covertly fighting among themselves. If they all knew our Chan Sect ruins were emerging, they'd start fighting each other first. Forget the eight schools; even within their own sects, they're harmonious on the surface but divided at heart, each greedier than the last. If they knew our Chan Sect ruins were emerging, they'd all want to claim them for themselves. Why would they inform others?"
"So, I figure not many know about the emergence of our Chan Sect ruins. However, what worries me most isn't the Eight Schools of Buddhism, but other existences—like the Ancestral Patriarchs from Gui Xu, and those people from the forbidden lands and holy grounds. Although they might not know our Chan Sect ruins are emerging, it's better to be safe than sorry. If, when the time comes, our Chan Sect ruins emerge and those Ancestral Patriarchs from Gui Xu's holy grounds also come to snatch them, we'd be utterly helpless."
"That's the fundamental reason I sought out Gu kid."
Da Xing the Mad Monk sighed. "In the Present-Ancient Era, the only one who can damn well intimidate those old fellows from Gui Xu's holy grounds is probably this kid."
"So, you called Gu Tianlang here... to use him to prevent trouble before it happens?"
Shuiyue Nun's voice came through. Da Xing the Mad Monk said, "Hey! Junior Sister, you can't put it that way. How can you call it 'using'? Gu kid and I are friends, after all. Our relationship is quite good."
"Didn't you say he has few friends?"
"I only said he doesn't have many friends, not that he has none. Although that Gu kid's lifestyle isn't exactly proper—he likes to fool around and flirt when he has nothing better to do—he's still a decent person. He's very loyal to his friends. As long as I ask, that kid will definitely help."
"Aren't you afraid of letting a wolf into the house?"
"Letting a wolf into the house?" Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I've said before, although I've never met Gu Tianlang, I've heard many stories about him."
Shuiyue Nun's expression turned solemn as she spoke very seriously. "He's not a good person. His temperament is perverse, arrogant and unyielding, and his moods are unpredictable. He's done many things involving murder and robbery. How can you guarantee he won't covet our Chan Sect's supreme treasure?"
"You're worried Gu kid will covet our Chan Sect's supreme treasure?" Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't even think before shaking his head. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible. As far as I know, he even kidnapped the Wrathful Manifestation of the Great Sun Tathagata from our Buddhist path. How do you know he won't covet our Chan Sect's supreme treasure?"
"Regarding Gu kid kidnapping the Wrathful Manifestation of the Great Sun Tathagata, I was there that year. Not only was I there, I saw with my own eyes how he kidnapped it. That incident wasn't Gu kid's fault. The blame lies solely with the Pure Land Sect for not knowing their place and provoking Gu kid. And..." Da Xing the Mad Monk tried to persuade her. "Junior Sister, you've never interacted with Gu Tianlang, so you don't understand him well. I understand that kid. He has no interest in these great Dao supreme treasures. The only thing he's interested in is fine wine. If it were a jar of fine wine, that kid might snatch it. But as for some damn great Dao supreme treasure—you might not believe it—not only would he not snatch it, even if you handed it to him personally, whether he'd accept it is an unknown."
"Since you've heard many stories about Gu kid, you should know that when he burned the Nine Heavens back then, he burned many powerful experts and great abilities. At that time, all kinds of immortal weapons and magic tools were floating everywhere in the sky. That kid didn't even glance at them; he burned them all clean on the spot with a single fire. Aren't Destiny Hearts precious enough? That kid has crushed at least several dozen, if not a hundred, Destiny Hearts."
Shuiyue Nun said, "How can petty Destiny Hearts compare to our Chan Sect's supreme treasure!"
"Yes, yes, I know our Chan Sect's supreme treasure is very precious, but... forget it. There's no point in saying more."
As he spoke, Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head and sighed again. "Junior Sister, when it comes down to it, you still don't trust me."
Indeed.
Da Xing the Mad Monk was right. For Shuiyue Nun, whether she trusted Carefree Great Emperor Mo Wentian or not wasn't important. Whether she trusted Emperor of the Nine Nether Gu Tianlang or not wasn't important either. What was important was that she didn't trust Da Xing the Mad Monk. Although her attitude wasn't as aggressive as before, that was all. Deep down, she hadn't truly let her guard down.
She stared at Da Xing the Mad Monk and said, "I don't know if I should trust you. I don't dare trust you casually. Right now, I only believe in myself. I don't trust anyone else, including the several Ancestral Patriarchs who have awakened in our Chan Sect!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk interrupted her. "Junior Sister, don't say anymore. I completely understand. To be honest, not just you—for the past ten thousand years of the Present-Ancient Era, as the muddy waters of the Daoless Age have grown increasingly chaotic, I damn well don't know who to trust anymore either. As for those several awakened Ancestral Patriarchs of our Chan Sect, I don't even know if they're the real Ancestral Patriarchs!"
"How about this!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk took the Great Compassion Great Mercy Life-Death Fan hanging at his waist and tossed it over. "I'll hand this broken fan to you first!"
Catching the Great Compassion Great Mercy Life-Death Fan, Shuiyue Nun's expression changed dramatically, as if she couldn't believe it.
She clearly knew this Great Compassion Great Mercy Life-Death Fan was a Buddhist artifact forged by their Chan Sect's Ancestral Patriarch, the Ancient Lamp Buddha. Not only did it possess boundless Dharma power, it also contained infinite mysteries. One wave could bring the dead back to life; another could reduce someone to ashes. By handing this fan to Shuiyue Nun, Da Xing the Mad Monk was, without exaggeration, temporarily entrusting his own life into her hands.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not forcing you to trust me. I just don't want that traitor's scheme to succeed!"
Just then, a beam of light descended from the sky. It was a message talisman. Shuiyue Nun caught the talisman, crushed it, and her expression changed slightly. She looked at Da Xing the Mad Monk, tossed the Great Compassion Great Mercy Life-Death Fan back to him, and without saying a word, flashed away and left.