"That sounds reasonable enough."
Gu Qingfeng didn't say anything more. He patted Da Xing the Mad Monk on the shoulder and said, "Since that's the case, let's not just stand here. Let's go."
"Go?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk was a bit confused. "Go where?"
"Didn't you say your Chan Sect's relic is about to manifest?"
"The timing isn't right yet."
"This thing needs the right timing to manifest? Da Xing, I haven't read many books, but don't you try to fool me."
"Some things can't be explained in a sentence or two. In short, our Chan Sect relic still needs some time before it manifests, but it's close—it should appear within the next couple of days."
"Perfect. Let's go scout the location first."
"I say, young Gu, can you be serious for once? This Old Monk called you here to help, not to take advantage of the situation."
"What exactly did you call me here to help with? Make it clear."
"This Old Monk already said, it can't be explained in a sentence or two. Come, let's find a place to drink and talk. This Old Monk will explain the whole story to you in detail."
Da Xing led Gu Qingfeng near the teleportation array. With a wave of his hand, a pavilion materialized out of thin air. After they entered, he set up another formation to envelop the pavilion.
Sitting inside the pavilion, Da Xing the Mad Monk hurriedly took out fine wine and began serving it while explaining to Gu Qingfeng. "It's like this: our Chan Sect now has a traitor. No one knows who the traitor is. Precisely because we don't know, everyone is panicking. They're all suspicious of each other, and no one trusts anyone."
Gu Qingfeng asked, "How do you know the Chan Sect has a traitor? Who told you?"
"My Eldest Senior Brother told me."
Gu Qingfeng knew of Da Xing the Mad Monk's Eldest Senior Brother—the famous White-Browed Holy Monk.
Gu Qingfeng had encountered many Western Heaven Buddhas. These Buddhas were either hypocritical Buddhas who used the banner of protecting the Great Dao and all living beings, or rigid Buddhas who saw everything in black and white. The White-Browed Holy Monk was one of the few Western Heaven Buddhas who truly took protecting the Great Dao and all living beings as his duty and advocated for the equality of all beings.
"My Eldest Senior Brother previously sent a message to the Chan Sect, saying that there was a traitor within our sect who intended to collude with outsiders to covet our Chan Sect's supreme treasure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known until now that such a major incident had occurred in our Chan Sect."
"Didn't the White-Browed Holy Monk say who the traitor is?"
"That's the problem. If my Eldest Senior Brother had said who the traitor is, it would be easy to handle. The reason he didn't say is probably because he only knows there's a traitor in the Chan Sect, but likely doesn't know who it is either."
"Where is the White-Browed Holy Monk now?"
"Not too sure. I rarely have contact with my Eldest Senior Brother."
Da Xing the Mad Monk rubbed his bald head and said, "However, I estimate that since my Eldest Senior Brother knows there's a traitor in the Chan Sect and that the traitor intends to covet our Chan Sect's supreme treasure, he should have found a way to enter our Chan Sect relic. Even if he hasn't entered, he should be guarding one of the entrances."
"Your Chan Sect relic has entrances?"
Gu Qingfeng was puzzled. "Aren't relics all drifting in the chaotic currents of the Endless Sea beyond the heavens? How can this thing have entrances?"
"Most relics are indeed floating in the chaotic currents of the Endless Sea, and our Chan Sect relic is no exception. When other relics manifest and return to the track of spatial order, they generally appear in the Great Desolate Void. But our Chan Sect relic is different."
Da Xing the Mad Monk said seriously, "When our Chan Sect relic manifests, it won't appear in the Great Desolate Void. It will only appear in one place: the Little Zen Secret Realm."
"Little Zen Secret Realm?"
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment. "Never heard of it."
"Nonsense! If you had heard of it, that would be a big deal. The Little Zen Secret Realm is the forbidden ground of our Chan Sect. Not only have you, kid, never heard of it, even among the eight Buddhist sects of the Western Heaven, very few of our own Chan Sect disciples know of the Little Zen Secret Realm."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "You're not going to tell me this godforsaken, desolate place is the Little Zen Secret Realm, are you?"
"Of course this isn't it, but there's a teleportation array here that leads to the Little Zen Secret Realm."
"Since your Chan Sect relic will definitely manifest in the Little Zen Secret Realm, what are you doing here?"
"You think I don't want to go to the Little Zen Secret Realm? The problem is, a bunch of our Chan Sect elders are currently guarding the Little Zen Secret Realm. This Old Monk went there a few days ago and got beaten out."
"What's the matter?"
Gu Qingfeng chuckled with amusement. "They suspect you're the traitor?"
"Ai!"
Mentioning this matter, Da Xing the Mad Monk could only shake his head and sigh. He raised a wine jar and gulped down the wine gloomily.
"I'm just puzzled. Why do your Chan Sect elders suspect you and not anyone else?"
"Ai! It's a long story."
Da Xing the Mad Monk sighed again. "In our Chan Sect—no, to be precise, among the eight Buddhist sects of the Western Heaven—whenever any heinous deeds occur, This Old Monk is always the first suspect. It's been like this since ancient times. You could say I've been carrying this black pot for many years."
Tilting his head back for another drink, Da Xing the Mad Monk continued, "You also know that in the Western Heaven, the eight Buddhist sects led by the Pure Land Sect have always wanted to eliminate our Chan Sect. Most of our Chan Sect elders don't concern themselves with worldly affairs. Only This Old Monk, a Chan Sect disciple, wanders outside. So, naturally, I became a thorn in the side of the eight Buddhist sects. Over the years, the eight Buddhist sects have spared no effort trying to eliminate me. Since they couldn't eliminate me, they started pinning all sorts of dirty pots on my head—betraying my master and ancestors, colluding with evil demons, biting the hand that feeds me, and damn it, there are even people who say This Old Monk harassed decent women... all sorts of jumbled mess of nonsense..." Gu Qingfeng listened and burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at, you brat! If it weren't for you, kid, would This Old Monk have had so many dirty pots pinned on me by those turtle bastards?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What does this have to do with me?"
"How is it not related? In the Ancient Era, when the Western Heaven wanted to judge you, kid, This Old Monk went to the Western Heaven to dissuade the eight Buddhist sects. At the beginning of the Ancient Era's opening, you, kid, kidnapped the Wrath Incarnation of Great Sun Tathagata, and then there was that matter with Xiao Jinr. You, kid, destroyed five Great Sun Mingwang Wrath Incarnations of my Buddha. All these accounts are now settled on This Old Monk's head! In a sense, This Old Monk has been carrying the black pot for you, kid, all along! If it weren't for helping you, kid, This Old Monk wouldn't be in such a miserable state, with no place in the vast Western Heaven to call home."
"Da Xing, others pin dirty pots on your head, and now you're pinning them on mine? What do you mean you're carrying the black pot for me?"
Gu Qingfeng scoffed disdainfully. "Did I ever ask you to carry a black pot for me?"
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng continued with a smile, "We're all smart people. Let's speak plainly. Those so-called acts of helping me that you mentioned were nothing more than trying to pick up a convenient favor. Since you wanted to pick up a convenient favor, you had to pay the price. So, Da Xing, don't blame others. Blame yourself. Remember for the future: do less of those self-serving, clever schemes. Convenient favors aren't that easy to pick up."