Before they knew it, the day of the contest arrived. As soon as it was light, Li Youran got up to prepare. He wanted to get there early to grab a good spot, since it was his first time seeing such a defense.
Department manager You Ran thought this way, and so did everyone else, so when You Ran arrived, the place was already packed with people.
“Princess Jiahe, over here.”
Just as you were wondering what to do, you saw a pretty woman waving at you from behind the podium. Upon closer inspection, you realized it was the Sixth Princess. Li Youran hurriedly took Xiao Hong and rushed over.
"I didn't expect that the Sixth Princess would also come to watch this defense."
The Sixth Princess had a servant serve Li Youran a cup of tea while she ate melon seeds on the table, leaned towards Li Youran, and said to her, "Your Youran."
"I'm pregnant and so bored. When I heard about this exciting event, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night and rushed over early this morning."
Li Youran stumbled upon a juicy piece of gossip. He hadn't expected the Sixth Princess to be pregnant, but she hadn't clarified anything yet. "Ah, you!" Youran looked at the Sixth Princess in surprise, only to see her wave dismissively at him.
"Don't worry about these details. Once the Emperor is done with his work, I'll have him arrange a wedding for me and Kong Qici. As long as the wedding is done before the baby is born, that's fine."
Seeing this, Li Youran didn't say anything more. She could only nod like a chicken pecking at rice, leaning forward like a princess to look towards the stage. She saw that Master Wuneng and Daoist Yu Qiufeng were already in place, and the debate was about to begin.
After an unknown amount of time, the Emperor, supported by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, arrived on the stage and sat in the center. Looking at the elderly Emperor, you thought to yourself, "At his age, wouldn't it be better to stop causing trouble? He still so greedily desires immortality. I really don't know what he's thinking." While thinking this, you also hoped that the Emperor could amplify his determination for immortality to an extreme degree, thus siding with Master Qiufeng and defeating that old bald monk.
"If everyone were to abandon their refined character and remain unmarried and childless like you monks, let alone foreign armies invading the country, our Great Sage Dynasty would soon be wiped out."
As he spoke, Master Qiufeng shouted loudly to the crowd.
"As human beings, we naturally have to bear the responsibility of connecting the past and the future, supporting our parents and raising our children. If we were to abandon our fathers and mothers, neglect our wives, children and the elderly, and hide in the deep mountains like monks, only knowing how to meditate and chant sutras, and even having to beg for food, would you want such a spiritual practice?"
"don't want."
In an instant, the voices from below the stage responded in unison like thunder.
Standing backstage, Li Youran clenched her fists, unable to resist cheering for Daoist Qiufeng. She thought to herself that Daoist Qiufeng was truly capable; it was clearly a matter where monks had the upper hand in debates, since monks were mostly just talkers. Unexpectedly, Daoist Qiufeng had uttered such inspiring words, completely exploiting the power of human nature and stirring up the crowd. However, this also put considerable pressure on Master Wuneng, significantly affecting his performance.
"Amitabha Buddha. If I don't go to hell, who will?"
Li Youran underestimated Master Wuneng's mental fortitude. As Master Wuneng spoke, he put down his Buddhist beads and began to examine the fortune of Daoist Qiufeng.
"Those who cultivate themselves must sever their desires and detach themselves from worldly affairs. How can they devote themselves to cultivation?"
Master Wu Neng glanced slowly at the Emperor, then turned back to look at the onlookers, and said unhurriedly.
"Those who can attain immortality are all those who have severed their desires. If one is preoccupied with these trivial matters every day, how can one concentrate on cultivation?"
"Amitabha Buddha, if I don't go to hell, who will? How many people in this world can give up the rights and wrongs of this mortal world for the sake of spiritual practice?"
Master Wuneng spoke in a tone that suggested everyone was just an ordinary person and couldn't possibly understand the joy of cultivation.
The Emperor looked at Master Wuneng, nodded, and found his words to be very reasonable. Most people only know how to eat, drink, be merry, and indulge in romantic love; how many could truly cast these aside for the sake of cultivation? It was understandable that people didn't understand.
Master Qiufeng subtly glanced at the Emperor's reaction and knew what was going on. The incompetent master had changed course this time; even if he forced a debate, he couldn't win. So others gave up, and the common people only spoke of the Emperor's words. Master Qiufeng, however, turned back to look at the Emperor and continued.
"Our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents. Those who cultivate must not only protect the integrity of their bodies, but also rest and recuperate, take good care of their bodies, and cultivate elixirs to achieve physical strength and eternal youth. Today, I will spend even more time cultivating, ultimately reaching the realm of ascension to immortality."
Master Qiufeng deliberately chose to say things that the Emperor liked to hear. Sure enough, when the Emperor heard Master Qiufeng praying for ascension and elixirs, his eyes lit up. After all, immortality was the highest realm he pursued. What use was it if Kude could only sever his ties with the mortal world and not achieve immortality?
Li Youran, who was secretly watching from backstage, felt that the debate between the two seemed to be heading in a different direction. He noticed that the two of them were frequently looking at the Emperor, and it seemed that they had gone from gaining the approval of the people to gaining the approval of the Emperor. It seemed that the two of them were about to use their final tricks to see who would win the Emperor's approval.
After a heated debate, we entered the most intense part: the final question.
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