This Taoist priest who did not practice bat magic was none other than the down-and-out scholar who followed Li Chengqian out of the Earthly Book Realm that day!
He was originally a ghost fairy, with magic weapons bestowed by Wuming and Tiandi Pawnshop, and his cultivation has reached the realm of heavenly fairy! He also hated Buddhism to the core, so he turned into a Taoist, protecting Li Chengqian, and also answering Li Chengqian's questions on his cultivation journey!
And today, he was just out for a stroll, and he encountered such a thing! Naturally, he would not miss any opportunity to discredit Buddhism, and immediately exposed the true face of the Buddha!
Li Chengqian, who was sitting on the horse, showed some resentment on his face, but he concealed it very well, and to others he seemed calm.
But the general standing on the ground was furious: "You bald donkey, how dare you use sorcery to deceive people's minds! I am a general of the Tang Dynasty, how dare you do this... Where do you think of my Tang Dynasty? Do you take it seriously?"
He drew his weapon brazenly: "Prince, allow me to kill this evil monk, so that he can stop harming the world!"
The Buddha's face changed, and he was a little frightened. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, as a Buddhist, I must put Buddhism first. I just heard that you are resentful of Buddhists! Naturally, I should stand up and fight for justice! It's just that I was a little excited and couldn't control my magic! I am not a demon monk!"
"Oh... you are not a demon monk. Why did you use magic to confuse the general's mind? You made him wear armor and lose his composure in front of everyone!" Li Chengqian's tone was filled with anger: "You said you are not a demon monk, then why did you transform into a mortal and talk nonsense in front of the crowd! This prince just doesn't like monks, but you, indeed, regard mortals as toys and tools! How can this prince trust you?"
The monk's expression changed several times, but he couldn't answer no matter what!
Li Chengqian waved his hand and said loudly: "Evil monk, you have bewitched the minds of our Tang generals and made them lose face in front of everyone. This is a serious mistake... Do you know your crime?"
The general drew his sword, and dozens of soldiers behind him rushed forward and surrounded the Buddha.
Among the crowd, there were some Buddhists, but they looked at each other, not knowing whether they should help!
At this moment, one of them, a Buddha from the Purple Bamboo Forest in the South China Sea, paused for a moment and immediately transmitted his message through his spiritual consciousness!
"Master Guanyin has instructed you not to resist! Surrender... Otherwise, if you resist, Li Chengqian will definitely seize this opportunity and do everything he can to expel Buddhism from us. By then... you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
After hearing the telepathic message from his companion, the Buddha let out a long sigh.
Considering his powerful cultivation, these mortals are nothing but ants in his eyes!
However, he ruined a huge Buddhist event! He fell into a trap set by mortals... If there is no explanation today, Buddhism may face a great disaster!
Then he put his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name for a long time!
"Amitabha... I plead guilty!"
Li Chengqian smiled gently: "Very good... Since you plead guilty, you have also admitted that you are a demon monk! Pass the order down, from today on, no monk is allowed to set foot in Chang'an City!"
It was like a bolt from the blue, causing the faces of the Buddhas in the crowd to change immediately! They felt that it was a bitter pill to swallow.
Li Chengqian raised his whip and said, "Send this evil monk to the prison and keep him under the watch of the Yan family... No one is allowed to visit him!"
Many soldiers responded loudly, and their voices echoed far away!
In the crowd, several other Buddhas sighed, watching their fellows being captured like this! They really felt mixed emotions.
Li Chengqian and the Taoist priest looked at each other, then rode their horses towards the imperial palace.
Stepping into the council hall, he looked at the emperor sitting on his seat, bowed, and said.
"Your Majesty, today in Chang'an City, I witnessed with my own eyes a demon monk bewitching a general and causing him to lose his composure in front of everyone! He has now been captured and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely! The evil spirit must be stopped, otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous."
Sitting on the dragon throne, Li Shimin frowned calmly and said, "Prince, you should refrain from wandering around the city. The world is not peaceful nowadays. As for this Buddhist man, you should just drive him out of the city because he is embarrassing you! Why kill him?"
Li Chengqian raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, this evil monk dared to deceive the generals today, and he will dare to deceive the ministers in the court tomorrow! Maybe the day after tomorrow... even my royal family will be in trouble! This matter is of great importance. Your Majesty, if you take it lightly, it will only encourage the arrogance of some people. Your Majesty, don't forget that within the Three Realms, it is not only Buddhism that is flourishing now!"
Li Shimin stood up and said, "What do you mean by that... Could it be!"
"Your Majesty, the Earthly Immortal Realm can provide countless powerful practitioners for our human race! But when I went there, I found that these practitioners looked down on our human dynasty! The reason is that we have been living under Buddhism for a long time. In order to please these evil monks, many people of our Tang Dynasty paid a huge price! As a result, those practitioners are completely disappointed in the human race! Please understand clearly, Your Majesty, which is more important."
Li Shimin rubbed his temples. It had only been a short time since Wei Zheng slew the dragon! And now such a big thing had happened. He still sometimes dreams about being haunted by the wronged spirit of the Dragon King of Jinghe River!
This really made him feel a little panicky and frightened, but seeing what the prince said, it was very reasonable!
This made Li Shimin think carefully and said: "Prince, what you said is very true, then what do you think we should do!"
"Tomorrow at noon, take the evil monk to the execution ground and behead him as a warning to others!"
Li Chengqian's tone was extremely calm!
It was as if the person being killed was not a Buddhist Buddha, but a running dog!
The calmness on Li Shimin's face disappeared for a moment, and he placed one hand on the dragon throne, exerting force secretly!
"Li Chengqian, do you know what the consequences of doing this will be?" This time Li Shimin did not call him the crown prince, but called his son by his name!
Li Chengqian replied, "Father, since I am the crown prince, I should find an unusual path! Because I have you to protect me from the wind and rain... If I don't fight now, when will I wait? This Buddhist has wiped out many geniuses of my human race. It's time to cut off this dirty root!"
Li Shimin frowned and sat back in his chair!
"Forget it... I think the evil monk you mentioned will definitely not die in that execution ground... If he escapes, your goal will be achieved!"
"If he escapes... he is absconding because he is afraid of being punished!" Li Chengqian replied.
"Okay, according to your opinion, this evil monk will be beheaded at noon tomorrow and displayed to the public! You will be in charge of this matter personally."
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