Chapter 36 Something's Wrong
Hongjun remained silent. How should one deal with a child throwing a tantrum?
“Stop fooling around. I will be giving a sermon soon, and you must come to listen in, so that you will not be weaker than other fellow Daoists in the future,” Hongjun frowned, thought for a moment and then said solemnly, “They are all outsiders to me, but you are an insider to me.”
Chang Hao was willing to face Luo Hou with him, to live and die together. To Hongjun, he naturally became one of his own. This statement can be considered a heartfelt confession.
Upon hearing this, Chang Hao gasped for breath, coughed a few times, and glared at Hongjun fiercely, saying, "What do you mean by 'insider' and 'outsider'? If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."
Hongjun, you illiterate man, what do you mean by "wife"? Can't you speak properly?
“I understand.” Hongjun retorted seriously, looking at Lishan. He found it unappealing no matter how he looked at it. He couldn’t imagine that Chang Hao would rather stay in the broken mountain than return to the Zixiao Palace in the blessed land. Could it be that he was attracted by the liveliness of the prehistoric world and found the Zixiao Palace too quiet?
Chang Hao had nothing to say and sat on the boulder, sulking.
Hongjun glanced sideways repeatedly, coughed inexplicably, and his face turned ashen. Could it be that Fei Changhao had fallen victim to Luo Hou's ambush?
He didn't understand Chang Hao's temper, so he stretched out his finger to check Chang Hao's condition. Chang Hao raised his hand to stop Hongjun, saying, "I'm fine, I just had a stitch. You should go about your business."
His temple is too small to accommodate such a great Buddha as Hongjun.
"Whether it's alright or not is up to me," Hongjun insisted.
Chang Hao tried to block and defend, but how could he possibly resist a sage? He could only stand there blankly as Hongjun examined him.
Hongjun's lips curled slightly as a wisp of spiritual energy probed into his Purple Mansion and wandered through his spiritual platform. Gradually, a look of surprise appeared on his eyelids, his lips pursed, and his eyes lowered. The wisp of spiritual energy lingered in his spiritual platform for a long time without returning.
Hongjun, now a sage, was no longer the same as before. He naturally noticed the problem with Chang Hao's soul. However, the greater hidden danger lay in the curse originating from Rahu.
Although the curse was mixed and mottled, its essence originated from Rahu, a fact that Hongjun knew better than anyone.
Looking at Hongjun's face, Chang Hao's heart pounded like thunder. Could it be that he really had a serious illness? Thinking of the ever-present 'Haotian', a cold sweat broke out on his back. He had long forgotten about the curse, which was so insignificant.
Hongjun naturally discovered the target of the curse and tried to unravel it, but for a while he had no clue. Hongjun had never been involved in such underhanded methods, so he found it very troublesome. This Luo Hou is still up to his old tricks and is planning to drag Chang Hao down with him.
Experience Rahu's fate? Ultimately, he's forbidden from entering the Demon Realm, unable to escape even in death? Fortunately, the curse hasn't been activated yet, and there are still remedies.
"I will be giving a sermon soon. The creatures of the primordial world are naturally unrestrained and act on their own whims. When they gather together, someone needs to keep order and prevent trouble." Hongjun casually made up a reason to give Chang Hao a way out, so that the child wouldn't lose face and refuse to return to Zixiao Palace.
Is that so? Chang Hao thought about it. Although Hongjun could personally take charge, it still lacked grandeur.
Chang Hao: "You want me to step in and keep order?" It's not impossible. Relationships need to be maintained. Chaos doesn't care about cause and effect. Although Hongjun doesn't know, Chang Hao knows perfectly well that the fault between him and Hongjun lies with him.
"Sort of..." Hongjun had seen the grandeur of dragons and phoenixes before. He looked down on superficial extravagance, but he couldn't be weak either. Chang Hao's cultivation was barely passable, so if we were talking about intimidation, this was just the right thing to do.
Chang Hao: "Alright, the sermon is over. I'm going back to Lishan." Consider it as helping out. Now that I've finished helping, I naturally have to return to my own territory.
What's so good about this lousy mountain? Hongjun didn't understand. "I have a mountain in the primordial world that I can use as a place to stay." Now that he had the mountain, he couldn't stay angry with it anymore.
"But I prefer the Lishan Mountain that I created myself, the Venerable's mountain. The Venerable should keep it to bestow upon his disciples." Chang Hao politely declined. He couldn't take Hongjun's things; there were hidden dangers within him, and it was impossible to say when they would explode.
If Bie Hongjun then believes that he is wicked and has been toying with and deceiving him, then he will be unable to defend himself.
The words "Venerable One, Venerable One" sounded harsh to Hongjun's ears. He couldn't send the mountain away, and he felt a bit numb. This little dumpling had quite a temper.
"I recently confiscated a batch of magical treasures from Rahu. Come and choose what you like. Take a few to make a good impression." Hongjun acted on instinct.
Chang Hao almost lost his composure. He thought he had become incredibly rich, but he never expected that in Hongjun's eyes he was still penniless. Of course, he would carry the truly good things with him, but in Hongjun's eyes, what else could catch his eye except for top-grade spiritual treasures?
"Keep it and bestow it upon your disciple," Chang Hao said with a forced smile. Hongjun's things were too hot to handle.
"We'll talk about it after the sermon..." Having reached the third time, Hongjun lost his patience. He gently placed his hand on Chang Hao's shoulder, and the next moment, the two were standing inside the Zixiao Palace.
Chang Hao stood there helplessly, glaring at the damned hierarchy. "Damn this level of suppression! Hongjun, you can't understand human language!" Chang Hao felt utterly humiliated.
Hongjun took out six prayer mats, and with a flick of his sleeve, the six prayer mats were neatly arranged in the main hall.
"Six?" Chang Hao secretly pondered Hongjun's thoughts. "Is the Venerable One going to preach here? Six seats, could it be that the Venerable One only wants to let in six people?"
“Indeed, a sermon is tentatively scheduled for three thousand years.” Hongjun was displeased, yet he didn’t know why. “Just call me Hongjun, you used to call me that quite smoothly.” The words “Venerable One” carried a hint of sarcasm.
Chang Hao choked, and when he heard Hongjun speak again, it was three thousand years. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for the people who were about to come to listen to the Dao. What could they possibly learn? Was it only those with exceptional talent?
"As for the number of people," Hongjun said in surprise, "those who are destined to come will be able to come."
Chang Hao pointed to the futon, "Could there be some hidden secret in this seat?"
Hongjun smiled without saying a word, his eyes filled with satisfaction. He turned and walked back to the inner palace with his hands behind his back to sit and contemplate the Great Dao. "This child is teachable."
Chang Hao pondered for a while, then tried to sit upright on it. A force surged up from the futon, and the embodiment of the Dao of Creation and its principles seemed to want to throw Chang Hao off.
Hongjun in the rear hall suddenly opened his eyes, quietly waiting for the result. Whether he had a divine destiny or not, he would know after one test.
Chang Hao's eyes flashed with anger. He was determined to stand up to this. How dare someone look down on him when he was just a futon?
Chang Hao got into a tug-of-war with this futon, and a protracted tug-of-war ensued until the futon beneath him completely gave up and became silent. Only then did Chang Hao get up and leave, satisfied, to try sitting on another futon.
The prayer cushion behind him emitted plumes of smoke, shook, and seemed quite angry. "If you don't want it, then don't sit on it! I already accepted it, and you still left... left..."
What is it about the neighbor's house that attracts you...?
This meditation cushion is different from the previous one, which focused on the Way of Creation. The Way of Creation lies in the mystery of life, while this meditation cushion elucidates teachings and is profoundly mysterious.
After absorbing it, Chang Hao was shocked to find that this doctrine was very similar to a famous school of thought in later generations. It seemed to be about saving all living beings, about teaching without discrimination, and about defying fate and never admitting defeat.
Then, when we changed to another cushion, this one became obedient and compliant, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people, and respecting the Way and valuing virtue. In comparison, the previous cushion was like a rebellious and unruly child.
Chang Hao discovered the extraordinary value of these futons; they were an excellent place to learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses and hone one's skills. He was overjoyed by this unexpected acquisition. Indeed, Hongjun had quite a few good things in his possession.
Each time he sat down, his struggle with the futon was like a struggle with the Dao itself. Chang Hao was like a fish in water on this path of taking the essence and discarding the dross, and he even faintly broke through the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal, becoming a half-step Quasi-Saint, only a thin barrier away from becoming a Quasi-Saint.
Hongjun was stunned for a long time; something seemed amiss...
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