Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

The Buddha said, "Today, in my teachings, I start with suffering as the cause, with emptiness as the essence, and with non-action as the application; if one can do so, only then can one be called liberated."

The Buddha said, "All the dharma I speak of today arises from the mind; if the mind is untainted, then all conditions appear before it; if the mind is tainted, then it gives rise to all conditions, like scooping the moon from the water, like pouring oil on fire."

.....

The Buddha's disciple Shen Hui, his tongue blossoming like a lotus, expounded the dharma on the high platform. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every attendee, displaying his extraordinary cultivation.

For a time, many of the faithful below the platform listened in rapt fascination, while a portion of the cultivators in front frowned deeply, all of whom were from the Daoist lineage, present to challenge the Buddha's disciple.

Miao Zi had gone off with a tabby cat to frolic around, while Yi Chen was at the very periphery of the crowd, holding a big handful of melon seeds, cracking them open and tossing the shells, looking quite thrilled.

He knew the main event was about to start.

And sure enough.

Along with a sonorous 'dong' that carried in all directions, the Buddha's disciple struck a chime, transitioning the session from preaching to debate.

"The more we debate the principle, the clearer it becomes; the more we debate the dharma, the purer it gets. Esteemed guests, please." With a handsome face and elegant demeanor, Shen Hui turned his gaze towards the Daoists below the platform.

By this time, Yi Chen had already pulled out his second bag of five-spice melon seeds.

The grand debate between Buddhism and Daoism was about to begin. In his past life, he had only read about it in history books, but now, witnessing it first-hand while snacking on seeds was something he was quite looking forward to.

As expected, a young Daoist could not restrain himself and leapt up, gliding onto the platform like a large bird, eliciting another round of applause from the crowd below.

"That's Qingyue Daoist from Lingyun Temple, number thirty-three on the Dragon Tiger list of experts," some sharp-eyed cultivators in the front row called out the young Daoist's identity.

Daoist Qingyue looked pleased, nodded to the crowd below with a cupped-hand salute, and then posed the question he had prepared for some time:

"Master Shen Hui, I'd like to ask, the human heart is rife with stray thoughts, like the dust in a house or the fallen leaves on a Bodhi tree, like the dust on a clear mirror; it can't be completely removed. How should one deal with this, Master?"

At his words, cheers erupted from the crowd below.

Yi Chen knew that not all the people cheering were from the Dao Sect; among them were lookers-on who relished the excitement of the debate, such as himself...

Shen Hui, with a smile that suggested wisdom, replied: "Esteemed Daoist, please. The Bodhi has no tree, the mirror has no stand. There is nothing from the start—where can the dust adhere?"

"Marvelous~"

"The master's insight is profound!"

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The crowd once again erupted in excited cheers.

Yi Chen then took out a bag of green tea flavored melon seeds and started cracking them open while clapping his hands.

Daoist Qingyue, defeated, returned below the platform with his head hung low.

Following him, a white-haired Daoist with an air of transcendence floated onto the platform, and judging by his aura, he was already of the True Person rank.

Pointing to a flagpole on the plaza, the Daoist asked, "I dare to ask the master, regarding this banner, is it the wind that moves, or the banner that moves?"

Facing the challenge, Shen Hui's expression remained unchanged, not falling into the trap of the position the white-haired Daoist had prearranged, but first gave a deep bow to him:

"I did not expect to be graced by the presence of Miao He True Person from the Dao Sect's Su Zhen Temple. I, Shen Hui, who is of lower stature in learning, offer my respects."

"No need for excessive courtesy, Master, but please answer," the white-haired Daoist said with a serious face.

"The wind, it does not move; the banner, it does not move. It is the heart that moves!" Shen Hui answered with calm.

"Master's debating skill is unrivaled; this poor Daoist is in admiration," said the white-haired Daoist, his face turning an ashen hue as he slightly bowed and then stepped down from the platform.

Shen Hui won another victory, and those from the Buddhist camp showed elated expressions, while the Daoist cultivators looked as if they were mourning their own relatives.

Then another person from the Dao Sect took to the platform.

And another followed.

.....

Shen Hui's eloquence was dazzling, and he managed to refute each Daoist who stepped up, leaving them figuratively in tatters, much to the agitation of Yi Chen watching below.

"Damn it, you Taoists, don't you know how to argue? Even if you just said something cliché like 'urgent as a bell monger on a stormy day,' it wouldn't be as embarrassing as this. Sigh," Yi Chen muttered.

"Tsk, Bai Lian girl, are you here to carry the palanquin for that bald donkey? What kind of trivial questions are you asking? You should be asking him about the origin of all laws in the universe! I don't believe he'd have an answer to that," he scoffed.

"The only one who can defeat today's master is tomorrow's master—invincible!"

"Damn, this fellow Daoist must be an undercover agent! Go ahead, ask him about the Tathagata—has he arrived or not?"

One after another, people went up, and one after another, they came down with darkened faces.

The spectators' applause thundered, while the faces of Dao Sect members were as dark as the bottom of a pot; the whole debate had turned into Shen Hui's solo show.

By now, some people in the crowd were complaining that no one from the Dragon Tiger Mountain, which held sway over the Dao Sect, had come forward, and where was Zhang Daoyi, that phenomenal Daoist? Why hadn't he come to engage in a match with the Buddha's disciple from Mount Daguangming?

On the top floor of the Jin Yue Tower.

The leader of the Red Flame Army was playing chess with a middle-aged civil officer dressed in a python robe, while Qian Yueru, the governor of Longjiang Prefecture, was eating on the side. Next to them was a large bronze mirror.

At that moment, the debate on the high platform of the plaza was clearly reflected in that bronze mirror.

"Really... embarrassing. I did not expect Dragon Tiger Mountain to have declined to this point. The Buddhists have set the stage; yet Dragon Tiger Mountain turns a deaf ear, not even having the courage to notify their Daoist disciple to fight, tsk," the brawny leader of the Red Flame Army said dismissively as he sat on an iron throne facing the scene in the copper mirror.

"Brother Yan is too harsh. That Heavenly Master on Dragon Tiger Mountain has a difficult time too. Nowadays, Dragon Tiger Mountain has no successors. Zhang Daoyi is Dragon Tiger Mountain's last face of dignity,Nôv(el)B\\jnn

the momentum of the Dao Sect, not to be moved lightly. If he were to lose, there would be no room left to maneuver. It's better to just keep his head down and endure it for a while, focusing on cultivating the next generation of successors."