Eating chaff and wild herbs, gnawing on tree bark and grass roots was one way to live, just as feasting on meat and fish and being picky about one's meals was another—yet in the minds of mortals, the two were worlds apart. In the commanderies and counties under the Pure Land's rule, whenever hard times were spoken of in a given year, it invariably meant thousands of li of parched, barren earth and widespread starvation across every village. The prefectures and monasteries would then set up porridge kitchens, saving whoever they could, though such efforts were inevitably a drop in the ocean.
Under Qingming's rule, however, if a place was described as impoverished and suffering under misery, the underlying reality was merely that the people were so hard up they could barely afford guinea pig meat, reduced to the miserable plight of spreading margarine onto steamed bun slices.
Such was reality.
Had it been any other eminent monk of the Pure Land, he would likely have said, "If the Buddha resides in one's heart, eating grass or eating meat are no different; if the Buddha is absent from the heart, feasting on meat every day breeds only resentment, hatred, and fear." And then added, "Almsgiver, you are clinging to appearances."
Kongque was not thick-skinned enough to utter such words.
Looking at Kongque now, Wei Yuan caught a glimpse of the man he once was. His expression softened, and he sighed. "Since you have come, I cannot let you return empty-handed. Take a message to the Pure Land for me: tell them to withdraw all devotees and masters dispatched to Qingming and Western Jin within three months. Pure Land cultivators are not welcome in my territory."
Kongque chanted a Buddhist invocation and said, "Most Buddhist cultivators are detached from worldly strife, silently enduring pain and sin in pursuit of the afterlife. Wherever Buddhist cultivators gather, peace and tranquility usually prevail throughout the realm. Why go to such lengths?"
Wei Yuan shook his head. "There you are mistaken. I do not oppose Buddhist cultivation; I only oppose the Pure Land. Buddhist cultivation encompasses many teachings. The Pure Land is merely one school. In fact, though you hail from the Pure Land, your cultivation follows yet another tradition. And I myself could be considered half a Buddhist cultivator; why would I oppose my own kind? The only ones I intend to strike against are Pure Land cultivators."
Kongque asked, "Then what do you intend to do?"
Wei Yuan laughed heartily. "Rest assured, it is not what you think! I will not slaughter the innocent indiscriminately. Most low-tier cultivators of the Pure Land have committed no crime worthy of death, and I am hardly some peerless arch-demon—how could I engage in wanton slaughter? All I intend to do is levy a tax."
"Levy a tax?" Kongque had never heard of anyone taxing Buddhist disciples.
Wei Yuan's expression turned serious. "Anyone who carries the Pure Land heritage within Qingming's jurisdiction must surrender sixty percent of all income. Furthermore, anyone who conducts qingyuan transactions with Pure Land cultivators must remit an additional forty percent of their revenue from all associated dealings as tax."
Kongque had accompanied Wei Yuan to the otherworldly realm as well, so he understood instantly: Wei Yuan was taxing revenue, not surplus profits. Moreover, any endeavor involving transactions with Pure Land cultivators would be hit with an additional forty percent tax.
Such crushing taxation virtually eliminated any means of survival. Yet compared to the Nine States, it was remarkably lenient; the Nine States typically confiscated family estates and executed the entire clan.
Still hoping to plead for the Pure Land cultivators, Kongque said, "I have long heard that all people are equal in Qingming and act of their own free will. Why show such harshness only toward Pure Land cultivators?"
Wei Yuan chuckled softly. "Beneath the heavens, no matter how serene, pure, or unconstrained any Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss claims to be, it will never grant the freedom to rebel."
Kongque was at a loss for words, but his mind was sharp. After thinking it over, he argued stiffly, "In our Buddha Land's Pure Land, those who attain ultimate bliss enjoy absolute freedom. They can do whatever they wish."
Wei Yuan asked blandly, "Do they even count as people?"
Kongque froze. "Why wouldn't they count as people?"
Wei Yuan said, "You say they can do whatever they wish. But do they truly still have wishes? Even if they think of doing something, is that thought their own, or is the Bodhisattva thinking for them?"
Seeing Kongque struck speechless, Wei Yuan added, "Didn't I just take down the Heaven of Joy and Bliss? It so happens that over the past few days, our research has yielded some results. Let me show you."
An essay appeared in Wei Yuan's hand, and he passed it over.
Based on historical data intercepted from the Heaven of Joy and Bliss and combined with studies conducted on captured devotees, the essay categorized all devotee behaviors into thirty-six broad classifications: meditating, wandering, contemplating nature, chanting sutras, praising the Buddha Land, rejoicing in adoration... and so forth.
After an activity in any broad category continued for a period of time, it would randomly switch to the next category.
If a devotee was alone, the switching between categories was random—rejoicing in adoration one moment, resting beneath the pines the next.
Yet when devotees gathered in large numbers, their behavioral patterns influenced one another, grouping them in twos and threes while keeping duplication between groups to a minimum. Thus, in the eyes of an onlooker, some rested beneath the pines while others rejoiced in adoration, each seemingly enjoying their own serene freedom and purity.
Wei Yuan remarked from the side, "Bodhisattva Shanle spared no effort in forging this Heaven of Joy and Bliss. It was crafted with such natural grace that it doesn't seem artificial in the slightest."
Kongque's expression shifted repeatedly. In truth, this was merely a matter of a single thought from a Bodhisattva—commanding, for instance, that the devotees each find their own ease and generate their own joy.
Once spoken, Words Followed by Law took effect: everyone gained a distinct, personal ease, and after a while they would swap states. In this manner, the conception of the entire realm was established, serving as an indispensable ritual for Bodhisattvas to stabilize their golden bodies and channel further divine powers.
A perfectly divine affair, when dissected in this manner by the essay, suddenly took on an entirely warped flavor.
Frowning, Kongque decided not to argue with Wei Yuan and said, "This humble monk has one final question: what would it take for you to return the Heaven of Joy and Bliss?"
Wei Yuan chuckled slyly. "Trade Baoxing for it. Anything else is off the table!"
That meant there was nothing left to discuss... Kongque could only rise and take his leave, casting Wei Yuan a deep, lingering glance before departing. Wei Yuan returned his gaze with a smile to convey his appreciation for the warning. He knew the Pure Land's methods all too well; their schemes were already drawn like arrows upon bows, and if negotiations fell through, they would simply unleash another ruthless wave.
In this round of warfare, Wei Yuan had seized three realms in succession, which equated to wresting away the foundation of a Bodhisattva fruition. As for the karmic debt cast upon him by the Pure Land, he had neutralized it using human luck, expending a total of forty million units across the ordeal.
Yet across all regions of Qingming combined, sixty to seventy million units of human luck were generated annually, totaling well over a hundred million every two years. In terms of human luck volume alone, Qingming lagged behind only the State of Zhao and Southern Qi among the Nine States, already surpassing the other seven.
At this rate of consumption, even assuming generous margins for the enemy by tripling the cost, Wei Yuan figured he could clash with the Pure Land every two years, seize two or three of their realms, and claim the foundation of a fruition for himself.
The Pure Land had numerous golden bodies, but very few truly excelled at combat and warfare. Of the few who did, more than half had insufficient attainment in Chan studies, preventing them from ever acquiring great merit. Consequently, they remained suppressed at the foot of Spirit Mountain, with no hope of advancement. In the immortal realm's hierarchy, they were nothing more than external, temporary sundry immortals.
After seeing Kongque off, Wei Yuan entered the Splendor of the Many Realms and convened the relevant figures at the Central Palace Celestial Pivot to discuss the spoils of this battle.
A moment later, shadows flickered within the Celestial Pivot. Several dozen people assembled: aside from the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning, nearly every academician from the two research academies was present. Cultivators of the Inner Heaven, including Jun Weizhi and Han Li, stood gathered in a corner.
Such a grand assembly was gathered because the topic under discussion was of paramount importance. There was only a single agenda item today: since they had secured a foundation sufficient to attain a Bodhisattva fruition, why not seize the momentum and use it to inaugurate Qingming's very own Bodhisattva?
This proposal had originated from an obscure template Dao foundation cultivator. Wei Yuan had even looked into his background, discovering that the man was eccentric and solitary. While somewhat clever, he was hardly exceptional, displaying respectable talent in only one or two sub-disciplines of arithmetic, while remaining mediocre in all other regards. Yet no one anticipated that once this topic was raised, it would spark the interest of many template Dao foundation researchers. One person would write a couple of papers, another would publish a commentary, and momentum inexplicably surged until it caught the attention of Ji Liuli and Wang Hu. The two conferred, sought out Feng Tingyu for verification, and surprisingly concluded that the idea was viable—culminating in today's massive conference.
Once everyone was present, Wei Yuan said, "The Bodhisattva fruition has always been exclusive to the Pure Land. In the methods of attaining the Dao, a miss is as good as a mile. While three realms are sufficient to sustain a Bodhisattva fruition in the hands of the Pure Land, the same may not hold true for us."
Right from the opening, Wei Yuan tried to set the tone: this matter was unfeasible.
Yet a mundane academician in the corner broke protocol and spoke up first: "Through our study of the data retrieved from the Heaven of Joy and Bliss, we have essentially deciphered the Pure Land's method of sustaining a Bodhisattva fruition. With suitable modifications, our chances of success are substantial. I have elaborated on this systematically in my latest series of three papers."
Wei Yuan's expression turned unnatural. He knew about those three papers; using purely mathematical methods, they dissected the process by which the Pure Land attained a Bodhisattva fruition and demonstrated that Qingming's probability of success stood at thirteen percent.
That was a Bodhisattva fruition! A success rate of over ten percent was exceedingly rare, more than enough to drive countless cultivators to risk life and limb for it!
The sole problem was that Wei Yuan had not understood a word of those three papers.
At the time, Wei Yuan had not thought much of it, never expecting the author to be the first to jump out.
Wei Yuan cleared his throat lightly and said, "The Pure Land has blazed this trail for over a hundred thousand years, so their methods naturally possess deep foundations. But another issue is that a Bodhisattva does not forge an entirely independent path; rather, one occupies a specific place along a Great Dao, attains a certain profound mystery, and thereby achieves the fruition. This Great Dao..."
Ji Liuli cut in, "Isn't your Three Realms As-You-Wish a Great Dao? This fruition can simply be anchored to your Dao."
Wei Yuan took a deep breath. "But that Great Dao of mine is still far from complete..."
From the corner, a cultivator whose aura was virtually undetectable raised his hand and said, "We have already deciphered the vast majority of the Pure Land's Buddhist scriptures. Realm Lord, you need only focus on penning Three Realms As-You-Wish; leave the rest of writing books and compiling canons to us."
This man possessed cultivation as meager as an ant's, yet wisdom that could pierce the heavens. It was none other than Wen Guantian.
Wei Yuan's expression grew even more strained, yet he had no way to refute it. Once scriptures multiplied, the doctrinal treatises would naturally reach completion.
Feng Tingyu also chimed in: "Based on the sections the Realm Lord has already completed, we have conducted systematic derivations and expansions, referencing the frameworks of both the Pure Land and the Academy. Our preliminary plan is to compose four divisions comprising seventy-two scriptures to provide a comprehensive exposition of the Three Realms Dao. Under this system, provided the foundation is sufficient, it becomes possible to attain four fruitions. We can begin by selecting one of these four to attain."
Thoroughly helpless, Wei Yuan turned his gaze toward an indistinct figure lingering in the corner. That silhouette possessed virtually no presence, blending in like a flower or blade of grass in nature—it was Zhang Sheng.
Noticing Wei Yuan look over, Zhang Sheng said, "Since four fruitions are available to be attained, just pick whichever one pleases your eye. If you don't like any of the four, have them invent a few more."
Wen Guantian followed up, "Theoretically, two additional fruitions are possible, though they lack the self-contained systematic cohesion of these four. There is also another fruition that exists only as a mathematical possibility, with no corresponding counterpart in the Pure Land. If the Realm Lord truly favors it, I can assign more personnel to deduce it as quickly as possible."
With matters settled, Wei Yuan let out a heavy sigh deep down. Gathering what enthusiasm he could muster, he glanced through the four fruition candidates. Deciding that the Victorious Fighting Buddha sounded like one adept at fighting, he chose that one.
Once the matter was decided, Wei Yuan dismissed everyone in a somewhat dispirited manner. Zhang Sheng, however, did not leave, asking, "Isn't this a good thing? Why are you resisting so fiercely?"
Wei Yuan sighed heavily once more, pointing at the lotus pedestal within the small Pure Land temple. A faceless illusory silhouette sat cross-legged atop it. In terms of conceptual imagery, this signified that the revered seat had an owner, and that its master was soon to assume his place. It was just that there was still uncertainty as to who that master would ultimately be.
The Buddhist cultivation hierarchy was like a great tree, where Bodhisattvas served as a crucial bridge linking what lay above and below. Each Bodhisattva was like an individual root that branched out into countless rootlets below, forming an enormous secondary root system.
The more Bodhisattvas there were, the higher the seat of the Buddha Ancestor was elevated, progressively raising its status. Moreover, the more Bodhisattvas there were, the more complete the Great Dao was proven to be. Now that Wei Yuan's Three Realms Dao had acquired a Bodhisattva, it was like a nail driving Wei Yuan firmly onto that lotus throne.
This was the very reason for Wei Yuan's resistance. The King Buddha had unexpectedly delayed assuming his seat, leaving open the possibility of other outcomes for the revered throne. Wei Yuan merely wanted to struggle a little longer and thrash about while he still could.
Chapter 1249