Chapter 32: Should I go and fight the Heavenly Strategy General?

After Li Xiang left, Li Chengqian let out a "hehehe" laugh:

"Qingque, you will definitely thank Dalaang for beating up Li Xin. This gift, Big Brother has delivered!"

"Searching high and low, only to find it without any effort. Gagaga..."

Outside the hall, Wang Qi and the guards trembled involuntarily, their eyes filled with pity for Li Tai:

"What sinister scheme has the Crown Prince thought of this time?"

"Nonsense, it's clearly brotherly love. Every time the Crown Prince beats the Prince of Wei, the Prince of Wei thanks him."

"Right, right, right. The Crown Prince is truly a benevolent and righteous ruler; even Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang are no match for this."

"The Crown Prince wasn't like this before. Ever since the Prince of Qi returned to Chang'an, the Crown Prince has changed!"

"How could he not change? He was almost killed; what else could he do if he didn't change?"

Compared to Li Chengqian, the change in Fang Yi'ai was truly significant, transforming completely from a martial man into a man of the Dao.

If one were to ask who was most affected by Fang Yi'ai's change, it would undoubtedly be Cheng Chuliang.

Both were consorts of princesses, and both were fond of martial arts. After Fang Yi'ai changed, he was constantly nagged by Princess Qinghe, and even his father, Cheng Yaojin, would curse at him from time to time.

Just like now, as soon as Cheng Yaojin saw Cheng Chuliang hiding at home drinking, he cursed loudly:

"You useless bumpkin, instead of thinking about studying and writing at home, you indulge in wine and women in broad daylight. Are you trying to anger me to death?"

"That Fang Jun is a consort just like you, yet he can cultivate his character at home. How can you not even compare to him?"

Cheng Chuliang's temper seemed even fiercer than Cheng Yaojin's, and he retorted directly:

"Fang Jun is the real bumpkin. He used to want to be a soldier-slave, and now he's preparing to be a thief-monk. He's just dog shit."

"I know his character better than anyone. Just you wait, I'm going to expose him right now."

"A dog-like rat, pretending to be a thief-monk!"

Having said that, before Cheng Yaojin could react, he slipped away in a flash.

Watching Cheng Chuliang's retreating figure, Cheng Yaojin spat on the ground:

"Pah! With that mouth full of dung, you still dare to expose others? It's a miracle you haven't been beaten to death."

"No! I must go find the Princess for help. This brat is just asking for a beating."

"I've beaten him so many times to no avail; perhaps if the Crown Prince beats him once, it might actually work!"

Cheng Chuliang did not stop at all along the way, heading straight for the Liang State Duke Mansion.

The moment he saw Fang Jun, Cheng Chuliang froze; he realized that Fang Jun had truly changed—he had become peaceful.

"How did you become like this? Did you really become a monk?"

Hearing this, Fang Jun put down his prayer beads, and his entire demeanor reverted to his original violent state:

"I haven't reached the end of my cultivation yet, but one day I will understand who I am and will no longer be controlled by appearances."

"What does that mean?"

Cheng Chuliang forgot his original purpose for coming here for a moment:

"Why would you want to cultivate Buddhism for no reason? Didn't you always want to go to the battlefield?"

"That doesn't affect it! Cultivating Buddhism is to see through the human heart. Once you can see through the human heart, you will naturally be invincible on the battlefield."

"Cultivating Buddhism has this effect?"

"And more!"

Fang Jun stood up, closed the study door, and leaned in close to Cheng Chuliang to whisper:

"I've asked around; every stage of cultivation grants a supernatural ability."

"I saw with my own eyes the Crown Prince seeing through a human heart. He knew everything I was thinking. Tell me, isn't that terrifying?"

"Buddhism has a complete set of steps, and since Princess Gaoyang likes Buddhism, I chose to cultivate the Buddhist Dharma."

"If you also want supernatural abilities, you can choose freely; Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism can all achieve it."

Cheng Chuliang didn't believe it at all: "The Crown Prince hasn't even cultivated it; how do you know it works? Maybe he just guessed it randomly?"

"I asked Father; he can also see through human hearts, otherwise how could he be a Prime Minister?"

"He also said that every powerful martial general has supernatural abilities, but some don't even know it themselves."

"The Duke of Lu also has them. He is completely different on the battlefield compared to at home; this is the proof."

"If you don't believe me, go home and ask the Duke of Lu yourself."

Cheng Chuliang stroked his chin, half-doubting:

"It does seem that way. Once he touches a weapon, my father is like a different person; even I am afraid just watching from the side."

"What stage of cultivation have you reached? Do you have any supernatural abilities to show me?"

"What are you thinking?"

Fang Jun said irritably: "How long have I been cultivating? It's good enough that I can control my temper now."

"Without three to five years of dedicated cultivation, there's no way to obtain supernatural abilities."

"That's true! If supernatural abilities were so easy to obtain, everyone would be an immortal."

Fang Jun returned to his seat and picked up the prayer beads again:

"Sun Yaowang came to Chang'an a few years ago; you saw him too. Do you think he is a practitioner?"

"Oh, right! He's a hundred years old and his body is sturdier than mine; he must also have supernatural abilities."

"No! I have to go home and ask."

"It's better to just ask the Crown Prince directly. You are also a consort, and you haven't stood on the Prince of Wei's side, so you'll definitely be better received than me."

Cheng Chuliang looked troubled: "But I don't have much contact with him. If I don't ask my father to step in, he might not teach me."

"Find Princess Qinghe!"

"Right! Why didn't I think of that!"

Cheng Chuliang's eyes lit up: "It seems cultivation really works. In just over a month, you've become smarter."

Fang Jun grinned, and despite having heard many compliments recently, he couldn't help but feel happy.

However, this state didn't last long before he quickly returned to his original calm:

"Amitabha, this monk has been controlled by appearances again. Sin! Sin!"

Perhaps the simpler the mind, the better the effect of cultivation; Fang Jun could always see his own bad thoughts immediately.

Early the next morning, Cheng Chuliang brought Princess Qinghe to visit the Eastern Palace. He wanted to see Li Chengqian, but only saw Su Xi.

"Sister-in-law, where is Big Brother?"

Su Xi said indifferently: "Fishing in the Qingfeng Pavilion. He's been fishing every day lately. He's caught three fish in two months; he's truly invincible!"

"Hee hee!"

Princess Qinghe grinned: "Caught three fish in two months? Big Brother is really amazing! Hahaha!"

"Stop laughing!"

Cheng Chuliang's face showed anxiety; he was here to ask a question, not to mock Li Chengqian.

"Crown Princess, I'll go find the Crown Prince first. You two chat."

"Go ahead!"

"Your subject takes his leave!"

Watching Cheng Chuliang's retreating figure, Su Xi was full of curiosity:

"What's wrong with your husband?"

"He saw Fang Jun yesterday, and ever since he came back, he's been dragging me along, wanting me to come to the Eastern Palace with him. He probably wants to cultivate Buddhism too."

"Shouldn't he be looking for a monk for that? What's the use of looking for the Crown Prince?"

"Maybe Fang Jun told him to look for Big Brother."

Su Xi whispered: "There are people who rush to be deceived? Truly, the world is vast, and anything can happen!"

Li Chengqian didn't want to deceive Cheng Chuliang at all. Li Shimin had explicitly told him not to touch Cheng Yaojin, and he wasn't stupid enough to go and pit himself against the Lu State Duke Mansion again.

Therefore, upon hearing Cheng Chuliang's words, Li Chengqian said very seriously:

"Everyone's opportunity is different. If you want to cultivate, I can recommend a path to you, but no one can guarantee whether you will succeed."

"Cultivating Buddhism has Buddhist methods, and cultivating Taoism has Taoist regulations. Not everyone is suitable for cultivation."

"What are the steps?"

"The Perfect Man has no self, the Divine Man has no merit, and the Sage has no name."

"People who have pushed humanity to the extreme, people who have transcended the mortal heart and mastered magical abilities, and those who possess the heart of a sage."

"You need to push humanity to the extreme before you can obtain supernatural abilities; this is the method of cultivating the Dao."

Cheng Chuliang pondered for a moment, then a look of realization appeared:

"I understand. The Perfect Man means defeating everyone in the world. I just need to beat up all the martial generals in the imperial court."

Li Chengqian shook his head with a smile: "The Heavenly Strategy General is also a martial general. Should I go and fight him?"