[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-living-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t":3,"chapter-living-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t-living-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t-chapter-380":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Living Among All Heavens, Achieving Immortality Through Merit",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2323948,4545,"Chapter 380: You Cultivate the Dao","living-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t-chapter-380",380,"\u003Cp>Zhenjiang, Jinshan Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing held a bamboo staff, draped in a Daoist robe, and announced himself to the guest monk, seeking to meet Fa Hai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our abbot has gone into seclusion in the mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guest monk said, “He’ll likely return by nightfall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing nodded, gripped his bamboo staff, and walked straight into Jinshan Temple, pausing here and there to admire the sights. The temple monks initially tried to stop him, but seeing him vanish after three or two steps, they realized he was a cultivator and dared not interfere—letting him wander freely until he appeared again, strolling even into the abbot’s chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Medicine Buddha Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Long Agama Sutra…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing browsed the sutras on the shelves, idly pulled one scroll, flipped through its contents, and saw it matched exactly the Buddhist scriptures of other worlds—he returned them, feeling certain that some divine force secretly preserved the copyright of scriptures across all realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good day, Daoist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice came from within the room. Gu Qing turned and saw three monks appear: one with a stern face, one hunched over, and one young, smiling broadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Mu Seng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Jia Biqiu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Zhu Luohan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Mu Seng, Jia Biqiu, and Zhu Luohan introduced themselves, Gu Qing nodded and said, “Daoist Gu Qing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which sect are you from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Luohan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the goal is immortality, what difference does the sect make?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing asked calmly in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is a difference.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Seng said, “Like our Buddhist sects—Vajrayana, Chan, Vinaya… each holds different beliefs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know why the beliefs differ?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing asked Mu Seng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Seng shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because their methods of collecting money differ.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Seng’s face darkened; he immediately tried to defend himself, claiming that slandering the Buddha condemned one to hell, that Buddhists sought only to liberate the people and relieve their suffering—Gu Qing listened, still smiling, nodding as if agreeing with every word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you don’t believe me, you can check the sutras here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Seng picked up a nearby sutra and said, “It details karmic retribution…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing nodded, watching Mu Seng frantically flip through the sutra, eager to show him the content and prove his claims were entirely grounded in scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t like reading these sutras.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing shook his head. “These sutras are merely records of what the Buddha once spoke aloud. Once written down, they lose the spirit of his oral transmission. That’s why I don’t bother reading them. The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng couldn’t even read, yet he mastered the Dharma and became a monk-sage—why can’t I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Gu Qing’s words, Mu Seng, Jia Biqiu, and Zhu Luohan all objected: “Hui Neng’s enlightenment is rare in the world—how dare you compare yourself to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, don’t be overconfident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Seng, Jia Biqiu, and Zhu Luohan kept talking, but Gu Qing merely smiled calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This confidence makes one seek nothing outside the self.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing asked, “Isn’t that what Buddhism teaches?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Mu Seng, Jia Biqiu, and Zhu Luohan froze. They stared at each other, realizing Gu Qing’s statement left them with no rebuttal. Suddenly, golden light flashed—and the room returned to its original state: Mu Seng was the wooden fish Fa Hai struck daily, Jia Biqiu the bookshelf, Zhu Luohan the prayer beads on Fa Hai’s desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These three spiritual objects, having long absorbed spiritual energy and been awakened by Fa Hai, could briefly take human form. Because of Fa Hai, they knew Gu Qing’s face and harbored innate prejudice, seeking to challenge him—but one sentence from Gu Qing left them speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this satisfied their desire to debate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing sat in Fa Hai’s usual seat and heard hurried footsteps outside. The door burst open, and Fa Hai entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Satisfied Fa Hai’s wish to meet you. Good Karma +1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing hadn’t expected to gain Good Karma just by meeting Fa Hai—clearly, his hatred ran bone-deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Daoist Gu, it’s been many days since we last met. We’ve finally come face to face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Hai wore a kasaya, held a golden alms bowl, and stared at Gu Qing—each word he spoke shook heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve been searching for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing nodded. “You truly want to fight me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Hai laughed loudly. “Back then, when I toiled in mountain seclusion, I moved the Emperor of Heaven, who bestowed upon me elixirs—and even intended to make me an immortal. But Bai Suzhen stole the elixirs, destroying all my years of effort. This grudge must be repaid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing listened, nodded, then walked toward the door. “This Jinshan Temple was at least taken from the Wang Prince’s hands—you wouldn’t want us to destroy it in one clash, would you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing’s words were reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Hai picked up his staff, held the golden bowl in his other hand, and followed Gu Qing to an open area, eyes fixed on him, afraid he’d flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Fa Hai’s caution, Gu Qing shook his head gently. If not for Guanyin Bodhisattva’s intercession, he would already be wielding the Heavenly Mechanism Lock and the Zhuxian Sword against Fa Hai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fa Hai.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing asked, “The last time we parted, I asked you a question—you never answered: Why is the Buddha the Buddha?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Hai snarled, “Because the Buddha let go and attained enlightenment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing shook his head. “You’re wrong. The Buddha taught that all must awaken themselves—neither clinging to the past nor burdened by the present. This is utterly unlike Daoism, which seeks purity, naturalness, and immortality. Thus, though all arts of spiritual power differ, the Buddha stands apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Hai stood still, listening quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Buddhism was first founded, it established the Three Dharma Seals: All conditioned things are impermanent, all phenomena are without self, Nirvana is peace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing spoke of Buddhism. “Every sutra must align with the Three Dharma Seals. Those that don’t are false scriptures.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop rambling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fa Hai, long impatient, cut him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing smiled, looked at Fa Hai, and said, “I’m not showing off my understanding of Buddhism—I’m telling you: you don’t cultivate the Dharma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You cultivate the Dao!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qing pulled out his Maoshan artifacts, preparing to guide Fa Hai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1053,"2026-06-20T17:04:27.745Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e749660198c6c37dce7fcd01db9ca94557a72d62cca7f486470e7d3a2852c0d7","living-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t-chapter-381","living-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t-chapter-379",449,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fliving-among-all-heavens-achieving-immortality-t-cover.jpg"]