"Moreover, whether this person truly carries the past-life wisdom of Lionheart is yet to be determined... Senior Brother Lionheart disappeared forty years ago, and even the Grand Chan Masters couldn't divine his whereabouts, how could this man have encountered him eight years ago?"
"If he truly encountered him eight years ago, why did he wait until today to return to the Pure Land? As I understand it, Chen Kuang has now offended the entire Martial Saint Pavilion and Great Zhou, and even carries the Elixir of Immortality, a treasure all desire. His sudden entry into the Pure Land now... is that not a little too coincidental?"
"There are far too many suspicious points here. And yet the Grand Chan Masters have offered no explanation, and wish for the entire Pure Land to celebrate him for seven days. Is this not inappropriate?"
Xiuxin's words, without doubt, reflected the unspoken thoughts of nearly every monk present.
There was not a single aspect of Chen Kuang that resembled a monk, and his background was questionable in the extreme.
Those invited to this ceremonial announcement by the Grand Chan Masters had all been notified in advance. None were ordinary figures. Naturally, it didn't take them long to sense something was wrong.
The Buddha-Child Lionheart had vanished forty years ago. According to Chen Kuang, he had acquired the relic eight years ago and thus awakened the past-life wisdom of Lionheart.
Yet even after obtaining such a miracle, he did not seek out anyone from the Pure Land. Instead, he entered the imperial palace and lived as a mere court musician.
Not until eight years later, when the Liang Kingdom was destroyed and waves of chaos stirred, did he reappear in the public eye.
That in itself was highly suspicious.
If one had truly inherited Lionheart's past-life wisdom, one would naturally know of the Wugou Pure Land's status and strength. Why, then, would he conceal his identity and live as a lowly musician in Liang?
Even if there were reasons for this, why, after returning to the Pure Land, still not undergo tonsure?
Xiuxin's questions and doubts were, in fact, entirely reasonable.
Even Chen Kuang himself felt they made excellent sense, he nearly wanted to applaud her.
"Senior Sister Xiuxin truly sees with eyes like torches. I'm indeed not Lionheart reborn, but an imposter. The three Grand Chan Masters before you have been possessed by demons, and they seek to use me as a wedge to subvert the Pure Land from within, to collaborate with the Night Barbarians and the Demons Beyond as an internal-external pincer assault..."
"I wonder if you can see through it all, expose them on the spot, and save our sacred Pure Land, and the entire world of Cangyuan, from impending doom?"
Obviously, the sharp-minded Senior Sister Xiuxin had not seen through any of it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't still be calmly talking to these monstrous, grotesque beings as if they were revered masters. She'd have already drawn her weapon and attacked, only to be instantly crushed by a single palm strike.
After which she'd be labeled as one who had fallen into madness, or worse, as someone possessed by the demons.
Therefore, Chen Kuang could not afford to expose himself.
He would even have to aid the devils in their masquerade, forcing the Pure Land to accept his identity.
Only by gaining the trust of these three demon-hosts could he slowly unravel their true plans and intentions, and find a way to stop them...
Chan Master Wuwen gave a slight smile. It should have been a warm, benevolent expression, but paired with the two rotting holes beside his ears, it became terrifyingly grotesque.
Sweeping his gaze across the gathered monks, he said slowly:
"Lionheart vanished forty years ago, and your concerns are not unfounded. That he did not return must have had his reasons. Why not let him speak for himself?"
Wuwen then turned toward Chen Kuang. His eyes carried a chilling smile.
Chen Kuang kept his expression neutral, but silently cursed: I knew it!
They'd let him off so easily yesterday, so this was the moment they had been waiting for!
Though a faint trace of demonic energy still lingered on him, which had temporarily earned the demons' trust, they remained unsure of his true identity and capability.
If he failed to win over the crowd today, he too would likely be declared a demon, and then struck down without mercy.
Fortunately, persuasion was one of the things Chen Kuang did best.
Even without any passive skill, he had once persuaded Huo Hengxuan.
Though in hindsight... that had probably also been part of their manipulation.
Chen Kuang stepped forward and pressed his palms together in a stately manner:
"So what you mean, essentially, is that you doubt I am Lionheart. Yet I have already returned his relic to the Pure Land and placed it in the safekeeping of the Grand Chan Masters."
Xiuxin replied, "From what I know, while that relic is indeed a Saint's remains, it no longer retains any past-life wisdom. How can we be sure it belonged to Senior Brother Lionheart?"
"After all, when he left the Pure Land all those years ago, no word of him was heard again. If he truly attained sainthood, how could the Pure Land have felt nothing?"
That was indeed a sharp question, and the greatest weakness in Chen Kuang's assumed identity.
If the Grand Chan Masters were to speak up in his defense, all doubts would be quelled. But clearly, the three demonic hosts wanted to see how he handled this himself.
Or perhaps more accurately, they wanted to use his performance to judge whether he was friend or foe.
Chen Kuang narrowed his eyes, composed and unhurried. Instead of answering directly, he corrected a small point:
"Senior Sister Xiuxin, I am now Lionheart. I have returned to the Pure Land. There is no need to refer to me as 'he.'"
Though Xiuxin was already at the Profound Realm, and also a Buddha-Child, Chen Kuang showed not the slightest politeness in exploiting every inch of advantage.
Then again, considering that all the saints of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect had become his Dao partners... who could say who truly held the upper hand?
Xiuxin gave a soft laugh, her eyes clearly saying, "I have never met someone so shameless."
Chen Kuang, however, ignored the silent jab and continued, fully committed to his act:
"Back then, I vanished not out of abandonment, but to attain the Dao through descending into the mundane. This, the Grand Chan Masters can attest."
He turned to look at the three demonic masters.
Wuwen nodded and sighed:
"Indeed. Lionheart did not leave without a word. He undertook the path to sainthood and chose secrecy so as not to be hindered by external influences."
Xiuxin frowned. "I've heard such accounts as well... But then why did he attain sainthood only to perish?"
Chen Kuang took a moment to recall Shen Xingzhu's appearance. Then he lowered his gaze, adopting an expression of supreme compassion and pity for all sentient beings, and said softly:
"I sought the Dao through goodness. I willingly erased my own memory, became a mere mortal, and wished to experience the deepest human love. In doing so, I sought to prove a single truth..."
"At man's beginning, his nature is kind."
Xiuxin was startled, her heart was struck suddenly by those seven words.
At man's beginning, his nature is kind... It resonated deeply with her core beliefs.
The mortal world was filled with diversity, but at birth, were not all people like blank sheets of paper, pure and untainted?
It was the environment, later, that created evil.
She had always believed that the mission of their Pure Land was to cleanse people of their sins and guide them back to their original state.
Chen Kuang asked:
"Do you believe my Dao is correct?"
Xiuxin's expression turned solemn. She nodded:
"It is correct... Senior Brother's path is a Great Dao."
Because of those seven powerful, sincere words, her impression of Chen Kuang instantly shifted.
To seek out the greatest love of humanity with only one's self, such courage was not something the average person could possess. And seeing the compassion in Chen Kuang's demeanor now, like a Bodhisattva seated upon a lotus, it did not seem the least bit feigned.
Xiuxin even felt a flicker of identification.
Chen Kuang, however, suddenly smiled:
"But I failed to attain the Dao."
Xiuxin frowned. "How could you have failed?"
Chen Kuang sighed, and recounted the story once told to him by Huo Hengxuan, the tale of the nameless monk.
Then he paused and added:
"Sister Xiuxin, do you know who was the first to connect the medicine I had given with the deaths in that village?"
Every monk present was now drawn into the tale.
Xiuxin speculated:
"Could it have been some who practiced deceptive sorcery and witchcraft, slandering you for their own gain?"
Chen Kuang shook his head with a serene smile:
"No. You are completely wrong. Though I had descended into the mundane, I was not ignorant of such tricks. How could I have left myself unable to defend against false accusations?"
"It was..."
He said quietly:
"A two-year-old child from the village. It was he who said, with his own mouth, that the villagers fell ill after taking my medicine."