Secret Buyer

"What do you mean we can’t get out?"

In Yingtian Province, Zhu Xiaoming lay in the dazzling medicine pool, utterly confused.

Buddha Son shrugged his shoulders:

"Indeed, it’s quite strange. Yingtian City on the World Plateau suddenly vanished, and the only route to the outside world is cut off. The Yingtian Governor is urgently repairing..."

He took a breath, his face showing a heavy expression:

"It’s said that a splendid giant Buddha effortlessly subdued two deities and the Jingpeng Ship, and even directly took away the entire Yingtian City..."

Now Zhu Xiaoming is not what he used to be. Having been by Buddha Son’s side for nearly half a year, he naturally knows the specifics of Buddhism.

He couldn’t help but ask:

"If it’s a giant Buddha, even you don’t recognize it?"

The Withered Woman lying on Buddha Son’s back pouted:

"We’re not all-knowing."

Zhu Xiaoming lay in the splendid pool, reached out to touch his bald head, and exhaled:

"Speaking of which, what are we doing in this Yingtian Province, anyhow?"

Buddha Son did not hide it, speaking peacefully:

"Our religion’s Pope divined a special destiny event related to Yingtian Province and two people named Liu Bang and Xiang Yu."

After pausing, he continued to narrate in detail:

"According to the divination, the core of this destiny event lies with these two people. The Pope’s divination revealed two sentences..."

"Raise the pole, Chu and Han contend."

Zhu Xiaoming vaguely spoke:

"Raise the pole... sounds like those two are going to rebel or something? Are they going to attack Yingtian Province?"

"Most likely not."

Buddha Son said calmly:

"Yingtian Province itself is already a ’rebellious province’. The answer derived by the Pope points to Guanzhong Province..."

"According to the Pope’s prediction, this destiny event is to help these two seize Guanzhong Province and make them kings of Guanzhong."

Zhu Xiaoming realized:

"So we’re here to find these two people? But, rebellion... won’t the Federation come to suppress it?"

Buddha Son chuckled lightly:

"Suppress? Now each province is restless, how can the Federation manage it all? To be honest, your hometown, the Golden Province, is probably about to become independent."

Zhu Xiaoming fell silent.

A long time.

"Golden Province..." he mulled over these four words, remembering the people from the past, feeling a bit lost:

"I wonder how Old Zhang, Lu Yao, and the others are doing. Are my parents okay?"

Buddha Son smiled:

"You’ve transcended the ordinary, one day you may ascend to heaven and become a deity, and then you can bless your acquaintances, it’s never too late."

"As for now? You’re no longer in the same world as them... well, except Zhang Fusheng."

Zhu Xiaoming suddenly became excited:

"Old Zhang? Is he very powerful now?"

"I don’t know."

Buddha Son shook his head:

"The last time I saw him was in Jiangzhou, the last I heard of him, he had become a Public Security Bureau chief in some higher city."

"As for now?"

He spoke calmly:

"Perhaps, endowed with luck, he’s incredible; he’s probably the only one among your former acquaintances who can barely keep up with you."

Zhu Xiaoming pursed his lips, his face blossoming into a radiant smile:

"Hey, if I appear in front of Old Zhang now, it would surely surprise him!"

He looked at his golden hands, as Buddha Son had mentioned, he was also undergoing a minor destiny event,

transforming into a ’Golden Arhat.’

Once everything is in place, he could step into the Innate Realm directly towards the Arhat level...

Though Zhu Xiaoming still wasn’t quite sure what exactly an Arhat was.

"Cultivate well, once you’ve completed the great bath and achieved the Innate, going back to see your acquaintances isn’t impossible."

Buddha Son spoke softly:

"After all, to be wealthy and not return home is like wearing fine clothes at night... these are words from some ancient text fragment."

"Moreover..."

Pausing, Buddha Son’s face, rarely, showed a heavy expression:

"You need to become stronger faster; you and I are already bound to each other, the stronger you are, the stronger I become."

Zhu Xiaoming nodded heavily, couldn’t help but ask:

"Has something happened?"

Buddha Son nodded:

"Recently, you also heard those frequent grand sounds arising, a terrifying entity named Laozi passed down the Tao Te Ching."

"And not long ago, an ancient figure called World-Honored One Buddha descended, establishing the Other Shore World, independent of the Federation."

"One after another, seemingly ancient-era big figures have appeared, and the era of great contention has fully unfolded..."

Zhu Xiaoming listened somewhat entranced, Laozi, World Venerate...

He softly marveled.

.........

Other Shore World, Chang’an Town.

Yuan Mansion.

After making a betting agreement with Yuan Tiandao, Ruan Yutu came to reside at Yuan Mansion, along with Yellow Teeth Old Man, Jiang Feiniao, Cui Linglong, and Li Xiuyuan.

A quiet room.

Cui Linglong gently kneaded Li Xiuyuan’s shoulders:

"Xiuyuan, your complexion doesn’t look good, did something happen?"

Li Xiuyuan snapped out of it, patting Cui Linglong’s hand:

"I’m fine."

His eyes still retained a look of shock, reflecting on the World-Honored One Buddha he saw, and...

Wa.

Was that the real Wa?

How could it be?

But if not, who in heaven and earth dares to impersonate that visage?

Most crucially, those who gaze upon Wa instinctively prostrate as if seeing the primordial mother...

Li Xiuyuan couldn’t help but swallow, confirming in his heart that it’s most likely not the real Wa,

perhaps it’s an avatar without awakened memories?

Is it a contingency left by Wa?

"Alas..."

He sighed, lamenting in his heart for not finding the true Supreme Treasure scroll.

Wondering where the real Li Xiuyuan had hidden it.