At that moment, led by the guard captain, Shaoyin Ghost City’s lord Li Anfeng also arrived on the scene. They had naturally heard Ye Yu’s words and found them most peculiar. In this day and age, who was still afraid of fame? Bearing the title “Underworld Sage,” true or not, as long as this method of resisting sutras worked, wherever he went someone would show him some respect. Who would destroy their own city’s defense like Ye Yu? What was he trying to do?
The guard captain whispered, “My lord, shall I send men to test this monk’s capabilities? If he’s formidable, we could take him into custody first.”
Li Anfeng glanced at the one-meter distance between Ye Yu and Rukong, pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. “No rush. I really want to see what this Underworld Sage and his Buddhist monk intend to accomplish.”
The captain nodded and stepped back.
In the center of the crowd, Ye Yu met the many astonished gazes and continued in a deep voice, “A few days ago, I felt utterly lost, as if I had lost all sense of direction. Fame came too quickly, like a whirlwind... ahem, no—what I mean is, I could not find my core purpose. Only after I met Master Rukong did I finally understand!”
He raised his voice. “To be a true Underworld Sage, we must address our root problem. Empty talk alone is unworthy of our position. What is the root issue? It explains why we must increase our resistance to sutras.”
He paused, then said, “Some of you may say the purpose of resisting sutras is merely to avoid being slain by monks. But if that is the case, why not turn our hearts to Buddhism? Join the Buddha Realm’s great family, and then the monks would naturally have no cause to harm us!”
A gasp rose from all present. “Brother, are you serious?” “Ghosts joining the Buddha Realm?” “Two sides locked in mortal enmity—if you force them together, whose side are you on?”
In fact, not only the ghosts were stunned; even Rukong had not anticipated this turn. “Weren’t we supposed to propagate the Dharma?” he thought. “How is it that you now want to game the system? Turning enemies into internal partners means they owe us no rites of passage!”
Li Anfeng could endure no longer. He strode to the front, his gaze icy. He thought, this fellow must be here to cause trouble. What ghost has ever joined the Buddha Gate? Are we to join the Demon Realm when demons arrive next? Ridiculous!
Facing this accusation, Ye Yu spoke casually, “I came to end the conflict between our Underworld and the Buddha Realm—to bring permanent peace.”
Rukong transmitted by mind voice, “And to propagate the Dharma. That is most important. Whether peace can be achieved, this humble monk cannot decide.”
Hearing this, Ye Yu turned slightly to Rukong. “Idiot!” Two simple words caused Rukong to emit 390,000 points of negative emotion on the spot. Although Rukong held a lofty position in the Buddha Realm, he could not influence the larger situation. So when Ye Yu’s rebuke cut him down, he was furious yet had no grounds for rebuttal. Aside from generating negative points, he could do nothing.
Ye Yu then held out his right hand. “Bring me the sutras and I’ll help you promote them.”
Rukong looked momentarily blank, clearly unacquainted with the concept of “promoting.” But Ye Yu’s next words snapped him awake. “Hurry up, you fool. If you don’t bring them, I’m leaving!”
Rukong hurriedly retrieved a stack of sutra scrolls from his storage ring and handed them over like an ancient aide. He had no choice; Ye Yu was the star here, the success of Dharma propagation rode on him. He could not depart.
The instant the sutras appeared, golden light blazed throughout Shaoyin Ghost City, and the ghosts emitted agonized shrieks. Even Lord Li Anfeng could not help frowning. These sutras, copied by high-ranking figures in the Buddha Realm, carried extraordinary power. Li Anfeng quickly erected a protective barrier to shield his people, giving them some relief.
But Ye Yu paid no heed. He picked up a sutra and began to promote it. “Family, family, these sutras are ninety-five percent new stock, authored by masters and transcribed by revered monks, with their own Dharma radiance. Today, no 599—no 399 either—free for all, free for all!”
He touted, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ “Reading sutras is good, reading sutras is wonderful. Read sutras and you’ll no longer fear monks wielding swords!”
At Ye Yu’s sales pitch, Rukong’s expression grew more incredulous. “Brother, is this how you propagate the Dharma? You don’t even read a word and you just push them like merchandise. And no fear of swords? We monks carry only meditation staves, brother!”
Li Anfeng’s facial muscles twitched as he pointed at Ye Yu and barked, “You brat, you’re making a mockery of us! What nonsense ‘Underworld Sage’? I see you’re just a lunatic playing pranks on the ghosts!”
Behind him, many ghosts nodded in agreement. “Who ever heard of ghosts promoting Buddhist teachings? That’s madness!”
In an instant, the numbers above every ghost’s head began to skyrocket—anger, resentment! Ye Yu’s heart leapt for joy. This was the true moment of harvest.
Indeed, the title Underworld Sage yielded few negative points. The urgent task was to strip away those four words. And the fastest way to see Ye Yu disgraced was to use Rukong as the tool—let all the Underworld ghosts know he was a madman. His talk of sutra resistance was nothing but a fluke. In truth, Ye Yu never imagined that sutras could even confer resistance!
