Chapter 57

Jidian reached into his robe and pulled out a book, which he threw in front of Tang Sen with a thud: "You already have divine power, but you don't know how to use it. Relying solely on brute force to use the sword techniques taught by the White Dragon will forever keep you at the level of a low-ranking heavenly general. How can you possibly deal with the endless pursuit by the Heavenly Court? I have come to help you. Here is a secret manual of Buddhist teachings. Study it well, and you will have the power to protect yourself."

Tang Sen was overjoyed. A secret manual? This is a good thing! Is it the Nine Yang Divine Skill, the Nine Swords of Solitude, or the Buddha's Fist? He quickly reached out to pick up the book from the ground. It felt heavy in his hands, as if it were very powerful. Upon closer inspection, he saw three gilded characters on the cover: "The Heart Sutra"...

It seems really powerful!

What is this "Heart Sutra"? It must be much more powerful than the "Yi Jin Jing," right? Tang Sen held the book and gently opened it. Inside, it read: "The Mahayana Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. The Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty, thus transcending all suffering and distress. Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form; form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this. Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness; they do not arise or cease, are not defiled or pure, do not increase or decrease. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, perception, volition, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; no realm of sight, and so on, up to no realm of consciousness; no ignorance, and no end of ignorance, and so on, up to no aging and death, and no end of aging and death. No suffering, no cessation, no path, no wisdom, and no attainment. Because there is nothing to be attained, the Bodhisattva relies on Prajna Paramita, and his mind is free from hindrance. Free from hindrance, he is free from fear. Far from inverted and illusory dreams, he ultimately attains Nirvana. All the Buddhas of the past, present, and future have relied on Prajna Paramita to attain the highest perfect enlightenment. Therefore, know that Prajna Paramita is the great mantra, the great bright mantra, the supreme mantra, the unequaled mantra, which can remove all suffering, true and not false. Therefore, the Prajna Paramita mantra is spoken, and the mantra is said: 'Gate! Gate! Paragate! Parasamgate! Bodhi Svaha!'"

These incantation-like scriptures were hard for Tang Sen to understand, or rather, he couldn't understand them at a glance. He needed to calm down and study each word carefully. However, at first glance, he felt these scriptures were very ordinary, as if he had seen these words on the internet from time to time, and they didn't seem like a "secret manual."

Strange, shouldn't a secret manual be something that is not passed down? Why does it feel like I've seen it somewhere before? Especially phrases like "form is emptiness, emptiness is form, sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this," which even the general public has heard of.

The more Tang Sen read, the more confused he became. When he flipped to the last page, he suddenly noticed a few small lines printed at the back: "Shuangqing Publishing House... 16K full copperplate paper... Seventh edition, 5000 copies... Single volume price: 48 yuan."

"Damn! This is something you can buy in any bookstore." Tang Sen almost overturned the pot in front of him. When he looked up to ask Jidian for an explanation, he saw that the figure in front of him was gone, and the dirty nun named Jidian had vanished without a trace.

"Where is she?" Tang Sen asked angrily.

"Gone!" Sun Wukong pointed to the ground. "She used an earth escape technique and fled quickly, as if she was afraid you would hit her."

"Good for her, running fast." Tang Sen said resentfully. "Damn, she tricked me with a book you can buy in any bookstore."

Sun Wukong smiled mysteriously and said nothing.

It was Bao Bao Bear who spoke up indignantly: "How can that nun Jidian be so over the top? Tang Sen invited her to eat with good intentions, and she tricks him like this. Even if she didn't give him the scripture, Tang Sen wouldn't blame her. Why does she have to play tricks on people?"

"Hold on!" Tang Sen suddenly frowned. "Something's not right... I might have wronged her."

"How could you wrong her? It's just a lousy book," Bao Bao Bear said.

Tang Sen suddenly burst out laughing: "No, this is not a lousy book. I suddenly realized something. The monks who study scriptures in the temple all read the same Buddhist texts, but some become enlightened high monks, revered as deities, while others remain insignificant novices for life... Why is that? The difference is not in the scriptures themselves, but in the different levels of understanding among the people. Take Jidian Living Buddha, for example. He became a living Buddha by reading ordinary scriptures, didn't he?"

"Wow!" Bao Bao Bear suddenly realized.

The White Dragon also seemed to understand.

The mysterious smile on Sun Wukong's face suddenly disappeared, turning into a hearty laugh: "What a smart guy... Ha ha... I deliberately didn't say anything to see you make a fool of yourself, but I didn't expect you to understand this truth in just a moment. It seems you really have the wisdom to understand."

Bao Bao Bear grumbled: "If that's the case, why didn't the nun say it clearly? Why did she have to play a riddle?"

Sun Wukong laughed: "High monks and Taoist masters always like to play tricks when passing on their teachings. My master also deliberately tested me, pretending not to teach me any skills. He tapped my head three times and closed the door, driving me out. He actually wanted me to come to him at midnight through the back door. If I hadn't figured it out, there would be no Monkey King Sun Wukong today, ha ha ha ha..."

Since Sun Wukong said this, Tang Sen knew the scripture was genuine. Jidian deliberately gave him a secular version of the "Heart Sutra," and it couldn't be just for fun. He took the scripture and studied it carefully, word by word, but unfortunately, he still couldn't understand it after a long time. He wasn't in a hurry, knowing that some people spend their entire lives trying to understand the great truths. How could he, Tang Sen, claim to understand it at first glance? So he didn't rush, but instead memorized each word in his mind and planned to study it further later.

At this moment, a cry of distress came from the side. It turned out that Zhu Baie had run out of the tent and approached the pot. Seeing that the pot was empty, she cried out: "Oh, where's my share? Where's mine?"

Tang Sen didn't bother with her. She had been reading "The Invincible Sky Record" and didn't come to eat, so who could blame her?

Sun Wukong, however, found it amusing to chat with Zhu Baie and said with a smile: "A strange nun came and ate your share, then used an earth escape technique and fled to the east."

"Hey, that unreasonable nun, daring to steal the food of the Heavenly Marshal, what a nerve! I'll go and teach her a lesson." Zhu Baie also used an earth escape technique, burrowed into the ground, and disappeared instantly.

The White Dragon couldn't help but say softly: "Is it really good to trick Zhu Baie like this? If she goes and beats up Jidian Living Buddha, the result... might be..."

Sun Wukong laughed heartily: "She deserves it!"

Tang Sen couldn't help but cover his face, thinking: What will the result be?

After half an hour, Zhu Baie returned. Her beautiful face was marked with a dirty footprint, and her left eye was black, as if someone had hit her with a shoe and punched her in the eye. She was in a terrible state. As soon as she returned, she grabbed the hoe and angrily confronted Sun Wukong: "You sly monkey, that nun was actually Jidian Living Buddha. Why didn't you tell me earlier? You made me get beaten up."

Sun Wukong laughed loudly: "You fool, you deserve it."

"Alright, stop fooling around." While Zhu Baie was out, Tang Sen had cooked her another pot of noodles and pushed it in front of her: "Eat up. Don't stay in the tent reading 'The Invincible Sky Record' during mealtime. I can't guarantee I'll have the mood to cook for you next time."

"Thank you, Master." Zhu Baie quickly scooped up the noodles and stuffed them into her mouth, asking while eating: "Master, when are you going to teach me the art of seduction? Since you taught me to dress properly, you haven't taught me any new tricks."

"Damn, I won't teach you any art of seduction. I don't even know such a skill myself," Tang Sen said irritably. "I can only make you more appealing to girls."

"Isn't that the art of seduction?" Zhu Baie pouted and asked, "What should I do next?"

"Hum, hum, stop looking at the White Dragon girl with those lustful eyes. From today on, learn how to be polite to girls..."

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