"Merciful Buddha of Merits hastily explained: 'In the past, it was not my intention to betray the Bodhisattva, but with the great path before me, I had to move forward.'"

"Ksitigarbha laughed heartily and said, 'No need to explain, I understand! At that time, Tathagata's momentum was established, and I had no power to overturn it. Even if you did not go to Tathagata, I would have sent you anyway. After all, there is a bond of mentoring between us, how could I mislead you in the great path?'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits gratefully exclaimed, 'Thank you, Bodhisattva~'"

"Ksitigarbha gestured invitingly with his hand and said with a smile, 'Come, please go ahead.'"

"'Thank you, Bodhisattva!' Merciful Buddha of Merits picked up the jade chopsticks on the table and reached forward to grab some food."

"Ksitigarbha suddenly sighed and said, 'Merciful Buddha of Merits, in fact, we should have had this meal together long ago, but in the past I was not open-minded enough. Now that I have found a new path, it is time to let everything go.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits paused for a moment, smiling as he put down the jade chopsticks and said, 'It's wonderful that the Bodhisattva has an open mind. We can surely socialize more in the future. Not hiding it from the Bodhisattva, though I have been a Buddha for billions of years, the most profound memory remains the time I spent under your guidance listening to the scriptures.'"

"Ksitigarbha laughed heartily and said, 'I remember, you always loved to ask questions.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits respectfully said, 'The Bodhisattva's teachings always enlightened the disciples.'"

"Ksitigarbha gestured with his hand and urged, 'Eat quickly! It will be cold if you delay any longer.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits smiled, nodded, picked up the jade chopsticks and reached forward again."

"Ksitigarbha suddenly expressed his concern and asked, 'Since you left, I have been quite lonely. Have they been bullying you on Mount Spiritual?'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits looked at the gorilla's lip in front of him, then back at the concerned Ksitigarbha, put down the chopsticks and smiled, 'Thank you for your concern, Bodhisattva. I am quite well in Mount Spiritual, making new friends daily, debating and preaching, living leisurely.'"

"Ksitigarbha nodded in relief and said, 'That's good to hear! This puts my mind at ease too.'"

"He gestured with his hand and said, 'Eat quickly, please go ahead!'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits quickly picked up the jade chopsticks and reached forward."

"Ksitigarbha suddenly asked, 'I heard you borrowed quite a lot at high interest rates?'"

"'Cough, cough~' Merciful Buddha of Merits choked, paused with his hand mid-air, looked at the earnestly concerned Ksitigarbha and helplessly put down the chopsticks, smiling, 'It's just a small amount of money, trivial really, but I have it under control, thank you for your concern.'"

"Ksitigarbha laughed and said, 'That's good then. If there's anything, don't hesitate to tell me. If you couldn't speak before, you can let me help you from now on.'"

"He gestured with his hand, chuckling, 'Eat, eat!'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits forced a laugh and said, 'Let's finish talking before eating! No rush for this moment.'"

"His eyes flickered curiously and he asked, 'Bodhisattva, are you perhaps aspiring to become a Buddha?'"

"Ksitigarbha shook his head, pretending to be mysterious, 'Unspeakable, unspeakable! Just know that from now on, I have got your back; I have the capability.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits instantly decided in his heart that there must be something important, a great opportunity indeed. His eyes shifted as he vented, 'Bodhisattva, life has not been easy for me either!'

'Even though the Buddha has his close confidants, they all look down on those of us who later joined. No one takes me seriously, only you, Bodhisattva, still remember me as your disciple.'"

"Ksitigarbha's expression turned cold, he slapped the table and bellowed, 'That Tathagata, once my plans come to fruition, he will regret it.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits grew more curious, what exactly was Ksitigarbha referring to by his 'plans coming to fruition' that could challenge the Buddha? As anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof, he made a pitiful plea, 'Bodhisattva, considering our past relationship, if there is any good fortune, please pull me along. This time, I will definitely follow behind you, waving the flag and charging into battle for you.'"

"'This~' Ksitigarbha hesitated."

"Merciful Buddha of Merits immediately rose, brought his hands together solemnly, and said, 'Please, Teacher, help me!'"

"Ksitigarbha sighed, 'Indeed there's an opportunity, an event that I had already discussed the details with the bank before, planning to accomplish it with assistance from the bank. However, since you are pleading so earnestly with me now, I might also include you. Sit down, and let me tell you more.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits seated himself back down."

"Ksitigarbha rose, formed a seal with his hands, and solemnly activated the protective array, enveloping the entire Hall of Ksitigarbha with the array."

"Merciful Buddha of Merits felt a jolt in his heart. Ksitigarbha had activated the protecting palace array, something of great significance must be afoot to make Ksitigarbha take such precautions. A surge of excitement welled up inside him; could his chance have truly arrived?"

"His conversation earlier with Ksitigarbha was not untrue, with Buddhism proclaiming itself as All Buddhas Gather, thousands of great and small Buddhas existed, and Merciful Buddha of Merits was merely an inconspicuous one among them, naturally living an unremarkable life, only managing to strut about in the mortal realms of West Niu Hezhou."

"Ksitigarbha, shrouded in secrecy, asked, 'Do you know about the Westward Journey to obtain the scriptures?'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits nodded and replied, 'Of course, I know; from the Eastern Tang, they admired Buddhist law and went westward to fetch the True Scriptures.'"

"Proudly laughing, he said, 'This shows that they begged us to transmit the Buddhist scriptures to the East, proving that our Buddhism far surpasses Mysterious Sect.'"

"Ksitigarbha shook his head, speaking mystically, 'What you know is only the surface; in fact, the Westward Journey is the new Calamity.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits suddenly widened his eyes, shocked, and shouted, 'What?'"

"Merely mentioning the Calamity immediately brought to mind the past Divine Enthronement Battle, fought with the Immortal Gods shedding blood, and the Primordial World shattered, and now the Calamity had resurfaced, Merciful Buddha of Merits couldn't help feeling a chill throughout his body, his heart turning cold."

"Ksitigarbha, with an inscrutable air, stated, 'This Calamity is the phase when Buddhism shall flourish. The Saints, in order to resolve the Calamity, devised this Westward Journey to obtain the scriptures. Now do you understand?'"

"Flashes of insight raced through the mind of Merciful Buddha of Merits as he muttered, 'No wonder, no wonder so many Buddha Bodhisattvas' mounts have descended to the Lower Realm to become demons, claiming mountains as kings. Bodhisattva, are they also for the sake of the Calamity?'"

"'You are insightful; it is indeed so. The Westward Journey comprises eighty-one difficulties, and after the Calamity, each difficulty accrues a merit. They go partly to resolve the Calamity and partly to earn merits.'"

"Merciful Buddha of Merits' expression darkened, to miss out on gaining even an informed status in obtaining these merits made him feel like an outsider in Buddhism."

"Ksitigarbha smiled and said, 'Actually, I should have also received a share of the merits, but I later declined. Do you know why I didn't command my mount to claim a mountain as a king?'"

"'Disciple does not know! Please enlighten me, Bodhisattva.'"

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