Chapter 153 Stone Gives Birth to Heart

In the Tianguan Temple, Gu Qingyuan and Shuide Tianguan sat opposite each other drinking tea, as if nothing happened normally.

Shuide Tianguan took a sip from the teacup and couldn't help but touch his body again. Although he was not seriously injured and the tiny cracks on his body were healed by Xu Xuan, it really hurt.

'Who is this Xu Xuan? With such strength, why is he not well-known? Could he be some great god or Buddha in disguise? No, the Shinto Dharmakaya cannot be faked. The name of the Great Heavenly Official who can ward off disasters and resolve misfortunes does sound familiar, but he is definitely not among the gods in heaven. The name of a god cannot be faked. And the incense money...'

The Water Virtue Official turned the teacup around and stared at Gu Qingyuan. He felt that this man was shrouded in layers of fog. As for whether underneath the fog was a conscience that wanted to help all people or a dark heart that wanted to fool everyone, he had no idea.

Time passed by, and seeing that Shuide Tianguan didn't speak but just stared at him, Gu Qingyuan raised his teacup to block it in front of him: "Even if Xu accidentally hurt Tianguan, Tianguan doesn't have to watch like this, right?"

"I'm not as skilled as you, so what's there to say? I'm injured, but I just don't know when a person like you appeared in the world." Tianguan put down the teacup in his hand.

It would be easy to deal with it once the conversation started. Gu Qingyuan also put down his teacup: "What's wrong with a person like me? I don't have one more eye... or one more hand than others." He paused halfway through his words. If the flowing cloud pattern was counted, it seemed that he really did have one more eye.

"You know what I'm talking about. I just can't see clearly." Tianguan didn't care about Gu Qingyuan's pause.

"What can't you see through?"

"I can't tell what your intentions are!"

The Heavenly Official said, "Since you have come to me, you must have something to ask for. Whether you want to ask me something or borrow my throne, you must explain the reason. Otherwise, even if I cannot defeat you, Heaven will take you away!"

He looked at Gu Qingyuan and said, "If not, I would rather die forever and my divine body be shattered, so that your efforts would be in vain. Jade can be shattered but its whiteness cannot be changed, bamboo can be burned but its joints cannot be destroyed. Although my body will perish, my name will be passed on to the people. I am worthy of the incense offerings and the people's respect, and I am worthy of the word immortal!"

Gu Qingyuan shook his head, knowing that this Shuide Tianguan was probably thinking of some conspiracy theory. Then he thought, wasn't he just a demon from outside the realm? It's just that this world is more evil, and even a demon like him can't stand it.

Then he said with a serious face: "I admire the righteousness of the Heavenly Official. In this world, people's hearts are chaotic. There are immortals and Buddhas, and those who are greedy and quarrelsome. Even if there are one or two clear-headed people, they may add fuel to the fire or keep themselves out of trouble. But the Heavenly Official has never been corrupted. I know that there are still true immortals in the world, who protect others and maintain their integrity. Today, the Heavenly Official Temple is prosperous, and it is right for the Heavenly Official to benefit. This is from the bottom of my heart, and every word is true."

On the contrary, Shuide Tianguan felt a little embarrassed, probably because he had never been flattered so directly. He shook his shoulders and moved uncomfortably.

"Did I think wrong? Yes, they say that everything has its reasons. I haven't even heard the details yet, but you've already started to accuse me. It's clear that you put yourself in a high position and brought this monk Xu down to earth. You only care about yourself and take the credit, but you don't care about others. My unfounded behavior is really a joke. I don't understand the principle of innocent until proven guilty. What's the difference between this and being tortured into confessing?"

Shuide Tianguan felt a little guilty as he thought about it, but he was cold and hard when he wanted to speak, so he didn't know how to give in. Looking at Shuide Tianguan's appearance, Gu Qingyuan also smiled in his heart. Immortals have feelings, what's the difference between them and mortals? No, what he said was the truth. Shuide Tianguan was indeed a god in this world that matched Gu Qingyuan's impression of an immortal who overlooked the world and saved all living beings from suffering. But as soon as he said it, he felt a little guilty. If one party at the negotiation table felt guilty, it was self-evident what the consequences would be.

'After all, it's because Tianguan has a conscience that is not controlled by desire!'

Gu Qingyuan was also somewhat curious about how the Heavenly Official could maintain his clarity of mind, but he could not speak directly. Seeing the Heavenly Official's embarrassment, he changed the subject and said, "Xu does have a few questions to ask. I am also borrowing the shrine for a visit. I will return it after use. Please be at ease, Heavenly Official."

Shuide Tianguan breathed a sigh of relief, but not because of the position of God, but because Gu Qingyuan's words handed him a ladder, so he didn't have to worry about whether to give in or not: "If you have anything to say, just ask me."

"Tianguan is originally a water god. He is not wandering around in heaven, so why did he end up on earth?" Gu Qingyuan asked.

The Water Virtue Heavenly Official sighed and said, "It's just that there are some things that I can't stand, and I'm not very comfortable with them, so I came to the human world to hide."

Seeing Gu Qingyuan staring at him, he immediately started talking: "I was born as a human, and I have achieved success in cultivation. I am ranked among the immortals and filled the vacancy in the Water Department. I had some aspirations for the Heavenly Palace, but after I went up there, I felt differently."

"After joining the Water Department, it was stable and comfortable at first. At that time, the celestial beings were actually divided into two categories. One category was like the Immortal Venerable, who was granted divine duties by heaven and was born with the interaction between heaven and earth. In fact, it would be better to say that they were true gods rather than people, without any emotions or nature, like being carved out of wood or stone, sitting on the altar. The other category was like me, who practiced and then was granted divine duties by the Immortal Venerable. Some practiced for thousands of years, and some for hundreds of years. Although a hundred years pass in the blink of an eye, and no one knows how many years there are in heaven, they still have some humanity, and are not like the Immortal Venerable."

Gu Qingyuan thought for a while: "You mean to say that the Immortal Venerable is born sacred, bound to the priesthood, has no humanity, only the heart of a god, while you have the body of a human and a spirit, and your priesthood can be transferred?" After asking, he saw Shuide Tianguan nodded and gestured for him to continue.

The Heavenly Official said, "Although the Heavenly Rules are strict and not as comfortable as I thought, the expenses in Heaven are all top-notch. Treasures that cannot be seen in the mortal world can be found everywhere in Heaven. There is also immortal salary. This can be regarded as cultivating literary and martial arts and selling them to the emperor. Besides, I don't get involved in messy things, so I am still happy."

"Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. After some time, I discovered that the atmosphere in Heaven was changing. The immortals who had been practicing in seclusion and doing their duties loyally began to move around. I thought that perhaps the immortals in Heaven were depressed and wanted to make friends."

"But soon I got the news that as a celestial being, there are grade assessments. A good friend of mine told me that his superior even hinted at asking for benefits. He couldn't raise enough money, so he came to me for help. You know, his superior is born holy."

The Water Virtue Heavenly Official pursed his lips and said, "That's not all. At the birthday banquet, the Immortal Venerable actually got angry because a maid was flustered and broke a jade screen. You know, the Immortal Venerable doesn't know how to be happy, doesn't go out to play, and sits quietly in the Golden Throne. He only moves when the immortals gather and invite him to a meeting. On weekdays, he has no expression. I think he doesn't even know what joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness are. He is just a god with a heart of stone. Such a person would actually get angry because of an ordinary jade screen that can be seen everywhere!"

After Shuide Tianguan finished speaking, his face was filled with horror, as if he had seen a monkey jump out of a stone.

(End of this chapter)