Everyone tried to rescue Ji Rongxue for about half an incense stick of time.

"I just fell asleep," the eldest lady said, and then sat up calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Tonight was a sleepless night. I didn't know what had happened to the Smiling Buddha. The sky was still gray and dark, but the Buddhist bell rang again. Three more times.

Three tones.

Yun Xian heard everything now. She looked at the shaking doors and windows and frowned, "Boundary?"

"Yes." Qi Zhiye said, "Things from outside can't get in."

It's another contradiction. I set up a barrier for myself so that "myself" can't get in.

Everyone was definitely unable to sleep. It was like firecrackers going off outside, so they all sat up. Yun Xian asked, "Fellow Daoist Qi, have you ever wondered why Senior Mingren knew your name?"

Logically speaking, she has already betrayed Buddhism for so many years. Even if Qi Xingye is Mingguang's disciple, there is no chance for her to get to know him.

Could it be that she has been observing secretly all these years?

"I don't know." Qi Zhiye's face was solemn. "Master rarely mentions Senior Mingren."

The abbot at that time has passed away, and no one knows what happened.

"I've heard bits and pieces of information," Qi Zhiye said. "Back then, Master and Senior Mingren had very different personalities. Senior Mingren was more erratic, and the abbot hesitated about passing the position to someone more composed. But Senior Mingren was truly outstanding."

He is so outstanding that there is no one else in the entire Buddhist community who can match him.

"Besides, I always feel like," Qi Zhiye said solemnly with a stiff face, "...I was led here by someone."

The six people plus Jimo Shu just sat there until dawn.

At the moment of dawn, the window suddenly lit up, the strange sound disappeared, and was replaced by the familiar sound of roosters crowing and three long-lasting Buddhist bells.

It's time to wash up.

Yun Xian opened the door. Outside, the autumn air was crisp and clear, and the sky was azure. An old woman stood by the well, a familiar, kind smile on her face. The water gurgled, and the others were already queuing up to get water. She said to them calmly, "After washing up, go recite the morning sutras."

“…”

Everyone washed up as usual, and Yun Xian cut in line as usual.

This time, she didn't forget to pat the phantom's shoulder. When she saw the person turn around, she asked in a friendly manner, "Girl, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. How can anyone be bad?" The girl smiled and said, "Good, bad, very good, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Even a stick of incense is amazing!"

Yun Xian choked up: "You go first. I'll just stand behind you."

Staying up all night wouldn't have much of an impact on a cultivator, but being on edge all night wouldn't be pleasant for anyone. Xue Lingxiu slowly wiped her face dry, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Yun Xian wipe it twice with water before running away. Even a puppy knows how to shake it off. She took a deep breath and said to herself,

You can't change her, you can only change yourself.

Either endure it or get out. Now that he can't get out, he can only choose to turn a blind eye.

This has become Xue Lingxiu's daily must-read scripture.

Everyone walked slowly towards the hall.

Why is the Bodhi tree getting redder and redder today? Is it because autumn has arrived and the leaves are about to fall?

Chanting scriptures again.

Yun Xian picked up the Diamond Sutra and began to recite it from the beginning, mumbling while observing his surroundings: "In the section on detachment from form and nirvana, at that time Subhuti, upon hearing this sutra, understood its meaning deeply..."

It was over. Zhang Heyan had completely transformed into the shape of the Diamond Sutra. The jade Buddha on his chest was now only a red string, and the pendant was probably broken. Facing the Smiling Buddha directly, even the wooden Buddha statue given by Master Mingguang could not withstand it, let alone anything else.

Yun Xian repeated these four sentences over and over again, then looked back and slowly frowned.

Is someone injured again?

But this injury...

They were the two people she and Ji Rongxue had bumped into arguing the day before. The injuries on their faces clearly weren't caused by the Smiling Buddha. The Buddha was quite conscientious in this regard. Everyone here was either dead or alive, or mad or not. There was no such thing as someone half dead and half mad. She couldn't be blamed for that, so Detective Yun Xian deduced that they must have been fighting.

No way!

She was stunned. Fengzi was right. Men were really emotional creatures. At this moment, even if Liu Shi was here, she could shake hands and make peace as long as it was useful. Why was she still wasting time internally? Didn't she think dying was fast enough?

The oppressive atmosphere returned, and Yun Xian immediately turned her head back, concentrating on reading aloud—naturally, the first four lines. She still hadn't memorized them. On purpose.

The Smiling Buddha had actually come. Perhaps she was in a good mood today and had come to lead the morning self-study.

The rest of the people knelt on the ground and shouted slogans.

Somehow, Yun Xian always felt that this slogan was quite catchy. It kept echoing in her mind after she heard it once. Even if she didn't purse her lips, she couldn't help but recite it silently. She held on hard and sang "The Jumping Frog" in her heart to resist.

"When I came in just now, I saw a certain believer looking around and not reading the scriptures seriously." The Smiling Buddha smiled and said, "I won't mention his name. You should pay attention next time."

A believer: "..."

You are talking about Yun San Ya, what does it have to do with me, Yun Xian?

Not knowing what she was up to, Yun Xian pricked up his ears and heard the following words from the Smiling Buddha:

“If you feel sleepy, stand up and read.”

"Haven't you had breakfast yet? Why are you speaking so quietly?"

"You're not naturally dull, you're very smart. You just haven't worked hard enough. If you put in a little more effort, you'll naturally be able to understand the Dharma."

"..." Yun Xian was filled with sorrow. It turned out that she said this to everyone!

Finally, the Smiling Buddha's gaze gently fell on Qi Zhiye.

Perhaps she came for him.

Qi Xingye still had that stinky face of a man who had just dug a manure pit. Others would at least open their mouths to fool him, but he wouldn't even open his mouth.

"Practice." The Smiling Buddha said kindly, "Why not read the scriptures?"

Qi Zhiye: "I don't want to read."

Smiling Buddha: "You don't believe in Buddhism?"

"Do you believe it?" Qi Zhiye was quite disrespectful to the elderly and the young. He raised his eyelids slightly and spoke in an aggressive tone: "Are you sure you believe in Buddha?"

The chanting of the crowd stopped for a moment.

It must be said that Qi Zhiye's risky move was something he had discussed with Yun Xian yesterday. Yun Xian had discovered that the Smiling Buddha would never attack anyone directly, or rather, her daytime image of a Buddha was one of absolute compassion and salvation. Simply put, as Mingguang had said, she wouldn't hit anyone.

It's like being bound by the rules I set for myself.

As expected, the Smiling Buddha didn't care and just smiled and said, "What do you mean?"

"Turning the people of the Lotus Seat into cowering, unsuspecting lambs is your mercy?" Qi Zhiye said coldly, "Do you intend to keep them locked up like this for the rest of their lives?"

"Isolated?" The Smiling Buddha asked inexplicably, "Isn't this place good? No killing, no malice, it's a paradise. Where else in the world can you find such a good place? They stayed here voluntarily."

"Voluntary?" Qi Zhiye sneered, "I want to leave now, will you let me go?"

Smiling Buddha looked at him as if he were an ignorant child. She slowly shook her head: "No, you don't want to leave."

Qi Zhiye: "How ridiculous!"

"Practice." The Smiling Buddha looked him in the eyes and said, "You want to return to Buddhism? Do you believe in Buddhism?"

Qi Zhiye: "I..."

"You actually don't believe at all. You don't believe, and you're resentful." The Smiling Buddha asked, "You don't want to learn the Golden Bell Cover, is it because you don't want to? You can't learn it. It's not that you don't believe in Buddhism, it's that Buddha won't accept you because you simply don't have the heart to protect all sentient beings! You only want to protect those closest to you, your fellow disciples, your master, your friends. You're not suited to being in Buddhism, but you have nowhere else to go. You're helpless, aren't you?"

Qi Zhiye's Adam's apple rolled and his expression changed slightly.

"Are the scriptures necessarily correct? Has no one ever questioned them?" The Smiling Buddha took another half step forward and said with a kind smile, "Your parents were devout Buddhists. Tell me, what happened to them?"

Among the crowd, only Ji Rongxue gently curled her fingertips.

As soon as he finished speaking, the veins on Qi Zhiye's neck bulged, as if he was furious. After a while, he said in a low voice, "You know exactly what will happen to them, and you still dare to play this trick in front of me?!!"

No one had ever seen him so furious, as if the scars of years had been torn open, and there was a fire burning in his heart, causing unbearable pain.

"Buddha, tell me why. You said that all beings are equal and can be saved. Therefore, those who violate the Buddha's will should not be punished equally. They should be made to correct their mistakes and strive for progress. As long as they have a repentant heart, they can atone for their sins."

The Smiling Buddha looked straight at him and continued to ask, "Why do those who follow the rules receive completely opposite destinies, while those who do not follow the rules pretend to live in this world? Why is it so much harder to protect someone than to destroy them? Why are the good always treated harshly while the evil are not restrained? Why does this world keep repeating itself, with no improvement? Why, why! Can the Buddha tell you why?"

"Shut up!" Qi Zhiye said with all his might, "Does what you said have anything to do with what you did?!"

"So, I understand." The Smiling Buddha looked at him with that tolerant expression and said gently, "As long as the source of everything is eradicated, there will be no more darkness in this world."

Lotus flowers appeared in the Buddha's eyes, spinning and blooming, almost swallowing people in. Yun Xian was drowsy, and her emotions were light and fluttering, and at this moment, she suddenly remembered that word.

"Heavenly punishment."

The two people behind Zhang Heyan were instantly overwhelmed, and the long-accumulated conflict erupted at this moment. One of them saw the sharpened incense burner and grinned, subconsciously pushing the other person over. Yun Xian's alarm bells rang loudly, and he flew over to stop them.

She was just inches away and saw the ugly murderous intent flash across the man's face, but it only lasted for a moment.

The next moment, his face suddenly transformed into a swollen lotus of flesh and blood, trembling seductively and spinning continuously.

Layer upon layer, blood was flowing, it was a horrific sight, and then, starting from the hand he stretched out to kill someone, it cracked and tore inch by inch, and finally exploded with a "bang".

It was too late. She felt a dampness on her face, even into her eyes. Yun Xian felt a sting in her eyes, and she wiped them blankly, looking at the smiling Buddha who was smiling gently. Her sight fell clearly here, and her white hair was still whiter than snow, without a speck of dust.

"I told you," she said with a smile, "as long as we address the problem at the source, none of this will happen again."

Outside the courtyard, everyone knelt down trembling, and there was complete silence.

Yun Xian finally understood why they would always give in, never get angry, and be willing to be lambs no matter what.

...Because, this is "divine punishment".