After Ye Ran finished speaking,

He stared calmly into Liu Da's eyes.

The sharp gaze that flashed in those eyes

This gave Liu Da a real chill.

He shifted uncomfortably, but was hindered by the restrictions of the falling copper coins.

This rendered him completely unable to move an inch.

He tilted his head back, forced a fawning smile, and quickly said to Ye Ran:

"Sir, I really didn't lie to you... I, everything I said is true!!"

"My previous monk-like behavior was all taught by Tai Bao Temple, and the broken prayer beads were also given to me by Tai Bao Temple!! If you just let me be an inside man, I guarantee..."

"Bang!!!"

Before Liu Da could finish speaking, a tremendous force slammed into his forehead, embedding him directly into the ground.

Wang Xianghe had appeared before the crowd at some point. He placed one foot on Liu Da's head and squinted as he said:

"Still lying at a time like this?? Do you really think we don't know anything??"

Then Wang Xianghe lifted his foot, squatted down, and pulled Liu Da's head out of the ground:

"Although I don't know much about Jialuo, I do know some of the rules and regulations of those stinky monks at Jialuo Temple."

"How could they possibly accept someone as utterly wicked as you as a disciple? Let alone accept money from you! Do you really think of the secluded temple of Gara as one of those commercial temples at tourist attractions???"

Liu Da was in excruciating pain from being stepped on, but he dared not show the slightest sign of resistance.

All I could do was say, with tears welling up in my eyes:

"Who says otherwise, gentlemen... Back then, when I met that monk who took my money, I also thought he was a fraud, but who would have thought he was genuine... To be honest, the monk who led me in, he was actually caught in the brothel of our infamous stronghold while playing with firecrackers..."

"Huh???" As Liu Da's words became increasingly outrageous, the crowd frowned and let out a soft snort.

Looking at the disbelieving expressions on Ye Ran and the others' faces,

And Wang Xianghe's right foot, which was almost about to lift up,

Liu Da was so anxious he was almost in tears:

"It's absolutely true, gentlemen, I really didn't lie to you!"

"Think about it, if it weren't for the blessing of Buddhism at Dabao Temple, how could someone like me possibly create that kind of divine realm that's half Buddhist and half evil?"

"Don't believe me? Look at this!!"

After Liu Da finished speaking, he focused his mind and energy, and a hazy Buddhist light began to emanate from his entire body.

That face, which had initially held a hint of hostility, became serene.

As the Buddha's light condensed...

A halo radiating a crystal-clear Buddhist light faintly appeared behind Liu Da's head.

Inside that halo

You can vaguely make out images of lotus flowers, scrolling grass, and other motifs...

Seeing this,

The expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly.

Wang Xianghe's right foot, which had been almost lifted, landed on the ground again.

Ye Ran, Duo Bao, and Wang Xianghe all frowned.

The reason is nothing more than...

All three of them could sense the pure Buddhist essence within that light...

"It really is Buddha being unseen..." Wang Xianghe murmured to himself, looking at the halo.

Duobao looked at Wang Xianghe: "What does 'Buddha's backlight' mean??"

Wang Xianghe looked at Duobao and Ye Ran:

"This is one of the characteristics of the cultivation system in the Kingdom of Gara. All monks in the Gara Temple who have broken through to the extraordinary level will be blessed by the power of the Gara Temple. They are called those who have cultivated the fruit of the path. And all Gara monks who have cultivated the fruit of the path have such a Buddha halo."

At this point, Wang Xianghe paused for a moment.

"From another perspective, those who possess the Buddha's halo must be monks of the Gara Temple; there's no doubt about that, because such a blessing simply cannot be found elsewhere..."

After Wang Xianghe finished speaking, he lowered his head and looked at Liu Da in disbelief:

"Has the Gara Temple become so lax about dietary restrictions now? They're even accepting people like you?"

Hearing Wang Xianghe's blunt and blatant insult, Liu Da's face twitched at first, then he gave an awkward laugh:

"Who says otherwise... Don't even mention you, sir, I never imagined that you could just pay money to give away a Dao Fruit. What's the difference between this and paying money to repair membranes and issue certificates in our bandit camp's business..."

Before Liu Da could finish speaking,

With a loud "bang!!"

His head was struck by Wang Xianghe's righteous blow once again.

"Don't give me that nonsense..."

"Yes, yes..."

A large lump visibly grew on Liu Da's head.

He wanted to cry but had no tears.

He tried to reach up and touch his head, which had been throbbing from the blow, but found his arm still pinned under the copper coin, rendering him completely immobile. All he could do was smile bitterly through his tears...

Upon hearing Liu Da's words, Duobao pressed for an answer:

"So you mean all the money was given to Taifo Temple???"

Liu Da nodded quickly:

"The bandit stronghold has a rule: a 50/50 split. Half of the money everyone swindles goes to themselves, and half goes to the stronghold. The portion I sent to Taifo Temple was only the portion that went to the stronghold; the other half is still with Old Nine..."

"you........"

Hearing Liu Da say that, Duobao's breath caught in his throat.

Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?!

Duobao yelled angrily and smacked Liu Da on the head again.

Then, turning to look at the mangled pieces of flesh on the ground, he asked Liu Da:

"Which one is the ninth?"

With each tap from Duobao, another large bump appeared on Liu Da's forehead.

Liu Da, on the verge of tears, stared longingly at Duobao:

"Ninth Master... he didn't come."

"Huh?? Oh..." Duobao was taken aback for a moment, embarrassed.

Then he calmly looked at Liu Da.

With a "bang!",

Duobao smacked Liu Da on the forehead again.

"Why the hell didn't you say so earlier??"

As the third large bump bulged on Liu Da's head,

Liu Da stared intently at Duobao, his eyes brimming with tears.

Did you even give me a chance to speak?!

Seemingly feeling a little uneasy under Liu Da's aggrieved gaze,

Duobao glared at Liu Da suddenly.

He smacked Liu Da on the forehead again with a "bang":

"Still watching?!"

As the fourth large bump bulged on Liu Da's head,

at this time,

The leader of the bandit stronghold, a ruthless and powerful figure who had dominated the area for most of his life.

Having lived a life of luxury for so many years, he was pinned to the ground and smacked on the head by a turtle today.

The stark contrast caused Liu Da to completely break down emotionally.

At this moment, he could no longer hold back.

Two lines of clear tears silently streamed down her face.

That bastard,

That's so damn insulting...