The Smiling Buddha even turned back to take a look, confirming that he was indeed in Yun Xian's inner demon.
A person's inner demons reveal their deepest fears. Seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood is quite normal. Sometimes there are also resentments and fears that their loved ones will be with someone else, so seeing a pair of lovers living together is understandable. But... what's with this incident of molesting a handsome boy and being accused of the parents?!
So weird, take another look.
"That's outrageous." The Smiling Buddha was confused and frowned. "That's outrageous!"
Her mind was in a state of confusion, and she acted mostly on instinct. Naturally, she had no time to show off her Buddha-like savior attitude. The smile that was always on her face faded, and she finally became a bit popular. She looked no different from an old lady who saw her younger generation making trouble.
Unfortunately, Yun Xian didn't know that there was an old lady patrolling around in his head. He was still trying to use cold jokes with Ji Rongxue to cool down the pain: "Miss, do you know why lions have beards?"
Ji Rongxue said: "Measure the distance."
"No, no." Yun Xian laughed wildly, "Because he has no hair on his lips and can't do things well, hahahahahaha!"
Ji Rongxue: “…”
Everyone: “…”
Finally, Xue Lingxiu said calmly, "Friend Ji, do you understand how we usually feel now?"
"I understand." Ji Rongxue changed his ways: "I will never tell bad jokes again."
I don’t know whether it is true or false.
After a while, Ji Rongxue suddenly asked, "Yun Xian, do you know which of the Four Great Classical Novels contains a story about a tiger swimming?"
Yun Xian: "I only watched the children's version, I can't remember it."
Ji Rongxue said coldly: "The Legend of the Water Tiger."
Yun Xian: “…”
Everyone: “…”
"Very impressive, Miss." As expected, it still takes professionalism. Yun Xian sighed, "Yours is much colder than mine. It makes my head feel numb."
Ji Rongxue: "You're not bad either."
Xue Lingxiu flipped the table: "I say you guys have had enough!!!"
There were other people in the prison. Wangcai was illiterate and didn't understand anything. He grabbed the younger brother and asked, "What does this mean? What's wrong with Water Margin? Explain it to me!"
The younger brother was silent for a long time. Fang Wenruo said, "Miss Ji has skillfully used the homophones of 'tiger' and 'swim' to forcibly use the four well-known classics to refer to tigers swimming in a light-hearted and humorous way. It's really funny and creative. Hahahaha, hahahaha."
The only thing colder than a joke in this world is explaining a joke. In an instant, the prison was as silent as a frozen land. Qiao Lingshan's toes were almost digging through the floorboards. After a while, only Feng Ye forced the topic to change. "Fellow Daoist Qi, you haven't spoken for a long time. Are you okay?"
The only disadvantage of a single room over a large bunk bed is that unless people are locked up face to face, they can only see the surrounding iron walls and have no way of knowing the specific situation of their companions. And since Qi Zhiye mentioned the "inner demon", he has indeed not spoken again. Yun Xian's heart trembled, and he said with pain: "Qi Zhiye?"
There was no sound from Qi Zhiye's end.
Xue Lingxiu, who was in the room next to him, sensed something was wrong and knocked on the railing with his hand, saying solemnly, "Can you hear me?"
He used his internal energy, and the sound was clear and sharp, going straight into people's ears. If they hadn't been unconscious, it would have been impossible for them not to hear it.
"Still no sound." Yun Xian frowned and said, "Oh no! Our invasion by the inner demon might just be a byproduct. The Smiling Buddha might have been targeting Qi Zhiye from the beginning!"
No wonder there is such silence outside. The Smiling Buddha is probably near everyone, or even within the inner demon. What does she want to do?
A moment later, Ji Rongxue's cold voice came from the next room: "Yun Xian, regarding the 'successor' you mentioned earlier, I think I guessed it right, but it's not that simple. Even if Qi Zhiye's ideas are similar to hers, given the Smiling Buddha's temperament, if she wants Qi Zhiye to be her successor, she must eliminate all differences between the two of them before she will be satisfied. She not only wants Qi Zhiye to agree with her ideas, she also wants a body that can accommodate her skills!"
"You mean," Xue Lingxiu said in shock, "...transmitting power?!"
No wonder the Smiling Buddha is so obsessed with Qi Zhiye.
Tang Lingguo's Spirit Severing Stage demon cultivators had previously observed that, while demon cultivators cultivate rapidly, their bodies are complex and filled with impurities. These deep-seated ills will continue to accumulate until they erupt at a certain level. The Smiling Buddha had long been possessed by demons, and the recent reappearance of her lotus throne was enough to show that she was already on the brink of chaos. If she couldn't find a solution, her realm would stagnate at best, or even regress, leading to a complete collapse.
Qi Zhiye practiced Buddhist techniques with her and had the same spiritual attributes, so he could accommodate her unusual moves. If she really wanted to pass on her skills, either the Smiling Buddha would take over Qi Zhiye's body, temporarily suppressing the confusion, and then looking for other solutions.
Or, even if she fails, she will create the next "Smiling Buddha" with the same cultivation level and similar thoughts as her.
If he continued thinking this way, if she really succeeded and Master Mingguang came to suppress her, he would not only lose her, but also the disciple he had raised since childhood... No one would win, and everyone would lose.
"But now we don't even know where she is!" Qiao Lingshan said in astonishment: "This is her realm of consciousness. Unless we can break the blockade..."
Yun Xian touched his chin.
Wangcai listened to them talking for a long time and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Hmm?" Yun Xian suddenly realized something was wrong. "Wangcai, how come you're fine? Where's your inner demon?"
Her head was still buzzing, but Wangcai looked calm. Could it be that the Smiling Buddha's influence was limited to just them and their group?
"I don't have any worries. I'm happy every day." Wangcai said, "You mean the inner demon? But if the inner demon wants to invade, doesn't it have to stay in the body of the Flower Monk? She has to go in no matter what."
"Miss Wangcai," Xue Lingxiu said, "I understand what you mean, but..."
"Master Xue, are you afraid?" Wangcai asked inexplicably, "What I mean is, isn't that Flower Monk your friend? Why should friends be so cautious? His sea of consciousness is definitely more welcoming to you than that Buddha."
Xue Lingxiu was strangely silent for a moment.
Yun Xian coughed, "Wangcai, you don't know. These two were insulting each other last night."
She also forgot what the dispute was about. Xue Lingxiu thought Qi Zhiye was too talkative and couldn't speak properly, so he should go back to school for retraining. Qi Zhiye thought Xue Lingxiu was not only sarcastic but also pretentious. Anyway, it was a miracle that they could have a good conversation for three sentences.
But it was just a quarrel, similar to Jimo Shu. Inside the lotus seat, it was even more obvious that it was just a bickering. After all, if they were really angry enough to fight, they would have spun and exploded into fireworks, but that definitely didn't make them a good relationship.
Never mind, in an emergency, I’ll just do it!
Yun Xian closed his eyes, released half of his spiritual sense, and flew to Qi Zhiye's small room with the people who followed him silently.
As everyone expected, Qi Zhiye had his eyes closed and cold sweat on his forehead. He seemed to have seen something extremely painful and had lost consciousness.
Yun Xian looked at the colorful little dots of light and felt a little uneasy.
Although she didn't think much when she rushed over, she was actually not sure whether Qi Zhiye would let her in or not... After all, although the person was unconscious now, he was relying on instinct to reject.
The translucent little Lingshan gestured to her: "Do you want to go up?"
Translucent Xiaoyun hit back: "Go in quietly! No need for smart tricks!"
Xue Lingxiu: "..." Who wants to go in there?! He was worried that Qi Zhiye would beat him to death after he went in!
No matter what, Yun Xian was the first to turn around and try to get into Qi Zhiye's spiritual center. Unexpectedly, after the barrier recognized who she was, it did not stop her at all, and her small blue spiritual consciousness went in without any stagnation.
Soon after, Ji Rongxue also came in. Then came Qiao Lingshan and Feng Ye.
Yun Xian looked back and thought with delight that the monk Qi Zhiye was really someone he could get along with.
Then he looked again and saw Xue Lingxiu had also come in, but not completely, only halfway in, the left half. It seemed that Qi Zhiye had given it some careful consideration and finally let him in, but he was not very reluctant.
Xue Lingxiu's face suddenly turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "......"
Either everyone is allowed in, or no one is allowed in. Why are you treating them differently?
"Hey, Brother Xue, don't be angry. We're already here." The sea of consciousness in front of him was in chaos, and the black sea was surging. It seemed that the situation was not good. Yun Xian said solemnly: "Let's go."
The moment she passed through the last barrier, her vision went dark and the world spun around her.
When he awoke again, the scene before him had transformed into a Buddhist temple. It resembled the one Akihito had constructed, yet it was fundamentally different. In front of the main hall, several monks meticulously swept the courtyard of fallen leaves. In the courtyard, a massive bodhi tree reached toward the heavens, its branches neatly pruned and vibrant, not blocking the sunlight.
Whether it is the long steps, the main hall, or the entire layout, it is exactly the same as the lotus seat.
Perhaps, the lotus seat is the same as it, because the Bodhi tree in the courtyard is more lush and vigorous than the one in the lotus seat, and the annual rings on the trunk have grown dozens of years older after years of changes.
It seemed like it was a holiday, as the gates were still open. Countless devout believers climbed the steps, some bowing with each step, holding incense sticks as they knelt before the Buddha statue in the main hall, praying for blessings and good health. Families abounded, as the temple hall was filled with the sounds of Buddhist chanting, the air thick with incense sticks, and the bodhisattva lowered her brows, her smile benevolent. The temple hall wasn't entirely silent in the afternoon, but rather a peaceful and tranquil expression on everyone's face.
Yun Xian opened his eyes, and his first reaction was to touch the sword talisman in his arms, but his fingers did not move as he intended.
"She" was sitting in front of the altar, and the golden body of the Buddha reflected the side face of Qi Zhiye.
Yun Xian was stunned.
Her current perspective is like that of a spectator living in Qi Zhiye's body, unable to move and can only watch quietly.
She tried to speak, but no sound came out. She tried to sense other people's consciousness, but couldn't sense anything either. She suddenly froze, and something flashed through her mind like lightning.
...It’s over, I fell into a trap!
Wangcai had no idea Xue Lingxiu's real name, yet she had just called him "Master Xue." How pure must one's mind be to be fearless? Even a three-year-old knows fear! Perhaps at some point, the person speaking to everyone had become a smiling Buddha, intent on exploiting their concerns to lure them into Qi Zhiye's inner demons and capture them all in one fell swoop.
Her goal had indeed been achieved. Now everyone was trapped inside Qi Zhiye's body, unable to speak or move.
But if we talk about Qi Zhiye's inner demons, this...
Yun Xian knew what it would be.
Qi Zhiye finally moved. He reached out and lit the incense on the altar. Yun Xian heard him mutter in confusion, "...I'm back again?"
There were footsteps outside the hall. Yun Xian's perspective moved as he turned his head. A little nun with a round face jumped in. The moment she stepped into the hall, she became very careful and tiptoed. She slowly sat down next to him and kowtowed to the Buddha statue.
"Zhili, why are you here?" Qi Zhiye straightened her messy collar with his big hands and asked, "Aren't you with Mingshu?"
"No." Zhili looked at him and said clearly, "Haven't I been with you these days? Master Mingguang and Mingshu went down the mountain together. He asked me to take good care of you."
Qi Zhiye smiled: "Should I take care of you, or should you take care of me?"
"It's all the same." Zhili also laughed and said something incoherent, "Did you remember what Master Mingguang said? Recently, the local sages have returned home, and there are many believers in the temple, so you don't have to go to the main hall these days."
Qi Zhiye asked, "Why can't I go?"
"What do you mean you can't go?" Zhi Li looked at him in surprise, "Don't you usually find it annoying, so you never go?"
Maybe it is true.
He couldn't quite remember, was Zhili with him recently?
Yun Xian felt his sight suddenly become higher. Qi Zhiye stood up and said, "I'm going back first."
Zhilitou didn't even turn around: "Remember to come and eat vegetarian food tonight!"
He nodded lightly and turned back to his room.
Buddhism was, after all, the largest sect in the Western Realm, and its main temple was so vast it occupied an entire hilltop, divided into countless subdivisions. Along the way, many fellow monks and nuns greeted Qi Zhiye. Monks and nuns lived separately, divided into eastern and western wing, and strict rules prohibited visits. Qi Zhiye walked along the blue brick path back to his room.
With a creak, the wooden door was closed, blocking out the sunlight.
Although she knew the situation was special, Yun Xian still politely closed her eyes for two seconds. After all, she didn't volunteer to look into Qi Zhiye's room; she was forced to do so.
Unexpectedly simple.
It was just an ordinary room, with a bed, a table, a chair, and other than that, clothes hung out to dry. The most magnificent thing in the room was his clothes, gleaming with golden light. Yun Xian suddenly understood why Qi Zhiye didn't wear them in the main temple.
When the sunlight shines down, it can blind an average of 3.5 believers.
This is off topic. Yun Xian was still trying to contact Qi Xingye, but he could only stare blankly, feeling extremely anxious.
Qi Zhiye was completely unaware that his boudoir had been seen by everyone. He sat down at the wooden table.
On the wooden table, there was no Buddha statue, but a red stone earring. He had been wearing this earring when Yun Xian first met him during the Four Directions War. It was hard to see clearly then, but now, looking closer, the earring was quite old, with a lot of wear and tear around it. It didn't look particularly shiny, and it was obvious to the naked eye that it was not worth much.
It was like one of those little ornaments that ordinary people buy to make their wives happy.
In the corner of the wooden table, a small incense candle was burning. The flame was small and flickered slightly, as if it was commemorating someone.
Qi Zhiye must have been wondering who this was for. After a while, he seemed to remember the date and said suddenly, "Another year has passed."
Yun Xian heard something from his tone.
It must be the anniversary of his parents' death.
The Smiling Buddha really wanted to start from here, but what exactly did she want to do?
Outside the door, the sound of outer disciples talking came:
"That Li Xiangxian is back again. I heard he donated a golden statue of Buddha to the temple this time. It's ten meters tall. It took a lot of effort to move it in."
"Pure gold? No way? Did the abbot accept it?"
"There's nothing we can do about it. We've already said we don't want it. Who else but the temple would accept such a large statue delivered right to our door? We can't possibly ask those workers to carry it back. It's easier to go up the mountain than down. It could crush someone to death if we're not careful."
"This is already the third golden statue you've donated... You're truly sincere. It seems like you've even brought your children this time, wanting them to be influenced by it first. Did you see that?"
"I saw it. The two children are well-behaved, not much worse than the little monk."
His words were full of admiration and respect, and Yun Xian instantly remembered what Qi Zhiye had said before.
A kind-hearted man in the surrounding area, a mountain bandit, and a blood feud.
...It’s over!
Qi Zhiye's fingers on the table gradually tightened. He took a short breath, stood up and walked out.
The two outer disciples, who had shaved their heads, saw him and said in panic, "Brother Qi? Did we disturb you? I'm sorry."
Qi Zhiye asked directly: "Where is the person you are talking about now?"
"Are you talking about Li Xiangxian?" The outer disciple said, "He's in the main hall right now, talking to the eldest senior brother."
Qi Zhiye nodded, then turned and walked towards the main hall. The blue brick path and bamboo forest whizzed past his ears. His steps became faster and more tense, and his breathing became heavier. He bypassed many believers along the way, bumping into many people's shoulders. Under everyone's inexplicable gaze, he stood in front of the main hall.
Running around in the temple was forbidden, and he felt like an alien. Qi Zhiye stepped into the main hall and immediately saw the figure from behind.
He was wearing official uniform, with jade pendant on his waist, and had a plump figure. A gentle middle-aged woman was standing beside him. His two children were kneeling on a cushion, their faces full of longing, curiosity, and innocence.
He is talking to the eldest brother:
"Mr. Li, there's no need to donate the Buddha statue. A sincere heart will suffice. I heard that you recently helped control the flood and saved dozens of people downstream. This is already a great deed."
The man shook his head slightly and said, "This is just what I should do."
The eldest brother said, "In this prosperous era, how many officials cannot achieve the same level as the local sage? There is no need to belittle yourself."
"...Is that so?" Li Xiangxian lowered his head and said, "I'm just trying to atone for my sins."
He donated more than a dozen Buddha statues of various sizes, but he himself did not dare to look up at the Buddha.
The eldest brother seemed to have noticed the sound. Seeing Qi Zhiye standing quietly not far away, he looked a little surprised and said, "Xingye, why are you here?"
Don’t you usually not come because you think it’s too noisy?
Li Xiangxian noticed his gaze, turned back with some confusion but still gentleness, and asked, "Who is this...?"
Qi Zhiye's breathing suddenly stopped.
The eyebrows, facial features, body shape, and even the mole on his face all corresponded to the man who had killed his parents. His breath was filled with the smell of blood and the man's wild and unpleasant laughter in the firelight.
"Here, I'll give you the knife. If you kill them all, I'll believe you're innocent."
"Look at you. Look at who you saved? It's better to save a dog. Are all Buddhists as stupid as you? Great philanthropists? Let me tell you, good people don't live long, but evildoers will last for thousands of years! Hahahahahaha!"
The taste of blood began to flow from between his lips and teeth, and he trembled slightly, just like when he was curled up in the closet.
It's you.
It's you!
"This is Qi Xingye, a disciple of mine." The eldest brother also said to Qi Xingye, "Xingye, this is Li Xiangxian, who took office here two years ago. He has brought great benefits to the people and saved many lives. He is truly admirable."
Li Xiangxian smiled the same uneasy smile he always gave when hearing such words, and said, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it..."
The eldest brother glanced at the sky and said, "Since you are here, then you can help Li Xiangxian interpret the fortune. Master will be back soon, and I have to go and prepare."
Qi Zhiye gritted his teeth.
Senior Brother: "Practicing?"
"Okay." Qi Zhiye sat down in front of Li Xiangxian and said, "...I'll do it."
In an instant, he and Li Xiangxian's family were the only ones left in the hall.
Li Xiangxian handed him the fortune sticks. Seeing his trembling fingers, he gently soothed him, "Don't be nervous. You look so young. Don't you often come out to help interpret the fortune sticks?"
Qi Zhiye remained silent.
He did not feel offended, but glanced at the heel of the golden Buddha statue behind him, pursed his lips slightly, and said, "Little Master, have you seen Master Mingguang recently?"
Qi Zhiye looked up at him, his eyes bloodshot: "Why are you asking this?"
Li Xiangxian was startled and quickly said, "Nothing, just asking. Little, little master, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to call that master back?"
Qi Zhiye looked at him steadily.
The man in front of me was wearing an official uniform, and he had an air of gentleness and elegance that he couldn't get rid of. It seemed as if he had been so kind, so righteous, and so faultless since birth.
"You just said you were atonement." Qi Xingye asked, "What sins are you atonement for?"
It must have been many years since he was promoted, and no one dared to ask him this question. Li Xiangxian was stunned, but quickly turned away: "I... am guilty."
Qi Zhiye: "What crime? You set a fire, you killed someone?"
Li Xiangxian's expression suddenly tensed up, and he turned his head back abruptly. Their gazes met, filled with anger that was about to burst.
"Young Master, what do you mean?" Li Xiangxian looked at his wife and daughter, who were looking at him in confusion, and said in a low voice, "I just came to interpret a fortune..."
Qi Zhiye unfolded the signature slip.
Very bad.
Having never drawn a bad lottery in more than ten years, Li Xiangxian's face turned pale. He slowly raised his eyes and saw the half red stone earring on Qi Zhiye's ear. His vision trembled, his Adam's apple stiffened instantly, and his lips trembled slightly.
He finally understood something.
"It seems you remember that, too." Qi Zhiye was becoming increasingly unable to suppress his anger. "I thought you'd already fooled yourself. A great philanthropist? A great local sage? Now you're starting to believe in Buddhism again? Didn't you say that good people don't live long, while evildoers leave a lasting legacy? Huh?!! Don't you remember what you said?!"
The sound was so loud that the wife on the other end was surprised and was about to come over. Li Xiangxian waved his hand at her with difficulty, signaling her not to come over.
The Buddhist disciples outside the hall also noticed the movement and were about to get closer when a golden barrier locked the hall door. Qi Zhiye withdrew his hand and slowly stood up.
Li Xiangxian lowered his head and said nothing.
Qi Zhiye said indifferently: "You are not worthy of standing here."
"...Are you their child?" Li Xiangxian said miserably: "I, at that time... heard breathing. I knew there was someone in the closet, I..."
"So what?" Qi Zhiye's chest heaved violently as he roared, "You could have killed my entire family, but you spared me. Should I thank you? Thank you for sparing my life and not killing me all?!"
Li Xiangxian kept silent again.
"Speak up, sir! How many people have you deceived with your mouth?" Qi Xingye said, "Atoning for your sins, can you atone for them?"
"..." Li Xiangxian trembled, "I understand that it is my blood debt. I regret it very much. This is the most regrettable thing in my life!"
The ominous note fell to the ground, and he trembled as he picked it up and laid it out. His lips were pale, as if he had been suppressed for many years. "I know that no matter what I say, it can't make up for it. When I was a teenager, I was the most evil and ignorant monster. I didn't understand anything, couldn't read a single word, and had no sense of good and evil. I followed that group of people and did many shameful and shameful things... I can't deny it! But what hurts me most is not that I did these things, but that I realized afterwards how despicable I really am..."
Qi Zhiye looked at him coldly.
"You must hate me. Of course you hate me. I... I know that if you had seen me earlier, you would have killed me with a knife." Li Xiangxian said miserably, "I have thought about it, just dying would be better. But if I live in this world just to do these inhuman things, I would be sorry to my biological mother... You must think I'm making excuses. I have hanged myself several times. I am a coward. I still don't have the courage to commit suicide."
"I started reading. The more I read, the more tormented I felt. Why am I this kind of person? Why did I do such a thing? Why, why didn't I realize it sooner..."
Li Xiangxian was no longer speaking to Qi Zhiye. He looked at his anxious wife and children outside the barrier and muttered, "I began to atone for my sins. I took the imperial examinations, I became an official, I saved countless lives, I donated Buddha statues, but I still can't deceive myself."
Qi Zhiye stepped over the paper slip. Seeing him sitting there without any resistance, his anger grew even more intense. "You said so much, do you want me to let you go?"
"...No." Li Xiangxian lowered his eyes, his gentle face revealing the expression of someone ready for death. He said, "My hands are already stained with blood, and this sin can never be redeemed."
Qi Zhiye laughed out loud in anger: "Haha! You really understand Buddhism so well!!"
"I should have died long ago, but I just managed to survive until now." Li Xiangxian took one last look at his ignorant children, and finally said with tears in his eyes: "Little Master, if you kill me, can you spare my family? They don't know anything! Back then, I..."
Qi Zhiye: "You still dare to mention those days to me?!"
"No, I won't mention it. Never again. I'm sorry, I really am. I'm really sorry!" Li Xiangxian begged, "But at least, let them go away, let them avoid it for a while, okay? At least don't let them see it. The child is still young, they... please..."
Qi Zhiye's hand was already on the top of his head, undecided.
He looked at his enemy who was waiting to die with his eyes closed, and became so anxious that his eyes turned red and his fingers trembled even more violently.
No, it shouldn't be like this.
He's faking it! It's all lies!! He's trying to get my sympathy, to get me to let him go. It's absolutely true. This kind of person... this kind of person... How could he truly believe he was wrong? How could he truly beg for forgiveness with his life?!
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Is he worthy of believing in Buddha? Is he worthy of repenting?! He has repented, but what about his parents? Do they still have a chance to forgive him?!
The eldest brother had already returned and was outside with everyone else, destroying the barrier and shouting something. The others were shocked. Qi Zhiye's face was stern, and murderous intent was rising and falling. Finally, he said indifferently, "The Buddha will forgive you, but I won't."
His fingers trembled for a moment, then suddenly tightened. At the last moment, he heard Li Xiangxian's barely audible words:
"……Amitabha."
Qi Zhiye was so angry that his expression froze.
Blood splattered, and the man fell limply without any resistance, even with a smile of relief on his face. The barrier was finally opened, and there was the eldest brother's angry roar, the believers' terrified screams, the woman's disbelief eyes, and the pair of children who just came from the corner.
The small wooden fish in the hands of the two men rolled to the ground. The two children rushed over and threw themselves in front of the body in a daze, saying, "Father? Father, what happened to you?"
Qi Zhiye just watched quietly.
He didn't want to react anymore.
"...Father! Father!! Father!!!" The two children fumbled around helplessly, trying to get their lifeless father to sit up, but because he was too heavy, they kept slipping down.
Li Xiangxian is dead. He was killed by him.
Great revenge has been taken.
The man's wife fainted on the ground. The two children's throats were dry, and finally they burst into howling like little animals. One of them looked up at him, tears falling from his eyes filled with hatred. He asked, "Yes, you killed my father?"
Qi Zhiye said: "...Yes."
The other one also looked up.
Qi Zhiye had a splitting headache as he watched the childish innocence on the two men's faces disappear in an instant, and be replaced by a painful and deep-seated hatred and murderous intent. The murderous intent slowly blossomed into a bloody lotus on their faces.
They wanted to kill him, just as he wanted to kill their father.
The next one, and then the next one, kill, kill, kill, kill, the blood debt will never stop, the slaughter will never be controlled, forever.
"One day, I will take revenge."
"Qi Zhiye!!! What did you do?!!!"
"Take him down!!! Take him down!!!"
“…………”
Amidst the chaos, there was a familiar voice:
"Qi Xingye! Fellow Daoist Qi, wake up! Hello?! Can you hear me?"
"This is fake! This is fake! It may not be fake, but it certainly wouldn't happen in real life! He can't even wake up after being pricked with a needle??"
"You're not here..."
He couldn't tell who they were anymore. Only one female voice was particularly loud and persistent: "Brother Qi, the Buddha statue!! Touch your chest!!! Chest!!! Master Mingguang has fainted on the ground crying!!"
It’s so noisy!
Facing countless weapons attacking him and the abbot's incredulous eyes from a distance, Qi Zhiye lowered his eyes and stood where he was, not wanting to move at all.
Something in my chest is burning.
The world in his eyes turned into a kaleidoscope. The man's relieved smile was branded in his eyes and could not be ignored. He was angry, but he didn't know why he was angry. There was also a sense of sadness that came from nowhere. In another blink of an eye, the halls, temples and corpses in front of him all disappeared, leaving only a clean and empty space.
Mingguang's familiar figure appeared before him, looking at him quietly, with white hair, and said, "Practice."
Qi Zhiye: “…”
Suddenly, the corners of his eyes turned red, but he tried hard to hold it back.
"Practice." Mingguang took a step closer to him and said sadly, "I'm not letting you meet him because it's for your own good. Why don't you understand?"
"...I don't understand." Qi Zhiye said in a daze, "I didn't understand, but now I seem to understand."
Mingguang said: "What do you understand?"
"Master," Qi Zhiye said, "He said he wanted to die. He should have died a long time ago. Do you know what I was thinking when he said that?"
"I was wondering, why didn't you just die sooner?!" Qi Xingye spilled all his vile thoughts. "Why didn't you just die then? It doesn't matter how you died! Being kicked to death by a horse, drowned, burned to death, or killed by someone even more evil, wouldn't it be good to just die then?!"
Mingguang still looked at him with regret, "Why do you think so?"
"...If he had died long ago, he wouldn't have needed to wake up, regret, or atone. He wouldn't have needed to make me..." Qi Zhiye looked at his bloodied hands and gritted his teeth, "I wouldn't have needed to do it. I could have acted as if nothing had happened and comforted myself that evildoers deserve evil. He'd died long ago, and it was such a relief! Why did he have to wait until now to make me—"
"Let me kill him again."
Qi Zhiye said bewilderedly, "Killing someone means paying with one's life. This is only natural. Master, what did I do wrong? What did I do wrong? I don't understand why you let me make the decision? Why do I have to endure it... Why?!"
In the empty white space, the smile on Master Mingguang's face grew wider and more eerie, his voice becoming increasingly feminine, his tone carrying a familiar, bewitching cadence: "In practice, some things can't be judged simply by right or wrong. Sometimes, doing something is wrong, and not doing it is also wrong. I'm the same as you. Master is the same as you."
Qi Zhiye was completely unaware of this change and said, "Master."
"Good disciple. Now, Master asks you a question." Mingguang, or should we call her the Smiling Buddha, stretched her lips and said stiffly, "If you could do it again, what would you choose?"
Qi Zhiye paused for a moment and repeated, "If I could do it again..."
The red branches behind the Smiling Buddha, no longer hidden, surrounded Qi Zhiye, ready to move and rush in at any time.
"Yes, let's do it again." The Smiling Buddha said, "If there was a way to relieve your suffering, would you still kill him?"
Qi Zhiye looked into her eyes for a long moment before opening his mouth: "...Let me forget it."
Branches surged into his body.
Qi Zhiye said woodenly, "Just let me not know. Just let me not touch it. Just like before, maintain the status quo so that I can't remember it. Don't let me choose, let others..."
Smiling Buddha: "Anything else? Tell me."
Qi Zhiye, amidst the red branches that blocked out the sun, said word by word, "Heaven, punishment."
The Smiling Buddha's smile suddenly turned ferocious: "That's right."
The next moment, his sea of consciousness was suddenly invaded and turned into chaos. Just when his self-awareness was about to be completely devoured, the Buddha statue on his chest suddenly exploded, and countless golden lights poured out, which were like sharp blades and cut off the branches in one go.
The Smiling Buddha looked angry for a moment and pushed the Buddha statue away. Unexpectedly, the same five golden lights came from his sea of consciousness again, instantly severely injuring him and making him bleed.
The Smiling Buddha was sent flying far away, crashing into his own barrier. Seeing the golden light still eroding the barrier, he froze for a moment and shouted angrily, "Mingguang! You..."
These people are clearly not from the Buddhist sect, yet they actually gave away such things?
Her mind was diverted for only a moment, and when she came back to her senses, she found that in Qi Zhiye's sea of consciousness, the naked little blue man was dragging away Qi Zhiye's unconscious little yellow man with the movement of a tiger descending from a mountain. The little red man was responsible for lifting the hands, the little pink man and the little white man were responsible for lifting the feet, and the remaining half of the little green man couldn't lift the third foot. He was suddenly embarrassed in place, and after thinking, he kicked up quickly, kicked the group of people out of the sea of consciousness, and then jumped out himself with well-trained skills.
Sacrifice the rook to save the king. If you want the body, I will give it to you. But if the consciousness is gone, it is really gone!
Smiling Buddha: “…………”
You guys are very united.
In the white space, "Qi Zhiye" finally opened his eyes, curled his fingers, and felt the pure spiritual energy in his body.
His golden eyes moved, and his fingertips pointed at the barrier, trying to make up for it, but he found that he seemed unable to do so.
As expected.
"Qi Zhiye" simply broke the barrier, closed his eyes, and activated his spiritual power!
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