Seeing Shi Chan's bewildered and helpless appearance, Liu Li was furious. She shouted, "Monk Shi Ning, did you force the little monk to do something he didn't want to do? You hateful monk, if you're so capable, stop bullying the little monk and come at me!"
Shi Ning's icy gaze swept over Liu Li, then he fixed his eyes on Shi Chan and said in a deep voice, "Shi Chan, make your move!"
Shi Chan turned to look at Liu Li, only to see her brows furrowed, glaring angrily at Shi Ning. Even now, she was still defending herself without any reason.
She was such an innocent and kind woman, her hands untouched by bloodshed, her heart pure and clear, unblemished by the slightest speck of dust. How could I possibly find even the slightest reason to kill such a beautiful woman?
Shi Chan withdrew his gaze, lowered his head deeply, and said in a very low voice, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother... Shi Chan can't do it..."
Enraged, Shi Ning said coldly, "Fine, if you can't do it, then I'll do it myself! I will not stand by and watch you be ruined by her!"
Having said that, Shi Ning brandished his staff, ready to strike.
Shi Chan was startled. He quickly looked up and reached out to stop Shi Ning's movement.
Shi Ning stared coldly at Shi Chan, his eyes filled with anger at his lack of ambition.
After stopping Shi Ning, Shi Chan looked bewildered and helpless. He was determined not to let Shi Ning make a move. One was his most respected senior brother, and the other was the woman he... loved. How could he just stand by and watch them kill each other?
...Then let him end it all himself, save Liuli, make her give up, and also rid himself of all inappropriate thoughts.
After a long while, all the emotions in Shi Chan's eyes gradually faded, leaving only a resolute look. He bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "Senior brother, let me do it."
Shi Ning's expression softened slightly. He withdrew his staff, took a step back slowly, and said in a deep voice, "Alright."
Shi Chan turned around and stood in front of Shi Ning. He clasped his hands together and floated in the air, his gaze towards Liu Li filled with sorrow.
"What's wrong, little monk?" Liuli frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.
Shi Chan silently looked at Liuli, and after a long while, he bowed slightly and performed a Buddhist salute.
Feeling uneasy, Liuli asked again, "Little monk, what's wrong?"
"Amitabha." Shi Chan softly chanted a Buddhist prayer. He raised his head but lowered his eyes to avoid looking at Liuli's face. He tried to soften his voice and said slowly, "Over the years, every time I have met you, I have told you that you are a demon and I am a Buddhist disciple. You and I are inherently irreconcilable enemies."
At this point, Shi Chan raised his eyes to look at Liu Li. Liu Li looked closely into his eyes, but through a layer of mist, his eyes seemed shrouded in fog as well, and she couldn't clearly see the expression in them. As she looked, Liu Li's heart sank to the bottom.
Ahua, who had been listening to the surrounding noises, raised her head and glanced at Liuli's expression, then turned her head to look at Shichan curiously.
Shi Chan gritted his teeth, then gritted them again, finally hardening his heart. He closed his eyes slightly, his voice ambiguous, and raised his voice, saying, "But why does the young lady keep bothering this humble monk? Does the young lady want to cause this humble monk to break the precepts, be expelled from the temple, and be unable to attain Buddhahood?"
Liuli's face changed, and she said sadly, "Little monk, I didn't..."
Shi Chan interrupted Liuli in a cold voice, saying, "This humble monk has no grudge against you, young lady. I originally refrained from harming you because you have never harmed anyone, but..."
Seeing the incredulous and deeply saddened expression on Liuli's face, Shichan felt a pang of pain in his heart, and his words abruptly stopped, unable to continue. After a moment of silence, Shichan coughed lightly, suppressing the pain and sorrow in his heart, and continued, saying, "But you insist on preventing this humble monk from concentrating on his cultivation, so... then please don't blame this humble monk for being impolite!"
As he spoke, Shi Chan suddenly threw the Zen Purification Bead in his hand forward. The Zen Purification Bead spun endlessly in the air between Shi Chan and Liuli, accompanied by dazzling golden light, and small Buddhist artifacts appeared in front of the Zen Purification Bead.
Liuli stared blankly at the small Buddhist artifacts. After a long while, she looked at Shichan in disbelief and whispered, "Little monk, are you going to... fight me?"
Shi Chan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Yes."
Liuli's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a sudden pang of pain shot through her heart. How many times had he looked down at her, his eyes gentle, a smile playing on his lips? How many times had he sat opposite her, talking about everything under the sun? How many times had he held her hand, fighting alongside her…
But now, his Zen Pure Beads floated in front of her, and those tiny Buddhist artifacts were aimed at her.
"Little...little monk..." The pain in her chest brought a suffocating feeling, making it difficult for Liuli to breathe. A rare look of extreme sorrow appeared on her small face, her eyes were a little red, her voice was choked with sobs, and her small mouth trembled as she said aggrievedly, "Little monk, you said all of this was for your senior brother to hear, right? It's all a lie, right?"
Shi Chan's eyes were filled with tenderness, which diluted the tranquility, detachment, wisdom, and composure that had once graced his gaze. It was as if, at this moment, he had finally transformed from a lofty Buddha into a mortal who had fallen into the mundane world.
He remained silent for a while, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "These are all my true feelings. I am really... troubled and... annoyed by your entanglement. I have wanted to get rid of this entanglement for a long time, but you have not listened to my advice many times. So I have no choice but to take action against you."
Her eyes shimmered, and two lines of tears silently fell.
"Sister." Ahua felt a pang of heartache. She called out softly, straightened up, put her two front paws on Liuli's shoulders, and brought her little face close to Liuli's face, gently kissing away the tears on her face.
Ah Hua knew very well how heavy Shi Chan's words were and how much they hurt Liu Li's heart, but she could only silently feel sorry for her, helpless.
Shi Ning, who was waiting impatiently behind him, frowned and said, "Shi Chan, there's no need for further words, let's get started!"
Shi Chan's body trembled, and he slowly raised his hand, but hesitated to swing it down.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
