Chapter 71: The Song of Taotie (XI) Sisyphus's Pie. ...
Under coercion and inducement, the man finally confessed: "Master is in seclusion."
"Why is this lousy writer in seclusion?" Zhang Deng, who had just tried to stop the fight, suddenly looked hateful again.
The man said, "My master is a Taoist, and he won't tolerate any unreasonable behavior!"
"I'm being unreasonable," Zhang Deng said. "I'm going to scold him to his face if I see him. Tell me where he is right now."
Zhang Deng hated people who abused words the most in his life. He hated those who mastered the secrets of using words but used the style of the Spring and Autumn Period to kill with a borrowed knife, turning words into a tool of hypocrisy. Words themselves are just a tool for human communication, but they are used by people with ulterior motives to carefully embellish their own meanness, leading countless believers astray. This is the thing Zhang Deng hated the most in his life.
What the hell is seclusion?
Zhang Deng said, "He's probably at home scratching his head because he can't write anything."
The two believers were shocked by how quickly his expression changed. It was Wei Yuanye who said, "Calm down."
Zhang Deng: "I'm going to smash his bookstore. Don't stop me. Do you have any lighters? Burn them all and let him harm the world."
Wei Yuanye rushed to stop them, lighting a lamp and looking for fire everywhere. Wei Yuanye said, "Arson is a bit too exaggerated."
Zhang Deng found a lighter on the bedside table and turned on the flame: "Aha!"
The two believers looked in the same direction at the same time.
Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye both looked in the direction of their sight. It was a corner cabinet. The first layer of the cabinet was filled with books, the second layer was filled with trophies and certificates, the third layer was filled with a vase of flowers, and the last layer seemed to be filled with valuable gifts from readers, such as watches and ties.
Zhang Deng walked over and said, "I'll start from here—"
Zhang Deng lit his lighter and reached for the first floor: "How is it here?"
The two looked a little nervous, but did not move.
Zhang Deng's hand moved down: "This floor is still."
The two of them looked at him with their mouths slightly open, looking very scared.
Zhang Deng's hand continued to move downwards: "I really hate flowers."
The man couldn't stand it anymore and stood up: "I'm going to fight you!"
Zhang Deng threw away the lighter, twisted the vase of flowers with his hand, and said, "This is it."
After the vase was twisted, the corner cabinet made a slight sound and slowly turned, revealing a dark narrow door.
When Zhang Deng saw this retro mechanism, he felt like he was filming a TV series.
"What a clichéd arrangement," Zhang Deng said. "Can't you be a little creative?"
The woman said, "Don't worry about it. The instructor will make his own arrangements."
"Me too," Zhang Deng said, "I'm in charge. This is my arrangement."
Wei Yuanye asked: "Which one do you like better?"
He hesitated between the two men, knocked the man unconscious with the butt of his gun, tapped the woman with his chin and said, "It seems like you prefer to talk to this one."
"Let's go." Wei Yuanye put his gun against the woman's waist and said, "You go ahead."
The woman looked at Wei Yuanye with hatred, but the cold touch of the gun against her waist was still a great deterrent. The woman walked ahead and said, "You will suffer retribution."
Wei Yuanye gave this childish warning a disdainful smile.
Zhang Deng said, "We are already suffering from retribution. What else do we expect after such a miserable time?"
It's already one o'clock in the morning, and they are still working overtime outside. Maybe they won't be able to take leave from the company tomorrow and will have to go back to work.
Zhang Deng's resentment was already alarmingly great.
Wei Yuanye followed the woman into the dark corridor first. Zhang Deng followed behind and found that Wei Yuanye put his hand behind his back waiting for him to hold it. Zhang Deng held it. Wei Yuanye's hand was slightly cold, and the touch felt like a snake crawling up Zhang Deng's body. If it weren't for the current occasion, Zhang Deng would have wanted to warm his hands.
There are about twenty steps. After going down, the first thing that comes to mind is the smell. A damp smell comes with warmth, like some animal's nest.
It was pitch black in the dark, and far ahead there was a beam of light shining down, revealing a very strange porcelain-white statue. Zhang Deng subconsciously took a step forward. He couldn't see clearly at night, but he could sense that the statue was not of an orthodox figure.
The woman suddenly said, "Just wait to die."
She reached out and patted the wall behind her. There was a loud bang behind her, and a huge iron door fell, locking them in the dark basement.
Zhang Deng was stunned for a long time before he asked, "Are you staying too?"
woman:"……"
Zhang Deng was looking at the structure behind him, and was examining it carefully when he suddenly heard faint footsteps. Zhang Deng looked up and saw a man standing on the stairs. The man was hidden in the darkness, and his face could not be seen clearly. However, Zhang Deng intuitively felt that this was a middle-aged man, not tall, about 1.6 or 1.7 meters, wearing glasses, and with a very complex temperament.
It seemed like a gloomy mixture of darkness and light, and just standing there made people feel a heavy pressure that made them breathless.
In just a moment, the man turned and left as if he had never been there.
Zhang Deng glanced at Wei Yuanye, who naturally noticed it and nodded.
Zhang Deng said, "Your mentor doesn't want you anymore."
The woman said, "The instructor has his own arrangements."
"Sometimes I can't understand you believers," Zhang Deng said, pointing to his head. "Don't you have something called an 'independent personality' to tell you that everything you see is irrational?"
Zhang Deng was speaking from the heart. He had long felt that the existence of many cult members went against human instinct, as if they could form so-called "links" with others, spiritually losing control of their bodies. This, Zhang Deng thought, was a catastrophic event.
The woman said, "Let your soul be purified here. Perhaps the mentor will give you a chance."
"You don't understand your mentor," Wei Yuanye said, speaking in a rare gesture. "He set up an ambush here to prevent us from having any chance."
That's not right. How could this guy named Bai Yan have such ability to predict that they would come?
"Your mentor has also given up on you." Wei Yuanye added.
Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. Zhang Deng was attracted by the underground environment and walked around to have a look. It was not empty here, but many things were hidden in the darkness. He saw many cushions spread on the ground, and some incense sticks that seemed to be used for meditation. Many books were piled against the wall. Zhang Deng picked up a few books at random and walked towards the light. The light just hit the top of the statue's head, and it could only be seen when he looked closely. The statue was made very abstractly, without specific facial features or gender, and the direction of the clothes seemed to be synthesized by AI, which gave him an inexplicable feeling.
Zhang Deng touched it and found it was made of porcelain.
Zhang Deng found it hard to imagine how much manpower and resources it would take to make such a large statue using white porcelain, which is difficult to control. He had never seen such a thing in his lifetime.
Zhang Deng asked, "Is this your mentor?"
"A mentor is not someone who takes all the credit," the woman said. "This is the God who doesn't approve of it."
"No?" Zhang Deng asked, "Is that his name?"
"Bai Yan, Bu Fa," Zhang Deng said, "doesn't that mean not to say a word?"
Zhang Deng's sensitivity to words clearly exceeded the woman's expectations. The woman said, "That's the name the God gave to our mentor."
Zhang Deng said, "The God may think your mentor is too noisy. He has written so many books. Tell him that all these books are in vain."
"It was the Supreme God who warned the Master to write books with the conviction that even if no one could understand his great principles and his efforts were wasted, he must persevere. Stop your nonsense."
Zhang Deng said: "You..."
Zhang Deng looked at her with a pitiful expression: "Did you really believe it?"
The woman said, "Why shouldn't I believe it?"
"Which author doesn't write with this kind of conviction?" Zhang Deng asked. "Who can guarantee that their work will be appreciated by readers? Should we even talk about this?"
Zhang Deng said, "Besides, he's so rich, he can't endure hardship for more than a few days. The biggest hardship he suffers is probably straining his lumbar muscles from sitting in front of the computer and typing inspirational stories."
Woman: "You are being unreasonable."
"Okay," Zhang Deng said, "then tell me, what did the gods teach you?"
The woman said, "The goal of the Supreme God is to make everyone in the world happy. The realm of the Supreme God is supreme. How can someone like me summarize it in just a few words?"
"Hasn't your God taught you self-respect and that everyone is equal?" Zhang Deng said, "You don't even dare to summarize. You're probably afraid of being punished if you say something wrong."
Zhang Deng said, "Cults always have this period. Because their teachings are narrow, not a single mistake can be made when spreading them, for fear of distorting the meaning."
The woman was blocked by him and asked again: "How do you know so much?"
"Of course it's because I read a lot of books," Zhang Deng said, "so it's hard for me to be deceived."
The woman remained stubbornly silent.
Wei Yuanye and Zhang Deng each found a cushion to sit on. Zhang Deng found a lighter next to the incense sticks and lit them. Then they sat together to savor the aroma. Zhang Deng said, "It's quite strong, like the scent of flowers and fruits, but after smelling it for a long time, it also seems to have the aroma of wine."
"It doesn't smell good." Wei Yuanye said simply.
The woman stood aside, looking at them with a strange expression, and asked, "Aren't you afraid at all?"
"Don't worry," Zhang Deng asked, "Do you like standing?"
The woman stood in front of the two of them somewhat awkwardly. After a while, she felt bored and took a cushion and sat cross-legged in front of the porcelain statue, with her hands clasped together as if she was meditating.
Zhang Deng glanced at Wei Yuanye, and seeing that Wei Yuanye looked normal, he secretly felt relieved.
Wei Yuanye always finds a way.
Zhang Deng opened a book and the first sentence he saw was: "The human heart is in suspense and fickle, while the laws of nature are temporarily empty and full."
"Man is not the master of heaven and earth, nor of flowers, plants, trees, or stones. In this fleeting life, he can only control the gains and losses of his own heart. He who seeks wealth is empty, he who is jealous is sick, he who seeks desire is decadent, and he who seeks reputation is dead."
Zhang Deng suddenly realized that this book was in a completely different style from the one he had seen at Li Mai's house before, as if it were written by two different people.
Zhang Deng continued reading and saw another passage: "Each heroic epic takes charge of a period of history before fading away from the long river. It may seem they soar into a supreme fairyland among the clouds, but in reality they descend into a devilish purgatory. Within this furnace, their desire for fame and fortune is forged. It all stems from desire. Without desire, the world would be at peace."
Zhang Deng felt something touching his heart. He looked up and asked the woman, "Is this book also written by Bai Yan?"
Without even turning around, the woman said, "That was written by the Master when he first attained enlightenment."
"Is it just written after talking to God?"
"The mentor said that the Supreme God had him record it while connecting with him."
Zhang Deng said, "Your mentor is truly a hopeless case."
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