Chapter 11: Cicada
He was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, Crocs, a bald head, Buddhist beads and a thermos cup. Although he smiled as if the Buddha was radiating from him, he didn't look like a proper monk at all.
What's more, it's not the Buddha's light that shines everywhere, but the light of the light bulb reflected by the bald head... The print on the T-shirt is a huge, bold and refreshing splash of ink word "宅".
After confirming that there was someone outside the door, Qi Xiaopang's complaining spirit suddenly became active.
"Why are you here?" Qing Bai was a little surprised. "Ai Chan."
The monk stood there with a smile on his face. He did not answer Qing Bai's question, but instead asked, "Would you like me to come in and have a seat?"
Qing Bai took a step to the side, making way for the entrance, and then made a 'please' gesture.
The monk walked in confidently.
Qi Xiaopang whispered to Qing Bai, "Who is this bald...monk?"
Qing Bai thought carefully about how to introduce him, but he couldn't remember the long prefix, so he had to use the simplest language: "The one who graduated from graduate school and is considering pursuing a doctorate."
"Oh..." Qi Xiaopang began to doubt whether this monk was really reliable.
It's not Qi Xiaopang's fault for judging people by appearances. After all, as a modern-day youth who values science and promotes new trends, his strongest impression of monks comes from movies and TV series like Journey to the West. Even if they don't have Tang Sanzang's gorgeous, embellished robes, so gorgeous they tempt the Black Bear Demon to steal them, they should at least be dressed in simple, simple robes, right? This guy, dressed in a T-shirt with a "home" logo, shorts, Crocs, and a thermos cup, could blend seamlessly into the chattering crowd of middle-aged and elderly people at the village entrance if he were to pick up a palm-leaf fan. Even Uncle Li next door doesn't seem as relaxed as him.
Besides being bald and chanting Buddhist mantras, this guy doesn't possess the pure, spotless qualities of the Buddhist ideal. He has an ordinary appearance, an ordinary voice, and an ordinary smile on his ordinary face... If there were anyone else standing next to him, the camera wouldn't be able to focus on him.
Anyone who sees a bald head like this, let alone a monk, would think it is a young man who shaved his head with a clipper to keep himself cool and get a prison haircut for the summer.
Qi Xiaopang was grumbling in his heart, but the monk who came in was like a fish in water and was not polite at all. He not only quickly found a chair to sit down, but also poured himself a glass of water. He used the antique pear blossom and double swallow enamel cup left by the landlord, which Qi Xiaopang had just found in the kitchen today.
I washed and scrubbed it three times and disinfected it inside and out with boiling water, but was beaten to it by Qi Xiaopang who got there first: Is it a waste of time to bring the thermos?
"How did you find this place?" Qing Bai was really curious. Although he and Ai Chan had known each other for quite some time, strictly speaking, today was only their second meeting. They were more like netizens than friends. Qing Bai naturally would not tell his detailed address to an online friend.
"Of course I walked here." Ai Chan finished a glass of boiled water in one gulp, still smiling. He placed the thermos cup he had been holding on the table and said, "This donor pointed out the way."
The thermos cup spun gently and slowly under the gaze of Qing Bai and Qi Xiaopang... as if greeting them.
Qing Bai: “…”
Qi Xiaopang: "..."
The two looked at each other and had an outrageous guess in their minds.
Soon, the outrageous guess was confirmed - a familiar, muffled voice came from the insulation: "I'm back..."
It's so clear.
And it sounds like he's come to his senses.
Qi Xiaopang's heart, which had been hanging in the air, was now much relieved.
Qing Bai asked, "How did you meet him?"
He had only asked a question online before, and did not mention Minglang's name and the address of the police station. Could it be that this monk was so bored that he visited all the police stations in Shangjing?
Ai Chan: "When you sent me the message, I happened to be at the police station on duty. When I left, I saw this donor bravely breaking into the police station. Although the world is vast and full of strange things, I think coincidences like this, where someone seeks his own death, are probably rare. So I took it upon myself to take him out."
Then walk from the city to the suburbs under the scorching sun?
Qi Xiaopang instantly forgave the monk for his rudeness and came to a conclusion: bald people can walk well, regardless of whether they have colorful robes or not.
"...it can be considered as doing a good deed every day."
At the end of his speech, Ai Chan sighed, and under the dim light, with his eyes lowered and his hands folded, he looked like a stone Buddha in an ancient temple, with a solemn and majestic appearance.
Seeing this, Qi Xiaopang felt ashamed and secretly vowed never to judge people by their appearance again.
Qing Bai nodded, as if he believed it, but then asked, "What are you going to the police station for?"
Ai Chan, who had always been like a fish in water and was at ease, finally changed his expression and his smile froze.
Before he could speak, Qing Bai continued, "Monks don't tell lies."
Ai Chan looked at Qing Bai with a deep and resentful look, and the little bit of monk-like demeanor he had just maintained disappeared in an instant.
"It seems he was reported for illegal preaching? He even sold no-brand health products to the elderly..." Minglang, who was in the thermos, suddenly spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. The atmosphere then became even more awkward. "I heard the officer who escorted him out tell him to behave himself after he leaves and be mindful of his influence..."
Although he couldn't see the expressions of the other three people, Minglang could still sense the embarrassment and realized that he had said the wrong thing. He asked cautiously, "Did I...did I hear it wrong?"
Qing Bai: “…”
It’s not a question of whether you heard it correctly or not.
"It's not a missionary work, nor is it a health supplement. It's..." Ai Chan sighed again, "Never mind, never mind. When karma meets fate, the consequences will be borne by oneself... This poor monk deserves this calamity."
Qing Bai did not ask whether it was a real disaster or a fake one, or what kind of disaster it was. After all, both netizens and monks have to save face... If the monk is really driven to anger and humiliation, who will deal with Minglang's matter?
So Qing Bai considerately changed the subject: "What's Minglang's situation now?"
At first, Qing Bai thought Minglang had returned to normal, or rather, regained his sanity, but judging from the fact that Aichan had never let the ghost out of the thermos, this was still questionable.
Upon hearing this, Qi Xiaopang's heart was in suspense again.
Ai Chan smiled and said, "Not bad. I'll be able to go in after a few more days of cultivation."
"Where to go?"
Qing Bai intuitively felt that Ai Chan had nothing good to say, but Qi Xiaopang couldn't help but retort.
Ai Chan: "Police."
As expected... Qing Bai ignored Ai Chan's bad taste and asked seriously: "Didn't they say that ghosts can't enter the police station?"
"Ghosts are yin, while police are righteous and yang. The police station is where police gather, and their righteousness is so strong that ordinary ghosts naturally can't enter. But yin and yang counteract each other, and the odd and the even coexist. There's no such thing as a dead end, it all depends on which side is stronger... Your friend has a lot of resentment." Ai Chan continued to smile. "And according to the date, today should be his seventh day, right?"
"If you don't return home on the seventh day, why would he follow you?"
Qing Bai shook his head, his eyes complicated: "He...has been following me since his death."
Ai Chan looked Qing Bai up and down, not knowing what he saw. She raised her dull eyebrows in surprise: "No gratitude, no hatred, and no kinship... Could it be an emotional debt?"
Minglang, who had been silent since the topic was brought up, finally couldn't help but emphasize seriously: "Brother Qing is my great benefactor!"
Ai Chan smiled and asked, "Did he save your life?"
Minglang, who was already desperate, was stumped by this question. "...It's my own fault that I didn't persevere... But if it weren't for Brother Qing! Someone like me, without parents and few friends... I'm afraid no one would know even if I died... let alone avenge my death! So even though I'm dead, Brother Qing is still my great benefactor!"
"Where are the police officers handling the case?" Ai Chan asked again.
"They... they are naturally dedicated to their work and observant, but..."
"But now their existence affects your revenge, so the favor has turned into hatred?"
The thermos cup fell silent again. Ai Chan shook his head and muttered, "Since you say Qing Bai is your benefactor, why not listen to what he has to say?"
The thermos remained silent, but it swayed back and forth, as if nodding.
Three gazes, two real and one imaginary, fell on him, but Qing Bai did not rush to speak. He thought for a moment and asked Ming Lang, "What do you want to do?"
"I'm going to kill He Jianming!" Minglang's voice was sharp and piercing, like long nails scratching the inside of a thermos, his usual gentleness and refinement gone. He said, "I'm going to cut off his ears, dig out his eyes, and pull out his tongue! I'm going to rip his clothes and whip him! I want him to be violated by the filthiest, smelliest man in the world... I want him to experience every pain I've ever endured!"
After the sharp and shrill sound, the courtyard was silent with only the sound of the night wind.
He Jianming had to experience all the pain he had endured in his life... In other words, all of this... Minglang...
Qi Xiaopang looked at Qing Bai timidly. Knowing only a vague understanding of the details of the case, he tried to get some comfort from Qing Bai.
But Qing Bai avoided his gaze, his voice soft and difficult, "Minglang's experience deserves some extreme... harsh words."
"That's not a harsh word!" The thermos cup vibrated violently, and the sharp sound pierced someone's heart. "I will do it... I will do it!"
Qing Bai shook his head in his heart.
"You can't do it." Ai Chan looked at him with pity and said slowly, "When a person dies, it's like being reborn. During the seven most chaotic and ignorant days after death, they only remember kindness and not hatred. How can you, after you regain your sanity,
Nan Feng
Did you really become a mad and evil ghost out of revenge?"
"You're the one who stopped me! I already found him! I was just one step away... but you trapped me in the cup!"
Ai Chan shook his head: "When the heart becomes an evil spirit, it will naturally be free... This cup cannot hold an evil spirit."
If you don't have an evil heart, releasing it will only cause you to suffer.
"Is revenge for one's own sin considered evil?"
"Only by becoming a demon can one avenge their grievances." Ai Chan said, "There are laws in the living world, and there are also laws in the underworld."
Minglang stopped talking, and it was unclear whether he was angry or compromising.
Qing Bai asked: "What will happen if I become a demon?"
Ai Chan was silent for a moment: "Some will become very powerful, and some will suffer."
Qi Xiaopang, who had been holding it in for a long time, whispered, "That He Jianming has been arrested. The evidence is solid, and all that's left is to go through the formalities... After all, a scum like him will definitely go to hell to atone for his sins after he dies. Taking action now will only benefit him. You...you should keep your hands off."
There was still no movement from the thermos.
Qi Xiaopang didn't dare to persuade him anymore and placed his last hope on his brother Qing... although he had never seen his brother Qing comfort anyone.
Qing Bai did not disappoint Qi Xiaopang. Although he was not good at comforting people, he was able to grasp the key points: "This is not difficult."
"It all depends on whether you want to be a human or a ghost in the future."
As a human being, you must be bound by rules and laws, endure pain, restrain desires, and cultivate morality.
As for being a ghost... since you have become an evil ghost, naturally you can do whatever you want without any taboos.
As soon as Qing Bai said this, Qi Xiaopang's reaction was even greater than Minglang's. He was completely confused: "Brother, what are you talking about!"
The balance of choice is so unbalanced! The key is that Minglang is already a ghost... Who doesn't want to break free from the shackles of the framework and do whatever they want? But doesn't this encourage crime?
"It's obvious that if we wait a little longer, we'll get the result!"
"Just wait a little longer, the law will make a fair judgment and the criminals will receive the punishment they deserve!"
Qing Bai raised the corner of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes. He looked at the anxious and puzzled Qi Xiaopang, feeling a little tired, helpless, and also a little relieved.
"The law will render a fair judgment. Justice may be delayed but it will not be absent... However, before that, where can I find refuge if I can no longer breathe?"
Qi Xiaopang still didn't understand. Although there were painful memories and irreparable regrets, everything was clearly moving in a positive direction...
Qing Bai didn't intend to say more to him. He turned to Ai Chan and said, "Before Minglang makes a decision..."
Ai Chan quickly replied, "I will stay here and chant sutras and pray for you, benefactor."
"...Okay." Qing Bai didn't care whether Ai Chan stayed to chant sutras and pray, to keep watch, or for other reasons. Anyway, any one of them was beyond his current ability.
Qi Xiaopang was very happy. With a monk, a very capable monk, he felt much more secure. If Minglang really turned evil, he could at least stop him.
So the little fat man was very flattering and attentive: "Master, would you like some tea? I'll make it for you!"
The tea leaves that were taken out with the enamel cup should not have expired yet...
"Thank you, benefactor, but..." Ai Chan glanced at the bowl of noodle soup on the table and smiled reservedly, "But compared to tea, my stomach is empty right now, and I'd rather have a bowl of instant noodles."
"Okay! Do you want eggs and sausage?" Qi Xiaopang slapped his lips after asking casually, "Pah, pah, bah, childish talk! Forgot you're a monk and don't eat meat!"
Ai Chan didn't mind: "Do you have starch sausage?"
You can tell at first glance that he is an old instant noodle lover.
"Yes, yes, yes! For a family like ours, we can only afford starch sausages! I'll give you two more!"
Qi Xiaopang hurried off to cook instant noodles, leaving the two people and the ghost alone.
After being silent for a while, Qing Bai spoke first. He looked at Ai Chan and said, "I remember Buddhism talks about cause and effect, and yin and yang are Taoist concepts."
Ai Chan chuckled softly, "You actually pay attention to these things."
Qing Bai just looked at him without saying anything.
Ai Chan straightened his face and said, "I want to return to secular life—"
"...Building a harmonious socialist society?" Qing Bai had a strange expression.
My graduate studies were not in vain.
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