novelhk Chapter 182 Could it be that I was right?
Chapter 182 Could it be that I was right?
Chapter 182 Could it be that I was right?
"Good heavens, with such a dense aura of ghosts and demons, this is no longer a Buddhist temple; it's more like a great demon's lair than the Paradise Pavilion!"
Li Gexiao drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist and silently stood in front of Chu Yang.
Although he was not as strong as Chu Yang, he still had to fulfill his duties.
Lu Xiaofeng watched this scene thoughtfully.
Hua Manlou, blind, was completely focused on the faint chanting. He whispered, "That's the sound of a young girl in the temple chanting sutras for her mother. I heard she's Qian Laoda's daughter—"
"Huh?" Li Gexiao was taken aback. "A demon who acts as an accomplice to evil actually has such a filial daughter?"
Lu Xiaofeng pointed at him and laughed, "As her father's killer, you have no right to say anything."
Li Ge chuckled and clicked her tongue, "Killing my father and then killing my daughter, I'm really ruthless."
Hua Manlou shook his head and said, "Right and wrong, good and evil, are still unknown. Hero Li, you should not make a hasty judgment. I met that girl once, and she doesn't seem like someone like Boss Qian."
Chu Yang waved his hand and said, "Let's go in first and see for ourselves whether they are human or ghost."
The four of them slowly walked into Yunjian Temple. As soon as they entered, a sense of resentment and ghostly energy rushed towards them. Upon seeing this, Li Gexiao drew his sword and slashed, but a burst of sword energy broke through the resentment and death energy.
"Your move is quite novel. You used a knife technique, but it unleashed sword energy. How come your martial arts have improved so much after all these years?"
Lu Xiaofeng looked at Li Gexiao in surprise. In his memory, Li Gexiao suffered from a hidden illness and his martial arts skills were only one-tenth of what they used to be, making him much weaker than himself.
But the Li Gexiao in front of him was so skilled in martial arts that he seemed like a completely different person.
"You might not believe it, but on the way here I met Yan Nantian, the greatest swordsman in the world. Seeing my extraordinary talent, he passed on all his skills to me. I couldn't refuse!"
Li Ge smiled smugly at Lu Xiaofeng.
"Your boast is completely illogical. Next time, please think before you brag."
Lu Xiaofeng shook his head in annoyance.
"But speaking of which, where did you learn your skills, young master? You even managed to defeat a great demon. I remember you couldn't even execute a single set of the Surging Wave Palm back then."
Compared to Li Gexiao, Lu Xiaofeng felt that Chu Yang was even more outrageous now. It is said that a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation, and Chu Yang's changes have far exceeded expectations.
"You might not believe it, but I ran into them on the way here—"
"Stop, stop, stop! Can't you be a little more sincere and come up with a different version to keep hyping it up?"
Chu Yang pondered for a moment, then said, "Actually, I've been a martial arts genius since I was a child. I originally planned to interact with you all as an ordinary person, but instead, I've been met with estrangement. So now I'm not pretending anymore; I'm laying my cards on the table!"
Lu Xiaofeng was stunned. "That's a novel way of putting it."
Hua Manlou listened to their banter, a slight smile playing on his lips. Being with a group of interesting people always made things fun, no matter when or where, even though they were currently deep in the lion's den.
Li Gexiao was in charge of clearing the way ahead, using his sword and blade energy to annihilate countless eerie ghostly energies. Strangely enough, even though it was a great demon's lair, the ghostly energy was greater than the demonic energy.
"That demon is dying; it might transform into a ghost, its demonic energy turning into ghostly energy, making it even more dangerous!"
Lu Xiaofeng, being knowledgeable and experienced, immediately explained the origin of the ghostly aura filling the sky.
Chu Yang said, "That's not all."
Lu Xiaofeng looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Chu Yang did not explain immediately, but said, "Let's continue watching."
The four continued forward and arrived at the Mahavira Hall in the center of the Buddhist temple. This was the place where the demonic and ghostly aura was most concentrated. In addition, a ray of Buddhist light could be faintly seen in the hall.
The three auras mingled together, forming a barrier that firmly protected the main hall.
Li Gexiao stepped forward, raised his sword high, and concentrated his sword aura. At the same time, the Divine Sword Technique within his body was activated, and the sword energy and sword intent flowed endlessly. A sword and a blade appeared in the void, and the buzzing sound was like a tsunami.
The swords and blades flew out simultaneously, like two dazzling aurora borealis, crashing straight into the solemn Mahavira Hall!
The three streams of energy outside the Buddhist temple descended, clashing with the swords and creating strange phenomena, emitting various mournful roars, as if they were living things.
A deafening roar!
The main gate was blasted open, and the gold-painted doors fell to the sides, revealing the interior of the Buddhist temple.
Apart from Hua Manlou, the other three people present all had strange expressions.
The dying, pink-clad skeleton lay in the arms of the old abbot of Yunjian Temple, the two whispering sweet nothings to each other like a loving couple. Beside them knelt a young girl, tears streaming down her face as she chanted Buddhist scriptures.
The scene was absolutely bizarre!
"Amitabha, please wait a moment, everyone. I will perform a ritual for my deceased wife before I come to accept my death."
The old host looked compassionate.
"Your deceased wife?" Lu Xiaofeng exclaimed in shock. "This skeleton demon is your wife?"
The old abbot nodded and said, "It is the remains of my deceased wife."
Li Gexiao coldly shouted, "What kind of wife does a monk have? I think you, this demonic monk, have fallen into the demonic path and should be killed!"
Having said that, Li Gexiao raised his knife and stepped forward, ready to kill the old abbot of Yunjian Temple.
"Don't kill my father!"
The chanting abruptly stopped, and the girl, panicked, stood in front of the old abbot, pleading tearfully.
"Huh? He's your dad? Then who's Boss Qian?"
Li Gexiao froze, one problem after another, causing his brain to short-circuit.
The girl said softly, "My mother had a difficult childbirth and gave birth to me with great difficulty. After she passed away, my father buried her under a locust tree outside the temple, entrusted me to Manager Qian's family, and then became a nun at Yunjian Temple."
Hua Manlou continued, "The locust tree gathers yin energy, which is why your mother's remains became a spirit, but you and your father should know that the pink skeleton is not your mother at all!"
The girl cried, "Father loves Mother so deeply that he is possessed by demons and is stubbornly deluded."
Hua Manlou sighed, "That's why he aided and abetted the wicked—"
Lu Xiaofeng suddenly asked, "Where does all that ghostly energy and resentment come from in Yunjian Temple?"
The girl's delicate body trembled incessantly.
Chu Yang glanced at her and said coldly, "I'm afraid that many of the eminent monks of Yunjian Temple were fed into the belly of a monster by her father. Otherwise, how did those thirty-six Buddha relics come about?"
The girl collapsed to the ground, her expression dazed.
Li Ge laughed and cursed, "What a wretched child!"
The old abbot gripped the red-faced skull's hand tightly, as if he hadn't heard them, and kept muttering, "Those relics were never yours to begin with. You can't refine them; in fact, it will only hinder your cultivation."
"Eat me, for I have a relic here. I am different from them; I am of one heart with you and your husband."
Upon hearing this, the dying pink skeleton suddenly opened its eyes, its gaze flashing with ferocity!
"Oh no!" Lu Xiaofeng hurriedly exclaimed, "That monster is going to eat people!"
"father!"
The girl screamed and scrambled to her feet, but was pulled back by Hua Manlou.
Li Gexiao drew his sword, ready to strike, while Chu Yang watched coldly from the side.
Surprisingly, the pink skull didn't attack. Instead, it transformed into its former appearance and gently stroked the old host's face.
His soul was scattered and his spirit was destroyed.
The fact that the Red Skull didn't kill the old abbot in the end surprised everyone, even Chu Yang.
"If there's still a shred of kindness in your heart, why can't you forgive others?"
Hua Manlou murmured softly, his eyes filled with confusion.
No one could answer his question, because kindness is never simply black and white.
Some of the world's most vicious criminals, once they return home and close the door, may become good children to their parents, loving partners to their wives or husbands, and beloved parents to their children.
Their kindness to their family members and their hostility towards strangers often form a stark contrast.
As the skeletal demon died, the thirty-six Buddha relics inside her body rolled to the ground.
The old abbot held a pile of ashes, staring blankly at the relics.
In fact, from the very beginning, his relic alone was enough to satisfy the great demon's cultivation needs.
But she was unwilling.
It was this reluctance that led the old abbot to have the illusion that the great demon was his wife.
Once the evil thought arose in his mind, it was too late to say anything more.
"The sins of this old monk can only be redeemed by going to Avici Hell. Greed, anger, and ignorance are all just a thought away. I hope that you, my benefactors, will not fall into the demonic path like I have. Amitabha."
After saying this, the old monk lowered his head and immediately stopped breathing.
"father!"
The girl screamed and threw herself onto the old monk, crying so hard she almost passed out.
In the end, she was the most pitiful one. The only thing the old monk could do was to take away all the sins with his own death and give his daughter a chance to live a clean life.
Lu Xiaofeng picked up the thirty-six Buddha relics and was about to put them in his pocket when Li Gexiao, who was quick-witted and agile, stopped him.
"When are you going to get rid of these bad habits you picked up from Sikong Zhaixing? Is this yours? You just accepted it?"
'
Li Gexiao snatched the Buddha's relic with a disgruntled expression.
"Don't mention that bastard to me. We were arrested together, and he's the only one who got away. He has no loyalty whatsoever!"
Lu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and vowed that he would give Sikong Zhaixing a good beating the next time he saw him.
"I think he went to get reinforcements, but after he went out, he couldn't find his way back to the Paradise Tower. The place is covered by a natural illusion array, and someone who has only been there once would definitely not be able to find it."
Hua Manlou explained from the side.
"Perhaps—"
Lu Xiaofeng nodded without saying anything more; he hoped it would be the same.
Li Gexiao handed all the Buddha relics to Chu Yang and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, what should we do with the old monk's relics?"
Chu Yang shook his head. "Leave it to this young lady. She probably wants to bury her parents together."
Upon hearing this, the young girl raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, young master."
Hua Manlou followed the sound and walked up to the girl, saying softly, "Let me help you, but I don't know whether to call you Miss Qian or—"
The girl replied, "My father didn't give me a name. Uncle Qian just calls me Xia'er. My surname is Yue, and my father's real name is Yue Qing. He is a descendant of the Lu Ban Divine Axe School."
"Miss Xia'er——————" Hua Manlou nodded, reached out to help Yue Qing up, and then kicked Lu Xiaofeng with his foot.
"I know!" Lu Xiaofeng glared at him, then suddenly realized that the other person was blind and couldn't see at all. So, while sulking, she picked up the old monk's body.
"This pile of ashes—uh, no, your mother's remains—shouldn't we find something to put them in?"
Lu Xiaofeng was in a bit of a dilemma.
"Please wait a moment, everyone." Xia'er silently walked out of the main hall and went to the meditation room in the backyard. Before long, she returned with an urn containing ashes.
"This was prepared by my father for himself. He originally intended to cremate himself and give the relics to my mother, hoping that she could walk the right path. But he couldn't bear to part with me, and I lived a life of torment."
As Xia'er wept, she bent down to put the ashes on the ground into the urn. Just then, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the hall, carrying all the ashes into the urn.
Xia'er nodded gratefully to Chu Yang.
"Huh?" Lu Xiaofeng looked at Chu Yang in shock and asked curiously, "This wind-controlling technique is a Taoist method. Where did you learn it?"
Chu Yang said calmly, "I originally wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person—"
"Shut up! You're giving me a headache."
Lu Xiaofeng hurriedly carried the corpse out of the main hall, and Xia'er followed with Hua Manlou, carrying the ashes.
After a while.
The group arrived at a locust tree.
This is where Xia'er's mother is buried. Now they will bury her father here as well, but before that, they need to cut down the trees.
The locust tree gathers yin energy and shows signs of spirituality. Given time, even the old monk might transform into a demon.
If a monk or Taoist priest with a certain level of spiritual attainment were to undergo a transformation into a corpse, that would be a terrifying thing. Even if they didn't become a demon, they would most likely become a ferocious creature like a drought demon.
While Wangcai was digging a pit for the old monk's body, Li Gexiao drew his embroidered spring knife and chopped down the locust tree.
The moment the locust tree reached the bottom, a strong, eerie wind swept in, making it impossible for everyone to open their eyes. The howling wind sounded like weeping.
"All things have a spirit, and by suppressing its spirit, aren't we killing it?"
Hua Manlou shook his head and sighed.
Chu Yang said, "If it weren't for this incident, it would have been fine for it to grow up outside the temple like this, but now that trouble has arisen, it cannot survive."
Hua Manlou seemed to disagree with Chu Yang's point of view, and retorted: "The fact that Madam Yue's remains became a spirit and a demon is not the fault of this locust tree, but just an accident. Humans and demons coexist in the world, and neither side has the right to deprive the other of its living space."
Chu Yang's expression gradually turned indifferent. "Your idea may be correct, but the human race is currently in decline, and we could be in danger of collapse if we are not careful. We must prioritize the well-being of humanity in all our actions!"
"If one day the demons have nowhere to stand in the human world, I might consider giving them the little kindness I have left."
"Before this, whether it was a great demon or a monster, I would kill it on sight."
Wangcai, who was digging the pit, suddenly shuddered and his movements became much faster. He almost dug out a two-bedroom, one-living-room tomb for the old monk.
Hua Manlou was speechless for a long time after hearing Chu Yang's murderous words, because what the other party said was about the greater good of the human race, and it was absolutely right.
Without the chaos caused by demons, a great war between humans and demons would be inevitable, and it would only end when one side had no chance of making a comeback.
Given this background, no one with even a modicum of conscience would sympathize with the demon race.
"I misspoke."
Hua Manlou sighed heavily.
The atmosphere became very tense because of their argument.
Caught in the middle with friends on both sides, Lu Xiaofeng's eyes darted around, and he chuckled and said, "Young Master Chu, I've never seen you so concerned about the country and its people when we were drinking and carousing in brothels. How come you're such a different person now?"
"Even if you really are a prince, you're not the emperor. What do you have to do with the people of this world? If the sky falls, the emperor will hold it up!"
"Do you intend to rebel or something?!"
Lu Xiaofeng laughed heartily after he finished speaking, but no one echoed him after he laughed for a long time.
He stopped awkwardly and found Li Gexiao staring at him with a very strange expression.
Lu Xiaofeng swallowed hard.
motherfucker.
Could it be that I was right?
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