Chapter 267: Not Willing to Become a Monk Nor to Die, I’m in Quite the Dilemma
The descending holy light sent by the living Buddha looked majestic and kind.
However, the Black-Robed Man didn’t dare let his guard down.
He knew all too well. This Old Monk in front of him had unfathomable skills, even potentially surpassing his own.
Was he an ally of the Demon Cultivators?
No. Impossible. How could a disciple of the Buddha help a notoriously evil sect like that?
As these thoughts whirled, the Black-Robed Man decided to tread carefully and spoke to probe:
“Are you a monk from a nearby temple? We mean no offense, merely passing through with some personal grievances to settle. I hope you don’t interfere in our matters.”
The Old Monk gave him a glance.
Then, seemingly ignoring him, walked straight past, heading towards Old Man Cheng at the front of the carriage.
“My dear benefactor, I just heard your grand speech, and instantly, I knew you were destined to be a person of my Buddha.”
“How about it? Come to Ksitigarbha Temple to become a monk, and we can cultivate the Buddhist teachings together—wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Old Man Cheng’s brain short-circuited for a moment.
Of course, he didn’t want to become a monk. That would be such a miserable life!
But given that his own life was on the line, he decided to hold off on any further thoughts.
He knew that this kind and benevolent Old Monk might be his only glimmer of hope, so he stopped being coy and sincerely said:
“Master! I’ve long admired the teachings of Buddhism. Now that you offer me this opportunity, it feels like a second set of parents!”
“Haha, you’re too kind, benefactor.”
The moment that Old Monk ignored him and continued chatting with Old Man Cheng, the Black-Robed Man erupted in fury, gritting his teeth:
“Are you really refusing to take my advice?”
“Ah, you speak incorrectly, benefactor,” the Old Monk smiled as he turned to him and said, “As a monk, I cannot drink wine.”
…Who the heck said anything about you drinking wine?!
The Black-Robed Man glared coldly at him, warning, “I’ll remind you one last time. These people are enemies of my Holy Kingdom. If you want to meddle, you’ll be going against us.”
“The consequences and costs… can you bear them?”
The Old Monk still smiled and said, “Why so angry, benefactor? When will resentment end? In this life, we should value harmony and avoid trouble—let’s abandon anger and greed. How about we join Ksitigarbha Temple together, become monks, and cultivate the Buddhist teachings—”
“Pfft! You old bald donkey!”
One of the Tianlang Wei couldn’t stand his endless prattle anymore and angrily shouted, “Who wants to go with you to become a monk? Are you blind—ah!”
Before he finished, the Tianlang Wei suddenly flew straight towards the Old Monk, colliding right into the Old Monk’s palm with his head.
“…This benefactor.”
“You’re neither willing to become a monk nor to die—you’re making it hard for me to handle,” the Old Monk said with a grin still plastered across his face.
But the Tianlang Wei, whose head was firmly held in the Old Monk’s grasp, was sweating profusely, not daring to breathe.
The Black-Robed Man also trembled all over.
This Old Monk… had remarkable skills!
He had just snatched the Tianlang Wei without the slightest reaction from himself.
“Since everyone is here, why not all join Ksitigarbha Temple?”
The Old Monk smiled at everyone and said, “My Buddha is merciful, offering salvation without discrimination. As long as you become a monk, no matter what great sins you’ve committed before entering the temple, you will receive my Buddha’s grace to redeem your sins through cultivation.”
Seeing his eerie smile, all the Tianlang Wei took a collective step back, not daring to say a word.
Even Old Man Cheng felt a shadow creeping over his heart.
…Something’s not right.
What kind of temple recruits like this?
Just seeing someone means you’re destined for the Buddha, dragging them into the temple.
This isn’t a temple at all; it’s clearly a pyramid scheme!
This kindly looking Old Monk wouldn’t happen to be the head of a pyramid scheme, would he?
The Black-Robed Man was likewise in a dilemma, uncertain whether to confront this peculiar Old Monk.
At that moment, he suddenly heard a murmur from behind: “My lord, we found out.”
“This temple was newly established some time ago, and its master is named He Hongyi, who was previously the leader of a sect in the Central Region called the Qian Kun Que—a Crossing Tribulation Stage expert. He’s known to be cunning and ruthless, capable of anything, a blatant tyrannical figure.”
“However, half a year ago, he suddenly experienced enlightenment, renaming himself Master Hongyi. He transformed the sect into Ksitigarbha Temple and has been frantically recruiting followers ever since.”
“But their methods to recruit followers are extreme; they’re like looting the land, even woodcutters passing by are forcibly dragged in to become monks.”
“As a result, nobody dares to live within a hundred miles anymore. Those who remain have mostly been forced to become monks.”
Hearing this introduction, the Black-Robed Man gasped.
A complete personality shift overnight? Acting wildly and obsessively?
Isn’t this a sign of going crazy?
Could it be that this He Hongyi, during his practice, carelessly went mad and shattered his Dao heart, becoming a lunatic?
That’s troublesome.
A madman like that wouldn’t follow any logic and definitely wouldn’t care about the reputation of the Holy Kingdom.
He wasn’t even certain he could defeat him; if such a guy latched onto him, escaping would be virtually impossible.
What to do? Should he really go for an all-out fight?
The Black-Robed Man pondered for a moment and suddenly thought.
Since this guy would drag anyone he could into the temple to become monks…
Then the Demon Cultivators and this Floating Splendor Commerce crowd would certainly be unable to escape his clutches.
As long as they all got dragged into becoming monks, they wouldn’t be able to transport goods, completing his task quite nicely!
With that thought, the Black-Robed Man waved his hand, “We won’t be becoming monks after all. Our citizens of the Holy Kingdom serve only the emperor in this lifetime, respecting the Son of Heaven above all. Let’s each walk our own paths without interfering with one another.”
“Ah, that’s not right. Since you’re here, just shave your head and leave,” the Old Monk insisted.
“…I take my leave!”
With that, the Black-Robed Man, along with the Tianlang Wei, fled like a gust of wind out of the canyon.
Watching the figures of the Holy Kingdom vanish into the distance, Old Man Cheng let out a sigh of relief.
Turning around, he happened to see Master Hongyi’s smiling face.
“Uh, Master, I just remembered I have something to take care of at home…”
“Hmm?”
Hearing Master Hongyi’s voice intentionally elongating and seeing that momentary expression resembling a tough gangster, Old Man Cheng felt a jolt in his heart and hurriedly smiled:
“I’ll send a message, I’ll send a message, and then I’ll follow you back to become a monk!”
“Now that’s more like it.”
In the next moment, Master Hongyi returned to his cheerful demeanor, patting Old Man Cheng on the shoulder: “Since you’re here, it’d be a pity not to shave your head—wouldn’t you agree, benefactor?”
“Yes, yes…”
Old Man Cheng wanted to cry but had no tears, hastily sending a message through the Communication Device to Young Master Sang.
“Boss.
Save me!”
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