Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 43 The lingering sound
The streets of Qinghe District remain unchanged.

The death of the city's richest man did not seem to cause much of a stir. Although the police were determined to bring the murderer to justice, many people couldn't help but spit in disgust when they thought about what the man had done in the past, feeling that this was an act of justice.

With the death of the richest man, the demolition of Qinghe District was put on hold. Furthermore, due to the intervention of relevant departments, the Sanhua Temple was protected as a historical relic and will soon be renovated.

One morning, a middle-aged monk dressed in coarse cloth robes and simple clothes stepped into one of the temples.

The cordon set up outside did not stop the monk at all. Whether it was the iron fence or the bright yellow cordon, they all passed straight through the monk's body as if they did not exist.

The monk walked into the inner hall and looked at the equally old Buddha statue.

Then, he put his hands together and bowed.

"Junior brother, I've come to see you."

“I have taken care of everything you asked me to do. These three temples will be repaired soon. However, I specifically told them not to touch the Buddha statues. They only need to rebuild the buildings.”

"At that time, the incense here will be very prosperous, and the Bodhisattva can lie peacefully on the ground and sleep soundly, no longer caring about the affairs of this place."

"so"

The monk suddenly looked up and said with a smile.

"Junior brother, is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

The Buddha statue is silent and speechless.

But the monk didn't move; he just stood there, his smile growing even wider.

After a long while, a voice finally rang out.

If Zhou You were here, he would definitely recognize him immediately—

That was the old monk's voice.

The clay Buddha statue stiffly lowered its head, looking down at the monks below. Its compassionate smile remained unmoved, yet a withered voice emanated from within it.

"Shanhui, what are you doing here?"

The monk known as Good Wisdom simply smiled.

“Junior brother, since you entrusted me with these tasks, I naturally have to report to you. Now that everything is settled, I'd like to take a look at how you've changed.”

However, the Buddha statue's tone remained indifferent.

"—Do you think I would believe that?"

Shan Hui smiled and shook her head.

“Junior brother, you may not believe me, but I truly just want to see you. After all, no one knows you better than me. Your cultivation of the Hungry Ghost Path has already reached a dead end. If you delay any longer, you will either become a demon or a monster.”

The Buddha statue did not answer, but its clay face seemed somewhat indifferent—even vaguely ferocious.

But Shan Hui seemed oblivious. She continued talking to herself.

"It's all thanks to you, Junior Brother, for coming up with this plan. By taking advantage of the Buddha Mother's birth, you sought to survive by taking your own life and usurping the Buddha's throne. Now that the Buddha Mother has been suppressed, you have performed a great act of merit, Junior Brother, and have become the Dharma body of General Sanzhi. You might even be able to go further and cultivate the Dharma form of Vaishravana, the Heavenly King, in the temple."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha statue's expression finally softened somewhat.

"It was just a gamble, and quite a few things went wrong along the way. I was even almost trapped to death by that Liu Shang. Luckily, I encountered a stroke of luck."

At this point, the Buddha statue seemed to realize something, raised its head, and met a pair of greedy and bright eyes.

Then it suddenly laughed. "So that's why you made this special trip. You were looking for an opportunity too—by the way, I remember your hell realm isn't any better than my hungry ghost realm. What, the food kept in the temple isn't enough for you, so you're looking for something else to eat outside?"

The middle-aged monk's face immediately turned grim, as if a sore spot had been touched.

"So that I may know, junior brother, that although I haven't shown any signs of annihilation yet, I've been feeling a bit out of control lately. That's why I'm hoping to borrow some opportunity from you. Even if I can't pull myself out of death like you have, at least I can buy myself a few more years."

But the Buddha statue rejected it without hesitation.

"Don't even think about it. I can't even see through this opportunity myself. He doesn't even have a normal 'source'. I tried to use the ghost form to observe his past and future, but I could only see a blank space. There are only two possibilities."

"First, if it weren't for something far superior to mine concealing his fate, preventing this old monk from seeing even a trace of it..."

"Second, he may have appeared out of thin air, without father or mother, born and raised by nature, which is why he has no past or future."

The Buddha statue raised its eyes, a hint of irony appearing on its face.

"So, senior brother, which one do you think it is?"

The middle-aged monk was speechless.

He stood there with his hands hanging down for a long time before shaking his head, turning around, and walking outside.

But at that moment, the Buddha statue called out to him.

“Shanhui, out of consideration for our past as fellow disciples, I can offer you some guidance on your future.”

However, the other person did not turn around, but said coldly.

"The way out? Is it to continue devouring flesh and slowly wait to turn into a demon, or is it to find those mystical fellows and beg some uncorrupted god or Buddha to lend me a hand?"

The Buddha statue shook its head and continued.

"No, Shan Hui. Don't forget, I only occupy one of the three temples now. The other two are still empty."

To everyone's surprise, the other party just chuckled.

"—Let me usurp the Buddha's throne? That's not bad, but without your destiny, even if you sit on the lotus platform, you'll only become a demon!" Shan Hui's words grew increasingly sarcastic. "Besides, those bastards in the city would never let me—"

The sound suddenly stopped, and Shan Hui slowly turned her head, a look of understanding suddenly appearing on her face.

Then the Buddha statue continued speaking.

“That’s right, it’s those guys in the city. Now that the Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva has been suppressed again, and Liu Shang, whom they relied on, is wailing in the sea of ​​blood, the safety of the common people in the city has been guaranteed, and these guys have no value to them anymore. Why don’t you take their place and personally worship these two Buddha statues that have been stained with the blood of the Bodhisattva?”

There was a long silence.

After a long while, Shan Hui finally spoke again.

“There are quite a few monks, and I don’t have the time to win them over one by one.”

The Buddha statue laughed again, but this time there was no compassion in it.

"Look at what you're saying! Why bother trying to subdue them? These people have already strayed from the path of Buddhism, and all they see is money and the stench of wealth. Not to mention, they almost ruined my plans. A monk should be compassionate, so I should do some good deeds instead."
"—Hurry up and send them down to keep Liu Shang company."

The middle-aged monk paused for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed as well. He clasped his hands together and bowed again.

Okay, then.

"I will follow the Bodhisattva's instructions."

(End of this chapter)