Why is the Demon Venerable Like That? - Chapter 20

Outside the Lu residence, a few coffins remained, left untended and yet to be moved away.

With Lu Mingzhu dead, the final breath of life that had sustained the group of living dead within the Lu residence dissipated.

The sky was approaching dusk. Fearing the biting evening wind, Lu Yuan took only a hurried glance at the Lu residence. Seeing that the death energy had dispersed, he did not linger.

He made an excuse about going to Jizhao Temple to pray for the young master, and while Princess Consort Shen was utterly distracted and distraught, he slipped out of the Prince Yongkang mansion.

Outside Tiandu City lay Xichong Mountain.

Mountain peaks rose one after another, and the smoke from incense burned by pilgrims in the temple halls drifted among the ridges.

The solemn sound of the bronze temple bell echoed through the valley, continuous and unending, spanning over a dozen peaks.

The evening bell struck at Jizhao Temple was a ritual implement. It was rumored that the first abbot attained enlightenment under the sound of this bell and passed away right where he sat.

It was said to be capable of awakening the deaf and enlightening the blind, a literal “stick of head-on awakening,” compelling people to pull back from the brink of disaster.

Many pilgrims chose to stay overnight at Jizhao Temple just to hear this single sound of the Dharma, to see if they, too, could suddenly grasp the truth and see through the causes and effects of life.

Because of Lu Mingzhu, the system felt that something ominous was hidden in this seemingly solemn temple: 【Are we here at Jizhao Temple to find Lu Yuan’s… er, corpse?】

Lu Yuan glanced at the layout of Jizhao Temple. Other than the gilded Buddha statues having received a fresh coat of gold leaf and the wooden mortise-and-tenon joints having been repainted with anti-insect coating, it was no different from when he had visited years ago.

“I am here to chat with that old bald donkey.” When Lu Yuan had passed through Tiandu City in his previous life, he would often meet with Abbot Liaowu of Jizhao Temple.

It was not out of an interest in Buddhism, but simply to seek a moment of peace outside the mundane world.

A young novice monk sweeping fallen leaves walked over, pressed his palms together, and asked, “Are you lost, benefactor?”

“Where is Abbot Liaowu now?” Lu Yuan asked, idly crushing a fallen leaf.

The novice recited a Buddhist chant and said, “Abbot Liaowu has not seen visitors for a long time. Benefactor, please head down the mountain while the evening glow still remains.”

Lu Yuan knew the novice was making an excuse; after all, there were countless people hoping to see the abbot or receive a fortune slip. He said, “I am physically unwell, and the mountain paths are steep and slippery at night. Would you please arrange a guest room for me to stay in?”

There were quite a few people staying in the temple. Most were lay disciples studying Buddhism who would stay for years at a time, or people copying sutras to pray for blessings, who usually stayed for ten days or half a month. However, they all contacted and reported to Jizhao Temple in advance to allow for proper coordination.

The novice wanted to refuse, but looking at the woman before him, who was pale and appeared to have come to Jizhao Temple alone, he felt some pity. If this woman traveled the mountain road at night and slipped, she might not survive until the next morning. He hesitated for a moment and said euphemistically, “The guest rooms are full, but I can check for you to see if there are any other rooms.”

Lu Yuan smiled, “Then I will trouble you, little master.”

Having said that, the novice carried a broom taller than himself and ran off with light footsteps.

System: 【Are you planning to stay here?】

The smile still lingered on Lu Yuan’s lips, but his tone was indifferent: “Yes, it is more convenient to find the corpse at night.”

The system clearly had no fur, but at this moment, it felt a sensation of standing hair: 【Ah? Ahh? But Jizhao Temple is so big, how will you find her?】

Lu Yuan raised his hand, and a heart transformed into the shape of a black stone levitated above his palm: “Lu Mingzhu’s heart will lead us to find her.”

He retracted the heart idly, “It is just a pity…”

System: 【What is a pity?】

It always felt like the host was about to mess with it again!

“It is a pity that I do not know if this body can withstand it; I have to reshape a ‘Boundary of Life and Death’ for this heart one more time,” Lu Yuan said casually.

No, no, absolutely not! The system was terrified. Lu Yuan had already performed a ‘Boundary of Life and Death’ once at the Prince’s mansion to look into the vision of his own death.

As a result, his body had already started cracking.

【Then won’t you crack into an ugly monster!】 Under the tension, the system’s thoughts were successfully led astray, 【No, no, you should consider it again.】

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, “That makes sense, but…” He tilted his head slightly, opening his collar to reveal the bare skin of his neck.

The system watched in horror as that crack became even longer.

It looked at Lu Yuan with grievance, turned around, and acted frantically: 【I am going to be fired, I am going to be unemployed, I am going to be finished, ahhhhhh.】

Lu Yuan calmly pulled his clothes shut, “So you had better cooperate with me; that way, I can still stay alive and find Lin Jiangxue to repair this vessel.”

The system was going mad: 【How am I supposed to help you! You haven’t completed a single task, you don’t have a single point, my background is now a big zero! Do you understand! A zero!】

Lu Yuan asked strangely, “Is there no such thing as ‘buying on credit’ for you?”

【?】 The system’s complaining froze. It said blankly, 【No.】

Lu Yuan blinked, “Well, there can be now.”

Had it been threatened?

But this lunatic was using his own life to threaten the system, and the system had no way to stop him.

Lu Yuan ignored it, restored his previous smile, and greeted the novice running back, “Little master, how did it go?”

The novice said, “Benefactor, there is an empty room in the backyard. It was originally the place where the night watchman who looked after the Buddhist scriptures lived. But during this period, it happens to be the Buddha’s birthday, and there are many believers coming to chant and pray for blessings. They volunteer to keep watch at night, so that room is currently empty. If you do not mind, you can come with me.”

Lu Yuan smiled, “How could I mind? Then, thank you very much.”

The two walked slowly along the path, and the novice deliberately slowed his pace out of consideration for Lu Yuan’s physical condition.

The system was indignant: 【Why do you never thank me?】

Lu Yuan tempted it, “Someone solved a pressing need for me, so why don’t you try to solve one too?”

In the blink of an eye, they reached the accommodations.

Other than a bed, a table, and a stool, there was nothing else in the night watchman’s room.

After the novice finished explaining the chores to Lu Yuan, he slipped away, disappearing from view with the broom that did not match his height.

【When are you going?】

Lu Yuan yawned inopportunely, “What is the rush? The night is not yet deep; let us talk at the third watch.” Saying this, he lifted the quilt and actually lay down, closing his eyes, “Remember to wake me up then.”

It was not an alarm clock!

The system’s lights turned black and white, and finally, it sighed, preparing to look for flaws in the background to ensure this damn host would live until he got out.

The night deepened. Aside from a few dim lights in the sutra pavilion, Jizhao Temple had fallen into absolute silence.

Just as all sounds had ceased, a sharp, mournful cry pierced the night sky.

Lu Yuan lifted his eyelids, his eyes clear: “What time is it?”

【It is almost the third watch, but something seems wrong somewhere.】 The system floated in the air; it had just heard that eerie owl cry as well.

Lu Yuan lifted the quilt, “It is about time.” His face was as calm as if he had known this all along.

【You have something you have not told me, right?】 The system peered at him suspiciously.

Lu Yuan admitted it straightforwardly, “Yes.”

The system asked, suppressing its patience: 【So, what is it?】

“The Buddha statue enshrined at Jizhao Temple has been tampered with.” Lu Yuan pushed open the room door. He had waited until this moment precisely to visit the Mahavira Hall while no one was around.

That ray of light that always shone on the lotus throne of the great Buddha in the main hall had shifted slightly, landing on the prayer mat in front of the statue.

Lu Yuan frowned: “Go take a look.”

It was already the third watch. Aside from those keeping watch in the sutra pavilion, all believers had long since entered dreamland.

A moment later, Lu Yuan arrived at the Mahavira Hall.

Manjushri and Samantabhadra stood on either side, and the Buddhas of the Three Times sat upon lotus thrones.

Niches were lined up in order on both sides, housing Medicine Buddha, Sunlight Bodhisattva, Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta, and other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The statues sculpted on the beams and walls depicted the legends of Sakyamuni’s previous lives. The wall paintings were vividly colored, with the ribbons of the musician Bodhisattvas layered and overlapping, as if they were real celestial beings.

Before such solemn Buddha statues, the lamps were like beans, casting shadows that made the scene appear eerie and inexplicably hair-raising.

Lu Yuan looked gloomily at the Buddha statue. Just as the system thought he was about to do something sacrilegious to the statue, he simply opened the prayer mat before the Sakyamuni Buddha with a cold gaze.

A moment of silence.

System: 【This, this, this… what?!】

Beneath the prayer mat was a small square compartment containing a glazed Buddha statue.

The glazed statue had plump and soft skin, with flowing lines in its attire. It was realistic in form, smiling without a word.

But it was dual-faced; the other side was ferocious, with saw-like teeth and hooked claws, resembling a Rakshasa.

“Dual-faced Buddha…” The eyes, black as ink, had seen countless Buddha lamps. He said coldly, “It seems Abbot Liaowu has met with trouble.”

【What do you mean? What is going on?】 The system was confused.

“The disciples who clean the main hall are not dead; could they not see the anomaly beneath the prayer mat?” Lu Yuan crushed this ominous sculpture and sneered, “It was actually tacitly accepted to exist here, enjoying the worship of pilgrims, bathing in the last rays of Buddhist light. It has managed to harvest quite a bit of belief power.”

He moved away the other prayer mats and found that they all contained statues of the dual-faced Buddha.

The system was stunned, 【Ah, I hope Abbot Liaowu is alright.】

It had thought it could find a powerful NPC helper; how could something have happened before they even saw him!

“Although Jizhao Temple is a temple, because it is located on Xichong Mountain, it is built in layers and twists, so I can only hope my memory is not wrong.” Lu Yuan recalled the abbot’s residence and wandered through the maze-like Jizhao Temple.

【Slow down, slow down, you are going to crack!】 The system followed behind, shouting.

Lu Yuan did not stop. Finally, following his memory, he stopped outside a side hall.

Inside the room, the lamplight flickered, and a figure sitting on the floor was cast upon the window paper.

That figure was as steady as a mountain, not moving at all. The deep sound of a wooden fish came clearly, mixed with extremely low Buddhist chanting.

Just as he was about to push the door to investigate, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Benefactor, why are you not resting so late?”

It was the little novice who had been sweeping fallen leaves at dusk.

Lu Yuan’s arm trembled, and he withdrew his hand from pushing the door, saying innocently: “Oh, it is you. You startled me.” He patted his chest, “I woke up in the middle of the night and could not find my way back. When I passed by here, I saw someone inside, so I wanted to ask the way.”

The novice looked at him suspiciously and uttered a sentence: “But there is no one inside.”

“I see the sentient beings of the Jambudvipa realm. Every thought is nothing but sin… Gradually tired and heavy, the footsteps go deep.” The chanting sound continued to come incessantly.

Lu Yuan looked at the novice’s innocent and childish face, but his blood turned cold.

“Is that so?” The chanting of the Earth Store Sutra did not cease, and Lu Yuan had already recognized that this was the voice of his old friend, Abbot Liaowu.

He remained silent for a while and smiled: “Then I must have heard wrong.”

Under Lu Yuan’s feet, however, it felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds, and the palpitating, rapid beating of his heart made his fingertips go numb.

The chanting in the room stopped abruptly, but then the owl’s cry, which sounded like weeping and laughing, was heard once again.