Longzang

Chapter 267 How can one find both ways to succeed in this world?

“Lianxin, how does it feel to watch these people die in front of you? I haven’t killed a single one of them; they all did it themselves,” Yue Sheng said.

By this time, most of the villagers had died under Yue Sheng's various orders, leaving only four or five alive. Apart from San Kui, who was unharmed, the rest of the villagers had their legs and left hands broken, but their right hands were left intact so they could use knives to fight each other. Everyone now had a kitchen knife, also provided by Yue Sheng.

The knife was something that every household in the village originally owned, so Yue Sheng didn't touch his own knife.

The Buddha statue was entirely black, covered in cracks, with a split on its head that nearly broke the head in two. Blood was flowing from the Buddha's eyes, and the young monk outside was already unsteady on his feet.

At this point, the few villagers who had survived the ordeal finally realized something and cried out, "The more we die, the more he can harm us! In fact, the Demon King can't kill us! As long as we don't kill each other, the sorcerer will find a way to protect us!"

Yue Sheng was somewhat surprised and laughed, "It's quite clever of you to think of that. San Kui, go and kill them."

San Kui was somewhat dazed and shook his head.

"What, you don't want to be the village chief anymore?" Yue Sheng asked.

"If everyone is killed, who will I be the village chief for?" San Kui said self-deprecatingly.

"Finally showing some Buddhist nature, but too late! Also, you're not as useful as you think. Execute him!" Yue Sheng waved his hand, and a warrior drew his sword and stabbed San Kui in the back from behind, the tip of the blade protruding from his chest.

San Kui stared down at the blade in astonishment, unable to understand how he could have died. Was he really as useless as Yue Sheng had said?

Yue Sheng's face was full of mockery as he said, "When you killed my only son, you had Buddha in your heart; you lied to escape punishment and didn't say that you actually saw my son turn back into human form, and at that time you still had Buddha in your heart; even when you killed your own wife, you still had Buddha in your heart. After all, one can become a Buddha by laying down the butcher's knife! But you cursed a monk, and you lost your Buddha-nature, and the Buddha's Kingdom no longer protects you. Such is the Buddha's teaching, didn't you expect that?"

San Kui's eyes were wide open, and he died without ever knowing what he had done wrong. Even if he was wrong, he refused to admit it.

With San Kui dead, the remaining villagers panicked. They discovered that, without their knowledge, even warriors could now kill people!

Yue Sheng glanced at them and said, "Do it yourselves. Kill everyone else, and only the one left can live."

Several villagers looked at each other, and suddenly they all brandished kitchen knives at the people next to them. One man held up the knife but didn't want to strike, and he was the first to be killed.

At this moment, the young monk could no longer stand and fell to the ground, his head drooping down, just like the Buddha statue in the temple.

The Moon Saint sat cross-legged in front of him; otherwise, it would have been difficult to speak.

He reached out and lifted the monk's face, carefully examining the young and serene face, and suddenly sighed.

“You say that if you were just willing to turn around, there would be a lotus platform for you in front of the Buddha forever, and a large open space on Mount Ling has always been reserved for you to erect a golden statue. Why are you unwilling? Look at me, I have to be someone’s mount for many years before I can get a chance to add oil and light lamps at the foot of Mount Ling.”

The young monk finally opened his eyes and said, "If I turn around, the lotus platform will no longer be mine."

Yue Sheng was taken aback. After thinking about it seriously for a while, she said, "Really?"

The monk sighed, "You've been my mount for so long, how many times have you lit the lamp?"

Yue Sheng remained silent for a moment before saying, "I have a heavy responsibility on my shoulders, and I have come to pull you back."

The monk sighed, "You know I can't turn back, and they know I won't. But they still sent you, and you still came."

Yue Sheng said, "I just don't understand why you still protect these people. What's so good about them? They're all ignorant and selfish. After all these years, hardly any of them are even literate. You recite scriptures every day, but do they even know what you're talking about? You've tried to reform them for a thousand years, but you've only opened a small crack. I've used them all, and they've turned around and shattered your golden statue. Is it worth it?"

The monk shook his head and said, "You don't understand."

Yue Sheng was somewhat exasperated and angrily said, "That's all you can say! Fine, even if you want to save people, there are billions and billions of people waiting for you to save them. Why don't you go and save them instead of sticking to these few dozen people?" The monk finally said, "In my heart, millions of people and dozens of people are no different. By thinking about which is more important, saving millions or saving dozens of people, you've already put a price on everyone. If you have a conscience, all beings are no longer equal. These few dozen people may be few, but they are like a single lamp before the Buddha. Even if the Dharma-ending Age arrives and the Pure Land is empty, with this lamp, there is still a last hope."

"What utter hope! These dozens of people are dragging you through endless cycles of reincarnation. With each reincarnation, your spiritual level and your true spirit will be worn down. With your level back then, how many more cycles can you endure? Besides, look around here, where is the light?"

The monk looked around, but his eyes were bleeding and he couldn't see anything at all.

“Indeed, there is no light.” The monk sighed, and a glimmer of light appeared between his brows. “If the Buddha lamp goes out, then I will burn myself, and that will still add a little light to this boundless hell.”

"What's the use? It only illuminates the scene for a fleeting moment. Is that all you're after?"

"Just for this one moment."

Yue Sheng slowly wiped the blood from the monk's eyes, but the more he wiped, the more blood flowed. He suddenly turned his head and shouted sharply, "Go! Kill everyone! Let the end of Dharma descend!"

The wolf demons scattered in all directions, while the warriors bowed to the monks and began their search as well.

The villagers didn't run fast, and many didn't go far, hiding nearby to watch secretly, hoping the magistrate could still turn the tide. The wolf demon had a keen sense of smell and quickly found all the hiding villagers, mercilessly biting their throats.

At this moment, Wei Yuan was busy on the back mountain, sending the girl to observe the movements in the village. After he had been busy for a while, he suddenly couldn't hear the girl anymore. He went over to check and saw her lying on a rock, peering into the village, tears streaming down her face. She covered her mouth tightly, trying not to cry out.

Wei Yuan also peeked out; from here, the entire village could be seen. After looking, Wei Yuan said, "Oh, the monk is going to die."

The girl glared at Wei Yuan and said, "How could you say that!"

"No matter what I say, he's going to die." Wei Yuan continued working, his hands moving swiftly, completely unaffected.

The girl suddenly grabbed Wei Yuan and said firmly, "We have to go save the mage!"

"I'm not going." Wei Yuan shook her off.

The girl said angrily, "Then I'll go myself!"

"Oh." Wei Yuan continued working, his hands flying across the table.

The girl ran down the mountain a couple of steps, but when she saw the blood flowing all over the ground in front of the temple, her legs went weak. She ran back and said to Wei Yuan, "The monk has been so kind to us, we should go together to save him."

Wei Yuan said calmly, "What, you finally realize you're going to your death?"

The girl stamped her foot and exclaimed, "How could you do this!"

Wei Yuan, engrossed in assembling something quite complex, said without looking up, "If you're not smart, you can't fight. You just need to learn to shut up and obey. Were the mages too kind to you before, which made you feel that no matter what you wanted to do, others had to satisfy you?"

"No, it's not like that..." The girl recalled the past and suddenly felt a little guilty.

“I’m not a mage, and all I’m thinking about right now is how to survive. Bringing you along would only be a burden. If you insist on going to your death, then go by yourself.”

The girl didn't know what to say for a moment. Although Shi Tou often argued with her in the past, saying that she was swollen and ugly, he had never been as cold as he was today.

Wei Yuan finally finished packing his things, checked them carefully, and then looked down the mountain.

Looking at the monk with his eyes closed and head bowed, Wei Yuan sighed softly and said, "The monk is like a lamp before the Buddha, wanting to illuminate all sentient beings. But perhaps he doesn't know that even the brightest sun cannot illuminate a single crow."

(End of this chapter)