Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 525

Runsheng held the Yellow River shovel upside down, inserted the handle into the hole in the stone trough, and cleared it up and down several times. Soon, gurgling spring water gushed out.

I scooped up a handful of water and tasted it. It wasn't poisonous, but it had a slightly musty taste. I scooped out two rounds of water from the stone trough, and the water that came out after that tasted sweet.

This place was originally the winding stream in the Pudu Zhenjun Temple. It has long been abandoned due to its age, but it can solve the water problem for everyone here. There is purified water in the backpack, but who knows how many days we will have to stay here.

Runsheng found another potted plant, emptied the dead branches and waste soil, cleaned it, placed the pot on the campfire, and put dehydrated vegetables and compressed biscuits into it to cook a paste.

Some monks, detached from worldly affairs or blinded by the allure of Buddhahood, believe it's an instant solution, unaware that it's a protracted struggle. As a result, they may starve or die of thirst before they are even killed upon entering the temple.

Those with the strength would target those with abundant supplies and carrying baggage, thus both replenishing the sun's energy and satisfying their own hunger; those with the weaker strength could only rummage through the corpses to see if any food had been left behind, and even more outrageous...

During the earlier evacuation, the group noticed that some corpses showed obvious signs of being eaten, and there were no wild dogs around.

Lin Shuyou sat at a table, holding a set of talisman armor in each hand.

"Crashing... crashing..."

Ah-you started shuffling the cards, his movements clumsy, and cards were occasionally shuffled away.

Boy: "Look at you, you can't even shuffle a deck of cards properly, what else can you do? You might as well just give me a baby..."

In the past, the pressure to marry and have children led to young people developing the habit of turning any topic into having children.

Lin Shuyou: "What, so you can check if I'm secretly reading comic books under the covers at night after I have a baby?"

The trauma from her childhood remains, because Ayou was dragged out of bed and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment.

If the boy hadn't revealed it to himself, Lin Shuyou wouldn't have known that the White Crane Boy was so idle and had such a low status back then.

The boy said, “If I knew I would be tied to you from now on, I would come to your private school from time to time. If I found you reading miscellaneous books in class, I would stand up and confess to the teacher.”

General Sun: "Confess? You're just pointing your finger at the gentleman and yelling at him, 'Who the hell do you think you are? If you've got the guts, have my elders come and pay their respects to me!'"

General Zeng: "You're the one who's really hurting us."

Because Lin Shuyou's hands were in contact with the talisman armor at this moment, the voices of the two generals, Zeng and Sun, could be heard.

The spirit medium said, "What business is it of yours if I'm talking to my spirit medium? Do you have any right to interrupt? Ha, you two lonely widows who no one wants."

General Sun: "I'm not playing cards anymore, let's go play Cuju (ancient Chinese football). Cuju is fun."

General Zeng: "I second that."

The boy: "Eeya ya ya ya."

The two generals, one adding and one subtracting: "Waaaaaah!"

Lin Shuyou: "Okay, okay, stop arguing, my ears hurt."

After shuffling the cards and placing them on the table, Ah You draws one card, and the two cards below him are automatically pulled out and stand upright at both ends.

Ah You was just helping to grab the cards; in reality, it was Bai He Tong Zi, Zeng Jiang Jun, and Sun Jiang Jun playing a three-player Dou Dizhu game.

Previously, there were four people, but because there were two General Zeng, it was impossible to play four-player Dou Dizhu. Now that there is one less General Zeng, it is fair.

General Zeng was the weakest, but in the best mood. He lightly scraped his talisman on the table, making a sound like a light melody being played on an erhu.

The general's card was deeply embedded in the table.

It's one thing for Tongzi to have gotten lucky and switch jobs first, but now General Zeng is also trying to ascend to heaven because he has more lives than him. He will inevitably become the last one in line.

General Sun got angrier and angrier, and then in the new game, he was beaten so badly that he was defeated again, which made him even angrier.

Li Zhuiyuan put down his pen and tidied up the thick stack of design drawings in front of him.

"Brother Binbin."

"clear."

"No rush, apply the medicine to Yayoi first."

Tan Wenbin was using cotton swabs to fill in the dents and bumps on Yayoi's body caused by the burns.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Master, you need to cherish yourself. You could make a living off your looks."

"Just a shell."

"Master, you've gotten used to being Tang Sanzang and don't know the hardships of Pigsy."

After applying the medicine, Tan Wenbin got up, picked up Xiao Yuan's blueprints, and prepared to do the subcontracting.

After flipping through it and looking at it, Tan Wenbin was stunned. He was surprised that he could easily understand the formation, which was so simple and unadorned.

The ingenuity lies in the intricate details of this nested isolation formation, which, on its own, seems to have nothing to do with high-level mysticism.

Yayoi took it and looked at it, slightly surprised, and said, "This humble monk can actually understand it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Because the simpler the formation, the less likely it is to have flaws."

Yayoi: "I originally thought that you would set up a grand formation here for the final battle."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I predict that the gray fog will eventually shrink to this point, and those who make Buddhist vows and leave golden precept scars will have their Buddhist nature drained if they fall into the gray fog."

Then why should I bother setting up a killing formation?
"As long as I can keep as many people out at the last moment, preventing them from entering the circle, the gray mist will kill them for me."

Yayoi sighed in admiration, "Amitabha."

This person has truly mastered the rules; compared to his hollow grandmaster uncle, he is inferior.

Tan Wenbin didn't forget to add a sales pitch: "Don't worry, these are all in my Heart Sutra."

Yayoi: "I feel more and more that exchanging the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda for this Heart Sutra is a bargain for me."

Tan Wenbin: "That's right, the other teams have sharp eyes."

Li Zhuiyuan steered the conversation back on track, saying, "But some people can't be stopped; they will inevitably squeeze in, and then it will truly be a life-or-death struggle."

Yayoi: "I'm holding you back in my current state."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yayoi, I can count on you."

Yayoi raised his eyes slightly; he understood what the boy meant.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Runsheng's retreating figure as he cooked outside, and continued speaking to Yayoi:
"Since your demonic nature is already invading your Buddhist nature, you might as well give up resisting and openly and completely surrender it."

This time, I need you to truly become a demon.

During the probe outside Nantong that day, Yayoi didn't use her full strength at all, but Li Zhuiyuan knew what Yayoi's true trump card was.

Yayoi smiled.

The price of becoming a demon is the complete annihilation of one's self. At that point, even if Yayoi is still alive, she is essentially dead.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Take a gamble. You bet everything to help me. If I win in the end, I will instill Buddhist nature in you, and there is a certain probability that I can pull you back before you completely lose your way."

The boy stood on tiptoe and reached out, trying to touch Yayoi's head.

Yayoi bent down and offered her head.

Li Zhuiyuan's fingers touched the golden ring scar on Yayoi's head:

"Of those who make a Buddhist vow, only one can survive in the end. Based on respecting the rules, the only way for both of us to survive is for me to live and for you to die."

Only those who possess a certain degree of Buddha-nature can sign a Buddhist vow. In other words, if you can transform all the Buddha-nature within you into demonic nature and completely drain your Buddha-nature, then from the perspective of the rules, you are already 'dead,' and the Buddhist vow will be eliminated.

And all you need to do is trust me, at least this time.

Yayoi: "This time, I trust you, senior."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm sorry, my request is a bit unreasonable, but after all, it's a life-or-death battle, and all extreme factors have to be taken into account. You trust me, and I need you to give me a reasonable reason to trust me."

Yayoi:

"The reason was given to me by the senior when we were in Lujiazhuang. The senior has no respect for Buddha and is not interested in him."

While in Nantong, I personally observed your life, and I am convinced that you were only interested in being a good person.

Tan Wenbin exclaimed, "Master's art of speaking has improved so rapidly that I'm starting to worry about Zhao Wai Dui."

Knowing his son Xiao Yuan well, Tan Wenbin knew this reason was exactly what Xiao Yuan wanted.

Yayoi: "When I was observing the vegetarian meal with the senior monk, he taught me a lot, which I often reflect on and have benefited greatly from."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I promised you that if one day in the future we are destined to face each other in life and death, you can come to Nantong to see my great-grandfather."

Yayoi: "Thank you, senior."

Outside the hall, Runsheng looked up. The rice was cooked. He wanted to check the sun to see what kind of meal it was, but the sun here always hung there, only growing bigger and bigger but never setting.

Scratching his head, Runsheng called out, "Time to eat the sun's meal."

Picking up the porridge and stirring it with chopsticks, Tan Wenbin asked, "Brother Xiaoyuan, now that the formation is set up, it seems inconvenient for us to go out?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, I deliberately designed this formation to be very rigid. Once it's set up, not only can no one from the outside get in, but we also have to dismantle the formation if we want to get out."

Tan Wenbin: "So, Brother Xiaoyuan, I have a suggestion, but I don't know..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I need to think about it."

Lin Shuyou, who was eating porridge, looked up and asked, "When does Brother Xiaoyuan hesitate when making a decision?"

Wait, what was Brother Bin's suggestion again?

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I think we can take a risk."

"Yeah, I think so too." Lin Shuyou agreed as he picked up the salt shaker. He felt the paste was a bit bland and could be mixed with some salt.

Tan Wenbin: "After all, the family's brick kiln has been built, and we're just waiting for the raw materials."

Lin Shuyou thought to himself, "What raw materials do we need to get from here?"

The boy said, "Think about where your golden mace came from." Lin Shuyou understood.

The pair of golden maces he is using now came from the gatekeeper Zhenjun of this Zhenjun Temple.

When I came here last time, I only felt that this place was very big, but there were not many things that were truly valuable and could be taken away. The treasures were all concentrated on the True Lords who were sealed outside the Bodhisattva Hall.

Ah You still remembers that back then, when everyone passed by these True Lords, they would stare at their armor, weapons, and magical artifacts and drool.

Back then, a single monkey was enough to cause everyone trouble, and no one dared to let that group of True Lords awaken.

But times have changed. The once incomparably powerful True Lords have nothing to fear now, even if their seals are broken.

Lin Shuyou: "Yes, those are all good things, we have to go and pick them up."

Tan Wenbin corrected, "Ah You, what do you mean by 'picked up'? It's something we didn't have time to take with us last time, so we left it there."

The family's brickyard was ostensibly established to make bricks for my great-grandfather to sell, but secretly, my brother Xiao Yuan built a special workshop for it.

Of the items on those True Lords, only a small portion is truly suitable for the general public to use right now, but the majority cannot be wasted; they can be taken back as raw materials and melted down.

Moreover, there are quite a few valuable items in the family temple that can only be looked at but not used. In addition to bartering and giving them as gifts, they can also be recycled.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, I remember the Pudu Zhenjun Temple is very close to the Bodhisattva Temple, right? Let's rush over, retrieve the items, and then run back immediately. It should be quick."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan is probably worried that we will be trapped by Blood River and others along the way, causing unnecessary losses."

Lin Shuyou: "Then...we'll go get it after this wave ends? The monks here have a lot of good stuff on them, we can pick it up slowly then, no, we should take it."

Tan Wenbin: "Based on past experience in navigating the river, after the incident, we probably won't have a chance to calmly clean up the battlefield. Last time, the Zhenjun Temple was flooded by seawater, and we were forced to leave by boat quickly."

"Now that the Zhenjun Temple has surfaced and become an island, I feel that once the competition for the Bodhisattva's position here is over, it will immediately sink back into the sea. This time, it will be a real sinking, and everything here will be completely buried."

Lin Shuyou: "I understand, so we need to prepare in advance and pack up the valuable things that we can carry with us as soon as possible."

In fact, Li Zhuiyuan had considered Tan Wenbin's suggestion.

Tan Wenbin was only half right. Li Zhuiyuan did want the things on those True Lords, but what the boy really wanted to find was Sun Baishen's Buddha paper.

He didn't intend to write on Buddhist paper like Wei Zhengdao. Most of the properties of Buddhist paper would be lost after being stained, leaving only a fragrance. Wei Zhengdao must have been incredibly wealthy back then to do something like that.

The Wordless Book was destroyed. Even if it remained in the sea of ​​blood after being shattered by the pagoda, it was eventually swallowed by the lava.

In other words, the only remaining true home of the "Evil Book" is a single, intact piece of paper.

If he could find enough Buddhist paper from Sun Baishen, he could rewrite the "Evil Book" and restore her abilities. Perhaps he could even help her reach a higher level with the "new Buddhist paper book".

Li Zhuiyuan's principle has always been that he will not mistreat anyone who is willing to make sacrifices for him, even if they are not human.

However, it would be unwise to risk going out at this time; moreover, apart from this place, the Zhenjun Temple has basically been explored and fought by the monks. Li Zhuiyuan felt that Sun Baishen's main body was no longer sitting in the Bodhisattva Hall, so it was hard to say whether those things were still there.

But, I still feel a little unwilling to give up without seeing it for myself.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then let's take the risk."

Lin Shuyou: "Great!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Ayou, you stay here to protect Ali."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan then looked at Yayoi.

Yayoi: "Don't worry, senpai."

If Ah Li leaves this place, Xuan Zhen will relocate her, and Ya Sheng also risks being sensed by his hollow grandmaster uncle.

Li Zhuiyuan wouldn't expect that the two groups had perished together, and he was certain that they had been tricked into being used as cannon fodder.

As long as those two sides are not alerted, the remaining monks here should have no major problems dealing with the situation.

"Open the door."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the entrance and exit passage, and Runsheng went out first to check the situation outside.

As soon as I stepped out, I saw three unfamiliar monks sitting cross-legged there.

The three monks' robes were tattered, and they were clearly all seriously injured. The monk sitting in the middle had a golden ordination scar on his head. The monks on the other two sides, disregarding their own critical injuries, both placed their palms on the one in the middle to heal him.

Clearly, this is a willingness to sacrifice oneself to give the middle player the opportunity to continue competing.

Runsheng's sudden appearance caught the three monks off guard, and the two sides stared at each other in disbelief.

The monk in the middle put his hands together and said, "Amitabha. Since you have not been ordained or made any Buddhist vows, we monks are compassionate and will not make things difficult for you. Please leave on your own. If you need anything, please let me know. If I have anything here, I will give it to you to create a good karmic connection."

As soon as he finished speaking, a river of blood overflowed from the ground, enveloping the surrounding area.

The killing intent came from these three monks, not from Runsheng.

Seeing them, and since they didn't run away immediately, Runsheng habitually waited for Xiaoyuan, who was about to come out, to make a decision. The monk's babbling words were completely thoughtless; where did the murderous intent come from?
When Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin came out, the blood river was receding.

Runsheng stood beside the three broken corpses, searching for any potentially valuable items.

"You have nothing, yet you ask me what I need?"

When Blood River appeared, Runsheng knew what it meant: it was either him or her, so there was no need to wait for Xiaoyuan; he should go himself.

The true strength of these three monks is unknown, as they were all severely injured. In any case, Runsheng charged forward and used his Qi Gate to seal them, and they stopped moving, being smashed to pieces by Runsheng's fist.

After the killing was done so simply and decisively, Runsheng even suspected that the three monks felt hopeless in the competition and deliberately sought to commit suicide.

Tan Wenbin: "Rationally, I don't want to fight, but emotionally I want you dead."

Li Zhuiyuan climbed onto Runsheng's back and looked back at the spot where they had come out. Previously, the Blood River had only surrounded Runsheng, not him and Tan Wenbin, who were actually very close by. This confirmed once again that the Pudu Zhenjun Temple was an area not covered by the current rules.

Tan Wenbin focused his five senses as much as possible, Runsheng carried Xiaoyuan on his back and ran, and everyone tried to avoid the monks and headed to the Bodhisattva Hall.

The good news was that they were no longer surrounded by the Blood River on the way; the bad news was that as they walked along the steps into the Bodhisattva Hall, they found the corpses of monks whose Buddhist nature had been drained, indicating that the place had been entered before and that a brutal massacre had taken place there.

From certain traces, Li Zhuiyuan could discern the flavor of Qinglong Temple's martial arts techniques. No wonder it was like a battlefield, where the seven monks of Qinglong Temple had once fought a great battle against a group of monks.

The main gate of the Bodhisattva Hall was either collapsed or shattered, allowing unobstructed views inside and out. The lotus platform high above was split in the middle. Sun Baishen was nowhere to be seen, nor were the corpses or remains of the True Lords. This meant that half of the purpose of the three's adventure had failed.

Now, let's see if we can find the Buddha's paper here. There is still a chance. So many monks have died, and many of them have been cultivating and their bodies emit the fragrance of Buddha, which can cover up the characteristics of the Buddha's paper.

Most importantly, Qinglong Temple is a large and powerful organization, so the seven monks probably wouldn't bother to touch the corpses after killing people here.

Who knows, perhaps one of the lucky ones who entered the main hall early on and found the Buddha's paper by chance is now lying here quietly and coldly, clutching the Buddha's paper.

However, there were simply too many corpses here, and they didn't have time to touch each one individually, as it would waste too much time and increase the risk.

Tan Wenbin sniffed carefully. He had also read Wei Zhengdao's books and was very familiar with the unique smell of the Buddha paper.

This familiarity often gives them an advantage over professionals, just like Puyi's ability to distinguish antiques.

Soon, Tan Wenbin opened his eyes and pointed to the pillar where a monk's corpse was nailed to the ground with a staff.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, it's on him!"

The lucky one truly lived up to his name; even his death was more unique than those lying on the ground.

If we can find the Buddha's paper, then this adventure will not have been in vain.

However, none of the three rushed forward to touch the corpse.

The "Code of Conduct for People Walking Along the River" provides a detailed description of caution and emphasizes the need to show greater respect to those who have died under special circumstances.

The three unlucky guys that Runsheng casually smashed when he went out don't belong to this category, but the one nailed to the pillar should at least be respected for its good fortune.

In the realm of metaphysics, luck carries a different meaning; sometimes it's even more useful than secret techniques, capable of killing without leaving a trace.

Tan Wenbin wanted to throw the rusty sword at the other person from a distance, to cut off his head first, since he couldn't possibly put the Buddha's paper in his mouth anyway.

But after noticing the change in Xiao Yuan's gaze, he stood still.

If the other party has a problem, then the way they die is very particular; they should be nailed high so they can see far.

Tan Wenbin had just pointed at him, but he didn't move. Either he was really dead, or he was waiting for them to get closer.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that what he was doing now would most likely come to nothing, but sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.

The Black Book Secret Technique is activated.

If you really die, I can control your corpse and make you hand over the Buddha's paper yourself.

Ok?
The Black Book Secret Technique is halfway to success.

This means that the guy is already half dead.

Li Zhuiyuan could sense the remnant spirit within the other party's body, but this remnant spirit possessed self-awareness, indicating that the other party was feigning death in a special way.

But on his drooping head, the hole that had been drilled when his Buddha-nature was extracted was so obvious.

It can only be said that the world is a vast and wondrous place, and this guy actually has the means to not only evade the investigation of the seven monks of Qinglong Temple, but also to fake his death under Sun Baishen's rules.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan sensed that the remnant spirit within the other party's body was consciously gathering in his head.

Since the other party does not possess Wei Zhengdao's secret techniques, it is impossible for them to control spirits. This perception is merely Li Zhuiyuan's unique perspective, which translates to the other party making those kinds of preparations.

This piqued Li Zhuiyuan's interest. The other party must have other valuable items hidden on his body... no, inside his body, that were no less valuable than the Buddha's paper.

Since he is preparing to carry out that, it means he will be unable to use his skills.

As Li Zhuiyuan dismounted from Runsheng's back, he connected Runsheng and Tan Wenbin with a red thread. The boy spoke:

"This is my Buddha paper; your hands are dirty, you are not allowed to touch it!"

Li Zhuiyuan walked straight to the corpse nailed to the pillar, his voice resonating in the hearts of his companions:

"Don't worry, I'll let him possess your body."

(End of this chapter)