Misery: There is a pawn shop here

Chapter 195 The Son of Good Law
The sea of ​​clouds beneath the towering pillar was churning like boiling water, with thunder seemingly lurking among the dark clouds, pressing the sky low.

Inside the pawnshop, the old wooden counter gleamed with a warm luster. Sandalwood incense rose from a bronze incense burner, its smoke tracing eerie arcs in the air, outlining the shape of a mirror reflecting water, eventually coalescing into the image of a towering pillar reaching to the heavens. Tan Wuyu, who had already risen to leave, suddenly stopped. His long, black sleeves brushed against the counter, carrying with them a faint, lingering fragrance of tea.

On the pillar reaching to the heavens, the show is about to begin...

The matter of the five divine artifacts caused quite a stir in the martial arts world. Although Tan Wuyu had been busy running around, he was not entirely unaware of it. Although he was worried about the righteous people, he was too busy dealing with the Blood Moon Tears Sun incident to spare any attention. He could only trust that Mu Shaoai, Lian Emei, and others could handle the attack from the Otherworldly Demon Realm.

Now, upon hearing Li Xuanxiao utter the words "good show," Tan Wuxi's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm and somewhat relaxed.

"Since you, sir, are in such a good mood, I, Tan, will gladly oblige."

Having said that, Tan Wuyu, who had just gotten up to leave, sat down again and looked at the water mirror hanging high in the sky. The mirror reflected the scene at the top of the Tongtian Pillar. Li Xuanxiao's hand, which had been gently tapping the table, paused slightly. Then the image in the water mirror zoomed in, and the content displayed became much clearer.

……

"This is your third challenge." The voice, mingled with the howling wind, pierced the swordsman's eardrums like an icicle. "You've already pawned away all your family, love, and friendship. What value do you have left to pawn?"

"I..." The swordsman carrying the sword hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but the hesitation was replaced by madness the next moment.

"I still have my life, I still have myself. I've found the key to breaking through this barrier. This time I'm sure I'll succeed, I'm sure I will!" A metallic taste rose in his throat, but he was oblivious to it. He stared intently into Xiao's calm, unwavering eyes. His mad obsession sustained his swaying body, as if he could get back everything he had lost by pawning everything.

Xiao met the man's crazed expression, his own remaining expression unchanged. He'd seen far too many swordsmen act this way in the past few days. After weighing the man's remaining value, Xiao shook his head. "Your life, to the pawnshop..."

Before he finished speaking, a Dharma sound suddenly appeared in the sea of ​​clouds, as resonant as a great bell or a thunderous lion's roar, echoing throughout the entire summit of the Tongtian Pillar.

"Foolish child, even now, do you still not know how to turn back?"

With a furious shout, the swordsman's face turned ashen. Looking up at the sky, he saw a dazzling Buddhist light, like the sun high in the sky, warming his entire body. But the rebuke that followed made the swordsman feel unbearable pain all over his body. After several difficult breaths, he vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted on the ground, thus ending the transaction.

Xiao watched this scene, then waved his hand expressionlessly, and the swordsman's figure disappeared from the top of the Tower of Heaven.

"No matter where you come from, you should not engage in transactions with pawnshops."

Even if the person has lost their value to the pawnshop, the pawnshop should refuse to accept their offer, rather than allowing the person to terminate the transaction in such a forceful manner.

"Desire, used as bait, harms all living beings; demons and evil spirits deserve to be exterminated!"

High in the heavens, a furious roar resounded, and a radiant Buddhist light appeared. A sage-like figure descended majestically atop the towering pillar, clad in blue robes and adorned with gold, his long hair flowing gracefully, his countenance serene and imposing. His cold tone was unyielding and unapproachable. It was none other than—

"The realms of Buddha and demon are separated, and calamities rage in the human world; good deeds bring sweet rain, and the Buddha appears in the sea of ​​suffering."

The Master and Instructor of the Great Sun Hall at Wansheng Rock, the Heavenly Prince of Good Dharma!
“A Buddhist.” Xiao frowned as he looked at the descending Buddha, noticing a familiar face, Maha Jie, following behind him. “So, you’re also going to get involved in this?”

“Amitabha.” Maha Jie’s eyes showed a look of pity. “Using people as pawns and playing with desires is a desecration of all living beings. I urge you to stop in time and not make another mistake.”

Xiao tilted his head, his eyes filled with pure confusion: "It was all their own choice." He pointed in the direction of the vanished swordsman, "If they hadn't valued family and life so lightly, what would have been the point of the transaction?"

This logic may seem cold, but it carries a certain cruel truth that is unshakeable.

There was a pawnshop that never forced anyone to pawn their items.

“Good results are good causes, bad results are bad causes. Isn’t your action, benefactor, forcing a bad result into a bad cause?” Maha Jie said again, looking at Xiao, waiting for the other party’s reply.

But Xiao shook his head upon hearing this. "I don't fully understand what you mean. I'm sorry. However, I must complete the task assigned to me by the shopkeeper. But what you said seems very interesting. I will ask you for your guidance after I have completed the task assigned by the shopkeeper."

Li Xuanxiao never stopped Xiao from learning from others. As an artificial life form, Li Xuanxiao knew very well that there was still much for Xiao to learn, and he rarely interfered.

"Hmm?" The Good Law Emperor looked into Xiao's eyes, which were clear and unambiguous, and knew that this was what the other party truly meant. His tone softened slightly.

“The benevolent Emperor will not allow this game that harms the people to continue. We request that the person in charge of this place appear and give us an answer.”

Inside the pawnshop, Tan Wuyu looked at Li Xuanxiao, only to see the latter flick his finger, and ink flew into the water mirror from who knows where. At the top of the pillar of heaven, above the sea of ​​clouds, a mysterious figure in black robes appeared, just like the day the five great artifacts appeared in the world. A terrifying pressure enveloped everyone present.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Master of the Great Sun Hall of Ten Thousand Saints Rock, and the Good Dharma Emperor.” The black-robed illusion slowly said, “I already know the Emperor’s wish, but if you want the pawnshop to stop, I’m afraid you do not have the weight to do so. Perhaps, why doesn’t the Emperor try it himself?”

“The Emperor cannot agree to this,” Mahāsabhāṣṭra immediately said upon hearing this.

Compared to the Good Dharma Emperor who had just stepped out of Wansheng Rock, the Mahabodhi had been traveling in the Bitter Realm for some time since the Wansheng Rock was broken. He had also learned about Youjian Pawnshop from Mu Shaoai and others. In any case, the invitation offered by the pawnshop was not something that could be easily accepted.

A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the Good Law Emperor. If he could truly stop this game and spare countless people from the suffering of persecution, why would the Good Law Emperor fear to try and take the plunge?

"If I win, will you stop all of this?" the Good Law Emperor asked, looking at the black-robed phantom in the sky.

"The Illusionary Realm is able to attract a continuous stream of martial arts practitioners to trade only because of the five divine artifacts. However, if the Emperor were to pass through the checkpoints and take away the divine artifacts, the Illusionary Realm would naturally lose its meaning and reason for existence."

"Well, Your Majesty, would you like to give it a try?"

(End of this chapter)