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Chapter 155 Zhengde
"Dear player, your talent: Eye of the Cause has been successfully activated."

"You have identified the properties of this item."

"Lotus Jade Pendant"

"Quality: Blue".

"Effect: When you suffer fatal damage, you can sacrifice this jade pendant to survive the damage (but it will not remove the injuries and abnormal effects caused by the damage)."

The top-grade amulet of Liansheng Temple, which should have been worth a fortune, was accidentally bought by a镖头 (bodyguard/escort) due to a momentary oversight by the monks. After decades of incense burning in the temple, this amulet has acquired some miraculous powers of warding off disasters and bringing salvation.

It's not high quality and its attributes are very simple, but it has the most practical effect.

"By the way, this was given to you by your uncle, right? Is it really okay for him to just hand it over to me like this?"

Lupin's voice was resolute.

"Don't worry, Master. If my uncle knew about this, he would definitely choose to give it to you. Although he is greedy, stingy, and nagging, he is absolutely top-notch when it comes to this kind of thing."

Zhou You smiled, but still chose to accept it.

After all, it was his apprentice's good intention, so it would be really tactless to refuse him like that.

"Alright then, Master, I'll take this as your apprenticeship gift."

Seeing Lu Ping's still worried face, Zhou You smiled and said again.

"Don't worry, disciple. Your master lost his father and mother at a young age, and recently his grandfather also passed away. I'm the kind of protagonist who was born. Even if there are dragons and tigers in front of me, your master will not die."

"Yes." As if to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, Zhou You paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"—Never die."
-
Some people make grand pronouncements, while others simply follow the crowd.

—A little earlier.

In some unknown mountain forest, a monk was trudging along with great difficulty.

The continuous rain made the roads increasingly rugged and difficult to travel. The official roads built in safe areas were still okay, but most of the hidden mountain paths like these had been washed away. Mud and collapsed rocks were mixed together, and a slight misstep could lead to a fall and a fatal fall into the ravine.

But the monk continued to walk, his steps uneven.

Suddenly, the wind and rain intensified.

The monk stumbled and sank deep into a mud pit, almost falling to the ground. It took him a long time to pull his foot out of the mud and wipe the rain off his face.

Then, an extremely terrifying face was revealed.

The left side of the face looked normal, with a kind and compassionate expression. But the right side of the face was devoid of any flesh; the pale skull was exposed, with only a bloodshot eye darting around.

But the monk himself seemed oblivious, simply taking increasingly heavy steps as he struggled to climb to the top of the mountain.

And so, an unknown amount of time passed.

He finally reached the summit when his clothes were covered in mud and his body was covered in bruises and bloodstains from the falls.

Not far away, a small temple was already faintly visible in the sudden rain.

Seeing this, the monk finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

The external support that Zen Buddhism helped contact is right here. As long as I successfully reunite with them, everything will be alright.

At the very least, I no longer have to face this behemoth rooted in the entire Lizhou alone.

The monk took a deep breath, dragged his increasingly heavy body to the front of the temple, and then gently knocked on the door.

No one answered.

The monk frowned, then spoke in a low voice.

"This humble monk, Zhengde, has received the message and come to meet with you all."

Inside the door, all was still silent.

The monk named Zhengde frowned more and more deeply.

Is it excessive caution, or...?
problem occurs?
The unease grew stronger, and after hesitating for a long time, the monk Zhengde finally made up his mind.

He pushed hard, and the vermilion temple door opened with a thud.

The door was unlocked.

Stepping into the temple, one sees only ruins everywhere, with waist-high weeds and rain pattering against the scattered stones. It's as if no one has lived there for many years.

At first glance, there seems to be no problem.

But the monk Zhengde's expression grew increasingly grim, and the frown on his half-undamaged face deepened.

the reason is simple.

It was because, in the dim light, a faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood had already reached his nose.

You should know that the wind and rain are in full swing now, and even the musty smell of the temple has been blown away for years, but the smell of blood still lingers.

This only proves that his previous prediction was indeed correct.

—Something happened, and it happened not long ago.

The monk Zhengde immediately made a decision to leave the temple and then make other plans. But just before he was about to set off, he suddenly stopped.

He just remembered.

I... have long since run out of options.

So he simply took a deep breath and walked into the temple.

Since most of the roof had already collapsed, the temple was flooded, but the remaining tiles blocked out the last bit of light, making the place as dark as ink.

Zhengde had nothing on him and could not possibly carry any lighting equipment, so he could only walk alone into the darkness.

The rain pattered, and combined with the eerie atmosphere, it was as if countless monsters lurked in the shadows, grinding their teeth, ready to tear him to pieces at any moment.

But Zhengde showed no fear on his face; he simply walked forward with steady steps.

But just as he was about to enter the inner hall, he suddenly bumped into something soft at his feet.

at this time.

Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, briefly dispelling the thick darkness.

So the next second.

A face with its eyes wide open in death appeared before him.

The face was bluish-purple and contorted, suggesting that the person had been tortured before death. Strangely, the corners of the mouth were turned up, forming a grotesque smile.

"The methods of Vajravarahi's liberation are the work of the Kagyu school."

Zhengde's gaze shifted downwards, and sure enough, he saw a figure dressed in black.

He recognized the outfit.

It was the Zhenxie Division cavalry that was supposed to come and meet him, sent by the higher-ups.

But now, this person is a corpse.

Zhengde pursed his lips, his face still showing no panic. He closed his eyes and recited a few verses of the Rebirth Sutra for the unseeing corpse. When he opened them again, countless golden lines were swirling in his pupils.

Given the current situation, it's no longer time to conserve magic power!

In an instant, light dispelled the darkness, and the entire hall was revealed.

—However, all that could be seen were still corpses.

Within the sight of Monk Zhengde, the corpses of the Daoist riders had filled the main hall. There were more than ten people who could be seen. All of them had ashen faces and strange, absurd smiles.

"...They're all wiped out?"

Squeezing out a few words through clenched teeth, Zhengde's heart sank to the bottom—but just when he was in despair, he suddenly remembered something.

No, the number of people is wrong!
There should be at least thirty people in the team to provide assistance, but the number of corpses here is far from enough.

So where did the rest of the people go?

...Is there still a chance for things to turn around?
However, while Zhengde was hesitant, he did not notice.

Under the cover of thunder, a corpse was positioned right behind him.
She suddenly tilted her head, turning her smiling face directly towards him.

(End of this chapter)