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Chapter 228 Echoes
This time, the return took an exceptionally long time.

Perhaps because the script process was too long, the system needed more time to settle the results. Zhou You felt like he was drifting in the void for several tens of minutes before he finally saw light.

It was still that room with the candlelight flickering.

Everything seemed normal, except...
"Is this place a bit bigger?"

Zhou You looked around and felt that the room was larger than when he had entered before.

However, he couldn't be sure, since he hadn't measured the size of the room himself, and the surrounding decorations were the same, with nothing added or missing.

However, his doubts were quickly interrupted by a cold female voice.

"Dear player, you have exceeded the requirements for the script: Buddha's Heart. This script will be completely stripped away, and you will receive additional rewards."

"You killed the future Dharma King who would lead the Tantric sect, the current Grand Lama Zhaba, completely thwarting the possibility of the High Mountain Tantric sect rising in Han areas. You have received an additional reward: 1150 Soul Stones."

The bald monk who had appeared in Mang Village earlier appeared before my eyes, but he immediately vanished like yellow sand, as if eroded by the wind.

"You killed the acting abbot of Ci'en Temple: Liao Chen. From then on, the three mountains and seven temples of Lizhou became history. The once prosperous Garan Temple was reduced to a handful of black ash, which dissipated in the misty rain. You have received an extra reward: 800 Soul Stones."

The kind-faced and benevolent Liaochen appeared in the void, then was swept away by the boundless karmic fire and instantly vanished into nothingness.

"You killed Zhang Yuan, the leader of Taiming Mountain. This has changed things. You have received an extra reward."

All in all, by the end, Zhou You had obtained nearly 4000 Soul Stones from this trip – but this was still not the end, as there were still two major figures to come.

"You killed the Tantric Dharma King 'Pu Hui' and the Tushita Heaven's guardian dragon 'Tarashiki', and helped to block Maitreya Bodhisattva's opportunity to attain Buddhahood. You have received an additional reward: 4200 Soul Stones."

"You have achieved 'establishing words' among the three immortalities. Your deeds will be passed down through the ages, and you have received an additional reward for this: 5500 Soul Stones."

After these two events, Zhou You's number of soul stones instantly exceeded ten thousand, but he immediately fell into even greater confusion.

The first one was indeed done by him, that's undeniable, but the second one...
He did know about the "Three Imperishables," which were said to be "the highest achievement is establishing virtue, the next is establishing merit, and the next is establishing words." This was considered one of the highest honors in Chinese history, but the problem was...
When did you do that?
Zhou You racked his brains for a long time, but couldn't recall any achievements that could be considered worthy of the title, so in the end he could only move on from this chapter.

Then it became something new.

Those who had once had a connection with him appeared before him.

It was still an illusory projection, only now it was accompanied by some explanatory text.

The first one is Lu Xiuyuan.

According to the system, this slick镖头 (bodyguard/escort) ultimately did not move out of Lizhou. However, because of the good relationship he formed this time, decades later, 'Weiyuan' became one of the top镖局 (bodyguard/escort agencies) in the entire Han region, and he finally got his wish, with a large family.

Then came Zhengde.

—Although he brought out the image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, he was fortunate enough to survive in the end, but he lost all his cultivation and magical power. In the end, he carried his master's ashes and walked back to the Zen temple in the capital step by step. But he also turned misfortune into blessing, and he no longer had to enter the Demon Suppression Pagoda. By the time he passed away, he was already an enlightened monk in Buddhism.

Next was Cai Yuankui.

He was severely reprimanded for losing the Heaven-Shaking Arrow, but in order to save Lizhou, his superiors reluctantly accepted it. He then honorably retired to the second line and married the plain-looking peasant woman.

However, Zhou You waited for a long time but the crucial one did not appear. Finally, he couldn't help but knock hard on the altar.

"What about Lu Ping? What happened to my apprentice in the end? Don't you have any explanation?"

Unfortunately, the lifeless stone structure couldn't give him any response.

After a long stalemate, Zhou You finally succumbed to his exhaustion and could only sigh before choosing to return to reality.

—Well, he knew his own apprentice's personality. He was usually very clever and wouldn't encounter any danger. Besides, his uncle was doing quite well. At worst, he could become a head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in a镖局 (escort agency) and live a peaceful life.

Shortly after Zhou You left, the altar suddenly lit up again.

Unlike the previous PPT which only showed people and stories, this time it showed a scene.

In a brightly lit room, a distinguished middle-aged man held several sticks of incense, lit them over the candles, and then respectfully placed them in the incense burner.

Behind the incense burner were several memorial tablets carved from sandalwood, but due to the lighting, it was impossible to see what was written on them.

After offering incense, the middle-aged man didn't perform any complicated rituals. He simply sat down on the prayer mat and began to ramble on.

"—Master, it has been more than 30 years since you left. You have disappeared without a trace, and even if your disciple wanted to look for you, there would be nowhere to go. Uncle Cai—oh no, I should have called him Uncle Liu long ago—said that you, Master, are a person beyond the mortal world, and were sent by Heaven to save this world. After you have completed your mission, you will naturally go to the immortal realm."

"I've thought about it, and in the end, I have no choice but to believe it. After all, although it certainly sounds unbelievable, at least you're still alive, giving people something to look forward to."

"As for your disciple, I have followed your teachings diligently over the years, and have killed many evil people and demons along the way, but I have always stayed true to myself and never crossed the line."

"Afterwards, I went to the main mountain of Yun Jing Sect, but unfortunately, the current successor there is a stubborn old man who says that one cannot inherit the name without the sect leader's sword. If only you had left Duan Xie behind before you left, I wouldn't have had to change the name when I started my own sect."

The middle-aged man's mutterings continued for a long time. Only when a bell rang did he sigh and stand up.

"—But Master, please rest assured, I have done everything you asked me to do. Although it has not yet reached the level of being remembered for eternity, I have done my best and have a clear conscience."

After saying this, the middle-aged man bowed to the memorial tablets one last time, then turned around and pushed open the door.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, its radiant light spilling onto the blue bricks, so bright that it was almost blinding.

Nearly a thousand well-dressed Taoist priests watched the middle-aged man walk out of the room and bowed in unison.

The voices of a thousand people rose up at the same time, so loud that they seemed to scatter the sunlight.

"Disciples of the Shangqing Sect pay their respects."

"—Master Lu Ping!"

　Thank you to Rotten Grass for the Firefly for the 500-point reward, thank you to Mortal Sinking a for the 100-point reward, and thank you to Dust Bright Cold Star for the 100-point reward.

　　Thank you to reader 160719153325026 for the 10000-point reward. I will try to add an extra chapter today. If I can't finish it, I will make up for it tomorrow. Thank you very much.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)