Excessive ferocity due to caution

Nan Jia emerged from the tattered body of Li Xiuer, looking utterly dejected.

He found the guardian of the divine tower and asked:

"If I die, will Miss Xiu come back to life?"

Fahua sighed deeply.

"The world changes, and a glance can span a thousand years."

"Have you ever heard of two identical flowers in the world?"

"Regardless of whether Xiu's appearance was just an accident, even if you did resurrect the puppet in your arms... it would no longer be the Xiu you knew..."

Nan Jia lowered her head and looked at the worn-out wooden puppet in her arms, feeling as if she had been transported to another world.

The Lotus Sutra then said:

"Another benefactor named Zhao Yi also ascended the divine tower. He came with you. Would you like to go and see him?"

Nan Jia regained her senses slightly upon hearing this.

Where is he?

Guided by Fahua, Nanjia met Zhao Yi at the cloud ladder leading to the bottom of the divine tower.

Zhao Yi smiled slightly at Nan Jia:

"Little monk, your journey is coming to an end."

Nan Jia sat down beside Zhao Yi, somewhat absentmindedly, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds and frost outside the stone platform, and said softly:

"Did Benefactor Zhao know all along that Miss Xiu had come for me?"

Zhao Yi replied:

"right."

"But at that time, I didn't know her purpose."

"It was Su who told me later that Miss Xiu had murderous intent towards you."

Nanjia said sadly:

"You should have let her kill me."

Zhao Yi smiled:

"That won't do."

"My mission is to protect you from death and help you reach the Tower of God alive."

Nan Jia was surprised to hear this:

"Task?"

Zhao Yi opened the system and checked his return time:

"Remember those serial killers in L city?"

Nan Jia nodded.

Zhao Yi calmly said:

"Actually, I'm just like them."

"Their mission is to slaughter, our mission is to protect."

Nan Jia was deeply shocked and remained silent for a long while before saying:

"Now that Benefactor Zhao has completed his mission, is it... time for him to leave?"

Zhao lit a cigarette and laughed:

"What, you can't bear to part with me?"

Nanjia recalled the bits and pieces of the journey with a sense of melancholy:

"Brother Chen is gone, Benefactor Meng has left, Miss Xiu died because of me... Now Benefactor Zhao and Miss Su are also leaving..."

Zhao Yi exhaled a smoke ring:

"Is Miss Xiu dead?"

Nan Jia told Zhao Yi the story of Xiu.

Zhao Yi smiled and said:

"Having hated and having loved, that is true living."

"You gave her the love she had always longed for, which is why she was willing to give up her hard-won life to fulfill yours."

"Although it's a bit of a regret, it's still a story worth remembering, isn't it?"

Nan Jia looked at the tattered wooden puppet in her arms with tenderness in her eyes.

"What Benefactor Zhao said is correct."

"This humble monk will return to Garan Temple to apologize to Master Kumei and the abbot... and then take his leave."

Zhao Yi:

"Where do you want to go?"

"Puppet Town".

"one person?"

"Isn't Miss Xiu here with me?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Zhao Yi patted the dust off his clothes.

"Alright... it's almost time."

"I have to go now."

Zhao Yi walked towards the cloud ladder.

They hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard Nanjia calling out from behind them:

"Zhao Yi!"

"Thank you--"

Zhao Yi didn't turn around, but casually raised one arm as a response.

Then he went down to the grassland and walked into the mist.

Soon after, his body turned into white light and disappeared...

...

After the journey ended, Nanga took over Li Xiuer's small bag and brought her back to the Garan Temple.

It has been less than a year and a half since I last saw the view in front of the temple gate, but it feels like a century has passed in Namgyal.

Some fallen leaves had accumulated on the stone steps in front of the temple gate, and the young monk responsible for sweeping was sleeping under a tree in the distance.

Looking up at the Garan Temple, Nanga felt as if something was missing...

After a moment's thought, Nan Jia had an idea.

Master Kumei's chanting is no longer heard!

A bad feeling swept through Nan Jia's mind, and she quickly ran into the temple, heading towards Master Ku Mei's courtyard.

Nan Jia pushed open the door and stared wide-eyed.

The withered plum tree was bending over, watering the flowers.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Ku Mei coughed lightly.

"Nan Jia, you're back..."

Seeing that the withered plum was unharmed, Nan Jia finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

"I thought..."

Ku Mei smiled and said:

"What did you think?"

Nanjia shook her head:

"It's nothing."

"Master Kumei... I have obtained the power of truth."

Ku Mei didn't seem surprised. He put away the water bottle and said to Nan Jia:

"You must have met many interesting people along the way, right?"

Looking at the puppet in her arms, Nan said softly:

"Yes."

"Nangjia came to see Master Kumei to apologize..."

Ku Mei raised an eyebrow and said:

"What crime have you committed?"

Nan Jia told Ku Mei how she fell in love with Li Xiuer along the way and what decision she ultimately made.

"How can one find a way to have it all, to be true to both the Buddha and the beloved?"

"Nan Jia, you did nothing wrong."

"Don't blame yourself for it."

Ku Mei lovingly stroked Nan Jia's head.

"The temple will not expel you because of this. At most, the abbot will reclassify you as a lay disciple."

He paused, then said in a low voice:

"He watched you grow up. That old man is very sentimental, that's why he can't bear to send you away..."

"Wherever you go in the future, Garanji Temple will always be your home."

Nan Jia felt a sudden warmth in her heart, and tears almost welled up in her eyes again.

Kumei clapped her hands and said:

"Nanjia...go if you want!"

"Cultivation is not just about reading ten thousand books... it also requires traveling ten thousand miles."

"You have now obtained the power of truth and have the ability to control the scriptures."

"This trip has surely shown you the wickedness of human nature and the unpredictability of life."

"Before you leave, remember to visit the abbot... he misses you terribly."

Nanga agreed and went to the temple to meet the abbot.

The two talked for a long time. Although the abbot blamed Nanjia for having worldly desires, he did not expel Nanjia from the temple.

Instead, after scolding him a couple of times, he started nagging about things he should pay attention to when he's out in the future.

Nan Jia listened attentively.

They would ask a question or two from time to time.

By the time the abbot finally finished his rambling, it was already late at night.

Nan Jia bathed and cleaned herself, then helped Li Xiuer tidy up her body and changed her into one of her own clothes.

He placed a cloth under the puppet and put it on the windowsill.

"Miss Xiu, from now on, you will accompany this humble monk on his travels..."

"Little monk..."

"I will recite scriptures for you to hear..."

A breeze blew past the windowsill.

The puppet, gently bathed in moonlight, lowered its head slightly, as if agreeing with the little monk's words...

...

The next day, Nanga left the Garan Temple with a scroll of scriptures given to her by Xiu and Kumei.

He decided to go to Puppet Town, and then travel around, saving all living beings and eliminating demons.

After he left, the abbot came to the courtyard of the withered plum tree.

Beneath that plum tree that never blooms, a withered plum tree sits quietly, its expression serene.

He's gone.

"That's what the abbot said."

Kumei opened her eyes and said with a smile:

"He is the future hope of Garan Temple."

The abbot, watching the withered plum tree gradually lose its life force, asked:

"You used the power of truth that you've cultivated for hundreds of years to fulfill Nanga... Do you really not regret it?"

As the withered plum tree gazed at the distant clouds, a young monk appeared in the depths of its pupils.

Once upon a time, he was just like Nan Jia.

With hearts full of utmost devotion, we made a pilgrimage to the sacred tower.

We waded through water and climbed mountains.

I have encountered danger and experienced life and death.

I also met...someone I liked.

Memories of the past appear one by one, then gradually dissipate like smoke.

The withered plum blossom smiled slightly:

"Perhaps... I'm just fulfilling my own desires."

"With her by Nan Jia's side, I feel at ease..."

After he finished speaking, his body scattered like dust.

Eventually, it fell to the ground and turned into mud.

The abbot gazed at the plum tree before him that never blossomed for a long time before finally clasping his hands together and sighing with regret.

"Amitabha!"

...

[Congratulations to player Zhao Yi for completing the medium-level dungeon "Bandits of Chaotic City"!]

You received an SSS rating.

[Main Quest 1: Player Zhao Yi survives and proceeds to the Divine Tower to complete the quest!]

[Main Quest 2: Escort the Ascetic Mother Nanga to the Divine Tower - Complete!]

You have gained 16000 experience points and 20 main story points. (Converted to livestream popularity and rating bonuses)

[You have earned 72 side quest points and the unique title 'Rainy Night with a Knife but No Umbrella'.]

[You have obtained the following items: Gravity Gun, Magic Barrett, Chaotic City Self-Service Ticket Machine, Bloodline Stone (Purple)*3, Bloodline Stone (Blue)*5, Bloodline Stone (Green)*12, Destiny Treasure Chest (Gold), Ghost Scholar's Folding Fan!]

...

[Through intense combat, you gained 108 Strength from the Body Strengthening Domain, upgrading it to C (0/256)]

[The unique title 'Carrying a Knife but No Umbrella on a Rainy Night' has the following effects: Strength +56, Self-Healing Ability +5%, Magic Resistance +5%, Damage Dealt +5%. These effects are tripled during rainy nights!]

...

[Character: Zhao Yi]

[Level: 23]

Experience: 1000/9000

[Items: Old Liu's property certificate, substitute doll, Smasher (hunting rifle), pig bristle Gatling gun, shredder, sprinter, K-49, Little Cola's beef bun, Aladdin's genie nail, green umbrella, key of creation, regeneration machine, damaged energy suppressor*1, Elaphub carpet, gravity gun, Chaotic City self-service ticket machine, magic barrett, bloodline stone (purple)*3, bloodline stone (blue)*5, bloodline stone (green)*12, destiny treasure chest (gold), Ghost Scholar's folding fan!]

【Strength: 604】

[Titles: Demon's Bane, Sharp Edge Emerges, Foul Player, Know-It-All, Deceitful, Straightforward Man, Excellent Hunter, Carrying a Knife Without an Umbrella on a Rainy Night.]

Points: 922700

[Bloodline: Red Robe (Tier 0)]

[Area: Physical Fitness (C)]

...

Upon returning from the secret realm, Zhao Yi had gained a great deal.

The most crucial element is, of course, the points.

He earned a whopping 92 points in one intermediate-level Mythic+ dungeon run!

Zhao Yi opened the online store directly.

90 of them were spent to exchange for fragments of the Lunyu script.

180 images!

Including the previous ones, it's a total of 250 pages!

We've already collected half of it!

【drop--】

[The system has detected that player Zhao Yi's progress in collecting fragments of the red-level cultivation technique "The Analects" has exceeded 200, unlocking the equipping function. Do you wish to equip this technique?]

Upon receiving the system message, Zhao Yi's heart skipped a beat.

"System, didn't you say that one can't cultivate oneself until the Analects are fully collected?"

[It's impossible to cultivate under these conditions, but the hidden function of the cultivation technique will be activated when the collection progress reaches 100/200/400 respectively.]

[100 pages unlocked: Wearable feature—You may not read books, but you like to carry one with you to appear cultured.]

[Effect: Strength increased by 400 (That was worth the 50 points you spent collecting 100 fragments, wasn't it?)]

...

[Page 200 unlocked: Joyful Air—You've read a few books, but you're not very learned. You like to spout classical phrases to make yourself seem cultured, but when others ask you questions, you're so embarrassed you can't answer anything. Your awkwardness fills the air around you with joy.]

[Effect 1: When your enemy is weaker than you and is within 50 meters of you, their strength is reduced by 15%, while your strength increases by 10%!]

[Effect 2: When your enemy is stronger than you and within 50 meters of you, the damage they deal is reduced by 10%, and your healing is increased by 35%!]

P.S.: I'll write another one. I need to work on GG tomorrow, so I'll see if it works. If not, oh well!

Damn it, I signed up, but if I don't participate, will Tomato block me?

woo woo woo...

Goodnight, my darlings!!