The Mysterious Burning and Killing

Chapter 12

"There were some unexpected events..." he answered cautiously.

"What accident?!" The old monk seemed to suddenly become angry, and his tone became stern.

"I never expected him to betray us, and I never imagined that the Bodhi tree would..."

"Don't make excuses!" The lame old monk interrupted Huizhi by raising a hand. "I can find countless people who are better at making excuses than you..."

“Yes…” Huizhi wasn’t oblivious to the threat in those words. He obediently quieted down, waiting for the old monk’s next instruction. But the old monk suddenly fell silent, silently facing the wall for a long time, as if he had forgotten that Huizhi was even there. Time passed slowly like this, and for Huizhi, every second felt like an eternity.

Do you believe in Buddhism?

The old monk suddenly asked.

"..."

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and Huizhi was at a loss for words to answer this simple question.

"Speak quickly!" the old monk urged impatiently. With that, Huizhi had no choice but to make up his mind, grit his teeth, and finally slowly shake his head.

"I don't believe it..."

“Very good. Do you believe in demons?” This time, Huizhi did not hesitate and immediately nodded firmly, saying, “I do!”

"Very good, you have not let me down after all these years of nurturing you..." the old monk said with satisfaction.

"I will be eternally grateful for your teachings over the past twenty years!" Huizhi said respectfully. To his surprise, the old monk burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"Twenty years? I've only been guiding you for twenty years?" the old monk laughed loudly. Huizhi suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity. The old monk slowly stood up; this was the first time Huizhi had seen him stand up in twenty years. He felt he had seen this posture somewhere before, but where exactly? Gradually, all the memories converged in his mind, forming a single person…

"Fifty years ago, did you think I would inexplicably adopt two orphans? Huizhi, did you really think I would choose you as abbot based on your character?" the old monk said, still with his back to Huizhi. For the past twenty years, Huizhi had never seen the old monk's true face, but now he was completely certain who the person in front of him was, and he suddenly understood why he had appeared with his head covered by a kasaya on the day of the abbot selection.

“Master! You were already…” Huizhi retreated tremblingly, unable to accept this shocking fact.

"My disciple Huizhi, what are you afraid of?" The old monk remained standing quietly facing the wall, motionless. "I'm not going to eat you..."

"I...I..." Huizhi was so frightened that she couldn't speak. She tried to sneak out of the house, but found that her legs were getting heavier and heavier and she couldn't take a step at all.

"Hahahaha! You're so useless! I'm not your master, I'm just using his body..." The old monk chuckled, his bones making strange noises.

“I don’t understand…” Huizhi gradually felt less afraid because the person in front of him was a complete stranger to him.

"These are still completely foreign concepts to you. It would take me a lot of time to tell you everything. So I'll just tell you the key points," the old monk said. "First, you need to understand that we don't belong to the same world. I am far more powerful than you and anyone in your world. If I wanted to, I could destroy your pitiful world all by myself. Can you understand that?"

“I can understand…” Huizhi nodded frantically, but was met with a disdainful laugh from the old monk.

"Actually, I am a Dark Warrior. Fifty years ago, I sold my soul to the demons through the Dark Messenger. My mission is to guard something here, something whose meaning you and your entire world cannot comprehend. I have been guarding it for a long time, constantly on guard against anyone stealing it, so I even sleep with one eye open at night, understand? The Dark Messenger has always wanted what I am guarding, but because of the interference of the power of the Jade Buddha Marayana, the Dark Messenger has never succeeded. They made me guard this place, waiting for the right opportunity... I loathe this life, I am weary, and I hope that one day the situation will fundamentally change, so I wander around here, searching for a real opportunity, a chance, or rather a way, to resolve all my troubles at once."

"Finally, I did find a way. It's very simple: I just need to be powerful enough to eliminate anyone who dares to steal my treasure, right? So, what I need is power. But where does power come from? Actually, there is such power all around me every day. I see the power of the believers' devotion every day, and I began to plan how to bring it under my control. Later, I finally decided to use the power of the Jade Buddha."

"This is the secret of the jade Buddha that your master told you. I am hiding behind the jade Buddha, and you cannot really see me with your naked eyes, so I am there to convey my opinions."

“Initially, I told those devout abbots and enlightened monks that they could exchange their life force for the peace and prosperity of the Golden Bull Kingdom. This condition was tempting enough, and every devout monk was willing to make such an exchange. But in fact, regrettably, I only had the power to destroy, not the power to build.”

"I disguised myself as the spirit of the Jade Buddha, constantly absorbing the life force of others to strengthen myself. I was very lucky; the Golden Bull Kingdom was indeed peaceful and prosperous, and the Jade Buddha deserves much credit for that, but it had nothing to do with me. This state continued until your master appeared."

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Chapter 28, You're Mine Now

“Unlike other abbots, he seemed more willing to devote his time to studying the secrets of the Jade Buddha. I realized that I couldn’t let him continue like this, so I used some little tricks,” the old monk recalled with a hint of pride.

“You…” Huizhi asked, a chill running down her spine.

"It's simple, I entrusted my power to him..."

"..." Upon hearing this, Huizhi was so frightened that she couldn't speak.

"Don't be nervous. In the early stages of your reliance, I didn't do anything. I just lay low and sometimes played a little role. But that was just using his own ideas to do small things for me, like occasionally cultivating you, etc."

"You are the best representative I have ever found. You possess all the qualities I need, so I hope you can become the abbot and use your power to help me achieve my goals. More importantly, I've discovered that those legendary figures who are supposed to arrive are getting closer and closer..."

"You mean them?" Huizhi suddenly realized, but the old monk remained noncommittal about his answer.

"How well have you received the power I've given you over the years?" the old monk asked.

“Not bad…” Huizhi replied hastily.

“Very well, don’t you want to see what your master has become these past few years?” the old monk said, beckoning him to come closer. Huizhi mustered his courage and walked forward, until he reached the old monk’s side. Just as he was about to bow, the old monk suddenly turned around and embraced him tightly. At that moment, Huizhi finally saw the old monk’s face for the first time in twenty years. He was horrified; every hair on his body stood on end: the old monk was nothing but a white skeleton! Two dark, gaping eye sockets stared intently at his own eyes, as if trying to suck them out.

Huizhi screamed, but the old monk's bony hands held him tightly together, and he couldn't break free no matter what he did.

"You are mine now!" the old monk cried out. A black soul roared out from the eye sockets and rushed into Huizhi's body, devouring all of Huizhi's consciousness and soul, and firmly controlling him, as if a whirlwind was blowing around the two of them...

When the wind stopped, the soulless bones fell slumped down before Huizhi, forming a low pile of bones.

"Heh! This is much better than a skeleton." The new Huizhi looked at his body with satisfaction, sneered, and walked out of the cramped scripture pavilion.

"Burn this place down," he said to the servants guarding the door.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 29, The Miraculous Spring

In just a few days, the village of outcasts had transformed into a small military camp. Every time the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, all the knights from the west would pray to the rising sun.

A brand new day, a truly meaningful day, has begun.

The Fountain of Light—that's what the knights called the spring—not only gave the Governor a new life but also saved Yu Ke's life. After drinking the magical water and with the help of Risho's miraculous healing skills, the young officer quickly recovered his health. Even more miraculously, the power brought by evil didn't seem to weaken as the evil thoughts in his body disappeared.

Just before Yu Ke was able to wield his twin swords again, James sent four strong knights to guard his room day and night. This wasn't forced imprisonment, but rather for security reasons. Therefore, Anthony agreed, even though his act of risking his life to save Hui Ren under the Bodhi tree that day had essentially earned him the officer's trust.

On the evening of the third day, Anthony and Li Shang arrived at Yu Ke's room, escorted by two other knights.

Yu Ke glanced at the guest standing at the door, said nothing, and continued to lie on the bed in a daze. For a moment, he looked up at Anthony, but then awkwardly looked away.

Anthony carefully examined the officer who was still imprisoned. Although his face was still haggard, the chilling evil in his eyes had vanished without a trace.

“You can leave now,” Anthony said to the knights behind him.

“But the captain ordered us to keep watch over you,” the knights said. They still couldn’t forget the scene of the giant elephant attack and were wary of everyone who had served under Huizhi.

“Standing guard outside won’t make you disobey orders, soldiers,” Anthony said. He understood the knights’ creed and didn’t want to force them to change their stance. The two knights exchanged a glance and silently withdrew. After they were gone, Anthony tossed something onto Yu Ke’s bed.

Yu Ke looked down and saw his own twin swords.

"What if I attack you?" the officer suddenly asked coldly.

“You’ve already forgotten how,” Anthony replied.

Another awkward silence ensued. Yu Ke carefully examined the twin swords that had been with him since childhood. The original black sheen had completely disappeared; instead, the blades reflected an icy blue light, making them sharper and lighter than before.

“I’ve soaked it in the Fountain of Light; it can directly destroy Rakshasa…” Li Chang said from the side.

“Thank you… My twin swords symbolize my duty and my honor.” Yu Ke sheathed his swords and gave her a meaningful look, the meaning of which was clear to almost everyone present. “I apologize for my previous mistakes. You may punish me in any way you wish.”

“Aren’t you going to explain your motives? If you’ve been deceived…” Li Shang asked.

"Explanations are useless. I will take responsibility for my actions. If it means death, I will be more relieved."

“Indeed, you should be sentenced to death…” Anthony said coldly.

“I understand,” Yu Ke replied as calmly as possible; everything was within his expectations. “I will not defy your judgment.”

Anthony continued to scrutinize the prisoner before him, completely convinced of the man's sincerity. At this moment, Yu Ke continued:

"After I die, please do not bury me with my twin swords, for I have tarnished their rightful glory."

“That’s true…” Anthony nodded, then said, “But you still have a chance.”

Yu Ke looked up, almost unable to believe his ears.

"Use your twin blades to restore your honor. In the near future, we will face countless battles together, and you will have plenty of opportunities to restore your honor."

"So, does that mean I can still fight?"

"You could say that."

So Yu Ke picked up his twin swords once more, this time with eyes full of passion and hope, as if imagining himself wielding them again.

“Tomorrow we will attack the ancient city and retake the Jade Buddha Temple. If you are willing, you can join us.” Anthony finished speaking, stood up, and walked towards the door. He had achieved his goal.

Li Shang turned around and saw that Anthony's figure had disappeared before turning back to the officer and saying, "I'm sorry..."

“You haven’t done anything to wrong me,” Yu Ke said, looking up into her eyes.

“There are already people here…” Li Shang touched her chest and said sadly.

“I understand…” Yu Ke’s tone was even calmer than when he heard he had been sentenced to death. Li Shang finished saying what she needed to say and turned to leave, but she was stopped by Yu Ke after taking only two steps. She hurriedly turned back and looked into his calm eyes once again.

Yu Ke originally wanted to ask Li Shang if the images Hui Zhi showed him—about her and Anthony—were real, but when she turned around and he saw her innocent eyes, he already knew the answer.

+: The Corpse King, the Feudal King

- Mystery Tribe

Section 30, I Won't Cause Trouble

"Take care!" he said finally.

“Hmm…” Li Shang nodded solemnly, and then left the small house under Yu Ke’s watchful gaze.

The knights' solemn prayers heralded the arrival of a new day.

Orlando filled the Necklace of Life with the Fountain of Light, and he and Kruzon will play extremely important roles in the entire offensive process today, so he seemed very excited.

"Is this method feasible?" Orlando asked Huiren cautiously.

"No problem. The Spring of Light is the only thing that can kill Rakshasa, because once it comes into contact with them, it can directly eliminate the evil thoughts in their hearts..."

"Alright, alright! I got it." Orlando interrupted Huiren casually. "What about our plan? Tell me again."

"You and Krusen climb to the top of the mountain closest to the ancient city and wait there. When you see us arrive at the city gate, begin to make rain in the city with the Spring of Light. Remember! Don't be too late or too early, otherwise Huizhi will use magic to intercept us," Huiren continued.