20demayo Chapter 46 The Paper Doll's Merit
Chapter 46 The Paper Doll's Merit
"But—" Zhou Ge's voice changed, all the deliberate frivolity and arrogance vanished, revealing something burning hot beneath his clenched teeth, "But it's not fast enough."
"No matter how fast the sword of the Japanese is, it is still a sword of the Japanese. In their dojo, I will always be a person from the East."
They taught me swordsmanship, but never considered me one of their own. I know they said privately, "No matter how well a Dongguoren learns swordsmanship, he's still just a coward who's learned ventriloquism."
He lowered his head, his forehead touching the cold brick surface, but his back remained ramrod straight.
"Buddha, it is true that I do not believe in you. But on this land, I do not know who else I can turn to but you."
The Westerners' God can't control the affairs of the East, and the ancestors of the East have been lying down for too long.
Only you remain, sitting in this dilapidated temple, bathed in Buddhist light, like a joke—yet I still came.
"I want to become stronger."
"So strong that it can even surpass the swordsmanship of the Japanese, so strong that it forces those Japanese who look down on Japan to bow their heads. So strong," his voice finally trembled slightly, "so strong that it can turn the sword I learned into a sword for killing enemies."
"I'm not doing this for the sake of the Eastern Kingdom; this land is already rotten and beyond saving."
"I'm only doing this for myself..."
Silent for a long time.
When he spoke again, he reverted to that cynical tone, even carrying a hint of bargaining snobbery:
"So, Buddha, will you help me or not? If you are willing to help, I will build you a golden statue in the future, and the incense will continue to burn. If you are not willing to help, that's fine too. I, Zhou Ge, will still become stronger, it will just take a few more years. When that time comes, I will tear down your dilapidated temple, so don't blame me."
He raised his head, the curve of his lips unreadable—was it a smile or a ruthless expression?
"I don't believe in you, but I need you. Isn't that what you Buddhists call 'karma'?"
A strong night wind rushed in and blew out the oil lamp in front of the monk.
In the darkness, Zhou Ge stood up, dusted off his knees, turned and strode away.
"This kid..." Xu Helin watched Zhou family's sword genius's every word and action, feeling both indignant and sighing.
As Zhou Ge said, if this continent of the East is not saved, it will truly rot completely.
However, Buddha has no mind, let alone Buddha in the world.
This Buddha statue was created by him and Fang Qi to attract the Huangtian Esoteric Sect.
The only way to save the Eastern Kingdom is to become strong.
Thinking of this, Xu Helin looked at Fang Qi beside him.
This child is incredibly talented and has a meticulous mind. Given time, he will surely become a master in his field, and perhaps even challenge for the title of Grandmaster.
Alas... If the younger generation of the East is like this, then why has the East fallen to such a state?
"Mr. Fang, how did you expect that the Huangtian Secret Sect would still show up even though they suspected this place might be a trap?" Xu Helin continued with his previous question.
Fang Qi leaned against a pillar in the hall and chuckled softly, "This sect even dared to kidnap Wu Zhan, the closed-door disciple of Master Wuji. That shows how insane they are. Even if they knew it was a trap, this place is so popular with worshippers, how could the Yellow Heaven Secret Sect let it go?"
As can be seen from the Huangcheng Temple, Huangtian Esoteric Buddhism absorbed believers through temples, thereby expanding and growing.
The mountain god temple receives incense from thousands, even tens of thousands of people every day. The Huangtian Esoteric Sect would definitely be taking risks and testing the waters with such actions.
Xu Helin suddenly realized that he had thought about this point before, but his previous understanding still made him think that the Tantric sect would not be so stupid, but he overlooked the fact that the Tantric sect's behavior was eccentric and unruly.
"Mr. Fang is indeed very meticulous; I admire him."
He inwardly lamented that he was unworthy of being a master of internal energy. Over the years, he had only focused on opening a martial arts school and only saw immediate benefits. His vision was limited, and he was not even as good as a young man.
"You flatter me, Master. I was just doing my duty." Fang Qi walked to the altar, lit sandalwood incense, and said, "The esoteric sect corrupts people's minds and kills the innocent. It is intolerable to heaven and earth. It is our duty to eliminate evil and protect the righteous path."
According to Xu Fangjing, this Master Xu is from the Xingyi School, possesses the "External Scenery Divine Intent" and has already opened all 108 acupoints in his body. He is a future master of Dan Jin. It would be good to make a good impression on him.
Xu Helin nodded silently.
Nowadays, everyone in Tianjin only cares about their own business, and there's a lack of people with a strong sense of justice like these.
"Master, there are paper figures here, so nothing will happen. Let's go back first."
"it is good."
This time, he deliberately ignored Ma Sanli for two reasons: first, to verify whether Ma Sanli was truly a member of the Yellow Heaven Secret Cult; and second, to lure out a bigger fish by feigning indifference.
Therefore, it is estimated that Huangtian Esoteric Buddhism will not reappear in the near future.
And that was exactly what happened. For the next ten days or so, there was no trace of the Huangtian Esoteric Sect. Instead, more and more people came to pray and offer incense, and even the scions of the four major families of Tianjin were attracted.
That night, Fang Qi and Xu Helin, as usual, hid in the shadows of the palace, chanting sutras in front of the paper figures and monks.
Bian Caizhu, the fifth young lady of the Bian family, wore a pale yellow Western-style evening gown with tiny sequins on the chest that shimmered in the moonlight.
"I'm exhausted." She fanned herself with a handkerchief, looked up at the monk, raised an eyebrow, and smiled first, "Brother Monk, you're so handsome, are you willing to marry me?"
The paper figure and the monk continued chanting their sutras without answering.
Bian Caizhu didn't mind. She took out a thin cigarette from her handbag, lit it, and took a puff, her posture as elegant as a cover girl who had just stepped out of a magazine.
"Brother Monk," she said, squinting slightly as she held a cigarette between her fingers, "I've come to ask you for a favor."
"Don't you Buddhists say 'sincerity brings results'? My heart is truly sincere."
She exhaled a puff of smoke, the smoke rings rising and dispersing between the monk's lowered brows and eyes.
"I want a man."
"Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry; it's the kind of man who is upright, handsome, no older than thirty, and a master."
"Do you know what 'master' means? Dan Jin is the kind of super master who can crack floor tiles with a stomp of his foot and send people flying with a wave of his hand."
"Look at my face, my features, my skin, my figure. With looks like mine, I deserve a man like that, it's only natural."
"Oh, and he has to be obedient. If I say go east, he can't go west; if I say eat noodles, he can't drink the soup. A real man should be a real man, but at home, he has to listen to me."
She got more and more excited as she talked, and the cigarette had burned down to the end. She casually threw it on the ground and crushed it out with the toe of her shoe.
"So, Buddha, you have to help me find a good match."
I heard there's a guy named Fang Qi in the Old Territory area who's quite young but has already reached the Transformation Realm... never mind, he's still a bit short of Transformation Realm.
My younger sister, Bian Caiyu, is a year younger than me, and she's already reached the Transformation Realm. She shows off in front of me every day, and I can't swallow this insult.
"So I'm going to find a good man, and then I'll show her who the most precious daughter of the Bian family is."
At this point, her voice suddenly paused.
The smoke died down, and the hall grew darker.
The moonlight slanted in through the broken window, falling on her exquisitely made-up face and casting a strange expression.
The smile was still on her lips, but a burning jealousy was clearly raging in her eyes.
She suddenly knelt down, her hands on the ground: "Buddha, do you know what the situation is like for the Bian family now? Tianjin is not peaceful anymore, the Japanese have come to my house."
My father was so frightened that he sent Caiyu away overnight, using the most secret road the Bian family had taken, and even hired a master of internal alchemy to escort her along the way, but he left me behind.
People in Tianjin all know that the Bian family has two young ladies: the eldest, Bian Caizhu, and the second, Bian Caiyu.
When the Japanese visited, the Bian family would make me show myself in public, dressed smartly, to attend banquets and dances, to be the center of everyone's attention.
So that all their eyes would be on me, and they wouldn't see my sister who had been secretly sent away.
"My father even told me personally, 'Caizhu, I'm sorry you've had to go through this.'"
"Just that one sentence, and then he turned around and went to pack Caiyu's things."
"I'm just angry."
"Why can't I be angry? I'm older than her, I was born a year earlier than her, but all the good things in the house belong to her."
The talent was hers, the future was hers, and even her father's heart belonged to her. All that was left for me was a beautiful dress, a silver tongue, and a life as a facade.
"I beg you to give me a good husband, just think of me as someone who wants to prove a point."
"It's not for marriage, it's to show my father that I, Bian Caizhu, am not unwanted, and that I'm no less than Caiyu."
She stood up, patted the dust off her dress, and the pale yellow evening gown had a few wrinkles from squatting down, but she didn't bother to smooth them out.
"Forget it, what's the point of telling you all this? You're just a little monk, this dilapidated temple might be torn down tomorrow, what help could you possibly give me?"
She turned and walked out, stopping at the door as if she wanted to say a few more words, but instead lit a thin cigarette, took a deep drag, and left.
To bring up the rear.
"The Japanese have made contact with the Bian family!" Xu Helin's face was completely black with rage.
Moreover, it wasn't just the Bian family; all four major families seemed to be secretly in contact with the Japanese!
"The four major clans control most of Tianjin's resources, and the Japanese harbor wolfish ambitions. If the two join forces, Tianjin is likely to descend into chaos!"
He clenched his teeth, wishing he could grab Bian Caizhu and interrogate her.
Fang Qi remained silent, thinking to himself that this temple actually had the function of eavesdropping on secrets.
Just then, footsteps were heard again in front of the hall.
"Master, someone's here again!" Fang Qi's spiritual sense covered the entire temple and he sensed someone heading straight for the back hall.
Xu Helin's expression changed. He subconsciously sensed that no one was there. He was secretly surprised that Fang Qi's senses were stronger than his own.
A moment later, three figures stepped into the hall.
One of them was clearly Ma Sanli, a member of the Huangtian Mi sect who had come to "discuss cooperation" a few days earlier.
"I wonder which great protector is holding this altar. I am very grateful to you, Jueqing."
Among the three, a man dressed in a yellow brocade robe spoke with a smile.