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Chapter 33 Monk
After reading the diary, Zhou You was speechless for a long time.

He killed his father, then his wife, and then his son and daughter, all with such clean and efficient methods, showing absolutely no remorse.
"This guy is really wasted on modern times. What's so great about being the richest man in the city? If he had been born a few hundred years earlier, he would at least have been a notorious outlaw in ancient times."

Closing the book, Zhou You was filled with emotion.

"As for now, the system has given me two choices: one is to leave directly, and the other is to fight that Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva with the monk—but judging from the clues I've seen recently, this thing is definitely not easy, so what should I choose?"

He glanced at that diary again, but finally shook his head.

"Forget it, let's go see that monk first, and then watch the final episode."

Thinking of this, Zhou You immediately brought up the system options and selected to enter the daytime of the fourth day.

However, as the scene changed, he suddenly felt as if he had forgotten something.

Well, forget it if you forget it. Since you can't remember it clearly, it probably wasn't anything important.
-
The sun outside the window was still bright.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Zhou You felt that the sunlight that day was much warmer than before. The midday sun shone through the window lattice, spreading over him like a light veil, making him feel warm and cozy from the inside out.

The security room remained the same, its chaotic state unchanged, except for one spot marked in red on the patrol map by the door—a name that had never appeared before.

Guanghua Temple.

The thin mist outside the security guard's room had dissipated considerably, and the previously ethereal pedestrians became tangible. Although their eyes remained vacant and unresponsive, at least the neighborhood now felt more real.

Everything seemed to be getting better, but Zhou You always felt somewhat uneasy.

As the daytime draws ever closer to reality, will the nighttime, in stark contrast, become ever closer to a demonic realm?
So his pace quickened involuntarily.

It took Zhou You about half an hour to arrive at the destination.

However, although this "Guanghua Temple" is called a temple, it is actually not much bigger than the security guard's room. It is just a vermilion gatehouse that is common in the neighborhood. In fact, because it is so long and narrow, it looks as if it is squeezed between two residential buildings. There is no sign on the door. Only a few sticks of incense burning in the incense burner at the entrance indicate that this is a religious place.

Walking through the wide-open door, Zhou You found that although the place was small, it was fully equipped with everything a normal temple should have. There was even a wooden Buddha statue enshrined at the far end—but he was too ignorant to recognize what it was.

At this moment, an old monk was sitting upright in front of the Buddha statue, his body bowed, muttering indistinct scriptures, as if he were praying for something.

Adhering to the principle of politeness, Zhou You stood at the door and listened for a while—unfortunately, the other party was so engrossed that he didn't even notice a living person entering the temple. After waiting for a long time, he couldn't help but walk up and gently pat the old monk on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, I'm here to bother you, I am—"

Before Zhou You could finish speaking, the old monk slowly turned around.

But this simple action almost caused Zhou You to pull out the knife!
There was no other reason than that the other person's appearance was simply too frightening.

At first glance, the face was just a layer of wrinkled skin clinging to the bone, with nothing in between—no muscle, fat, or even blood vessels. It looked like a skeleton forcibly covered with a human skin, appearing almost ghostly.

You could even say that—even the landlady of Building 4 looks better than him.

But the problem is, the bell didn't ring.

Moreover, this one was still breathing. Seeing Zhou You's alarmed expression, the skeleton, now just a skinny shell, didn't seem to care. He stood up shakily, bowed deeply, and solemnly gave Zhou You a grand salute.

"Thank you for breaking the seal and saving my life."

"besides."

—His mouth was slightly open, and his voice was hoarse, as if it were rusted.

Excuse me.

"Could you please get this old monk something to eat?"
-
A dozen minutes later, it was still the same Buddhist hall.

"In short, that's how it is. I was deceived by Liu Shang. He said he would donate money to rebuild the golden statue in the temple to strengthen the seal, but then he teamed up with the witch to seal me inside the temple. For three whole months, I had no water or food, forcing me to sit in meditation to stay alive. In the end, I became this inhuman, ghostly figure."

Contrary to his terrifying appearance, the monk's voice was quite normal and peaceful, although it was somewhat muffled because his mouth was stuffed with something.

Zhou You sat on the other side of the futon, watching the monk tear into a chicken leg—the only thing he could get from the street stall outside—and then asked in a low voice.

"Master, is it alright for you to eat meat as you please?"

“Normally, we would be related, but now even if we were, it wouldn’t matter. Besides, if I don’t take this opportunity to replenish my strength, how am I supposed to fight that thing later? I can tell whether the lives of everyone in the city are more important than breaking the vow once.”

The old monk carefully tore off a strip of meat and put it in his mouth.

But this is not pleasure.

Judging from his expression, he was also not used to eating meat. He had to frown every time he swallowed, but in the end he still managed to eat everything with great difficulty. Then he wiped the corner of his mouth with his greasy hand and said to Zhou.

“My benefactor, I think I understand what you mean, but I must also tell you something: this Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva is not easy to deal with. Although she is called a Bodhisattva, she was originally a demon that was suppressed here hundreds of years ago. She uses flesh and blood as sacrifices and eats the five internal organs. If the three temples were still there, I could try to reinforce the seal, but now the three temples have been corrupted. Unless the Buddha descends to earth, no one can do anything about it.”

Zhou You was stunned for a moment.

"Master, you just said you were going to fight it to the death?"

“We can’t just leave so many people here,” the old monk said calmly. “Right now it’s just causing trouble in the illusion, but once it breaks free, this city will immediately become a ghost town. I am indeed nearing the end of my life, but I still have some magic power left. If I exert all my strength, I can bypass one of the vengeful spirits at the crossroads, so…”

The old monk sighed softly.

"—We've done our best and are leaving the rest to fate. Right now, all I can do is see if using a temple can buy us some time. As for you, this place is indeed not safe for you to linger. Fortunately, I've regained some strength and can barely manage to send one person out. But I have one more request: after you leave, please immediately go to the Qingjing Temple on the nearby mountain and inform my fellow disciples that the Bodhisattva has broken the seal. They should quickly descend the mountain to evacuate the city's inhabitants to prevent more innocent people from perishing."

The words were an undeniable rejection, leaving Zhou You no chance to offer any suggestions.

—Well, it seems this instance ends here, but there seems to be a side quest. I just don't know what happens to that Qingjing Temple.
After listening to the old monk's rambling words, which sounded like he was giving his last instructions, Zhou You could only pat his bottom, stand up, and was about to leave as he had suggested—but the next second, his expression suddenly froze.

Zhou You suddenly realized a key point.

"Wait a minute, you said you can only bypass one of the strange creatures. So if I can help you bypass the other two, does that mean you can break the seal on the three temples and reseal that Auspicious and Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva?"

(End of this chapter)