A master of comedy!

The monks of Yaofo Temple were deeply moved, some even shedding tears.

The demonic energy on their bodies was dissipating at a visible speed, like snow exposed to the scorching sun. Although it was as painful as scraping the bone to remove poison, they found it sweet.

Even the abbot was so engrossed in the play that he couldn't pull himself out of it for a long time, as if he had suddenly realized something.

The situation was gradually improving, but Zhou Sheng did not slack off in the slightest. Instead, he roused his spirits and focused intently on performing the fourth and final act.

This will be the climax of the play.

For thirty-three years, the Brahmin tasted medicines and traveled all over the world. With great perseverance, wisdom, and courage, he finally wrote the Lotus Sutra.

On the day it was completed, the medicinal tree where it resided emitted boundless golden light, its aura spreading throughout the nine provinces, and all stubborn diseases were automatically cured.

The tree spirit offered its thanks and made a grand vow.

"May I be a medicinal tree for Bodhisattvas in every lifetime, healing the illnesses of all beings and attaining enlightenment."

The Bodhisattvas Sunlight and Moonlight appeared, and the twelve Yaksha generals descended to earth to welcome the Medicine Buddha back to his position.

But at this moment, the disease demon played by Xiao Wu appears, sometimes as a sick old man, sometimes as a blind woman, and sometimes as a crazy child.

The disease mocks you: even if you try every medicine, write scriptures, and cure all the world's incurable diseases, the suffering will still return after you are gone.

The prescriptions you leave behind cannot cure new diseases, and the precious trees you plant cannot relieve new suffering. As soon as one disease disappears, a new disease will arrive, and this will continue endlessly for generations to come!

There will always be patients like the old man, the blind woman, and the epileptic child in this world.

Even if all the Buddhas pass away, his illness will not disappear.

Those words were like boulders thrown into a lake, creating huge waves and instantly disturbing the monks' newly restored Buddhist hearts.

Many of them wanted to argue, but when the words came out, they didn't know what to say.

Yes, countless years have passed since Bhaisajyaguru left this world, and everything is just as the disease has predicted.

Many people are still suffering from illness.

Could it be that even someone as accomplished as the Medicine King Buddha, after undergoing countless trials, ultimately succumbed to illness?
Thinking about this, many people feel lost and disappointed.

However, the next moment, the Medicine King Buddha, played by Zhou Sheng, slowly uttered these words when facing the disease that was constantly provoking him and was overconfident in his victory.

“There will always be new diseases in the world, and there will always be new Brahmins.”

"After I leave, my followers will put on my robes, carry my medicine bowl, and walk through deep mountains and valleys to discover new medicinal herbs and cure new diseases."

Upon hearing these words, tears instantly welled up in the monks' eyes, a mixture of shame, shock, determination, and a sense of sudden realization and relief.

They finally understood that the battle between the Medicine Buddha and the disease demon had not yet been resolved.

These devout believers are the true "prescription" left by the Medicine Buddha.

After a pause, Zhou Sheng clasped his hands together, his gaze deep, as if containing boundless hope and confidence.

That is an absolute trust in the "goodness" in human nature.

With his last words, he brought the first dark drama of the Zhou family troupe, "The Medicine Buddha," to a close.

"There is only one remedy that can cure all diseases in the world throughout history, and that is... the benevolence of a healer."

The Buddha's light dissipated, the Bodhi tree disappeared, and the chanting vanished without a trace.

Jinse's Jiaowei Qin gradually quieted down, and red marks appeared on her ten slender fingers.

All the members of the Zhou family troupe breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the monks with great concern.

They made no mistakes and did their best within their capabilities.

While they were performing, the demonic aura emanating from them seemed to be dissipating, and they appeared quite moved. It's just unknown whether this aura will persist after the performance ends.

If one only gets absorbed in the play while watching it, but remains obsessed afterward, then that would be terrible.

However, they soon showed signs of excitement.

"Amitabha!" First, the abbot bowed to the Zhou family troupe, then the senior monks of the Ci generation, and then all the monks awoke from that strange meditative state and bowed to the Zhou family troupe together.

There was no trace of demonic energy on them, nor any confusion in their eyes; instead, there was an indescribable purity and determination.

It seems as if he has undergone some kind of mysterious baptism, awakening a Buddhist heart that is even more insightful, resolute, and compassionate than before.

"What a wonderful performance of 'Medicine Buddha'! This old monk and his disciples thank the Zhou Family Troupe for their help, which has led us back from our misguided path!"

"Thank you, Zhou Family Team!"

The monks expressed their gratitude, their eyes filled with pure appreciation.

From within the relics, the old monk Cikun emerged gracefully and bowed deeply in gratitude to Zhou Sheng and the others.

“Amitabha, this old monk has finally seen the light. I used to think that ghost plays were just something for ghosts and gods to amuse themselves. Now I feel ashamed.”

"This performance by you all was truly a wake-up call, a real eye-opener. Boss Zhou certainly lives up to his reputation!"

"All Buddhist disciples should watch this play carefully, and be indifferent to fame, gain, loss, personal honor, and disgrace, only seeking to never forget their original compassionate heart..."

The monks chatted amongst themselves, expressing their gratitude to the Zhou family troupe and their admiration for the Yin Opera.

Zhou Sheng returned the greeting with clasped hands and said, "I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission, but it is a pity that I was unable to open the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli and send the eminent monks to the Buddhist kingdom."

Perhaps because he was tense throughout the performance, or perhaps because he had too little time to practice, although he sang well, he did not achieve a state of perfect harmony between himself and the role.

Otherwise, they should be able to sense the legendary Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, and perhaps then they could "see the Buddha to the Western Paradise."

The monks, however, did not take this to heart.

"To be able to enter the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli is a matter of fate; not being able to enter is also a matter of fate."

The abbot smiled and said, "From now on, we will follow the instructions of the Medicine Buddha and travel through deep mountains and valleys to collect new medicines, treat new diseases, and recite the Lotus Sutra."

Zhou Sheng was taken aback, and his face showed some embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, many monks nodded in agreement, and their gazes toward him contained not only gratitude and admiration, but also an indescribable piety.

It seems that some people really do regard him as the Medicine Buddha.

"Ahem, that was a script I altered without my permission, you don't need to—"

“Benefactor Zhou, although you performed the play, whether it is true or false, real or fake, to our ears is not necessarily up to you.”

The abbot interrupted him with a smile and said something quite profound.

"I will help you negotiate with the government to clear up the misunderstanding and restore the Buddhist temples in Ge'an City, and even rebuild the Medicine Buddha Temple—"

The abbot shook his head and refused again.

"The Buddhist temple at the foot of the mountain has encroached on fertile land and neglected production, which is indeed suspected of harboring filth and evil. If it is destroyed, it is due to karma. As for rebuilding the Medicine Buddha Temple—"

He laughed heartily and said, "When the government troops came earlier, they wanted to turn Yaofo Temple into farmland. Now that I think about it, what harm is there in losing one more temple and gaining one more piece of fertile land?"

"Yes, besides gathering herbs to treat illnesses, we can also help with farming!"

"Haha, that's perfect, we won't feel tired even if we die..."

"We can also set aside a plot of land specifically for planting the newly discovered medicinal seedlings..."

Listening to everyone's excited chatter, Zhou Sheng also felt a strange warmth welling up in his heart.

The fatigue from singing so many dark operas for so long seemed to have completely disappeared.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

This performance was spot on.

...(End of this chapter)