A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Damn it, how could it be that brute from Liuzhou?

Has something happened to this old monk?

The old monk Yongjue felt a jolt of alarm in his heart, but he forced a sincere expression onto his face, clasped his hands together, and spoke with utmost earnestness:

"Deputy Director Liu, wait! It's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding! I've never met your nephew before, how could you say I'm bullying him?"

"You didn't bully them?"

Deputy Director Liu crossed his arms, raised a thick eyebrow, and the cigarette butt in his mouth tilted as he grinned.

"You mean... I, the deputy director of Bureau 749, am so busy with official duties that I'm bored out of my mind, that I've come all this way just to mess around with you, you old bald donkey?"

Before he finished speaking, he lifted his foot and stomped it seemingly casually.

"Thump—!"

The lava ground beneath their feet trembled violently!

"Boom—!!"

The surrounding crimson mountains seemed to receive a command, roaring as they rose and compressed once more!

Several more mountain peaks, flowing with golden-red lava, burst forth from the ground, and scorching waves of rock surged into the sky, further compressing the already narrow space and completely encircling it!

The scorching heat surged instantly, distorting the air like a scene above boiling water.

The old monk Yongjue felt the protective Buddhist light making a "sizzling" sound.

It felt as if the pure heat and pressure would melt me ​​in the next second, and my old face was even turning slightly green from the high temperature.

"Absolutely not! Benefactor Liu, you are wise! It's just that this old monk previously used my divine eye to observe this place and saw that the room was filled with the stench of blood, and demons were lurking there. It was clearly a scene of demons devouring people!"

"As a Buddhist disciple, how could I stand idly by and watch such a tragedy unfold? That's why I came here solely to vanquish the demon and uphold justice; I have no other intentions!"

"Oh, slaying demons."

Deputy Director Liu nodded, giving an "I understand" look, then his expression hardened, and he pointed to the empty, blood-stained floor beside him:

"That's my nephew's dog. It's registered with the bureau and has a permanent position!"

"Today, while accompanying my nephew on a field mission, we stumbled upon a scoundrel who lured a bear demon into the city and used a neighbor as a scapegoat. He was executed on the spot according to the law. You attacked without even asking what happened. What, is your Nanhua Temple planning an uprising?"

"No, no!"

The old monk Yongjue readily complied, cold sweat mixed with hot sweat streaming down his bald head, unable to tell whether it was from fear or heat, and quickly bowed.

"It was my recklessness that led me to fail to investigate properly and nearly harm... the loyal servant of the government. I apologize on my behalf, please forgive me!"

"Don't rush to apologize."

Deputy Director Liu suddenly interrupted him slowly, lit a cigarette in the flowing lava next to him, took a deep drag, and the smoke he exhaled was instantly evaporated by the heat.

He squinted, looking through the swirling smoke at the old monk below, whose Buddha-like light shimmered, and his tone became somewhat playful:

"My nephew was crying to me just now, and he casually mentioned something quite interesting."

"He said that the scum they killed today... seemed to have been used as a vessel by some beast, no, by some animalistic thing, to cultivate Buddhist supernatural powers."

"What was it called again? Oh, the Predictor of Destiny."

The old monk Yongjue froze for a moment, almost imperceptibly.

Deputy Director Liu acted as if he hadn't seen her, continuing in that casual tone, but every word was like a hardened nail:

"At first, I didn't believe it. Who would do such a despicable and vile thing, treating living people like piglets? Don't you think so, Master Yongjue?"

"But what a coincidence."

He flicked his cigarette ash, and a spark fell into the lava, hissing as it turned into wisps of smoke.

"I just got here, and my hearing seems to be malfunctioning. In a daze... I vaguely heard some old bald monk saying something like... 'Reclaim my lost supernatural powers'?"

"Hiss—Master Yongjue, please listen to this and help me analyze it..."

"Am I just getting old and my ears are acting up? Did I hear wrong?"

As Yongjue listened to Deputy Director Liu's repeated insults, calling him "old beast" and "old bald donkey" from one side to the other, each word like a knife piercing his lungs, the old monk felt deeply hurt.

Even a century of cultivating inner strength could barely suppress the murderous intent and shameful anger.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of foul air that smelled of sulfur.

He forced a bitter smile, the kind of compassionate yet helpless smile befitting an enlightened monk, and clasped his hands together, chanting a long Buddhist prayer:

"Amitabha……"

"Deputy Director Liu, it was indeed this humble monk who was overcome by greed and spoke without thinking, thus violating the precept against lying. This is my fault."

He raised his eyes, his gaze meeting Deputy Director Liu's mocking stare with composure:

"This humble monk used his divine eye to observe that demon... He saw that within that dog-like benefactor's body, there were actually two Buddhist supernatural powers flowing. He was terrified and became greedy and deluded, which is why he blurted out, 'Take it back.'"

"This was caused by lust arising from the sight of treasure, a result of my inner demons. Upon returning to the temple, I will repent before the Buddha and reflect on my mistakes in meditation."

He paused slightly, then emphasized his words, his tone carrying a resolute denial:

"However, I swear to Buddha! That act of cultivating supernatural powers by inhabiting a mortal body with evil methods is absolutely not something I would do!"

"This humble monk deeply abhors such appalling acts that harm living beings and blaspheme against the Buddha!"

"We hope that Deputy Director Liu will... investigate this matter thoroughly."

The old monk Yongjue stood there, his robes fluttering slightly in the hot wind, his expression open and his gaze earnest.

He seemed like a truly honest and compassionate high monk who had suffered a great injustice.

Did Buddha make a vow?

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Deputy Director Liu suddenly let out a low, deep laugh that inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.

The laughter temporarily drowned out the roar of the lava.

"Deputy Director Liu...why are you laughing?"

"Nothing. I just suddenly... remembered something from the past."

Deputy Director Liu stopped laughing and spoke slowly, his gaze fixed firmly on the old monk Yongjue's face like a nail:

"What a coincidence, it's also about your Nanhua Temple."

"About... thirty years ago? I can't quite remember. Anyway, back then, I was still working as a low-level errand runner."

"Nanhua Temple was completely wiped out overnight, leaving you the only one out there begging for alms, right?"

The old monk Yongjue lowered his eyelids, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his clasped hands were so tightly knuckled that they turned slightly white.

His voice remained steady, yet it was like a taut bowstring:

"Amitabha... That tragedy back then was a catastrophe for my Nanhua Temple, and a lifelong sorrow for this humble monk. Deputy Director Liu, what is your intention in mentioning this matter?"

"It doesn't mean anything special."

"When the investigator in charge of that case asked you if you knew anything, or... if you were involved in it—"

"At that time, it seems you also made a solemn vow to heaven, to earth, and to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the temple—"

"You said, 'If there is even half a word of falsehood, may I be forever condemned to Avici Hell, and may the Buddha's teachings not protect me.'"

The old monk Yongjue's breathing paused almost imperceptibly for half a beat.

He remained silent for a few breaths before raising his eyes, which were filled with utter grief and injustice.

"Amitabha... The tragedy of that year was indeed unrelated to this humble monk. All my masters, fellow disciples, and fellow monks perished... I was only able to escape by chance while begging for alms. Every time I think of it, my heart aches..."

"yes."

Deputy Director Liu nodded and took over the conversation.

"The pillars of Nanhua Temple died so quietly and cleanly. There were no signs of fighting or intrusion at the scene. It was so clean... as if they had agreed to sit in meditation and ascend to heaven together."

He stared into Yongjue's eyes and slowly said:

"And then, strange things started to happen."

"Ever since your masters, fellow disciples, and fellow disciples all died 'accidentally,' the monk Yongjue, who was originally mediocre and unremarkable in the temple, and even stumbled over reciting the Diamond Sutra..."

"Suddenly, he had an epiphany. His cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, and his understanding of Buddhism deepened day by day. Before long, he became the only pillar of stability in Nanhua Temple."

The old monk Yongjue's face was ashen, his clasped hands as steady as a rock, but his voice deepened:

"What do you mean by that, Deputy Director Liu? Do you doubt this humble monk? The matter from back then has already been settled by the bureau! This humble monk merely survived a calamity and deeply felt the boundless power of Buddhism and the impermanence of life. Therefore, I have been working diligently day and night, hoping only to continue the incense offerings of Nanhua Temple... Heaven and earth can bear witness to this heart!"

He raised his head, his gaze intense, with a hint of fearlessness:

"Deputy Director Liu, what new evidence have you obtained to bring up this old matter today? Or are you merely making conjectures to tarnish my reputation and reopen this ancient case?"

Deputy Director Liu seemed too lazy to beat around the bush anymore, and suddenly changed the subject:

"Master Yongjue, guess what other Buddhist supernatural power my nephew's big dog possesses besides the ability to know past lives?"

The old monk Yongjue's heart sank suddenly; an extremely ominous premonition, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his heart. He forced himself to remain calm:

"This old monk...does not know."

"I don't know?"

Deputy Director Liu nodded in understanding.

Then, he suddenly turned his head, facing one direction, raised his voice, and asked with a chuckle:

"Hey! Dog Lord!"

"They've been eavesdropping there for ages!"

Did you hear me clearly?

He extended a finger as thick as a carrot and poked it straight at the pale-faced old monk Yongjue below.

"What on earth was that old bastard thinking just now?!"

The moment the words fell.

A large, plump, and glossy black dog, swishing its tail, strolled out with an air of leisurely elegance.

On the dog's face, a sneer, full of lingering resentment and mockery, hung in an anthropomorphic way.

"ah--"

"That was quite something..."

"Clear, clear, distinct, and so on."

"Not a single word was missed!"