Simultaneous Transmigration: We Share a Role-Playing System

Chapter 165 The Black Bear and the Zen Master

"Your Majesty, are we sure we won't be discovered doing this? If I get arrested, there will be no one to serve you."

Even though the dormitory door was right in front of him, Zhang Chulan, with his yellow-haired ferret-like hair ornament, hesitated for a long time while clinging to the door frame, unable to open the lock.

Although the other party wasn't a weasel and was just bored and teasing him, it was undeniable that he was being entangled by this monster.

But the problem is, how am I supposed to explain this to my roommates? Putting aside the fact that I'm already entangled with this monster and can't escape, what if the police or special agencies come and deal with me too?

Just as he hesitated, Locke, nestled on top of his head, patted his head in annoyance and ordered sternly, "What I say goes! If you're my mount, you'd better know your place! I said we won't be discovered, and there won't be any problems. Open the door and get in!"

Faced with the unquestionable order, Zhang Chulan subconsciously touched the still-burning red claw marks on his face, the lesson from just now still vivid in his mind.

He didn't know exactly how powerful this monster was, but dealing with it was definitely more than enough. A wise man submits to circumstances, and today, Zhang Chulan would be that wise man!

"Yes, Your Majesty! No problem, Your Majesty!"

After saying that, Zhang Chulan took a deep breath, mustered up his courage, opened the dormitory door, and rushed in. However, he was too nervous and his movements were too large, so he slammed the wooden door against the wall, instantly attracting the attention of all his roommates.

Zhang Chulan, now the center of attention, froze on the spot, feeling extremely uncomfortable under their gaze. His mind raced as he tried to come up with an explanation, but Locke above him spoke up lazily first: "Don't just stand there. They can't see me or hear me, so don't worry."

Zhang Chulan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He secretly glanced around and, sure enough, his roommates' gazes only lingered on him for two seconds before they all withdrew, going back to playing games or chatting.

After all, he wasn't exactly a sociable person in the dorm, and his relationship with his roommates was lukewarm. Everyone just assumed he had done something strange again, and no one asked him any further questions.

Seeing this, Zhang Chulan was finally certain that what his master had said was true. Suppressing his surprise, he returned to his upper bunk and whispered, "Your Majesty, how did you do that?"

"This is called 'metal dryness generates wind,' you wouldn't understand even if I explained it further."

After saying that, Locke jumped off Zhang Chulan's head and naturally fell asleep on Zhang Chulan's bed. Then he waved his chubby little paws at Zhang Chulan and said, "Alright, little Lanzi, step down. Your Majesty is tired from the journey and should rest."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chulan, who had only climbed halfway up the ladder, froze in mid-air, as if shouting at the other person, "This is my bed! Mine!"

The next second, Locke threw a handful of red bills at his face and said, "Tell your roommates to get out and have fun. Find yourself a bed to rest."

"Yes, Your Majesty, no problem!"

At this moment, Zhang Chulan's gaze was incredibly firm, and everyone could only see two words reflected in his eyes.

One is loyal, the other is honest.

Just as Zhang Chulan was using the red bills to ask his roommates to sneak out and spend them, he gained a level of respect and voice that he had never had during his university years. Meanwhile, Locke, covered by Zhang Chulan's blanket, felt at ease as his consciousness gradually shifted to another avatar.

A thousand kilometers away, in the dead of night at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, mountain mist, carrying the cool night air, seeped into the main hall. The ever-burning candles flickered, casting long, swaying shadows of the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues onto the vermilion pillars.

Sitting cross-legged on the futon was none other than Master Jiekong, the former abbot of Shaolin Temple, now the abbot of Lingyin Temple, and one of the Ten Elders of the Extraordinary World.

He wore a pale white monk's robe that had been washed until it was almost white. He held a Bodhi rosary in his hand and stood alone before all the Buddhas in the hall, striking a wooden fish and reciting the scriptures word by word.

From some unknown day, an inexplicable yet deeply ingrained sense of unease began to haunt him day and night, like a persistent, malignant tumor.

That was no ordinary panic or confusion, but rather the resurgence of desires that he had long since suppressed under the sway of Zen, desires that had been dormant for decades. They surged day and night, stirring up a multitude of delusions in his mind, and even the anger, delusion, and greed that he had suppressed for decades through meditation broke through their barriers, becoming uncontrollable.

At this moment, he is exactly as described in Buddhism: obscured by ignorance, without wisdom, clinging to appearances and giving rise to greed. After wandering around for decades, he has become completely attached to appearances again, just like when he first entered the Zen school in his youth and had not yet seen through the illusions of form.

When ignorance arises, eighty thousand obstacles open. But he had already seen through this mental tribulation decades ago and severed the root of attachment to appearances. How could he have repeated the same mistake without warning and encountered such a dangerous mental demon tribulation again?

Moreover, even though he personally crippled all his meridians and dissipated his Shaolin hard skills that had made him a force to be reckoned with in the world of supernatural beings, he had already reached a state of perfection in the meditation and stillness skills he had cultivated throughout his life.

Even if I were to face another mental ordeal, I should be able to handle it with ease. I should not be like this now, unable to even guard my mind, and left with only a bone-chilling powerlessness.

He had his suspicions; perhaps some villains from the supernatural world were secretly causing trouble, using evil magic to disturb his mind. However, after investigating for several days, he couldn't find even the slightest clue and had to give up in the end.

Now, all he can rely on is the Buddhist teachings he has been immersed in all his life. But even the Buddhist teachings can only be used to suppress the restlessness that is tearing him apart and to calm the chaotic and deluded thoughts running rampant in his mind when he is in front of the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues in the main hall and quietly chanting sutras.

But tonight, this unease has reached its peak.

His chanting grew increasingly urgent, and the wooden fish mallet in his hand struck the drum more and more rapidly. The clattering sound echoed through the empty hall, and the usually calm and compassionate chanting carried a hint of barely concealed panic.

As the chanting and the sound of the wooden fish grew louder, the shadows in the corners of the hall, under the niches, and behind the statues spread and grew wildly under the candlelight, as if they were alive.

The thick, dark shadows gradually clung to the Buddha statues, devouring the warm light of the candlelight, and eventually suppressing the flickering candle flames within a small space.

Even the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues that should have been kind and compassionate to all beings gradually became ferocious in the distorted and swaying shadows. Their appearances were no longer compassionate, but instead exuded a cold and malevolent aura.

As a chilling, sinister gust of wind swept through the main hall, the Bodhi seed rosary that Jiekong was holding between his fingers snapped, scattering its 108 beads across the floor. The last flickering candlelight in the hall was also completely swallowed by the wind and the boundless shadows it carried. In an instant, the images of all the Buddhas in the hall disappeared into darkness, and the entire main hall fell into an absolute, deathly silence where not a hand could be seen in front of one's face.

The next second, Jie Kong's third disciple, Bao Ming, pushed open the door and turned on the electric light on the dome of the main hall, and the warm light once again filled the hall.

He looked at his master with concern, only to see Jiekong's chest heaving violently and his head covered in cold sweat.

"Master—Master, are you alright?"

"go out."

Jie Kong's voice was extremely low, revealing no trace of joy or anger, yet it was like a dormant volcano lurking beneath the surface of the sea, each word carrying an extremely suppressed force, and no one could say for sure whether it would erupt in the next second.

Baoming's Adam's apple bobbed, but he swallowed back the worry that was on the tip of his tongue. He bowed silently, withdrew quietly, and gently closed the door of the main hall, leaving Jiekong alone in front of all the Buddha statues.

After everyone had left and the hall returned to silence, Jie Kong let out a long sigh of relief, his fingertips twirling the broken rosary string, and silently chanted "Namo Shakyamuni Buddha".

But as soon as he finished chanting the Buddha's name, he caught a glimpse of an extremely unnatural black shadow beneath the lotus pedestal of the Buddha statue. Under the lamplight, the shadow twisted as if it were alive, then darted out like lightning along the shadow of the pillar and disappeared in an instant.

But upon witnessing this scene, Jie Kong's heart, which had been hanging in his throat for days, suddenly settled down, and the heart-wrenching anxiety and unease instantly dissipated.

It wasn't a problem with his own cultivation; someone was secretly causing trouble—since it was external evil at work, it was actually much easier to deal with.

Having figured this out, Jie Kong slowly stood up from the futon. He followed the path the dark figure had taken and chased after it at a leisurely pace, preparing to have a good talk with this uninvited benefactor who had disturbed his meditation in the middle of the night.

They chased the shadowy figure all the way to the Guanyin statue on the island behind the main hall, but the shadowy figure had completely vanished without a trace, not even a trace of malevolent energy had dissipated.

Jie Kong looked around and finally his gaze fell on the kind-faced Guanyin Bodhisattva statue in front of him. He thought that disturbing the Bodhisattva's meditation would be against etiquette and disrespectful to the Buddha.

He sighed softly, straightened his slightly disheveled monk's robe, bowed respectfully to the Guanyin statue, then closed his eyes and slowly said, "Your supernatural powers are truly remarkable, and your methods are so profound and mysterious that they surpass even my junior brother Yongjue. I have always upheld the precepts and cultivated my mind, and I have never dared to form any evil karmic connections. I do not know when or where I offended you. Please appear and explain yourself clearly."

After the words were spoken, the hall fell into a brief silence. A moment later, a deep voice with a slightly strange quality slowly came from directly in front of Jie Kong.

The voice was calm and even, without a trace of evil.

"Master, please calm down. We have no old grudges or new hatreds. My visit at this late hour is only because I have long heard of Master Jiekong's profound Buddhist teachings and deep meditation skills. I had the idea of ​​studying Buddhist principles and exploring Prajna with you. That's why I used a small trick to test your Zen mind. It was really presumptuous. I hope you will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Jie Kong slowly opened his eyes. Even though he had been disturbed by the other party for days, causing his delusions to arise and his mind to churn, there was no anger or resentment in his eyes, only a calm and compassionate expression.

He clasped his hands and bowed towards the source of the voice, performing a standard Buddhist greeting, and slowly began to speak: "You flatter me, benefactor. I have spent half my life observing precepts and practicing meditation, and have only scratched the surface of the vast Buddhist teachings. I dare not claim to be proficient in them. However, since you are so willing to explore Buddhist principles together, I will certainly, certainly—"

As Jie Kong saw the true face of the benefactor before him, his words came to an abrupt halt, the second half of his sentence stuck in his throat.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and he stared in disbelief at the Guanyin statue on the island in front of him. In the shadowy corners of the three-dimensional sculptures of mountains and seas behind Guanyin, a huge black shadow that was constantly churning and flowing was slowly unfolding.

A pair of blood-red eyes were embedded in the thick black mist, devoid of sorrow or joy, anger or resentment, yet possessing an innate ferocity. Just that one gaze was enough to stir the Zen mind that Jie Kong had cultivated for a lifetime, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

Before Jie Kong could react, the dark shadow suddenly exploded, transforming into a black wind carrying the chill of deep mountain pines and a biting cold, rushing straight at his face. The moment the wind stopped, the black wind solidified instantly, transforming into a giant bear, its entire body as black as ink, before him.

The giant bear, even just sitting on the ground, was eight meters tall. Its broad back almost reached the dome of the main hall. Its thick paws pressed against the bluestone floor tiles, and silently, fine spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the hard stone.

Before Jie Kong could speak, the giant bear lowered its head and looked down at him.

His deep, resonant voice, like the bell of an ancient temple, echoed against the walls of the hall, making Jie Kong's eardrums tremble slightly. Every word carried an undeniable sense of pressure: "In that case, Zen Master, let us begin."

A day later, on the top floor of the Nadutong headquarters building in the Beijing-Tianjin area, in the chairman's private office, the heavy soundproof door shut out all the noise from downstairs.

Zhao Fangxu, unusually, threw off his coat and practiced his splitting palm technique, which he had been practicing for decades, on the soft cushion against the wall. His chubby body swayed for a few moments before a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Before he could unleash another palm strike, there was a gentle knock on the office door, which was then pushed open. Su Hui, the only female director on the board, stepped aside and led in a short but imposing elderly woman from Northeast China.

He is Guan Shihua, one of the Ten Elders of the Extraordinary World and the guiding star of the Northeast Shamanic lineage.

Seeing this, Zhao Fangxu immediately stopped his stance, picked up a towel to wipe his sweat, and hurried over, panting, extending his hand to Guan Shihua with a smile: "Oh, Ms. Guan! What a rare guest! It's been so long, you're still so healthy!"

Guan Shihua smiled and reached out to shake his hand. She spoke in a crisp, authentic Northeastern accent, polite yet neither servile nor arrogant: "Chairman Zhao, you're too kind. How can an old woman like me compare to you?"

I never expected that Chairman Zhao, after holding such a high position for so many years, would still remember to hone his skills. This dedication truly earns my admiration.

"Hahaha, don't flatter me!" Zhao Fangxu waved his hand and laughed heartily, leading people to the sofa area. "My skills are just rudimentary, nothing special. Come, sit down. Ms. Guan, please take the seat of honor, and Xiao Su, you sit too."

The three of them took their seats on the leather sofa one after another. Zhao Fangxu didn't bother his assistant and personally went around to the tea table to boil water and make tea, his movements were smooth and effortless.

After three cups of warm tea were gently placed in front of the two, he sat back down in the main seat. The smile on his face faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression. He asked directly, "Ms. Guan, you've made a special trip to headquarters this time, surely there's something important on your mind? Please speak freely."

Na Du Tong, a semi-official organization that manages the entire Chinese community of supernatural beings, is ostensibly just a nationwide chain of courier companies. In reality, it is precisely through its pervasive courier network that it has woven a vast control network covering every corner of the country. Its core purpose is to keep a close eye on and regulate all the supernatural beings scattered among the people.

Sitting at the very top of this network, Chairman Zhao Fangxu knew better than anyone that, due to the "Spirit Binding and Commanding" technique, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, Guan Shihua, the head of the Northeast Shamanic lineage and one of the Ten Elders of the Extraordinary World, had basically never left Shanhaiguan again.

If this old lady were to personally step out of Shanhaiguan, it would surely be a momentous event that would shake the entire world of supernatural beings.

Before Zhao Fangxu could ponder further, Guan Shihua on the sofa had already dropped the formalities and got straight to the point in fluent and straightforward Northeastern dialect, without beating around the bush at all: "Chairman Zhao, you know my personality. I've never liked troubling people, let alone setting foot in the area south of Shanhaiguan. But this time I really have no choice. My great-grandmother has personally spoken, and there's a very important matter that I can only trouble you with, Chairman Zhao."

The moment the words "great-grandmother" left his lips, Zhao Fangxu's easygoing smile vanished almost entirely. He immediately exchanged a glance with Director Su beside him, both of them seeing solemnity and disbelief in each other's eyes.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone unconsciously softening as he tentatively asked, "The great-grandmother you're talking about, is she...?"

"Hey, you might not believe everything I say, so let your great-grandmother tell you herself."

As soon as she finished speaking, to the utter astonishment of Zhao Fangxu and Director Su, Guan Shihua made a simple incantation with her fingertips and silently recited a few incantations to summon the gods.

However, in the blink of an eye, the aura of this seemingly sprightly old lady from Northeast China suddenly changed drastically:

His originally cloudy pupils instantly narrowed into fox-like vertical pupils, with a faint blush appearing at the corners of his eyes. A layer of snow-white downy hairs sprouted from the tips of his ears, and even his sitting posture changed from casual and relaxed to dignified and composed, exuding an aura of millennia-old majesty.

A heavy, lingering, yet suffocating, ethereal aura instantly filled the entire enclosed office.

Zhao Fangxu immediately stood up from the sofa, his usual smooth and easygoing demeanor completely gone. He bowed solemnly and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask who you are?"

The seated figure slowly raised her eyes, her voice calm and composed, yet carrying an undeniable authority, completely different from Guan Shihua's original accent: "There's no need to mention my real name; the younger generation in the family all call me Hu Santai Nai."