I am an insect

Seeing this, Ji Ye dared not linger any longer. He pushed off the ground with both hands and feet, his entire body leaping up and quickly reaching a distance of more than ten meters. The smoke seemed to be controlled by some invisible force, forming a bundle that resembled a writhing giant python, extending towards him in a very eerie way.

Ji Ye sprinted at full speed, and the mental energy within his body became more active than ever before, unleashing unprecedented power. Even Wang Yecheng's strong body could hardly withstand it, and he felt a tearing pain in his legs. With a single stride, he climbed up the wall.

The billowing smoke, resembling a giant python, arrived at the wall almost simultaneously, crashing against it and scattering in all directions.

The surface of the wall bears faint marks and shows signs of cracking.

Just then, a door in one of the monks' quarters in a nearby temple opened with a "creak".

"Who's there?" A bald man poked his head out from under the door and peered out.

This is a monk from the Vajra Wisdom Temple. He was awakened by the commotion outside.

As the monk appeared, the smoke that had been billowing out of the main hall suddenly flowed back, retreating through the cracks in the door and disappearing completely. It seemed that everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

The monk from Vajraji Temple looked around to make sure no one was there, then shook his head, a hint of doubt on his face, and pulled his head back in before closing the door.

At this moment, Ji Ye had already climbed over the wall and was panting heavily. He was lying on the ground outside the wall, his mental energy surging violently, as if it wanted to break out of his body.

In that final moment, he used almost all his strength to climb over the wall just before the smoke hit him. He was only a hair's breadth away from being hit by the smoke.

He didn't know the consequences of being hit, but the outcome certainly wouldn't be good.

Hearing the monk's voice, he dared not move even more, and just silently leaned against the corner of the wall. Fortunately, it was late at night, and the alley was deserted, so no one noticed him.

"The consciousness within that statue is not only nearing completion, but... it has already developed a sliver of awareness. Otherwise, why would it attack me?"

Ji Ye felt increasingly frightened as he thought about it, and dared not linger there any longer. Once his legs regained some strength, he immediately and quietly fled the place.

Having escaped from the "Kongoji Temple" and fled into the street, under the bright lights of the street lamps, Ji Ye felt the chill in his body lessen slightly, but he was still apprehensive. If left unattended, the statues of the Kongoji Temple would likely soon be in serious trouble.

However, these things are not his concern. Right now, he's like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river, barely able to save himself.

Because it was late at night, there were fewer taxis on the road, and Ji Ye waited for a while before he was able to hail one.

Back home, he quietly slipped into the second bedroom, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what. He sat cross-legged on the bed, trying to enter a meditative state according to the methods recorded in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, but he failed several times. Ji Ye sighed and had to give up. If he forced himself into a meditative state, it would not only have no effect, but it would also easily have a backlash effect.

Since he couldn't sleep, Ji Ye could only pick up his phone and browse the internet, searching for information about Vajrabodhi Bodhisattva and Vajrabodhi Temple, but he didn't find anything particularly interesting.

Then he thought of the incense burning in front of the main hall, and on a whim, he started looking up information about incense.

In folk beliefs, incense is believed to have all sorts of incredible effects.

Ancient people believed that the smoke from incense rising straight to the heavens could communicate with the gods, enabling the souls of the deceased to communicate with them. Moreover, it was also a source of income for the deceased. The incense, candles, and paper money burned by relatives and descendants in the living world during worship could be transformed into ghost money through the medium of fire, becoming money for the deceased to use in the underworld.

In addition, the ancients believed that incense could be a channel for communication between the underworld and the world of the living.

Although Ji Ye didn't know if the underworld truly existed, it was true that people turned into insects after death. The incense carried the longing of loved ones, and this longing was also one of the sources of mental energy, which could indeed attract mental power. This energy was very beneficial to the mental body.

"So, if my descendants' sacrifices commemorate me, they can also attract more spiritual power to accelerate my cultivation..."

Unfortunately, even though he knows that his descendants are worshipping him, he doesn't dare to show his face now.

Lost in these random thoughts, I finally drifted off to sleep just before dawn.

I had only been asleep for a short while when Wu Yumei woke me up to have breakfast.

Although Ji Ye didn't want to eat, he had no choice. Today was the day he had arranged to meet with the victim's parents. Only if he paid 50,000 yuan in compensation would they agree to a settlement, and only then would the matter be considered closed.

After a busy morning, both parties signed a settlement agreement, and Wu Yumei finally breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease.

"Thank God, this matter has finally been resolved satisfactorily. I hope Qinshu can learn from this experience and turn over a new leaf in the future. I made a vow before that if this matter can be resolved satisfactorily, I must go to Vajraji Temple to fulfill my vow."

Upon hearing Wu Yumei's words, Ji Ye's heart stirred, and his expression changed slightly.

"Oh, by the way, remember to take half a day off tomorrow morning, we'll go to fulfill our vow together."

Upon hearing Wu Yumei's words, Ji Ye's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded.

In broad daylight, with so many people around, he figured the thing inside the statue wouldn't dare cause any trouble. Besides, he was also curious to see what it would be like during the day.

Back home, Ji Ye took Wang Qinshu to the barbershop to have his conspicuous blond hair cut off.

"Remember, once your new hair grows out, don't dye it again."

Wang Qinshu, filled with admiration, nodded hurriedly, indicating that he understood his father's lesson.

"Don't worry, Dad, you're my idol now, and I'll learn from you from now on," Wang Qinshu assured him, patting his chest.

"And this tattoo on your body, go to the shop and get it removed. Which shop did you get it at? You're not even eighteen yet, and they still gave you a tattoo. I need to ask the owner about this."

When they arrived at the tattoo shop, seeing that Ji Ye had brought his child to the shop, the shop owner could only admit that it was a momentary oversight that he had forgotten to check Wang Qinshu's ID card. Wang Qinshu, on the other hand, was more mature and did not know that he was under eighteen years old. After that, he kept apologizing.

Ji Ye's shop owner was quite apology-seeking, and considering the current difficulty in doing business, he didn't make things too difficult for him. The shop owner removed Wang Qinshu's tattoo for free, and the matter was over.

That night, Ji Ye once again made an excuse to sleep alone in the second bedroom, but this time Wu Yumei suddenly stopped him.

"Honestly, do you have another woman on the side? It's been so long, and you haven't even shown a hint of interest in touching me?"

Clearly, she couldn't hold back any longer; she felt Wang Yecheng's attitude was too strange.

In the past, although the two sides did not meet often, it was mainly because they did not want to, not because Wang Yecheng did not want to.

Now that I've given him such a clear hint, he should have taken the initiative by now, but he's been avoiding me these past two days. There must be something going on.