Under One Person: Sincerity Moves the Gods

Chapter 95 Seclusion

After Bai Xun's感慨 (feelings/reflections).

He took a deep breath, formed hand seals again, and whispered a command.

"The three corpses transform into mist, drawing souls into illusion!"

next moment.

Li Cunzhen's three corpses suddenly exploded, turning into three thick clouds of black mist that enveloped Li Cunzhen's entire body.

The black mist surged, as if countless hands were tearing at his consciousness.

A moment later, the black mist dissipated.

Li Cunzhen's figure disappeared.

There was no one on the futon in the center of the courtyard; only the black mist remained, slowly swirling in its original spot, like a black cocoon.

Bai Xun withdrew his hand, let out a long breath, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Alright, now it's up to fate."

He looked at Zhang Zhiwei and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Master Zhang, this matter will take some time. During this time, please stay by my side to protect me."

"If there is any unusual activity, please call me immediately."

Zhang Zhiwei leaned against the courtyard wall, crossed his arms, and nodded.

He didn't speak, but his half-closed eyes opened slightly, his gaze falling on the black cocoon with a hint of curiosity.

at the same time.

Li Cunzhen has entered a state of inner demon illusion.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The blinding sunlight pierced through the clouds, causing him to squint slightly.

What lies before us is no longer the slightly antique courtyard of Tongfu Inn.

Instead, it's high-rise buildings.

This is a modern, bustling metropolis, with heavy traffic and flashing neon lights.

Li Cunzhen looked down at his hands, which were still those of a young man, and he was still wearing the Taoist robe of the Sanyi Sect.

His eyes were momentarily blank, his memory seemed to have a hazy gap, and he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

But soon, this feeling of unease was soothed by the familiar scent around him.

"Cunzhen, what are you staring at so intently?"

"Hurry up and follow us!"

A gentle and peaceful voice came from beside me.

Li Cunzhen turned his head and saw a tall, thin-faced Taoist priest standing beside him.

The Taoist priest had white hair and beard, and possessed an otherworldly air about him. His snow-white Taoist robe was spotless, and he was surrounded by a transcendent aura.

It was his master, Zuo Ruotong.

Li Cunzhen looked at him, momentarily confused, then remembered.

He has loved Taoist culture since childhood, and after graduating from university, he took the initiative to go up the mountain to seek the Tao, and eventually became a disciple of the famous Taoist master Zuo Ruotong.

Memories gradually became clearer.

Li Cunzhen bowed his head slightly, his expression respectful.

"Master, where are we?"

Zuo Ruotong smiled gently.

"When you and I, master and disciple, went down the mountain to gain experience, we unknowingly entered this bustling world. The city is prosperous, but it is also the most captivating place for the mind."

He looked at Li Cunzhen, his tone gentle, yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

"Cunzhen, you have always been insightful. You know that the most important thing in cultivation is peace of mind. Only by being free from cause and effect and owing no worldly ties can one attain great freedom. Speak no falsehoods and do not harm the slightest thing. This is the only way to avoid the cause and effect of this mortal world."

"Remember this, remember this."

Li Cunzhen nodded in deep agreement.

"Your disciple will remember your teachings."

This is precisely the logic he has always adhered to.

He wants peace of mind, and because he has a conscience, he feels uneasy if he owes someone a debt.

Further analysis shows that lying, regardless of whether the intention is good or evil, will distort the facts and thus create unpredictable causes and effects.

He wasn't sure if the cause and effect was good or bad, so he simply chose to never lie.

Because as long as one doesn't lie, what is stated is an objective fact. Even if this fact ultimately leads to some consequence, that is the law of the development of things themselves and has nothing to do with him.

Thinking about it.

The master and apprentice walked forward along the bustling street.

Not long after, the two passed by a crowded farmers' market.

At the market entrance, a middle-aged man with a fierce face was guarding a meat stall.

Under the glow of the fresh food lights, the pork displayed an enticing sheen.

When Li Cunzhen came in, he had just finished a business deal and was taking the money from the customer and putting it into his wallet.

Just then, a ragged, thin teenager suddenly darted out from the crowd.

His eyes were green as he stared intently at the wallet where the middle-aged man kept his money.

Just then.

Taking advantage of the moment when the middle-aged man reached out to give him the meat, the boy rushed forward, grabbed the wallet, and then turned and ran.

"Hey! Thief! Catch the thief!"

The middle-aged man realized what was happening, immediately put down the cleaver, and roared.

He had a loud voice, which made passersby stop in their tracks.

The boy, in his panic, missed Li Cunzhen and Zuo Ruotong and disappeared into a dark alley with three forks in the road.

Several enthusiastic young men and market security guards chased after them, panting as they ran to the fork in the road, stopping and looking around.

One of the security guards saw Li Cunzhen standing at the intersection and asked anxiously.

"Young Taoist priest, did you see which way that little beggar who stole the money ran just now?"

Li Cunzhen looked toward the alley on the left.

With his keen hearing, he could clearly hear the boy's heavy breathing as he hid behind the trash can.

Just as Li Cunzhen was about to speak, a moment of hesitation suddenly flashed through his mind.

The boy's eyes were green with hunger; he had clearly been driven to the brink of despair.

Stealing money is wrong, but who would do such a thing in public unless they were desperate?

Li Cunzhen's hands clenched slightly.

At this moment, Zuo Ruotong suddenly looked at Li Cunzhen and began to guide him.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs."

"Everything in this world is preordained. If you lie and point the wrong way, you are interfering in the cause and effect of this young man, and you are protecting evil; if you do not lie, you are simply stating the facts."

He paused, then met Li Cunzhen's gaze.

Sincerity is the way of Heaven.

"Don't let your mind wander; just tell the truth."

Li Cunzhen nodded.

Master is right. He only needs to be at peace with himself. As long as he doesn't lie, he shouldn't have to bear the consequences.

He raised his hand and calmly pointed to the alley on the left.

"He ran to the left and hid behind the third trash can."

Thank you!

The security guards and young men rushed in immediately.

A short while later, muffled thuds of punches and kicks and the boy's pitiful screams echoed through the alley.

"I'll beat you to death, you little brat! You're so young, and instead of learning good things, you've learned to steal money!"

"I'll teach you to steal! I'll teach you to steal!"

The screams were heart-wrenching, like the agonizing howls of a wild dog whose bones had been crushed.

Li Cunzhen stood at the entrance of the alley, watching the boy being pinned to the ground and beaten by several people until his head was bleeding profusely, his face covered in snot and tears, and blood seeping from his nose and mouth.

The wallet in her arms was snatched and thrown back into the middle-aged man's hands.

The middle-aged man was still not satisfied and kicked the boy twice more.

"Kill him! Kill this little beast!"

Soon, the boy's screams gradually subsided.

Li Cunzhen frowned slightly.

The boy was wrong to steal, but the beating he received was far too severe.

Those burly men were extremely heavy-handed, each punch landing hard and nearly killing the child.

"You feel you can't bear it anymore?"

Zuo Ruotong stood beside him, her eyes clear, calmly observing the scene before her.

"There's no need to blame yourself. You were just stating the facts. He was beaten because he sowed the seeds of theft, so naturally he had to reap the consequences."

"As for the karma of the violence, that should naturally be borne by the strong man who did the beating."

In short, none of this concerns you.

He patted Li Cunzhen on the shoulder.

"Let's go."

Li Cunzhen took a deep breath, suppressing the slightest ripple in his heart, and silently followed Zuo Ruotong's footsteps.

He couldn't help but look back.

The boy was curled up on the ground, like a discarded rag.

The master and his apprentice walked along.

The sky had darkened without us noticing.

The flashing neon lights cast a bizarre and dazzling glow over the city.

The red and green light reflected on the wet road surface, like an overturned palette of paints.

Li Cunzhen and Zuo Ruotong walked into an old city redevelopment area slated for demolition.

The streetlights here are dim, and the surrounding area is littered with construction debris, with bricks, broken glass, and scrap steel bars scattered everywhere.

The air was thick with the smells of mildew and urine, and there was no sign of human habitation.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the rapid and frantic sound of high heels.

Da da da da...

The sounds were rapid and chaotic, like someone was fleeing for their life.

Li Cunzhen looked in the direction of the sound.

A disheveled woman with messy hair and clothes staggered out of the darkness.

Her face was covered in bruises and tear stains, her left eye was swollen and barely visible, and blood was seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Her clothes were torn in several places, revealing her bluish-purple skin.

Upon seeing Li Cunzhen and the other woman, the woman grasped at a straw and knelt down at Li Cunzhen's feet with a thud.

"Save me...please save me!"

The woman lowered her voice and pleaded desperately, her lips trembling incessantly.

"My husband is a gambler; he owes money to loan sharks and wants to sell me to them to pay off his debts!"

"He's insane! He really will kill me!"

The voice just fell.

A series of harsh curses faintly came from the direction the woman had run from, accompanied by the screeching sound of an iron rod dragging on the concrete.

"You bitch! Try to run! I'll break your legs!"

Upon hearing the sound, the woman's body immediately began to tremble violently.

She darted under a pile of discarded tarpaulins nearby, covering her mouth tightly, afraid to even breathe.

Before hiding inside, she mustered all her strength to cast a pleading look at Li Cunzhen, her lips moving silently.

"Don't tell him... please... or I'll really get beaten to death..."

""

A few seconds later, a man with a muscular face and bloodshot eyes rushed over carrying a rusty steel pipe.

He reeked of alcohol and walked unsteadily, but the ferocity in his eyes was still evident.

The steel pipe was stained with dark red grime, whether from rust or dried blood, it was hard to tell.

The man stopped when he saw Li Cunzhen and Zuo Ruotong. He pointed at Li Cunzhen with a bloodstained steel pipe and asked viciously.

"Hey! Did you see that bitch run past here? Which way did she go?"

Li Cunzhen stood still.

As long as he says he didn't see it, or points in the opposite direction, the woman can temporarily escape danger.

But that means lying.

What if the woman lied to her, or what if the man was the victim?

Li Cunzhen's hands clenched tightly in his sleeves, his knuckles turning white.

He was hesitating.

Zuo Ruotong's voice suddenly rang out. This time, his tone was no longer as calm and collected as before, but rather carried a hint of sternness and impatience.

He clenched the whisk in his hand slightly, and the snow-white whisk strands trembled.

"Preserve the truth!"

"Do not waver! Deception is the beginning of delusion!"

"If you lie to save her, you will become tainted by the karma of this couple, and that karmic burden will fall upon you!"

His voice grew louder and louder, forcefully suppressing the hesitation in Li Cunzhen's heart.

"You must not harm others, nor deceive them."

"This is her fate, what's it to you!"

Li Cunzhen turned his head and glanced at his master, Zuo Ruotong.

For some reason, he felt something was off, as if Zuo Ruotong was forcing him to make a choice.

"Speak! Are you mute?!"

By this time, the man had grown impatient. He raised the steel pipe, pointed it at Li Cunzhen's nose, and roared.

Li Cunzhen closed his eyes.

He thought of the boy who had been beaten half to death, and of the boy's silent weeping.

He wasn't lying then; he pointed out the right way.

Then..

Then the boy's bones were broken, and his face was covered in blood.

His statement was true, but did the consequences of that fact truly free him from all worries?

Can the so-called reasons of not being bound by cause and effect and following the natural order really make him feel at ease and refuse to help someone in distress?

No.

He felt uneasy.

From the moment he stepped out of that alley, a weight was pressing on his heart.

It wasn't big, but it was very heavy, so heavy that he couldn't breathe.

Now, the same choice is before us again.

Lie to save this woman.

To be honest, I'd rather she have her legs broken, or even be beaten to death.

but.

Li Cunzhen recalled his previous guess.

He doesn't know the truth of the matter, and if the man is the victim, how should he deal with it?

seem.

It's better to let things take their course. Even if he makes a mistake, he won't be held responsible.

Finally, Li Cunzhen opened his eyes and his lips moved slightly.

"She didn't run far."

He seemed to have suddenly developed a stutter, speaking very slowly, and pointing to the tarpaulins piled up to the side.

"She's hiding under that pile of tarpaulins on your left."

"I knew you shouldn't have said so sooner!"

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes lit up. He sneered, strode over, and ripped open the tarpaulin.

"ah--!"

The woman let out a desperate scream, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The man grabbed the woman's hair and dragged her out from under the tarpaulin.

A lock of the woman's hair was ripped out, and blood seeped from her scalp.

She was thrown to the ground like a sack of broken flour.

The man kicked her in the stomach without any mercy. The woman arched her body, let out a muffled groan, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"You shameless woman!"

"I was originally planning to buy you back after winning the bet, but I didn't expect you to dare to run away. Well, you can stay in the basement for the rest of your life!"

Then, the man raised the steel pipe and smashed it hard against the woman's leg.

Click.

The sound of bones breaking was particularly clear in the quiet old town.

The woman fainted from the pain, without even having a chance to scream.

The man dragged her by her hair like a dead dog, pulling her into the darkness.

A shocking trail of blood was left on the ground, gleaming a dark red under the dim streetlights.