I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

Why did you want to kill me?

Gu Tinglan asked directly, since things had come to this point, there was no need to beat around the bush.

Lin Yi realized that she had keen perception, and she also realized that Lin Yi was extraordinary.

To be honest, she would rather not know these things; the more she knew, the closer death was to her.

But her little brain just wouldn't listen; after Lin Yi appeared, her mind was racing.

Lin Yi and she had no grudges against each other, and had exchanged ideas several times before. Even if they weren't friends, they were on the same side.

If there wasn't a reason, why would Lin Yi kill her?

The root of everything lies in the appearance of Venerable Lingxi.

It is clear that Lin Yi's enemy is not a specific woman, but rather immortals and gods.

Lin Yi revealed his killing intent because he realized that she was a reincarnation of a deity and that she held an extremely high position.

Why does Lin Yi harbor such great hostility towards immortals and gods?

The answer is obvious.

Gu Tinglan's heart skipped a beat. When Lin Yi killed Zen Master Dingguang before, she only thought that Lin Yi was doing a chivalrous deed. Now it seems that there is something unusual about this.

She knows too much, which is why she deliberately asked the question to make herself seem a bit naive.

Unfortunately, Lin Yi was not someone who was easily fooled. His eyes were sharp, and he saw right through Gu Tinglan's little schemes.

She was afraid of dying.

If she's afraid of death, things will be easier; fear makes her easier to manipulate. Lin Yi planned to bluff her and try to extract some information from her.

Judging from the current situation, Gu Tinglan is probably the highest-ranking deity he has ever met.

Even a venerable being with 500,000 years of cultivation treated her with utmost respect, which shows that her identity was not simple.

He has status but lacks skill. If he doesn't seize this easy target, will he still be Lin Yi?

Lin Yi adopted a cold and indifferent demeanor, as if he were completely unreasonable, and said, "First answer me, is there any mystery behind the thing you just gave me?"

Lin Yi didn't know what the relic represented, nor did he know what Gu Tinglan was thinking, but her behavior was strange, and there must be a reason for it.

Since she has a question, I should ask one myself too; that would be fair.

Gu Tinglan silently pursed her lips; this man really wouldn't suffer any loss.

But he treated Hua Nianrou's injuries without charging a penny and was exceptionally attentive, even making a special trip to see her when passing through Chang'an.

Is she really that inferior? Even asking a question requires an equal exchange?

Gu Tinglan felt somewhat resentful, but in order to save her life, she had no choice but to answer.

Her question was skillful; since she had asked Lin Yi why he wanted to kill her, no matter what Lin Yi answered, she only needed to refute his reason, and then Lin Yi would have no reason to kill her.

If she doesn't answer, Lin Yi won't answer either, and then she'll have no chance to defend herself.

After weighing the options, Gu Tinglan said, "There's nothing mysterious about it. He took away my supervisory power, which made me a little worried that something bad might happen. That's all."

Gu Tinglan's answer was very close to the truth.

In fact, she had already guessed what Venerable Lingxi was going to do, but she dared not tell Lin Yi.

She was no naive young girl, after all. Since Venerable Lingxi was acting on the Buddha's orders, she naturally couldn't interfere in this matter, much less sabotage it. The Buddha, in a single thought, could foresee all the affairs of the world.

He cannot directly intervene in the human world now, but Gu Tinglan will have to return sooner or later.

Having offended the head of the Buddhist sect, how can he still expect to stay in Buddhism?

But Lin Yi was a former police officer. Although he hadn't even finished his internship, he had already learned a lot of related skills.

After transmigrating, he also saw the memories of many people and gained a wealth of experience.

No matter how well Gu Tinglan tried to cover up her tracks, Lin Yi couldn't hide her skills.

He patiently pressed on, asking, "What is it that you feel is bad? Do you have any guesses?"

Gu Tinglan's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly closed them again.

She felt a tremendous sense of crisis; if she didn't answer this question well, Lin Yi might stab her to death on the spot.

On one side is Buddha, and on the other is Lin Yi; both are people she can't afford to offend.

but……

Lin Yi is someone you can't mess with in the mortal realm, but if she offends Buddha, she'll die in the celestial realm too.

After weighing the pros and cons, Gu Tinglan had no choice but to make a decision.

"I am focused on spiritual cultivation; external affairs are none of my concern."

"Is it really none of your business? If you didn't know, that would be one thing, but you must have guessed it. He's going to kill people as a blood sacrifice to obtain the divine power of the Buddha in the lower realm. Am I right?"

Gu Tinglan was speechless. She guessed that Lin Yi had already guessed, but she had no other choice.

"I was initially hesitant to kill you because you are Lu Yuanhua's disciple and haven't done anything wrong in your life. But now it seems you are, after all, a high and mighty bodhisattva. What pity do you have for mortals!"

Lin Yi's tone was quite disappointed. Gu Tinglan felt ashamed but also a little angry.

"You're really talking without understanding the situation. You're not me, so how do you know I don't feel any pity?"

Although Gu Tinglan wanted to live as long as possible, she was unwilling to be humiliated by Lin Yi like this.

"If you have compassion, how can you allow others to do such cruel things while doing nothing yourself?"

"What can I do then! Risk my life to save those people? I'm not as noble as you, willing to risk my life for strangers!"

Gu Tinglan's words carried a hint of sarcasm; she felt Lin Yi was being far too demanding, standing on a moral high ground to groundlessly accuse her.

Why should she feel obligated to do something just because someone is in trouble?

There is a Confucian saying that goes, "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven." If she were to defy the Buddha's decree, she would be like a clay Bodhisattva crossing the river, unable to even save herself.

Why should she have to sacrifice herself?

Lin Yi listened to Gu Tinglan's confident and assertive speech, then sighed and shook his head.

"If you were just Gu Tinglan, as long as you don't do anything bad, no one can say you're wrong in the slightest. But are you really just Gu Tinglan?"

You are a bodhisattva worshipped by people; are those people truly unrelated to you? Can you swear you've never received a single offering of incense from the world?

He wasn't hysterical or angry; he just felt sorry.

The attempt to win him over was doomed to fail because this person was more concerned with gains and losses than with responsibility and justice.

The sky is filled with gods and Buddhas, and temples and shrines are everywhere. The gods and Buddhas eat the offerings and incense from the people and plunder their fortune, yet they still regard mortals as pigs, dogs, and ants.

The life force and soul of mortals are good things. When gods and Buddhas need them, they can easily swing their butcher's knife at believers. No god or Buddha will protect these mortals. These mortals live like reeds and die like pigs.

Gods and Buddhas, on the other hand, remained high above all others, enjoying all the power without bearing any obligations.

Does such a logic still exist in this world?

Why is the cultivation gained from slaying demons and monsters discounted, but not from slaying immortals and gods?

Perhaps the reason is very simple.

Demons and monsters harm people; that's their nature. It's also because humans and these other beings are inherently enemies, constantly killing each other. Objectively speaking, there's no right or wrong to speak of.

But the conflict between humans and gods is different. Gods enjoy the offerings of incense from humans but do nothing. Instead, they oppress humans. How can humans not rebel?

Why would Lin Yi risk his life to protect humanity?

That's because he knows it's his responsibility.

Perhaps the Demon-Slaying Manual chose him and gave him a new life so that he could do these things.

If it weren't for the enhancement from the Demon-Slaying Manual, he would have been dead long ago.

Therefore, he cannot simply enjoy the benefits brought by the Demon-Slaying Manual while ignoring the obligations it brings.

This simple truth is neither understood by the zodiac animals nor by the Bodhisattva before us.

Following Lin Yi's logic, Gu Tinglan found that she indeed had no way to refute him.

She said those people were unrelated to her, but Lin Yi brought up the matter of offering incense and sacrifices, and she had indeed enjoyed some of it. However, this reasoning wasn't entirely correct.

"Just because I ate a little incense, does that mean I have to risk my life for someone else?"

Gu Tinglan felt annoyed and somewhat wronged.

She couldn't argue with Lin Yi, and she also felt that she couldn't be entirely blamed for this. She didn't want to see bloodshed, but what could she do?

Ironically, she, who was usually eloquent and persuasive, was drawn into Lin Yi's logic, which weakened her momentum and made it seem as if she was in the wrong.

She was clearly very upset, yet Lin Yi still criticized her and even tried to kill her. How could Gu Tinglan not feel wronged?

Since she was going to die anyway, she decided to give up entirely.

But to his surprise, Lin Yi's surging killing intent subsided.

"Of course not. Even if you choose to go with the flow and do bad things with others, that's still a choice you can make. It's just that I have some unwarranted expectations of you."

Lin Yi knew, of course, how difficult it was to get a bodhisattva to rebel against the Buddha, just like getting a subject to rebel against the emperor.

Lin Yi could easily understand the difficulties involved and the serious consequences that lay ahead, even though bystanders made it sound so easy.

No one has the right to demand sacrifice from others. She can choose to sacrifice herself, but she shouldn't be coerced by others.

Lin Yi understood the reasoning, and naturally he wouldn't coerce Gu Tinglan into doing anything. He was just saying it on purpose to test Gu Tinglan's thoughts and see what she was capable of.

Unfortunately, he did not get the answer he wanted.

Gu Tinglan's mind went blank for a moment after hearing Lin Yi's last sentence.

What did he mean by that?

Do you have some expectations of me?

Is it because I disappointed him that he's so angry?

In an instant, Gu Tinglan's hidden annoyance and grievances dissipated considerably, replaced by an inexplicable surge of shyness.

At the same time, she was also very conflicted.

As a Bodhisattva, she possesses profound knowledge of Buddhist teachings and naturally would not be bound by emotions.

Unfortunately, she is currently in human form and does not possess the great power of a Bodhisattva, so she naturally cannot be heartless.