Chapter 772
: An apology is useful; what's the point of having the God-Slaying Gun?
She secretly glanced at Lin Zhu.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Zhu's face.
It was a very light and faint smile, with the corners of the mouth slightly upturned, just the right amount.
In Guanyin Bodhisattva's eyes, that smile carried a hint of smug satisfaction after accidentally discovering the truth, and that "oh dear, I accidentally found out" expression made her even more terrified.
Because she felt that Lin Zhu was enjoying the game.
He already knew everything, but he pretended not to know anything and guided the White Dragon step by step, making the White Dragon reveal everything for him.
He didn't need to lift a finger, speak, or even show any emotion; he just needed to stand there, give her a few glances, and hum a few times to corner her against the wall.
It's like an adult looking at a child's poorly laid trap.
There's no need to search for it deliberately; a quick glance is enough to spot the trap, and then you can leisurely wait for the child to trip over themselves.
Guanyin Bodhisattva had always believed that Lin Zhu's rise to the position of Prison God was due to both luck and strength. Luck allowed him to obtain the God-Slaying Spear, while his strength enabled him to retain his position.
Besides, this person's character is not good. He has done a lot of swindling and cheating, and rumors about his extortion and blackmail are everywhere in the Three Realms.
But now she knows she was wrong.
This person is more secretive than anyone else.
All the swindling and deception, all the good luck—it was all a smokescreen he deliberately laid out to lull everyone into a false sense of security. The real Lin Zhu was a terrifying figure who could control everything, strategize with unwavering resolve, yet never reveal his true intentions.
Every glance and every movement of his was meaningful; every silence and every hum was part of his strategy. He treated everyone as pawns, while he himself remained forever outside the chessboard.
Guanyin Bodhisattva took a deep breath, feeling a tightness in her chest.
Looking at Lin Zhu's face with a faint smile, she felt a strong sense of defeat and an indescribable emotion intertwined, making her voice hoarse and low: "Lin Zhu, you pervert."
Lin Zhu's smile froze.
He had just been righteously defending the White Dragon and mocking the despicable methods of the Western Paradise, his emotions just getting into play, when Guanyin Bodhisattva's word "pervert" stunned him. He turned to look at Guanyin Bodhisattva, his eyes filled with question marks.
What do you mean?
Why are you criticizing him again?
What did he do? He just stood there listening to the mountain god finish speaking, and then spoke up for the white dragon. What's wrong with that? Isn't that what a virtuous person should do? How did it become abnormal?
Lin Zhu felt extremely wronged.
He did nothing from beginning to end. He was woken up from a nap, walked a short distance and was hugged by someone, hummed a couple of times and was taken as consent, and now he's being called a pervert just because he moved his lips a little.
He felt like the most wronged person in the world, having done nothing wrong, yet being accused one label after another.
But Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't give him a chance to explain. After cursing him as a "pervert," she turned her head away and refused to look at him anymore. She crossed her arms over her chest, her chest heaving violently, clearly very angry.
The White Dragon stood aside, taking in everything. His gaze towards Lin Zhu grew increasingly respectful and grateful. The Prison God had risked being called a pervert by Guanyin Bodhisattva to help him expose the conspiracy in the Western Paradise; he would never forget this kindness.
"Thank you very much, Prison God."
The little white dragon's voice was very low, only Lin Zhu could hear it, and his tone was full of sincerity, "If it weren't for the big boss's intervention, I would have been tricked by the Western Heaven using such underhanded methods."
"If a dragon's offspring is put in a dog collar, even the dragon clan won't receive a single word from me. I won't even know who I am anymore. This kindness will be etched in my heart forever."
Seeing the little white dragon's tearful gratitude, Lin Zhu felt even more aggrieved.
He really didn't come here specifically to help the White Dragon; he just happened to be sleeping here. But he couldn't say that out loud, because if he did, the White Dragon would definitely think he was being modest and would admire him even more.
So Lin Zhu could only laugh awkwardly, wave his hand, and try to keep his tone calm: "Actually, you helped yourself. If you hadn't been pushing me along, I wouldn't have discovered these things."
He said it from the bottom of his heart.
It was indeed because the White Dragon kept causing trouble on the sidelines, constantly imagining what he meant, and then, following those imaginings, he pressed Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Mountain God for answers, which led to the revelation of the whole matter.
If it weren't for the White Dragon, he would still be sleeping on the mountaintop right now, and wouldn't be involved in this mess.
But when Little White Dragon heard this, a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.
The powerful figure in the prison is humble and doesn't take credit for anything.
He was the one who saw through Guanyin Bodhisattva's plan, who calculated every step precisely, and who used ruthless methods to corner Guanyin Bodhisattva. But now he's pushing the credit onto the White Dragon, saying he didn't do anything.
Such a talented person is still so humble.
The White Dragon mentally raised Lin Zhu's rating by another level. He had seen too many powerful beings who wanted to etch their names on their foreheads, and someone like Lin Zhu, who could clearly crush everything yet remained low-key and humble, was extremely rare.
"Big brother, please stop talking," the little white dragon said solemnly, his tone as serious as if he were making a vow. "Good deeds are good deeds, and bad deeds are bad deeds. I will remember this kindness, and the dragon clan will remember it too."
From now on in Heaven, anyone who dares to go against a powerful figure is going against my Dragon Clan.
Lin Zhu opened her mouth, wanting to explain a few more words, but seeing the determined expression on Xiao Bailong's face, she silently swallowed her words back.
Forget it.
He doesn't believe anything I say.
The white dragon turned to look at Guanyin Bodhisattva, its gaze instantly shifting from respect to icy coldness. Its whiskers fluttered in the wind, and the smile on its lips vanished completely, replaced by a chilling killing intent.
He took two steps forward, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.
His voice was deep and fierce, like the rumble of thunder before a storm: "The Western Paradise has a good plan. They've used saddles and bridles to wear down my mind and sever my ties with the dragon race, turning me into a mount with no origin and no self."
"You Western Paradise are incredibly audacious, daring to treat the dragon race's offspring like dogs."
Guanyin Bodhisattva's expression changed.
She could sense that the killing intent emanating from the little white dragon was not a bluff; the little dragon was genuinely enraged. Dragons were known as one of the most temperamental races in the Three Realms, and once provoked, they were capable of anything.
"I'll go and inform all the patriarchs of the Dragon Clan right now," the little white dragon's voice was icy cold, each word like a nail pulled from a bottomless abyss, "tell them your Western Paradise's wishful thinking, word by word. Let them judge for themselves, see how an important descendant of the Dragon Clan has been treated like a dog. If the Dragon Clan doesn't turn the Western Paradise upside down, they're not worthy of being called the Dragon Clan!" Guanyin Bodhisattva's face turned green.
Her dignified and elegant face drained of all color in an instant, turning deathly pale. She abruptly reached out and grabbed the little white dragon's arm, her fingers turning white from the force, her voice trembling with panic: "Calm down! Calm down!"
The white dragon shook off her hand, his face full of disgust.
Guanyin Bodhisattva disregarded all decorum, took a step forward, and raised her voice several octaves: "The Western Paradise was indeed in the wrong in this matter! Please allow me to explain!"
She was terrified.
She was genuinely terrified.
She still remembered the scene clearly: the last time the powerful dragons wreaked havoc at the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Paradise. That time, the dragons felt that Buddha had neglected their envoy in a certain matter, so the seven patriarchs of the dragons descended upon the Western Paradise at the Great Thunderclap Temple to demand an explanation.
The Buddha's throne was overturned three feet, the Four Heavenly Kings were slammed into the wall by the Dragon Ancestor and could not be pried out, and the entire Great Thunderclap Temple was almost turned upside down.
Finally, Buddha himself had to step in to apologize and give back many good things before he could coax the hot-tempered dragons away.
Now, an important offspring of the Dragon Clan was nearly turned into a dog by the Western Paradise using saddle and bridle. If this matter were to reach the ears of those hot-tempered powerful members of the Dragon Clan, not only would the Great Thunderclap Temple be overturned, but the entire Mount Ling would likely be turned upside down.
When the dragon clan comes out in full force and all the ancestors arrive, not to mention Guanyin Bodhisattva, even if Tathagata himself came out, he might not be able to suppress them.
All of this stemmed from her responsibility for executing the saddle and bridle plan.
In other words, she was the first one to be beaten.
Not only would they be beaten, but they would also implicate the entire Western Paradise. This would be a grave sin, for the Buddha's smiling eyes could conceal a thousand ways to make people wish they were dead.
As Guanyin Bodhisattva thought of this, the back of her robe was already soaked with cold sweat. She tightly gripped the little white dragon's paw, her voice urgent and sincere: "Don't go, I apologize."
"This was my fault; the Western Paradise went too far. Please don't act impulsively; let me explain."
Little White Dragon sneered and shook off her hand.
Lin Zhu stood to the side, watching Guanyin Bodhisattva's panicked appearance, and suddenly felt that the scene was somewhat familiar. Wasn't this the same posture Guanyin Bodhisattva had taken when she clung to his leg on the mountaintop? Only the object of her affection had changed from the White Dragon to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
He muttered subconsciously, "If apologies were enough, what would be the point of laws?"
The voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it clearly.
Upon hearing this, the White Dragon grew even angrier. He raised his head, his dragon whiskers taut with rage, and his voice was filled with undeniable indignation: "The God of Hell is right! If apologies were enough, what would be the point of laws! You people in the Western Paradise do such things, and you think you can just turn the page with an apology? How can a descendant of the dignified Dragon Clan be so easily manipulated by you!"
He abruptly turned his head and glared at Guanyin Bodhisattva, his dragon eyes burning with rage: "Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, what other excuses do you want to make! Your Western Paradise is trying to control me with a dog collar. This is not just about me, it's a provocation against the entire dragon race! Do you really think my dragon race has no one left?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
An image involuntarily surfaced in her mind—the ancestors of the dragon race descended upon Mount Luojia, with seven old dragons surrounding her. One of them poked her forehead with his claws and questioned her, another was rubbing his hands together, ready to attack, and yet another was already setting up a formation to demolish the mountain.
Then she will become the second person from the Western Paradise to be reported to the Heavenly Court for judgment, after the Golden-Headed Jiedi.
More importantly, all the arrangements she buried in this mountain will be unearthed by the dragon clan as evidence. At that time, not only her, but even Buddha will not be able to escape.
Thinking of this, Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly turned around, grabbed Lin Zhu's sleeves with both hands, and her voice became sharp with panic: "Prison God! Please say a word for me! I beg you! I'll give you the Merit Water! Fifty thousand! No, sixty thousand! Sixty thousand Merit Water! Please help me persuade the White Dragon!"
Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Fifty thousand, sixty thousand.
It was only 20,000 at the top of the mountain a moment ago, and it has tripled in such a short time.
But before he could speak, the little white dragon let out a disdainful snort: "Sixty thousand? Bodhisattva, don't you understand the situation now?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead: "Eighty thousand! Eighty thousand merit waters! That's all I have! That's really all I have!"
Lin Zhu's eyebrows furrowed even higher.
Eighty thousand merits of divine water.
This number is not small. Merit Water is extremely difficult to refine, and each drop contains the essence of countless merits. In the Heavenly Court's market, a single drop is worth a considerable amount of spirit stones.
Eighty thousand merits of divine water are enough to easily pull out a Taiyi Golden Immortal from the Nine Heavens Prison, and more than enough to create another Daluo Golden Immortal.
Although he is the God of Hell, to be honest, he has never seen so much merit-based holy water before. This amount probably represents all the wealth that Guanyin Bodhisattva has accumulated over the years.
Lin Zhu's heart softened.
He originally felt that the matter of the White Dragon had nothing to do with him; it was all a misunderstanding within a misunderstanding. Now that Guanyin Bodhisattva had offered to give him 80,000 units of merit-based divine water, that was a considerable sum.
Although he knew that Guanyin Bodhisattva must have much more to offer—after all, how could the face of Mount Ling only have so little?—it was already an unexpected surprise that he had managed to push Guanyin Bodhisattva to this point.
And to be honest, he didn't know how to continue squeezing money out of him.
He did nothing from beginning to end; all the threats came from the White Dragon, and all the imagined scenarios were completed by Guanyin Bodhisattva herself. He's just standing here now, occasionally letting out a hum, occasionally raising an eyebrow, while the Divine Water of Merit flows into his arms like water.
This feeling is wonderful.
It's like a pie falling from the sky and landing on his head, and he has to put on an expression that says, "I knew the pie would fall here."
So he waved his hand.
His movements were casual, a faint smile played on his lips, and his eyebrows were slightly raised—an expression that said, "That's about it."
The white dragon had been watching Lin Zhu's every move. When he saw Lin Zhu wave his hand, his eyes lit up instantly. He turned sharply to face Guanyin Bodhisattva, his voice booming like a struck bronze bell: "You beast! Are you blind?!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva was so shocked by the angry shout that she took half a step back, and the muscles on her face twitched.
The little white dragon raised its claw, pointing at Lin Zhu's waving hand, its voice strong and clear, each word resounding: "The Prison God has already given you a final deadline! He told you to quickly hand over 100,000 Merit Waters! You're still haggling, do you think the slap from the big boss wasn't hard enough? Want to taste the God-Slaying Spear?" (End of Chapter)