Chapter 773
didn't mention asking for the Ten Thousand Merit Divine Water in one sentence; this
Lin Zhu's hand froze in mid-air.
One hundred thousand?
How did it become 100,000?
He clearly just waved his hand, meaning "80,000 is fine, that's about right", so how did it turn into "I demand that you come up with 100,000 right away"?
The White Dragon continued, his tone becoming increasingly aggressive: "The Prison God is known as the 'Social Maniac'! Who in the Three Realms doesn't know that no one who owes him a debt can ever escape it! Especially women! No woman who falls into his hands can escape his clutches!"
Lin Zhu felt a chill in her heart.
what?
"You'd better watch out, or the big boss will lock you in the dungeon!"
The White Dragon got more and more excited as he spoke, his voice filled with a triumphant air of someone who was using someone else's power to intimidate others. "Whips! Candles! Everything! I'll make you wish you were dead! You'll regret it then!"
Lin Zhu's heart skipped a beat.
A whip?
Candle?
I am a pure, innocent, and model student!
He hurriedly tried to justify himself in his mind.
He had been in the Heavenly Court for so many years, and although he was the prison god of the Nine-Layer Heavenly Prison, he had never done anything improper. The instruments of torture in the cell were all arranged according to regulations; only what was needed was used, and not a single unnecessary item was taken.
Although his reputation is quite bad, it's all just people's imagination; he has never done anything outrageous.
But now, Little White Dragon has gone too far. In front of Guanyin Bodhisattva, he's been described as a perverted vigilante, spouting off about whips and candles at will. His reputation is now completely ruined.
When Guanyin Bodhisattva heard the words "whip and candle," her body visibly trembled.
But deep in her eyes, beneath that moment of fear, a complex emotion flashed by, so fleeting that it vanished before she could even discern it.
She abruptly raised her head, her face flushed crimson, whether from shame or anger, it was hard to tell. She pointed a finger at Lin Zhu, her finger trembling slightly with agitation, her voice shrill and piercing: "Lin Zhu! You lecherous scoundrel! Despicable, shameless, and vile! Who do you think you are, the God of Law Enforcement in the Three Realms!"
Lin Zhu pointed to his own nose, looking completely bewildered.
What did I say?
He carefully recalled all the conversations he had just had and confirmed that he had only said three sentences from beginning to end: "Don't disturb my rest" on the mountain, "What place is this?" outside the Lishe Temple, and just now, "If apologies were useful, what would be the point of laws?"
Which of these three sentences is related to "a lecherous rogue"? Which one is associated with "despicable, shameless, and filthy"?
It was clearly Little White Dragon who said it, so how did the blame get pinned on him?
After Guanyin finished scolding, she suddenly pulled a jade gourd from her sleeve and hurled it at Lin Zhu with great force. The jade gourd arced through the air, heading straight for Lin Zhu's chest.
Lin Zhu instinctively reached out and caught it.
The jade gourd is small, small enough to be held in one hand. The body of the bottle is carved from the finest mutton-fat white jade, and it feels warm and smooth to the touch.
Through the translucent bottle walls, one can see that it is filled with a bright green liquid, with faint golden wisps of light flowing within it, exuding a pure and peaceful aura.
Merit-giving water.
Ten thousand merits of divine water.
"Get it!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva gritted her teeth, her voice filled with barely suppressed anger and frustration, each word like a grain of iron squeezed from between her teeth, "Ten thousand merits of divine water, take it and quickly get the White Dragon to cooperate!"
After she finished speaking, she turned her head away from Lin Zhu, her fists clenched and her shoulders trembling slightly, clearly she was extremely angry.
Lin Zhu held the jade gourd, looked down at the emerald green liquid flowing inside, then looked up at the furious Guanyin Bodhisattva, and then turned to look at the smug little white dragon beside him. His expression was extremely complicated.
Ten thousand merits of divine water.
He received the 100,000 merit waters without saying a word.
From the moment he landed on Mount Luojia until now, he took a nap, hummed twice, raised his eyebrows a few times, waved his hand, and the 100,000 merits of divine water went into his pocket.
This incredible speed at which they made money was unheard of, not only in Heaven, but also anywhere in the Three Realms.
The White Dragon looked at the jade gourd in Lin Zhu's hand, snorted coldly, and turned to Guanyin Bodhisattva, saying, "The Prison God is indeed incredibly clever; he already guessed that you had so much merit-based divine water hidden on you. You think you can fool the Prison God? Dream on!"
Lin Zhu held the jade gourd, her expression momentarily blank.
He received 100,000 units of merit-based divine water without saying a word.
This bizarre experience left him standing there, still somewhat dazed.
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood rooted to the spot, her chest heaving violently, her lips pressed together until they were white, her hands clenched into fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into the flesh of her palms. She stared at the jade gourd in Lin Zhu's hand, feeling as if a fire was burning within her, a fire that ached all over her body.
Ten thousand merits of divine water.
The Buddha gave her this much merit water, not a penny more or less. He originally intended that this 100,000 units of merit water would allow Lin Zhu to cooperate for at least a year.
One year, twelve months, three hundred and sixty-five days, the journey to the west was filled with countless tribulations. For each tribulation, Lin Zhu had to turn a blind eye and even secretly cooperate with the arrangements of the Western Paradise at certain crucial moments.
If the merit of 100,000 divine offerings is spread over a year, the cost of each tribulation is not too high, at least within the budget of Mount Ling.
But she never expected that the 100,000 merits of the divine water might only lead to one hardship with Lin Zhu.
From Eagle's Sorrow Gorge to Mount Luojia, and from Mount Luojia to Lishe Temple, how long did it all take? Less than an hour, and she had already taken out all 100,000 Merit Divine Water.
Moreover, the 100,000 merits of the divine water were not used for "getting Lin Zhu to cooperate with the Journey to the West", but for "asking Lin Zhu to help persuade the little white dragon not to complain to the dragon clan".
In other words, she spent all her savings to buy a peaceful resolution, and the real journey to the West didn't get any progress.
This deal is a total loss.
The more Guanyin Bodhisattva thought about it, the angrier she became, and she gritted her teeth.
She had cultivated for thousands of years and was known for her shrewdness in the Three Realms. When dealing with the Heavenly Court, she always came out on top while others suffered losses. When had she ever been fleeced like this before? And she was fleeced so thoroughly that not a single hair was left, and she was almost stripped of her sheep's skin.
Lin Zhu didn't care what Guanyin Bodhisattva was thinking.
He happily accepted the 100,000 merits of the divine water, tucked the jade gourd into his bosom, patted it to make sure it was secure.
The jade gourd pressed against his chest, its warm touch seeping through his clothes. The merit water inside emitted a faint warmth that spread along his meridians, making him feel much more comfortable. One hundred thousand units of merit water—that was no small sum. In all his years in the Nine Heavenly Prison, the bribes he'd received combined didn't even amount to a fraction of that.
Although being a prison god is a lucrative position, most of the gods and immortals who commit crimes are stingy. They feel they have done a great favor by giving a few hundred merits and divine water. Unlike Guanyin Bodhisattva, who is so generous and gives away 100,000 merits in one go.
Murder and set fire to the gold belt, repair the bridge and repair the road without corpses.
Lin Zhu thought to herself, "You can't be a good person, you can't follow the rules, and those who work honestly will never get rich. On the contrary, those who are ruthless and vicious are all rolling in money."
He felt that he now belonged to the type of person who "gains wealth through murder and arson," even though he didn't do the work himself, the effect was the same.
He didn't even need to say a word to receive the 100,000 Merit Water.
From beginning to end, he was in a semi-dazed state, being dragged along by the White Dragon, misunderstood by Guanyin Bodhisattva, worshipped by the Mountain God, and regarded by everyone as a profound and unfathomable big shot.
He hummed a few times, raised his eyebrows a few times, and waved his hand. The Divine Water of Merit flowed into his arms like water from a burst dam.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhu silently thanked the little white dragon in his heart.
First of all, I want to thank Little White Dragon for his outrageous imagination.
From the moment he left Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, the White Dragon kept imagining his intentions. He glanced at the mountain, and the White Dragon thought he was implying there was a secret within. He snorted, and the White Dragon felt he was expressing dissatisfaction with Guanyin Bodhisattva.
He waved his hand, and Little White Dragon felt that he was issuing an ultimatum.
Every action and every expression was interpreted by the White Dragon with profound meaning. Then, the White Dragon followed those interpretations to question Guanyin Bodhisattva, to question the Mountain God, and to uncover the whole matter layer by layer.
Others use others to kill, but he uses others to squeeze money out of them.
The White Dragon's imagination was like a juicer, pressing Guanyin Bodhisattva inside and twisting and pressing her until every last drop of merit water was squeezed out.
Lin Zhu was the one standing next to the juicer, waiting to drink the juice.
This feeling is really great.
Lin Zhu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.
But to Guanyin Bodhisattva, that smile was worse than death. She was already trembling with rage, and seeing Lin Zhu still smiling only fueled her fury, making her want to rush up and snatch the jade gourd back.
But she knew she couldn't beat Lin Zhu. She had tasted the God-Slaying Spear once and that was enough; she didn't want to experience it a second time.
She could only stare at Lin Zhu with angry eyes, which seemed to be spitting fire.
She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm, but her words still carried a hint of gritted teeth: "Prison God, you have already taken the Divine Water of Merit. Quickly make the White Dragon put on the treasure and return to its place."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu turned around.
He turned around at a moderate pace, his movements casual and natural. The hem of his robe fluttered gently with the turn, tracing an arc in the air. He strode outwards, his steps composed, his back straight, not even bothering to glance back at Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Guanyin Bodhisattva was stunned.
She watched Lin Zhu's retreating figure, her mind a jumbled mess. What did this man mean by taking the "merit water" and leaving? The matter wasn't even settled, and he'd already pocketed the money and walked away? What kind of business is this?
"robbery!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva's voice suddenly rose, sharp as a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and shouted loudly behind Lin Zhu, "You're robbing me!"
Lin Zhu stopped in her tracks.
He turned around, his expression calm, his eyebrows slightly raised, and a faint smile playing on his lips, as if to say, "I didn't hear what you said."
Guanyin Bodhisattva took a deep breath, pointed her finger at Lin Zhu's nose, her finger trembling slightly with excitement: "You took the merit water but you still don't do anything for me, isn't that a bit too much?"
Lin Zhu did not answer her question.
He turned to look at the mountain god of Mount Luojia kneeling beside him. The mountain god was still holding the saddle, his hands raised high above his head, his whole body prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise his head.
The runes on the saddle shimmered with a golden halo in the sunlight, the layers of incantations intertwined, emanating an unsettling aura.
Lin Zhu reached out and took the saddle from the mountain god's hand.
The saddle felt heavy in my hand, much heavier than it looked; I wondered what material it was made of. The runes on the saddle surface lit up the moment they touched Lin Zhu's fingers, as if sensing something, the golden patterns becoming even more dazzling.
The runes were wrapped in layers on the saddle, each rune representing a layer of sealing power: sealing the dragon's aura, severing the karmic ties of the Heavenly Court, and instilling Buddhist nature to erase the original consciousness. These three functions were interconnected and indispensable.
Lin Zhu held the saddle up to his eyes with one hand, examining it closely. Then he looked up, his gaze falling on the Guanyin Bodhisattva, his voice calm and slightly playful: "Guess what I'm going to do next?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva's pupils suddenly contracted.
She saw Lin Zhu's fingers tighten, his knuckles gradually exerting force, and the veins on the back of his hand bulging slightly. Sensing the pressure from the external force, the talismans began to flash rapidly, as if sounding an alarm.
"stop!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva was terrified, her voice trembling. She took two steps forward, but her outstretched hand dared not touch Lin Zhu, remaining suspended in mid-air. Her tone was full of anxiety and threat, "If you dare to destroy my Western Paradise's treasures, the Western Paradise will never let you off the hook!"
Lin Zhu smiled slightly.
His smile was very faint, as if he were listening to a good joke.
His fingers continued to tighten, gradually increasing the force, and the runes on the saddle began to emit a piercing, mournful cry, a sound as sharp as metal being torn apart, echoing through the quiet mountains.
Click.
The first crack appeared on the edge of the saddle.
Then comes the second, third, and fourth rounds.
The cracks spread at a visible speed, covering the entire surface of the saddle like a spider web.
The golden runes flickered desperately, trying to resist Lin Zhu's power, but the runes were as fragile as paper in Lin Zhu's hands, unable to withstand even a moment's pressure.
Lin Zhu exerted a little effort.
With a muffled thud, the entire saddle shattered in his hands.
It didn't break into pieces, but turned directly into powder.
The dark brown saddle, the silver ornaments, the layers upon layers of runes—all of it instantly transformed into the finest dust, drifting from between the bamboo grove's fingers, refracting tiny golden glints in the sunlight, then scattering with the wind, settling on the soil, on the grass, on the mountain god's hair, until it was impossible to distinguish where the saddle ended and the earth began. (End of Chapter)