Monk Zhihui was puzzled and asked, "I wonder what Mr. Wu wants to verify?"
I looked at Zhihui and said, "Inform the Council of Elders now and tell them that our mission has been interfered with by external forces. We ask them to stop the mission and let the Council of Elders investigate."
"Well..." Zhihui hesitated, "But, what reason do I have to inform the Elders?"
I reached out and patted the backpack containing the magic box. "The reason is simple. Just say the magic box is lost. Of course, you can also say it's more serious, such as suspecting someone of counterfeiting the magic box and disrupting the art."
Zhihui hesitated for a moment before nodding: "Okay then!"
After the other party contacted the Council of Elders, they quickly gave a reply, which roughly meant that the existing staff of Prajna Temple would conduct an investigation and report back when the results were out.
Zhihui put down the phone and said, "It seems that we still have to open the secret treasure, otherwise it will be difficult to find out the source of the magic box."
I shook my head and said, "There's no need to go through so much trouble. Since someone has given us a problem on the magic box, then we should also work on the magic box. Ye Jin, can you help me find a place nearby where we can melt the magic box?"
Ye Jin was stunned: "Zhaozi, what do you want to do?"
I said in a deep voice, "I want to see if the person behind the scenes can come out after the magic box is melted."
Ye Jin nodded: "I'll go find it now, but it will take some effort."
The melting point of gold is above one thousand degrees, and the boiling point is as high as two thousand degrees. It is really difficult for us to completely melt such a large magic box. Not long after Ye Jin left, Zhihui and I led people to guard near the magic box, quietly waiting for news from Ye Jin.
Not long after, Monk Shi suddenly screamed and rolled off the kang, grabbing his chest with both hands and howling miserably. Zhihui and I tried to hold Monk Shi down several times but failed. It was not until four monks came to help that we were able to hold him down.
But Monk Shi dug all ten fingers into his chest as if he wanted to tear his chest open alive. The blood flowing from his body instantly dyed half of his body red.
"Monk, let go!" I grabbed Monk Shi's fingers and pried them out twice, but he didn't let go. Zhihui shouted anxiously, "Don't use more force, his fingers are about to break!"
"What should I do?" I was at a loss. Monk Shi was not an ordinary person. He had practiced external martial arts, and his ten fingers were strong enough to crush bricks into powder. If he was not stopped, he would tear off the muscles on his chest sooner or later, or even take out his heart.
Zhi Hui tried his best to hold down Monk Shi's arm: "He is suffering from the effects of the Gu poison. We must find a way to suppress it. He is already losing his mind. If we cannot suppress the poison, even if he doesn't have his heart and liver torn out, he will die of the pain."
"Help me hold him down!" I hurriedly took out the medicine powder that Dou Ma gave me from my backpack, grabbed a handful and pressed it on Monk Shi's chest.
The powder in contact with blood was like a handful of lime sprinkled in water, and a layer of bubbles rose on the monk's chest with a rustling sound, and white smoke from the burning flesh immediately rolled up. Monk Shi screamed and shook off the Zhihui who was holding him, and grabbed the flesh on his chest like crazy and pulled it out of his body. I watched him grab a piece of meat the size of a bowl from his body, and without caring about anything else, I flew over and pressed Monk Shi to the ground.
When I tried my best to hold down Monk Shi, I couldn't help but feel another "click" in my heart. Monk Shi's whole body was as hot as if it was on fire. The last time the peach blossom Gu attacked, Monk Shi had a continuous high fever, but this time the high fever was even more severe. If this continued, even if Monk Shi didn't die, he would be disabled.
“Lingling… Lingling…” Monk Shi, who had lost consciousness, was still calling Nangong Ling’s name.
After Nangong Ling left, Shi Heshang became silent and did whatever we said. I knew he still had Nangong Ling in his heart, and I knew he needed comfort and someone to talk to him. However, there were dangers all around us, so we had no time to care about Shi Heshang's love affairs.
I believed that Monk Shi could survive, but I didn't expect Nangong Ling to be so cruel. Not only did she remove the secret method of peach blossom protection, she also triggered the poison.
Could it be that the poison Nangong Ling left behind was a one-way poison that could only make Monk Shi loyal to her? Or did Nangong Ling have some other secret method to control the poison
I once heard that Miao women can use poison to punish lovers who betray them. Did she think that Shi Heshang asked her to leave was a betrayal? It should be. Otherwise, she would not have triggered the poison at the critical moment. Lu Xiaoying had reached a temporary cooperation agreement with Xuan Jingsi. She could not deal with Lu Xiaoying, so she could only shift her target to Shi Heshang.
I was furious but I had no idea what to do. I couldn't cure the poison, so I could only watch Monk Shi die.
"Namo Amitabha—"
Just when I was extremely anxious, I suddenly heard a Buddhist chant behind me. When I turned around, Monk Zhixing was already sitting cross-legged on the ground, with blood gushing out of his seven orifices.
“Junior brother!” Zhi Hui stood up while shouting in grief, rushed towards Zhi Xing, and hugged the other’s shaky body, “What are you doing?”
Zhi Xing said weakly, "If it weren't for me, my two junior brothers wouldn't have passed away, and Mr. Shi wouldn't have been seriously injured. When I'm gone, I'll give my relics to Mr. Shi as atonement for my sins."
"Zhixing..." Monk Zhihui burst into tears, and my heart was shocked. When I turned around, Zhihui had already shouted: "Use all your strength to suppress the poison in Mr. Shi's body, I will go to get the relic!"
When the monks of Prajna Temple all used their energy to press down on Monk Shi, Zhihui also picked up the body of his junior brother and walked to the courtyard. After a long time, he turned around and held a crystal clear relic in his hand. He pressed his hands against Monk Shi’s chest: "The relic can suppress all evil spirits. I sewed Zhixing's relic into Mr. Shi's chest to suppress the poison. When this matter is over, let Mr. Shi enter Prajna Temple to practice! Only by practicing Buddhism diligently and constantly nourishing the relic can we suppress Miaojiang* for a long time. If Mr. Shi is predestined with our Buddha and cultivates a relic on his own, he can ensure a safe life."
I nodded silently: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Master."
No matter what, Monk Shi's life has been saved. As for whether we can find a way to detoxify him in the future, it depends on our luck.
I let go of Monk Shi, who was gradually calming down, and stood up and said, "Where is Master Zhixing? I would like to pay my respects to him as a token of my gratitude."
Zhi Hui shook his head and said, "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Junior brother has already ascended to heaven, so it is better not to worship him."
Just as I was about to speak, there was a knock on the door: "Brother, brother, are you in there?"
Zhixing? Zhihui and I looked at each other and suddenly saw the horror in each other's eyes.
Without saying anything, Zhihui pulled off a string of prayer beads from his body and threw them at the door. The broken prayer beads from his inner strength passed through the door like a rainstorm, instantly leaving a thousand holes in the wooden door. As the faint moonlight filtered in through the door, Zhixing's voice rang out again: "Brother, I have found the source of the magic box, come with me quickly."
When Zhihui subconsciously took a step forward, I reached out to stop him: "Be careful, there may be fraud."
"Wu Zhao, you are so unreasonable!" A monk from the Prajna Temple roared, "Didn't you see the Buddha's light on Brother Zhixing? Brother Zhixing couldn't make it to the Pure Land, so he would rather enter the cycle of reincarnation and come back to warn people, but you suspect there is a trick! What is your intention?"
When I looked at Zhihui, he said, "Mr. Wu, have you ever heard of the term 'a flash of inspiration'?"
The original meaning of "a flash of inspiration" refers to a ray of light appearing in the sky, which was later extended to mean the inspiration of wisdom, thought, and idea. However, in Taoism, it represents the scene that a person suddenly sees between life and death, and this scene is often a reaction to the obsession in the other person's heart.
However, although the ghost saw the result of the obsession, it could not speak it out, otherwise it would involve cause and effect, the secret of heaven, and if it is not handled properly, the ghost's soul would be scattered. If Zhixing forced himself to return because he saw the secret of the magic box, then he did take a big risk. But I always feel that Zhixing's appearance is too strange.
I couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure that was Zhixing?"
The monk who had just spoken said angrily: "If you are not blind, you should be able to see the Buddha's light outside. Can the Buddha's light be fake?"
I did see the faint halo outside the door, but what did that halo represent
I said in a deep voice: "The situation is unclear now, do you dare to follow a ghost?"
"fart!"
"Zhijing, shut up!" Zhihui said angrily, "Monks should not commit verbal sins."
After Zhihui scolded the monk, he said in a deep voice: "Mr. Wu, I am confident that I am not wrong. At the same time, I also believe that Zhixing risked his life to come back to deliver the letter. If Mr. Wu does not believe Zhixing, then let us go and see what is going on!"
I hesitated for a moment before saying, "In that case, I will guard the magic box, and you guys follow him!"
Zhihui was silent for a moment before he said, "Zhijing, take two people and follow Junior Brother Zhixing over there. No matter what happens over there, don't act rashly. Come back and contact me and Mr. Wu immediately."
"Brother!" Zhi Jing roared, "Brother Zhixing sacrificed himself to save Shi Buzheng, and risked his life to come back and report the news! Wu Zhao repeatedly doubted Brother, does he still have any conscience? If you ask me..."
"Shut up!" Zhihui scolded again, "Shut your mouth. Don't you even listen to me?"
Zhijing glared at me fiercely and then pushed the door open with someone else. I was about to explain to Zhihui, but he waved his hand and said, "I understand Mr. Wu's idea. No need to explain."
I bowed to Zhixing and said, "Thank you very much."
Not long after I sat down, Zhijing's voice came from outside the door: "Brother, we have found the source of the magic box." (To be continued)