"That was over a decade ago, but in my mind, it's as if it happened yesterday, still so clear and vivid, not a single detail forgotten." Pu Heng's voice floated gently and slowly through the room, beginning to recount past events.

  "I remember it very clearly, it was a gloomy day. From the morning onwards, I felt somewhat uneasy, yet couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong, and even my usual homework couldn't help but distract me from it. This kind of situation rarely happens, and I didn't know why myself, so at that time my mood wasn't very good."

  "It wasn't until dusk that I heard the evening drum and saw the sky gradually darkening, that I felt a little better. At that time, I thought it was probably because my cultivation was not enough, and I was distracted for a moment. Unexpectedly, just as the sky was about to darken, I suddenly heard a shrill cry coming from the gate of Tianyin Temple," said Pu Heng Shangren, turning his head to look at Faxiang.

  Fa Xiang nodded and said, "Yes, at that time I was patrolling the mountain gate when I suddenly saw someone fainting on the ground not far from the temple entrance. I rushed over to check and unexpectedly... it was Master Pu Zhi." He sighed and continued, "At that time, Master Pu Zhi was unconscious, his face extremely pale, but only his cheeks were strangely flushed red. It wasn't until later that I found out that he had taken the strange medicine 'Three Days Must Die Pill' to temporarily prolong his life."

  Gui Li heard this and was taken aback for a moment. The name of the medicine was truly unheard of, and he couldn't help but ask: "What is Three Days Must Die Pill?"

  "This strange medicine is not used for proper purposes. It's said to have been concocted by a weirdo named 'Ghost Doctor' from the demonic sect in the past. Legend has it that as long as you take this pill, even if you're on the brink of death with severe injuries, this medicine can stimulate your body's potential and let you live for three more days, during which time you can barely maintain a normal person's physical strength. However, once the three days are over, this medicine turns into one of the most toxic substances in the world. Even if you're in top physical condition with spiritual powers that rival the heavens, you'll still be no match for its bizarre medicinal properties and will die without fail. That's why it has such a strange name."

  The demon was silent, and Pu Heng continued: "At the time, we naturally didn't know all this. But after I received Fa Xiang's urgent report, I was truly shocked. Pu Zhi, my younger brother in the Buddhist order, is intelligent and has a deep understanding of the Tao. He has always been an outstanding figure in our Tianyin Temple. It was unthinkable that he would end up like this. At the time, I immediately had him carried into the Chan room for treatment, but he remained unconscious, his internal energy chaotic. Not only had he been poisoned with a potent toxin, but his body had also been severely injured by someone with extremely high spiritual power. He had already reached the point of exhaustion..."

  Pu Hongshang said up to this point, although the matter had passed for more than ten years, his face still showed a gloomy and painful expression, obviously that year's affair had a great impact on him.

  "That night, I did my best to save Pu Zhi, but no matter how much spiritual medicine I used or how much true energy I spent, I couldn't wake him up. As his breathing grew weaker and weaker, I was truly heartbroken. Was this really the end for my brother? His body had suffered such severe injuries that it wouldn't have been surprising if he had died a few days earlier. But he had managed to hold on until he returned to Tianyin Temple, so naturally there must be something important he wanted to tell us or some urgent matter he needed to entrust to us before he died."

  Pu Heng Shang Ren sighed and fell silent, as if the memories of that year had resurfaced in his mind. After a while, Fa Xiang coughed softly beside him and said in a low voice, "Master, I was always by your side and Pu Zhi Shu Shu's side back then. Why don't I take over the story from here?"

  Pu Heng nodded silently and stopped speaking.

  Fa Xiang coughed and continued: "In those years, I was always by my master's side, watching as Master Pu Fang and others tried their best to treat Master Pu Zhi, but it had no effect, and I was anxious. Master Pu Zhi had been very good to me in the past, and I regretted that my skills were too shallow to do anything for him. Unexpectedly, just when we were at a loss, on that deep night, Master Pu Zhi suddenly woke up on his own."

  "Ah......" Ji Li raised an eyebrow, a low cry escaping his lips, but he quickly regained control of himself, his face once again turning cold and indifferent.

  Fa Xiang glanced at him and continued: "At that time, I was on night watch guarding Master Pu Zhi. Overjoyed and shocked, I immediately called over Master and Master Pu Fang. Although it's been over a decade since then, I still remember the look on Master Pu Zhi's face that evening - his complexion was deathly pale, but only his cheeks were a deep red, as if they were about to bleed. It was truly terrifying."

  "When Pu Zhi Shu Shu suddenly recovered, Master and we were all delighted. Although Pu Zhi Shu Shu's face looked strange, it was not the time to worry about that. At that moment, Master wanted to ask Pu Zhi Shu Shu what had happened, how he got hurt so badly? But... but when Pu Zhi Shu Shu saw Master, he... he... Fa Xiang paused for a moment, as if to calm himself down. The room fell silent, Pu Heng Shang Ren closed his eyes, softly reciting Buddhist scriptures, his hands gently rotating the prayer beads, while Gui Li listened intently."

  The Dharma aspect didn't know how, but his face looked a bit unsightly. However, he continued to speak: "After Master Puji woke up, he was relatively calm, but unexpectedly, when Master heard the news and rushed over, as soon as he saw Master, he suddenly seemed to have received some kind of stimulation, and his whole body shook violently. He actually sprang up from the bed with a 'thud'."

  "I, my master and Pu Fang Shu Shu were all shocked to see that at that time, Pu Zhi Shu Shu's face was as red as blood, his eyes fixed tightly on my master, stretching out a withered hand towards him. My master immediately walked over quickly, grasped Pu Zhi Shu Shu's palm, and just as he was about to ask something, Pu Zhi Shu Shu suddenly... A hint of hesitation flashed across Fa Xiang's face, and he glanced at Pu Hong Shang Ren, who remained unchanged, still with his eyes closed and hands clasped together."

  Fa Xiang hesitated for a moment, then continued: "Once Pu Zhi grabbed Master's hand, he suddenly collapsed like a child and burst into loud sobs, leaning on Master's body..."

  "What?" Guili heard this, and for a moment he forgot his emotions, stood up abruptly, staring at Faxiang. In his mind, the Buddhist monk Puzhi, no matter what he had done, left him with an impression that was far from being such a person.

  Fa Xiang sighed and said, "At that time, the three of us were also frightened to a standstill, at a loss for what to do, and didn't know what had happened to Pu Zhi Shu Shu. It was as if he had lost his mind. But looking at Pu Zhi Shu's expression, it was one of extreme pain and regret, as if he wanted to die. We didn't know what to do. At the time, I only remember Pu Zhi Shu crying bitterly, saying to our master: 'Master brother, master brother, my younger brother is doomed, I have committed a grave sin, even if I were to die ten thousand times, it would not be enough to make up for it!'"

  The ghost's face twitched at the corner of his eye, but he didn't say a word.

  Fa Xiang's voice was low and slow, "At that time, the shock in my heart was truly indescribable. Looking at Shifu and Shishu's expressions, it seemed they were thinking the same way. However, at that moment, Pu Zhi Shishu's demeanor was crazy and almost mad, we had no choice but to persuade him with kind words, hoping he would rest well first, and talk about other matters after his injuries healed."

  "But Master Puzhi insisted on not allowing it, and said that in order to return to Tianyin Temple to see everyone, he had already taken the Three-Day Death Pill. If he didn't come out within a day and night, he would surely die. Before his death, however, he had something extremely important to tell Master Shifu and Master Shishu, and a great matter to entrust to them. If they didn't listen to what he had to say, even if he died, he wouldn't be able to rest in peace."

  "We were all shocked and anxious when we heard this, but in front of Master Puzhi, we couldn't help it and had to let him speak. I thought that Master Puzhi was seriously injured and his mind might not be clear, but who would have thought that he would say something so outrageous, revealing such a heinous crime that defies all Buddhist principles and human morals."

  Pu Heng sighed softly and clasped his hands together in prayer: "Amitabha Buddha!"

  Fa Xiang listened, also made a ten-line Buddhist chant, then looked at Gui Li, gazing at his face which gradually turned iron-blue. He continued: "Master Pu Zhi tightly held Master's hand, speaking and crying at the same time. We several people on the side listened, but the more we heard, the more shocked we became, almost to the point of our hair standing on end. Master Pu Zhi said that he had gone up Qing Yun Mountain again a few days ago to visit Qing Yun Men's master Dao Xuan Zhen Ren, expressing his desire to realize his Buddhist enlightenment. Unfortunately, he was rejected by Dao Xuan Zhen Ren. Disappointed, he wandered down the mountain and came to a small village at the foot of Qing Yun Mountain called 'Cao Miao Village'..."

  "Bang!" A dull sound, almost at the same time as the three words "Grass Temple Village" came to mind. However, it was Ghostly Hand who supported the table, and under his intense agitation, he actually twisted off a corner of the table, pinched it into powder, and sprinkled it from between his palms.

  Fa Xiang glanced at the table, sighed silently in his heart, but continued to say: "On that day, Master Pu Zhi walked into Cao Miao Village and rested temporarily in a dilapidated small temple behind the village. He inadvertently saw a group of young people playing and fighting, but two of them couldn't let go after arguing, almost causing a fatal accident. Fortunately, Master Pu Zhi intervened in time and saved one of the young people."

  The ghost's face changed again, his fists clenched tightly, and a look of obvious pain appeared in his eyes.

  "Master Pu Zhi's uncle had not taken this small matter to heart, but at the time the sky was gloomy and seemed to be on the verge of wind and rain, so he planned to rest in that broken temple for a night before leaving. Who would have thought that something would happen that very night..."

  The ghost's head sank deeply down, never again letting others see his face.

  Memories are like a knife, as if deeply cut into his heart, blood gushing out, unstoppable!

  The sound of the law floated slowly, "That night, Master Puzhi suddenly woke up from his meditation and found that a black-clothed demon had sneaked into Caomiao Village, intending to abduct a young man with excellent qualifications. Master Puzhi couldn't just sit back and do nothing, so he took action and rescued the young man. However, things were strange, and unexpectedly, the black-clothed demon was cunning and evil, using the young man as a decoy, with the actual target being Master Puzhi himself. He had secretly planted the extremely toxic 'Seven-Tailed Scorpion' on the young man's body, severely poisoning Master Puzhi in one move. Taking advantage of Master Puzhi's confusion, he then used dark magic to heavily injure him again. It wasn't until that moment that Master Puzhi realized that the black-clothed demon's sinister and ruthless methods were all for the sake of the 'Blood-Drinking Pearl', a great evil object sealed within his own body."

  The ghost's shoulder moved slightly, but he didn't lift his head. Between the sleeves of his clothes, a faintly familiar icy breath seemed to emanate from the Blood Pearl...

  A thousand flavors, a myriad of emotions and resentments, all surging up in your heart at the same time - what kind of feeling is that for you?

  He remained silent, his whole body tensed up involuntarily, and slightly trembling...

  "Although the demon's methods were sinister and poisonous, Master Puzhi's cultivation was extremely deep. Despite being severely injured, he used his Buddhist powers to engage in a fierce battle with the demon, resulting in both parties suffering heavy losses. Although he himself was mortally wounded, he managed to temporarily scare off the demon. However, during this process, Master Puzhi suddenly discovered that the person surprisingly understood the true skills and magic of Qingyunmen Daoism, clearly indicating a deep connection with Qingyunmen."

  "When Master Puzhi was fighting the black-robed man, for some reason, the young boy he had saved earlier also sneaked into the broken temple. After several intense battles, the child got caught in the crossfire and fainted. After the fight, Master Puzhi managed to scare off the black-robed man, but he himself was severely injured and on the verge of death. He had no choice but to swallow a 'Three-Day Death Pill' that he had obtained by chance in the past to prolong his life."

  "He, an old man, had two concerns: first, he was worried that the demon would return to kill him and destroy the village; second, he feared that if he sought help from Qingyun Mountain, the demon might have a deep connection with the mountain, and if something went wrong, not only would he lose his own life, but also put many others in danger."

  His face was pale and haggard, as if he too were grieving for the desperate situation that Puzhi had been in. He sighed and said: "Many years ago, Master Puzhi traveled all over the world and unintentionally subdued the most ferocious creature 'Blood Devouring Pearl' in the great swamp of the Western Regions. With his compassionate heart granted by heaven, he used Buddhist magic to suppress this evil creature and carried it with him day and night to prevent it from harming people. However, the ferocious aura of the Blood Devouring Pearl was born with it, and although the Buddha's law protected his body, it still secretly eroded Master Puzhi's mind. It just couldn't be seen because he usually had the protection of the Buddhist law."

  "On that day, Master Puzhi was faced with a desperate situation, where he himself would certainly die and there were people around him who would be implicated. His lifelong aspiration to attain Buddhahood seemed about to vanish into thin air. He couldn't help but feel his heart and spirit stirred up and let out a loud wail. Unexpectedly, just as all hope seemed lost, the old master... had an extraordinary idea, thinking of another way to fulfill his great vow."

  The ghost's breathing slowly became urgent.

  Fa Xiang paused for a moment, then slowly said: "Pu Zhi Shu actually thought of privately teaching a young man the supreme true law of Tianyin Temple's Buddhist gate, and then letting this young man find a way to enter Qingyun. In this way, he can achieve his lifelong wish. At that time, he was concerned about the matter of Buddha's enlightenment, and as soon as he thought of it, he seemed to grab the straw of salvation and refused to give up. Later, after weighing the pros and cons, he chose the young man whose life he had saved, taught him the true law of Mahavairocana, and entrusted him with his lifelong wishes, putting them all on that young man's shoulders."

  "Hey, hey... heh heh heh..." The extremely suppressed laughter of the ghost was flowing out from between his lips on his lowered face, carrying a few parts of desolation, a few parts of bitterness, and even more parts of choking.

  Nor does he know whether he is ridiculing Pu Zhi, resentful and indignant, or blaming the heavens and lamenting his fate.

  After the laughter, a hint of melancholy appeared on his face, and he continued: "After all the arrangements were made, Master Puzhi used his magic to make the young man fall asleep again. At this moment, due to the effect of the Three Days Must Die Pill, his physical strength has gradually recovered. Originally, he planned to leave after handing over the matters, but unexpectedly, he suddenly remembered that Qingyun Gate was very strict in accepting disciples, and the young man he had chosen was not a rare talent, but rather an ordinary person. Upon careful consideration, it seemed that Qingyun Gate might not necessarily accept this young man as a disciple."

  "With his lifelong wish about to be shattered once again, and himself not far from death, Master Puzhi's mind was in great turmoil. Moreover, after being severely injured, his Buddhist cultivation had suffered greatly and was far from its usual state. The evil energy within him that had been eroded by the Blood Devouring Bead finally erupted at this moment, leading to an irreparable sin."

  "At the time when Master Pu's mind was in turmoil, he was struck by that fierce aura, and in his confused state of mind, he only knew to think deeply about how to fulfill his own wishes. In his chaotic thoughts, he actually thought that as long as that young man became an orphan, and a major accident occurred, because of the reason at Qingyun Mountain, Qingyun Gate would definitely not sit idly by..."

  Pu Heng's face suddenly revealed a sorrowful expression, the beads in his hand moved rapidly, and he continuously chanted Buddhist scriptures.

  "So......" Fa Xiang's voice was trembling at this moment, "Pu Zhi Shu actually thought of a way to make this child an orphan, so that he could enter the Qingyun Gate. At that time, his mind had completely lost its nature, and he was completely controlled by the evil spirit of the Blood Devouring Pearl. Finally, he slowly walked into Caomiao Village and started... started killing people; and after seeing the first blood, he couldn't control himself at all, his ferocity burst out, and he actually slaughtered more than 200 people in Caomiao Village, committing this heinous crime!......"

  "That's enough! Don't say any more!" Suddenly, Gui Li shouted out loudly and stood up abruptly. His face was already streaming with tears.

  "Don't...say...it...anymore..." His voice was hoarse and he choked with sobs.

  Fa Xiang fell silent, slowly lowering his head. On the meditation bed, Pu Hong Shangren opened his eyes, got out of bed slowly, walked to Gui Li's side, stretched out his hand and gently patted Gui Li's shoulder, saying in a low voice: "Child, if you want to cry or scold, just let it all out. However, the matter from that day, you will eventually have to listen to it."

  The ghost wailed but made no sound.

  Pu Heng spoke in a low voice: "By the time Pu Zhi, my junior brother, regained his senses, the great mistake had already been made. Standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he was like a man struck by five thunderbolts, completely stunned. A lifetime of cultivation and merit, all gone with the flowing water, not to mention harming so many innocent people. Such boundless sin and guilt almost tore his heart apart. In that dazed state, he rushed back to Tianyin Temple, saw me, and told me everything, confessing his crimes and sins, and after repenting, begged me to look at our hundred years of brotherhood as master and disciple, and for the sake of redeeming one ten-thousandth of his guilt, no matter what difficulties I might face in the future, he would definitely do his best to help."

  The demon struggled to suppress his emotions, but it was no use. A man who had not cried in decades, seemingly always strong as iron, had turned into a crying person. His teeth were tightly clenched on his lips, deeply indented, and the corners of his mouth slowly flowed out with a thread of fresh blood, which was caused by biting through the corner of his mouth due to excessive agitation.

  Pu Heng's face was gloomy, and he said: "Pu Zhi, the younger brother of the master, entrusted this last affair. The poison took effect, and he finally passed away. When he was dying, he instructed that his remains should not be cremated or buried, but instead, use a jade ice plate to preserve them, leaving the body intact. He hoped that one day, a young man named Zhang Xiaofan would learn the truth and come to this place, where he could dispose of this sinful body as he saw fit. Whether it was to scold or humiliate him, or to crush his bones and scatter his ashes, the monks of Tianyin Temple were not allowed to interfere, in order to repay one ten-thousandth of his sins."

  The ghost suddenly lifted his head, Pu Hong looked straight into his eyes, his face solemn and stern, slowly said: "What I said, you understand? The day my brother left a will, I have replaced him to complete. Now how to deal with it, just follow your mind. The small house in the backyard, what do you want to do, just go over."

  The ghost's teeth were clenched tightly, his eyes gleaming deeply as he stared at Pu Heng. For some reason, Pu Heng didn't want to meet his gaze and slowly looked away. The ghost's breathing grew louder, his chest heaving, his expression changing rapidly. Suddenly, it seemed he had made up his mind, and with a swift turn of his body, he strode out in big steps, the sound of his footsteps indicating that he was heading towards the last small hut.

  Fa's face changed greatly, and he exclaimed: "Master!"

  Pu Heng shook his head slowly, with an unspeakable sorrow on his face, and said in a low voice: "Let him go, that was also the last wish of your uncle Pu Zhi. The world is full of bitterness, how many people can see it clearly? Amitabha..."

  He gently clasped his hands together, silently chanting, and the room fell silent in an instant.

  The quiet is terrifying!