For the next few days, Yue Hengyi drank himself into a stupor every day. Without alcohol, he couldn't sleep at all. He realized that his conscience was constantly tormenting his brain. Every moment, images of corpses covered in white cloth on the streets would suddenly appear in his mind. Many innocent people had been killed by his abilities.
Shen Feng couldn't bear to watch any longer and couldn't help but say to Yue Hengyi, "Alcohol is poison that flows through the gut, so I never touch it. You'd better not drink too much. Even if you're an ability user, at this rate, you'll get liver cancer in a few years!"
Yue Hengyi looked at Shen Feng with drunken eyes and said seriously, "You're talking about me? Why did you forget the second half of the saying? Lust is like a bone-scraping steel knife. Where did you disappear to every night these past few days? Did you go to get yourself scraped?"
"Nonsense! I was admiring the loyal and righteous Guan Erye. Back then, Guan Erye scraped his bone to treat his poison, and I was very impressed. Isn't this just trying to experience it a little more?" Shen Feng didn't feel ashamed at all. He directly followed Yue Hengyi's lead, as if he wasn't the least bit embarrassed.
Yue Hengyi took a mouthful of pine nut wine and said directly, "Just you wait. I won't bother with you now, and I don't have the right to. When we get back to China, I'll reveal everything you've been up to these past few days. Let's see how you handle it! I want to see if you're still so tough in front of your two wives!"
"That's where you're wrong. We all have families. We're just out having some fun. You're going too far by making such a big deal out of it!" Shen Feng's tone softened immediately when he heard Yue Hengyi say this. After all, he was genuinely afraid of being questioned by Chang Jianyi.
"You can say that when we get back. It's no use telling me this!" Yue Hengyi continued to drink.
When Shen Feng heard this, he immediately came up with a plan. He knew that he couldn't deal with Yue Hengyi using force, only softness. Young people nowadays are full of vigor. Once provoked, they become like wild donkeys that can't be reined in. Therefore, when dealing with young people, one should be gentle, speak kindly, reason with them, and appeal to their emotions!
"Alright, alright, I won't talk about these things with you anymore. I've also thought about it. You've been drinking all these days, and it's because you can't sort things out in your heart. I've found a temple that can help guide you. We'll set off this noon, so be ready!" Shen Feng quickly said to Yue Hengyi.
When Yue Hengyi heard Shen Feng mention this, he felt it was a good idea. Although he didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, his current troubles were essentially sins of killing. Perhaps going to a temple could bring him some relief.
Yue Hengyi nodded in agreement. Just then, someone delivered the weapons forged by the ironworks. Shen Feng eagerly took them. The weapons were contained in a large sandalwood box. Upon opening it, Yue Hengyi saw a black mace, with a dragon head carved at the handle. Perhaps due to the inclusion of meteoric iron, the mace looked very dark and was designed as a single piece, feeling quite heavy in the hand.
"Little Yue, this is your weapon. See how good I am to you? I didn't forget about you when forging weapons!" Shen Feng casually handed the weapon over.
Yue Hengyi took it and examined it. It weighed over ten kilograms, a definite heavy weapon. With one strike of the mace, it would armor-pierce regardless of whether the target was wearing armor.
Shen Feng also took out his twin swords and looked at them. He drew them from their scabbards, and they were also gray-black. These were Chinese long swords, single-handed swords, giving off a sense of solid weight.
"These weapons won't reflect light at night and are incredibly sturdy. I must try them out when I get the chance!" Shen Feng said with a smile.
By noon, Yue Hengyi washed his face to sober up and ate two bowls of rice before preparing to leave. Shen Feng thought about it and decided that his most important possessions were the extraterrestrial elements and ability-boosting potions, so he carried them with him. As for the Welwitschia fruits in the cloth bag, Shen Feng left them directly in the room.
"Riko, is the hot spring... no, the temple ready? We're preparing to depart. Is everything okay?" Shen Feng asked directly.
Lanzi quickly replied, "Everything has been cleaned up. There's also a chief monk at the temple. I've already informed him in advance, and we can go at any time!"
Receiving this answer, Shen Feng nodded and prepared to set off. Before leaving, he didn't forget to bring both his and Yue Hengyi's weapons.
Seeing this, Lanzi couldn't help but think, "Now, the trap is set, and we're just waiting for them to fall into it. Tokyo has dispatched eight ability users. They must be able to win, right? When that happens, I must get my hands on the extraterrestrial elements! I must become an ability user!"
The temple was located in the deep mountains, on a mountain near a volcano, dozens of kilometers away from the city. They set off at noon and didn't arrive until evening. Mutated beasts often roamed the mountains. Black bears and mutated wild dogs were frequently seen. Furthermore, it was rumored that there were leopards and wild boars in the mountains. It would be impossible for ordinary people to survive living in the mountains.
However, even so, Shen Feng still saw many farmers cultivating land by the roadside. These people were unwilling to move into the city, even when their lives were threatened by mutated beasts.
"The scenery is quite nice, and the forest is very lush!" Seeing the beautiful scenery, Yue Hengyi's mood also became more cheerful. Ever since Confucius said that benevolent people find joy in mountains and wise people find joy in water, people in China have always liked to observe the beauty of mountains and rivers. Yue Hengyi had also been influenced by this. Seeing the wonderful scenery, his mood also improved.
However, at this moment, Shen Feng noticed something was amiss. He frowned as he looked at the mountain forests on both sides of the road and muttered to himself, "The forest is deep and dense, and the population is sparse. There are no treacherous terrains around. It seems we can't stay here for long!"
When Yue Hengyi heard Shen Feng say this, he knew that Shen Feng's old habit had kicked in. He couldn't help but say, "We're here to worship Buddha, not to fight. You're too nervous. You're too cautious. Miss Lanzi, don't you think so?"
Shen Feng said sternly, "You must always observe the terrain, otherwise, you won't even find a place to escape at a critical moment. You're lucky to be with me. If you were alone outside, you would have been tricked long ago!"
Yue Hengyi shrugged, unconcerned.
It was already evening, and there were only four people in the car: the driver, Shen Feng, Yue Hengyi, and Lanzi, who was accompanying them as a translator.
The sun was about to set, and the surrounding forests were all orange-red, giving off a sense of desolation.
The group finally arrived at the temple. It was built halfway up the mountain. If they climbed further, they could see the magnificent Sakurajima volcano. There used to be a village nearby, but unfortunately, all the people in these villages died when the zombies broke out, so it had become abandoned. Otherwise, this place was once a popular tourist destination, earning quite a lot of money every year.
"Your Excellencies, please come this way. This is Tongming Temple, and this is the chief monk, named Kawada. The hot spring inn is ready near the temple. After paying respects to Buddha, you can go to the inn to rest!" Lanzi quickly introduced.
Yue Hengyi immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "Greetings, Master. I have many questions that have been troubling me and I cannot resolve them. I need you to enlighten me."
Kawada heard this, clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and said, "Please follow me into the temple. We will discuss all your questions after paying respects to Buddha. Perhaps I can help you resolve your doubts!"
Shen Feng ignored the monk and began to survey the surroundings of the temple. The more he looked, the stranger it seemed. Although there were villages around the temple, they were all abandoned. Yet, this temple was meticulously cleaned. With only four or five young monks and a chief monk, cleaning such a large area must have been very difficult.
Shen Feng had two long swords hanging from his waist. As he was about to enter, a young monk stepped out and pointed at the swords on Shen Feng's waist, saying, "Sir, bringing swords into the temple will offend Buddha. Please leave them outside!"
"Scram! If Buddha is unhappy, let Buddha come and talk to me. You shouldn't be making a fuss here!" Shen Feng said casually, completely ignoring the young monk, and followed the chief monk inside. The young monk was left with nothing to say.
Shen Feng was still uneasy. He used "Swift as the Wind" and instantly disappeared from everyone's sight, like a ghost. This move shocked everyone present, especially Lanzi. She had clearly seen Shen Feng standing in front of her just a moment ago, and in the next second, he had vanished. Such speed was almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
"Master, please don't be offended. My elder brother is naturally suspicious. He's just looking around. He's not a bad person." Yue Hengyi quickly defended Shen Feng.
Master Kawada didn't say anything and led the two of them forward. To his surprise, Shen Feng was standing on top of the main hall, looking into the distance.
"Master, look, he's standing on top of Buddha! This is great disrespect!" Another young monk was dissatisfied with Shen Feng's actions and couldn't help but complain.
Master Kawada knew that this was a great disrespect, equivalent to the desecration of faith. However, he also knew that these people had a significant background and should not be provoked. He quickly comforted his young disciple, "Buddha does not concern himself with the mundane world. Let him be. Let's go inside and take a look."
Japanese monks and Chinese monks have their differences. Chinese monks generally wear gray-blue or light yellow robes, with red kasayas at most. However, Japanese monks wear gray robes with black kasayas. Here, bright red and purple are not favored; black and white are revered.
Shen Feng stood in the main hall and looked around. He found nothing, as if he had been overly worried. He thought to himself, "That's right. The people from Kagoshima were so scared by us that they wouldn't dare to ambush us now, would they? There are at most a few mutated beasts around, so there's no need to worry too much!"
Afterward, he came down from the roof. After Yue Hengyi paid his respects to Buddha, he asked Lanzi to translate his confusion: "I accidentally killed many people before, and I feel I did wrong. Now I can't sleep every night. Master, please help me. How can I resolve the pain in my heart?"
Kawada didn't understand Chinese well, so he explained through Lanzi's translation: "It's a good thing that you realize your mistakes, sir. This proves that your kindness is still preserved in your heart. However, the past cannot be dwelled upon forever. The dead cannot be brought back to life. If you feel guilty, then find a way to compensate the families of the deceased. This way, it will be considered a good deed. Karma is a cycle, and one good deed can offset one evil deed."
After hearing this explanation, Yue Hengyi was suddenly enlightened and said, "That's right! I can compensate the families of these deceased people, and my sins will be lessened!"
Shen Feng watched the two of them chatting on the prayer mats with a cold eye, and couldn't help but scoff internally, "They say that nothing can be taken away except karma. This Yue Hengyi is too easily fooled. If sins can be lessened this way, it's too easy. Just spend money!"
"If you feel that compensating their families is still not enough, sir, you can do even greater good deeds to accumulate merit. Once you have accumulated merit, even Buddha will be moved by your actions!" the chief monk continued.
Shen Feng sat aside and interjected, "Little Yue, let's go release some creatures. I'll take you to the pier to sell fish another day and throw them into the sea. You can get as much merit as you want!"
When it comes to accumulating merit, no one understands it better than the Chinese. Among these practices, releasing creatures is particularly elaborate. There are those who "release creatures" online, meaning they pay money online, and the breeder personally releases them into the water, even taking videos and posting on social media: "Amitabha, may all beings be blessed."
Shen Feng thought to himself, "I'll go release fifty degrees of electricity another day and see if Buddha will grant me a hundred kilograms of fish!"