Chapter 1805: Chapter 1832: Raving in a Minefield
“Eat the fish.”
The village chief, as if nothing happened, immediately followed Monk Changsheng and picked up his chopsticks.
Li Xiaobai and Liaowang took a piece of meat from the fish tail, cautiously put it in their mouths, and chewed slowly.
But the moment they began eating, regret flooded them. The fish tail was full of bones; Li Xiaobai, lacking cultivation, had no technique to protect himself. Despite his unusually strong physique, these fish bones were not ordinary—they belonged to a deep-sea Demonic Beast and were as hard as iron.
The most important thing was, there was nowhere to spit out the bones. There was no bamboo basket for trash on the ground, and only Monk Changsheng and the village chief had handkerchiefs on their table, meaning they had no choice but to swallow the hard bones.
Liaowang was also in a bad situation. Though his cultivation level was high, his body was even weaker than Li Xiaobai’s. The bones got stuck in his throat, and he dared not circulate energy to protect himself due to monastery rules against using cultivation techniques during a meal with the host. Ma Niubi’s past behavior served as a warning, so he could only endure the pain and slowly swallow the bones.
“Do you two dislike spitting out bones while eating fish? I have handkerchiefs here.”
After they finished, the village chief took out two brand new handkerchiefs and said with a smiling face.
Li Xiaobai gritted his teeth. “No worries, it’s calcium.”
“Is this master called Liaowang?”
“I’ve heard the lord mentioned you. I’m also under his guidance. Sadly, he retired to a secluded place from the starry sky, and meeting him has become near impossible.”
Monk Changsheng said leisurely, perhaps addressing Liaowang or maybe speaking to the village chief.
“Amita… ugh…”
Liaowang attempted to recite a Buddhist chant, then hurriedly closed his mouth. His throat had been pierced by a fish bone, and blood was slowly seeping out. Opening his mouth nearly let out the blood.
This Monk Changsheng was extremely sinister, using ploys to tempt Liaowang into coughing up blood, which in a monastery was a grave taboo.
“The lord’s last disciple is truly remarkable to suppress the body’s instinctive reaction.”
Monk Changsheng praised.
“But, how will you proceed next?”
Monk Changsheng stood up and poured tea for Liaowang and Li Xiaobai.
When the host serves tea, guests have no reason not to drink. Li Xiaobai was fine, but Liaowang was in a tough spot.
If he drank, the blood from his mouth would spray out, defiling the monastery and breaking rules.
If he didn’t drink, it would be disrespectful to the host, equally breaking etiquette.
As time ticked away, he found himself in a dilemma, while the other three at the table had already finished their tea. In this silence, a ripple formed in the void, and pitch-black hands emerged, reaching for Liaowang’s body.
“Poof!”
Liaowang spewed a mouthful, blood scattered across the ground as a divine light enveloped him and a golden lotus bloomed beneath his feet, disappearing within a breath.
He escaped, and the black hands did not pursue. Instead, dozens of hands lightly tapped the space, stirring a ripple in the void, and the hands reached into it, slowly dragging Liaowang’s body back.
“Master Li, you must obey the rules; a mere monk in the Immortal Gods Realm has no power to resist…”
This was Liaowang’s last sentence before being pulled into the back mountain by the black hands.
“Liaowang is gone too.”
“The Immortal Gods Realm is powerless to resist—what cultivation level does this person have?”
Li Xiaobai focused, calming himself.
The power in that hand indeed far exceeded cultivators in the Immortal Gods Realm. But why, with such power, would Monk Changsheng painstakingly set up such a banquet, adhering to complex rules to eliminate them?
Moreover, Monk Changsheng was also respecting the rules, his every move conforming to etiquette, waiting for them to make a mistake so he could use the mysterious forces of the back mountain to eliminate all three.
“Master Li, it’s just you left now.”
“Shall we continue?”
Monk Changsheng served the dishes, the village chief served the dishes, and Li Xiaobai served the dishes, maintaining this order to avoid any errors. He also paid close attention to the way of drinking tea, and after several rounds, everything was normal.
It seemed Monk Changsheng noticed Li Xiaobai was prepared, realizing simple means were insufficient to break him, so the three started casual conversation.
“Those hanged in the back mountain were villagers who broke rules, and some outsiders too.”
Monk Changsheng said.
Li Xiaobai shook his head. “I don’t believe.”
Monk Changsheng: “This village was once in ruins, villagers struggling to survive. After I brought divine blessings, the weather became favorable, making the villagers deeply reverent of the divine will.”
Li Xiaobai shook his head. “I don’t believe.”
“Whether you believe or not doesn’t matter. If you stay a few more days, you will feel the villagers’ intense faith. For them, Buddhist Law or Cultivation Technique is not essential, and as long as their god doesn’t abandon them, they feel eternally comfortable.”
“You must think those who died in the back mountain were killed by me, but I’ve done nothing. They were dealt with by the villagers, who believe this earns divine favor, which is indeed true!”
Li Xiaobai continued to shake his head. “I don’t believe.”
No matter what Monk Changsheng said, he always replied with two words: “I don’t believe.”
Using the unchanging to handle innumerable changes—speaking more leads to more mistakes, often the simplest way is the most effective.
“The Law I practice is Order, with justice as its greatest feature. Even I must obey it, no one can defy it; it’s both an advantage and a disadvantage, a double-edged sword.”
Seeing Li Xiaobai’s firm stance, Monk Changsheng proactively provided some information.
This move was always successful. Even the smartest would lose composure upon learning the secret of his Law, desperately searching for loopholes to reverse the situation, unknowingly falling into his trap.
Then the reply continued to be simply two words: “Amazing.”
Monk Changsheng: “…”
“What’s the village chief’s name?”
Li Xiaobai suddenly asked.
Unable to deal with Monk Changsheng, he prepared to target the village chief, having some inclinations about the Law of Order.
“Shangguan Dong.”
The village chief spoke little, barely opening his mouth, afraid of making mistakes.
He deliberately grew long hair to cover his brows, his white beard grown out extensively, making it hard to discern his appearance. His gaunt frame hidden in oversized robes, using this method to increase error tolerance.
Li Xiaobai sharply sensed an opportunity. “But your granddaughter’s surname is Fang.”
“She’s an adopted granddaughter, not blood-related.”
“What about your biological one?”
“She passed away.”
“How did she pass away?”
“I sent her off.”
“With a knife?”
“Strangling her with a rope bit by bit; I dislike seeing blood.”
Shangguan Dong’s emotions were as calm as a still well, discussing killing his granddaughter as if he were merely slaughtering a chicken.
Li Xiaobai changed his tone suddenly, asking: “Do you want to eat Changsheng’s flesh?”
“No.”
Shangguan Dong hesitated for a few seconds before hastily answering.
“A village chief who doesn’t want to eat Changsheng’s flesh is not a good village chief, wouldn’t you agree, master?”
Li Xiaobai turned to Monk Changsheng, smiling.
“I think the same. I willingly offered my flesh and blood for the benefit of the villagers, but alas, they vehemently urged against it, leaving me no choice but to desist.”