Chapter 72 Where's My Heart!
Zhou Ze remembered clearly what death felt like. He had once been pushed into the crematorium furnace and enjoyed the treatment of incineration.
And beforehand, there were crematorium workers who used steel hooks to pierce his stomach to prevent his body from swelling and exploding during cremation.
That feeling was very similar to the feeling of his chest being pierced now.
Pain?
Of course, it hurt.
But when the pain was too intense, you instead felt numb. It was like having surgery in a hospital and receiving a spinal anesthetic. Through the curtain blocking your view, you could only feel something poking around on your belly.
Zhou Ze still wanted to resist, but his body fell into a deathly stillness of convulsions. Even his eyelids felt extremely heavy at this moment.
No matter how unwilling, no matter how much he resisted,
his eyelids,
still closed.
…………
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw dim lights all around. In front of him was a long marble table with intricate patterns that gave off an exquisite feeling.
Looking down, Zhou Ze found himself sitting in a chair. It was a Grand Preceptor's chair, and he was leaning against it. Below his neck, he wore a white bib, more like the kind worn when eating to prevent soup stains from soiling clothes.
In his hands, he held a silver knife and fork.
In front of him was a clean white plate with a piece of roasted meat on it, emanating heat, garnished with lemons and cauliflower.
"Sir, I used a torch on the cauliflower to give it a grilled flavor. I hope you like it."
The old man's voice came from across the table. He was dressed the same and was cutting a piece of meat and chewing it.
"What does this mean?"
Zhou Ze didn't rush to eat and asked directly.
Weren't they supposed to kill him?
"There was a slight accident." The old man picked up a glass of wine next to him and took a small sip.
"Whoosh!"
The old man placed a hand on the table and pushed a certificate towards Zhou Ze.
"I didn't expect the identity plate to be damaged to this extent." The old man finished speaking and continued to cut a piece of meat to savor.
"So?"
"So, I'm sorry, you can't die." The old man said with a smile, "Sir, your luck is really good."
"You're not going to kill me?"
"That's right, sir. Because the identity plate left by the master can't withstand another process of recognizing and refreshing its owner. Otherwise, it will directly break and lose all function."
The old man shook his head, raised his glass, and toasted Zhou Ze.
"So, congratulations, sir. It seems I was wrong. Today is indeed your lucky day."
Zhou Ze picked up the wine glass, looked at the clear red wine inside, and didn't rush to drink. Instead, he asked:
"Is there any strange poison in this wine?"
"You jest, sir."
Jest?
Earlier, you said I was your new master,
and then?
A hand directly pierced my chest!
Who's jesting?
"Sir, please try my cooking. When the old master was here, I was responsible for managing his daily meals. Although many years have passed, I don't think my skills have deteriorated too much."
"Is there poison in the meat?" Zhou Ze asked with a smile.
"Sir, you're overthinking it. For me, killing or torturing you doesn't require such complicated methods."
What you said makes sense; I can't refute it.
Zhou Ze cut off a piece of meat and used a fork to put it into his mouth to chew. He instinctively wanted to vomit, but unexpectedly found that the meat melted in his mouth and tasted excellent.
Most importantly, he didn't feel nauseous at all.
"Is it delicious?" the old man asked.
"It's okay," Zhou Ze replied.
"If it's delicious, eat more. As a chef, it's very gratifying when people like and eat a lot of the dishes I make."
The old man ate half a plate of meat, put down his knife and fork, and took out a hot towel to wipe his hands.
Zhou Ze ate a few more pieces of meat and then asked:
"What happens next?"
"Sir, you jest again." The old man had a kind smile on his face. "After your meal, you are free to leave. I won't restrict your freedom."
"It ends just like that?" Zhou Ze found it absurd.
"Yes, it's over," the old man confirmed.
"But I remember you said that the Lord Fuhun wanted a bad person, right?"
"Yes, that's indeed the case."
"Just because the identity plate is damaged, I get an exception?"
Really, is it just because of good luck?
"No, the Lord Fuhun's will allows no discount."
"I don't understand."
"The answer is in your heart," the old man reminded.
"I hate that kind of riddle-solving conversation style of monks," Zhou Ze said.
The old man reached out and patted his chest. "Sir, I feel the same way."
Zhou Ze's face suddenly darkened, as if he had thought of something. He immediately looked down, lifted the bib around his neck, and revealed the left side of his chest.
It was empty.
"I applied the best ointment to your wound. It will heal soon without leaving any scars. I even helped you treat the wounds on other parts of your body.
You don't need to thank me or be polite."
I'll thank your ass!
"Where's my heart? Where's my heart!" Zhou Ze asked.
The old man pointed to the plate in front of Zhou Ze and said kindly:
"You said it tasted good."
"Clang!"
Zhou Ze slammed the knife and fork on the table.
The old man picked up a cup of tea, gargled, spat it out, and then slowly stood up.
"Without a heart, there are not so many worries, and you can live more comfortably.
A good person, without a conscience, no matter how good he is, he can't be too good. Don't you think so?"
Zhou Ze grabbed the tablecloth tightly with both hands, looked up and stared at the old man.
"You better kill me now."
The old man smiled slightly. "So, sir, are you going to say it again: 'Don't bully a young man for being poor'?"
Then, the old man patted his chest lightly, took a breath, and pretended:
"It's really terrifying."
"............" Zhou Ze.
"Sir, you have no chance to take revenge on me. My lifespan has long come to an end. When you leave this room, I will also disappear from here."
"Will you go to hell?"
"There's no place for me in hell," the old man replied. "It's the final end."
Then, the old man pointed to the plate in front of Zhou Ze again.
"Sir, would you like a doggy bag?"
Zhou Ze stood up, feeling empty in his chest. The large hole in the wound was even more shocking, but he didn't die. To be precise, Xu Le's body didn't die, and he didn't even feel a bit of pain.
The wound will heal soon?
Picking up the certificate on the table, Zhou Ze walked towards the door, but stopped midway and asked:
"I'm very curious, who exactly is that Lord Fuhun?"
"Since the Lord Fuhun was deceived by the Bodhisattva who ran to hell in those years, he has been unwilling to mention his name."
Not getting an answer, but Zhou Ze didn't want to stay here any longer. He pushed open the door in front of him and walked out. When he looked back, he found that the door he had just come out of had disappeared.
Behind him was a desolate graveyard.
…………
In the room, the old man quietly cleaned up the tableware and cleaned the room again.
Then, he spread out his hands and patted the table.
"Come out."
A small golden monkey ran out from who knows where, jumped onto the table, scratched its ears and cheeks at the old man, very cute.
However, the golden monkey's body was a bit illusory, obviously not a real existence.
"Although, grievances have their source, debts have their debtors, but this time, you've gone too far. Even if the final result falls on that baby, it shouldn't be the target of your revenge.
If everything is about pursuing cause and effect, following cause and effect, and if everyone acted in this way, why would you, little beast, need to pursue the Great Dao?
Eating, drinking, living, aging, getting sick, and dying, isn't that the most compliant with cause and effect?"
The golden monkey shook its head and nodded again.
"Don't blame me for detaining the soul you attached to that baby. Your three Jiazi (180 years) of merit will be considered compensation for that child. Even if he's disabled, he'll be able to have a smooth life because of it, and even become a normal person after surgery in the future.
You don't need to feel like you're at a disadvantage. Let's end this matter here. Later, I'll give you a new body. You can leave on your own, whether you want to cultivate again or just frolic in the mountains and forests. Just don't do what you did today again.
Humans who cultivate still have five illnesses and three deficiencies, let alone you, a little beast. Just consider this a tribulation in your cultivation path."
After speaking,
the old man pushed open the door of the inner room.
There were no other furnishings in this small house, only a landscape painting hanging on the wall.
In the painting,
there was a majestic mountain,
Nature endowed it with beauty, dividing day and night!
There was a man wearing a purple crown and a yellow robe, standing on the mountain peak.
The painting was already yellowed.
The person in the painting had also passed away.
Only the majestic mountain in the painting still stood there, looking down on all the smaller mountains.
"Lord Fuhun, I have completed the things you ordered."
The old man knelt down in front of the scroll.
The scene of parting in the past reappeared in his mind:
…………
"You old codger, die later, hold on a little longer, help this seat keep an eye on whose hands this identity plate will end up in. If it's a good person, kill him for me and replace him!
This seat just believed the lies of those monks, believed their nonsense about not becoming a Buddha until hell is empty. A lifetime of fame has been lost!
The person holding this seat's identity plate must not be a good person again, otherwise, this seat will not rest in peace!"
"Master, what is a good person, and what is a bad person?
A good person may do bad things, and a bad person may do good things.
The distinction between good and bad, this old servant is foolish and afraid of ruining your instructions."
"Damn it, there are not so many twists and turns and miscellaneous statements. If you don't think he's a bad person, just kill him."
"Yes, this old servant respectfully obeys your decree."
…………
"He's a good person?"
In the inner room, the old man kneeling there slowly raised his head and muttered while looking at the painting:
"He is indeed a 'good' person,
but in my eyes,
he is a 'bad' person."
As the old man spoke, his face began to darken, and yellow fur began to grow on his face and hands.
His face began to distort, turning into a hairy face and a thunderous mouth!
This was an old ape!
Born in the wilderness of Mount Tai, its lifelong ambition was to carry that Mount Tai.
The ancient saying calls it: Moving Mountain Ape!
"My disciple and grandson, cultivated for three Jiazi, happily helping others, diligently cultivating, suffered this great disaster, encountered this injustice!
He relied on standing on the position of humans, disregarded everything, and directly went up and beat it to death!
Why!
Why!
Just because he is human, was he human before he died!
So, all aliens, as long as they threaten humans, regardless of right or wrong, regardless of good or bad,
should be killed? Should die?"
The old man sat cross-legged,
and finally murmured:
"He stands on the position of humans, he is a good person.
This old servant stands on the position of the monkey clan, he is a bad person.
Hehe,
in the end,
he didn't even manage to die because of it.
Lord Fuhun,
is this what you mean?
Lord Fuhun,
this old servant is coming to follow you. After so many years, without this old servant serving you and cooking, you must be unaccustomed, right?"
The old man lost his vitality.
The body of the ape just sat there.
The golden monkey in the state of a soul ran out at this time, first knelt down and kowtowed to the old man's remains, and then drilled into the old man's skin.
After a while,
from under the old man's clothes,
a small monkey with a slender body and only the size of a palm crawled out.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
The little monkey called out a few times and then ran out.