Chapter 98 of 100

Chapter 98

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Miler Chan Shi only hoped that his younger brother, Bai Lian Shengzi, had not been noticed by King Yan, and still had a glimmer of hope. He bowed and said, "Great King, the White Lotus Sect reveres the Buddha Maitreya from the Western Paradise."

King Qin Guang shook his head and said, "It’s no use. Unless the people of the mortal world can cultivate to become immortals and transcend the jurisdiction of my underworld, it doesn’t matter which deities you worship. If you break the precepts, you will still have to repay your karma here after death!"

Even if one cultivates to become an immortal, they still have to face the retribution of karma and cause. The example of the twelve golden immortals of the Chan School during the Great Tribulation of the Sealing of the Gods is right before our eyes.

Unless one can truly transcend the three realms and be outside the five elements, they can achieve true freedom and ease. But such a person is likely to have already achieved the Daoist fruit of the Mixed Yuan and become a lofty sage beyond the thirty-three heavens.

King Qin Guang said, "What do you think? Now you should be convinced, right?"

Miler Chan Shi knelt on the ground, hanging his head, and replied, "I am convinced!" King Qin Guang laughed heartily and ordered the ghost soldiers standing on both sides to take him to the lower hell for punishment.

Just as Miler Chan Shi resigned himself to his fate, a peasant old lady in the back of the line suddenly sighed softly, "What a sin, such a young child, yet he did no good deeds when he was alive."

She was just an ordinary person, and it was unknown how she regained a bit of consciousness in the Xuanming Palace.

Miler Chan Shi turned his head to look, and the ghost soldier holding his arm did not stop him.

When the old lady spoke, the judge maintaining the ghost line did not scold her but instead welcomed her with a bow and brought her directly to King Qin Guang.

Miler Chan Shi then whispered to the ghost soldier beside him, "Is this old lady a bodhisattva or a fairy? Why do the ghosts and deities of your underworld respect her so much?"

Indeed, she was destined to have a master-disciple relationship with Xuan Kong, inheriting his master's curiosity that could kill a cat.

The ghost soldier naturally did not answer, but King Qin Guang on the dais heard Miler Chan Shi’s whisper and said, "Speaking of which, it’s all about self-interest. Even the most sincere gentlemen sometimes can’t help but have selfish thoughts. But this old lady has been charitable and benevolent all her life, never having the thought of harming others for personal gain. Her small good deeds, accumulated over nine lifetimes, are indeed significant!"

The old lady, upon reaching the Hall of King Yan, seemed to have recalled her past life’s memories. She smiled kindly and bowed to King Qin Guang. King Qin Guang quickly helped her up and said, "Old lady, you don’t need to be so formal. We have met nine times, and in the future, we will likely be fellow immortals."

A person can’t do much in one lifetime, but the accumulation of a lifetime’s deeds is considerable.

If a person spends nine lifetimes accumulating good karma, that virtue is enough to make an ordinary person without cultivation instantly become a deity. This old lady is a good person for nine lifetimes, and now she has come to report to King Qin Guang’s Xuanming Palace. She will soon take up the position of a local guardian deity to maintain peace.

Even King Qin Guang, facing such a good person, felt a deep respect. He said, "This old lady, though a peasant woman for nine lifetimes, has been able to control her greed and be kind to others. Even the powerful immortals of the Buddhist and Daoist sects would be overshadowed when compared to her."

The old lady smiled, walked to Miler Chan Shi, looked at his face, and bowed to King Qin Guang, saying, "Great King, as the ruler of the underworld, you should know to act justly. This young man’s lifespan has not yet ended. I saw him being brought to the underworld."

Those who dared to argue with King Qin Guang were not just Wang Qi.

Wang Qi was joking with King Qin Guang in a half-playful manner, but this old lady, though smiling, spoke to King Qin Guang with a serious face. King Qin Guang had only planned to have the ghost soldiers take Miler Chan Shi on a tour of the eighteen hells to teach him about cause and effect before releasing him back to the mortal world.

But he did not expect that everything would come together, and facing the advice of this nine-lifetimes good person, King Qin Guang felt a bit embarrassed and secretly cursed in his heart, "Xuan Kong, you scoundrel, hiding behind and making me take the blame."

Miler Chan Shi, looking at the old lady with wrinkles, felt that she was the most beautiful and benevolent bodhisattva in the world, wishing to immediately prostrate himself at her feet and take refuge. He also looked at King Qin Guang, unsure of how he would handle the situation.

King Qin Guang, caught in a difficult position, was not someone who refused to correct his mistakes. He had to admit his mistake after hearing the old lady’s words.

He nodded and said, "The old lady is right. This king was rash. Let me send the young ghost back to the mortal world, shall I?" He thought, although he had already promised Xuan Kong to let Miler Chan Shi see the eighteen hells.

But when the time came, he would secretly instruct the ghost soldiers not to take Miler Chan Shi through the ghost gate to return to the mortal world, but to use the six paths of reincarnation and the positive and negative whirlwinds below the eighteen hells to return to the mortal world. This way, he would not compromise his virtue and would also fulfill Xuan Kong’s request.

King Qin Guang touched the small wine flask at his waist and smiled proudly.

The establishment of his underworld was not just to set up various hells to torment the masses but also to warn and teach people to be good. Although he had been a bit frivolous in this matter, he had not deviated from the original purpose of the underworld.

He hoped that Miler Chan Shi, upon returning to the mortal world, would become a disciple of Xuan Kong and learn from his master’s simple and unassuming nature.

In fact, King Qin Guang had been deceived by Xuan Kong’s appearance. Saying that Xuan Kong’s nature was simple made some sense, but to say he was unassuming, no one with curiosity in the world would agree!

Such a curious and lively nature, always seeking excitement, could hardly be called unassuming.

What a joke!

King Qin Guang ordered the judge to respectfully invite the old lady to rest and then turned to Miler Chan Shi, saying, "Alright, since someone has pleaded for you, this king will consider your remaining years of life and send you back to the mortal world. I hope you will do more good deeds and accumulate some merit after you return."

Miler Chan Shi was overjoyed and quickly prostrated himself, saying, "After I return, I will return all the money and property to their rightful owners and invite a virtuous immortal to be my master, reforming myself and starting anew!"

He was not stupid. After this series of events, it was clear that Xuan Kong was behind it all.

But Miler Chan Shi thought, if Xuan Kong had spent so much effort on him, it meant he had no ill intentions. Perhaps he really intended to take him as a disciple, which would be a great fortune!

He felt a bit regretful, wishing he had already prostrated himself and called Xuan Kong master. After all, in Jinshan Temple, he had never even seen Fahai, and compared to that, he felt Xuan Kong was more powerful!

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