The scene before his eyes began to blur, his vision fading into darkness. He could hear the low gasps of passersby, the hurried footsteps retreating, the honking of cars, and screams. Zhou Zichang finally couldn't support himself and fell to the ground.

He was breathing rapidly.

The surrounding pedestrians crowded around him. Someone recognized him and, seeing him covered in blood, quickly pulled out their phone and said,

"Dr. Zhou? What happened to you?"

"Call the police, call an ambulance!"

Zhou Zichang vaguely heard the ambulance and his spirits suddenly lifted. He struggled to get up.

No, he couldn't let the doctors come.

He was a doctor himself.

So he knew very well what would happen if such a special case as himself were discovered. Because if he were in their shoes, he would do the same. He staggered to his feet, the elixir of immortality still supporting him, allowing him to push through the crowd and run quickly before turning into an alleyway.

His obsession with immortality finally couldn't overcome the pain brought on by the immortal medicine.

Zhou Zichang staggered and fell, coughing violently.

His vision blurred, and he vaguely saw a tall man walking out. The man was wearing a gray monk's robe, his head shaved clean, his expression dignified and kind. He seemed surprised, raised one hand in front of his chest, and said a blessing, Amitabha.

…

In the alleyway.

The young monk discovered Zhou Zichang in his white coat and keenly realized that the latter was already dead. Although Zhou Zichang was covered in blood and had a ferocious expression, he still squatted down, reached out and took Zhou Zichang's hand. His palm was broad and warm, and he said softly, comforting,

"Amitabha…"

"Donor, life is exhausted, death has arrived, there is no need to be attached. Let go and you will find liberation."

The young monk's face was full of compassion. He chanted the Rebirth Mantra, using Buddhist teachings to transcend the pain and obsession of death. His hand remained clasped with Zhou Zichang's, allowing the fear in the latter's heart, the unwillingness, the dread, to gradually dissipate, leaving only the purest emotion.

But for him, the purest emotion was the obsession with immortality.

Zhou Zichang felt the warmth emanating from the monk's arm.

The elixir of immortality was mobilizing his qi and blood, telling him that powerful, pure energy was brewing in the blood beneath this arm, energy that could help him overcome his current predicament. Zhou Zichang slowly gathered his strength, and then, taking advantage of the monk's inattention, suddenly flipped over.

Zhou Zichang grabbed the monk's arm with both hands, opened his mouth, and bit down hard.

His teeth had somehow become sharp.

They tore through the clothes, touching the monk's skin.

Then, accompanied by a sound like biting into granite and a sharp pain in his teeth, the crazed Zhou Zichang had to stop. He looked blankly at the arm, discovering that its muscles were solid, seeing the exaggerated bulges of muscle, and then a golden light radiating directly from it.

His biting force, briefly exceeding the limits of the human body due to the Witch Doctor's medicine, was completely unable to break through the monk's skin. The monk finally seemed to realize that something was wrong and looked down, and Zhou Zichang also looked up subconsciously.

Zhou Zichang: "..."

Monk: "..."

The monk was silent, hesitantly organizing his words, and said sincerely, "Donor…"

"Judging by your appearance, you should also be a civilized person. Death is not terrible, at least maintain your dignity."

"When you are alive, you must use all your strength, and when you leave, you must be peaceful and dignified enough."

"Please open your mouth."

Zhou Zichang ignored him and bit down madly.

The monk said, "...Donor, please loosen your teeth a little, this humble monk will finish reciting the Rebirth Mantra for you."

"You are being very unseemly."

Zhou Zichang's eyes were bloodshot, almost demonic.

"Amitabha…"

"The Six Roots, purified!!!"

Suddenly, a violent roar. The monk's muscles bulged, and a solemn Buddhist cry rang out. Zhou Zichang only felt pain assault him, his mouth filled with teeth being pried apart by the monk's golden arm. Then a powerful, thick hand descended from the sky and grabbed Zhou Zichang's hair.

Twisting, exerting force.

Like a primordial mammoth rampaging.

The force was enormous, pulling Zhou Zichang, in his current state, and causing him to stagger sideways.

Then another hand pressed down on Zhou Zichang's demented face, pressing him against the wall.

A sudden pull.

The skin of his face scraped directly against the wall, leaving a gully.

The monk, his robe torn, slammed him heavily onto the ground. Zhou Zichang's eyes were blank, losing the ability to move, breaking free from his frenzied, demonic state. The monk put his hands together, solemn and majestic, lowered his eyes and whispered,

"Amitabha…"

When Wei Yuan arrived, he saw Zhou Zichang, unable to move, lying there, no longer struggling, no longer crazy, lying peacefully and with dignity on the ground, his eyes vacant, muttering something as he coughed up blood. He saw the young man in the monk's robe sitting cross-legged on the ground, his hands clasped together, chanting the Rebirth Mantra.

The monk noticed Wei Yuan's arrival. His thoughts froze, and then he explained stiffly,

"Amitabha, this donor's condition was not caused by this humble monk."

"When I discovered him, he was already in a state of death."

Wei Yuan looked at the wall beside him, at the huge scratch marks left on the bricks, and finally at the blood splattered on the monk's face, falling into contemplation.

The monk was silent for a moment, then said,

"This donor took the initiative to attack this humble monk."

"I was just trying to calm him down…"

Wei Yuan watched the monk waving his arms in excitement, feeling the wind on his face, and silently took a step back.

Then, looking at Zhou Zichang in his peculiar state, he didn't cast any spells to help. The latter was still alive, and this kind of person should be handed over to the Special Operations Team so that the professionals could handle it more appropriately. He just needed to inform them in advance of the dangers of the Witch Doctor's medicine so they could be vigilant.

Wei Yuan comforted the monk and then called the members of the Special Operations Team.

Soon, the area was sealed off, and then specialized personnel arrived. First, they saw the damaged parts of the wall, looked at the mess on the ground, and fell silent. Until he was sure he wouldn't be arrested, the calmed-down monk scratched his head awkwardly, but he had no hair to scratch, so he put his hands together, bowed repeatedly, and said,

"This matter was not handled well by this humble monk."

"I will specifically apologize to the people here and compensate for the losses."

Due to the special circumstances, Wei Yuan and the tall monk returned to the Special Operations Team's office to make a statement. It took more than an hour before they came out. The monk took out a stack of banknotes from his old satchel, counted them carefully one by one, and placed them all on the table.

After thinking for a while, he took out a bill and said apologetically,

"This humble monk still needs to eat these next few days."

Then he put his hands together, bowed apologetically, and walked out the door.

There was a lot of money, neatly stacked. Wei Yuan asked in surprise,

"...Did you get this from begging?"

"It's quite a sum."

The monk was surprised, and then replied, "No, I earned it from working."

Wei Yuan was stunned and said, "Working?"

He said,

"Isn't it said that bhikkus need to understand the Dharma and help all living beings, so they don't need to work?"

The monk replied honestly,

"Help all living beings?"

"...If I don't work, I'll starve to death. If everyone goes to the Western Paradise together, who will be saved?"

"Moreover, there is no saying in this lineage of mine that we don't need to work. Some of the ancestral masters were ferrymen, some were crippled doctors, and some ancestral masters even said, 'If you do not work for a day, you shall not eat for a day. Lazy monks who refuse to work will be knocked on the head and driven out the door.'"

"Besides, this humble monk still has some strength. I can go to the construction site to do odd jobs. They even provide meals there."

Wei Yuan was surprised. After thinking for a while, he said again,

"You wanted to save Zhou Ziming from his resentment and ended up spending all your money. Do you not regret it?"

The monk shook his head and said, "Those who see the dead unresigned should be saved."

"Those who injure the innocent should be compensated."

"Donor, these are clearly two separate matters, so how can they be treated as one?"

Wei Yuan became somewhat interested in the monk and said,

"Then why did you come here instead of cultivating properly?"

The monk replied solemnly,

"This humble monk, Yuanjue, has come here only to subdue the Buddha's enemy."

Wei Yuan's thoughts froze slightly, recalling the time when he borrowed the power of Wuzhiqi and struck at the Buddhist holy land from afar, shattering the ancient Buddhist statue, and the monks' panicked whispers of "Buddha's enemy" at the end. He then looked at the monk in front of him, who was at least seven-and-a-half feet tall, with bulging muscles, but also honest and sincere.

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, and then asked, "What will you do when you catch the Buddha's enemy?"

"The Buddha's enemy is also a living being."

"Of course, I will shave his head and take him back to the mountains to teach him to meditate and study the Dharma every day. When he one day has a great epiphany, he can inherit the mantle of this lineage of mine."

As Yuanjue spoke, he couldn't help but become lost in thought. He shook his head and said,

"Donor, have you ever seen the Buddha's enemy?"

Wei Yuan's expression was gentle, and he shook his head and said,

"Buddha's enemy? What is that?"

"I don't know…"

PS: First update of the day… a little short, two thousand seven hundred words~

Thanks to Mengzhu 氵氵水水氵氵, thank you very much.