Chapter 177 Bell Tolls

The bell finally stopped ringing. That unlucky couple seemed to think that since they had paid the money, they had to ring it enough, they had to ring it until they felt they got their money's worth, so they went "dong, dong, dong" many times.

But it seemed that her husband's stamina wasn't up to par.

He was rapid in the early stages, but in the later stages, he began to weaken. In the end, he twisted his sore arm and said that he really couldn't ring it anymore.

The bell stopped ringing.

Zhou Ze fell backward onto the ground, his body already soaked with sweat, panting heavily.

The fat monk, who was still tied up, saw Zhou Ze in this state. The fear in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a sense of "veneration."

Awesome,

Just listening to the bell could make someone work up a sweat like that!

Zhou Ze turned his head and looked at this dead fatty. Now Zhou Ze could confirm that there was something wrong with the bell, not with the temple.

Looking at the head monk of this temple, Buddha must have been blind to give this temple any spirituality.

The fat monk smiled kindly. He nodded towards the small refrigerator and said,

"There are frozen drinks in the little fridge. Look how hot you are."

"..." Zhou Ze.

Outside on the steps, Lawyer An's forehead was pressed against the bluestone brick, sweat dripping continuously from his chin. Then, he wanted to stand up, but the soreness and bruising in his knees made him unable to muster any strength, and he simply fell sideways onto the ground.

Licking his chapped lips, Lawyer An reached out and covered his forehead.

"What kind of bell is that in the temple?"

Zhou Ze slowly got up, asking at the same time.

"It's called the Morning Wake Bell. I bought it from a secondhand dealer a few years ago. It's said that it was used in county offices of some dynasty to summon yamen runners and laborers."

The fat monk explained it very well.

"How much did you buy it for?" Zhou Ze asked.

"Five thousand."

"I'll give you ten thousand..."

"Now it's five million." The fat monk interjected, looking at Zhou Ze with a grin.

Zhou Ze smiled,

Then, his left fingernails grew out again. He walked up to the fat monk, squatted down, and slowly pressed his fingernails against the other's neck.

"How much was it again? I didn't hear clearly."

"Fifty, including shipping!

A monk doesn't lie, or Buddha will blame me."

Zhou Ze really found it hard to believe in this guy's integrity. He pointed at the ropes on this guy's body and said,

"Did Buddha also tell you to do this?"

"Benefactor, you're being biased. Experiencing the mortal world, going from the mortal world, and then returning to the mortal world, that's cultivation. This, too, can be considered a part of the mortal world.

I pay, she provides services, no one owes anything."

"Heh."

"Everything exists for a reason. Monks claim to have transcended the mundane world, so naturally, they can no longer look at this world with mundane eyes. You think this is vulgar because you yourself are vulgar."

Zhou Ze suddenly thought of that white fox, who seemed to have said something similar.

But at this moment, Boss Zhou didn't have time to sit and discuss Dao with this fat monk. He reached out and cut off two of the ropes on the other's body, signaling him to get up by himself, and at the same time warned,

"What happened today, pretend you didn't see it, or even Buddha won't be able to protect you."

"Amitabha, meeting is fate. Benefactor, rest assured, since this humble monk is safe and sound, this matter will naturally not be pursued."

Zhou Ze nodded, took out a cigarette, but found that he had run out.

The fat monk flattered him and took out his Jiu Wu Zhi Zun,

And handed Zhou Ze one.

Boss Zhou then looked at the empty box of Xiaosuyan in his hand,

And suddenly wondered if his life was a bit too simple?

He lit the cigarette, but Boss Zhou wasn't in a hurry to go out. Instead, he kept panting and adjusting himself, because he knew that there was still one outside, who had just tried to stop him, but failed.

Now,

He was still outside,

Because the panting sounded like he was climbing a steep hill, heavy and hurried. It was hard to ignore even if you wanted to cover your ears.

Exhaling a smoke ring, Zhou Ze saw that the monk had also lit one himself. It seemed he was also a chain smoker.

"Did Buddha also tell you to smoke this?" Zhou Ze raised his hand to signal the other not to answer, and directly said, "Okay, I get it, more experiencing mortal life?"

The fat monk shook his head and said, "That's not it. I always encourage the employees in my temple to smoke good cigarettes if they can afford them, drive good cars if they can, and use expensive phones generously if they can."

"Why?"

"Because the pilgrims who come to the temple to burn incense and make offerings are all seeking peace or fame and fortune.

If the pilgrims see that the monks in this temple are all as thin as skin and bones and dressed in rags, do you think they'll think we're noble, we cultivate diligently, we're amazing?"

"Hmm?"

"In the eyes of the pilgrims, we monks eat heartily, drive luxury cars, and smoke good cigarettes. That's what they call Buddha being effective.

If a Buddha can't even protect the people serving him, can't let them live comfortably, how can the pilgrims believe that this Buddha and this temple can protect them?"

"What you said really makes sense."

Zhou Ze thought deeply for a moment,

And really couldn't refute it.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Outside,

Lawyer An leaned against the door frame, pointing at Zhou Ze and asking.

"It's you?" Zhou Ze narrowed his eyes.

What a coincidence,

He had seen him once at Director Lin's place,

He had seen him once at the nightclub,

And now he had seen him once again at the temple.

Damn it,

It felt like he hadn't done anything else this week, he was just running into him everywhere.

"Go catch the ghost!"

Lawyer An shouted.

"You want me to catch it?"

Zhou Ze pointed at himself,

Damn,

You were the one who just tried to stop me with an illusion, right?

How did you switch sides so quickly?

Lawyer An took out a jade pendant from around his neck. The jade pendant was glowing red, and seemed to be trembling slightly.

"He's very unstable now, very unstable, and might even be stimulated to go berserk!

A berserk evil ghost, an evil ghost occupying a living person's body,

Do you know how much damage it can cause?"

Zhou Ze didn't answer.

"Whether he's caught by you or caught by me, at least we can control him, but we definitely can't let him escape our control at this time.

Moreover,

He's very unstable now,

So,

You,

Go catch him quickly,

I don't care anymore,

I can even help you!"

Zhou Ze licked his lips. He stepped out of the doorway. Lawyer An was still looking at him. Seeing that Zhou Ze was still wary of him, he directly waved his hand and shouted,

"That way, go quickly!"

Zhou Ze didn't delay any longer, and didn't have time to pay attention to this guy. He immediately ran in that direction.

Lawyer An wanted to follow along, but after taking a few steps, he knelt down again.

He was a guilty man, stripped of his origin writing, so when the bell rang, the pressure and torture he endured were much greater than Zhou Ze's.

The fat monk took the initiative to come over and help Lawyer An up,

"Benefactor, do you want me to call an ambulance for you?"

"No, thank you."

"Then what can this humble monk do to help?

Monks are compassionate. Buddha even cut his flesh to feed the eagle. Seeing you in such pain, if this humble monk can't do something to share the burden, I would really feel bad."

"Let me drink some blood, it'll help me recover faster."

"Pa!"

The fat monk immediately let go,

Lawyer An fell face-first onto the ground, his forehead hitting the threshold, creating a large bump.

"This humble monk suddenly feels that catching demons is still more important.

The majestic and righteous path,

In broad daylight,

How can we allow demons to run rampant!

Benefactor,

Please wait here for this humble monk,

This humble monk will go help that benefactor!"

"It's catching ghosts."

Lawyer An said, covering his forehead.

………………

When Zhou Ze arrived at the entrance, he found that many people had already gathered there.

An old nun was lying in a pool of blood, motionless. Beside her, a girl was constantly shouting, "Grandma! Grandma!"

Zhou Ze rushed over first. Out of instinct, he squatted down, wanting to see if this old nun could still be saved.

The ambulance hadn't arrived yet. If the injured person could receive professional medical care sooner, she would have a better chance of escaping the gates of hell.

The old nun hadn't died yet. Her mouth was full of blood, and her eyes were wide open.

Zhou Ze began to check her injuries, and at the same time instructed, "Relax, don't talk if you can help it. Try to breathe steadily, don't fall asleep, hang in there."

As he spoke, Zhou Ze had already lifted the nun's robe, and his hands began to check her body with professional techniques.

The problem was serious.

The impact was severe, and that was without checking the injuries to her head.

Zhou Ze was considering that the old nun was probably near the end of her life. Even if he used his fingernails to grab her soul and stuff it back in, it might be difficult to save her.

The last time he had made that old man in the hospital feel like he was dying and ascending to heaven,

The old man had begged him not to save him,

To give him a quick death,

This made Zhou Ze understand that,

For many people, their time really had come, and even a ghost messenger with special abilities like him was powerless.

However,

Just then,

The old nun, for some reason, suddenly found a burst of strength,

And actually pushed Zhou Ze away.

"Don't save me... Let me... Let me die..."

The old nun roared somewhat incoherently.

As she spoke,

Her body kept rising and falling, and the amplitude of her breathing also increased.

This was looking for death.

"There's still hope to live, really."

Zhou Ze persuaded.

"Let me... Die... To be killed by a car... Good..."

Zhou Ze didn't hear the old nun's next words clearly,

But her emotions were very agitated,

And her gaze at Zhou Ze was also very firm,

She was determined not to be saved!

Her body twitched a few more times,

And the old nun's body went limp,

She was gone.

Zhou Ze felt somewhat annoyed.

He couldn't understand.

Even as a doctor who was used to life and death, the feeling of watching an injured person have a glimmer of hope in front of him, but not being able to do his best to save them, was really unpleasant.

At this moment, the woman who had been holding the old nun's head sobbed and choked,

"Grandma said... She was killed by a car... It's fate... It's heaven allowing her to atone for the mistakes my dad made back then...

She thanks heaven for giving her this opportunity."