Chapter 1 The Bodhisattva

The Bodhisattva ascended.

He made a choice that many didn't expect.

In fact,

for thousands of years,

he had indeed been sitting in the highest position in Hell,

but that wasn't his goal or pursuit.

Ancient emperors sought immortality and practiced Taoism, even wearing Taoist robes to court, not because they were obsessed with Buddhism or Taoism, but simply because they wanted to live longer and sit in that position for longer.

The Bodhisattva was different. After all, even after possessing all of Hell, all he had was a small, single-room temple on the top of Mount Tai, along with a small flower garden in front of it.

He was just a seeker of knowledge, a seeker of Buddhism, with an instinctive curiosity about the essence of this world.

Unfortunately,

he failed,

failed in the calculations of the Last Lord,

and also failed because his opponent's level was indeed beyond his ability to fully cope with,

failed because of… youth.

Before ascending,

the Bodhisattva said one sentence:

This world owes me a thousand years!

If he had another thousand years,

everything would be different.

There wasn't much unwillingness in it, nor any anger,

only,

deep regret.

Regret that he could have looked at the scenery he wanted to see more calmly, rather than so hastily.

But, in fact, he didn't fail either.

The Bodhisattva had always been non-contending, controlling the Underworld from behind the curtain, not to pursue the desire for power, but as a step before seeing the scenery.

To him,

whether it was the Ten Kings of Hell or the Ten Attendants beneath him,

there was actually no difference,

whoever could give him more possibilities to see the outside scenery, he would let them take the stage.

For thousands of years, his name had long been inseparable from the Underworld, but if you really wanted to say what he had done, what he had changed, it was really hard to say.

Whether it was the small monk in the human temple or the Bodhisattva in the small temple on Mount Tai,

these,

were just a process for him, his journey, his resting post.

The human realm, the Buddhist realm, Hell,

to him,

were just passers-by.

He had too many things that he hadn't completed, too many preparations that he hadn't had time to make.

He vowed not to become a Buddha until Hell was empty, and the order of yin and yang hadn't been personally reversed;

the offering table in the small temple on Mount Tai was still empty;

in the end,

he could only sigh with a little regret,

Life is beautiful because of its imperfections.

The Sumeru Small World completely collapsed, like a dream, when you wake up, it's gone.

Like its sudden appearance, it left so silently.

Like a huge eraser, wiping away all the traces that had been left here.

What had happened here, who had appeared, would be completely annihilated except for a few of those directly involved.

The hospital bed was still the same, the cigarette pack in the bedside table was still empty.

Zhou Ze sat on the bed, and next door, the old Taoist was sitting there cross-legged, his eyes blank.

"Hoo…………"

Boss Zhou let out a long breath, exhaling air, leaving behind emptiness.

Old Zhang came, and Old Zhang disappeared again.

Speaking of sadness,

it would probably be impossible to see Old Zhang again in the future,

and when the Late Night Bookstore served food,

there wouldn't be someone walking in right on time,

pretending to be surprised and shouting:

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

On the bright side,

in the future,

Xiao Feng could watch the stars with his children at night,

one looking at his father,

one looking at his grandfather.

The reason why beautiful things are beautiful is because they have always been used to cover up scars and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Zhou Ze got out of bed, he was going downstairs to buy cigarettes.

Nicotine had long had no effect on Boss Zhou's body, but he needed to use this method to relieve his current emotions.

Perhaps, for most smokers, cigarettes had become a ritual in their lives.

The old Taoist was still sitting on the bed, his eyes blank.

Zhou Ze bent down, leaned in front of the old Taoist, and waved his hand in front of him.

The old Taoist looked at Zhou Ze blankly, his lips slightly moving.

This scene was like an old man about to have a myocardial infarction.

"It's safe."

Zhou Ze said.

No matter what, the immediate crisis was finally resolved.

The big mountain that had been pressing on everyone's hearts, the Bodhisattva, was also gone.

He went to see the scenery he wanted, and he would never return.

"You said…………"

The old Taoist opened his mouth, a little confused.

"What's wrong?"

"You said, why do I suddenly feel…"

"Feel what?" Zhou Ze found the old Taoist's wallet and took out money.

"Why do I suddenly feel that compared to Dizang, I'm a little, a little inferior?"

There was a hint of turbidity in the old Taoist's eyes.

Obviously,

the Last Lord hadn't left yet,

the old Taoist hadn't turned back into the old Taoist.

Actually,

after the Bodhisattva took the initiative to ascend to meet the Xuanyuan Sword, it also meant that the Last Lord's millennium plan had succeeded.

He didn't need to turn back into the old Taoist anymore.

Zhou Ze tried not to let himself think in that direction. He had just lost a friend, and he didn't want to lose another one, even if it was just temporary self-deception, Zhou Ze wanted to let himself slow down, slow down again…

The Last Lord could go back.

As long as he wanted, he could go back to Hell now. The Nine Attendants had just cleaned up Hell and could make room for him.

The return of the Lord, the obedience of the people, the uprising, and welcoming the king's army were all impossible.

After all, the image of the Last Lord had long been ridiculed to the extreme in the millennium of gossip, and after Hell had gone through the gentle frog-boiling era of the Ten Kings of Hell and then the great purge of the Nine Attendants, not many people would have much affection for the Lord or Mount Tai.

But none of that mattered.

As long as the Last Lord could clean up the Nine Attendants after going back, this Hell would still be the old Lu family's.

Or, he could choose a place to cultivate in peace. In his previous words, he could spend decades to make up for the millennium he had lost. By then, whatever he wanted would be readily available.

The Bodhisattva, who was a scapegoat, had gone up to meet the Xuanyuan Sword.

The current Last Lord was like a prisoner released from prison, free to breathe the air of freedom.

In addition, unlike Ying Gou, he was still strong, he still had capital, he hadn't made any progress, but his foundation was still very solid, and he could be free and unrestrained.

It was just that, right now, he didn't seem to have that kind of happy emotion.

"It's true, a bit."

Boss Zhou never knew how to comfort people, and he didn't want to comfort him right now.

"Ha, heh…"

The old Taoist laughed twice,

took a breath,

and said:

"You said, how was I outdone by him?"

He had been competitive all his life, originally thinking that he was the winner. In fact, he was indeed the winner, but in the end, he didn't feel any joy of surviving a catastrophe or being on the winning side.

On the contrary,

his lips were bitter.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll go buy a cigarette."

The old Taoist nodded blankly.

Zhou Ze walked out of the ward, took the elevator to the first floor, bought cigarettes at the hospital supermarket, and then came back up in the elevator without delay.

The Last Lord could leave here at any time, because Zhou Ze couldn't figure out why he would continue to stay in the Late Night Bookstore.

The previous instruction was just to make a request, at least, let me say goodbye to the old Taoist and squat together to smoke a cigarette.

After entering the ward, the old Taoist was still sitting there blankly.

Zhou Ze handed out a cigarette, but the old Taoist shook his head and didn't take it.

Boss Zhou lit one for himself and sat down on the bed next to him.

He hadn't changed back, the old Taoist hadn't returned.

"Sigh…………"

The old Taoist sighed again.

"I said, what are you纠结ing about?" (jiu jie - struggling/wrestling with internally)

"I don't know either, I just suddenly feel that it's pretty boring."

"You survived, you won, you can go back and continue to be king and霸主 (ba zhu - overlord), isn't that great?"

"Is it good?"

"You're being矫情 (jiao qing - affected/whiny)."

"Is that so, maybe, you said, why didn't he come and perish together with me?"

"Didn't he say it himself?"

"Disdain?"

"It's not worth it, right."

"Not worth it?"

"Yeah."

"I, can actually make him feel it's not worth it!

What qualifications does he, Dizang, have to ignore me!

He clearly can't beat us, can't play with us, so he pretends to be洒脱 (sa tuo - natural and unrestrained) and ascends!

These guys like to pretend and act the most, yes, he must be thinking that way.

What, you came to the human world, you want to see the sun!

They're all excuses, all perfunctory!

He's a loser, the reason he did that, the reason he made that choice, was just to make himself walk more gracefully.

He's just trying to move himself, and by the way, disgust me!

I saw through that person from the first time we met a thousand years ago, hahaha, he's just that kind of person, yes, he is!

Those words he said when he left, his final choice, won't affect me, it won't, I won't let him succeed, absolutely not!"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's how it is."

Boss Zhou simply nodded along with the old Taoist's words, and at the same time, exhaled a puff of smoke.

"I won!"

The old Taoist pointed at his own face,

"I'm the winner, I won, I survived! I'm still me, I'm still me!

I didn't become a rule like that demonic beast, which is no different from death, it's just fooling yourself.

I'm not seriously injured either, as long as I want now, I can immediately fight back to Hell!

I can go back to Hell tonight and destroy his little temple!

What Ten Kings of Hell, what Ten Attendants, these are all inferior things!"

"Yes, yes, yes, you can, you're amazing."

Boss Zhou's agreement was almost perfunctory.

"I'm still me, I lost a thousand years, but I can get it all back!

Hell will still be mine!

Mount Tai will still be mine!

Yin and yang will still be controlled by me!

My position,

my glory,

my future,

my great Dao,

my two monk..."

The old Taoist,

fell silent.