harleyscars Page 207
Page 207
The whole world seemed to be engulfed in a bizarre and fantastical carnival.
However, the Oolong Temple, which was at the center of the storm, was surprisingly calm.
Police officers stationed at the foot of the mountain effectively blocked media harassment.
Inside the courtyard, under Long Yan's Buddhist verse of "endure him, let him be, let him do as he pleases," everyone's mentality gradually calmed down.
Uncle Da stopped clamoring to go down the mountain and fight people, and instead focused on studying the "Complete Collection of Vegetarian Dishes," determined to use food to heal everyone's wounded hearts.
Xiao Zhen and Wang Xian'er, former rivals in love, have become closer than ever before after experiencing this shared crisis.
They did laundry together, cooked together, and slept in the same room at night, whispering sweet nothings like daughters.
Xiao Zhen would curiously ask Wang Xian'er what it was like to make a movie.
Wang Xian'er would watch with envy as Xiao Zhen practiced her powerful and vigorous boxing techniques in the courtyard.
They both saw in each other a possibility of another life that they themselves had never had.
Long Yan and Zhang Ling, on the other hand, spent most of their time in the back mountain.
"Hey, monk, aren't you angry at all?" Zhang Ling looked at Long Yan, who was meditating, and couldn't help but ask, "Now people outside are almost calling you a 'lewd monk' who abducts innocent girls."
Long Yan opened his eyes and calmly asked, "If one's body is upright, what is there to fear in casting a crooked shadow? If one's heart is pure, what dust can taint it?"
"Alright, alright, you're trying to play Zen riddles with me again." Zhang Ling waved his hand and took a swig of wine. "But speaking of which, what are your thoughts on that beautiful Wang? Don't tell me you have absolutely no feelings for her. I'm a Taoist priest, I can see that there's something wrong with the 'aura' between you two!"
Upon hearing this, Long Yan fell silent.
The soft touch of Wang Xian'er when she threw herself into his arms and her heart-wrenching sobs resurfaced in his mind.
He discovered that his Dao heart, which he thought was as solid as a rock, would always involuntarily ripple when facing her.
This was a feeling he had never experienced before.
It wasn't desire, but a pure thought of wanting to protect her, wanting to get close to her, and wanting to see her smile.
"Amitabha." After a long while, he softly uttered a Buddhist chant, not directly answering Zhang Ling's question, but saying, "She is the mortal world, and also the place of enlightenment."
"She is saving me, or I am saving her."
Zhang Ling listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion, but he also realized that Long Yan had been tempted by worldly desires.
However, he didn't mock him. Instead, he sighed and said with a complicated look in his eyes, "The word 'love' is the most tormenting. My master said that the greatest obstacle for a cultivator is not demons or heavenly tribulations, but the obstacle of love. Great monk, you should take care of yourself."
Just then, a young novice monk came running from the front yard in a panic.
"Senior Brother Longyan! Daoist Zhang! Something terrible has happened! There are so many... so many strange people coming down the mountain!"
Long Yan and Zhang Ling exchanged a glance, both feeling a chill run down their spines.
What was supposed to come finally came.
The two rushed to the front yard, where they saw Master Zhihui and Master Changmei standing solemnly at the mountain gate, looking down the mountain.
It was noticed that the police cordon at the foot of the mountain had been removed at some point.
Instead, dozens of black luxury cars bearing license plates from various consulates were present.
A group of people, each with a different aura, stepped off the car, all exuding a powerful sense of oppression.
There were European nobles dressed in black tailcoats, with elegant manners but eyes as cold as snakes.
There were Japanese people dressed in traditional kimonos, holding samurai swords or fans.
There were dark-skinned Southeast Asian sorcerers whose bodies were entangled in poisons.
There were even a few blond, blue-eyed Western missionaries dressed in priest's robes, holding crosses and Bibles.
They are the demons and monsters from all over the world who were drawn here by the "Buster Call" and the "scandal"!
Unlike the media, they didn't try to force their way through; instead, they very "politely" stopped at the foot of the mountain.
Then, they all sent a representative.
The representative slowly walked up the mountain.
The person who came was someone no one expected.
He was wearing a well-tailored Versace suit and tie, and his hair was slicked back. His face bore a signature, slightly sleazy smile.
He looked at the people from Wulong Temple and said with a grin:
"Gentlemen, how have you been?"
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Charlie Cao. I am currently the Chief Negotiator for the Asian region of the 'International Arbitration Committee for Paranormal Affairs'."
The newcomer was none other than Cao Charlie, who should have been turned into a zombie by Vladimir!
However, the person before them was no longer a walking corpse, but a living being, and even carried a faint, sacred glow.
What...what on earth is going on?!
Chapter 169 Charlatan Cao Charlie
Charlie Cho?!
Seeing the living, breathing Cao Charlie in front of them, who even seemed to be bathed in "holy light," everyone in the Wulong Temple, including Zhang Ling, was completely stunned.
"You...you weren't...dead?" Uncle Da pointed at him and stammered, his face showing an expression as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Death?" Upon hearing this, Charlie Cao laughed exaggeratedly, and casually straightened his tie, striking what he thought was a very cool pose.
"Uncle Da, you don't understand, do you? As the saying goes, 'Put yourself in a life-or-death situation and you will survive.' I did encounter a little 'accident' before. But after experiencing a near-death experience, I suddenly—I...awakened!"
"Awakening?"
“That’s right!” Charlie Cao’s expression became sacred and solemn. “Just as my soul was leaving my body and about to drift towards heaven, I suddenly heard a voice! A voice from a distant, sacred land filled with love and peace!”
"That voice told me that my mission on Earth was not yet complete! It bestowed upon me... divine power! It allowed me to return to Earth, with the purpose of... maintaining world peace and mediating all conflicts between supernatural beings!"
As he spoke, he opened his arms, as if embracing the world. The faint, almost imperceptible "holy light" emanating from him seemed to brighten slightly.
Zhang Ling, standing to the side, stared in disbelief. He leaned close to Long Yan's ear and whispered, "Damn, monk, this guy... could he really be possessed by some blind deity? I feel like the aura he exudes is a bit like... those charlatans in Western churches?"
Long Yan didn't speak; he just stared at Cao Charlie with deep eyes, as if trying to see through him completely.
After a long, rambling introduction, Charlie Cao finally got to the point.
He cleared his throat, pulled out a gold-embossed, formal-looking document from his pocket, and said to Long Yan:
"Master Longyan, in view of the series of major supernatural conflicts you have recently triggered in Hong Kong, which have seriously disrupted the balance and stability of the 'Inner World', the 'International Supernatural Affairs Arbitration Committee' has decided, upon its temporary motion, to hold a public hearing in Hong Kong regarding the 'Arhat Golden Body Incident'."
"A hearing?"
“That’s right.” Charlie Cao nodded, his smile becoming somewhat enigmatic. “The people down here are representatives from major world powers, holding legitimate seats. They will serve as the jury for this hearing.”
“And I,” he pointed to himself, “will serve as the neutral mediator for this hearing.”
"The purpose of the hearing is not to fight, but to... negotiate. Negotiate how to 'reasonably' and 'peacefully' resolve the impact of your 'Arhat's Golden Body' power on the existing world order."
These words sounded very reasonable and flawless.
But everyone understood.
The so-called "hearing" is nothing more than a civilized way of saying a "spoils-dividing meeting".
The pack of menacing "juries" down the mountain are like hungry wolves ready to devour the cake.
Charlie Cho, the so-called "mediator," was nothing more than a seemingly harmless puppet who was familiar with the situation in Hong Kong, whom they had put forward.
They still wanted to use "rules" to restrain Long Yan.
"What if I refuse?" Long Yan asked calmly.
“Then you will be unilaterally designated as ‘public enemy number one’ by the committee.” Charlie Cao shrugged, looking helpless. “At that time, any ‘hunting’ operation against you will be considered… ‘legal’ and ‘just’ law enforcement action.”
0 ······Requesting flowers·· ··
“At that time, it may not just be these people from down the mountain who come. Even the Holy Knights of the Vatican, or Tibetan Tantric lamas in red robes, may appear here.”
"So, Master, for your own sake and for the sake of your friends behind you, I advise you... it would be better to cooperate a bit."
A naked threat!
This is a final ultimatum issued to Long Yan by the combined forces of all the dark forces in the world!
Zhang Ling was so angry he was about to explode, but Long Yan stopped him with a look.
... ..... ...
Long Yan looked at Cao Charlie and suddenly asked an unrelated question: "Mr. Cao, your acting skills have improved again."
Cao Charlie was taken aback: "Why do you say that, Master?"
"The 'holy light' emanating from you is very weak and unstable." Long Yan's gaze seemed to pierce through everything. "It doesn't seem like your own power; it's more like... something bestowed upon you by a magical artifact. If I'm not mistaken, it should be some kind of blessed relic from the Vatican, right?"
“You’re not an ‘Awakener,’ you’re just… a movie star who’s been pushed to the forefront.”
Long Yan's words caused the smile on Cao Charlie's face to stiffen slightly for the first time.
Long Yan ignored him and continued, "Go back and tell your masters. I will attend the hearing."
"The time and place are up to them."
"However, this humble monk also has one condition."
"What conditions?"
A cold smile curled at the corners of Long Yan's lips.
"This humble monk will... take on them all by himself."
"Let them all come at once. It saves this humble monk the trouble of going door-to-door to perform rituals for each one, wasting my time." (Sword)
Chapter 170 Wanchai Ferry Pier, come here!
"One... against all of them?"
When Cao Charlie heard Long Yan's conditions, he was completely stunned. He wondered if there was something wrong with his ears.
He looked at Long Yan's calm, expressionless face, and after confirming that the other party was not joking, he swallowed hard, his facial muscles twitching unnaturally a few times.
"Master... are you... are you sure?"