Free Web NovelChapter 111: Chapter 87: The Living Buddha Immortal
’They intend to kill everyone to leave no witnesses!’
Xu Lei’s pupils constricted as he immediately understood. ’It seems I’ve stumbled into a power struggle among the nobility.’
In this prosperous age, you wouldn’t see mountain bandit gangs hacking each other to pieces like in some martial arts TV show.
But the infighting among the elite was just as ruthless, if not more terrifying.
Take now, for example. In broad daylight, these people actually dared to impersonate official Government Officials from the Court!
They’ve even blockaded the surrounding area!
And they intend to slaughter every single person in this establishment!
Even bandits in a chaotic era wouldn’t be this ruthless.
Even when bandits robbed travelers and small mountain inns, they would usually only kill a portion of their victims.
After all, bandits needed to leave some survivors; they knew not to drain the pond to catch all the fish.
If they came across a beautiful woman, they would want to kidnap her for themselves.
But this group was different.
Among the diners, there had been a middle-aged woman who Xu Lei thought still possessed a certain charm.
Bandits would have certainly spared her life.
But to these men dressed as Government Officials, she was worthless.
They were utterly cold-blooded, true killers who wouldn’t blink an eye.
"How audacious! You dare to assassinate the Crown Prince!"
Just then, as expected, the young woman of the pair spoke up. "Do you have any idea what crime you’re committing if this gets out?"
"What fortune did they promise you?"
The pale-faced young man added, "I’ll give you double!"
But the fake Government Officials were completely unmoved, simply pressing forward to continue the slaughter.
The twins’ four guards, though highly skilled, were hopelessly outnumbered. They had already been wounded and brought down.
One after another, they were killed.
The twins’ faces were ashen, their eyes filled with despair.
At that moment, everyone’s eyes in the room naturally converged on Xu Lei.
Because by now, every other diner was dead.
But Xu Lei was not!
"JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE!"
As the men charged him, Xu Lei naturally wasn’t about to get hit.
But he didn’t directly use his Magical Power, nor did he deploy his Lotus Treasure Fragments to kill.
Instead, he shook a Bell, ordering his two Human Puppets to act—to protect him and kill his enemies.
Since Xu Lei was positioned next to the twins’ table, he had passively blocked the brunt of the attack for them.
This was why the twins were still breathing, while their four guards had just fallen.
But Xu Lei had no choice in the matter.
The moment this mob of fake Government Officials burst in, they had started killing, swarming forward with lethal strikes, giving him no opportunity to evade.
"Useless!"
Seeing that his men had failed to kill the Human Puppets and had instead lost more than a dozen of their own brothers in the attempt!
The middle-aged man leading them grew furious.
He personally led a charge, ordering the others to keep the Human Puppets occupied while he went for Xu Lei.
He had figured it out: Xu Lei was the master of these two expert guards in black!
That’s right. Even though the two Human Puppets possessed astonishing combat prowess.
But the attackers had no intention of negotiating with Xu Lei or letting him leave.
After all, when it came to assassinating the Crown Prince, anyone present who wasn’t one of them had to die!
’This must be why so many Cultivators choose to live in seclusion.’
Watching the middle-aged man’s long blade thrusting toward him, Xu Lei couldn’t help but lament internally: ’Once you enter the mortal world, karma becomes unpredictable. Sometimes, you lose control of your own destiny.
This, for me, is a complete and utter disaster out of nowhere.
I was just passing through, stopping for a bite to eat.
And I got swept up in a conspiracy of nobles backstabbing each other.
They see me as just another ant, a commoner they can crush without a second thought.
They’ve left me no escape; they’re determined to see me dead!
And I can neither avoid it nor hide from it!
Even deploying the Human Puppets isn’t enough to guarantee my complete safety!
I have no choice... I have to use my real Magical Power!’
As this train of thought flashed through his mind...
"Amitabha Buddha!"
Xu Lei faced the middle-aged man’s blade. He didn’t dodge, but simply chanted the Buddha’s name in a low voice.
At the same time, his Magical Power surged, and seven Lotus Treasure Fragments shot out with a whistle.
"CLINK."
One fragment knocked the long blade away.
Another sliced off the man’s weapon arm!
As the man stared in horror and astonishment, a third fragment had already slit his throat.
Then, Xu Lei brought two fingers together, gesturing with a few fluid motions.
"SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!"
The Lotus Treasure Fragments howled through the air.
In the span of a single breath, every one of the fake Government Officials had their throats slit.
Afterward, the only ones left at the scene besides Xu Lei and his two Human Puppets were the brother and sister!
Both of them stared at Xu Lei, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Their world was spinning; it was like witnessing the arrival of an Immortal!
"WHIRRR!"
Xu Lei opened his palm, and the seven transparent Lotus Treasure Fragments flew gracefully back, assembling into a small lotus flower on his palm.
With a flick of his wrist, it vanished.
"Y-You’re an Immortal?"
The frail, constantly pale young man was now so agitated that his cheeks had a hint of a flush.
"Y-You... are you a Living Buddha?"
The young woman’s delicate voice trembled. "I... I heard you chant the Buddha’s name just now!"
As she spoke...
"THUD."
...the young woman fell to her knees before Xu Lei. "Living Buddha, I beg you, please save my brother!"
"Living Buddha!"
The young man came to his senses and also knelt. "Please, save me! I’ve been poisoned. Can you... can you cure me?"
Xu Lei looked at them, rendered a little speechless.
He had already shown great mercy by sparing their lives.
Now they were making demands, expecting him to cure the poison!
In fact, Xu Lei had considered killing them both.
For one, it was because of them that he had been pushed into a corner, forced to reveal his Magical Power.
For another, it would prevent word of his True Magical Power from spreading, which could trigger a chain of karmic consequences.
But in the end, Xu Lei decided against it.
He had, after all, already revealed his power.
The Magical Power had already been spent.
And these two did come from an extraordinary background.
If he could use the awe from this display to make them respect and obey him...
...then just like with Shang Yin in his past life, he could recoup some of his losses.
After all, he still planned to go back to see the county magistrate’s daughter and accept her affections—if she wasn’t already married.
If any worldly obstacles or troubles arose then, leveraging their influence would mean he wouldn’t have to resort to his Magical Power every time.
For instance, when he eventually sought revenge on the Old Daoist Nun who stole his Demon Core, he only knew what she looked like. Finding her on his own would be far too troublesome.
By using their influence, he could avoid the hard work.
"Amitabha Buddha."
So, Xu Lei looked at the kneeling siblings and said, "This humble monk is indeed of the Buddhist Sect, a truly Enlightened Monk.
For mortals such as yourselves, it is not entirely incorrect to call me a Living Buddha.
However, this monk has already saved your lives!
And now, you make demands of me?
Do you truly believe that just because the Buddha is known for compassion, he helps all people unconditionally?
When kneeling before the Buddha to pray and make a vow, any truly wise Devotee knows that ’for every wish, a price must be paid’!
Whether you ask for wealth, fame, profit, love, health, or peace of mind—no matter the request.
You must silently vow how many meritorious deeds you will perform as payment to the Buddha or a Bodhisattva!
And after you leave the temple, you must truly act upon that vow. Only then might you receive what you desire!"
The siblings were stunned by his words.
"Living Buddha, as long as you can save me!"
The young man quickly added, "There is nothing I would not do!
I will perform any meritorious deed!
How many, and how they should be done—you have only to say the word!"
At this, he began to kowtow. "Please, save my life! I beg you to save my life!
It’s not that I’m afraid to die, but I am the only male heir of my family’s main lineage!
If I die, the hereditary peerage will fall into the hands of a villain!
I would be too ashamed to face my ancestors in the afterlife!"
"Living Buddha, it is the same for me!"
The young woman echoed him in her delicate voice, kowtowing repeatedly. "We can never repay you for saving our lives!
Whatever you ask of us, we will obey without question!
We only beg you for one more act of mercy—please, see if my brother can be saved!"
Hearing this, a thought naturally stirred in Xu Lei’s mind.
This young woman was quite beautiful. Her rear was also quite round; she would probably be good at bearing children.
’Very good. She will be the mother of my child!’ Xu Lei thought to himself. ’The first asset in my procreation mission for this life.’
