Chapter 578 Being Unreasonable
As the cowardly ghost finished speaking, the jar of souls belched again, seemingly in agreement with the cowardly ghost’s statement.
Lilly looked at the ghost ling. Jessie, apologetically and said, “I’m sorry for causing you to be split in half.”
Jessie stared at her for a moment, snorted, and turned her head away, saying, “Next time, let me know in advance!”
With a determined push, she forcefully reassembled her body, returning to her complete form.
“Now you can keep the Palace of the Ruler of Hell,” the cowardly ghost remarked.
Lilly nodded.
Meanwhile, outside the Grand Hall, Blake was engaged in a serious conversation with the monk and the abbot. Cloud stood in front of the Grand Hall, preventing anyone from entering.
When Cloud attempted to enter the hall earlier, he found himself stepping into a void, unable to proceed. It was an occurrence that had to go unnoticed by others.
He looked up at the Grand Hall, still filled with the scent of incense. A tall Buddha statue stood in the hall, radiating a golden glow and wearing a serene smile.
Cloud could not help but worry about Lilly. He wondered what had transpired.
A monk, hearing that the entrance to the Grand Hall was blocked, approached Cloud.
“What’s the matter, good sir?” The monk greeted him with folded hands.
Cloud responded with a smile, saying, “I don’t mean any harm. I just feel that there might be something amiss within your Grand Hall. It could bring misfortune to those who enter, so it’s better to avoid it.”
Cloud faced the displeased monks, their objections to his statement evident. They found his remark about potential bad luck in their Buddha’s palace to be baseless and disrespectful.
“Your claim is groundless, donor. The Buddha is compassionate and saves all sentient beings. How could one encounter misfortune while worshiping the Buddha?”
“The vows of the Buddha are profound, and his compassion extends to all. Whether or not you have confidence in the Buddha or hold different beliefs, reciting his name signifies his merciful acceptance. How could believers suffer under his grace?”
“The Buddha is the teacher of the three realms. Please do not harbor sectarian views.”
“Sir, your mind is too narrow.”
The Buddha saves those who are destined. Sir, you lack understanding of cause and effect, so you are being self-righteous. Those with a pure heart see the goodness in everything, while those with a wicked mind see only darkness! Sir, your heart is filled with evil!”
Upon hearing Cloud’s alleged disrespect towards Buddha, several monks began lecturing him, unaware of his identity.
However, for someone like Cloud, whose life revolves around ensuring national security and the welfare
of the people, insulting Buddha was far from his intentions. His only goal was to protect the country.
If even Cloud, who valued the greater good over his own life, was accused of having a narrow mind, then it seemed that no one could escape such judgment.
Cloud maintained a warm smile on his face, but his eyes showed a hint of disappointment. “I was just giving a reminder. I don’t care if you believe me or not.”
He paused momentarily before continuing, “Who’s the narrow-minded person mind here? I provided a gentle reminder, yet you all proceeded to blame me. I’ve learned something new today.”
Blake, the abbot, and a group of seven or eight monks arrived, drawn by the commotion.
The abbot had heard that trouble was brewing, while Blake was concerned about Lilly’s well-being. Consequently, they gathered in front of the Grand Hall.
Blake narrowed his eyes and remarked. “It seems that this Buddha statue has fallen into disrepair and is on the verge of collapse. It is for your own good to leave this place to avoid any major injuries or death.”
A relatively young and energetic monk expressed his anger, stating, “We spend several million dollars. repairing our Buddha statues in the temple every year…
Interrupting him, the abbot called out, “Todd!”
The monk immediately fell silent and firmly said, “This is a temple, please refrain from concerning the kind sir about it!”
Blake smiled but questioned, “Really? The abbot just mentioned that everything in the temple relies solely on good relationships, Buddhist beads, and cheap items like jade pendants, which costs only one or two dollars. The incense sticks are sold at cost, and fortune-telling and lotteries are conducted at the entrance to support those less fortunate. How does the temple have millions to repair the Buddha statues?”
Promptly, the abbot responded, “The five great Guanyin Buddhas in our temple were repaired by kind- hearted individuals over a decade ago! The recent gilding was done just a few days ago. In reality, it hasn’t been repaired for a long time.”
Blake let out a significant sigh and remarked, “So, it’s your responsibility even if it collapses?”
Respectfully nodding, the abbot replied, “Yes. However, the Buddha is compassionate, and I wish to provide blessings. The temple is a place of salvation for all beings, so it shouldn’t collapse easily.”
Even the young monk was puzzled as to why the conversation led to the statue collapsing.
“If your house collapses, our temple won’t collapse either!” he said, discontentedly looking around. “The beings in our temple are devout and resilient, so you needn’t worry about whether it will collapse or not! Please don’t bother him from lingering in front of the Grand Hall! But, sir, where is your child? Children can be mischievous, so please don’t worry. It would be best if they didn’t accidentally bump into the Buddha!”
The implication was that the child should be cautious to avoid damaging their belongings.
Once again, the abbot called out, “Todd,” and the young monk fell silent.
Blake smiled and reassured, “Don’t worry, my child is well-behaved and won’t damage anything.”
Just as he finished speaking, he noticed Lilly stepping out of the Grand Hall.
She happily approached, exclaiming, “Daddy!”
Lilly was no longer wearing the black peaked cap, and her black cap was missing.
Her body was covered in bloodstains, and there were a few scars on her face!
Blake and Cloud were taken aback, but in the next moment….
“Boom!”
As Lilly stepped out of the Grand Hall, the Buddha statue behind her collapsed!
All the incense tables, oil lamps, donation boxes… Buddha statues, Grand Halls, walls, and tiles…. everything crumbled into a heap of ruins.
Blake and Cloud were speechless.
It turned out that Lilly had retrieved the Palace of the Ruler of Hell.
While the illusion of the Grand Hall of Great Heroes still surrounded the exterior, the Grand Hall had long been reduced to rubble during the intense battle between Lilly and King Libra.
Everyone stood there in shock.
Blake had just claimed that his child would not cause any damage, and in the next moment, the Grand Hall collapsed.
Indeed, his child was not merely causing damage… this was destruction!
But how could Blake admit that Lilly was responsible for this?
In that moment, still disguised as an old man, he tightly embraced Lilly in his arms, his face filled with astonishment, and he exclaimed, “It’s just like what your brother said! It’s not just because the Buddha statue was in disrepair for a long time, but everything inside was old and dilapidated, including the magnificent palace!”
Blake referred to Lilly’s brother as Cloud as he grew speechless.
Blake continued, “Thank goodness, my little sweetheart wasn’t hurt! Otherwise, I would definitely pursue this matter to the end!”
All the monks were silent.
Not only did Blake deny Lilly of destroying the hall, he was being unreasonable.
Cloud’s mouth twitched, he was amazed at Blake’s ability to be able to do so.
