Chapter 136: Even the Abbess wouldn't want people to know she could be so charming in private, right

This Chanfang is located on the left side of the Daxiong Baodian, with the overall architecture forming a courtyard layout.

Outside, the foothills are planted with various pines and cypresses, lush and verdant.

A mountain breeze blows, cool and pleasant.

As the Abbot of Jikong Temple, the Dharma Hall of Abbot Hui'an is located directly north of this Chanfang, in that largest and most spacious room.

At this moment, Hui'an is hiding in the room, sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, one hand forming a mudra, the other holding prayer beads; as the beads click and pages turn, he continuously chants scriptures.

But suddenly.

The prayer beads, which were spinning rapidly in his hand, come to a sudden halt.

The Buddhist scripture, which had already been turned to the next page, is blown back to the previous page by the wind.

The next moment.

Abbot Hui'an, whose face has yet to lose its swelling, suddenly opens his eyes.

He faintly hears strange voices of conversation coming from the courtyard.

The voice is somewhat familiar.

Hui'an immediately frowns and stands up; his long, narrow white eyebrows droop over the swollen lumps on his temples above his shrewd eyes as he slowly walks to the window.

He pushes the window open a crack and glances outside.

Gasp! It would have been better not to look; upon seeing the pair of man and woman standing in the courtyard outside, Abbot Hui'an's expression changes abruptly, and the ruddy glow beneath his bruised and swollen face instantly turns pale and bloodless.

"Didn't I tell them to stop that Long-tongued Nun!"

Hui'an immediately paces back and forth in a panic.

This Divine Nun Ciyun cannot be fought or scolded; one can only passively endure a beating. If she is displeased in the slightest, it results in a sound thrashing.

The key is that he has no way to fight back.

In terms of etiquette, although the two belong to different branches of the Buddha Gate and have different seniority, Poluo Chanshi's status is set there; what does he, a mere little abbot, count for? And in terms of reason, everything Liuli does is for the sake of saving the world and its people, occupying the moral high ground, so he has even less way to object! In terms of cultivation, he has only just barely reached the Inner Profound Realm and has not yet stepped into the Grandmaster Seated Illumination Realm.

How could he possibly be a match for Liuli, who is at the Half-step Divine Origin Realm?

If I can't afford to provoke her, can't I at least hide?

But he never expected that even after hiding in the Chanfang Dharma Hall, this nun would still be like a lingering ghost! Damn it, it must be that grandson Huiming who is behind this!

This dog of a thing has been coveting this position of Abbot for more than a day or two!

Is he trying to use the hand of this Long-tongued Nun to eliminate this old monk? A flash of anger cannot help but surge in Abbot Hui'an's heart.

And just at this moment.

His gaze suddenly freezes, his pupils dilate sharply, and he is left completely dazed, filled with disbelief.

He... what does he see? The dignified Divine Nun Ciyun, the closing-door Disciple of Poluo Chanshi, a generation of female nuns who dominated the Buddha Gate!

She is actually, like a young girl with budding romantic feelings, being forcibly pulled into the embrace of that strange man? Gasp! Divine Nun Ciyun... is she longing for the secular world? Abbot Hui'an is stunned.

However, he does not make a sound at first, but watches quietly.

This is big news, enough to shock the entire Buddha Gate, and even half of the Jianghu!

The dignified Divine Nun Ciyun, a Disciple of Poluo Chanshi, is actually having an affair with a strange young man, and it is in this forbidden ground of the Buddha Gate; it is too explosive! If this were to spread, it would absolutely be an earth-shattering event!

I fear that even Poluo Chanshi would have to come out of seclusion!

Abbot Hui'an narrows his eyes slightly, and a cold sneer cannot help but rise in his heart.

【Notification: The Host saved the situation in time, and the sweet words were quite pleasing to Liuli; she feels deeply excited that she can be so attractive to the Host, and her Loyalty Value has increased by 1%, current Loyalty Value 55%!】

Looking at the information popping up from the system.

Ning Mu suddenly breathes a sigh of relief.

He cannot help but feel deeply moved in his heart; without having experienced the era of information explosion, women are just so easy to coax! With just a few lines of clichéd, half-true, half-false pickup lines from his past life, he can coax a noble person like Divine Nun Ciyun until she is so happy she loses her bearings.

Liuli rolls her beautiful eyes and gives Ning Mu a shy, coquettish glare; although she is leaning in his arms, she still pouts, her eyes shimmering as she says, "You say you're so lovesick you can't eat or sleep, but I think you're just so happy you've forgotten home, aren't you?"

This scoundrel is busy all day long.

Even if he doesn't have countless women by his side, he is still surrounded by beauties, almost every one of them a peerless stunner.

Even those few little maidservants are one-in-a-thousand twin sisters.

And there is no lack of peerless married women like Liu Qingmei, as well as heads of wealthy families like Jin Xiangyu.

With such favors from beauties, he is lovesick to the point of not eating or sleeping? Who is he trying to fool! Despite such coquettish complaints, Liuli is actually quite happy inside.

The corners of her mouth, which she cannot suppress, reveal the joy and excitement in her heart at this moment.

Clearly, Ning Mu's words are very pleasing to her.

Although she knows they are half-true and half-false, she is still willing to be the fool who is deceived.

"Holding the nun like this, I am truly so happy I've forgotten home!"

Ning Mu smiles, and the hand encircling Liuli's slender waist moves slowly downward.

As his voice falls, he bows his head slightly and kisses Liuli gently on her smooth, fair forehead.

"Mm~"

Liuli immediately closes her eyes subconsciously, emitting a melodious nasal sound.

"Huo!"

But just at this moment.

Liuli's ears twitch, and she then suddenly pushes Ning Mu away, looking toward the direction of the Dharma Hall with a piercing gaze.

"Who!"

"Come out!"

Liuli shouts coldly, a chill flickering in her eyes.

At the same time.

Abbot Hui'an, standing by the window inside the Dharma Hall, had his expression shift slightly.

How could he be so lacking in composure! He blamed himself repeatedly in his heart.

But in a situation like this, whoever was standing here would subconsciously let out a gasp of surprise.

After all, the woman being kissed by the man was no ordinary nun; she was the closing-door Disciple of the venerable Poluo Chanshi, who had suppressed the Buddha Gate for hundreds of years, and the renowned Divine Nun Ciyun of the pugilistic world!

A woman who looked like a goddess, and a nun who had taken monastic vows at that.

Yet she was leaning in a man's embrace, being kissed by this young lad.

Anyone who saw this scene would be shocked and stunned! After a moment of hesitation, Hui'an knit his brows, pushed open the door of the Dharma Hall, stepped over the threshold, and walked out.

Yet his heart was not the least bit flustered.

After all, he had already grasped the secret of Divine Nun Ciyun.

The advantage was his!

If she dared to act recklessly, this secret would be made public, and by then, she would become an object of scorn for the entire Buddha Gate! "I did not expect the Divine Nun to grace us with her presence. This humble monk failed to welcome you from afar, but I wonder, who is this young lad beside the Divine Nun..."

After coming out, a hint of smugness appeared in Hui'an's expression.

It seemed as if he were flattering Liuli, but in reality, his gaze and tone clearly threatened the other party.

Moreover, while his words seemed to express confusion, that tone of certainty seemed to be telling Liuli that he had already witnessed everything that had just occurred with his own eyes.

Liuli's brows furrowed slightly, and her complexion turned gloomy in a flash.

A few traces of shyness flickered in her deep eyes.

As intelligent as she was, how could she not hear the threat in Abbot Hui'an's words?

But to kill someone just because they had witnessed her secret would truly violate the teachings of the Buddha Gate.

Although she was decisive in killing the members of the Demon Sect.

This Abbot Hui'an before her was, after all, a member of the Buddha Gate, and she could not bear to kill him rashly.

"Abbot, I have come here to bring young friend Ning to tour the magnificence of our Buddha Gate. Just now, I accidentally got sand in my eyes, so young friend Ning was brushing it away for me. Do you understand?"

Liuli stared coldly at Abbot Hui'an, her words also containing a threat.

Yet as she spoke, a trace of shyness still unconsciously flickered in her eyes.

To tell such a bald-faced lie truly violated the teachings of the Buddha Gate.

Before the stunned Hui'an could speak, Liuli continued: "I heard from your temple's head monk, Huiming, that you had gone down the mountain to beg for alms. Have you returned from your alms-begging now?"

"I wonder how much silver and how much grain you have collected?"

"Rest assured, this time I will not ask you for these things again. You only need to diligently repair the Daxiong Baodian of your temple and do your best to pacify the disaster victims; that will suffice."

First a threat, then a promise.

This was to give Abbot Hui'an a sense of reassurance.

The pugilistic world, after all, is all about human relationships and worldly wisdom!

Hearing Liuli's words, Abbot Hui'an understood her meaning.

He could certainly keep this secret.

But since it was a secret, it naturally had a price.

And the price of this secret was clearly worth more than this!

He had previously been forced to give up 300,000 catties of grain, the Daxiong Baodian had been overturned by Liuli, and he had even been beaten up.

Just a promise not to ask for things, and she wanted to cover up this secret? It must be said that although Divine Nun Ciyun held a noble status, she was ultimately still too young.

Abbot Hui'an smiled mysteriously. Without refuting Liuli, he said calmly and composedly: "Since the Divine Nun and the benefactor have graced our humble temple, let this humble monk take you two for a stroll. The Divine Nun can also take a look at the progress of the project, and I can tell you both about this alms-begging matter. How about that..."

Human relationships and worldly wisdom, after all.

Some things cannot be decided in an instant.

By looking more and walking more, perhaps the Divine Nun would think it over and raise the price? Abbot Hui'an felt smug in his heart.

Liuli raised her brows slightly; she heard the arrogance and smugness in Abbot Hui'an's tone, clearly indicating he did not intend to let it go at that.

But since he had not made any excessive demands, she found it difficult to lash out for the moment.

She could only glance at Ning Mu before nodding, agreeing to his request.

Indeed, she could take this opportunity to see how the project was progressing and whether those disaster victims were receiving the relief they deserved through Work-for-Relief.

Thinking this, Liuli could only temporarily suppress the panic in her heart and walk toward the Daxiong Baodian with Abbot Hui'an.

Ning Mu rubbed his nose, his footsteps lagging slightly as he followed behind Liuli.

He naturally heard the threat in Zen Master Hui'an's words as well.

This old bald donkey had no good intentions.

After thinking for a moment, he opened the system panel.

It had been a few days since he last issued a new task to Liuli.

He immediately edited the task and sent it directly.

Liuli, who was walking, suddenly paused her steps.

【Notification: You have a new task!】

【Task Three: Are you worried that this villain will make your affair with your Xia Lu, Ning Mu, public? Have you already developed the intent to kill Hui'an, but are hindered by the rules of the Buddha Gate and cannot bear to strike a lethal blow? But you must understand, if you do not kill him, you will forever be controlled by him. A corrupt and black-hearted abbot who breaks the law is not worth your sympathy!】

【Task Details: Before Abbot Hui'an can speak your secret, kill him with one strike!】

【Task Reward: Nine-Turn Divine Origin Pill Fragment * 0.5! 1000 Cultivation Points, 100 Heroic Couple Points!】

【Task Failure: The secret is made public, you may have your Cultivation Points crippled by Poluo Chanshi, becoming a laughingstock in the martial arts world and a disgrace to the Buddha Gate...】

Seeing this suddenly appearing task, Liuli could not help but be distracted for a split second.

That's right!

If she did not kill him, she would be controlled by him!

Moreover, this system, which is comparable to the will of the Heavenly Dao, has said that Abbot Hui'an is corrupt and black-hearted.

It is easy to imagine that he truly has issues.

Otherwise, the system would not say so.

Clearly, Liuli's trust in the system has already risen to a new stage.

After reading the mission details, Liuli subconsciously glanced at Ning Mu.

Seeing her suddenly stop, Abbot Hui'an was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Divine Nun, what is the matter?"

Liuli's gaze was cold and clear; she looked calmly at Hui'an's swollen pig-like head, then shook her head and said, "It's nothing, lead the way!"

Zen Master Hui'an did not suspect anything and led her and Ning Mu toward the Daxiong Baodian again.

He was completely unaware that at this moment, Divine Nun Ciyun had already developed the intent to kill him! "Yo-ho! Yo-ho~"

Before long.

The rhythmic chanting of the Laborers could be faintly heard.

The Daxiong Baodian, protected by bamboo scaffolding, was now right before their eyes.

Hundreds of Laborers were surrounding the main body of this magnificent building, each engaged in different tasks, while various craftsmen were scattered on the periphery, pointing and gesturing at the Laborers working above.

At the same time.

There were dozens of martial monks holding long whips or clubs, looking stern, either scolding, beating, or supervising the Laborers.

If they encountered any Laborer who was slow or made a mistake, the long whips or clubs in the hands of these martial monks would land solidly on the bodies of those Laborers.

In front of an open space not far away.

Several rows of Laborers were queuing up, waiting for food.

The kitchen monks were arranging for the monks to serve them food.

It could be called food.

Yet each Laborer could only receive half a bowl of thin porridge, so thin that one could almost see their own reflection in it.

But the Laborers were all silent, drinking the thin porridge quietly; after finishing, they could not get a moment of rest before being driven by the supervising monks to continue working.

Their eyes were numb, as if they had long since grown accustomed to all of this.

Watching this scene, Liuli frowned repeatedly.

Ning Mu was also frowning.

He had never considered himself a good person, but watching this group of disaster victims being driven like cattle and horses, a strong sense of anger still welled up in his heart for no reason.

Theoretically, in this life, he was someone standing at the top of the food chain and should be unable to empathize with the people at the bottom.

But it could not be denied that he had not forgotten his experience of being a beast of burden in his previous life.

"Is this the meager food you give them?"

Liuli walked over, saw the food in one woman's bowl, which was almost entirely rice water, and could not help but turn back, staring coldly at Hui'an.

"Ahem, Divine Nun, you also know that our temple is truly in difficulty. We originally had a grain reserve of 300,000 catties to cope with these urgent needs, but wasn't that grain taken away by you?"

Hui'an was not flustered at all, speaking with feigned apology, and looking at Liuli, he spread his hands in a gesture of extreme helplessness.

But in those shrewd eyes, there was a look of triumph that suggested, even if that is the case, what can you do to me?

Liuli was immediately speechless.

Hui'an pushed all the responsibility onto her, and she truly had nothing to say.

It was a fact that she had taken away 300,000 catties of grain.

But as the largest temple in Yonghang, Jikong Temple could absolutely not have only a mere 300,000 catties of grain in reserve.

However, she was not a member of Jikong Temple, could not enter the Jikong Temple granary, and had no account books.

Since Hui'an said so, she had no way to refute it.

With a cold snort, Liuli remained silent, walked past the disaster victims one by one, and then arrived below the Daxiong Baodian.

Ning Mu followed behind her, having understood the temple's method of operation.

It was non-stop, leaving the disaster victims only enough time to eat lunch.

After drinking that half bowl of thin porridge, they did not even have the chance to urinate before being urged by the supervisors to get back on the scaffolding to work.

There was no need to urinate at all.

While busy, the moisture from that bit of thin porridge would all evaporate as sweat.

Ning Mu grabbed a disaster victim.

"How much do you eat every day, and how many hours do you work?"

The disaster victim's numb eyes secretly swept toward Abbot Hui'an; seeing that the Abbot had no reaction, he shrank his neck and said timidly, "Two meals, every other day we get half a Bran bun, we rest for two hours every night, and the rest of the time we cannot delay the construction schedule..."

Hui'an's expression was calm; facing the truth spoken by the disaster victim, he had no worries at all.

Listening to the disaster victim's words, Liuli's brows knitted even tighter!

Half a bun every two days, and it was Bran!

With such heavy physical labor, and they had no Cultivation Points to rely on, how could they persist through such hardship? Her pretty face was covered in dark clouds.

She felt guilty in her heart.

It was originally a good intention to persuade Jikong Temple to allow these disaster victims to engage in Work-for-Relief, so they could obtain a chance to survive.

Yet she never expected that in the end, she had personally sent them into the abyss.

With such heavy labor, it would likely not take long to completely exhaust a person's physical strength.

"Hui'an, you have gone too far!"

Liuli immediately stared at Abbot Hui'an and scolded him coldly.

However, Hui'an was unhurried; he looked at the disaster victim and shouted, "Why aren't you going to work yet, what are you dawdling for!"

Then, he looked toward a young monk holding a long whip not far away.

"Jiekong, what are you doing as a foreman!"

Hearing the Abbot's summons, the little monk called Jiekong immediately rushed over, whip in hand, and then lashed out with a whip toward the back of the disaster victim.

"Amitabha!" Hui'an, as Jiekong approached, looked at Liuli, recited a Buddhist chant, and then smiled unhurriedly: "Divine Nun, your words are quite distant; this construction is not such a simple matter. If we are not strict, with so many people, how can we manage them?"

Then, he turned his head to look at the silent Ning Mu on the side and smiled: "Donor Ning, seeing your attire, you are either wealthy or noble. Coming to our humble temple, you have also seen the hardships of our temple. My Buddha is merciful; why doesn't Donor Ning donate some incense money to increase your own blessings and remove some demonic obstacles?"

"This little monk thinks that for the sake of the Divine Nun's reputation, Donor Ning will not be stingy with donations, right?"

Hui'an looked at Ning Mu with a fake smile, the intention in his words already very obvious.

It was to rely on the fact that he held the secret of Ning Mu and Liuli to threaten and blackmail, making Ning Mu cough up a sum of incense money. Of course, this one sum would not be enough to settle this secret.

Once this opening was made, I fear it would be endless.

Liuli frowned.

She did not listen to Hui'an's words, but directly raised her hand, and the Whisk in her hand swung out.

In an instant.

Not far away, the long whip in Jiekong's hand, which was about to strike the disaster victim's back, was blocked by a powerful force.

Immediately following.

One could see the fierce and malicious Jiekong being sent flying by that powerful force, crashing into a stone statue not far away.

Boom—

Cracks suddenly appeared on that stone statue.

And Jiekong's body fell from the waist of the stone statue, hitting the ground, already unknown whether he was alive or dead.

That powerful impact gave him no chance to react before he went directly to see the Buddha.

A large amount of blood spurted from his mouth.

"Divine Nun!"

Abbot Hui'an's expression changed, and he was about to speak to stop her.

But how could he stop the Half-step Divine Origin Realm Divine Nun Ciyun? Before he could say the following words, Liuli turned her head, stared at him coldly, and said in a frigid tone: "Abbot, I advise you: disaster comes from the mouth!"

In the Jianghu, sometimes one must rely on fighting and killing!

Hearing this, Hui'an's expression changed slightly, his eyes filled with terror.

He never expected that the dignified Divine Nun Ciyun, a representative figure of the Buddha Gate, would be so heartless, and could be so ruthless toward a junior of the same path! Then.

Liuli let out a cold snort, and then her gaze turned to not far away, where three or five disaster victims were being beaten by two monks with long whips and Arhat staves.

Hui'an was shocked and hurriedly shouted: "Jieming, Jiexing, stop immediately!"

However, just as his voice fell.

He was completely dumbfounded.

Liuli let out a cold snort, pushed off with both feet, and rushed over with swift steps, then struck out with a palm; the powerful air wave was like a physical entity, and the palm wind struck directly toward the faces of the two monks, Jieming and Jiexing.

Because of the Empty Gap State, there was no clothing underneath the Bodhi Jade Lotus Zen Robe.

So Liuli did not dare to fly into the sky, but unleashed her moves on the ground.

"Puff—puff—"

With two loud booms, Jieming and Jiexing were struck in the face by the palm wind, and then, like kites with broken strings, they flew backward just like Jiekong, their bodies even spinning in the air before landing heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

This sudden scene completely stunned the disaster victims who were working on the scaffolding.

They looked at this sudden scene with terrified expressions, trembling.

The nearby monks of Jikong Temple were likewise trembling with fear.

Even many timid ones hurriedly threw away the long whips and sticks in their hands, their gazes toward Liuli filled with fear and awe.

This grandmother is here again! The scene of her overturning the Daxiong Baodian last time was still fresh in their minds.

This time, she even did it herself, killing several fellow disciples in front of the Abbot.

This is too brutal!

Is she really a member of the Buddha Gate? "Abbot, what happened!"

At this moment.

The Head Monk Huiming and others arrived late, looking panicked.

Especially when he saw Liuli, he immediately put his palms together respectfully, bowed, and said: "Amitabha, this little monk pays respects to the Divine Nun!"

Liuli did not speak, only nodded coldly.

Then she looked at Abbot Hui'an and said frigidly: "Old bald donkey, you have eight hundred disciples in your temple, yet you are so harsh to the disaster victims; has your Buddha Heart already fallen into the demonic path?"

"Today I formally order you to increase the food for the disaster victims; every meal must have two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge. If there is any negligence, do not blame this nun for being ruthless!"

Liuli's expression was stern, her tone unquestionable.

Hui'an's expression gradually changed, but in front of so many disciples, and with the shame of being beaten before, as well as the humiliation of the Daxiong Baodian being overturned, he did not want to be a coward this time.

After all, today is different from the past.

Holding the secret of Divine Nun Ciyun and this youth surnamed Ning, could she really turn the world upside down?

Immediately.

Hui'an snorted coldly, looked at Liuli, and said with insufficient confidence: "Does the Divine Nun want to consider carefully before making a decision?"

"What do I need to consider?" Liuli's eyes narrowed, and she asked back with an unkind tone.

She of course knew that Hui'an was threatening her.

Hui'an's expression changed, and as if he had nothing to lose, he immediately shouted: "This is an internal matter of Jikong Temple; the Divine Nun's hand is reaching a bit too far."

"In the past, out of consideration that we both belong to the Buddha Gate, I satisfied all of the Divine Nun's requests, even going so far as to provide three hundred thousand catties of grain to help!"

"But now, these disaster victims have a way to live, so they should be grateful to this temple; it was this temple that saved them. Yet the Divine Nun is so unreasonable; do you know that we also need food and incense money to survive?"

"Divine Nun, do not bully others too much, otherwise you will surely suffer a backlash!"

Abbot Hui'an's expression was gloomy, his eyes harboring anger, clearly intending that if things went wrong, he would make the secret of Liuli public.

Gasp! Huiming, Huiwu, and the others all looked at their own Abbot Hui'an in inexplicable shock.

When did the presiding Abbot become so tough? He actually dared to act so aggressively against the Divine Nun Ciyun, and even retorted? Had he forgotten that some time ago, the Divine Nun Ciyun unleashed her divine might, overturned this very Daxiong Baodian before his eyes, and beat him until his face was bruised and swollen?

For a moment.

The crowd of monks were all left dumbfounded.

Yet Hui'an seemed to have found courage, and there was no lack of smugness in the look he cast toward Liuli.

Such a big secret was enough to ruin the reputation of the Divine Nun Ciyun; how could he not make good use of it? Only.

Before his smile could fully bloom, it suddenly froze on his face.

Liuli raised her hand, and the Whisk in her hand lashed out fiercely; those slender threads, as if slicing through the air, wrapped straight around Hui'an's neck.

Then.

Liuli pulled back sharply.

Pfft~ In an instant.

One could only see the Jikong Temple Abbot Hui'an covering his neck with both hands.

But the crimson blood seeping through his fingers could not be stopped no matter how he tried.

Hui'an's eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief and helpless despair.

He used his last bit of strength to glare at Liuli, seemingly wanting to blurt out her secret.

But his throat had been completely severed by the Whisk threads; the moment he opened his mouth, a large amount of blood gushed out, and he could not make a sound at all.

"Abbot!"

"Senior Brother!"

"Master!"

"……"

In an instant.

The entire plaza in front of the Daxiong Baodian was in chaos; many of the Jikong Temple monks were so frightened they knelt on the spot, shouting loudly.

Watching their Abbot fall straight down just like that, they were all filled with inexplicable shock.

At this time.

Huiming suddenly sang a different tune, actually kneeling directly before Liuli and kowtowing: "Virtuous! Many thanks to the Divine Nun for ridding Jikong Temple of this black sheep!"

Then, he stood up and turned to look at the many Jikong Temple Disciples.

"Divine Nun, fellow Disciples... you all do not know, although this Hui'an was the presiding Abbot, in reality, he was a hypocrite who had completely deviated from the Buddha and entered the demonic path. Relying on his status as Abbot, he engaged in corruption, embezzled incense offerings, colluded with corrupt officials, and misappropriated temple lands. Furthermore, this wretch even built a basement in his own Dharma hall, specifically to hide his gold, silver, treasures, and women!"

"What?"

Hearing this, everyone was immediately horrified.

Especially hearing that the Abbot had actually hidden a mistress, they were suddenly ignited with raging fury!

"Yes, you all heard correctly. Huiwu, do you remember three years ago, a female lay devotee came to our temple to pray for her husband who had gone to war, but later left without saying goodbye?" Huiming nodded firmly and then looked at his junior brother Huiwu.

How could Huiwu not understand? He immediately echoed: "Of course I remember. That female lay devotee was kind-hearted and pretty. I even remember a young novice monk who went insane over her at the time; it was truly lamentable!"

"It's just that I don't know why, after that female lay devotee had only stayed in the temple for five or six days, before even a single ritual was finished, she suddenly disappeared... Senior Brother, do you mean to say that the female lay devotee was in the Abbot's basement?"

Huiwu looked horrified, feigning a look of sudden realization and shock.

The many monks were also inexplicably horrified.

Even Liuli widened her eyes, looking at Huiming in disbelief.

She had not expected that this matter would end up involving such a huge scandal.

This Hui'an was truly not a good thing.

Could such a person really hold the position of presiding Abbot and lead eight hundred Disciples into Buddhism?

Liuli shook her head with a listless expression, not intending to participate in this internal turmoil of Jikong Temple, but instead looked at Huiming and said: "Head Monk, this villain committed many evils; my killing him is truly cleaning up the house for you all!"

"I will not ask about the remaining matters. I have only one request: improve the food for the Laborers and shorten their working hours slightly. Can this be done?"

Huiming immediately patted his chest to express his stance: "Virtuous! Divine Nun, rest assured. Our Buddha is compassionate; in fact, I had this intention long ago, but I was suppressed by this black-hearted, demonic person and was helpless. From now on, I will definitely treat the Laborers well and do good deeds!"

Huiming's eyes shone brightly.

He knew that the position of Abbot of Jikong Temple was now firmly his! "With your word, I am relieved. Another day I will visit periodically; if there are any discrepancies, do not blame me for not showing mercy."

Liuli nodded, her words containing a hint of warning.

"Divine Nun, rest assured!"

……

"Long live the Divine Nun, long live the Head Monk!"

At this time.

Someone among the Laborers suddenly raised their hand and shouted loudly.

Then.

There was a wave of gratitude, one after another, like a surging tide.

Liuli could not help but feel slightly moved.

These disaster victims only needed their food improved and their rest time increased to be immensely grateful; one could imagine how low their requirements were.

Yet even with such low requirements, the beast Hui'an was still so stingy; he had truly entered the demonic path.

Liuli shook her head and said nothing more.

Instead, she glanced at Ning Mu, her eyes shimmering, and headed straight toward the Chanfang in the backyard.

Ning Mu hurriedly followed.

【Notification: Congratulations to the Host for completing Task Three, obtaining the reward: Nine-Turn Divine Origin Pill Fragment *0.5! 1000 Cultivation Points, 100 Xia Lu Points!】

Looking at the information skipping across the system panel, Liuli felt a weight lift from her heart.

In the warehouse, there were already six 【Nine-Turn Divine Origin Pill Fragment*0.5】!

The distance to twenty was getting closer and closer.

【Notification: Congratulations to the Host, Number Two Sub-System has completed Task Three. Feedback of task rewards for the Host: gained 200 Cultivation Points, Liuli Loyalty Value increased by 1%!】

56%!

Ning Mu could not help but look at Liuli's graceful, plump, and well-proportioned back, chuckling with satisfaction.

Not long after.

Under Liuli's lead, the two arrived at the meditation courtyard once again.

Liuli released her Cultivation Points to sense the surroundings carefully, then picked a room on the edge and pushed the door open to walk inside.

After Ning Mu also entered, her complexion gradually flushed, and she reached back to bolt the door.

Then.

She turned around, cast a flickering glance at Ning Mu, pursed her lips, and said faintly, "You say, this Work-for-Relief... did I do something wrong?"

"Just now I saw several corpses of disaster victims being carried by those novice monks and thrown outside the temple. If I hadn't forcibly demanded that Jikong Temple implement Work-for-Relief, would they not have died..."

At this moment.

Liuli's tone was filled with infinite sorrow.

She was decisive in killing.

But she was also compassionate.

In her, this was not contradictory.

Ning Mu smiled slightly, reached out to press on Liuli's shoulder, and said softly, "Nun, this is not your fault, but the fault of that Abbot. Work-for-Relief is naturally good, but it is inevitable to encounter a bastard like the Abbot. No one can erase your contribution, so you need not worry. Didn't you see how many people were just thanking you?"

"You did the right thing!"

Ning Mu gave his sincere affirmation.

At this moment, what Liuli actually needed was just a word of affirmation.

She certainly knew that Work-for-Relief was not wrong; the mistake was that Hui'an had lost his original intention.

Or rather.

She just needed a topic to break the awkward atmosphere of the moment.

"What contribution do I have? The credit is all yours. Only you have a clever brain to think of this series of methods. If it weren't for you, I fear more than half of these hundreds of thousands of disaster victims would have died by now. In the past, disaster relief mostly relied on the Imperial Court allocating grain; otherwise, they would just let the victims fend for themselves."

"But even so, every major disaster still resulted in countless deaths."

"And you, my hero, you were able to use your own strength to enter the game, maneuver within it, and without relying on the Imperial Court, you let them fill their stomachs and even find their own way to survive. This great achievement and merit are enough to be recorded in history!"

At this moment, Liuli was undoubtedly emotional.

Her eyes stared burningly at Ning Mu's handsome cheeks, her gaze shimmering with a hint of admiration.

As a witness and participant, she was deeply moved by Ning Mu's ability to care for the common people and contribute so much without seeking reward.

As a person of the Buddha Gate, saving all living beings and being compassionate had always been her own requirement.

Seeing those disaster victims starving, she had been anxious in every way but had no solution.

But Ning Mu had entered the game and perfectly solved a problem that was thorny even for the Imperial Court.

In this game, the only one hurt was the wealthy Tan Family.

Ning Mu's compassionate heart, his brilliant methods, his secret promotion of all this without coveting fame or wealth, and his lack of using his kindness to demand leverage—even those disaster victims did not know of his existence, and there might be many foolish people who could not see through this game and were wantonly cursing him.

Yet he remained calm and indifferent throughout.

All these things deeply shocked her soul.

It made her look at him differently, and even secretly favor him.

The longer they spent together, the more she could feel the high character and noble virtue of this lecherous young man.

Various contradictory personalities were perfectly integrated in him, natural and seamless.

This was also a very important reason why she was willing to stay by Ning Mu's side and accept the Xia Lu status bestowed by the system! If Ning Mu were the type to ignore matters that didn't concern him, or even a villain who committed all kinds of evil, even if she had to die, she could not have been coerced by the system to lower herself and compromise!

Looking at Liuli's gaze filled with a hint of admiration, as well as her bright and beautiful face, Ning Mu could not help but laugh out loud.

"Since in your heart, Nun, I have such great achievements, would you be willing to thank me on behalf of those disaster victims?" Ning Mu smirked.

The hand pressing on Liuli's shoulder slowly moved downward.

"Mm~" Liuli's Buddha body trembled instantly, and the look of a spring lake welled up in her eyes.

Feeling her compassion being handled by this scoundrel once again, Liuli's heart felt as if it were about to jump out.

"Be gentle!" Liuli chided softly, her voice filled with shyness.

She looked at the window with some fear, terrified that someone might come.

But in the meditation courtyard outside, dense footsteps had already begun to sound.

It should be Huiming and the others, taking the monks to search the basement of Abbot Hui'an's dharma hall.

"Nun, don't just stand there; for the sake of the disaster victims, do some more manual labor." Ning Mu winked with a wicked smile.

One hand handled her compassion, while the other guided her slender fingers to reach downward.

"You dog, you are truly excessive! I must have owed you in my past life!" Liuli feigned anger, gritting her teeth, but the shyness flickering in her shimmering eyes betrayed her; she wasn't actually that angry inside.

She applied a little force with her hand, but dared not use too much, lest she break it.

"Right, a debt of love owed to me, you must pay it back in this life." Ning Mu laughed heartily, feeling extremely satisfied.

Looking at such a jade-like beauty, so proud yet forced to submit, it was incredibly gratifying.

Especially since the other party was a Divine Nun of the Dao respected by everyone!

"Nun, you wouldn't want the world to know that you have such a seductive side in private, would you?"

Ning Mu sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion in a carefree manner.

Above his head.

It was the shrine of the Great Buddha enshrined in this meditation room.

Kneeling right before Ning Mu, head lowered, Liuli, who used her three thousand strands of worldly troubles to shield her fiery red, delicate, and bright Buddha-light-filled cheeks, could not help but tremble violently upon hearing this.

At the mere thought of her current appearance being known to the world, heard by the Junior Nephews and disciples in Bolu Ciyun Temple, or seen by her own mentor, Puluo Zushi, a thick sense of panic and unease rose within her heart.

But...

Beneath this panic and unease, there was even more of that irrepressible thrill and excitement that stirred her Buddha Heart! The guilt of straying from the Buddha's path left her deeply enthralled.

"Mm~ you bastard, I am already like this, is your foul mouth still not shut?"

Liuli's eyes shimmered, her face flushed a deep, unbearable red, and she cast a bashful glance at Ning Mu, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

Yet despite saying so.

That Buddha hand that should have been brushing away never once paused for a moment...

Note: This is a work of fiction and has nothing to do with reality! (End of chapter)