Chapter 519: Daoji

"Then tell me, how do you intend to deal with them?"

Lin Fan glanced at a certain spot with interest, then asked Zhao Zhao Linger.

"Hmm... beat them up, then return the money they extorted."

"In my opinion, we should just kill them!"

Lin Yueru disagreed with Zhao Zhao Linger's opinion, feeling that the punishment was too light.

Just then, an old woman in rags walked to the bridgehead.

"My life is bitter. I only have this twenty wen for incense money. Please, have mercy and let me pass!"

The old woman held up her last twenty wen pitifully, hoping the men would let her go.

"If you want to cross, pay up!"

The steward pushed the old woman impatiently. The money in her hand fell to the ground, and as she scrambled to pick it up, the steward stepped directly on her hand with his boot.

"Show mercy under your feet."

"Let's cross!"

A voice and Lin Fan's words sounded at the same time. The women looked toward the person who had shouted, only to see a monk covered in patches holding a palm-leaf fan walking over.

"It's a stinky monk!"

Lin Yueru frowned. Because of the Great Sun Tathagata, she had no good impression of monks. Seeing that the one stepping forward was a monk, she couldn't help but suspect if he had ulterior motives.

"May I ask what law this old lady has broken?"

"Poor monk, you want to meddle in other people's business? You can meddle, but do you have money?"

"Money? I have plenty!"

The monk shook himself, and there was a clinking sound; clearly, he had many copper coins on him.

"Anyone going to Jingci Temple to burn incense, come over! I, the monk, will pay your bridge toll!"

When the crowd heard that someone was paying, they swarmed over to cross the bridge. The monk stood at the bridgehead giving out money—twenty wen for every person who crossed. The flamboyant man and the steward nearby were overjoyed; they didn't care who paid, as long as they got the money.

"So it seems this monk is actually a good person?"

Zhao Zhao Linger said thoughtfully as she watched this scene.

"What kind of good monk is so rich? Besides, he's giving money to bullies; isn't that aiding and abetting? Even if he can pay today, can he pay every day? What happens later?"

Lin Yueru curled her lip dismissively. She didn't believe this monk was a good person. The Tathagata Buddha that monks worshiped was a bad guy, so how could a monk be a good person?

Just then, the box the bullies were using to hold the money started to smoke and catch fire. They rushed to put it out, but unfortunately, they couldn't stop the fire from spreading. In his panic, the bully stepped his foot directly into the money box and then couldn't pull it out.

"Trapped in copper coins, sinking deeper and deeper, unable to pull himself out!"

The monk sat at the bridgehead and began to gloat.

By the time the bully pulled his leg out, all the copper coins were embedded in his leg.

"It was the monk who played the trick. It seems I wronged him; he is indeed a good person."

Lin Yueru also saw that the monk was punishing the bullies, so she frankly admitted her mistake.

"He is Daoji. He appears crazy and foolish, but he is actually clear-headed in the human world. He loves to punish evil, promote good, and help the poor. The common people respectfully call him Jigong."

Lin Fan smiled and introduced the monk at the bridgehead to the women.

"Jigong? Sounds pretty good. It seems not all Buddhists are bad people!"

The women nodded upon hearing this. Daoji was undoubtedly doing good deeds for the people, which was why he earned their respect; he seemed to be a good person.

"However, his parents were famous philanthropists, and they had him late in life, so they treasured him exceptionally. Yet, on the day of his wedding, he left without saying goodbye and became a monk. Because of this, his parents were frantic with worry and fell bedridden. They sent people out to find him, but by the time he returned home, his parents had already passed away, and the family property had been seized by the steward. At his parents' grave, he also met his fiancée, Miss Lu, who had gone mad because he had fled the wedding. Do you still think he is a good person now?"

"What? He is both an unfilial son and a heartless man. As expected, there isn't a single good person in Buddhism!"

The women's expressions changed drastically. They regretted thinking this monk was a good person earlier.

"This young master seems to know a lot about monks. Do you think a monk is a good person or a bad person?"

Daoji, who had been at the bridgehead, suddenly appeared in front of Lin Fan and asked with a smile for Lin Fan's opinion of him.

"What I think is not important. What is important is you yourself, Daoji. You have lived up to the common people of the world, but you have failed your parents and your fiancée. Have you regretted it all these years?"

"What if I regret it? The monk can no longer go back. In this life, the monk has failed them; I can only hope to make amends by serving as a beast of burden in the next life!" ===== CHAPTER 869 =====

Mentioning his parents and fiancée, Daoji looked slightly dejected, but then he began to giggle again.

"How do you plan to deal with these bullies? Are you planning to take the opportunity to cut off the bully's legs and replace them with the steward's legs, then replace the steward's legs with dog legs, and finally give the dog mud legs?"

Lin Fan didn't commit to an answer, but pointed to the bullies, the steward, and the retainers who were surrounding them.

"How do you know the monk's thoughts? It's as if you are the roundworm in the monk's belly!"

"What is the point of this? The mastermind who ran rampant only felt pain for a while, the lackey who aided and abetted just got a dog's leg, and the vicious dog that relied on its master's power just got a mud leg. I don't think they will learn their lesson."

Although Daoji liked to punish evil and promote good, it was basically just small punishments and big warnings amidst laughter and scolding. In reality, it was just raising the hand high and letting it fall gently. Lin Fan didn't think this could make the villains learn a lesson. Even if they learned it at the time, they would definitely forget the lesson entirely after a few months.

"What does the young master think? The monk would like to broaden his horizons!"

"Xu Mue, you like to uphold justice, don't you? I'll leave it to you!"

Lin Fan didn't make the decision himself but handed the power of choice to Xu Xu Mue.

"Clang!"

Xu Xu Mue nodded without a word, then drew her Demon-Slaying Sword and walked toward the bullies.

"Yo, what a beautiful little lady. Once I'm done with that stinky monk, I'll come and pamper you well!"

Even though one leg was covered in copper coins and hurting like crazy, the bully still didn't change his mind about bullying men and women and doing evil.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

The bully and his several subordinates were all chopped into human sticks by Xu Xu Mue. Although the sword in her hand was named Demon-Slaying, it could also kill people.

"Don't their crimes deserve less than this?"

Daoji frowned and asked Lin Fan.

"No, no, no, they deserve it. Each of them has resentment on them, which shows that they have directly or indirectly harmed others. As the saying goes, debts must be repaid, and murder must be paid for with life. It is nothing more than that. Xu Mue's actions were a bit beyond my expectations, but she did indeed do well!"

"But, to realize one's mistakes and change is the greatest good. Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot..."

"Stop. You are a monk, but I am not. That Buddhist set of yours doesn't apply to me. Besides, I just had a fight with your Tathagata Buddha. Although it was a draw, even he, the Tathagata Buddha, couldn't convince me, so you, the Living Buddha, naturally can't either. You have your bottom line, and I have my principles. Farewell, Daoji!"

Lin Fan left with the women. Daoji stood where he was for a long time, but hearing the wails of the bullies, he couldn't bear it and prepared to reattach their limbs, but he didn't expect the sword qi left by the Demon-Slaying Sword to be raging, and he was powerless to help. ===== CHAPTER 870 =====