Mural Scripture Chanting

"It can live!"

Old Aunt let out a sigh of relief.

"What scripture did you chant?"

The Short-haired Middle-aged Man forcefully squeezed through the crowd and came before Lin Baici.

"Can you teach us?"

The Visitors with Spark on Brow were more anxious than the last.

"When the doors to this hall opened earlier, didn't we hear a chant? I had her recite that."

Lin Baici explained.

"So that's it!"

The tourists suddenly understood.

"You remembered all of it?"

Hua Yueyu was stunned. What kind of godlike memory was that?

That was way too amazing, wasn't it?

"Those with Sparks on their brows, stop standing around. Hurry and kneel before the Great Buddha, then chant with this Handsome Guy!"

The Short-haired Middle-aged Man took charge without invitation.

From the current situation, if everyone wanted to survive, they had to rely on this student. But no one could force him to help others; it all depended on his mood. So the Short-haired Middle-aged Man wanted to hear him chant another time and memorize it as quickly as possible.

The Unlucky Ones immediately went to kneel before the Great Buddha, then anxiously looked toward Lin Baici.

"Listen carefully..."

Lin Baici did not mind. It was just one more recitation.

Everyone stumbled through the chant. It was like someone who had never studied English suddenly hearing a teacher read an English passage and having to repeat it...

It was simply too difficult.

Even though Lin Baici paused after every line, some still could not keep up, and many pronounced the words incorrectly.

After listening for only a few lines, the Dark Great Buddha furrowed its brow deeply.

Was this chanting scripture and worshipping Buddha?

This was clearly the buzzing of flies. It was practically defiling the scripture.

Then, boom! Boom! Boom!

The Sparks on the brows of those Unlucky Ones ignited them, quickly burning them into charcoal-like corpses.

At that moment, more than a hundred bodies already lay in the hall.

It was terrifying.

"Why were they killed again?"

Zhang Ju tightly hugged her daughter, completely unable to understand.

"They probably didn't chant it correctly!"

Sima Mu thought, If I had to listen to chanting like that, I'd want to hit someone too.

The Short-haired Middle-aged Man listened carefully for a few lines, only to find that he could not understand or remember any of it. That left him puzzled. How had that pretty girl managed it?

No matter how he looked at her, she did not seem like some academic genius.

The Short-haired Middle-aged Man's gaze fell on the cushion Jin Yingzhen was holding.

Could it have something to do with that?

"Step forward!"

"Kneel!"

"Worship Buddha!"

The Dark Great Buddha urged them on, then snorted and sprayed out Sparks again.

It was the Fourth Batch.

Whoosh!

Everyone's eyes turned toward Lin Baici.

Lin Baici had not stepped forward on his own, but this time, the Sparks sprayed by the Great Buddha drifted before his brow. Hua Yueyu could not avoid them either.

"Kneel on the cushion and chant with me!"

Lin Baici had the Female Anchor hold the Herbal Cushion and quickly get ready.

In order to hear more clearly, the tourists all wanted to get closer to Lin Baici. Some began shoving and cursing, and soon they were even throwing punches.

Hua Yueyu was extremely nervous, afraid that she would not remember it, but she quickly realized she had worried for nothing.

She could remember Lin Baici's strange pronunciations after hearing them only once.

"Was I always this smart?"

Hua Yueyu was astonished.

"Don't lose focus!"

Lin Baici warned her.

Hua Yueyu immediately straightened her back and tried her best to pronounce every word correctly. Only when Lin Baici's voice stopped did she realize that they had finished.

She then looked up at the Great Buddha, waiting for its judgment.

"You two may leave!"

Hua Yueyu heard those words and excitedly pumped her little fist.

Yes!

"Baici, thank you!"

Tears welled in Hua Yueyu's eyes.

Big Brother, thank you for carrying me!

The other sixty-plus tourists with Sparks on their brows panicked. The Dark Great Buddha had not mentioned them, which clearly meant it was dissatisfied.

"Handsome Guy, help us!"

Before they could even beg for help, the Sparks ignited them.

More casualties littered the ground!

The stench of scorched flesh drifted through the air.

"So it really is related to that cushion!"

Ignoring the people being burned, the Short-haired Middle-aged Man rushed to Lin Baici in several quick strides.

"Hello, I'm Jiang Hong, the owner of Hongji Real Estate. I'll give you ten million. When it's my turn to worship Buddha, can you lend me that cushion?"

The middle-aged man got straight to the point.

In fact, more than a dozen other tourists had also noticed the Herbal Cushion and wanted to borrow it, but Jiang Hong's name and ten million instantly intimidated them.

The middle-aged man spoke with great confidence.

Hongji Real Estate was Guangqing City's leading enterprise, and Jiang Hong himself was the city's richest man. His reputation was enormous. Who would not give him some respect?

Ten million would be enough to crush that Male Student, wouldn't it?

Of course, he could not pay in cash. Later, he would use two apartments and value them at market price. That would be the most cost-effective option.

Jiang Hong was certain the other party would agree.

"Ten million?"

Lin Baici looked at the middle-aged man.

So this was the heartless businessman Uncle had mentioned?

"Since you're so rich, why don't you finish the unfinished buildings your company abandoned?"

Seven years ago, Lin Baici's uncle's family had bought a home from Hongji Real Estate for their son's wedding, intending it to be his marital home. But even now, it was still an unfinished building whose construction had never reached the top floor.

He had heard that many people could not move into their new homes yet still had to pay their mortgages every month. They had been cheated terribly.

Jiang Hong did not feel embarrassed in the slightest. With the manner of an elder advising a junior, he said, "You don't understand business matters!"

"Baici, I can offer two million in cash. You have to help me!"

Old Aunt Xu Xiu was completely sincere. She wanted to use the money to buy her life. She was terrified of ending up in the same batch as Jiang Hong.

"I'll pay too. One million. Can I reserve a spot first?"

"I don't have that much cash, but I have a Villa. Once we get out, I'll transfer it to you!"

"I'll give you half the yearly profits from my canned food factory!"

Some wealthy people began bidding, offering prices meant to move Lin Baici and make him help them first. But most people were poor and remained silent.

With monthly salaries of three or four thousand, they did not even have the right to compete.

"Aunt Xu, don't panic. If I can help, I definitely will!"

Lin Baici reassured her.

"Step forward!"

"Kneel!"

"Worship Buddha!"

The Dark Great Buddha yawned. This time, the mass of Sparks it sprayed was enormous, directly shrouding more than two hundred people.

The Little Girl and her mother Zhang Ju, Old Aunt, Jiang Hong, and Sister Xiao Li all had Sparks attached to their brows.

"Fuck!"

Jiang Hong cursed, then continued persuading Lin Baici with a smile. "Little Brother, help me out. I'll remember this favor for the rest of my life!"

"Hungry God Brother!"

When the Little Girl saw Lin Baici looking at her, she waved her little hand.

"Handsome Guy, save my daughter!"

Zhang Ju cried.

"Baici!"

Old Aunt was trembling.

Sister Xiao Li said nothing, but her eyes were full of pleading as she looked at Lin Baici. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, who would not want to live?

Hua Yueyu and Sister Xiao Li were best friends. Both emotionally and logically, she hoped Lin Baici would help Sister Xiao Li. But that Little Girl was only a little over three years old and had not even tasted the sweetness of youth.

Lin Baici was only a student who had just graduated high school. He should have been enjoying a happy summer vacation before going to college, finding a Girlfriend, and enjoying his youth. Yet now, he had to choose who would live.

Those not chosen would certainly die.

Lin Baici hated this kind of choice.

Whoosh!

Lin Baici exhaled a breath of stale air and looked at the Dark Great Buddha seated high upon the Buddha platform, gazing down upon all living beings. "Can I chant scripture and worship Buddha on behalf of these tourists?"

"Oppa!"

Jin Yingzhen was startled and wanted to urge him not to act rashly, but after seeing Lin Baici's expression, she gave up.

This...

Was probably what a hero was.

"Brother Lin, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Sima Mu grew anxious. There was no need to risk his life for these people.

"Saving one is saving someone. Saving a group is the same!"

Lin Baici waited for the Great Buddha's answer.

"Yes!"

The Dark Great Buddha revealed a malicious smile and pointed with its left hand at the devout men and women in the Mural. "As long as you can chant with them and complete one act of worship, I can forgive these ants for their disrespect!"

"Fine!"

Lin Baici agreed. It was only chanting scripture.

No matter how long it was, with Eidetic Memory and the Herbal Cushion, it would not be a problem.

"Don't be hasty. Let me finish. If the chanting stops halfway through, you will die!"

The Dark Great Buddha chuckled.

Everyone gasped sharply when they heard that.

"Brother Lin, don't take the risk!"

Sima Mu strongly urged him, "Just save someone you want to save. Doing your best is enough!"

The Dark Great Buddha looked down at Lin Baici with interest. "So, will you still chant scripture for them?"

"Begin!"

Lin Baici sat cross-legged on the cushion and focused completely.

"Everyone shut up! Whoever talks, I'll beat him to death!"

Jiang Hong roared, "Even if you need to fart, hold it in!"

With lives at stake, Jiang Hong could not afford any mistakes.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

After three clear chimes from the bell and chime stone, the devout men and women in the Mural began chanting.

After hearing a few lines, all the tourists' faces changed.

The chant sounded pleasant, but was it not far too difficult?

It was like listening to a heavenly book.

Who could remember that?

They looked at Lin Baici as despair rose in their hearts.

It was over!

Within the Brahma Sound Formation, all shared the rain of Dharma; beneath the chanting, all basked in Buddha's grace.

What seemed impossibly difficult to others, Lin Baici accomplished. Though he did not know what the Scripture meant, he followed those believers and recited every word without missing one, with precise pronunciation.

"It'll work!"

The tourists became excited.

Hua Yueyu and Jin Yingzhen were still worried, because the chanting grew faster and faster, as though thousands of words had to be spoken in a single breath.

Fortunately, Lin Baici could still keep up.

After a full fifteen minutes, Lin Baici's lips had gone numb. At last, the chanting came to an end.

The moment he stopped, every Tourist's face was filled with the excitement and relief of surviving the Aftermath of a Disaster.

With such a perfect recitation, that Great Buddha shouldn't be able to find any fault with it, right?

Still, this guy's memory was way too good, wasn't it?

"Genius!"

Jin Yingzhen looked at Lin Baici with admiration in her eyes.

She had used the God's Taboo Object, the Herbal Cushion, earlier. Eidetic Memory was impressive, but remembering something didn't necessarily mean being able to recite it.

The cushion didn't have a function that automatically corrected pronunciation errors.

That meant Lin Baici's verbal expression and imitation abilities were exceptionally strong. And this was under the immense pressure that failure meant death.

Lin Baici had done it!

His ability to withstand pressure was ridiculously strong.

"Can we go now?"

Lin Baici asked with a smile, rubbing his lips with the back of his hand.

To improve his English listening scores, he had been reciting a short passage aloud every morning since his first year of high school. Over time, he had trained his mouth into shape.