Re-entry

To his surprise, the Old Monk's expression only grew more bitter upon hearing this.

"The benefactor is likely unaware that each of those three paths is guarded by a fierce ghost, all of whom were the closest kin to that Liu Shang. I only learned later that this beast personally peeled the skin off his own daughter, gouged out his son's eyes, and slaughtered the entire family of his most loyal subordinate right in front of him... In the end, he dismembered the corpses of these three and buried them beneath the crossroads, all to nurture ghost energy with their resentment, allowing them to kill anyone who passed by without discrimination."

He paused, furrowing his brows as he continued.

"Even in my prime, it would have been difficult for me to traverse all three paths, so do not waste your efforts, benefactor. That Bodhisattva will break its seal in a few days. You should leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, and let my fellow disciples evacuate the crowd... Sigh, I suppose saving as many as we can is all we can do."

Zhou You did not take in the Old Monk's subsequent words; he was suddenly reminded of the clues from before.

--Three paths that were specially partitioned yet led to the same destination.

--Three near-inevitable death traps that one had to experience.

--Several items required for clearing the level that would be absolutely impossible to obtain through simple exchange.

"Damn, so that's where you were waiting for me!"

"Benefactor, what exactly are you talking about?"

Watching the Old Monk's stunned expression, Zhou You offered no answer, instead slowly pulling two items from his robes.

A shriveled piece of human skin and a stick of incense marked with a curse.

"Master, if we add these items... would it be possible to seal that Bodhisattva?"

The Old Monk stared blankly at the two items, instinctively reaching out to pick them up, but immediately realizing his hands were covered in grease, he hurriedly wiped them on his robes before lifting them with extreme caution.

"Corroded skin, wealth-attracting incense mixed with infant bone powder... these are cursed objects of the most evil nature. Where on earth did you get these, benefactor?"

Zhou You merely smiled.

"Take a guess?"

The Old Monk froze for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"--Wonderful, simply wonderful. To think that even the Gui Po didn't trust Liu Shang and left behind a few contingencies, only for them to end up in my hands in the end—well then."

The Old Monk set the two items down.

Then, quite suddenly, he faced Zhou You and dropped to his knees with a thud. He even prostrated his entire body against the ground, performing a full kowtow before Zhou You.

"This old monk—no, this humble monk... thanks you on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people in this city, benefactor."

At this moment, his self-reference had quietly changed.

"With these two items, benefactor, you can save thousands of lives. Originally, I could only stall for time, but with these, I now have at least a thirty percent chance of suppressing that Bodhisattva once more. And even if we fail to suppress it, we can at least buy enough time for my fellow disciples to evacuate the masses."

The Old Monk seemed so agitated that he was panting slightly. "Time is of the essence, and I must make more preparations, so I cannot accompany you any longer. I will send you out of here now; afterwards, you may head to Qingjing Temple. I left some things there in the past, and you may take them all..."

The system's notification sound arrived immediately.

"Congratulations, player. You have met the conditions for the hidden quest: The Gratitude of Monk Hui Pu. The other party has entrusted you with all the relics of Qingjing Temple. You may view them after choosing to exit this instance."

"You have completed the main plot of this scenario and may exit at any time. Do you wish to return now?"

Zhou You did not make a choice, but instead asked a question in his mind.

"What happens if I choose not to return?"

The response this time was quite swift.

"Respected player, if you do not choose to return, you will face the cursed object 'Jixiang Jimie Guimu Bodhisattva' alongside Monk Hui Pu. Of course, you may also use your favor to force Monk Hui Pu to storm the three temples after you leave, and use that time to conduct further exploration, but this action carries a high probability of leading to this character's death."

Hearing this answer, Zhou You suddenly smiled, then without hesitation, chose "Do not return."

Only then did he suddenly speak to the monk.

"A thirty percent chance... Master, don't you think that's a bit low?"

The Old Monk understood his meaning.

However, he did not speak, remaining silent for a moment before firmly refusing.

"Just call me monk, benefactor. Also, I know what you want to say, but you have already done more than enough. You saved me and provided the key to breaking the deadlock; now, I absolutely cannot drag you down with me. I will bear the consequences of what follows alone, so please, benefactor..."

...He really is a good person; even in this situation, he refuses to use moral coercion.

But then again...

Zhou You thought silently to himself.

--If you don't coerce me, how am I supposed to meet that "Jixiang Jimiao Fumu Bodhisattva"?

In a daze, he remembered a sentence his grandfather had once said to him.

"You're good at everything, smart and clever, but the problem is..."

"Your gambling addiction is far too heavy."

--That's right, I've always been this way.

Zhou You suddenly laughed, and he said to the Old Monk earnestly.

"If you, a monk, can sacrifice yourself for the whole city, why can't this kid do the same?"

The Old Monk looked at Zhou You blankly, as if he didn't recognize him, then shook his head with a bitter smile and said: "Since that is the case, I will not stand on ceremony. Please prepare yourself, benefactor. Tonight, I will rendezvous with you at your location, and then, the two of us..."

"Let us brave this Demon Realm together."

"--Player has forfeited the return."

"Player has chosen to enter the Fourth Night alongside the monk Hui Pu."

"This choice will lead to a direct or indirect confrontation with the monster: Jixiang Jimiao Guimu Bodhisattva."

"If you succeed in suppressing Jixiang Jimiao Guimu Bodhisattva, you will receive an extremely special reward."

"The difficulty of this mission may be too high for you; please act according to your capabilities."

Time slipped away in the blink of an eye while plotting with the Old Monk.

--When he opened his eyes again, he was still in that familiar security booth.

To be honest, after spending so many days here, Zhou You had almost developed an attachment to this place.

But unfortunately, today was the day he had to say goodbye.

He walked forward and habitually glanced at the newspaper first.

This time, only one more page had been added, and although the rest remained blurry, the headline was incredibly clear.

There, in massive, bold print, a few lines were written with striking clarity.

"The city's wealthiest man, Liu Shang, has been brutally murdered; his body was cruelly dismembered, and his head is nowhere to be found."

"I was wondering how to explain those intestines scattered all over the floor, but it turns out they just ruled it a homicide... though that makes sense. No normal person would think of a failed ritual, and ordinary people probably couldn't see that head stuck to the back of the statue anyway..."

Zhou You tossed the newspaper aside, then sat down in the chair and waited quietly.

About a few minutes later, the door to the security booth was pushed open, and as a pair of trembling hands reached in, a certain bald head he had seen many times appeared right on schedule.

Zhou You flashed a smile at the man, and before that terrified gaze could react, he suddenly lunged forward and drove a fist straight into the man's abdomen!