At the mysterious monk's command, Hu Xiaotian's legs went weak, and he dropped onto his backside. One hundred and sixteen statues! He had cleaned only eighteen, and four hours had already passed. Ninety-eight remained. Even if he worked without sleep or rest from now on, he would never finish by dawn.
Hu Xiaotian groaned bitterly. "Senior, I haven't even touched the remaining statues."
The mysterious monk chuckled. "But you thought about it. Didn't you come here intending to feel every last one of them? Even if you haven't touched them, that thought alone desecrated the statues. You must clean them all for me."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Senior, it's almost dark. If I don't return, the others are bound to notice. They'll most likely come here looking for me. You see..."
"Who would come here? Just how important do you think you are? Even if I kept you here doing hard labor for the rest of your life, no one would ever know."
Hu Xiaotian was secretly alarmed. With the man's martial prowess, he would have no chance to resist if the monk forced him to stay. He smiled. "You've forgotten, Senior. Senior Brother Mingsheng escaped just now. He knows I'm here. Once he returns, he's sure to gather the other monks to rescue me."
"Heh... heh... you little bastard, you actually dare threaten me? So what if he knows? I already forced him to swear before the Buddha that if he revealed so much as half a word about today's events, he would fall into hell, never to enter the cycle of reincarnation again."
Hu Xiaotian drew a sharp breath. This monk was truly vicious. What kind of monk made someone swear such a terrible oath? He gritted his teeth. "Senior, no one is made of iron. I haven't eaten