The Monk's Past

Qin Yiguan stood there, stunned.

As for how to obtain a portable AI, it was during his first login to the Metaverse Experimental Zone, when he was completely bewildered, that he encountered the Metaverse Know-It-All and obtained the answer.

And that version of myself back then.

I also asked Baixiaosheng the same question: Have you ever heard of someone being able to log into the Experimental Zone without using Nutrient Pod?

Baixiaosheng's response was. "I'll hit you! I have a bad temper!"

At present.

Qin Yiguan looked at the little monk in front of him.

He asked me if anyone could log into the Metaverse without using Nutrient Pod?

--Of course.

"Hehe."

"Sir, I'm sorry to have put you in such a difficult position."

You don't need to answer.

The little monk nodded slightly again, the two red "Strongest" symbols above his head swaying in front of Qin Yiguan.

To be honest...

"This is my first time logging into the Metaverse."

The young monk chuckled and said, "Although I have been in this world for eighteen years, and am in good health and mental condition, I have never used the Metaverse before. I imagine this is quite laughable in your eyes."

Qin Yiguan shook his head slightly. "'Ridiculous' is an understatement, but it is indeed somewhat difficult to understand. As far as I know, there are no longer any convenient conditions in the physical world. The Castoffs are left there out of necessity. You are clearly healthy, yet you don't use the Metaverse. That's really a bit unusual."

"Please allow me to explain."

The Shitian monk Shitian seemed somewhat tired. He murmured, "The physical body is transcended; all that remains in the mortal world is mortal and there is no disrespect involved," and then sat down on a tombstone.

He slowly said, "A hundred years ago, when the Gemini Metaverse was first born, my master felt that this kind of 'spiritual separation' was very inappropriate. It was very similar to the Buddhist 'meditation.' He felt that his Buddhist knowledge was not profound enough to reach the level of meditation. So, while people were applying for Nutrient Pod and logging into the Metaverse in large numbers, he packed his bags and went to the most secluded deep mountains."

In the years that followed, he built a small temple in that tranquil place with its beautiful mountains and clear waters.

"He began a quiet, simple, yet peaceful life of spiritual practice."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yiguan slowly nodded.

Yes, people have different ideas. There will definitely be people who are unwilling to accept new technologies, unwilling to spend the rest of their lives sleeping in the Metaverse, and unwilling to change their lifestyle.

Choosing to escape the world and live a peaceful life deep in the mountains is indeed a good option.

"And then?"

The young monk Shitian recalled, "My master said that one day he went to the outhouse and found a baby in the latrine."

Qin Yiguan turned his head blankly, as if he had realized something.

"My master said that the baby's face was covered in feces and it smelled terrible."

"But he's alright looking."

The Shitian monk Shitian chuckled and said, "My master raised him, and from then on, the quiet life deep in the mountains had one more little monk. Eighteen years later, that baby grew into me."

Qin Yiguan was somewhat speechless.

This is probably because after Shitian became sensible, he kept pestering the old monk to ask where he came from.

In the old days, many parents said that their children were like free gifts when they topped up their phone credit.

The old monk had a unique idea: he said he picked it up from a cesspool.

This completely disregards other people's feelings.

Moreover, Shitian seemed to have believed it.

Two months ago.

But then he saw a hint of awe in the Shitian Shitian's eyes. "My master called me to his prayer mat and said to me earnestly, 'In this vast world, I shouldn't be confined to this small mountain temple.' He told me to go down the mountain, to enter this Metaverse, to venture out, to gain experience, to save myself, and then to save others.'"

Qin Yiguan nodded slowly.

With tears in his eyes, the Shitian monk Shitian said, "I can't bear to leave my master, I can't bear to leave our little temple, but I can't disobey my master's orders. I know that my master is doing this for my own good, and doesn't want me to live a mediocre life."

"Then."

"I only took a string of Buddhist prayer beads, put on a monk's robe, and went down the mountain!"

"It's been eighteen years; that was the first time I'd ever come down the mountain."

The Shitian monk Shitian gazed into the distance, tears welling in his eyes. "When I reached the foot of the mountain, I discovered that before I left, my master had stolen all the steamed buns from my arms. I then realized that the temple's fields hadn't yielded a good harvest this year, and there wasn't enough food. The reason my master sent me out to gain experience was because he was afraid I would steal his food."

"..."

Qin Yiguan was trying hard to suppress his laughter; his lips were twitching slightly.

But he couldn't laugh out loud.

Laughing at him is like kicking someone when they're down; the child is so pitiful.

Now that he's appeared in Ghost City, he probably starved to death.

"The most amazing thing is..."

"I can't find the way up the mountain."

With tears in his eyes, the Shitian said, "The mountain that Master chose has a special structure. Going down the mountain is easy, but going up requires seeing through the illusions created by nature. For so many years, Master has kept this from me and never told me about it."

Qin Yiguan was still suppressing a laugh.

The old monk had been plotting this for a long time.

The little monk is so pitiful.

I have nowhere to go.

"After a long journey, we entered a city."

The young monk's eyes were full of confusion. "There was no one in the city, and I was cold and hungry, so I sat down to meditate on the street. Before I knew it, I had entered the Metaverse! Benefactor, everything I've said is true."

Qin Yiguan looked at him and slowly said, "I believe you."

at the same time.

Qin Yiguan was astonished; he wasn't the only one who could enter the Metaverse through dreams!

My Qin Yiguan.

The boy smiled warmly, looking at the bewildered little monk, "Yiguan- Yiguan."

The young monk clasped his hands together and nodded slightly, saying, "Meeting is fate."

Qin Yiguan hesitated for a moment, but finally asked, "So, how did you die?"

"Die?"

The Shitian monk Shitian looked puzzled. "I'm not dead? After entering the Metaverse, I appeared in a desolate area, with endless Gobi Desert in my eyes. Then I started walking, walking endlessly, for two whole months without encountering any danger or anyone."

"Just now, I saw a city here."

"It exudes a strange aura."

I then approached.

The Shitian monk Shitian looked up and said, "Then I saw you, benefactor."

Qin Yiguan was stunned. "So, you're a living person who found your way into this Ghost City by following your footsteps?!"

"A living person?"

"Ghost City?"

The young monk Shitian opened his eyes slightly, "What do you mean by that, Benefactor Qin?"

"The city beneath our feet is called Ghost City, a place that houses the souls of the dead."

Qin Yiguan slowly said, "I am also dead now, a ghost, but don't worry, the residents here are peaceful and won't harm others, at most they'll just 'tui~'."

"Only..."

Qin Yiguan frowned slightly. "At night, a mysterious ghost king appears here. It is cruel, tyrannical, and terrifying. It will kill the residents and destroy the buildings. Before long, this Ghost City will cease to exist, and the dead who lived here will become tombstones."

"I..."

Qin Yiguan lowered his head slightly, "The city lord invited me to fight against the Ghost King, but I was too afraid to show myself."

"Oh?"

But then the Shitian monk Shitian's eyes lit up. "So, I've already encountered my first trial so quickly?"

Qin Yiguan said with a hint of helplessness, "You don't need to believe your master's words, do you?"

"No."

The Shitian monk Shitian clasped his hands together again, "Benefactor Qin, you don't understand. I have Buddha in my heart, so I want to save all sentient beings. The spirits living here are the sentient beings I want to save."

"Besides, exorcising demons and ghosts is also part of my duty."

"Benefactor Qin, I'm not leaving."

"I must cross this Ghost City."

"The terrifying demon king you spoke of, I will subdue him!"

"I see you're a kind person, I'll help you!"