Midnight Bookstore

Zhou Ze remembered clearly what it felt like to die. Back then, he had been pushed into the incinerator in the crematorium to enjoy the burning treatment.

Before that, the crematorium staff had used a steel hook to break his stomach to prevent his body from exploding when he was cremated.

The feeling was very similar to when his chest was pierced.

Pain?

Of course it hurt.

However, when the pain was too intense, you would feel numb. It was like being anesthetized in a hospital after a surgery. Through the curtain that blocked your vision, you would feel like something was tinkering with your stomach.

Zhou Ze still wanted to resist, but his body fell into a deathly spasm. Even his eyelids became especially heavy.

No matter how unwilling he was or how much he resisted,

eyelids,

It still ended.

…

Slowly opening his eyes, he was surrounded by dim lights. In front of him was a long marble table. The patterns were messy, but it gave off an exquisite feeling.

Lowering his head, Zhou Ze realized that he was sitting on a chair. It was an armchair, and he was leaning against it. He wore a white scarf around his neck, but it was more like the protection he wore to prevent the soup from dirtying his clothes.

Two hands, each holding a silver knife and fork.

In front of him was a white plate. On it was a piece of barbecued meat that was giving off steam. Lemon and flower petals decorated the plate.

“Sir, I used a spray gun to sweep the vegetables. They taste like barbecue. I hope you like it.”

The old man’s voice came from the other side of Zhou Ze. He was also dressed in the same attire. He was cutting the steak and putting it into his mouth to chew.

“What does that mean?”

Zhou Ze was in no hurry to eat and asked directly.

Didn’t they say that they were going to kill him?

“Something happened.” The old man picked up the wine beside him and took a small sip.

Whoosh!

The old man placed one hand on the table and pushed the document toward Zhou Ze.

“I didn’t expect the identification card to be so damaged.” After saying that, the old man continued to cut a piece of meat and savor it.

“So?”

“So, I’m sorry, but you won’t die,” the old man said with a smile. “Sir, you’re really lucky.”

“You’re not going to kill me?”

“Yes, sir. Because of the identity card left behind by the owner, it cannot withstand the process of recognizing a new owner, or else it will collapse and lose all effect.”

The old man shook his head and raised his wine glass to greet Zhou Ze.

“So, congratulations, sir. It seems that I was wrong. Today is indeed your lucky day.”

Zhou Ze picked up the wine glass and looked at the transparent red wine inside. He was in no hurry to drink and asked,

“There’s no strange poison in this wine?”

“You must be joking, sir.”

A joke?

Previously, you said that I was your new master.

And then?

A hand pierced through my chest!

Who’s joking?

“Sir, please have a taste of my cooking. When the old master was around, I was responsible for taking care of his daily meals. Even though so many years have passed, I don’t think my cooking skills have deteriorated too much.”

“There’s no poison in the meat?” Zhou Ze asked with a smile.

“Sir, you worry too much. For me, killing or torturing you is not that troublesome.”

What you said made a lot of sense. There was no way to refute it.

Zhou Ze used a knife to cut off a piece of meat and used a fork to send the meat into his mouth to chew. He instinctively wanted to vomit, but he unexpectedly found that this piece of meat melted the moment it entered his mouth. The taste was excellent.

Most importantly, he did not feel nauseous at all.

“Is it delicious?” the old man asked.

“Sure,” Zhou Ze replied.

“If it’s delicious, you should eat more. As a chef, the dishes that you make are loved by others and eaten a lot. It’s a very happy thing.”

The old man ate half a plate of meat. He put down his cutlery and took out a hot towel to wipe his hands.

Zhou Ze ate a few more pieces of meat and asked,

“What do we do next?”

“Sir, you’re joking again.” The old man smiled kindly. “After the meal, you can leave. I will not restrict your freedom.”

“It ended just like that?” Zhou Ze found it ridiculous.

“Yes, it’s over,” the old man confirmed.

“But I remember you said that the ‘prefecture lord’ wanted a bad person, right?”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Just because my identity card was broken, I was given an exception?”

Was it really because of luck?

“No, Your Excellency’s will cannot be discounted.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The answer is in your heart,” the old man reminded.

“I really hate the way the monk chats,” Zhou Ze said.

The old man reached out and patted his chest. “Sir, I feel the same.”

Zhou Ze’s expression suddenly darkened as if he had thought of something. He immediately lowered his head and lifted the scarf around his neck, revealing his left chest.

That place was empty.

“I’ve applied the best ointment on your wounds, and they will heal in no time. There won’t be any scars. I’ve even treated the other wounds on your body.

You don’t have to thank me or be polite to me. ”

Thank your mother!

“Where’s my heart? Where’s my heart?” Zhou Ze asked.

The old man pointed at the plate in front of Zhou Ze and said amiably,

“You said it tastes good.”

Pa!

Zhou Ze slammed his fork and knife on the table.

The old man picked up a cup of tea, rinsed his mouth, spat it out, and slowly stood up.

“If you don’t have a heart, you won’t have much to worry about. You can also live more comfortably.

A good person without a conscience would not be any better. Don’t you think so? ”

Zhou Ze gripped the tablecloth tightly with both hands and looked up at the old man.

“You’d better kill me now.”

The old man smiled. “So, Sir, you want to say it again: Don’t bully the young and poor?”

Then, the old man patted his chest lightly and gasped. He pretended to say,

“How terrifying.”

“…” Zhou Ze.

“Sir, you will not have the chance to take revenge on me. My lifespan has already reached its end. When you leave this room, I will disappear as well.”

“Will you go to hell?”

“Hell has no place for me anymore,” the old man replied. “It’s the end.”

Then, the old man pointed at the plate in front of Zhou Ze.

“Sir, do you need me to pack it for you?”

Zhou Ze stood up, and there was a feeling of emptiness in his chest. The large hole in his wound was even more shocking, but he did not die. To be precise, Xu Le’s body did not die, and he did not even feel any pain.

Would the wound heal in a day?

Picking up the documents on the table, Zhou Ze walked out of the door but stopped midway and asked,

“I’m very curious as to who that Official Sovereign is.”

“Ever since the Lord Prefect was tricked by the Bodhisattva who ran to hell, he no longer mentioned his name.”

He did not get an answer, but Zhou Ze did not want to stay here any longer. He pushed open the door in front of him and walked out. When he turned back, he realized that the door that he had just exited was gone.

Behind him was a barren grave.

…

Inside the room, the old man quietly cleaned the cutlery and cleaned the room again.

Then, he opened his hand and patted the table.

“Come out.”

A small golden monkey came out of nowhere and jumped onto the table. It scratched its ears and cheeks at the old man, looking very cute.

However, the body of the golden monkey was rather illusory. It was obviously not real.

“Even though every grievance has its perpetrator and every debt has its debtor, you have done what you did this time. Even if the final result is that baby, it should not be the target of your revenge.

As long as one pursued karma and followed karma, why would a little bastard like you pursue the Great Dao?

Isn’t eating, drinking, being born, getting old, getting sick, and dying the most complying with karma? ”

The golden monkey shook its head and nodded.

“Don’t blame me for taking the soul that you attached to the baby. Consider your three sixty years of karma as compensation for the child. Even if he is disabled, he will have a smooth journey in the future. He might even become a normal person after surgery.

“Don’t feel like you’ve suffered a loss. Let’s end this here. Later, I’ll give you a new physical body. You can leave now. It doesn’t matter if you want to start cultivating again or if you want to play in the forest. Don’t do what you did today again.

“When a person cultivates the Dao, they have five illnesses and three deficiencies, let alone a little beast like you. Just take it that this is a calamity on your path of cultivation.”

After saying that…

The old man pushed open the door.

This small room did not have any other furnishings except for an ink painting hanging on the wall.

In the painting,

There was a towering mountain.

The Heavenly Creation Bell’s divine beauty caused Yin and Yang to be cut off!

A man wearing a purple crown and a yellow robe stood on the mountain peak.

The painting had turned yellow.

The person in the painting had also passed away.

Only the towering mountain in the painting remained standing there, looking down on all the smaller mountains.

“Official Sovereign, this old servant has done what you instructed.”

The elder knelt before the painting.

The scene of their farewell surfaced in his mind once again.

…

“You old thing, die a little later. Hang in there a little longer and help This Seat keep an eye on who this identity token will end up in. If it’s a good person, then kill him and replace him!

I believed in the evil of those monks. I believed in his nonsense about hell not being empty, swearing not to become Buddha, and losing all my reputation!

“The person who holds this seat’s identity card cannot be a good person anymore. Otherwise, this seat will not die in peace!”

“Master, what is good and what is bad?

Good people could do bad things, and bad people could do good things.

“There is a difference between good and bad. This old servant is foolish and is afraid that I will spoil Your Excellency’s request.”

“Damn straight thief, how can there be so many roundabout excuses? If you think he’s not a bad person, just kill him.”

“Yes, this old servant will obey the decree.”

…

“He’s a good person?”

In the inner room, the old man who was kneeling slowly raised his head, looked at the painting and murmured,

“He is indeed a good person.

But in my eyes,

“It’s a ‘bad’ person.”

As the old man spoke, his face darkened. Yellow hair grew on his face and hands.

His face started to twist, turning into a hairy face Thunderlord’s Mouth!

This is an old ape!

Born in the wilderness of Mount Tai, his life’s ambition was to carry that Mount Tai.

The ancient saying was: Mountain Moving Ape!

“That disciple of mine cultivated for thirty years and was happy to help others. He was diligent in his cultivation and met with such a calamity. He was forced to suffer!

Relying on his position as a human, he did not care about anything else and directly went up to kill it!

Why!

Why!

Just because he was human, was he human when he was alive?!

Therefore, as long as the beast race posed a threat, it didn’t matter if it was right or wrong.

Should they all die? ”

The old man sat down cross-legged.

Finally, he murmured,

“From a human’s perspective, he is a good person.

This old servant stood on the side of the Monkey Clan. He was a bad person.

Hehe.

In the end…

Because of this, he did not die.

Official Sovereign.

Is this what you mean?

Official Sovereign.

This old servant has come to follow you. All these years, without this old servant by your side to cook for you, you must not be used to living, right? ”

The old man had lost his life.

The ape’s body just sat there.

The golden monkey in the soul state ran out at that moment. It first kowtowed to the old man’s body before drilling into his skin.

After a while,

Under the old man’s clothes…

A small monkey about the size of a palm came out.

Squeak squeak squeak…

Little Monkey barked a few times before running out.