The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Panda Novel

Therefore, Fangzheng only needed to sweep his Heavenly Eye around. If he discovered anything amiss, he could take action at any time. Because of that, he was not flustered in any way.

“As the danger approaches, the distance between karma will close. That way, it will be easier for you to transcend it. At your Heavenly Eye’s present strength, you are able to see a minute before a huge calamity,” informed the System.

Fangzheng nodded silently to express his acknowledgment. However, the scene around him was filled with panic and horror. The people who had been bragging incessantly previously lost their backbone when faced with a natural disaster and death. Many curled into a ball, shivering with chills as they froze in their spots.

Fangzheng knew that they needed to be calmed down as such a state made it easier for problems to occur.

At that moment Jiang Jun, who was sitting in the back row, stood up. With a deep and confident voice, he shouted, “Everyone, don’t be afraid. Don’t panic. I’m a cop. I will protect your safety. Everyone, please unbuckle your seatbelts and alight the bus in an orderly fashion. Driver, are you still able to open the door?”

When the panicking crowd heard that there was a cop, they immediately felt like they had found some hope! All of them looked up at Jiang Jun. Then, they stood rooted to their spots. They never expected him to be a cop!

Thinking back to how everyone had been denigrating the police previously, all of them turned red with embarrassment. They knew that a lot of what they had said was just hearsay, but to be part of the conversation and to uphold their dignity, they mentioned every rumor they had heard of. But apparently, they had been disparaging the police in front of a cop… Still, the truth was that they really did feel that the police were useless. It was as if they got paid for doing nothing.

But at a critical juncture in a life-and-death situation, with danger rearing its head on them, the sentence “I’m a cop” thundered in their ears. It gave them the sudden urge to cry! The feeling of not having a pillar of support in their horror was akin to the stifling feeling of death approaching when thrown into the sea without being able to swim. Relief filled everyone when the sentence “I’m a cop” was said. It was as if they found their pillar of support.

When they looked at Jiang Jun and saw the resolute and determined look in his eyes, everyone felt more assured.

When Fangzheng saw this, he could not help but sigh. “Who would know who’s good unless a calamity strikes? There might be bad police officers, but they are ultimately the minority. People’s hatred for the police stems from the few cases from the news having been turned into many cases of evil. This gives rise to hatred and anger. But everyone knows deep down that in a calamity and danger, the police is still a reliable group of people. Otherwise, why would people call the police when faced with difficulties?”

At that moment, the driver got to his feet and pressed the button which controlled the opening of the door. Seeing no reaction from it, he said with a bitter smile, “It’s broken. We probably need to open the door manually.”

The moment that was said, the crowd which had quietened down panicked again.

Jiang Jun hurriedly went forward. “It’s fine. Manually opening the door is easy too. I’ll do it.”

With that said, Jiang Jun came to the door. He skillfully opened the door and was the first to alight the bus to check the surroundings. The earthquake was over, and although there was the occasional rubble falling down, it was nothing serious. After confirming that it was safe, Jiang Jun said, “It’s fine. It’s safe outside. Get out of the bus. If I recall correctly, if we retreat to the back of the boulder, there’s a rather broad parking lot. It’s safer there.”

However, Jiang Jun was left helpless after he spoke. Everyone was glued to the windows, looking at the rubble, splinters, and dirt falling off the mountaintop from time to time. The color drained from their faces as none of them dared to leave the bus.

Jiang Jun turned anxious. “Everyone, get down from the bus. It’s more dangerous in there!”

The bespectacled man said nervously, “Leave? What if rubble falls? Wouldn’t we not have any shelter if that happened?”

Sis Liu added. “That’s right. We don’t have to be afraid of tiny rocks in the bus. But outside, even tiny rocks can kill.”

Lin Meiyu echoed. “Jiang Jun, return to the bus quickly. It’s dangerous outside.”

Jiang Jun burned with anxiety. If the road collapsed, wouldn’t they all fall? That would only be even more dangerous!

At that moment, the ground trembled again. Everyone screamed as they braced themselves by throwing themselves onto the seats or onto the ground. More rubble fell from outside and the pounding sounds left them even more flustered.

Jiang Jun could do nothing but panic. At that moment, a Buddhist proclamation sounded. “Amitabha.”

The Buddhist proclamation was extremely neutral and calm. It was like heavenly music that descended into the mortal world. It immediately drove away the panic in everyone’s hearts, calming them down. Of course, Fangzheng did not have such means. He had only pulled everyone into a dream and isolated them from their horror. Everyone looked at Fangzheng in surprise. For some unknown reason, they no longer panicked after hearing the Buddhist proclamation. They calmed down, and their minds turned clearer.

Jiang Jun gave Fangzheng a puzzled glance. This was his first time seeing someone calm down people with just one word. As he looked at Fangzheng in admiration, he thought, “I belittled this young monk. He appears to be an accomplished monk with a profound Buddhist Dharma cultivation.”

However, Jiang Jun did not have the luxury of time to close ties with Fangzheng. He urged everyone. “Everyone, get off the bus quickly. Follow me and once we leave this area, we will be safe.”

Everyone still felt a little hesitant. However, there were finally people who responded—the driver and the tour guide. After the two of them calmed down, their chaotic thoughts were washed away. They were locals and since earthquakes were common in southwestern China, the two of them learned what to do during earthquakes from a young age. Now that they had calmed down, they also knew what was the right action to take.

Therefore, the driver said, “Jiang Jun is right. It’s more dangerous inside the bus than outside. Everyone, it’s best we leave the bus.”

The tour guide added. “We have been through earthquakes before. Staying in the bus is very dangerous. Everyone, listen to the instructions. We can leave this area. We should retreat to the parking lot. It’s wider and safer.”

As they spoke, the driver and tour guide alighted the bus, but the rest remained worried.

Fangzheng knew that another tourist needed to take the first step. Therefore, he cast his gaze on Qin Lan. He pressed his palms together and said, “Amitabha. Patron, do you believe in This Penniless Monk and Patron Jiang?”

Qin Lan was taken aback. She had been scared out of her wits previously. Her body was even trembling at the moment, but for some reason, her heart instantly calmed down and her body no longer shook upon seeing Fangzheng’s calm eyes. Looking at Jiang Jun, who had an air of righteousness, she gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously. “Yes! I’ll follow you outside of the bus.”

Fangzheng smiled as he took a few steps back. Qin Lan and Fangzheng left their seats and alighted the bus.

With a first person taking the lead, the others also responded by leaving the bus.

Jiang Jun heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Everyone, use bags or similar items to hold something above your heads and follow me. Make sure to be quick. We have no idea when the aftershocks will come!” Jiang Jun said.

Everyone nodded. The driver opened the luggage compartment and everyone quickly took out their items and ran with Jiang Jun. They looked up and stared at Jiang Jun. Although Jiang Jun might not be able to withstand the falling of rocks if danger befell them, the confidence and staid attitude Jiang Jun expressed at that moment, as well as his identity as a cop, formed a pillar of support for everyone. It was as though following him meant survival…

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