Chapter 368: In the Blink of an Eye, Nearly a Hundred Years Have Passed

For Zhao Zhenle, her current situation felt like being suppressed. Her mind yearned to rebel, but her body was restrained, unable to move.

Lin Fan was the Five-Finger Mountain imprisoning Zhao Zhenle's heart.

Could she overturn it?

Clearly not.

Their daily routine was simple. For Lin Fan, each day was fulfilling. However, Zhao Zhenle loathed this life. Her only thought was to escape Lin Fan's clutches.

But for her, it was nothing more than a pipe dream, incredibly difficult. Given the current circumstances, it was simply impossible.

One day, Lin Fan took Zhao Zhenle for a stroll within the imperial palace. After observing ants to hone Zhenle's mentality, he decided to use other methods to gradually change her nature.

Reading was an excellent approach.

Zhao Zhenle was truly on the verge of being driven mad by Lin Fan.

Reading?

How laughable.

Making her read? What kind of person could come up with such a method? Was this something a human being would do?

But there was no way out. Lin Fan remained by her side, enforcing every action. She had no opportunity to resist.

"Reading is quite interesting. I never realized it before," Lin Fan said with a smile.

He had acquired a new hobby: reading.

Drinking, sparring, and reading.

Zhao Zhenle stared at the densely packed characters, her mind in turmoil. She couldn't calm down at all, teetering on the edge of collapse, desperately wanting to tear the books in front of her to shreds.

Once, unable to contain herself, she ripped a book apart.

She wanted to assert her dominance, to tell Lin Fan, "I, Zhao Zhenle, refuse to read, and no one can force me." But soon, reality defeated her. When she saw the twig in Lin Fan's hand, her face instantly drained of color, remembering the terrifying scenes of being disciplined.

She shuddered.

Finally, she obediently read.

Even if she couldn't focus, she had to persevere.

Such was Lin Fan's status and presence in Zhao Zhenle's heart.

Moreover, Lin Fan would take Zhao Zhenle into the city to perform good deeds, such as helping others. Whenever someone encountered difficulties, he would encourage Zhenle to step forward and assist.

Doing good deeds could uplift one's spirits.

Gradually, Zhao Zhenle gained renown in the city. The citizens she had helped would exclaim, "The Living Bodhisattva has arrived! She truly is a Living Bodhisattva!"

The gratitude shining in the eyes of those commoners made Zhao Zhenle uncomfortable.

The evil within her constantly whispered that she didn't need these grateful gazes. Instead, she wanted to see fear, panic, and unease in the eyes of these innocent people when they looked at her.

Unfortunately, she didn't sense the desired fear. Everyone looked at her with gratitude.

After Zhao Zhenle helped a child's mother, the child ran over with a steaming bun, offering it to Zhao Zhenle with both hands.

"Sister, please have a bun."

Under normal circumstances, Zhao Zhenle would slap the child's hand away and, under their bewildered gaze, snap their neck.

Telling them... don't think too much.

But Lin Fan was right there, watching her with a smile, making Zhao Zhenle不敢动弹不敢动弹, forcing her to obediently accept the bun from the child, force a smile, and eat the bun.

Lin Fan asked her how it tasted, if she was happy.

She could only reply... "It's good."

Perhaps she was the one who cultivated the Nine Nether Divine Scripture to the highest realm, but she was definitely the most aggrieved inheritor.

There were forced transactions in the world, but no one had ever seen someone being forced to be a good person.

Several years later.

A wealthy and influential family, the Mu family.

"Xiaohong, what is the master doing?"

The speaker was Qin Ge's wealthy wife. She was very satisfied with the husband her father had chosen for her. He was handsome, gentle, capable, and most importantly, powerful enough to protect the Mu family from the prying eyes of others.

Xiaohong replied, "Madam, the master has been shut in his room since early morning, saying he wants to read Buddhist scriptures. The young master has come looking for him several times, but the master says he has no time and asks the servants to take the young master to play."

Miss Mu sighed. Her husband had changed quite a bit over the years. At first, it wasn't noticeable, but in the past year, he had become fond of secluding himself.

"Mmm, you may go about your duties."

She dismissed the servant and walked towards the room. Pushing the door open, she saw her husband sitting there patiently reading Buddhist scriptures.

Since the Divine Monk's visit several years ago, he had been sending Buddhist scriptures every so often.

Initially, she hadn't felt any aversion. She even thought it was good for her husband to read Buddhist scriptures, to cultivate his character and refine himself.

But gradually, she realized her husband seemed obsessed with the scriptures, and his temperament had become increasingly indifferent.

Even their intimate moments, which used to occur every few days, had become less frequent. Now, unless she initiated, her husband never mentioned it.

She walked behind Qin Ge and softly said, "The child came looking for you to play. Why didn't you play with him? You are a father; you should spend more time with your child."

"I'm reading Buddhist scriptures, so I asked the servants to play with him," Qin Ge put down the scriptures and looked up at her. "Madam, if there's nothing else, please go about your business. I'll just read a little longer."

Miss Mu said, "Husband, you are not a monk. Why are you so engrossed in Buddhist scriptures?"

Qin Ge said worriedly, "Madam, you don't know. There is a demon alive in the world. Although a powerful expert is suppressing it, we don't know when it will be completely released. These Buddhist scriptures were personally selected by the Divine Monk, and they may contain the supreme cultivation methods of Buddhism."

"The Divine Monk hopes that I can comprehend the true meaning of these scriptures with my insight."

Qin Ge had come to see himself as a savior.

All hope rested on him.

He felt immense pressure, but no matter what, he would not give up. He, Qin Ge, was the chosen one, and the task of maintaining world peace was entrusted to him.

Miss Mu sighed. She knew she couldn't reason with her husband. But after so many years of peace, it felt like he was busying himself with pointless matters.

"Madam, please attend to your affairs. I will come find you after reading a little longer," Qin Ge said.

The Divine Monk had the clearest understanding of Qin Ge's current situation. Recently, after sending Qin Ge the Buddhist scriptures, he sensed something peculiar about him.

Upon closer inspection…

It turned out that Qin Ge, through his daily study of the scriptures, had developed a Buddha-nature, something many monks residing in temples and chanting scriptures daily could not achieve.

He could only say…

Truly remarkable insight.

Without any guidance, he had achieved such Buddha-nature. Given time, he would surely become an enlightened monk.

There was hope for Buddhism.

There was hope for the Dajue Temple!

He, the Divine Monk, had a successor.

Decades later!

Zhao Zhenle hadn't caused any trouble, remaining peacefully suppressed by Lin Fan in the deep palace.

Qin Ge had actually become a monk.

On the day he entered the monastery, Miss Mu cried her heart out, even threatening suicide. But unexpectedly, Qin Ge responded with…

"Benefactor, you have performed good deeds throughout your life and will surely ascend to the Pure Land after death. However, this poor monk's cultivation is insufficient and requires further effort."

That day, upon hearing these words, Miss Mu coughed up blood and fainted.

Qin Ge's son, already married, rebuked his seemingly heartless father.

But to Qin Ge, seeing the furious demeanor of the benefactor before him, he simply clasped his hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Amitabha!"

Tell me, wasn't this infuriating?

While they were enraged by this matter, Qin Ge, the father and husband, remained indifferent, his face calm, making it feel like they had punched cotton with all their might.

Later, when Miss Mu awoke, she seemed to have lost her mind, muttering to herself.

"I shouldn't have let the Divine Monk near my husband."

"I shouldn't have let my husband read Buddhist scriptures for decades."

"Burn them, burn them all! From this day forward, the Mu family will be sworn enemies of all bald donkeys!"

Because of this, a line was added to the Mu family genealogy.

In the following centuries, the Mu family produced an emperor who launched a massive campaign to eradicate monks, leaving the monks bewildered. "We were chanting scriptures peacefully, who did we offend? Why are they targeting us?"

As for the Divine Monk, he had long since passed away and knew nothing of these events.

Even if he had known, he would have thought:

Divine Monk: I'm not taking the blame.

Divine Monk: Who knew he would read himself into the scriptures? I wanted him to comprehend martial arts, but he grasped the true meaning of the Buddhist scriptures. What does that have to do with me?

Prince Zhao reigned as emperor for over a decade. After having children, he passed the throne to his son, solemnly advising him…

"Your goal is to bring our Zhao family back into the imperial palace.

Your father couldn't do it, so it's up to you."

He became a hands-off ruler. Being emperor wasn't prestigious enough; it was better to enjoy life. Whoever wanted the throne could have it.

He held a grudge against Lin Fan and Zhao Zhenle.

Those two occupied his home and drove them out, leaving the Zhao royal family utterly humiliated and without any glory.

Over the decades, some of the powerful figures who experienced that great battle had departed from this world. But they all told their descendants that a demon was suppressed deep within the imperial palace and warned them never to go there, never to approach the palace.

They would never forget what happened that day.

It was too terrifying.

The descendants of these powerful figures were puzzled, wondering what their ancestors meant, but they all nodded and said they understood, urging their grandfathers to rest in peace.

Lin Fan and Zhao Zhenle continued to live in the deep palace.

For Lin Fan, no matter where he lived or for how long, he never felt bored, especially since he had a crucial mission: to change Zhenle and help her rediscover herself.

Unfortunately…

After so much time, he realized that Zhenle's recovery was only superficial. The evil deep within her had intensified. He even began to ponder a question.

With the passage of time, would evil truly grow stronger?