Su Qing knew that such behavior was somewhat unethical...
But so what? If one had to consider ethics when dealing with enemies, then there was something wrong with their head.
Rather than worrying about morality, Su Qing cared more about how much of a psychological shadow this move would cast on the person behind the "Black Water Bodhisattva."
At that thought, a smirk curled her lips.
No matter how much trauma it caused, since she had thought of the move, she had to use it.
Su Qing was a woman of action. She did exactly as she planned, and it just so happened she still had the incense for worshipping the Buddha in her hand.
Worshipping didn't need to be overly formal.
Simply lighting three sticks of incense and bowing before the statue was enough.
Su Qing bowed once toward the statue, then feeling it wasn't quite enough, she gave two more "sincere" bows.
"That should about do it..."
After the three bows, Su Qing thrust the lit incense into the censer in front of the statue.
The moment the incense touched the ash, a sharp crack echoed from the statue before her.
Su Qing’s ears were sharp. Noticing the sound, she looked up.
She saw that the originally perfect and magnificent gold-painted statue now had a visible crack running through it.
It wasn't large, but it was definitely there.
Su Qing was slightly surprised. Did her three casual bows really possess such power? She had actually managed to break the statue.
"I wonder what the person behind this statue is going through right now. I hope it’s something miserable."
Su Qing chuckled inwardly, thinking to herself, "Am I being a bit too wicked? Well, when it comes to enemies, being wicked is the right way to go."
She brushed off the non-existent dust from her hands and turned to find Ao Yiyi.
She had done what she wanted to do. Now, she just needed to see if Ao Yiyi’s complaint had yielded any results.
Ao Yiyi wasn't hard to find. Su Qing found the girl standing before the statue of the Buddha.
At the moment, she was kneeling with her hands pressed together, chanting scriptures under her breath.
Su Qing didn't disturb her. She simply pulled Su Qingyu over to prevent the girl from interrupting.
Right then, the Buddha’s voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, echoed in Su Qing’s ears.
"It has been a long time, Little Friend Su!"
Hearing the voice, Su Qing smiled and replied via Sound Transmission, "It hasn't been that long, has it? It’s only been a short while since the last time. But, Senior Buddha, why are you transmitting your voice directly to me?"
"Guanyin's disciple suddenly came to me with a complaint, so I came to see what was happening," the Buddha said with a chuckle. "I happened to see you, so I thought I’d say hello. I heard that Great Emperor Zhenwu has entrusted you with guarding the Northern Continent?"
Su Qing wasn't surprised by this. It was only natural for the Buddha to know such things.
She nodded and replied, "Yes. But it’s only a temporary favor to help guard it. It also makes it convenient for me to collect Incense Power."
"That is indeed a good thing for you. When Great Emperor Zhenwu was young, he was quite fond of fighting. The troublesome fellows in the Northern Continent have long since been wiped out. Guarding that place, you are unlikely to encounter any major trouble."
"I know..." Su Qing replied.
"Haha, if you ever face a situation you cannot handle, you can come to the Buddhist Court to find me. You’ve helped us old fogies so much; if you need assistance, we naturally won't refuse."
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior." Su Qing nodded her thanks.
In reality, even if they hadn't said it, Su Qing would have sought them out if she encountered something she couldn't handle. After all, she couldn't just watch the Northern Continent fall into chaos.
Of course, the prerequisite for seeking help was that no one in her own domain could solve it.
"By the way, Senior, what do you plan to do about this demon who is fraudulently using a Buddhist name?" After the small talk, Su Qing naturally asked about the main business.
Upon hearing this, the Buddha fell silent for a moment before giving a faint smile. "Using a Buddhist name to defraud the world and steal fame naturally warrants severe punishment. You need not worry about this so-called Black Water Bodhisattva; I will handle it... However, I must tell you that within this kingdom, this Black Water Bodhisattva is not the only demon defrauding the world!"
Su Qing was stunned. Even she didn't react immediately to that answer.
She frowned and asked via Sound Transmission, "Does that mean... this fellow isn't an isolated case?"
"Hoho, don't you already have an idea in your heart?" the Buddha chuckled.
Su Qing’s lips twitched. The Buddha was still his old self, never speaking fully and leaving her to figure it out.
But she couldn't be bothered to complain. She simply said, "I do have some suspicions... but I’m curious. What kind of fellow is behind this Black Water Bodhisattva?"
The Buddha considered it and said, "A leopard demon."
Su Qing raised an eyebrow. She had thought it would be a rat demon, but it turned out to be a leopard...
However, she didn't rule out the possibility that this leopard demon was the leader of those rat demons. After all, there was no rule stating that a demon king’s subordinates had to be of the same species.
"But I still can't be too sure. I'll have to find those rats and ask them later." Su Qing hadn't forgotten that she still had a grudge against those rats.
Even if the leopard demon she was about to kill was indeed the king of those rat demons, she would still have to kill the rats themselves. It was both a service to the people and a way to vent her own frustration.
Thinking of this, Su Qing stopped dwelling on it. She transmitted, "I see... Then how does the Buddha plan to handle this Black Water Bodhisattva?"
"Deliverance."
Well, that wasn't surprising at all. It was just a more Buddhist way of saying he was going to kill the guy.
Su Qing nodded.
The Buddha continued, "Furthermore, I must remind you that while I can resolve the matter of those stealing Buddhist names, I have no way to deal with demons stealing other titles. After all, that is not within my jurisdiction... I can only manage the affairs of the Buddhist path."
Su Qing raised her head and nodded. "I understand this, Senior. I won't make things difficult for you."
Su Qing knew that if the Buddha truly wanted to kill someone, it didn't matter if they were from the Buddhist path or not. But since the other party had already stated his position, she couldn't say much more.
In any case, the Buddha wasn't the only senior she could turn to.
There were still plenty of helpers over at the Heavenly Court.
Besides, she only sought the Buddha to save herself some trouble. Even if the Buddha didn't act, she could solve it herself.
"Very well, I have said all that needs to be said... You need not worry about the rest," the Buddha said softly.
Su Qing thanked the Buddha once more.
Once the Buddha’s voice had completely vanished, Su Qing went over to pat Ao Yiyi on the shoulder, preparing to take her and leave.
Ao Yiyi felt the tap on her shoulder and turned to look at Su Qing. She asked via Sound Transmission, "Sister Su, are you finished talking with the Buddha?"
Su Qing nodded. "Yes. I didn't expect the Buddha to seek me out directly just because I came here."
Ao Yiyi smiled and replied, "Perhaps it’s because Sister Su’s status is higher than mine?"
Su Qing shook her head. "Do you want to bow to your Master? To let her know you're safe?"
"I bow every day, so there’s no need today. If Master knew there was a demon here stealing Buddhist names, given her fiery temper, she’d probably fly over on a cloud and slay the demon herself," Ao Yiyi said with a helpless shake of her head. "Since the Buddha has already said he will punish the demon, let’s not trouble my Master."
Su Qing considered it and realized that was indeed the case. Guanyin’s temper was quite explosive. Although she appeared exceptionally gentle on ordinary days, she was anything but when she actually started fighting.
To the side, Su Qingyu watched the two of them staring at each other without speaking...
For a moment, she found it quite strange.
"Ah! I get it. This must be what Sister Jin Xin called 'exchanging amorous glances'!" Su Qingyu suddenly realized the reason behind it and couldn't help but feel she was exceptionally clever.
Having figured this out, Su Qingyu began to giggle foolishly.
Hearing the laughter, Su Qing looked down at the silly girl. She had no idea what the little one was laughing about.
But children were just strange like that, so Su Qing didn't pay it much mind. She simply said, "Alright, let’s head back. We need to find a place to stay. If it really doesn't work out, we’ll just have to make do and spend the night in the carriage."
Ao Yiyi nodded, having no objections. They didn't need to make a big fuss; they were only resting here for a day to resupply.
With that, Su Qing led the group out of the temple.
Elsewhere, in a large manor within a certain county town...
A middle-aged man, dressed in expensive robes and possessing handsome features, was leisurely sipping tea while discussing academic matters with his concubine.
But in the midst of his leisure, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body. A wave of Great Terror surged from his spine straight to his head.
He instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, and his aura weakened by more than half.
This terrified the concubine, who hurriedly stood up to wipe the blood from the man.
The middle-aged man was incredibly frustrated. What had just happened? Where had that eerie sense of dread come from?
"Could it be this concubine... No, that’s impossible. She’s just a mortal; how could she have such power?"
The man didn't immediately link it to the statue. He thought someone was intentionally plotting against him or that he had been poisoned.
While he was thinking, the same sensation struck again, even more intense than before.
His blood surged, and he spat out several more mouthfuls of blood. His aura plummeted further and further.
In an instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.
He was utterly baffled. What on earth was going on? Why was he spitting blood for no reason?
He didn't understand, nor did he think of the statue. Because he was not an orthodox deity, he didn't have a particularly deep understanding of the rules of Incense Power.
The only thing he knew was that if an incense deity didn't have a physical body and their incense was cut off, they would die. He didn't know much else.
Most of his knowledge of Incense Power came from his own fumbling and information he had gathered from other fellow demons. They were all amateurs; how could they know everything?
So, naturally, he didn't think of it immediately.
However, though he didn't think of it at first, he soon felt where the source of his fear lay.
It was coming from his statue in a small town.
He hurriedly closed his eyes to communicate with his statue, and only then did he discover that one of his statues had actually cracked.
"Could my spitting blood just now be related to the damage to this statue?" the man thought weakly. "But why did my statue crack?"
He pondered, communicating with the statue to check what it had seen when it cracked.
And what he saw nearly caused him to faint on the spot. Fortunately, he sensed something was wrong in time and hurriedly cut off the connection to the image.
In general, a lower deity receiving a bow from a higher deity wouldn't cause such a massive reaction; at most, they would just be startled. But this middle-aged man was different...
He wasn't an orthodox deity; he was a fake Buddha. Naturally, the impact he received was much greater.
It was also fortunate that Su Qing was only a clone and had only bowed a few times. Had her true body come in person, the man might have died from the backlash on the spot.
The middle-aged man let out a long sigh and then weakly told the concubine to get lost.
"Damn it, who is that woman? How could a single bow from her crack my statue?" The man was speechless. What kind of monster had he encountered?
He was also very confused. He had been minding his own business; how had he offended this woman?
He rubbed his brow and thought, "This won't do. I have to tear down the temple in that town. If that person bows a few more times, I’m afraid I’ll die right here."
He exhaled a breath of turbid air and struggled to stand up.
Right then, a series of Brahma sounds suddenly echoed in the sky.
He looked up and saw a sky full of Buddhas and bursts of divine light. A Great Terror ignited in his heart, far more intense than the fear he felt when Su Qing had bowed to him.
He instinctively tried to flee, but it was already too late!
He had nowhere to run!
The divine light before him exploded, and his entire body emitted a large amount of steam. He rapidly shriveled up.
In a matter of moments, he turned into a dried corpse. Then, with a gust of wind, the corpse fell apart, turning into fine powder that vanished with the breeze, leaving not a single trace behind.
To the side, the concubine who witnessed this was scared out of her wits. She hadn't seen the sky full of Buddhas, nor the divine light, nor had she heard the Brahma sounds.
She had only heard a distant bell toll, like the long chime of an ancient bell from an old temple...
While she was wondering where the bell sound had come from, it vanished. And once the sound stopped, she watched with her own eyes as the master turned into a dried corpse and was blown away as dust by the wind.
It had all happened too fast, leaving her frozen in shock.
Rate on N.U.
