Chapter 709: 709
Red Boy giggled . “I haven’t had the chance to take action after being here for so long . If it’s really the act of some demon, I can have a good time! Hey, I’m getting all reeled up the more I talk about it . My spear is already unable to endure the thirst!”
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Bam .
Fangzheng raised his hand and rapped Red Boy on the head . “Look at you . Ease your mind . This matter likely has nothing to do with evil demons . However, an investigation will be needed to determine the specifics . ”
“That’s true . ” When Red Boy thought of this world’s environment, he immediately felt disappointed . However, he still held a little hope . In such a huge world, what if there is a spot that is suitable for the breeding of demons? How exciting…
Bringing Red Boy with him down the mountain, Fangzheng saw Wang Yougui about to leave . When he asked where he was going, he learned that Wang Yougui was worried for the situation in Snow Village and planned to visit it . At the very least, having knowledge of the situation would help him quieten his heart . Fangzheng immediately got a ride from him, and they headed for Snow Village .
Snow Village was the village closest to Ganfanpen . It was also the village which had the most number of people fainting .
By the time Fangzheng arrived, he realized that there were many vehicles parked outside the village—motorcycles, tractors, minibuses, tiny sedans .
Wang Yougui said, “Heh, I know these cars . They are all from the nearby villages . From the looks of it, this hooha at Snow Village has frightened everyone . All of them have rushed here to gather information . ”
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Fangzheng said, “People nearly died . It’s no wonder they are nervous . ”
Wang Yougui sighed . “That’s right . There’s been peace and quiet all these years, so for something to happen so suddenly, who wouldn’t feel worried? Let’s go . They should all be at the village council . ”
After entering the village, Fangzheng discovered a strange phenomenon . There wasn’t any barking in the village . There weren’t even any chickens, ducks, swans, or dogs! Instead, there were many cats lying on the walls which caught one’s attention .
Fangzheng asked Wang Yougui about it, and he said with a puzzled look, “It’s indeed weird . The last time I came, Snow Village had quite a bit of poultry . It had quite a few dogs too . Could they have been injured by the demonic aura and locked up?”
Fangzheng frowned . He had a feeling that this matter wasn’t that simple .
When they arrived at the village council, they did see a huge group of people sitting inside . When the door opened, the smell of smoke wafted out . It was so choking that Fangzheng nearly fainted .
Red Boy covered his mouth and waved his hands, mumbling . “These smokers smoke like chimneys…”
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Only when Fangzheng hit him did he stop grumbling .
Although smoking was harmful to one’s health, to the point of smoking in public being an uncivil action, saying it right to everyone’s face left them in an awkward position .
However, there was a voice from inside . “Did you hear what the kid said? Snuff out your cigarettes! I don’t even see all of you smoking that much usually . What’s up? Has the demonic aura turned all of you into chainsmokers?”
“Village Chief Song, we were just taking a smoke or two to relieve ourselves . Do you need to say that? Fine, we won’t smoke,” a middle-aged man dressed in a blue shirt said with a rueful smile as he snuffed out his cigarette .
The rest did the same .
Fangzheng pressed his palms together . “Amitabha . Thank you, Patrons . This Penniless Monk shall be intruding on you . ”
“Abbot Fangzheng, don’t say that . Quick, come in and have a seat . Somebody, open the windows and air the room,” said Village Chief Song with a smile . A young lad sitting beside him immediately opened the windows . As the autumn wind blew in, it brought the coolness of autumn, jolting everyone to their senses as they felt their minds clear up . As the wind blew out the door, it brought away the smell of smoke, and the room’s air turned a lot better .
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Fangzheng exchanged greetings with everyone, but Wang Yougui wasn’t so particular about the niceties as he sat straight down . Fangzheng sat beside him, and there was no particular hierarchy for seats . One could seat anywhere that was empty .
“Village Chief Song, how’s your village doing? Did the higher-ups say anything?” Wang Yougui asked without beating about the bush .
When Village Chief Song heard that, he showed a bitter look and said, “Don’t talk about it . The more we talk about it, the more flustered I feel . This all started yesterday . For some reason, the kid from Old Wang’s place went into the mountains to pluck fruits . On the way back, he suddenly fainted when he saw the village’s entrance . Fourth Li ran over to save him and the moment he arrived, he plopped to the ground . As for the exact reason, no one knows . It’s quite odd; when Old Fifth Gao went over, he was fine, and he successfully brought the two back . We asked him about the exact details, but he said he wasn’t sure either . He only said that when he bent down to carry them, he felt a little dizzy . He was fine when he stood back up . But isn’t that normal? Normally, when you bend your back and suddenly get up, the difference in blood pressure can cause you to feel faint . I asked around, and this isn’t limited to our village . During this period, Boulder Village and Guo Village have also had people fainting on the streets . ”
“Boulder Village and Guo Village?” Fangzheng knitted his brows even tighter when he heard that . “If This Penniless Monk recalls correctly, these few villages all have a path that leads into the mountain, right? Did these people faint on those paths?”
“That’s right . It’s also why we suspect that demonic auras from Ganfanpen have leaked, or something tainted has come out . Because how could this be a coincidence?” said Village Chief Song .
Fangzheng said, “Did the government officials come over to take a look after that happened?”
“Yes . They came . People from the scientific bureau, the county hospital, and the police came . But they couldn’t tell a thing . The County Head also walked around and said that he reported it to the higher ups . They say that they are requesting experts to help with the investigation . Now, the police are patrolling with police dogs . The paths into the mountain have been sealed off, and no one is permitted entry,” Village Chief Song said with a bitter look .
With that said, the middle-aged man who first responded to Village Chief Song in snuffing out the cigarette, Guo Village’s Village Chief Guo Qiu, said, “I think this must be related to something sinister . Abbot Fangzheng, why don’t you hold a rite for our villages to exorcise the evil?”
With that said, many village chiefs had their hearts stirred as they looked straight at Fangzheng .
Hongyan Village’s village chief said, “There’s no need for our monk . We’ve already invited an accomplished monk from Hongyan Monastery to do the rites . ”
Fangzheng smiled and thought nothing of it . Rites were a business many monasteries partook in . It could earn them quite a fair sum of money . As for whether it worked or not, that was a question…
In the past, Fangzheng had once asked Zen Master One Finger what a rite was and whether it was useful .
Zen Master One Finger had only laughed and said, “Whether it’s useful or not depends on the situation and the people, and each time the outcome can be different . ”
However, despite Fangzheng pressing for a proper answer, Zen Master One Finger didn’t say anything else . All he said was that Fangzheng would understand when he grew up and knew more things . Now that he thought about it, Fangzheng realized something . Just like the Light Opening, this too was related to the power of faith . People’s actions were highly dependent on their thoughts . One’s mental state often determined one’s luck involved in one’s next step . This sounded like fantasy, but it was typically the case . The better one’s luck was, the better one’s mood, causing one to have great drive and the urge to work hard . That could result in better results . The worse one’s luck was, the more frustrated and hot-tempered one became . As a result, one would have little interest in doing things . The slightest thing that didn’t go according to plan would be deemed as bad luck . By dodging reality in its myriad forms, one would end up losing countless opportunities . There were copious examples of such situations .