Chapter 141: Merits and Blessings

Chapter141: Merit and Karmic Reward

"Is this what you've been tinkering with all this time, the meal you've produced?"

Li Jun looked at the large bowl of plain congee set before him, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.

In truth, ever since he made his move on Nine Dragons Street, right up until he woke today, he had not touched a drop of water or a grain of rice for such a long stretch that the hunger in Li Jun's belly was nigh unbearable.

In the past, when his internal force and physical constitution were matched in strength, his requirements for external sustenance were not high.

But now, the grade and tier of his Juman Art far outstripped his physique, and it was in a state of frequently suppressing radiation pollution, placing a tremendous burden on his body.

Though it would not plunge him into the abyss of genetic collapse again, if this continued long enough, the withering of flesh and blood was inevitable.

Yet faced with this meager fare before him, even if Li Jun's digestive powers were formidable, it likely couldn't dispel even a thousandth of his hunger.

To put it simply, this bowl of thin gruel wasn't even enough to stick between his teeth!

Zhou You, on the other hand, ate with relish, holding the bowl and wolfing it down, finishing it clean in two or three gulps, the bottom of the bowl shining bright.

He set down the bowl, picked up his chopsticks, and tapped them against his deformed shoulders, which rose nearly as high as his chin, saying helplessly, "Boss, you know I'm a mech-body. Eating this stuff is purely for the taste; the house has practically no stores."

"If you find it not filling, then have some of this."

Zhou You produced a toothpaste-like object and handed it to Li Jun. "Bigu Paste, produced by the Nongjia Qimin Group. I usually apply it externally to the brain-machine acupoint to nourish the brain."

"However, I've read their product description; this can also be taken internally. And this model is a high-value pick I carefully selected; the effects are top-notch, absolutely filling."

Li Jun took the 'toothpaste' with half-belief, but just as he unscrewed the cap and glanced inside, he tossed the thing back to Zhou You and picked up the congee bowl before him.

That dark, thin, mushy substance within—he simply could not bring himself to swallow it.

Zhou You shrugged indifferently, squeezed a finger-sized dab onto the back of his own neck, and only then stood up.

"Then you eat slowly. If it's not enough, there's still a bit in the pot."

Li Jun didn't raise his head. "It's this late; where are you going?"

Zhou You tossed the Bigu Paste in his hand. "Digesting after the meal, lest my brain clog up."

The Luohan Investment Group was the largest, and only, Buddhist conglomerate in Zhongyu District, Chongqing Prefecture.

Its headquarters, Luohan Temple, boasted grand gates and magnificent halls. A thousand monks, vast financial resources.

By rights, such a major Buddhist conglomerate should have been built in a prosperous, bustling city district.

Strangely, however, Luohan Temple sat right next to the Eighteen Ladders slum, a shantytown sprawling everywhere, the two neighbors to each other.

Zhongyu District once had a saying: that Luohan Temple built beside the Eighteen Ladders was like a great Buddha stepping on the shoulders of these lowly people.

The monks could endlessly knock their bones, suck their marrow, to sustain themselves.

The reality was indeed exactly so.

Throughout the entire Eighteen Ladders slum, nearly every household owed this temple 'incense money'; the only difference was the amount.

After Zhou You left, he did not follow his usual habit of winding through the intricate alleyways, but hurried straight for an inconspicuous side door beside the temple.

Thud.. Thud..

Not long after he knocked, a white-robed monk with a fat head and big belly opened the door.

Upon seeing it was Zhou You, the monk's fat face, still bearing traces of sleepiness, instantly broke into a kindly smile, pressing his palms together and chanting a Buddha's name.

"Amitabha, Bodhisattva of Boundless Capital. Benefactor Zhou, didn't you just pay this month's 'Karmic Reward'? Why have you come again?"

Zhou You's face was expressionless as he returned a perfunctory salute. "This time, I'm here to repay 'Merit'."

Buddhism is solemn and grave; it speaks only of karma, never of money.

Therefore, the principal of loans from the temple has always been called "Merit," while the interest is "Karmic Reward."

The youth lifted his robe, and from the gaps in the mech-bones at his ribs, under the monk's faintly disdainful gaze, pulled out a stack of treasure notes and handed them over.

This was the ten thousand reward he'd earned following Brother Bao in fixed matches.

"It seems Benefactor Zhou is truly blessed by the Bodhisattva, with unending fortune. To have saved up this much 'Merit' so quickly—congratulations, congratulations."

The monk smiled without his eyes, flicked his sleeve to produce an electronic file, sliding through the information.

"The 'Merit' you sought from our temple totals eight hundred thousand treasure notes. Over the years, you've repaid about three hundred ninety thousand in principal. Adding this ten thousand, the remaining 'Merit' is already under four hundred thousand."

The monk bowed deeply to Zhou You, congratulating him: "Congratulations, Benefactor Zhou. You are not far from the perfection of Merit."

No joy could be seen in Zhou You's weathered eyes; his brows seemed weighted with a pair of steelyards, sinking downward.

"Master, how much time do I have left for 'Fulfilling the Vow'?"

"Allow this humble monk to check for you."

The fat monk lit up the screen in his hand again, examined the repayment deadline closely, and then said: "According to the contract signed back then, Benefactor, you have only one year left."

"However, at your earning speed, Benefactor Zhou, it should still be enough time."

Only one year left!

Zhou You drew a deep breath, his mouth corners tight, nodding silently, turning to stride across the threshold.

But just as the small door behind him was about to close, the youth suddenly whipped his head around!

His black-cloth-wrapped hand thrust directly into the door crack, his head pressing desperately against the door frame.

"Master, Master, how is my younger brother Zhou Sheng doing now?"

The monk was startled, thinking this youth, too, was driven mad by debt, suffering qi deviation, ready to fight the temple to the death.

Such people popped up every year; Luohan Temple often had guest monks managing Merit killed by these 'demons'.

Though the temple would send people afterward to settle the karma, the dead guest monks could only count themselves unlucky.

After all, not every monk has the chance to reincarnate and cultivate anew; slots in the Buddha Realm are limited!

Seeing no sign of qi deviation in Zhou You, the monk finally let out a long breath, his face darkening as he said: "You mean Su Jing? His days are carefree indeed! Living in the Buddha Realm every day, far better than us mundane mortals."

Zhou You cried urgently: "I'm asking about his physical body."

"Rest assured, as long as the 'Fulfilling the Vow' deadline on the contract hasn't arrived, his body will have no issues. But if the time passes, the consequences—you should know well!"

The monk cut him off rudely, slamming the heavy door shut with a bang.

"So much money, so little time."

Zhou You stood outside the door, eyes hollow, soul lost, ten fingers digging into the messy hair atop his head, his spine sliding slowly down the wall.

"Coming to the temple to digest... first time I've seen this method."

A muffled voice drifted into his ears; Zhou You looked up dully.

Li Jun crouched in the dark corner by the wall, clutching a massive pig leg, eating until oil slicked his mouth.