Stranger Danger-Chapter 1162: The Black Bull Who Carries Buddhas

“It’s all my fault. They wouldn’t have died if I hadn’t insisted on coming to the Myriad Buddha Plains in search of treasures!”

The youngster covered his face in guilt when he heard the tragic news.

“Are you a treasure hunter?” Ye Qing looked the youngster up and down once before asking.

“Yes... I am.” The youngster nodded sorrowfully.

A so-called treasure hunter was a person who roamed the lands relying on their keen sight to identify and search for treasures. Due to the sheer scope of their expertise, they occasionally played the role of a tomb explorer, fengshui expert, exorcist and more.

While their trade shared many similarities with a gravedigger, Buddhist thief, bandit and so on, a treasure hunter mainly relied on their keen sight to make a living. They rarely killed others or plundered tombs to steal their treasure, which was why they generally had less blood on their hands.

There were two reasons Ye Qing judged that the youngster was a treasure hunter and not a Buddhist thief. One, the youngster did not boast a thick aura of death like most people did. It wasn’t like he had never killed in his life, but there was so little blood on his hands that he still exuded an air of innocence.

Second, the youngster boasted much bigger pupils than your conventional human, leaving almost little to no sclera behind. They also glittered visibly as the youngster was looking. It was obviously the result of some sort of eye art. This was a characteristic shared by most treasure hunters, which was why he dared to make such an assumption.

“You can wallow in misery later, bud. Tell me what happened?” Ye Qing asked.

“What... What do you want to know, exactly?” The youngster temporarily snapped out of his daze.

“I want to know your name, the black bull, the monks, and how these people turn out like this,” Ye Qing clarified.

“Right. Right. This junior is Xu Kailu. I am one of the treasure hunters hailing from Fire Dragon Cave. I came to the Myriad Buddha Plains in search of treasures.”

The youngster, Xu Kailu, temporarily shoved his sorrow into the deep recesses of his mind and explained, “Unfortunately, I do not know who this black bull is or why it had shown up on the Myriad Buddha Plains. I only know that it is extremely powerful.”

“The monks on the black bull’s back are what we call a Buddhist corpse. Yes, I’m referring to the Buddhist corpse that roams the Myriad Buddha Plains all year long.”

Ye Qing lifted a curious eyebrow. One of the six taboos of the Myriad Buddha Plains was, “Fear the body.” It referred to the Buddhist corpses that roamed the Myriad Buddha Plains.

Anyone who failed to escape in time after an encounter with a Buddhist corpse would be forcefully converted into a disciple of the Mara Sect and a worshiper of the Mara Buddha Emperor.

That would explain why the presence of the Buddhist thieves, treasure seekers and treasure hunters following behind the black bull.

However, Old Man of Snowy Mountain specifically said that the Buddhist corpses were scattered across the icy plains. They should not be gathered in one place, much less ride on top of a black bull.

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“How did these Buddhist corpses come to be gathered in one place? And why are they riding on the bull?” Ye Qing asked.

“I don’t know, senior.” Xu Kailu shook his head. “It probably has something to do with the Myriad Buddha Plains. To tell you the truth, this is the first time I ever encountered a situation like this. That said, this junior did hear an account of the black bull from his seniors.”

“Every time it is night in the Myriad Buddha Plains, a black bull carrying a group of Buddhist corpses would appear and roam the plains. They called it the Black Bull Who Carries Buddhas.”

“If someone, for whatever reason, could not leave the Myriad Buddha Plains before it was nighttime and become trapped, then they could seek out the Black Bull Who Carries The Buddhas for protection.”

“The Strangers of the Myriad Buddha Plains will never come within range of the chants. They would never attack anyone inside the range either. Therefore, finding the black bull and following behind it will keep one from harm.”

“However, the protection comes at a different kind of risk: the Buddhist chantings themselves. Although it kept the Strangers away, it also ate away at one’s will and consciousness. Those who could not withstand its erosion would gradually lose consciousness and become the mindless slaves of the Buddhist corpses.”

“These people had appeared before the Black Bull Who Carries The Buddhas in search for its protection, but they were eventually transformed into the Buddhist corpses’ slaves because their will wasn’t strong enough!”

Ye Qing let out a hum of realization. He did not ask the obvious and stupid question as to why the Buddhist thieves, treasure seekers and more still came to the black bull even though they knew that there was a chance they might be transformed into a Buddhist corpse.

The reason was simple. Compared to the countless and endlessly tricky Strangers who roamed the night of the Myriad Buddha Plains, the Black Bull Who Carries Buddhas was obviously a lesser threat. Assuming that their willpower was enough, they might even live to see another day.

If you had to choose between two poisonous wines, of course you would choose the one that was least toxic and slowest acting!

Suddenly, Yi Pin interrupted the conversation, “Why didn’t you try moving out of the range of the Buddhist chants once your willpower has hit rock bottom, wait until your mind has fully recovered, then rejoin the bull afterward?”

Truly, no one is a better exploiter than this guy! Ye Qing shot Yi Pin a look.

“It’s no use. Or rather, it’s not a permanent solution.”

Xu Kailu let out a bitter chuckle. “Both the Buddhist corpses and the black bull are intelligent. They only allow us three chances to leave. If someone tries to return after the third time we left the range of the Buddhist chants, the black bull and the Buddhist corpses would become enraged, and the black bull would stomp them to death.”

“Wow. Three chances?”

Ye Qing rubbed his nose as he shot the black bull a strange look. “Three chances, huh? That’s surprisingly humane of it.”

Yi Pin: “...”

Xu Kailu: “...”

Everyone: “...”

Is it really? And even if it is, is this really the time to be talking about this?

“Ahem...”

The black bull was slowly getting out of range, so Ye Qing glanced at Devi Ruyi and Jinpeng Moyun and asked, “So, what do you think?”

“We’re going to follow the Black Bull Who Carries Buddhas, of course. We are disciples of the Mara Sect. Unlike the mundane and the heretics, we are wholly devoted to the Buddha Emperor. Why would we be corrupted by the Buddhist chants?” The old woman replied disdainfully.

“My Buddhist heart is already devout, so the Buddhist sound would not work on me!” Jinpeng Moyun declared arrogantly.

Despite their declaration, both the old woman and Jinpeng Moyun looked at Devi Ruyi for instructions. It was clear that Devi Ruyi held the final say of the matter.

“I see no fault with this decision.”

Devi Ruyi said smilingly, “It will be a good opportunity to listen to the Buddha Emperor’s true sutra as well.”

“In that case, let’s go.”

Ye Qing shrugged. He had more or less expected this outcome from the start. Devi Ruyi, Jinpeng Moyun and more were all disciples of the Mara Sect. It was only natural that they would believe themselves immune to the Buddhist sound. Between a hopeless sea of Strangers and a harmless threat, it was obvious what their choice would be.

One thing for certain, their choices did not affect Ye Qing in the slightest. He was strong, so he wasn’t afraid. It was that simple.

Having made up their mind, the group immediately chased after the black bull.

Xu Kailu was right behind them, but only because he did not have a choice to begin with.

As Xu Kailu said, the Strangers stopped pursuing them immediately after they entered the range of the Buddhist chants. Not only that, the Strangers made sure to steer clear of the black bull’s path. It was quite magical.

“Hey brother, how did you know that the Black Bull Who Carries Buddhas could protect us from the Strangers?”

On the way to somewhere, Yi Pin moved closer to Ye Qing and asked in a low voice.

“Because he told me, duh!” Ye Qing pointed a thumb at Xu Kailu.

“Cut the bullshit. If you didn’t know that the black bull could scare off the Strangers, then why were you searching for the bell chime earlier?” Yi Pin rolled his eyes at him.

“You said it yourself. I was looking for a bell chime. What does it have to do with the black bull?”

Ye Qing smiled. “Before this, I only knew that we would be saved if we found the bell chime.”

“Is there a difference?” Yi Pin looked completely confused.

“Oh yes, there’s a huge difference.” Ye Qing gave him a slap on the shoulder.

“Tsk. Fine. Keep your secrets. It’s not like I want to hear them.”

Seeing that Ye Qing did not wish to reveal the truth, Yi Pin wisely shut up and went over to Xu Kailu’s side. Then, he engaged the youngster in a hushed conversation.