After Mofan and his group returned to Bu Yi Village, they began to plan to go to the cave to obtain the Bodhi fruit. However, due to the intense battles they had experienced earlier, everyone took a short break and would set off again the next morning.
In the dead of night, everyone had already gone to bed and rested, but Mofan was still sitting in the pavilion, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind Mo Fan, "Why haven't you gone to bed so late?" The person speaking is indeed Lin Jing.
Mofan asked Lin Jing to stay by his side and said, "So much has happened in the past few days. I'm really quite worried about what would happen to Qianqian and your father if this mission fails. "
Lin Jing comforted, "We all know that you will do your best to achieve this. Even if you fail, I believe that both my father and Qianqian won't blame you."
Mo Fan and Lin Jing sat quietly together for a long time, enjoying this rare leisure time and breathing in the fresh air of Bu Yi Village.
Finally, Mo Fan spoke, "Alright, it's getting late now. Let's all go back and rest early."
So, Lin Jing and Mo Fan went back to their rooms to rest respectively.
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Before long, it was the day of entering the forbidden area.
Early in the morning, Mo Fan and Lin Guodong had already dressed up properly and had prepared all the weapons and defense tools that they could carry, just in case of any unexpected situations.
Mofan and his group made their way all the way to the back mountain of Bu Yi Village, which was near the forbidden area.
The village head reminded, "As I previously stated, only two people can enter this restricted area at a time. So everything now depends on you all."
Mofan looked at everyone and said, "Don't worry. We will definitely successfully obtain the Bodhi Fruit."
At this moment, the village head took out two bottles of medicine from his pocket, opened them, and then sprinkled the contents on Mofan and Lin Guodong respectively. The drug that was spilled had an unusual taste, with a hint of fragrance and spiciness.
The old dog coughed repeatedly, choking, and said, "Village head, what is this?"
The village chief said, "This is the medicine to counteract the hallucinogenic scent emitted by the vines in the entrance of the cave. If it is sprinkled on the people entering the cave, they won't be affected by the hallucinations."
The old dog said, "So that's how it is. I should have known that we could have stolen something last time..."
Mofan glared at the old dog and signaled for it to stop mentioning the incident of sneaking into the cave last time.
The old dog then wisely kept its mouth shut.
The village head said, "Since the previous village head died prematurely, he never allowed me to enter the cave before his death. He also didn't have time to tell me about the secrets inside the cave. And I haven't entered this restricted area for so many years either. So I really can't offer you much help. I can only pray for you and remind you to be cautious in everything."
Mofan said, "Village head, you have already helped us a lot."
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Mo Fan reached out and took Lin Jing's hand, telling her not to worry. Then he addressed everyone, saying, "We're going in now."
So, Lin Guodong and Mo Fan walked into the cave together, amid the worried and expectant gazes of the crowd. Sure enough, the medicine given by the village chief was extremely effective. It seemed that these vines could smell the scents of Mo Fan and Lin Guodong, and immediately stopped moving. At the same time, the flowers on the vines also tightly closed up. These vine plants seemed to have entered a kind of hibernation state.
After Maofan and Lin Guodong entered the room, they saw a huge stone door, but there was no place to open the door on the stone door.
Mofan said to Lin Guodong, "I think this stone door switch is right on this door. Let's gently tap around it. Maybe we'll find something."
Lin Guodong nodded in agreement with Mo Fan's idea. Then the two of them took out a small hammer specially designed for excavating relics from their backpacks and began gently tapping around the two doors. Suddenly, Lin Guodong struck a certain spot, and the sound was different from the others. There was no intense reverberation; instead, it produced a low echo.
Lin Guodong and Mo Fan looked at each other and smiled. "This place is hollow."
So Lin Guodong placed his palm on this spot that produced a low reverberation, gave it a gentle push, and sure enough, this part of the stone door could be pushed open. In no time, the entire gate was fully unlocked.
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The two slowly entered the stone door and immediately what came into their view was an astonishing scene. Originally, in this huge cave, there was a stone statue of the Buddha, approximately five to six meters tall, sitting on a lotus platform. The right hand of the Buddha was raised and pushed aside. In the center of the palm, there was exactly one plant growing. On the plant, there were numerous strange-shaped fruits resembling huge pomegranates. The surface of the fruits was blood red, and the patterns on the surface resembled numerous palm prints of the Buddha.
Mofan and Lin Guodong had never seen such an unusual fruit in their entire lives.
Just as the two were about to step forward, they saw that there were still eight golden-body Buddha statues sitting on the ground, somewhat resembling the "golden body bronze figures" mentioned in Chinese Buddhism (it is said that in the Shaolin Temple in China, there is a place where precious scriptures are stored, and there are eighteen golden-body bronze figures stationed there, known as the eighteen bronze figure formation).
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Lin Guodong asked in a low voice, "Do you think these eight golden-clad bronze figures are dead or alive?"
Mofan whispered, "I'm not sure either. We can only take a chance. Let's try to be as quiet as possible. Don't wake them up. We'll sneak over there. Move quietly."
So, Lin Guodong and Mo Fan both lifted their feet and slowly, one step at a time, approached the Buddha statue.
At this moment, those eight golden-body bronze statues seemed to sense that someone was approaching. Suddenly, each of them appeared to come to life, and their mouths began to move, mumbling in a way that sounded like a kind of Sanskrit scripture. This was the language of ancient Indian Buddhism. Mo Fan and Lin Guodong naturally couldn't understand what they were actually reciting. However, they felt no discomfort in their bodies and no danger either. They gradually relaxed their vigilance.
Just as they were about to approach the Buddha statue, suddenly both of them felt that the light all around them vanished completely. They found themselves in total darkness. Just when the two were at a loss, suddenly the light returned. At this moment, what came into their view were the eight golden-clad monks. However, they had changed from the original sitting position on the ground to a standing position. Suddenly, the eyes of these golden-skinned monks opened, as if they had come to life. They assumed martial arts postures and simultaneously let out a "ha" sound, then charged towards Mo Fan and Lin Guodong.
Seeing this situation, Mo Fan and Lin Guodong could only draw their pistols and point them at them. But Mo Fan said to them, "My esteemed masters, we merely want to obtain the Bodhi fruit to save people. We do not covet the treasures here. Please show some leniency and allow us to take the Bodhi fruit."
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However, these golden-clad monks ignored Mo Fan's words and continued to charge towards them. Mo Fan and Lin Guodong could do nothing but fire their guns, but these bullets had no effect on these golden-clad monks. They were completely invulnerable. Before long, Mo Fan and Lin Guodong's bullets ran out.
So Mo Fan and Lin Guodong exchanged glances with each other, realizing that at this point they could only resort to their martial arts skills. So the two people got into a fight with these eight golden-clad monks.
However, these eight golden-clad monks were all invulnerable to any attacks, and they all seemed like martial arts masters from the Shaolin Temple. Mo Fan and Lin Guodong were simply no match for them.
Mo Fan and Lin Guodong both had no idea how many times they had been knocked down. Gradually, both of them felt increasingly weak, and the injuries on their bodies kept increasing. It became increasingly difficult for them to fight.
However, Mo Fan realized that time was passing by little by little at this moment, and Dong Qianqian was still relying on these Bodhi fruits for survival. Now, there could be no delay.
So Mo Fan sat up and rushed forward as if desperate to stop the eight golden-clad monks blocking his way. At that moment, one of the monks unleashed a rare martial art skill from Shaolin Temple. With one powerful strike, he sent Mo Fan flying five meters away. Immediately, Mo Fan began to spit blood.
When Lin Guodong saw this, he walked over to Mo Fan with concern, helped him up, and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
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Mofan stood up in great pain and said, "It seems that we might have to die here today."
Lin Guodong smiled and said, "Don't talk nonsense. We will definitely find a solution."
Mo Fan looked at the golden-clad monk blocking his way but who was not attacking anymore at the moment. He said, "These monks are simply no match for us. Our strength is simply too far apart."
At this moment, Mo Fan recalled that the extremely sharp knife he had used to slay Emperor Qin Shi Huang was still in his bag. He took it out and said, "I forgot for a moment. When I was packing my luggage, I brought this along as well."
Lin Guodong looked at the strange knife and asked, "What's so magical about this knife?"
Mofan said, "It can split apart all things in the world. It's a knife from an alien planet. I think it will surely be able to deal with these monks."
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After saying that, Mo Fan picked up this knife and slashed at the group of monks. Lin Guodong also immediately joined the battle.
When Mo Fan's knife cut through one of the golden statues of the monk, indeed, Mo Fan saw that a wound had been made on the monk's body, and golden blood was flowing from the wound.
Mofan burst into laughter and said to Lin Guodong, "It worked exactly as expected."
Lin Guodong also said, "Good knife."
Although these monks remained silent, it seemed as if they all sensed the extraordinary nature of Mo Fan's knife. Thus, their defensive postures became even more vigilant.
Mofan also noticed the monks' fear of the knives in their hands, so he became more confident in his attack and adopted a more proactive approach.
However, he forgot one thing. These monks were martial arts experts, each possessing extraordinary skills. One of the monks used the grappling technique and instantly, Mo Fan's wrist became strained. The knife in his hand was snatched away by one of the monks, and this monk raised the knife and attacked Mo Fan.
Lin Guodong saw this and shouted, "Be careful." Then he rushed over and threw Mo Fan to the side.
But when Lin Guodong did this, it was as if he had completely exposed himself to the enemy. Instantly, that knife pierced through Lin Guodong's body.
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When Mo Fan saw this, he was immediately frightened and shouted, "Brother Lin!"
But Lin Guodong had already fallen to the ground and was on the verge of death. Moreover, these monks did not attack any further.
Mo Fan crawled over and helped Lin Guodong up. He said, "Are you okay? You... saved me..." Making oneself look like this,... How can I explain this to Lin Jing?
Lin Guodong shook his head and said, "You... You mustn't tell Lin Jing about this... Otherwise, she might never... care about you again for the rest of her life..."
Lin Guodong continued, "You... Let's go, then... It seems... We... Today we won't be able to obtain... the Bodhi fruit... "
Mofan said, "No, I must obtain the Bodhi fruit. Now that you are in such a bad condition, I simply can't leave either."
Lin Guodong said, "You... Perhaps... Also... Lost one's life."
Mofan said, "If I die here today, it's my fate and I can't blame anyone else. But if I leave, then I would be a complete coward. Living in this world, I would also be unhappy due to the inner pain."
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The conversation between the two seemed to have aroused some kind of reaction. Suddenly, both of them experienced another moment of darkness. When the two opened their eyes again, they saw that the eight monks were still sitting on the ground, and their injuries had completely disappeared. Moreover, they were still maintaining the same cautious and quiet walking posture as before.
At this moment, the two finally realized that everything that had just happened was all an illusion.
Lin Guodong said, "What on earth is going on here?"
Mofan said, "I think the scriptures recited by those monks just now were actually a kind of hypnotic music. People who heard this melody would fall into a hypnotic state and experience hallucinations. But it seems that we have broken through this defense."
Lin Guodong asked curiously, "Then how did we solve it?"
At this moment, the Buddha statue in front of the two suddenly began to speak.
The Buddha said, "According to legend, when Shakyamuni Buddha was practicing the Bodhisattva path in a previous life, once he transformed himself into a king. One day, he saw a pigeon being chased by an eagle. The pigeon, in a panic, flew to the king's lap, seeking refuge. The king couldn't bear to hand the pigeon over to the eagle to eat, so he protected the pigeon. The eagle said to the king, 'I feed on the pigeon. If you don't give me the pigeon to eat, I will starve to death. You saved the pigeon, but you harmed me. This is not true compassion.' After thinking, the king, in order to save both sides, said, 'OK, I will use my own flesh to replace the pigeon and let you eat it.' So the king cut off pieces of his flesh and gave them to the eagle to eat. The eagle said, 'The pigeon weighs this much, so you must cut off an equal amount of flesh.' The king kept cutting off pieces of his flesh and placing them on the scale to balance with the pigeon. When the cutting was over, he had even cut off all his flesh, but it still wasn't balanced. At this moment, the heaven shook, and the gods descended to the earth. The eagle and the pigeon both transformed into gods to test the king's compassion. The gods, seeing his great compassion and self-sacrifice to save lives, praised his great vow."
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The Buddha statue continued, "This story is actually true. I witnessed with my own eyes that this world actually has such a great-hearted person. That's why I set up this array, to test the world, whether there are still people with a great heart. Only those who have a heart that is willing to sacrifice for others are worthy of having this lotus seed I planted myself. Congratulations, you have passed my assessment. I have seen in you the virtue of being willing to give everything for others."
After saying that, the right hand of the Buddha statue dropped down and extended the banyan tree in front of them.
Mofan and Lin Guodong excitedly plucked two lotus seed fruits.
The Buddha statue asked them, "Why didn't you pick more? You worked so hard to get this opportunity."
Mofan said, "We came here specifically to save people. And the two people we need to rescue are the ones we are talking about. The remaining Bodhi fruits should be reserved for those who truly need them in the future."
The Buddha statue laughed heartily and said, "This is truly someone I have chosen."
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Mofan suddenly asked curiously, "You just said that this Bodhi tree was planted by you. But how is that possible? You are just a talking Buddha statue."
At this point, the Buddha statue explained, "what you are seeing is actually my appearance. Many years ago, I came to this earth from a very distant place. At the beginning, I didn't know where this was. I only remembered that I had traveled across most of the earth, and finally I arrived at the village of Shijia. Here, the people were just going through a war. Out of compassion, I taught them some pharmacology and some magic from my hometown. They seemed to have called my spells "hexes". Among those who inherited my magic from the Black Dragon Village, they turned my magic into evil spells. But when I discovered this, I was too old to stop the evil deeds of the people in the Black Dragon Village. So I ordered the people of the Simple Cloak Village to build this cave here and carve this Buddha statue. Because that Shakyamuni was the most kind-hearted person I had ever met, I wanted my soul to be able to rest in this stone statue after my death. You may not know that people on our planet, after death, their souls leave the body and the body quickly disappears. If you don't want your soul to disappear as well, you can entrust it to an object. Of course, it will become what you humans call an 'animated corpse'. But I was not greedy for the beauty of the world. I just thought that there were still many people in the world in need of help, so I would guard this Bodhi tree and wait for the right person to come and pick it. As long as my soul doesn't disperse, this Bodhi fruit will keep bearing fruits and be available for people to pick."
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Mofan said, "What you mean is that you are not from this planet. You are an alien. "
The Buddha statue said, "Yes. I come from a distant planet called Wisdom Star. We have a highly advanced civilization. But one day, while I was traveling to other planets in my spaceship, my ship broke down. And that's how I ended up on this Earth. But later, as I lived here for a long time and began to think about gradually finding resources to repair my spaceship, I gradually developed a fondness for this place. So later, I gave up the idea of leaving. The events that followed, I think I have explained to you quite clearly. Now I have been on Earth for such a long time that I have completely forgotten my way home, forgotten who I used to be, and forgotten my original planet."
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The Buddha statue then said, "Alright, friends, I'm about to fall asleep again. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope these Bodhi fruits will be useful to you."
After speaking, the Buddha statue's eyes closed tightly, its right hand returned to its original position, and then there was another period of silence.
Just at that moment, the stone door behind Mo Fan and Lin Guodong also opened automatically. Mofan and Lin Guodong smiled at each other and walked out of the cave together, taking big steps.
At this moment, the people who had been anxiously waiting outside saw the two of them come out safely, and they were filled with great excitement.
Lin Jing saw the two people and was even more delighted. She ran over excitedly. Lin Guodong was so excited that he wanted to reach out to catch Lin Jing. But Lin Jing had already reached Mo Fan and, with great excitement, held him and said, "You're okay. That's good."
Lin Guodong looked at his sister and said teasingly, "Girls tend to be independent and don't need much guidance. You should at least show some concern for your brother."
Lin Jing knew that her brother was teasing her. So she deliberately said, "You're not fine? Why are you standing here all right? So, are you really okay or not?"
Lin Guodong continued to tease, "You asked too late. I don't feel like dealing with you."
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