Merchant of the Underworld

After hearing this, Li Mazi was stunned for a moment, but he soon felt relieved.

He smiled and said that I was too nervous. How could there be a ghost in the world who drinks, eats and picks his feet?

"What happened when the Buddhist beads disappeared mysteriously?" I asked.

Li Mazi hesitated for a long time, wanting to give me an explanation, but in the end he couldn't find a reasonable explanation.

"If that old monk is not a ghost, then he must be Buddha, because everything he said is very philosophical, and he can see through my heart." I said, "I know where the missing beads are..."

"Where?" Li Mazi asked.

"The old bald man's house," I said.

"Are you kidding?" Li Mazi said with a smile: "You really think that Buddha beads can grow wings and fly back."

"Do you still remember what the old monk said to me before?" I asked: "He wants to seek justice from me, justice for countless homeless people, justice for countless exploited people. Think about it carefully. Can you guess the meaning of this sentence?"

Li Mazi looked at me in surprise: "Have you ever harmed anyone?"

I rolled my eyes at Li Mazi: "It's not me, it must be the bald old man who has done a lot of immoral things. That Buddha beads are used to punish the bald old man and tell him not to do such unscrupulous things again! But now the beads have been If I take it back, the bald old man will definitely get worse and worse. If we help him, we are helping the tyrants to commit evil. That’s why the old monk came to me in person to ask for justice..."

"Even we ourselves have done something bad and evaded taxes. Don't you feel uneasy about your conscience?"

Li Mazi looked at me tremblingly: "Brother Zhang, please stop talking. When you say this, I feel panic in my heart! Forget it, this matter is over. If the bald old man doesn't give us Let’s ignore the call, damn, it’s not worth offending a true Buddha just because of a corrupt official.”

I nodded immediately and said that if the bald old man calls for help in the future, we will not answer the call.

Some things, once done, cannot be escaped.

Early the next morning, the middle-aged man came again. He came to me furtively and said he wanted to see how the beads were doing.

I told him the truth directly, saying that the beads were missing...

The middle-aged man sighed and said no wonder.

It turned out that last night, the bald old man began to hear the sound of monks chanting sutras again. And this time the sound was louder, as if someone was shouting the Buddha's name right next to his ears. Covering his ears didn't work, and he almost died throughout the night.

Only then did a middle-aged man come to me for questioning.

I shook my head and said, "There's nothing we can do this time! That string of beads is really too powerful and beyond my ability. You'd better hire someone else."

The middle-aged man was very unhappy, and his tone was no longer so friendly. It is reasonable to say that the young gay man is young and energetic, but I will not force you. I will give you some time to think about it carefully and think about it. Can't solve it?

Damn it, are you fighting with me?

Okay, let's get on with it. Why can't you just shoot me in broad daylight? If you have the right, you can't use it indiscriminately.

But I underestimated them.

On this day, the middle-aged man called me several times, but I didn’t answer the phone. The next day something happened to me...

Several law enforcement vehicles blocked my antique store and threatened to demolish it.

Several cars came to the tax bureau to check my taxes. Damn it, I'm dealing in the sale of negative things, what kind of tax should I pay? But they stayed with me all day.

Later, Yin Xinyue also called and said that she had received a lawyer's letter about the company's tax evasion and asked me what was going on? Isn’t it already done?

I had a headache. Officialdom is indeed a big dye vat. No matter how innocent you are, as long as you enter this big dye vat, you can't help it.

I had no choice but to find Li Mazi to discuss countermeasures.

Li Mazi is even more worried than me, because today the criminal police team came to him and asked him to cooperate in investigating several cases of theft of ancient tombs. If this kind of thing is exposed, his life will probably be over.

Finally, Li Mazi patted me on the shoulder and said that we can't fight each other. If it's really not possible, just give up! Even if it's just pretending.

I knew I had nowhere to go, so I asked Li Mazi to go to the public relations department and ask the bald old man out. I had something to talk to him about.

Li Mazi said that's fine, let's do it!

Li Mazi personally went to the city hall, and when he came back, he told me that it was still the same five-star hotel, just this afternoon.

Li Mazi's trip was fruitful. Law enforcement vehicles and people from the tax bureau were withdrawn from my store.

I breathed a sigh of relief and contacted Yin Xinyue urgently, asking her to quickly urge the company to pay the remaining taxes! Something is about to happen to that bald old man, so as not to implicate their company in the future.

Yin Xinyue agreed.

In the afternoon, I went to the hotel and met the bald old man.

This time the bald old man was no longer so kind, and had a displeased look on his face. And even though I was an hour late, I didn't even fart, I just sat on the chair and drank tea from the cup.

In order to show my resolute attitude this time, I did not ask Li Mazi to follow me, so as not to dampen my spirit.

I don't know where I got the courage to dare to compete with such a big shot: "Old sir, now let me tell you about that string of Buddhist beads! The real name of that string of Buddhist beads is: Justice. It can bless the owner's health and future generations." Prosperity. Of course, this is based on justice. If the person holding this prayer beads has done a lot of harmful things in the past, the beads will not only not play a protective role, but will also cause backlash to the owner, just like... "

I swallowed, gritted my teeth, and said the next sentence: "It's just like the situation you are encountering now."

"Presumptuous!" The bald old man slapped the case and stood up, glaring angrily: "Are you saying that I have done something outrageous? Young man, please speak before thinking. Have you ever considered that I can sue you based on your words? Libel?"

As expected of someone who belongs to the officialdom, when I get angry, my aura makes me breathless.

I was a little scared, and my tone couldn't help but soften: "Leave the beads here for me, I'm sorry that I can't do anything. But if the beads are on you, let me follow you 24 hours a day, maybe I can come up with a way..."

The bald old man glared at me: "Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure." I said, "If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do about it."

Finally, the bald old man hesitated and said, "Okay then! Tell me, how long will it take to get rid of the problem of Buddha beads?"

"About a month." I said, "Don't be too long. This is a time limit that I can only guarantee with my best efforts. If you find someone else, I'm afraid you will be haunted by the sound of those monks chanting sutras for the rest of your life..."

The bald old man gritted his teeth for the last time and said, "Well, I'll give you a chance! From today on, you will be my full-time secretary."

After saying that, the bald old man made a phone call, probably asking his secretary to take a month's rest.

Soon, the middle-aged man walked into the private room and handed me a bunch of car keys.

"It's okay if you want me to solve the problem for you, but you have to listen to me in everything." I said, "Otherwise I really can't solve this matter..."

The bald old man nodded: "Sure, I'll listen to you."

I breathed a sigh of relief: "Next, I'll take you home!"

"Wait for me in the car." The bald old man said, "I still have a meal."

With that said, the bald old man turned around and left, going to another private room.

I shrugged helplessly and simply got into the government car and waited.

I almost fell asleep while waiting, and then the bald old man slowly walked out of the hotel and asked me to take him home.

I asked him where the string of prayer beads was now. The bald old man said he hadn't found it yet.

I said there’s no need to look for it. If you deal with it, you can solve it without having to find it.

The bald old man looked at me inexplicably, but didn't say anything.

The bald old man lives in a family compound. The furnishings in the home are also average, considered standard for this level!

There is no one else in his family, and I know that his family must all live in the big villa. This family home is only for temporary inspections.

The bald old man arranged for me to sleep in the bedroom on the first floor, while he slept on the second floor.

After I lay down, I began to fall asleep. As long as the bald old man hears the monk chanting sutras again, he will call me, and there is no need for me to guard him around the clock.

In my sleep, I actually dreamed of that old monk again.

The old monk was holding a roast chicken in one hand and a cattail leaf fan in the other. He grinned and stood in the dark and laughed at me.

I asked him out of curiosity, is he a ghost or a Buddha?

The old monk chuckled and replied: "If there is a ghost in your heart, then I am a ghost. If there is a Buddha in your heart, then I am a Buddha. In your heart, am I a ghost or a Buddha?"

I shook my head and said I didn't know.

He smiled and said that it was okay if he didn’t know. Everyone in the world is entangled in the world, and there is no ghost or Buddha in their hearts.

I asked you whether you can speak Mandarin. What do you mean? I don't understand, brother.

The old monk just smiled at me. Smiling, he disappeared from my sight, and I struggled to wake up from my sleep, staring out the empty window in a daze.

I seem to understand what the old monk means. People who have no ghosts in their hearts will have no regrets even if they face real ghosts. And people with ghosts in their hearts will feel guilty even if they meet ordinary people.

Just like those corrupt officials, they were scared out of their wits when they heard the sirens downstairs.

This bald old man must be a person with ghosts in his heart, so in his eyes, the Buddhist beads are a 'ghost'!