Zombie Bodyguard

Upon hearing that they would get spanked, the two girls blushed with embarrassment. They had both been spanked by Lin Tian before, and whenever they recalled it, they felt so ashamed they wanted to find a crack to hide in, especially now that it was mentioned openly.

"Alright, since we are inside the Ksitigarbha Hall, I'll spare you this time," Lin Tian said, feigning generosity. He was just saying it; he would never act recklessly in the Ksitigarbha Hall.

Having said that, Lin Tian turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Master, I apologize for interrupting you so abruptly today."

"Why would you say that? That you can gather here safely is already a great joy. No need to say apologies," the middle-aged man replied with a smile.

The demeanor of the middle-aged man, detached from worldly matters, once again impressed Lin Tian. Whether he heard about the Wangchuan River or the Ferryman, or even when he heard they had come out of the Wangchuan River, he showed no surprise. It was the grand state of "no joy, no sorrow" as spoken of in Buddhism.

"Anyway, I still owe you thanks, Master. Without the Ksitigarbha Hall, my friends would have been in dire straits," Lin Tian expressed his gratitude once more. To a sincere person, Lin Tian responded with sincerity.

The middle-aged man just gave a slight smile and did not argue further on the subject.

"Master, we shall take our leave now," Lin Tian said goodbye. Zhang Lingyu and Xiao Manxuan also stepped forward to say their farewells, and the middle-aged man responded with a smile and returned the gesture graciously.

After saying their goodbyes, Lin Tian and the two girls turned to leave. They were still in the Netherworld, and until they left the Netherworld, they were not truly safe.

However, just as he turned around, the ground suddenly shook, followed by the entire Ksitigarbha Hall trembling. The middle-aged man's previously calm expression suddenly changed, which puzzled Lin Tian. What did this tremor signify that it could shake the emotions of a normally serene person?

At this moment, outside the Ksitigarbha Hall, be it Black Impermanence or other Ghost Messengers, or even the souls farther away, they all felt the tremor.

And then farther still, it seemed like the whole city of Fengdu was shaking, as if the heavens and earth were moving. Everyone was stunned.

"Lin Tian, did something happen?" Xiao Manxuan asked, puzzled.

"I don't know either. Could there be earthquakes in the Netherworld? But the master's reaction was peculiar. Let's just watch for now," Lin Tian shook his head and said.

Just as he finished speaking, the tremor stopped. As everyone was bewildered, a golden light beam suddenly shot out from the center of the hall, piercing through the Glazed Tile Top and reaching towards the sky.

Although the golden light beam was not large, every soul in the city could see it. The beam was like a pillar of the heavens, standing between heaven and earth. Upon witnessing this phenomenon, all the souls fell to their knees.

Lin Tian, with his keen eyesight, saw an object slowly rising within the light beam, but it was enveloped by the beam and could not be clearly distinguished.

The middle-aged man seemed to have noticed it too. After seeing the object within the beam, his face lost its shock and instead showed an expression of sudden realization.

The beam lasted for a few minutes, then retracted and disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. After the light beam vanished, an object shot out rapidly.

In a straight line, the object from within the beam flew towards Lin Tian. He did not know what it was but instinctively reached out and accurately caught it in his hand.

Lin Tian opened his hand to see a golden token, slightly smaller than his palm. One side was embossed with a Buddha statue wearing a Virochana Crown and draped in Kasaya, holding a staff in one hand and a lotus in the other.

Upon flipping to the other side, there was no Buddha statue but a pattern of intricate designs. In the center of these designs were three strange characters. Lin Tian recognized the strokes as Sanskrit but did not know their meanings.

"Greetings to the Ksitigarbha Venerable," the middle-aged man suddenly bowed deeply to Lin Tian, addressing him as Ksitigarbha, appearing extremely respectful.

Xiao Manxuan and Zhang Lingyu were shocked and incredulously asked, "Lin Tian, are you the Ksitigarbha King?"

Lin Tian looked at the token in his hand and then at the respectful middle-aged man, feeling confused.

What is going on here? A token suddenly flies into my hand, and someone addresses me as "Ksitigarbha Venerable." Could it be that Heaven is playing a huge joke on me? Lin Tian pondered in confusion.

No, the middle-aged man isn't looking at me. He's looking at the token. Could the issue lie with the token? Lin Tian thought, noticing something peculiar.

"Master, what is going on? What is this token? Why did you call out Ksitigarbha Venerable?" Lin Tian quickly regained his composure and asked.

The middle-aged man, upon hearing Lin Tian's question, stood up, adjusted his attire, and respectfully responded, "Benefactor, this is the Ksitigarbha Order—seeing the Ksitigarbha Order is like seeing the Ksitigarbha Venerable in person."

"Oh, so you were bowing to the Ksitigarbha Order, just like the Imperial Sword, as if the Emperor were present," Lin Tian realized. Of course, the Imperial Sword pales in comparison to the Ksitigarbha Order, but as he thought more about it, he felt puzzled and asked, "Wait, why did the Ksitigarbha Order fly to me? How about I return it to you."

As he spoke, Lin Tian moved to hand the Ksitigarbha Order back to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man not only didn't take it but even stepped back a few paces, then said, "Benefactor, the Ksitigarbha Order has chosen you; you are the destined one. The Ksitigarbha Order is yours now."

This sounded like he was eager to push it out of his hands. Lin Tian was even more confused. Such an important item, can it be casually given to an outsider?

"Well... Master, although I'm curious about this Ksitigarbha Order, if it doesn't belong to me, I won't take it lightly," Lin Tian continued, implying that if there wasn't a clear explanation, he wasn't taking the Ksitigarbha Order and that they could give it to whomever they wished.

Lin Tian believed in one principle: there's no such thing as a free lunch, nor would there be a pie falling from the sky. If there really was a pie, then there's probably a deep pit dug below waiting for you to jump in.

The middle-aged man remained amiable, making Lin Tian's thoughts seem somewhat petty-minded. However, Lin Tian knew that even if some things didn't carry malevolent intent, they could still be a huge hassle.

The middle-aged man still did not take the Ksitigarbha Order. Instead, he lowered his head to think for a moment, then looked up and said, "Alright, since the Ksitigarbha Order chose you, you are entitled to know about this, but as for them..."

"They are my friends; we share the same fate. You can trust them," Lin Tian said resolutely. Upon hearing his words, the two women looked at him with their eyes suddenly showing a peculiar hue, their eyes like a pool of rippling spring water.

The middle-aged man did not hesitate for long and straightforwardly said, "You guys don't recognize me yet. Let me introduce myself first. I am one of the Ksitigarbha Six Envoys, the Yanmo Envoy. You can call me Yanmo."

"Ksitigarbha Six Envoys? Why is there only you in the Ksitigarbha Hall? Where are the other five Envoys?" Zhang Lingyu asked, having first entered the Ksitigarbha Hall and searched many places within. She had only seen the Yanmo Envoy.

"Because the other five Envoys are not in the Ksitigarbha Hall, nor are they in the Netherworld," Yanmo Envoy replied.