Chapter 62: This Is an Evil Buddha

The old man agreed readily, which pleased Zhang Kai. He then took out a small bottle he had prepared in advance.

“There is a pill inside. If you take it, it will help you recover faster, and perhaps you’ll live another year or two. However, your body’s functions are already failing, and the evil energy has deeply corroded you. Even if you regain some strength, you must take care of yourself and avoid overexertion. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, not even the gods could save you.”

At these words, everyone’s gaze fixed on the small bottle, eyes wide with disbelief.

Was there truly such a miraculous medicine in this world?

A single pill, and one could live another year or two—was this not an immortal elixir?

The old man was also stunned.

Yet after a glance at Zhang Kai, he chose to believe.

Sister Yun happily accepted the bottle, saying, “Thank you, sir, for your kindness.”

“I told you, this is a transaction. From this moment, your time belongs to me. Furthermore, before I understand these three ferocious bronze beasts, I don’t want any interruptions connected to them,” Zhang Kai said seriously.

Sister Yun nodded. “Don’t worry, sir. I guarantee there will be none.”

“That’s settled then. Let’s go, no need to waste time.” With that, Zhang Kai turned and left, not sparing a glance at anyone else.

Sister Yun handed the bottle to the old woman and quickly followed him.

Watching the two leave the ward, those remaining exchanged glances, falling silent.

“Mom, should we have this medicine tested? I’m afraid…” the middle-aged man couldn’t help but ask.

The old woman glared at him. “Do you want your father to die so badly?”

The man turned pale with shock. “Mom, how could you say that? I’d never think such a thing. I’m just worried.”

“Worried? Even Xiao Yun knows that if there’s any hope at all, she is willing to pay any price to save her grandfather. Yet you, doubting again and again—what’s truly in your heart? Do you realize that there were two others exposed to the bronze artifacts this time, both much more influential than our Zhou family? If outsiders learn about this medicine, do you think you’d ever get it back after sending it out for testing?” The old woman’s eyes were cold and filled with disappointment.

The middle-aged man fell silent. He wanted to refute her, but found no words.

“You should go home. Before your father is discharged, there’s no need for your family to come again,” the old man on the bed said at this moment.

The man’s face turned ashen at these words.

Sitting in Sister Yun’s Porsche, they left the hospital and arrived at a large museum within twenty minutes.

“Sir, the bronze artifacts are here. I have an access card from my grandfather, so we can move freely. However, the museum is now under lockdown. You may have to bear with some inconvenience—please don’t say anything,” Sister Yun explained.

Zhang Kai replied, “It’s fine. You take the lead.”

They got out and went straight to the museum.

Sure enough, it was cordoned off, with warning tape and guards on duty.

As Zhang Kai and Sister Yun approached, they were stopped. Sister Yun showed her access card, but the guard ignored it and said, “No one is allowed inside at the moment. You’ll need a special permit from the relevant authorities. This is a new rule. Please understand, Miss Zhou.”

Sister Yun was taken aback. “Why such strict security?”

The guard replied, “Yesterday, three museum staff members died together, and the scene was gruesome.”

“More deaths?” Sister Yun’s expression changed slightly. She glanced at Zhang Kai. “Let me make a call.”

Zhang Kai nodded, but his eyes were already studying the museum.

Once again, he sensed the presence of evil energy, just like on Antique Street, but even denser—practically overwhelming.

Faintly, Zhang Kai also caught a strange, rotten smell.

“This is the stench of decay. It’s as if time itself has died here. What a bizarre evil force. In the past, such things were rare, only forming through various coincidences and centuries of evolution. Now, they appear so easily. The world is becoming unrecognizable.” Granny Liu’s voice sounded again. She, too, was observing the museum, her tone odd.

Zhang Kai felt lost.

The decay of time? Can time itself rot? Isn’t that usually seen in physical objects?

He was also a bit bewildered. Ever since he triggered spiritual revival, all sorts of strange things had begun to appear.

Soon, Sister Yun returned. “Sir, I just spoke to someone. We may have to join another group to get inside. Otherwise, there’s no way.”

“A team? There are others?” Zhang Kai asked.

“Yes, I don’t know who they are, but they’ll be here soon. We need to wait,” she replied, somewhat embarrassed.

She had been so sure earlier, but now kept running into obstacles—it was a little humiliating. Still, the situation was understandable. With more deaths, the authorities couldn’t allow this to continue unchecked and had to enforce strict supervision.

“That’s fine, we’ll wait,” Zhang Kai said.

Sister Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

Time passed slowly.

Within half an hour, several vehicles arrived and out stepped a group of people.

Zhang Kai glanced over, surprised. Among the ten-odd newcomers were three Taoist priests and two monks, carrying large and small packages, as if they were moving house.

But none of these priests or monks had actually set foot on the true path of cultivation.

Were they coming to meet their doom?

“You must be Zhou Yun? Hello, I’m Zhang Xiaofeng,” a middle-aged man came over, greeting Sister Yun with a smile.

“Hello, Director Zhang,” Sister Yun replied quickly.

“How’s Elder Zhou? I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had time to visit him. I feel terrible about it,” the man said apologetically.

Sister Yun responded, “You’re too kind, Director Zhang. My grandfather is better now, but still needs to recuperate.”

“That’s good to hear. Now, are you and this gentleman sure you want to come in with us? It’s quite dangerous in there,” he asked.

“We—” Sister Yun started.

“I’ll go in. She’ll stay outside,” Zhang Kai interrupted her.

Sister Yun was stunned.

“It’s truly dangerous here. Uncontrollable things may happen, and I can’t guarantee your safety,” Zhang Kai said.

Her heart skipped a beat. The words were understated, but after witnessing Zhang Kai’s abilities firsthand, she knew that for him to say this meant the situation inside must be truly dire. Uncontrollable… that likely meant an end as bad as her grandfather’s, or worse.

After all, several people had already died.

Sister Yun didn’t insist. She nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside, sir.”

Director Zhang smiled, not pressing further. “Let’s go, then. Stay with the group and don’t touch anything.”

Zhang Kai nodded.

Soon, the group entered the museum.

Their purpose was clear: the bronze artifacts.

As they walked, Zhang Kai observed the surroundings.

There were many antiques stored here, but only a few emitted evil energy—most were unremarkable.

Judging by authenticity, most items in this museum were fakes.

He wondered if there was something fishy going on, but didn’t speak up. It didn’t matter to him.

“An evil Buddha!”

Suddenly, a middle-aged monk cried out, startling everyone.

They looked to find a glass case holding a golden Buddha statue about a foot high. It was unclear which Buddha it represented: one hand was posed in a symbolic gesture, the other held a jade ruyi scepter. Its brows were lowered, mouth curled in a subtle smile, exuding an unusual beauty.

Zhang Kai examined the statue. It indeed radiated evil energy—through his inner vision, he could see black mist coiling around it. The statue was eerie, sinister—“evil Buddha” was no exaggeration.

But could this monk really perceive such abnormalities?

Just as he wondered, the monk said, “Director Zhang, this statue has been corrupted. It’s likely to cause trouble. Once we’ve dealt with the situation here, we must take this evil Buddha back to our temple and purify it with Buddhist rites. Otherwise, it will bring endless harm.”

Another monk looked at the statue, his eyes lighting up as he nodded in agreement. “Yes, this statue is very evil. It must be taken to the temple and cleansed with Buddhist law.”

Hearing this, Zhang Kai was full of questions.