The old turtle used his extraordinary magical powers to roll up the fish in the sea and bring them directly to the shore.

Fishermen no longer need to cast nets to catch fish, they just need to sit on the shore and wait for the fish to fall into the basket automatically.

However, over time, this gift gradually turned into a dependency.

The fishermen began to put on straw raincoats, holding fish baskets, and sitting quietly on the shore, waiting for the old turtle's gift.

Occasionally, some people tried to go fishing in the sea, but they were always ruthlessly swept into the air by waterspouts, and their boats were destroyed and people died.

But the villagers seemed to turn a blind eye to this, because the existence of the old soft-shelled turtle allowed them to live a rich life they had never experienced before.

In order to thank the old turtle, the government ordered people to carry him to Shenfo Mountain, and his sculpture replaced the original gods and Buddhas.

A statue of the old turtle was erected on the mountain, and the temple was filled with eulogies to him.

However, the old monk who presided over the sacrifices and rituals was a relative of high-ranking officials. They kept the poor out of the temple and monopolized the opportunity to visit the old turtle and make a wish. Only those who handed over a large amount of treasure could have their wish fulfilled.

This injustice continued day after day for a whole year.

The old turtle's temple has been renovated again and again, but those ordinary fishermen, even if they have broken their hands and feet, are still kept out.

This reminds me of the saying: "If feces could be exchanged for high wealth, then poor people would not be born with buttholes!"

"If praying to gods and Buddhas really worked, you wouldn't even be able to enter the temple." At this moment, this sentence became concrete.

Until the evening of the Yulan Festival, the villagers, under the joint management of officials and monks, offered tribute to the old turtle in exchange for the necessities of life.

The old men in the front row were whispering to each other, discussing today's share of the profits, while the young people standing further back had more tattered clothes on; they had never truly enjoyed the old turtle's kindness.

Behind the crowd, there was a man in tattered clothes with obsession in his eyes.

As he watched the old turtle cut open its body and deliver the pearl to the official, a dangerous idea suddenly occurred to him.

"That bead is so beautiful! I'd die just to touch it!"

He suddenly realized that if he wanted to get these treasures, he would have to wait until he was very old before he could get a few beads.

At that moment, everything was lost in his eyes, leaving only the brilliance of the jewels.

The old turtle seemed to sense the man's ill intentions, and the next moment, the man's collar seemed to be pulled forward by two invisible hands, and he walked out of the crowd involuntarily. Only then did he run on his own initiative and rush towards the old turtle.

The officials saw the dagger behind the man, and the women began to scream.

Everyone knew what this man wanted to do, but it was too late!

He rushed to the old turtle and cut open his side with a knife!

Golden blood, along with pearls, slid down from the old turtle's belly, shining brightly.

The radiance of wealth surpasses everything at this moment.

But at this moment, the old turtle suddenly opened its eyes wide, and a ray of light shot out from its eyes, knocking the man down.

The old turtle screamed in pain and overturned the brazier beside him.

The man's eyeballs were knocked out, but he didn't feel anything. He immediately crawled back and frantically snatched the jewels that flowed out of the old turtle!

Huge screams, more jewels flowing out of the flank, and scattered kerosene made the scene suddenly chaotic.

The fishermen looked at this scene in horror, and they suddenly realized that it was a dark and windy night, a good time to do the work!

Their dependence and greed on the old turtle have made them lose their original innocence and gratitude.

One... two... more and more people rushed towards the old turtle!

The Yulan Festival celebration turned into a chaotic feast.

The old turtle's golden blood spilled all over the sacrificial beach, and its body was ruthlessly torn apart by the greedy crowd.

The officials and monks wanted to stop it at first, but they soon realized that order had collapsed and their monopoly could not last long. They could only take this opportunity to join the people and have the opportunity to grab more.

The officials brandished the sharp blades in their hands and chopped at the old turtle's limbs. There was no mercy in their eyes, only the desire for wealth.

The young people were even more crazy. They scrambled to dig out the old turtle's internal organs. Those organs, which should have been the source of life, now became treasures in their eyes.

The teeth of the old soft-shell turtle are crystal clear, like the purest emerald green crystal, sparkling with an alluring light.

Its internal organs have their own magical uses and have become the treasure that people are fighting for first.

In this chaos, some children who were unaware of the truth were also caught up in it. Influenced by the adults' behavior, they picked up the glowing treasures with innocent smiles on their faces. Even the babies who could not speak and were held by their mothers were smiling!

The women lost their minds in this crazy atmosphere. There was madness in their laughter. Some of them still had their husbands' blood on their bodies, and they were committing adultery with the murderers of their husbands right there.

In this chaos, some people died along with the old turtle. The enemies who killed them were their closest brothers, beloved wives, best friends, or respected superiors.

Those people became the victors who upheld justice and killed their own relatives for the sake of justice.

At the same time, all the officials and monks disappeared. The monopolists of the previous era were all eliminated. They were transformed into the winners of this era, the leaders of these people who dared to resist.

The king is dead, but the gentry are still the same gentry and are still here.

The whole scene was like a distorted painting, and the greed and madness of human nature were magnified to the extreme at this moment.

The old turtle became a sacrifice to people's carnival. Its body was cut into pieces, its treasures were robbed, and its soul laughed wildly in the chaos!

In his eyes, he was the torch and the sacrifice was the dancing and reveling people!

No snowflake is innocent during an avalanche.

'Three realms~ all around~ cannot be sought! Cannot be saved!'

The old turtle's body was completely plundered, leaving only bones, and the officials' account books were washed next to him by the sea water mixed with blood.

"Jingui Township, Leping Township, Qianjin Township, Shicheng County, Qitingli, Shangdian Village, Shiquan Temple..."

It turns out that not only this fishing village but also the surrounding villages have been affected by the old soft-shelled turtle.

……

It didn't take long for the surrounding villages to decline after this carnival.

How can people who are used to eating delicacies from land and sea, who get something for nothing, be willing to fill their stomachs by themselves?

In this once prosperous land, there is now only deathly silence.

The villagers of the past may have passed away or fled, and even no trace of their graves is left.

The old turtle's body still stood alone on the beach, covered with seabird feathers and in tatters.

The waves continued to rush onto the shore, washing over its body over and over again, but everything around it had changed.

A young monk, wearing a bamboo hat, simple monk's robe, and leaning on a Zen stick, slowly walked towards the old turtle's body.

When he got closer, he whispered, "Brother, you've been gone for a long time this time."

The old turtle was not dead yet. It turned its head slightly towards the young monk and made a gurgling sound.

The young monk did not give him face. Although he was sitting next to him, he said directly: "Speak human language."

The old turtle then answered, "This time I have defeated the golden cicada again."

Jin Chanzi looked at him with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"Confusing people's minds is like confusing the cause and effect."

He grabbed a handful of sand, squeezed it gently, and then scattered it back on the beach.

"Brother, it's ridiculous and pathetic that you're so obsessed with winning or losing."

The old turtle looked toward the setting sun on the seashore, his voice fading.

"Hahaha, if you can't win, what's the point of proving cause and effect and human nature?"

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