Chapter 146: Without Flaw

After Xuan Bei figured out the truth, he glanced at the group of “women warriors” and instructed, “Alright, once we arrive at Tanshan, if any of them wish to stay in the Western Regions, arrange for them to go to Yuhai properly. Those who wish to go to the Great Jin can return with us to Liusha Settlement; Master Kong Jian and the others are still waiting there.”

He paused briefly, then added an explanation to prevent his disciples from developing a negative impression of their seniors, “Since we were unsure whether you had mistakenly entered Tianhaiyuan or were taking a detour back to the Central Plains, we divided our forces into two groups: one to wait at Liusha Settlement in case we missed you, and the other to search for you at Tanshan.”

“Your disciple will follow your master’s instructions,” Meng Qi replied cheerfully.

With his master by his side, he could calmly and properly arrange for the future of these unfortunate women.

…

Two days later, five figures appeared atop the Evil Ridge.

One of them was You Huanduo, who had returned after failing to find Master Zhenguans trail while searching the mountains. He planned to inquire about Kang Zhis progress when he heard news in Tanshan that the “Thunder Saber Evil Monk” had razed the Evil Ridge.

Inside the camp, walls were broken and ruins lay everywhere, charred black by fire. Many corpses had been partially devoured by wild beasts, turning the place into a veritable hell.

You Huanduo said nothing, proceeding directly to Kang Zhis courtyard and entering the rear chamber, where he saw the charred, blackened corpse left behind.

“Not even sparing the children… was he even still a monk?” one of his subordinates exclaimed in shock.

You Huanduo frowned and replied gloomily, “It’s not necessarily the monk who did this; there’s also the Gu family’s young man. At the very least, the monk must have tacitly approved.”

He took out a transparent stone from his bosom that emitted a faint green glow. As he extended his right palm, dark mist suddenly rose within the room, accompanied by piercing cries of sorrow.

Although You Huanduo had not broken through to the Externality Realm and learned the “Eighteen Blows of Vengeful Souls,” he was skilled in interpersonal matters and was favored more by the Crying Elder than An Guo. Thus, the elder had passed on some auxiliary techniques to him.

The dark mist flowed into the stone, turning it from transparent to light black, occasionally revealing a twisted face.

“Boss, what are you doing?” another of the seventy-two bandits from Helian Mountain asked in confusion.

For once, You Huanduo cracked a smile: “Of course, it’s for the old monks to see. Let them witness how inhumane, cruel, and bloodthirsty the true Shaolin direct disciple has become—no longer a monk, but more like an Asura.”

“Exactly!” the man who asked the question clapped his hands together. “Shaolin claims to be the orthodox sect of Buddhism, asserting that inherent nature is Buddha. They certainly won’t tolerate such a disciple. Either they’ll strip him of his martial arts and imprison him deep in the mountains, or they’ll remove his powers and expel him from the temple, forcing him to swear never to practice martial arts again!”

You Huanduo nodded slightly: “Whether or not Zhen Ding actually did this, he at least participated. Master Wu Jing, head of the Shaolin Precepts Court, is known for his hatred of evil and will surely handle this impartially. If Zhen Ding is expelled and stripped of his powers, our opportunity will come. Hmph, I thought I’d never get a chance to kill him, but he exposed such a huge flaw himself.”

“Boss, be careful! This baldy can summon heavenly lightning!” one of his subordinates warned.

Spitting like a seasoned farmer, You Huanduo scoffed, “So what? No matter how he managed to use an Externality technique, one thing remains unchanged: using such techniques is a tremendous burden on someone at the Opening the Orifices stage, draining immense energy. I’d like to see how he can summon heavenly lightning without his martial arts!”

“Boss, you’re brilliant!” another subordinate flattered.

You Huanduo carefully stored the stone, straightened his back, and coldly commanded, “Let’s go. Time to kill!”

At that moment, he no longer resembled a farmer, but rather the leader of the seventy-two bandits, a ruthless killer with countless lives on his hands!

The five of them mounted their horses, switching mounts every three riders, and sped off in pursuit. After all, the Shaolin monk was traveling with a group of women and couldn’t possibly move quickly.

…

Inside Yumen Pass, Meng Qi and Zhen Hui gazed at Gu Changqings retreating figure for a long time without speaking.

“Senior Brother,” Zhen Hui asked, “why didn’t Gu Brother come with us to Shaolin first, and then have you accompany him to Shendu?”

Meng Qi sighed, “He has already avenged his greatest enemy and has no other attachments. It’s natural for him to feel some regret. Moreover, his family was dragged into this because he helped me. He probably feels a bit reluctant to stay with us. I hope time will ease his inner turmoil.”

Gu Changqing was the first friend I made outside of the cycle world and my fellow disciples. If we were to part ways forever like this, it would be quite sorrowful. Still, after I descend the mountain, I can go to Shendu to find him if I have time.

That’s just how optimistic I am!

“Let’s go. We need to help handle the affairs of those young ladies. We can’t leave everything to Master,” Meng Qi composed himself and called out to Zhen Hui to return to the inn.

Some of the rescued women had already parted ways at Tanshan, as they were originally from the Western Regions and feared being far from home. Thus, they joined merchant caravans friendly to Shaolin, some heading to Yuhai and others going north to oases protected by the Snow Mountain Sect.

Most of the remaining women were from the Central Plains or had no family left in the Western Regions and wanted to change their environment and forget their past. Therefore, they followed elders like Kong Jian, Wu Jing, and Xuan Bei on their eastward journey. After entering Yumen Pass, naturally, some people from different directions bid farewell. Shaolin had always been committed to helping people completely, so reliable merchant caravans or escort agencies were arranged to accompany them.

Returning to the inn, Meng Qi and Zhen Hui saw their master seeing off an escort master, followed by several familiar women.

“Two masters,” the women said upon seeing Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, “we will surely pray for your blessings every day,” and tears streamed down their faces.

The escort master, having just received instructions from a Shaolin elder at the peak of the Externality Realm, felt his body become weightless, nearly forgetting where he was.

After some small talk, Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, unable to bear the warmth, retreated upstairs.

“Those heading north and south have already left. Only a few continue eastward with us,” Xuan Bei said as he climbed the stairs, his expression calm and untroubled despite the tediousness of the task. Helping others brought him inner peace and contentment.

“Xuan Bei, Zhen Ding, Zhen Hui, come to the old monk’s room,” Kong Jian, with his white beard hanging from his chest, was followed by Wu Jing, whose skin was bronze-colored and had sharp features. Their solemn expressions made Meng Qi suddenly feel a sense of foreboding.

Xuan Bei led his two disciples into the guest chamber. With a flick of his sleeve, Elder Kong Jian summoned radiant glazed purity light that filled the entire room, completely enveloping the space.

“Regarding the matter at Evil Ridge, did you conceal anything?” Wu Jing, as the head of the Precepts Court, spoke directly and bluntly.

At Liusha Settlement, Xuan Bei had downplayed Meng Qi and Zhen Hui’s involvement in helping Gu Changqing seek revenge, emphasizing instead their rescue of a group of unfortunate women. According to the “Benefiting Sentient Beings Precept,” killing in such circumstances did not require punishment—the “Benefiting Sentient Beings Precept” was for Bodhisattva-path monks who must save all beings, so Shaolin’s precepts stated that killing evil people to rescue the virtuous did not violate the precept against killing.

Of course, although he had downplayed the matter, he still mentioned the revenge, stating that Meng Qi and Zhen Hui had been watching over Gu Changqing to prevent hatred from clouding his mind. Thus, Wu Jing had not mentioned any punishment for their unprovoked killing.

“No,” Meng Qi hesitated slightly before choosing to answer honestly. He truly hadn’t thought of anything they had concealed. The matter of Gu Changqing’s revenge had been clearly stated, just without mentioning the specific details of how he had taken revenge.

“Amitabha, what a sin, what a sin. A layperson, entrusted by another, gave this to this old monk,” Elder Kong Jian chanted softly in Buddhist recitation. Then, he produced a pale black stone that seemed to be in constant motion. From his palm, he released countless glazed rays of light, directing them into the stone.

Dark mist rose, vengeful souls appeared, and the scene replayed itself.

Meng Qi’s scalp tingled. Indeed, under the influence of hatred, Changqing had gone too far. Moreover, Kang Zhis vengeful soul had even taken the form of himself dragging Zhen Hui out.

I should have let my junior brother use the Bodhi Pearl to release the souls earlier… It was only now that Meng Qi, lacking a monk’s self-awareness, thought of this.

Xuan Bei looked at Meng Qi and Zhen Hui in astonishment, completely unprepared for such a situation.

“Silently approving others’ unjust killings is the first mistake. Denying and evading the truth is the second. These two mistakes clearly show your deep-rooted killing intent, cruelty, coldness, and lack of compassion, with no sign of repentance!” Wu Jing said solemnly and gravely. He and Elder Kong Jian had already examined the vengeful souls, who had not lied.

Meng Qi didn’t know how to respond because the facts were indeed as described, but he wasn’t as guilty as the head of the Precepts Court had described.

Xuan Bei quickly suppressed his shock, suddenly stepped forward, and bowed deeply with a pained expression:

“Your disciple is guilty. It was I who saw that Zhen Ding already felt remorse and thus instructed him to lie and conceal the matter.”

Meng Qi looked at his master in confusion. He had helped him again…

At this moment, Xuan Bei subtly signaled Meng Qi to quickly admit his mistake, as there was still a chance for leniency.

As Meng Qi was about to speak and take responsibility, Wu Jing sternly said, “The major mistake has already been made and cannot be undone. Zhen Hui’s intentions were decent, but his power was weak, and he lacked the ability to stop the actions, being dragged away by Zhen Ding. Thus, he bears no fault in the incident itself. However, his subsequent concealment shows contempt for the temple rules and must be punished. He will be sentenced to two years of wall-facing meditation at the temple.”

As the head of the Precepts Court, Wu Jing had the authority to make such a punishment decision with the accompaniment of an elder, to be reported to the abbot afterward.

“Xuan Bei, as a master, you failed to lead by example and instead incited your disciple to lie and evade punishment. You will be punished with one year of wall-facing meditation,” Wu Jing stopped Xuan Bei from speaking and turned to Meng Qi, “Zhen Ding, your crime is grave, your cruelty and coldness unforgivable. Your martial arts will be stripped, you will be expelled from the temple, and you must swear a soul oath never to secretly pass on the temple’s secret techniques!”

Xuan Bei’s face changed drastically as he urgently pleaded, “Master, considering that Zhen Ding rescued so many unfortunate people, please show leniency.”

“Merit and fault cannot be offset. Zhen Ding’s act of saving people is his own blessing. Moreover, whoever sent the Stone of Vengeful Souls must be part of the Crying Elder’s faction’s scheme, possibly even lying in ambush nearby. Therefore, the reward will be to send Zhen Ding to another city to avoid danger.”

Meng Qi’s mind buzzed, his thoughts in chaos. How had things escalated to this point?

Xuan Bei’s expression darkened, and suddenly he knelt and bowed, “Your disciple has the opportunity to train in the upper levels of the Relic Pagoda. I am willing to exchange this for a reduced punishment for Zhen Ding.”

After reaching the peak of the Externality Realm, he had the chance to train in the upper levels of the Relic Pagoda, cultivating among the relics of past great monks to gain insight into his own path and lay the foundation for stepping into the Half-Step Dharma Body in the future.

Meng Qi was shocked and deeply moved. With slightly blurred vision, he looked at Xuan Bei, his heart surging with emotion. Was his master really willing to give up such a valuable opportunity?

No, I can’t let my master pay such a great price!

Even if I am expelled from the temple, I still have the Cycle Space. My martial arts can still be restored. As long as I reach the True Martial Sect or the Sword Washing Pavilion and seek refuge under Zhang Yuanshan or Jiang Zhiwei, wouldn’t I be safe from Ze Luo’s faction?

As for the hardships and dangers along the way, I can consider them as repaying my master’s kindness!

He gritted his teeth, raised his head, and stubbornly looked at Wu Jing:

“Master, your disciple is not guilty!”