From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 301 Siege
The night was deep, with no wind and no moon.

Recently, due to the arrival of the Buddha from the West, there are people patrolling the city of Ping'an day and night, for fear of any mistakes or omissions.

Both were cautious people, so they carefully avoided the crowds and exited through the south gate of the city wall.

Once outside the city gate, Dugu Ying remained silent, unbuttoning her clothes and taking off her red cloak.

Black clothes appeared beneath the red cloak.

Her tight-fitting black clothes made Dugu Ying appear even smaller, and the long sword she held was longer than half her body, giving her the air of a child wielding a sharp sword.

However, without the red cloak to conceal her, she seemed somewhat different, which showed that Dugu Ying was indeed Mingyue's older sister, and was no less than Nie Qingqing.

Dugu Ying tossed the red cloak to Meng Yuan and gave him a wink.

Meng Yuan didn't have much chemistry with her, nor did he understand what her glances meant, but he simply caught the red cloak.

The red cloak was made of some unknown material, and it felt very soft to the touch.

Meng Yuan smelled a faint fragrance and stuffed the red cloak into his bosom. Seeing Dugu Ying frown, he took it out again.

"Burn it," Dugu Ying said irritably.

You go out without changing your clothes, and now you want me to burn them? Meng Yuan had no choice but to turn his hand and flames surged forth, instantly burning the cloak to ashes.

"It's done," Meng Yuan said honestly.

"Remember, whether it succeeds or fails, you must not tell Mingyue about tonight's events," Dugu Ying rarely gave such a warning.

Meng Yuan naturally nodded in agreement.

The two continued forward, and after walking a short distance, they came to a grove of trees.

A bonfire was burning in the woods, and from a distance, it could be seen that a number of people had gathered there.

Meng Yuan looked at Dugu Ying and thought to himself, "You've already scouted the place. What are these people doing here?"
Dugu Ying shook her head, clearly indicating that she did not know.

Meng Yuan wasn't angry. Anyway, since he entered this business, there weren't many reliable people he worked with!
“I’ll go take a look,” Meng Yuan said.

Many highly skilled individuals have gathered in the Ping'an Prefecture area, so excessive caution is never too much. Even if tonight's trip is canceled because of this, it's not a big deal.

Meng Yuan concealed himself and peered forward.

After walking for about half a mile, they came into the forest, but did not see any hidden sentries. They only saw several bonfires burning in the forest ahead, surrounded by probably more than a hundred people.

At a glance, Meng Yuan knew that most of these people were ordinary folks, with only a few being martial artists of high rank.

These people seemed to be listening to someone speak, but the campfire was crackling and Meng Yuan was far away, so he couldn't hear very clearly.

But there was a vague sense that the person speaking seemed somewhat familiar.

Meng Yuan lowered his straw hat, stepped forward, came behind the people, and craned his neck to look inside.

"Why have we come to this? We are all penniless and jobless, but they won't even let us beg for food, and they forcibly drove us out of Ping'an Prefecture! In the dead of winter, how can anyone survive?"

"So much land in Ping'an Prefecture has been occupied by Buddhist temples! The government doesn't care, and neither does the emperor!"

"Now, for some bald monk from the Buddhist kingdom, the entire city is being forced to leave to welcome him, resulting in the destruction of homes and families!"

"But do you know what those bald monks from the West will do when they arrive? Massacre the entire city! Songhe Prefecture is a prime example!"

A young man raised his hand, tears streaming down his face, gritting his teeth, and uttering nonsensical words.

The young man bared his left arm and said sternly, "Heaven doesn't want people to live, what are we going to do?"

He repeated the sentence several times, but none of the hundreds of onlookers answered.

After a few breaths, one of them timidly replied, "Damn it!"

However, the words sounded weak and listless, as if they were just being perfunctory.

Meng Yuan saw it clearly: the one who instigated the rebellion was Chongxu Guan Jingxu, and the one who responded was Jingchen.

But Zhao Jingsheng and Yuan Jingfeng were nowhere to be seen, and it was unclear why they hadn't come to perform their act.

Meng Yuan tapped his toes and spotted several familiar faces in the crowd; they were all from the Demon Suppression Division.

There was one person among them whom I knew very well: a monk with short hair and a dirty face.

This person is Jie Kaiping.

Jie Kaiping stood behind Jingshan, watching him with great interest, as if listening to a high monk preach.

Meng Yuan adjusted his straw hat again and stood silently on the periphery of the crowd.

Yingmei also came over. She stood next to Meng Yuan. The two didn't look like husband and wife, but more like brother and sister.

Jingshan's face flickered in the light of the campfire, his eyes filled with determination and tears.

He was no longer the refined and scholarly man Meng Yuan had once seen; instead, he appeared weathered and desperately wanted to incite people to rebel.

But he truly lacks the demeanor of a leader; he's more like a general on a theatrical stage.

"This is... this is too amateurish! How can this lead to a rebellion? Besides, you're all surrounded!" Meng Yuan felt a little sorry for Daoist Xuanjizi.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Jingshan shouted several times, but seeing that no one responded except Jingchen, he stomped his feet in anger, looking furious at his son's lack of ambition.

"Looks like you haven't suffered enough!" Jing Shan sighed. He looked around and spotted Jie Kaiping behind him. He grabbed Jie Kaiping and asked loudly, "Are you a monk?"

"Yes, sir." Jie Kaiping was an honest man and truly did not lie.

"Then why did you become a monk?" Jingshan asked, looking quite confident.

In Heian Province, there are many people who cannot afford to raise their children, so they secretly leave their children in front of temples.

Some temples even take in children who have no parents.

“My mother said I had a Buddhist nature, so she let me enter the Buddhist order,” Jie Kaiping replied, still in a very formal tone.

"What do you mean by having Buddha-nature? It's because your mother couldn't raise you anymore, isn't it? But have you ever thought about why your mother couldn't raise you?"

Before Jingshan could answer by untying the screen, he said loudly, "Your mother must be a loving mother, a good mother! She works in the fields during the busy farming season and spins and weaves during the off-season, but she has to hand over everything she earns from her hard work, leaving nothing for herself!"

At this point, Jingshan seemed to become the son of this loving mother, and he said sadly, "My mother sewed and mended, scrimped and saved, hoping that you would be successful in the future. But what happened? She still couldn't support you, you still became a monk, couldn't marry a good woman, and your lineage was cut off!"

Jie Kaiping was stunned. He wanted to argue, but Jingshan wouldn't let him.

"Tell me, is your mother still alive?" Jingshan asked loudly.

Jie Kaiping was an honest man, and he immediately said bitterly, "My mother was killed by thieves!"

"That's right!" Jing Shan said, revealing what he wanted to hear. He then said angrily, "Why is this world so difficult? What did this hardworking old woman do wrong? What did she do wrong?"

Jing Shan saw that Kai Ping still didn't cry, not even her eyes were red, so he asked again, "What did your mother love to do most when she was alive?"

After saying this, Jingshan looked at the bald monk in front of him with anticipation, waiting for the silly monk to say something touching, and then he would surely stir up a storm of emotions among the crowd.

“My mother, from a secular family, loves handsome young men the most.” Jie Kaiping told the truth without lying.

Jingshan's eyes widened, and he immediately grabbed Jie Kaiping, hugged her neck, and said to everyone in a sorrowful voice, "Did you all hear that? His mother loved seeing him when he was young! But as you can all see, he now has a full beard and a bald patch, he hasn't found a wife, and he can't even afford to eat! Who did this to him?"

Seeing that no one responded, Jingshan gave Jingchen a wink.

Helpless, Jingchen could only bare her left arm and weakly call out, "The government! The temple!" "Yes! The government! The temple!" Jingshan shouted, releasing the shawl, then raising his left hand and yelling, "Everyone is starving, starving to death is death, rebelling is also death, so why not..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whistle blew.

"Junior brother, run! They're thieving government soldiers!" Jingchen panicked and shouted.

"To die now is death, to launch a grand plan is also death, to await death is death, to die for the country... Oh dear!" Before Jing Shan could finish his polite words, Jing Chen led him away.

Hundreds of people scattered in a rush, and the government soldiers and demon-suppressing officers mixed among them immediately gave chase.

These people came for Jingshan, but they also knew that Jingshan was a nobody, so they didn't pay much attention to him and didn't send any experts.

Unfortunately, Jing Shan and Jing Chen were both incompetent and dared not even resist, so they could only flee in panic.

Meng Yuan and Dugu Ying exchanged a glance. Neither of them expected to encounter this situation again. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, they quickly ran away.

"No wonder Xuanjizi always looks so miserable!" Dugu Ying couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark.

"They are, after all, the Third Miss's junior apprentice, so I'll go and help them." Meng Yuan was someone who still valued the friendship between Jing Shan and Jing Chen.

"No need," Dugu Ying said, pulling Meng Yuan back. "Someone will save them!"

As they spoke, Dugu Ying pulled Meng Yuan along and continued south.

After traveling several miles, a person caught up from behind; it was Jie Kaiping.

"Amitabha." He untied the screen, put his palms together in a gesture of respect, and said, "This humble monk is truly destined to meet you two benefactors."

He untied the screen and said, "Benefactor Meng, your two friends have escaped safely, there is no need to worry."

"I had no idea that Brother Jie had joined the bandits," Meng Yuan said with a smile.

"Amitabha." Jie Kaiping bowed his head and said humbly, "It was just a coincidence."

When Meng Yuan reported on the affairs of Songhe Prefecture, he only concealed the matter of Jie Kaiping, but he did not conceal it from the Third Miss.

Therefore, Dugu Ying and Dugu Mingyue both knew about Meng Yuan and Jie Kaiping's past, and also knew that Jie Kaiping had broken free from Qing Guangzi's control.

Dugu Ying glanced at the untied screen but ignored it.

Jie Kaiping, however, valued his friend. He clasped his hands together in prayer and earnestly said to Meng Yuan, "Brother Meng, you are a beautiful jade, how can you not see through the illusion of a beautiful woman disguised as a skeleton?"

He made a good point. “Benefactor Dugu is like a young woman of sixteen. Just now, you ignored the words of the wise man of Chongxu Temple and kept staring at him. You clearly had evil thoughts! This humble monk thinks it is inappropriate.”

"Farewell!" Meng Yuan was too lazy to waste words with Jie Kaiping.

"Wait!" Jie Kaiping quickly caught up and asked, "Brother Meng, what are you going to do? You two look so murderous, are you planning to kill someone?"

Dugu Ying looked at Meng Yuan and said, "Kill him first."

"How could you be so heartless, female benefactor?" Jie Kaiping was startled and retreated repeatedly, chanting Buddhist prayers, "Amitabha, the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. A prodigal son's return is more precious than gold, and this humble monk has already reformed!"

"I don't trust any monks. Especially not Qing Guangzi's people!"

At this point, Dugu Ying looked at Meng Yuan and asked, "I remember he cultivated the Nirvana Form and achieved some success?"

"This humble monk has only learned some meditation and Zen techniques," Jie Kaiping said modestly. "Where can you find a use for this humble monk, benefactor? Please tell me."

Dugu Ying nodded to Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan knew that Yingmei wanted to use the ability to unlock the screen to interrogate Zhihe.

“Brother Jie, we came here specifically to ask you for a favor,” Meng Yuan said.

“Brother Meng, you just came to see me during the day, why say such nonsense?” Jie Kaiping knew that Meng Yuan was just making things up.

"Stop talking nonsense! I need your help this time!" Meng Yuan dropped the pretense. "If you don't help, pay me back!"

"Amitabha." Jie Kaiping paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What kind of help?"

"Help us capture someone and interrogate them," Meng Yuan said.

He unfurled the screen and fell into deep thought, remaining silent.

“This man once besieged Old Ying Gong,” Meng Yuan said.

"I am willing to assist you, benefactor," Jie Kaiping immediately said.

Without saying much, Meng Yuan immediately took Jie Kaiping with him, and the three of them traveled together.

The night was quiet, and even the sound of the wind was very faint.

Two fifth-grade cultivators and one sixth-grade cultivator—the seventy-mile journey will be quite fast.

Baoquan Temple was indeed a small temple. Upon entering the courtyard, one would find the main hall, where an ever-burning lamp was lit, and a monk was on night watch.

The backyard was where the monks of Baoquan Temple lived; the lights had long since disappeared, and only loud snoring could be heard.

“This humble monk cultivates the Dharma of Nirvana, which is most effective in suppressing all kinds of chaotic thoughts. I can also take the opportunity to guide thoughts. Several senior brothers from Baoquan Temple have already begun to dream of the great path being realized, and even with thunderous roars, they are unable to wake up.” Jie Kaiping’s move saved Meng Yuan and Dugu Ying, those two crude martial artists, from having to resort to violence.

After passing Baoquan Temple and walking for a quarter of an hour, the sound of spring water could be heard.

There was a thatched hut by the spring. Dugu Ying walked slowly towards it, while Meng Yuan followed ten steps behind, unbuttoning his screen further away.

"Amitabha." A hoarse voice came from the thatched house, "Your murderous aura is overwhelming, and you may suffer a backlash in the future."

"I can't worry about the future." Dugu Ying was petite, but her movements were extremely fast. In an instant, she transformed into a ball of black light and rushed forward.

In the blink of an eye, the black light disappeared again, and the thatched house exploded with a loud bang.

Meng Yuan immediately followed, transforming into a flying rainbow that pierced the long night.

Just then, a surging, intense Buddhist light appeared in the silent, dark night.

Before Jie Kaiping could even make a move, he examined the scene closely and immediately sensed something different. The three martial artists were fighting. One of them was incredibly fierce, and although the glow was faint, it was difficult to extinguish, as if he wanted to stir up chaos in the world. The other was clearly much weaker, and the rainbow was dim, but suddenly, it seemed to have the power to exist and destroy, as if he wanted to annihilate all things.

"This isn't a capture or interrogation, it's clearly an attempt to kill! Who can withstand the combined attack of the two of you?" Jie Kaiping wasn't stupid either. She had thought that the person in the thatched hut was doomed, but unexpectedly, a tremendous Buddhist light suddenly burst forth from the dilapidated thatched hut.

The Buddha's light seemed to contain endless Buddhist principles and possessed unparalleled power, as if it could pacify mountains and rivers.

"The Buddha moves mountains and rivers!" Jie Kaiping immediately understood. He stared intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Sure enough, as the Buddha unleashed his power, wave after wave surged forth with extraordinary ferocity.

The ever-flowing precious spring stopped abruptly, and the light of Bodhi's cessation of the path and the faint, dangerous flame instantly vanished.

"Amitabha."

A loud booming sound followed by silence.

The smoke and dust cleared, and the precious spring flowed again.

Zhihe sat cross-legged on the ground, spitting out blood, "There are actually other masters of the same path, my apologies."

"Amitabha." Jie Kaiping stepped forward and bowed. "I only had a moment's respite from the two masters' attacks. If it weren't for the fireflies' light and the Bodhi's light, this humble monk would have already fled."

Jie Kaiping wasn't lying; he's never been good at direct combat and is used to running away.

(End of this chapter)