The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 566 Corpse Lotus
As the moon rose, Li Miao arrived, treading through a pool of blood.

Blood flowing from inside the temple gate covered the steps, and with each step, the soles of boots were stained with blood. Crows, accustomed to feeding on corpses, swooped in from overhead, casting cloud-like shadows on the ground.

The mountain gate was ajar.

Li Miao walked to the door and pushed it open.

A fishy-sweet smell wafted towards me.

Li Miao frowned.

Judging from the amount of blood outside the temple gate, most of the monks at Enryaku-ji Temple must have died, and the area inside the gate should have smelled terrible.

But the scent that hit you wasn't unpleasant. Although there was a hint of rust mixed in, there was mostly a refreshing fragrance, like lotus leaves, which, combined with the sandalwood scent of the temple, actually had a somewhat invigorating effect.

Li Miao twirled his fingers as he walked slowly forward.

"Where's the body?"

Bloodstains remained on the ground, outlining blank human figures. Looking around, there were thousands of grayish-white human figures spread out in the crimson, but the corpses were nowhere to be seen.

Li Miao glanced around.

Yuan Chaoliang had been planning this for a long time; if he had any methods, he should have prepared them long ago. Whether they faced off sooner or later probably wouldn't make much difference. Since he couldn't rely on speed, gathering information about his opponent became crucial.

With just one glance, he saw the dried-up lake of blood left behind by the washing of his heart. The blood here dried up much faster than elsewhere, hardening and accumulating into a thick scab.

Li Miao squatted down, picked up a piece, and brought it to his nose to smell.

"The lotus scent, that strange fragrance, is coming from here. Judging from the crusted blood, it seems that Yuan Chaoliang first controlled the monks, and then killed everyone at the same time, drawing the blood here."

Li Miao threw away the blood scab and rubbed his chin.

"The blood gathered here and was absorbed by something."

"And then……"

Li Miao took a few steps to the side and stopped.

"Yuan Chaoliang has been killed."

"The footprints here are the only ones on top of the bloodstains. The only living person at the time should have been Yuan Chaoliang. The headless corpse with the imprint on the blood scab should be him."

"His head was smashed, and his hair was still in the blood."

"Heh, I thought he was someone important, but he died because of his own carefully prepared methods. It seems my opponent tonight isn't him... Could it be Master Jianzhen? Will I have to fight against the corpse of a senior again tonight?"

Li Miao turned and walked deeper into Yanli Temple.

The enemy's location is very clear.

The further they went, the fainter the smell of blood became, while the fragrance of lotus and sandalwood grew stronger. By the time they reached the middle of Enryaku-ji Temple, the scent had become so strong that Li Miao frowned.

"So choking."

Li Miao fanned himself in front of him.

"The lotus is ubiquitous in Buddhist imagery: lotus throne, the Buddha appearing when the flower blooms, the tongue blossoming like a lotus... and Guanyin sitting on a lotus."

"It's not surprising that the lotus scent indicates the enemy is related to Buddhism. But when it's so strong it's nauseating, it goes against Buddhist principles and has a hint of the Buddha being possessed by a demon."

Enryakusa Temple is not a single temple, but a cluster of temples that are almost scattered throughout the entire mountain. Its main buildings are the "Three Pagodas and Sixteen Valleys". Among them, the "Kongon Chungdang" of the East Pagoda of the Three Pagodas enshrines the Yakushi Nyorai statue and the Eternal Lamp, and is the absolute core of Enryakusa Temple.

The source of the smell points right here.

Upon reaching the main hall, the lotus fragrance suddenly weakened, replaced by a surge of bloody stench that rivaled the lotus scent.

Li Miao finally learned where the bodies of the monks from Yanli Temple had gone.

"Tsk!"

Li Miao stopped in her tracks, looking disgusted.

Ahead are the steps leading to the main hall. Originally carved from bluestone, they now feel like soft, fleshy human bodies underfoot.

The corpses of the monks were piled up one by one, their hands and feet joined together, their faces all facing outwards, and countless black eye sockets without eyeballs pointing downwards, as if they were looking at Li Miao.

At the end of the steps is the Buddhist hall.

What should have been a magnificent wooden building is now filled with corpses. The corpses have their hands clasped together in front of their chests, their heads bowed, as if they are offering incense and worshipping Buddha.

As the wind blows, the head sways back and forth, much like a Japanese teru teru bozu (a type of doll), its teeth clashing together in a clear and melodious sound.

"That's fucking disgusting."

Li Miao shook his head.

He is now fairly certain that his opponent is not human.

Putting aside whether a normal person would do such a thing, if the opponent were a Celestial Being, knowing that Li Miao would arrive soon, would spending time doing such a pointless thing really scare Li Miao?

An ordinary person might be terrified at the sight of this, and even Lu Wushuang would break out in a cold sweat if she came over. But for Li Miao, although the scene was a bit grand, it only made him feel a little disgusted.

In terms of simply "hanging people up," the number of people involved might not even be as many as Li Miao has done.

Wow!

Li Miao raised his hand, and his protective true energy condensed into a giant claw. He dug upwards along the steps, creating a path. He stepped upwards, his giant claw of true energy flailing wildly, tearing off the corpses on the ground and throwing them aside.

After a few breaths, Li Miao stood outside the Buddhist hall.

The gate was tightly shut, and the firelight inside flickered.

Li Miao sneered.

"Pretend to be a ghost."

Raise your hand and flick it.

Boom boom boom boom——

The wide Buddhist hall gate, along with the walls, was blown open and shot out to the side.

The scene inside the Buddhist hall was finally revealed.

A bronze lantern hangs from the roof of the Buddhist temple, its design simple and ancient, inlaid with mica on all four sides. An exceptionally thick wick extends from it, casting a dim, yellowish light that casts shadows.

In the center of the Buddhist hall, where the altar that once housed the Medicine Buddha was now crammed with human bodies, the legs of nearly a hundred corpses had melted and stuck together like candles, their bodies stretched out in all directions, their upper bodies drooping naturally like flower petals.

These corpses, like those hanging on the walls of a Buddhist temple, had their hands clasped together, faces upward, heads naturally drooping, facing in all directions, with blood dripping from their dark, empty eye sockets.

Tick, tick, tick.

Like dew falling on lotus leaves.

This is a lotus platform made of corpses.

In the very center of the lotus platform, a figure sits cross-legged, head bowed, right hand on knee, in a bold posture, while left hand is raised in front of chest, as if performing a Buddhist ritual.

Even when Li Miao ripped the doors and windows of the Buddhist hall apart with a single blow, he did not react at all. He simply sat quietly in place, neither making a sound nor moving.

Li Miao frowned, raised his hand, and pointed at the lantern.

clang!
The lantern swayed as it was struck, casting its light onto the shadows of people.

Only then did Li Miao finally see the person clearly.

But it made him laugh helplessly.

"Again."

He looked at the figure's clearly defined left profile and asked softly.

"Master Jianzhen?"

"If you're still alive, make a sound so I can hear it."

(End of this chapter)