Catching Monsters

Chapter 315 Abbot Fakong
Bailong Temple is located in the south of the inner city of Jinling, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. With its temples and pavilions, it is a place of great religious significance and enjoys a high reputation throughout the capital.

Legend has it that when the temple was first built, a white dragon descended from the sky, hence the name White Dragon Temple.

During the Shen hour (3-5 PM), wealthy young ladies or noblewomen, often carrying umbrellas, would come here to pray for blessings.

The monks at the entrance also warmly welcomed us.

Jiang Yun, dressed in casual clothes, arrived in front of Bailong Temple, glanced at the enormous temple, and walked inside.

The young monk at the entrance immediately hurried forward, clasped his hands together, and smiled: "This benefactor looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our Bailong Temple?"

Today, all five major Buddhist temples are undergoing reforms.

In the past, the monks of Bailong Temple would not exactly ignore worshippers who came to offer incense, but they would still maintain a certain level of ceremonial reserve.

But things have changed now, mainly because a new "King of Scrolls" has emerged.

It is said that at Changxin Temple in the outer city, any pilgrim who comes to visit will be greeted with a warm face, and people will ask about their well-being and even offer to massage their shoulders and feet.

There is no harm without comparison.

The business of Hakuryu-ji Temple has been affected to some extent.

Seeing the young monk's smiling face, Jiang Yun calmly shook his head and said, "I'm not here to offer incense. I want to meet Abbot Fakong of Bailong Temple."

Upon hearing this, the young monk paused slightly, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Esteemed benefactor, our White Dragon Temple has a rule: if you wish to see the abbot, you must diligently worship Buddha..."

The implication is that if you come to Bailong Temple and expect the abbot to come out and greet you, then you should at least donate a substantial amount of incense money every month.

Otherwise, if everyone comes to see the abbot, how can the abbot have so much time?

Jiang Yun took out a waist token, handed it over, and said, "I am Jiang Yun, a centurion of the Eastern Garrison Command. I have something to discuss with Abbot Fakong."

Upon hearing the words "Eastern Garrison Command," the young monk was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but glance at Jiang Yun a few more times.

Such a young commander of the Eastern Garrison?
The young monk dared not neglect him. He led Jiang Yun into the temple and took him to a meditation room used for receiving guests. After letting him rest for a while, he quickly went to inform the abbot.

The meditation room was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and simply furnished.

Jiang Yun sipped the fragrant tea on the table. Not long after, the door to the meditation room was pushed open, and a monk of about fifty years old walked in from outside.

The monk was slightly overweight, dressed in a yellow robe, and his smile was as gentle as a spring breeze.

"You must be Jiang Yun, the centurion of the Eastern Garrison Command?" After entering the room, Abbot Fakong put his hands together, chanted Amitabha, and sat down next to Jiang Yun. After looking Jiang Yun up and down, he said, "I wonder what brings Centurion Jiang to Bailong Temple?"

"It's nothing. I'm here to ask Abbot Fakong for someone. Money is no object." Jiang Yun put down his teacup with a smile.

"Oh." Abbot Fakong nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing.

His heart sank slightly. After all, Qian Buchou was the deputy commander of the Beicheng Military Command, and Abbot Fakong had specifically investigated his background.

The investigation also revealed that Qian Buchou had some connection with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

But after asking around, I found out.

Qian Buchou didn't have much contact with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion; he mainly had some interactions with Jiang Yun.

Only then did he feel relieved.

Abbot Fakong has been operating in the capital for many years. As the abbot of one of the five major Buddhist temples, how could he be afraid of Jiang Yun, a mere commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Abbot Fakong chuckled and slowly said, "Commander Jiang, you may not know this, but Qian Buchou disrespects Buddhism and insults the Buddha. He is indeed currently imprisoned in our Bailong Temple."

"You definitely can't take this person with you."

At this point, Abbot Fakong took a sip of tea and continued, "I have a long-standing friendship with your Commander Li, and even Commander Li's wife often comes to our Bailong Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings."

The meaning of this sentence is quite simple: don't try to intimidate me with your identity as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; I won't fall for it.

Jiang Yun understood the implication, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Abbot, I'd like to go see Qian Buchou, is that alright?"

"After all, he and I are brothers who came from Nanzhou Prefecture together. It's alright for me to bring him some food, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Abbot Fakong frowned, slowly rose, and his smile vanished, replaced by a coldness: "Commander Jiang, if you have come to seek blessings from Buddha, this old monk will certainly welcome you."

"But if you're here because you're not worried about money, then there's no need for that."

Jiang Yun narrowed his eyes, his words carrying a hint of threat: "Abbot Fakong, although monks are known for their promiscuity, it's not exactly a novelty in our Zhou Dynasty."

"But you are, after all, the abbot of one of the five great Buddhist temples. If word gets out that you're entangled with women outside, it won't be good for the reputation of Bailong Temple, will it?"

Upon hearing this, Abbot Fakong asked, "Are you threatening this old monk?"

Jiang Yun nodded: "That's right, I'm threatening you, so what?"

"I just want to see if I have enough money. If the abbot can't even grant me such a simple request, then..."

"Tomorrow morning, the Beijing Daily might publish a story about the abbot's scandalous affairs."

"If word of this gets out, which powerful or wealthy person would feel comfortable having their young lady or mistress come to your place to burn incense and pray?"

Abbot Fakong said coldly, "Commander Li and I have a long-standing friendship..."

Jiang Yun nodded, "Oh, right, you reminded me. I also need to inform Lord Li Wangxin that you, the abbot of Bailong Temple, are a wolf in sheep's clothing. His wife should go to Puji Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha instead." Abbot Fakong's face was gloomy, and he said in a deep voice, "Someone come here!"

The door opened quickly, and the young monk who had led the way pushed it open and asked, "Abbot, what are your orders?"

"Take this Commander Jiang to meet the scoundrel in the cellar."

After saying this, Abbot Fakong turned and left.

The young monk looked at Jiang Yun with some surprise, as he rarely saw Abbot Fakong so angry.

"Let's go, young master, don't just stand there."

……

In the cellar in the backyard of Hakuryu-ji Temple.

Although it is called a cellar, it is actually no different from a small dungeon, with all sorts of torture instruments inside.

The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty explicitly prohibit temples, Taoist temples, and other similar institutions from privately establishing prisons and places of punishment.

Qian Buchou was currently tied to a wooden stake, where two monks were inside, occasionally whipping him with their whips.

Qian Buchou had been tormented for nearly half a month, and his body was covered with countless scars.

Often, just as the wound had scabbed over, the two monks who were ordered to torture him would tear off the scabs, causing the blood to flow again.

The two monks knew that those captured by Abbot Fakong were unlikely to leave this place alive.

Now he has no worries about money and is still alive, but Abbot Fakong wants to make this guy suffer more.

While being tortured, Qian Buchou shouted, "I am an official appointed by the imperial court!"

"You bunch of bald monks, you treat human life like dirt, you even dare to arrest imperial officials and torture them in private. Once I get out of here alive, none of you will survive..."

One of the monks chuckled, picked up a bowl of strong liquor from the table, took a sip, and then splashed it on Qian Buchou.

The strong liquor spilled on his wound, causing Qian Buchou to grimace in pain.

"You're a tough nut to crack. It's rare to find someone who hasn't given in after being in this place for so long."

"You're just a mere deputy commander of the Northern City Garrison. If I kill you here, who in the court will care?"

“Our Abbot Fakong has very strong connections in the imperial court. You’re just a country bumpkin from out of town. What do you know?”

Qian Buchou was panting heavily, glaring angrily at the two monks. He felt helpless, but he also understood that what the two men said was probably true.

Qian Buchou has been in the capital for more than half a year, and his initial ambitions have gradually been worn away.

At first, he thought that he would come to the capital with Lord Zhang Wenqi and that with Lord Zhang Wenqi's help, he would surely rise to prominence quickly.

However, Lord Zhang Wenqi passed away a few days after arriving in the capital.

Without any powerful backing, he was bullied in every way after arriving at the North City Military Command. Later, he had no choice but to rely on the connections of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, which made his life in the Military Command much better.

But getting promoted and making a fortune is difficult.

The reason he was captured and brought here was not, as rumored, because he stole the abbot's woman; quite the opposite.

When he was down on his luck in his official career, he met a girl.

The girl's name was Chen Qingyu. She was a woman who sold candied hawthorns at a stall near the north gate of the city.

She was only in her early twenties.

It is said that this Miss Chen's parents were seriously ill, and she had to support her family on her own, so she made some candied hawthorns and sold them at the city gate every day.

However, whether it was a vendor passing by the city gate or a merchant passing by, they would always make some teasing remarks to Chen Qingyu.

Qian Buchou saw the money and felt that it was really not easy for a young girl to support her family on her own, so he instructed his subordinates to take good care of her.

With the protection of the soldiers from the North City Military Command, these people dared not act recklessly.

After making some inquiries, Chen Qingyu learned that it was Lord Qian Buchou of the North City Military Command who had asked him to take care of her. Every time he closed his stall, he would take out some leftover candied hawthorns and offer them to the soldiers guarding the city.

Later, he would even specifically give money to those who didn't worry about money and save some candied hawthorns.

The two quickly became quite familiar with each other, as Qian Buchou didn't have many friends in the capital.

Jiang Yun is one of them, but Jiang Yun is now a big shot, and Qian Buchou knows he can't bother him too often.

Over time, the two became quite fond of each other. Qian Buchou, after all, held an official position, and Chen Qingyu was willing to take Chen Qingyu as a concubine.

Just as the two were preparing to discuss marriage.

Suddenly, Chen Qingyu said she was going to Bailong Temple to pray for her parents, but after she entered the temple, she disappeared completely. It wasn't until three days later that someone discovered her body.

Qian Buchou quickly realized that this was probably related to the monks of Bailong Temple. Being a man of strong emotions, he immediately prepared to submit a memorial to the Emperor, but the memorial was quickly intercepted and never actually reached the Emperor.

That night, another group of monks from Bailong Temple came, captured him, and tortured him for half a month.

(End of this chapter)