Catching Monsters

Chapter 538 The Path to Sainthood Was Cut Off
Upon hearing Qin Hong's words, Feng Yu couldn't help but glance at him. It should be noted that Master Hongguang, as the national teacher of the Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions, possessed a strength of first rank, which was probably already at its peak.

It is extremely difficult to kill it.

However, Qin Hong then lowered his head and said, "However, if we want to kill Hong Guang, we will probably need to use that half of the Sacred Tomb map. This matter will probably require His Majesty's approval."

"Half a map of the Holy Tomb? I agree. Get it done." Xiao Yuzheng took a deep breath and said.

"Yes."

Qin Hong nodded slightly and walked out respectfully. Feng Yu followed him out and asked in a low voice, "Eunuch Qin, you don't really intend to kill Master Hongguang, do you?"

"Since His Majesty is so angry, we should just go along with what he says first." Qin Hong said with a smile, "As for whether we can really kill Hong Guang in the end, we, as his servants, will do our best."

Upon hearing Qin Hong's words, Feng Yu narrowed her eyes slightly, gave him a deep look, and then said, "But why does Eunuch Qin need that half of the map if he wants to deal with Master Hongguang?"

"That's none of Eunuch Feng's concern."

……

"What a mess this is."

Inside the study, Jiang Yun looked at Qi Da and Qian Buchou in front of him, scratched his head, and realized that he had no way to resolve the Gu worms inside these two people.

Qian Buchou now realized that he had a poisonous Gu in his body, and said anxiously, "Brother, you have to think of a way for me. You know, it's not easy for me either."

"He finally got a position as a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, and he's only been in power for a couple of days. If he dies like this..."

"Even in the afterlife, I will be ashamed before my ancestors."

Zidane kept his head down and remained silent. After all, he knew in his heart that he had been poisoned by the Gu poison because he had been seduced by the woman from the Western Regions while on official business. He had no face to say anything.

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to handle this." Jiang Yun frowned, glancing towards the direction of the palace. So many officials had been afflicted by this mysterious poison; surely His Majesty would have a solution…

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Feeling annoyed, Jiang Yun walked forward, opened the door, and was surprised to find Qin Hong wearing a black trench coat.

Jiang Yun's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected Qin Hong to visit at this time.

He turned to Qi Da and Qian Buchou and said, "You two go out first."

"Yes."

Qian Buchou and Qi Da glanced at the person at the door with some surprise.

After stepping outside, they saw Qin Hong being welcomed inside by Jiang Yun.

"Who is this person?" Qian Buchou asked in a low voice. "I don't think I've seen him before?"

Zidane shook his head: "I don't recognize him either, but he must be a distinguished guest."

"How did you figure that out?" Qian Buchou asked, puzzled.

Zidane said in a low voice, "That distinguished guest has the air of someone from the palace. He even has a eunuch's waist tag hanging from his waist, and his boots are the standard style for palace eunuchs."

Upon hearing this, Qian Buchou exclaimed, "Wow, no wonder you're a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, your observation is quite meticulous..."

Inside the room, Jiang Yun respectfully invited Qin Hong to sit down and hurriedly made tea: "Eunuch Qin is a rare guest. It seems that this is the first time you have come to see me in person."

Qin Hong took the tea from Jiang Yun, took a sip, glanced at him, and said, "You've been in charge of the safety of Monk Hongguang, right? You were also the first to discover that he was poisoning court officials with Gu poison."

Jiang Yun nodded slightly, and Qin Hong then took out a scroll and casually tossed it in front of Jiang Yun: "Take it."

"This is?"

Jiang Yun opened it, glanced at it, and her expression changed slightly: "Father-in-law, what is this thing...?"

Jiang Yun hurriedly handed back the half map of the Holy Tomb. This thing was too hot to handle, so Jiang Yun dared not take it lightly.

Qin Hong smiled faintly and said slowly, "Oh, this is something that ordinary people can't even get, so why are you so afraid of it?"

Jiang Yun smiled awkwardly and didn't reply.

"Don't worry, it's not for you," Qin Hong said calmly. "It's just temporarily in your hands."

"Someone might come to pick it up later, so be quick then."

"Don't let anyone see through your disguise."

"Also, this map is a copy, and many of the details are just random drawings, so don't take it seriously and memorize it."

After Qin Hong finished speaking, he got up and walked outside. After taking a few steps, he turned back and reminded Jiang Yun again: "Remember."

Watching Qin Hong stride away, Jiang Yun was completely baffled.

……

Inside a side room of Bailong Temple, Master Hongguang sat cross-legged with his hands clasped together. Several beautiful women from the Western Regions were gently stroking his body beside him.

But he remained unfazed, completely unaffected by the eroticism.

One reason he brought these hundreds of women with him was indeed to secretly poison many of the court officials.

Another purpose was indeed to cultivate one's willpower.

Master Hongguang was able to cultivate to the first-grade Bodhisattva level in Buddhism. He was not greedy for money and had no interest in power.

In his early years, his cultivation was always limited, mainly because the temptation of women made his heart waver.

Subsequently, Master Hongguang, a ruthless man, went so far as to find hundreds of stunningly beautiful women and indulge in their beauty day and night for three whole years.

These three years have given him a profound understanding of women.

After three years of experiencing all kinds of stunning women, he finds it difficult to be moved by female beauty now.

In his view, this is what Buddha meant by not entering the mortal world, so how can one transcend it?

It was through this process that he suddenly realized the truth and completely entered the realm of a first-grade Bodhisattva.

To remind himself and strengthen his will, he developed the habit of always having a group of stunningly beautiful women around him, constantly tempting himself.

At this moment, the door slowly opened, and a woman gently approached Master Hongguang's side, holding a secret letter in her hand. She whispered, "This was sent by the Master's friend."

Upon hearing this, Hongguang slightly opened his eyes and opened the letter.

The letter contained the following passage: The map has left the palace and is in the hands of Jiang Yun of the Eastern Garrison Command.

"In Jiang Yun's hands?" Hong Guang narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing this. This person was from the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom and had been planted in the capital of Zhou State many years ago. His information was reliable.

Monk Hongguang closed his eyes and said calmly, "Go and find out where the Jiang residence is."

As darkness fell, Jiang Yun returned to the Jiang residence.

"Master is back." Yun Pingchuan was waiting at the door.

This was indeed Yun Pingchuan's habit. Whenever Jiang Yun was working in the capital, Yun Pingchuan would come to the gate of the Marquis's residence as it approached his return home. Seeing Jiang Yun rushing back from afar, he hurried forward to greet him, saying with a smile, "Madam is waiting for you to have dinner."

Back in the living room, Xu Suwen was sitting at the table, her chin resting on her left hand and a pair of chopsticks in her right.

Jiang Qiaoqiao sat beside her and whispered in her ear about the interesting things that had happened during her time studying at the academy.

Upon seeing Jiang Yun return, Jiang Qiaoqiao's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up, saying, "Brother! You're back."

Jiang Yun nodded, touched the half-copied map of the Holy Tomb that he carried with him, and then said, "Uncle Yun, take Suwen and Qiaoqiao back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. They can't stay at home tonight."

"What happened?" Xu Suwen's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"It's nothing," Jiang Yun smiled.

Yun Pingchuan was slightly taken aback, but quickly arranged a carriage and personally escorted Xu Suwen and Jiang Qiaoqiao away from the Jiang residence.

Jiang Yun then sat in the living room and waited. He didn't know what Qin Hong, that old eunuch, had planned, so he could only wait.

Jiang Yun waited until 3:45 PM when a gust of wind suddenly blew past outside the living room, and he looked towards the outside of the living room.

Master Hongguang had appeared outside the living room door without anyone noticing.

He was wearing a yellow monk's robe, his hands clasped together, and he was still barefoot, standing on a lotus flower.

Jiang Yun couldn't help but think to himself, "This Master Hongguang is really something. Even at this late hour, with no one else around, he still has to maintain this air of superiority all the time..."

Although he had already guessed that the other party would come, Jiang Yun still showed a look of 'surprise' on his face.

He quickly stood up and asked, "Master Hongguang, why aren't you resting at Bailong Temple? Why did you come to my home..."

Master Hongguang slowly stepped forward and said, "Lord Jiang, I have come to ask you for something."

"Map of the Holy Tomb"

Jiang Yun chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Master Hongguang, look at what you're saying. That thing is in His Majesty the Emperor's hands. How could someone of my status and position have such a thing?"

"Hand it over."

"I am a monk, so I will not utter any threatening words."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun remained silent for a while before taking out the copied map of the Holy Tomb from his bosom and tossing it over.

"That's quite straightforward." Upon seeing this, Master Hongguang opened the map. His sharp eyes immediately revealed, "This map is a copy?"

“Master Hongguang, you don’t actually think His Majesty would hand over the original map to me, do you?” Jiang Yun said in a deep voice.

Master Hongguang touched the map and asked in a deep voice, "What I'm more curious about is why your Emperor would entrust this to you?"

Master Hongguang was well aware of the importance of this item, but he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, "The Holy Tomb is about to open, and His Majesty the Emperor is also preparing to send our Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) experts in. As the Commander of the Eastern Garrison, His Majesty gave me the map in advance, which I secretly memorized and then burned."

Jiang Yun's excuse was actually quite plausible.

However, Master Hongguang was a shrewd man who had cultivated to this level, and he was not so easily fooled.

He stared at the map in his hand, already sensing something was wrong, and said in a deep voice, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? Trying to fool me with a fake?"

After saying that, he threw the map on the ground.

Then, his eyes flashed with anger as he stared intently at Jiang Yun, observing her reaction.

To Master Hongguang's surprise, Jiang Yun said instead, "Master doesn't want it? That's good, so that if the map is lost later, I'm afraid I'll be severely punished by His Majesty."

After saying that, Jiang Yun bent down to pick up the map.

"Wait!" Master Hongguang gritted his teeth and stared at the map on the ground.

I clearly felt that this map was a bit eerie, but...

Hongguang took a deep breath and bent down to pick it up himself.

This map is extremely important to Hongguang; it is the key to whether he can break through to the first-grade realm and become a Buddha.

What if, what if this thing is real?
But obtaining this map was far too easy.

It's perfectly normal for Hongguang to have doubts.

In the end, Hongguang put the map away and glared at Jiang Yun, saying, "If word of this gets out, everyone in your Jiang family will die."

"Including the fact that you secretly sent your wife and sister away, do you think this humble monk is unaware of it?"

"At that time, they will also die a gruesome death."

To Hongguang's surprise, Jiang Yun did not show any anger when he heard the last sentence.

Instead, she smiled at him.

"Humph."

Hongguang waved his hand and turned to leave, while Jiang Yun's smiling face concealed a chilling killing intent in his eyes.

After Hongguang had completely left, Qu Wushang suddenly walked out from the back door of the living room. He leaned against the wall and said, "This monk's strength is not weak."

Jiang Yun was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Qu Wushang: "Senior Qu, when did you arrive?"

"I came here as soon as the monk arrived," Qu Wushang said calmly.

However, it was obvious that even Hongguang failed to notice Qu Wushang behind him.

Hearing this, Jiang Yun said with some regret, "If you were to intervene, you could..."

"Don't count on it. On your wedding day, you killed that Chang Wuming, which aggravated my old injuries. If I want to kill this bald monk again, my old arms and legs can't do it."

Qu Wushang waved his hand, slowly sat down at the table, looked at the cold food, picked up a pair of chopsticks and started eating, and said, "Is the Holy Tomb about to open?"

"Is Senior Qu interested?"

"It would be a lie to say I'm not interested," Qu Wushang said, eating the food on the table. "Among all cultivators in the world, whose goal isn't to ultimately become a Buddha or a saint?"

"The path to sainthood has been cut off. Perhaps there is only a glimmer of hope within this sacred tomb."

"The path to sainthood has been cut off?" Jiang Yun sat down next to Qu Wushang, staring at him curiously: "Senior Qu, what do you mean?"

Qu Wushang calmly changed the subject, saying, "Recently, many experts have come to the capital, but none of them have done it as openly as Hongguang."

"These people are all here for the map of the Holy Tomb."

"After all, it is a sacred tomb left by a saint, and no one can say for sure what dangers lie within."

"With this map, we might have a better chance of success."

(End of this chapter)