Catching Monsters

Chapter 695 New and old grudges
Inside the inn, hundreds of Imperial Guards, armed with weapons, stood by the windows, watching the situation outside, ready to fight their way out for Lord Jiang at any moment.

Jiang Yun also looked at the situation outside with a sullen face.

If a fight really breaks out, even if he manages to escape, probably not many of his more than one hundred Imperial Guards will survive.

At this moment, Jiang Yun could only hope for the outcome of Liu Boqing's negotiations with the other party.

Fortunately, seeing the many monks surrounding them in the darkness, they gradually withdrew from the area.

"They've retreated, sir, they've retreated." Qi Da, standing next to Jiang Yun, breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon seeing this.

When Liu Boqing returned to the inn, his face was gloomy. Seeing this, Jiang Yun quickly led him to his room and also called Chen Yu, who was familiar with Liujin City, to come along.

After sitting down in his room, Jiang Yun asked, "Mr. Liu, what did you say?"

Liu Boqing glanced at everyone in the room before lowering his voice and slowly recounting his conversation with Xia Yuxin.

After hearing this, Jiang Yun, Chen Yu, Qi Da, and the monk Yunhai, Mao Dacai, Ai Tangtang, and others who had returned all showed expressions of surprise.

"Killed their king?" Jiang Yun frowned deeply. No wonder this person came to greet them personally after their arrival.

Qi Da, standing to the side, frowned deeply and said, "Lord Jiang, we can't really listen to Xia Yuxin's words. If we kill their king in their capital, we certainly won't be able to leave here alive."

At this point, Zidane couldn't help but frown and said, "This damned national advisor actually wants to kill their king."

Standing to the side, Chen Yu, who was familiar with the situation in Liujin City, did not seem surprised. He explained, "Lord Jiang, Lord Qi, you are unaware of this."

"The people of the Western Regions, unlike the people of our Zhou Kingdom, have not been influenced by Confucian culture. It is not surprising that they would do this. They are just barbarians."

"Moreover, Xia Yuxin is different from Master Hongguang."

At this point, Chen Yu glanced at Jiang Yun before continuing, "Master Hongguang holds a transcendent position in the Buddhist country, with numerous disciples and controlling many Buddhist temples and monasteries in various places."

“Their position is deeply entrenched.”

"But after Master Hongguang died, there was a split within Buddhism in the Buddhist country."

"Some people believe that we should go to the State of Zhou first to seek revenge on Lord Jiang. Whoever can avenge Lord Jiang is qualified to inherit the position of Grand Master Hongguang as the National Preceptor."

"Master Huang Fan led a group of monks to the Zhou Kingdom..."

"But after Master Huang Fan left, Xia Yuxin immediately took action and killed a large number of monks who were determined to avenge Master Hongguang."

He forcibly ascended to the position of Imperial Advisor.

"For this reason, there were endless voices of dissatisfaction and opposition from below, and even the king had the idea of ​​replacing him."

Chen Yu had been in this place for many years and knew the situation here very well.

After listening, Liu Boqing glanced at Jiang Yun and slowly said, "It seems that no matter whether we kill the king or not tomorrow, Xia Yuxin will not let Jiang Yun off easily."

"He won't let the opportunity to get rid of Jiang Yun slip by."

"As long as he can kill Jiang Yun, the real culprit who killed Master Hongguang, he can at least give an explanation to his subordinates."

"Furthermore, it will be us who kill the king, not Xia Yuxin..."

Jiang Yun wasn't in a hurry. Sitting down beside him, he asked, "Mr. Liu, what are your thoughts?"

Liu Boqing remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on Chen Yu: "What's the situation with this ruler?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu slowly said, "The ruler of the Buddhist Kingdom is different from His Majesty the Emperor of our Zhou Kingdom."

"Most of the power in the entire Buddhist kingdom is in the hands of the Buddhist temples, and they even collect the taxes from various places themselves."

"Only a portion will be set aside and eventually handed over to the king."

"The territory controlled by the king is the Golden City and several nearby cities."

After hearing Chen Yu's words, everyone present fell silent for a moment.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll go see that king," Liu Boqing said.

……

In the Western Regions, as the sun slowly rises, the chill of the night quickly disappears.

The streets were bustling with activity; the prosperity of Liujin City was second to none in the entire Western Regions.

Early in the morning, a procession of more than forty monks, tasked with welcoming the envoys, slowly arrived in front of the inn.

All the monks were dressed in formal attire, and the leader was the Imperial Preceptor Xia Yuxin. The procession also carried many musical instruments, which they played along the way.

Looking down at the deafening drums and gongs below from above the inn, Jiang Yun frowned, then found Qi Da and ordered his men to get ready.

It was not surprising that Xia Yuxin brought so many people to greet them; naturally, the more people who knew about the Zhou delegation's entry into the palace, the better.

Soon, Jiang Yun and his Imperial Guards came downstairs to prepare.

Led by Liu Boqing, the group went outside.

Xia Yuxin smiled and said, "Distinguished guests, the King was very pleased to hear of your visit to the Buddhist Kingdom. He is currently waiting for you in the palace."

Hearing Xia Yuxin's words, Liu Boqing said calmly, "Grand Preceptor Xia, you still haven't brought me what I asked for yesterday."

"No rush." ​​After Xia Yuxin finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved, "Please, distinguished guests, enter the palace!" Xia Yuxin himself was quite powerful, and the monks he brought with him were clearly not benevolent people.

The group was clearly in a difficult situation and had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow them into the palace.

Liu Boqing's expression darkened slightly, and he could only nod.

Jiang Yun turned and went back into the inn, whispering to Qi Da, "You and your men stay at the inn. We'll go in and visit the king."

"If things go wrong, you and your men should try to escape from Liujin City."

Upon hearing this, Qi Da's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "My lord, let me accompany you inside."

"Alright." Jiang Yun raised his hand and patted Qi Da's shoulder: "Even if you go in there, you won't be of much help."

After speaking, Jiang Yun glanced outside, reached out and touched the backpack on his body, which was full of talismans.

Qi Da and many of the Imperial Guards stayed behind, and only Liu Boqing, Jiang Yun, Ai Tangtang, Monk Yunhai, and the cat Da Cai that Ai Tangtang was holding entered the palace.

Surrounded by numerous monks, the group slowly made their way towards the royal palace.

Along the way, there were many people from the Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom standing on both sides of the street, watching Jiang Yun and his group.

Many passersby whispered among themselves, their faces showing curiosity about the visitors from Zhou.

Soon, they gradually arrived at the palace.

The palace in Liujin City covers an area about half the size of the Zhou Dynasty's royal palace. It has high walls, and many monks patrol the walls.

Led by Xia Yuxin, the group quickly crossed the city wall.

Upon crossing the city walls, the scene inside the palace surprised everyone present.

It's important to know that most of the land in the Western Regions is Gobi Desert, where it's rare to see any greenery.

Inside the palace, however, it was lush and green, with plants growing everywhere.

As the saying goes, things are valued for their rarity. Greenery, which is common in the Zhou Kingdom, is the most luxurious thing in the Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions.

We walked along a path lined with large, green trees on both sides, towards a palace in the very center of the royal palace.

The palace was enormous, with columns inside carved with statues of gods and Buddhas, giving it a solemn and dignified appearance.

This place doesn't look like a kingdom palace; it looks more like the main hall of a huge Buddhist temple.

The only difference is that there are no Buddha statues enshrined here.

Inside the palace, directly above a huge stone chair, sits a man in his seventies.

The old man was dressed in fine clothes and had a beard. He was bowing his head slightly, as if he were dozing off.

Upon arriving at the entrance, Xia Yuxin smiled and said to Jiang Yun and Liu Boqing, "Everyone, this is our Buddhist Kingdom's ruler, Suo Yunxiang."

"The king has been waiting for you for a long time, please come in."

Jiang Yun and Liu Boqing exchanged a glance, then led Monk Yunhai, Ai Tangtang, and Mao Dacai slowly into the palace.

The palace was unusually quiet, with only the sound of a few footsteps.

Liu Boqing coughed lightly and said, "King Suo, we have come to visit you on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of Zhou."

After he finished speaking, the king in front of him kept his head down and did not make a sound.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yun's eyebrows furrowed and his face darkened.

"Something's not right." Jiang Yun's expression changed slightly. He quickly stepped forward and checked the king's pulse. He had already stopped breathing.

Upon inspection, a dagger was found stuck in his back, the blood of which had already congealed and dried, indicating that he had been dead for more than an hour.

be cheated.

Seeing this, Liu Boqing was not in a hurry. Instead, he said to Ai Tangtang, "Later, try to get away and find the royal treasury. See if you can find the whereabouts of the meteorite in the treasury."

“Okay.” Ai Tangtang nodded quickly upon hearing this.

Soon, a dense sound of footsteps echoed outside the main hall.

Then, Xia Yuxin's voice rang out: "Help! These Zhou envoys have attacked the king! They have killed the king!"

At this moment, numerous monks and warrior monks had already been arranged and quickly gathered from all directions.

There were probably several hundred people, a dense crowd that completely surrounded the palace.

Xia Yuxin's eyes also held a hint of murderous intent.

Beside Xia Yuxin were several skilled monks. He instructed them, "Jiang Yun was among the murderers who killed Master Hongguang. He was audacious and reckless; killing Master Hongguang was one thing, but he was another!"

"How dare you come to the Buddhist Kingdom today and kill the king!"

"We have both old and new grudges to settle with Jiang Yun today."

(End of this chapter)