Catching Monsters

Chapter 698 Not Discussing the Truth
The Dragon Clan wields considerable influence, and a master like Xia Yuxin naturally knew that the Dragon Clan had a Dragon Saint.

After recognizing the woman's dragon identity, Xia Yuxin frowned deeply.

Ai Tangtang didn't care about anything else at this moment and snatched the meteorite from Xia Yuxin's hand.

In an instant, a golden Buddhist light flashed from Xia Yuxin's body. The powerful force directly sent Ai Tangtang flying backward, blasting down many gold and silver treasures behind her.

"Cough cough!"

Ai Tangtang coughed violently and quickly got up to run away.

A dragon's roar resounded, and in an instant she transformed into her true form, her enormous body smashing the roof of the treasure vault to pieces.

Xia Yuxin watched Ai Tangtang's fleeing figure, hesitated for a moment, but did not continue to pursue her.

"A demon of the dragon race." Xia Yuxin took a deep breath, clearly somewhat wary of the dragon race, yet he let Ai Tangtang escape.

……

At this moment, inside the Golden City, Jiang Yun was hiding in a stone courtyard, fortunately, no one was in the courtyard.

Outside, the sounds of Buddhist soldiers patrolling could be heard continuously on the streets.

Jiang Yun was not seriously injured, and he quickly headed towards the outside of Liujin City.

Before leaving, Jiang Yun made a trip to the inn where Qi Da and the other Imperial Guards were staying, and took a look from afar.

There were also many signs of battle here, and many monks' corpses and some of the Jinyiwei's corpses were on the ground.

Clearly, while they were making their move at the royal palace, they were probably also taking action against their own subordinates here.

Jiang Yun's expression darkened, and he couldn't help but glance in the direction of the palace before heading out of the city.

At this time, the gates of Liujin City were under martial law, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter or leave.

Of course, these so-called city walls could not stop Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun found a section of the city wall with lax defenses and flew away.

Fifteen miles east of Liujin City, there was an oasis that was almost dried up. Before entering Liujin City, the group had agreed on what to do if anything unexpected happened inside the city.

They then gathered here.

The lake in the center of the oasis is almost gone, leaving only a dozen or so withered, yellow trees around it, teetering on the verge of collapse.

"We've already fled for a full fifteen miles. Let's stop the bleeding for the injured guy first, and then see what to do next."

Zidane shouted loudly, "Of the more than one hundred Imperial Guards, only more than seventy have escaped from Liujin City, and many of them are seriously injured and need to be treated as soon as possible to stop the bleeding."

Soon, those with minor injuries began to treat their seriously wounded companions.

Zidane looked at Liujin City with a hint of worry in his eyes.

He glanced at the sky, worried about the pursuers, yet dared not leave the area easily.

If we leave Lord Jiang's place to find him...

"Huh, what's that?" Zida quickly saw a dragon slowly flying down from the sky, and Ai Tangtang transformed into human form.

"Miss Tangtang." Qi Da breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ai Tangtang appear and quickly stepped forward: "How did things go after you entered the palace?"

“I don’t know either,” Ai Tangtang shook her head.

After being surrounded by monks, Ai Tangtang immediately sought an opportunity to search for the meteorite.

After escaping from the palace, she arrived at this place to wait for the reunion, as previously agreed.

"This..." Zidane was anxious, but he could only wait there.

After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Imperial Guard who had been keeping watch at the back finally arrived quickly, with a smile on his face, and said, "Lord Qi, Lord Jiang is back! Lord Jiang is back!"

Zidane hurriedly walked out of the oasis and saw Jiang Yun rushing over.

"Lord Jiang, it's so good that you're alright." Qi Da's worried heart was finally put at ease.

Then he said, "Shortly after you went to the palace, suddenly, many monks came to our inn."

"The monks killed people indiscriminately without saying a word, and there were many of them."

"I led my brothers and risked my life to escape from inside, and even then, we lost more than seventy of them."

“These bald monks, they all look kind and gentle, but when they take up a knife, they don’t even blink.”

Jiang Yun glanced at the many wounded men in the oasis, patted Zida on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "You've worked hard."

"Miss Tangtang escaped too?" Jiang Yun looked at Ai Tangtang: "What about the last meteorite? Did you find it?"

Ai Tangtang shook her head and sighed, "That treasure vault was too big. The box containing the meteorite was hidden in a corner. Later, Xia Yuxin arrived and took the last meteorite."

Ai Tangtang recounted what had happened. After listening, Jiang Yun remained silent for a moment before saying, "So, those seven meteorites have all fallen into Xia Yuxin's hands?"

Once all seven meteorites are collected...

Perhaps sensing Jiang Yun's worry, Ai Tangtang slowly said, "Don't worry, of all the meteorites in the world, probably only Liu Boqing can use them."

"Of course, there's also Bai Shuiqing."

Ai Tangtang reminded him, "If the meteorite falls into Xia Yuxin's hands, it's still a minor matter."

"But if this item falls into Bai Shuiqing's hands, then it's all over."

Jiang Yun nodded slightly to indicate that he understood. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Qi Da, take Miss Tang Tang and retreat to a place fifty miles outside Liujin City to wait."

"I'll stay and try to rescue Liu Boqing and the others."

Upon hearing this, Qi Da hurriedly stepped forward and said, "My lord, this will not do. I am willing to go through thick and thin with you. I am not a coward who fears death. Staying here will surely be of some use."

Upon hearing this, the other Imperial Guards nearby also turned to look at Jiang Yun.

"Sir, we'll stay and help you save people."

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yun's lips moved slightly, but she didn't know what to say.

“Alright.” Jiang Yun frowned and said, “Right now, we need to find out how many first-grade experts are in this Liujin City.”

"Furthermore, the fact that Xia Yuxin needed to kill the king to seize power shows that there must be people in Liujin City who oppose him, and they may be of some help to us."

……

Inside the palace dungeon, Liu Boqing, Mao Dacai, and Monk Yunhai were imprisoned.

Among them, the collarbone on the back of the monk Yunhai had been pierced with an iron hook, sealing his magical power.

Meanwhile, the cat Da Cai standing to the side is a demon, and the methods used to seal human magic have no effect on it.

At this moment, it was surrounded by a Buddhist light, which forcibly suppressed the magical power within its body.

As for Liu Boqing, he was held in solitary confinement in the next cell. He was just an ordinary person, so there was no need for such methods to deal with him.

At this moment, Liu Boqing sat in his cell, closing his eyes to rest, seemingly lost in thought.

Cat Da Cai from the next cell spoke up: "Mr. Liu, think of something! We're trapped again, and we've lost all the meteorites..." Liu Boqing heard Cat Da Cai's voice, opened his eyes, and said: "Alright, someone's here."

Footsteps slowly approached from the distant corridor.

Xia Yuxin had already taken off his monk's robe and was now wearing the yellow robes of the Imperial Preceptor.

He clasped his hands together and slowly approached the prison cell. Without wasting any words, he went straight to Liu Boqing and said, "Lord Gao, Lord Gao, do you think that if you collect these seven meteorites, you can become a Buddha or a saint?"

After saying that, he slowly opened his palm, revealing seven meteorites in his hand.

Liu Boqing nodded slightly and extended his hand: "Grand Preceptor, as long as you hand over these seven meteorites to me, I can help you attain Buddhahood."

"Become a Buddha?"

Xia Yuxin narrowed his eyes and glanced at the seven meteorites in his hand: "In that case, why don't you just tell me how to use them, Lord Gao?"

"My master guarantees that if this thing is truly as you say, then I will release you."

Xia Yuxin wasn't stupid. If this thing really was some kind of treasure, what if something went wrong if he handed it over to the other party?
Seeing this, Liu Boqing took a deep breath and slowly said, "Grand Preceptor Xia, I am just an ordinary person with no magical power. Even if this is some kind of treasure, it's in my hands. If you want to snatch it, wouldn't it be an easy matter?"

"What do you have to worry about?"

"Hmph." Xia Yuxin snorted coldly, put away the seven meteorites, and said in a deep voice, "This master does not have that much patience. It will be dark soon. If you do not hand over the method of using these items before dawn, I will send the three of you to the Western Paradise to see Buddha."

After saying that, Xia Yuxin waved his hand and turned to leave.

Liu Boqing rested his hand on the prison wall, clenching his fist slightly, yet feeling somewhat helpless.

……

Gilded City, Chongguang Temple.

This temple holds an extremely high status in the Buddhist country of the Western Regions. Inside the temple, there is a blue stone. It is said that when the Buddha descended, he sat on this blue stone to spread the Dharma.

Master Faqing was the abbot of Chongguang Temple.

After returning from the palace, Master Faqing went to the Buddhist hall to chant Buddhist scriptures and pray for the king who had been murdered by villains that day.

When the king dies, according to the rules of the Buddhist kingdom, the child with the most profound Buddhist knowledge among the king's offspring will be chosen to succeed to the throne.

Of course, when the king dies, a grand Buddhist ceremony will be held to pray for his soul.

Similar to the funeral of the emperor in the Zhou Dynasty.

Xia Yuxin had already told him that this Buddhist Dharma assembly would be presided over by Master Faqing.

The grand Buddhist ceremonies held during the king's funeral were presided over by people recognized throughout the Buddhist country as having the most profound understanding of Buddhism.

Normally, this would be handled by the Imperial Advisor, Xia Yuxin.

This time, however, Master Faqing was invited to preside over the event.

Master Faqing naturally valued this highly. Just then, a young monk walked in quickly and said respectfully, "Abbot, there is a distinguished guest who says he is your friend and wishes to see you."

"My friend?" Master Faqing was not surprised to hear this. He was a highly accomplished Buddhist monk and had connections with many eminent monks in Buddhist temples. People would often come to visit him.

He asked, "Which eminent monk has come?"

"The person who came is not a monk." The young monk shook his head: "I don't recognize him either."

"Then send them away," Master Faqing said casually.

The young monk's face clearly showed some tension. He opened his mouth slightly before saying, "Abbot, the person who came claimed that the death of the king today was not, as is being spread, the work of the Zhou delegation."

"It was Xia Yuxin who killed him."

Upon hearing this, Master Faqing frowned and glanced at the young monk: "How can you speak such nonsense?"

The young monk hurriedly knelt on the ground and said with some fear, "Abbot, those were the words of that person. Moreover, the person also said that he would not leave if the abbot did not see him."

Master Faqing already had a vague idea of ​​who it was. He said calmly, "It's fine that he escaped during the day, but I didn't expect him to dare to come back. Perfect, I will capture him and avenge the king."

"Where is he?"

The young monk standing nearby said, "He claimed to be a friend of the abbot, so I led him to a side hall to wait."

Master Faqing shook his robe, slowly rose, and walked towards the side hall.

Upon entering, one sees Jiang Yun sitting in a chair in the side hall, resting with his eyes closed.

He waved his hand, signaling the young monk behind him to leave.

"This benefactor, I never expected you would dare to return." Master Faqing said with a stern face as he slowly walked into the side hall, as if he were about to take action at any moment.

The visitor was naturally Jiang Yun.

After much deliberation, Jiang Yun decided to meet Master Faqing first.

“Master, what are you saying? There’s a misunderstanding between us today, not hatred.” Jiang Yun said with a smile, “I’ve come here to avenge your king.”

Master Faqing said coldly, "Hmph, the King of Suo was a man of profound Buddhist teachings and was kind and benevolent to the people of the Buddhist Kingdom. He was deeply loved and respected, but in the end, he died at your hands."

Jiang Yun quickly interrupted him: "Master Faqing, think carefully, why did we kill the king?"

"Our Zhou Kingdom and the Buddhist Kingdom are separated by that huge desert, and usually only merchants travel between them."

"Does His Majesty the Emperor of Zhou need to send over a hundred men from so far away to kill the ruler of the kingdom?"

What benefits would it bring to the Zhou state?

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and said, "In fact, as soon as we arrived in Liujin City, Xia Yuxin arranged for us to kill the king..."

Jiang Yun then recounted the truth of the matter in detail.

Finally, Jiang Yun added, "Master Faqing, that's how it is. This morning, when we arrived at the palace, what we saw was the corpse of your king."

Hearing Jiang Yun's words, Master Faqing fell silent.

It was obvious that something was amiss, and he could see that too.

However, he has never liked to get involved in worldly power struggles.

“Benefactor, it’s not untrue that Master Hongguang died at your hands, is it?” Master Faqing said in a deep voice, “Hongguang and I have known each other for many years, and I acknowledge his Buddhist cultivation. He is the person with the greatest hope of becoming a Buddha in our Buddhist Kingdom in recent centuries.”

"But I died by your hand..."

Jiang Yun interrupted the other person: "Master, we are talking about the king's affairs now, why are you bringing this up?"

"What do you want?" Master Faqing asked.

Jiang Yun: "Reveal the truth to the public."

Master Faqing calmly replied, "Does the truth matter?"

Jiang Yun's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Master Faqing didn't really care about the so-called truth.

Jiang Yun said, "Then let's not talk about the truth. Doesn't Master Faqing want to become the National Preceptor?"

(End of this chapter)