The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 112 Impotent Rage (Second Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The local people of Hangzhou and the people of Kuaiji who suffered were two distinct and easily distinguishable groups.

all……

Yes, all the people of Kuaiji who suffered, regardless of gender or age, had a dark, numb face and lifeless eyes.

Some people carry broken earthenware bowls, dragging their heavy steps along the long street to beg, without making a sound. They just wander back and forth aimlessly, as if they are only walking to make themselves look alive.

Some people sat motionless in the corner, covered in flies, some even with flies crawling on their pupils, yet they didn't shoo them away, as if the flies considered them a piece of rotten meat, and they considered themselves a piece of rotten meat as well...

They seem to be alive from that night.

Or perhaps, the rest of their lives will be a long night.

As astute as Wang Wen was, he could not have failed to foresee this situation before disembarking.

He had made thorough mental preparations to face all of this.

But clearly, he overestimated his own psychological assumptions.

'Stop looking, you can't control it...'

Wang Wen squinted his eyes into slits, trying to focus his gaze on the city gate at the end of the long street, trying not to look at the suffering people of Kuaiji around him, and tried to pull Hei Erniu quickly towards the city gate.

He really couldn't control them. No matter which identity he held, he couldn't save these suffering people of Kuaiji. There were just too many of them.

Moreover, these people of Kuaiji may not necessarily yearn to be saved by others; they may only desire a quiet death and a quiet decay...

It is precisely because he understands everything.

Therefore, he was consumed by impotent rage...

Empathy, when applied to anyone who is powerless, is a punishment, a disaster.

Wang Wen successfully escaped Hangzhou and desperately breathed in the air of freedom.

He wondered if it was because the oxygen content in the air in Hangzhou was too high, but the anger in his heart seemed to be added fuel to the fire and surged into his mind.

It burned his brain with pain.

His eyes were burning red.

A mocking laugh erupted from the depths of his heart, amplifying and echoing repeatedly in his mind: 'You fucking enjoy yourself!'

He was stunned for a while, then suddenly his blood-red mouth split open, and he chuckled softly, "Hehehe," following the laughter in his mind.

He knew that if he didn't hurt others, he would have to hurt himself...

So he turned around, grabbed the collar of the Hangzhou canal gang disciple who was leading the way, pulled him close, and said with a gentle smile, "Da Chuan, tell Brother Hu about the scenic spots in Hangzhou, especially those rich... no, famous Zen temples and monasteries. Brother Hu wants to go and pray for peace."

The young canal gang member trembled with fear at his bloodshot eyes, straining to keep his legs tightly shut as he stammered, "Brother Tiger... Brother Tiger, the most... most famous Buddhist temple in Hangzhou is, of course, the 'First Incense of the Grand Canal,' Xiangji Temple..."

"Xiangji Temple?"

Wang Wen paused for two seconds, then muttered to himself, "This is a name that shouldn't be used... Oh well, perhaps this is just a special kind of fate!"

He squinted and chuckled, turning Da Chuan around to face Hangzhou: "Quickly point it out to Brother Hu, where is Xiangji Temple?"

The young canal gang member turned to look at him in confusion: "Brother Tiger, Xiangji Temple is right on the banks of the canal. Didn't you see it when you got off the boat?"

Wang Wen shook his head vigorously: "I really didn't notice!"

As he spoke, he delivered a clean and swift chop to the back of the young Cao Gang disciple's head.

The young member of the Canal Gang rolled his eyes and fainted.

Wang Wen threw him onto Hei Erniu's back: "Go south and find a secluded place to wait for me. I'll be right back."

Hei Erniu raised his big head and glanced at him, saying in a deep voice, "Master, please be careful."

Wang Wen chuckled and patted his big head, then turned and ran back the way he came towards Hangzhou. He ran faster and faster, his feet barely touching the ground, like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins.

After watching his master walk away, Hei Erniu turned around and continued walking south.

……

"clang……"

The melodious chimes echoed in the fiery sunset, seemingly drawing a perfect conclusion to this peaceful day.

Dressed in a hempen outfit and wearing a red Zhong Kui mask, Wang Wen carried a heavy, twelve-foot-long spear on his shoulder and held a torch high in his other hand. As if drunk, he staggered along the long street, step by step, until he stopped outside the gate of Xiangji Temple. He tilted his head and looked up at the golden plaque hanging above the gate.

The young disciple of the Canal Gang was right; this temple was indeed very popular.

Even at this hour, a large group of sedan chair bearers and guards were still waiting outside the gate, occupying half the street and stretching far to the left and right.

A group of handsome young monks stood politely at the door, chanting Buddhist mantras with smiles on their faces, bidding farewell to a group of high-ranking officials dressed in fine silks and satins. The soft, warm laughter sounded like the reluctant parting of close friends after a small gathering, making it hard to disturb them.

Wang Wen stood outside the gate with his strange appearance. Apart from a few burly guards who glanced at him, he didn't attract much attention.

This made Wang Wen feel very defeated; he had put a lot of thought into this outfit...

So, in a huff, he threw the torch in his hand forcefully at the towering wooden building behind the gate.

"Snapped."

The torches smashed through the wooden windows of the building, scattering sparks that were exceptionally conspicuous in the dim light.

In an instant, everyone present was stunned.

It seems they never expected anyone would dare to cause trouble here!
"Bold maniac!"

The first to come to their senses were the guards who had glanced at him a few times earlier. They shouted fiercely and drew their swords from all directions, leaping towards Wang Wen. They were determined to seize this opportunity to show off their martial arts skills and win the favor of their employer!

Wang Wen stood motionless, letting them rush towards him, until the men were within a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) of him, at which point the large spear he was carrying on his shoulder suddenly disappeared.

No one saw how he drew his gun.

He felt a sudden blur where he was standing, and then a large spear appeared vertically beside him.

With a soft "thud," the gun butt gently tapped the ground.

The guards who had charged at him menacingly were all decapitated, their bodies gushing out like fountains of blood.

In an instant, the surroundings became completely silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared at Wang Wen with their mouths agape, utterly horrified.

Wang Wen chuckled softly, "Robbery! One thousand taels for those with hair, ten thousand taels for those without. I'll give you two quarters of an hour to raise the money. If you don't see the money by then, snap, your heads are gone!"

"Ah ah ah..."

The women finally came to their senses and burst into loud screams and wailing.

Wang Wen let them sing loudly until their voices faded, then he said with a smile, "Crying? Crying counts as time too!" Just then, the wooden building by the gate, which had been ignited by the torch Wang Wen had thrown in, caught fire. A group of monks in the temple, unaware of what was happening, shouted and rushed towards the building with water, trying to put out the fire.

However, as soon as the monks approached the wooden building, their gleaming heads suddenly exploded, falling to the ground in disarray with a series of loud thuds.

"If I set a fire and you put it out, then I've set it for nothing?"

Wang Wen said with a grin... He was still smiling, but his eyes, visible through the mask, were clearly as red as blood.

This abruptly stopped even the women's sobs, which rose and fell.

Everyone stared at him, trembling, feeling icy cold and utterly terrified.

The atmosphere almost froze!

Wang Wen stood calmly outside the door, facing their terrified gazes, without urging them on.

The deathly silence was broken by a series of orderly and rapid footsteps...

A group of burly, black-robed monks, carrying iron-clad long clubs upside down, surged out of the wide-open temple gates, their brows furrowed and eyes blazing, shouting in unison, "What kind of demons are you? Subdue them at once!"

Wang Wen raised his left hand and counted the heads carefully: "One, two, three..."

Whoever his finger touched, their head would suddenly explode.

The Yin-Yang Needles, a mid-grade magic weapon, were used to deal with these martial monks who were not even at the Acquired Realm by the power and divine sense of a Celestial Master. It was like a dimensional reduction attack!
Their numerical and formation advantages, which they relied on, were completely meaningless!
"Eighteen?"

Wang Wen clicked his tongue in admiration and said, "You guys really love the number eighteen! You have to make sure everything has eighteen!"

He lowered his left hand, and eighteen strong and powerful corpses lay sprawled outside the gate.

Everything is just right.

"May I ask who you are...?"

A distant, aged voice echoed, and as the words fell, an old monk with white eyebrows, dressed in a simple gray robe, stood before the gate. He raised one palm in a gesture of respect, neither pleased nor sad, and bowed to Wang Wen, saying, "What irreconcilable grudge does my Jixiang Temple hold against you that you would resort to such ruthless methods!"

Upon seeing the old monk, the group of high-ranking officials and nobles huddled in the corner of the gate stirred up all at once, scrambling towards the white-browed old monk on all fours: "Elder Abbot Dongjian, please quickly subdue this demon!"

"The old abbot has insight into my father's identity; he was Yang Shiting, the former prefect of Hangzhou!"

"Insight into the old abbot..."

The white-browed old monk waved his hand, scattering points of clear Buddhist light that swept over these high-ranking officials and nobles: "Laymen, please be patient. I will do my utmost to protect you all... Excuse me, could you please answer my question?"

"I have no grudge against your Jixiang Temple."

Wang Wen smiled faintly and answered truthfully: "It's just that you're unlucky. I'm so annoyed by these filthy refugees from Kuaiji that I want to find a place to vent my anger. It just so happens that your Jixiang Temple has the biggest reputation and is the closest to me... Don't you Buddhists talk about 'fate'? Perhaps this is my fate with your Jixiang Temple!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of many monks and high-ranking officials present revealed a sense of realization and grievance.

They all felt wronged, but they dared not speak out.

Finally, the white-browed old monk clasped his hands together, bowed, and slowly said in his characteristic weathered voice, "So you have the heart of a bodhisattva, which is why you have resorted to such drastic measures. But are you not afraid of accidentally harming the innocent and regretting it later? Do you know why that catastrophe failed to damage Hangzhou in the slightest?"

His words were ambiguous, carrying a hidden meaning.

"that's not important."

Wang Wen smiled and replied softly, "The important thing right now is... you only have less than fifteen minutes left!"

The fire that started on the other side of the building has begun to spread into the interior of Jixiang Temple. The flickering flames spread over the gate and cast a large shadow in front of it.

Wang Wenli stood in the shadows, amidst a pile of corpses lying haphazardly, leaning on his spear, head tilted back, his scarlet eyes fixed on the white-browed old monk on the steps with a half-smile...

It closely resembles the murals depicting the birth of demons in Buddhist monks' tales of subduing evil spirits.

However, the white-browed old monk had no awareness of being a high monk who subdues demons and monsters. He looked down at Wang Wen's scarlet eyes and felt a chill run down his spine.

Although his face was not clearly visible, one could vaguely tell from his aura that he was a very young demon. He was incredibly calm, with a hint of madness that threatened to destroy everything in his path.

He can't afford to lose!

"May I ask if you have a compromise?"

After a moment's hesitation, the white-browed old monk slowly said, "How about our Jixiang Temple and all the believers raise money and provisions to help the refugees in Kuaiji?"

"late."

Wang Wen answered without hesitation: "You are not worthy."

The white-browed old monk sensed his resolve, and sighed softly, his eyes slowly returning to their placid state: "In that case, this old monk can only ask for your guidance!"

Wang Wenyi said calmly, "The time is yours, please do as you please."

Then, the white-browed old monk leisurely took a step forward, his figure suddenly crossing a distance of two or three zhang and appearing in front of Wang Wen. He expressionlessly pushed out his palms and struck Wang Wen's chest with the force of thunder.

Wang Wen had never seen such a movement technique before, and was caught off guard. His twelve-foot-long spear immediately became useless.

But he didn't panic at all. He calmly released the spear and clenched his fists to meet the attack.

"Boom."

The two men's fists and palms collided, but the sound was muffled and deep, like several large cowhide drums being struck at the same time.

An invisible wave of energy emanated from the two of them and spread outwards, instantly causing countless fine spiderweb patterns to appear on the bluestone pavement beneath their feet.

However, the two people at the center of this invisible wave of energy remained completely still... This attack was actually evenly matched!

The white-browed old monk stared at the demon so close to him, and a hint of shock resurfaced in his usually calm and composed old eyes.

He wasn't blind. Wang Wen was holding a large spear and using magic to control a magical weapon. How could he not see that Wang Wen was a practitioner of both martial arts and magic?

But how could he have predicted that Wang Wen, at such a young age, would not only cultivate a powerful magical ability comparable to that of a Celestial Master, but also develop a powerful true qi at the Great Perfection of the Acquired Realm?

Even the reincarnation of immortals and Buddhas couldn't be more extraordinary than this, could they?

Just who is this demon?
He was thinking to himself, "Wang Wen didn't!"
Wang Wen blocked the white-browed old monk's palms with his fists, and suddenly a terrifying lightning bolt, like plasma, erupted from his body, instantly engulfing him with lightning speed.

Then, all that could be heard by everyone in front of the gate was a series of muffled hammering sounds, like the beat of an exciting drum, and they saw the bluestone floor beneath the dazzling lightning cracking and slabs of stone the size of washbasins flying everywhere like pebbles... It was as if there were not two people in the lightning, but two giant beasts fighting!

In just over ten finger snaps, the lightning slowly receded, revealing the two people inside.

The masked demon in hemp robes, with a cracked corner on his forehead, was breathing heavily. With one hand, he grabbed the neck of the ragged, limp old monk with his white eyebrows as if he were a chicken, and lifted him high above his head.

Just then, a fat, dim-witted monk in a magnificent robe rushed out of the raging fire from the temple, stumbled and fell at the gate, raising one hand and urgently saying, "My Jixiang Temple is willing to pay the ransom, Your Excellency's men..."

"Click it."

Wang Wen crushed the white-browed old monk's neck, slowly turned his head and looked at the dazed, fat monk with his scarlet eyes, and nodded lightly, saying, "Good!"

(End of this chapter)