Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 386 I only believe in karmic retribution!
"How could someone be beaten like this?"

Inside the Daxiangguo Temple, Lin Dao met the abbot of Foguang Temple in Qingzhou, Zen Master Huiming.

Seeing that the Zen master lying there had almost no healthy flesh left, he frowned and said, "You guys were too ruthless."

The soldiers responsible for suppressing the Buddha and extorting money bowed their heads obsequiously.

"We haven't found the goods yet, but if we kill the person, we'll lose everything."

Lin Dao reprimanded everyone, "How many times have I told you? We are not robbers, but government officials with proper credentials."

"Torture is not the goal, but merely a means."

"Finding the wealth these bald men have hidden and using it for the benefit of the people is what we should be doing!"

Everyone nodded repeatedly, indicating that they had remembered and would be more cautious in using torture in the future.

"Go ahead."

Lin Dao sat down and looked at the dying abbot. "What's wrong with this Zen Master Huiming?"

"My lord~"

The soldiers stepped forward and reported, "We arrived in Qingzhou and found several temples, with a very fruitful harvest."

"When we finally found Foguang Temple, there was no treasure inside, not even a bronze statue."

Lin Dao frowned slightly. "Did they get wind of it and move out ahead of time?"

"Exactly!" the soldiers said indignantly. "We asked the local people, and although Foguang Temple is not large, it collects a lot of money from incense every year, and its incense is very prosperous."

"Moreover, they also rented out a lot of land, and the rent they received each year was quite substantial."

“We have even heard that they help bandits in the nearby mountains sell their stolen goods, including bronze statues and bells in the temple.”

"After arresting someone, they are tortured."

"But this bald man is a ruthless one. We used various forms of torture, but he stubbornly refused to talk."

"The other people in the temple also do not know where the valuables have gone."

"We had no choice but to bring it back for the Marquis to deal with."

Lin Dao tapped his fingers lightly over here.

"Transferring assets."

"Such a large sum of money, even the bronze statue was moved, is something that only a few people could do."

"And it has to be done by someone you can trust."

"You mean this temple even helps bandits dispose of stolen goods?"

Lin Dao, who was deep in thought, soon had an idea.

"In that case, it was thieves from the nearby mountains who helped move the valuables, and they must have known where the goods were."

Lin Dao instructed the soldiers, "Here's what I'll do: I'll arrange for Yang Ye to lead a group of men to accompany you to Qingzhou."

"Let's launch a blitzkrieg, go and come back quickly. I'll be sending troops out soon."

"Do not alert the local troops; they are not trustworthy."

"Once we arrive, we will first investigate the identity of Zen Master Huiming before he became a monk, and investigate his relatives, especially whether he has any illegitimate children."

Lin Dao looked at Zen Master Huiming's white beard and said, "At this age, you are still so greedy for money."

"For money, they are even willing to endure torture."

"He himself doesn't need it, so it must be left to his closest relatives."

"His closest relative must be in the mountain stronghold, or even the bandit leader."

"After finding out the truth, we'll raid the stronghold, arrest the people, and interrogate them."

"Once the valuables are found, leave no bandits or outlaws alive!"

After he finished speaking, Zen Master Huiming, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them and uttered a Buddhist chant from his dry throat.

"Heaven cherishes life, why do you insist on exterminating them all?"

Lin Dao smiled and said, "It seems my deduction was correct."

"Is it your nephew or your son? I think it should be your son."

"Your Excellency." Zen Master Huiming coughed up blood and looked at Lin Dao weakly, "When I was young, I unintentionally committed a mistake."

"Over the years, I've always wanted to make up for it."

"That child lost his mother at a young age and his life was pitiful."

"I just want to make it up to him."

"This humble monk is willing to give all his wealth to Your Excellency, only asking that Your Excellency forgive that poor child."

He gasped for breath, coughing up blood that stained his beard red.

"A dying man has no other desires."

"I only hope that Your Excellency can accumulate virtue and do good deeds to reap good results."

"This humble monk is willing to write a letter to persuade that child to lay down his butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot."

"If Your Excellency is willing to join the army, I will serve you faithfully and to the death!"

These words were spoken with genuine feeling.

The old monk's constant coughing up of blood further heightened the atmosphere.

Moreover, not only was he willing to hand over his wealth to a private individual, but he also wanted his illegitimate son to follow Lin Dao as his underling and risk his life.

It's fair to say that if it were someone else, they might have agreed immediately.

After all, he's a loving father who's willing to give everything for his child.
But Lin Dao doesn't buy into that!
"A mistake made unintentionally?"

"You're trying to fool me!"

After hearing the story, Lin Dao immediately launched into a sarcastic remark: "Wasn't she a respectable woman who was abducted to a temple, violated by you, and even gave birth to your child?"

“She lost her mother at a young age; either she was killed by you, or she committed suicide because she couldn’t bear the humiliation.”

"Your real intention was to keep the child!"

Lin Dao stood up, walked up to the monk, and looked down at him.

"You made a lot of money, but no one will inherit it, so you had evil intentions, didn't you?"

The lying Zen Master Huiming's originally cloudy eyes were now filled with panic.

He stared at Lin Dao in disbelief, "You...you..."

"You want to know how I know?" Lin Dao stood still, staring at the old monk. He sighed slightly. "Because I once encountered a wicked monk just like you."

He basically carried out acts of persecution against Buddhism in every heavenly realm.

During the suppression of Buddhism, I encountered all sorts of evil monks.

Among them were people like Zen Master Huiming, who amassed enormous wealth through numerous evil deeds.

A wicked monk, desperate for an heir, abducts virtuous women and rapes their children.

"Your acting is alright."

Lin Dao shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, it won't work on me." "A bandit who has committed countless evils and harmed countless people, and now you want to join the army and whitewash your ways?"

"Go and have your spring and autumn dreams!"

The evidence supporting his inferences is increasing, and he is getting closer and closer to the truth.

"Those bandits, were they organized by you?"

"As for their targets, they will definitely be the believers who come to your temple to offer incense."

"You're abusing your position to engage in corrupt practices that are both legal and illegal."

"Once you've made enough money, it's time to launder your money."

"You keenly sensed this opportunity and wanted to take advantage of it to launder your son's money and then get him into the army."

"You will only hand over half of the wealth at most; the rest is for your son to climb the social ladder."

"You actually still want to use me?" Lin Dao couldn't help but sneer. "Bullshit about putting down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot."

"I'll release you and let you live a good life."

"Those wronged souls who died tragically at your hands should come to me now!"

"I only believe that good and evil will be rewarded accordingly!"

Zen Master Huiming is going crazy.

Everything he had planned had been completely dismantled by the person in front of him!

"Are you a human or a ghost?!"

Lin Dao put his hands on his hips and laughed, "No need to be so surprised. You villains have a pattern to your actions. They are basically all pretty much the same. You don't have that many wild ideas."

"Make money, have children, launder money, and pass on the legacy."

"It all boils down to these points; the only difference lies in the method."

"Alright." Lin Dao started to walk outside. "You should set off as soon as possible to wipe out the bandits. If you come back quickly, you can still make it to the expedition."

"As for this evil monk, use all the punishments that we didn't have to use before on him."

"Give him a bowl of ginseng soup first, so he doesn't die during the torture."

Because they need to be interrogated alive.

Therefore, cruel punishments such as tearing, waist cutting, peeling, cooking, sawing, pouring water, and whipping could not be used directly.

It is only when you encounter such an evil monk who does all sorts of evil and harms the people that you can put him to use.

The word "裂" (liè) refers to being torn apart by a cart, and Shang Yang stated that he was very familiar with this.

Li Si was cut in half at the waist, and he said his waist was in great pain.

"Peeling" means peeling off the skin, and Lan Yu said that he had personally experienced peeling off the skin of the grass.

"Peng" refers to cooking, and Li Shiqi said that he had once bathed in a large pot.

These cruel punishments were common in times of chaos.

Back at the mansion, Fu Erniang had already prepared a meal.

He personally served Lin Dao during meals.

Fu Erniang's married life was very comfortable.

During the day, Lin Dao goes out on official business, busy with the reorganization and reorganization of the Imperial Guard.

She takes care of household chores at home.

There are no elders or younger generations in the family, and there is almost no housework to do.

My main job is to take care of Lin Dao's daily needs.

Another step was to send away the maids and servants from the mansion in batches and replace them with the dowry that she had brought herself.

Lin Dao had said before that these people arranged by Chai Rong would be driven away soon.

He was absolutely right.

In ancient times, noble ladies from wealthy families would do this after getting married.

Only by replacing one's own dowry, or at least by placing the dowry in various places throughout the mansion, can one gain control of the inner quarters.

Just like the Jia family in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, most of the servants and maids in the mansion were brought along as part of the dowry.

The true servants who remained in the Jia family had been reduced to cursing and feeding horses.

"I will be going to war in a few days."

During dinner, Lin Dao's words stunned Fu Erniang.

In chaotic times, for a military general, going to war was something that happened almost every year.

Fu Erniang understood this, but she was also worried that her husband would never return.

For the rest of the time, Lin Dao ate with gusto, while Fu Erniang ate absentmindedly, only taking a few bites at a time.

Going to war means people will die.

Regardless of status or position, once someone goes to the battlefield, there's a chance they might not come back.

Take Liu Chong, the emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty, for example; he was an emperor.

Isn't it the same? Once you go to the battlefield, you leave your life behind.

Lin Dao saw all of this, but said nothing.

She has to understand this herself.

Of course, Lin Dao will also accelerate the process of ending the chaotic era.

Even if we were to go to war, it would be against barbarians and nomads.

The target of this attack was the Shu Kingdom, which historical records refer to as Later Shu.

Chai Rong was a warmonger. Although he was in power for only a few years, he waged war every year, and these were major national wars.

As for border conflicts and raids, small-scale wars that are not even recorded in historical books occur almost every month.

Now that he has acquired a large amount of money and supplies through the ban on Buddhism, Chai Rong, who is now well-off, is eager to start a war even before the reorganization of the Imperial Guards is complete.

Lin Dao was chosen by him to be the general and lead the troops to attack the Shu Kingdom.

"Officer."

After dinner, Lin Dao was planning to go into seclusion, which meant visiting other time-space worlds.

But Fu Erniang stopped him.

Her gaze was firm as she gripped Lin Dao's hand tightly.

"Before you go to war, my lord, please make sure I conceive a child!"

Looking into her determined gaze, Lin Dao could only sigh.

There's no way around it, tonight is destined to be another busy and tiring night.

(End of this chapter)