Top Scholar

Chapter 528 Bloodbath at Baolian Temple
The monk locked the door and handed a copper key to Qian Ning, who was disguised as Liu Er, whispering, "Keep this safe. It's the only key. If you lose it, your wife will have to tear the door down to get out."

"Hey, hey." Qian Ning quickly put away the keys.

The two left the meditation room, and the monk locked it again, going through the motions, before finally leading him into the guest room.
"The back window of this guest room faces the entrance to the Jing Shi Courtyard. If you are worried, you can keep the window open and keep an eye on it at any time."

"There's nothing to worry about," Qian Ning said with a smile.

“There’s really nothing to worry about. We’re even more afraid of something going wrong than you are. Baolian Temple’s century-old reputation can’t be ruined.” The monk smiled, clasping his hands together.
"Then rest assured, benefactor. Tomorrow morning, after you pick up your wife, go to the front to thank the Bodhisattva, and then you can go back."

"Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work, Master." Qian Ning thanked him profusely and saw the monk out of the guest room.

~~
Then there's that clean room.

As soon as the courtyard gate closed, the Imperial Guard disguised as Liu Er's wife immediately got up, walked quickly to the incense burner, swiftly extinguished the burning incense stick, removed the incense mixed with datura pollen, and replaced it with an identical sandalwood stick to relight.

After doing all this, she removed the two pills from her nostrils, lay back on the bed, and waited patiently.

As time passed and the seasons changed, it gradually faded away...

Around midnight, a dark figure silently climbed up the courtyard wall and then lowered a ladder into the shadows at the corner of the wall.

Immediately afterwards, seven monks climbed ladders over the wall and entered.

The leading monk followed him into the courtyard, took out a spare key, and opened the doors of the purification room one by one, with each door leading to the entry of a monk…

By this time, the incense in the clean room had long since burned out, and the cloyingly sweet smell that made people drowsy had vanished, leaving only a group of women who had fallen into a deep sleep.

After confirming that all the female devotees inside were asleep, the monks outside locked the door again... This was a new rule from last year, because a female devotee with an elephant-like physique woke up midway and escaped from the purification room.

If it weren't for the monks keeping watch outside and taking the woman down in time, Baolian Temple's century-old foundation would have been destroyed.

After locking the door, the monk who was on lookout slipped back into the shadows in the corner, and the courtyard returned to its deathly silence.

But within those clean rooms, unspeakable evils were taking place...

One by one, the sleeping young women were skillfully undressed by the bald man, yet remained completely unaware.

In Liu Er's clean room, a monk with a round face and thick lips, just like Liu Er, was humming a little tune as he reached into Liu Er's clothes to test the size and feel of his hand...

Who knew that not touching it would be a big deal, but damn it?!
In his experience, even the smallest thing was a date, how could it turn into a grain of rice? He was about to pull his hand back when his wrist was grabbed by the other person.

The monk was terrified and tried to struggle, but the woman firmly pinned him to the bed with a simple grappling technique. At the same time, the woman shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Help! It's a rape!"

A piercing scream suddenly tore through the night sky, startling the lookout monk so much that he hurriedly pulled out his key, ready to unlock the door and go in to help.

Inside the guest room, Qian Ning, who was sitting cross-legged, also heard the cries for help. He immediately leaped out of bed and pulled three sections of a gun barrel from his bundle. By the time he rushed out of the room, they had been assembled into a long spear!
A dozen or so skilled members of the Imperial Guard who had secretly infiltrated the temple also emerged from their hiding place and gathered around him.

Qian Ning pierced the lock on the door of the Jing Shi Yuan with a single shot and shouted in a deep voice, "Make your move!"

The Imperial Guards immediately rushed into the courtyard, kicked open the doors, and swarmed in armed, catching the two monks red-handed.

"Don't move!" The embroidered spring knife was placed against the necks of the two bald donkeys.

"Don't move!" More and louder shouts rang out, and Huipu led a group of monks with torches to rush over, instantly surrounding the Jing Shi Courtyard.

Seeing this, Huipu slammed his staff on the ground and shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you run wild in this sacred Buddhist place!"

Qian Ning spat fiercely, pointed the gun at the monk who was being held down on the ground, and retorted: "You have the nerve to say that Buddhism is a pure place?! Then let me ask you, why would the monks in your temple sneak into the purification room of female worshippers in the middle of the night?"

Huipu's eyes darted around, and he immediately turned the tables: "It's clearly this woman who is unfaithful and seduced our monks! Now she's trying to extort money from us!"

"Hahaha, look closely, I'm a man!" The male imperial guard dressed as a woman opened his robes, revealing his flat chest and abdomen.

“Who says men can’t seduce other men?!” Huipu retorted, “We’ve seen plenty of this kind of thing in the temple.”

"Then why are there monks locked up in the other six rooms as well?" Qian Ning sneered, then pointed to the other clean rooms.

"The women are all fast asleep!"

"Wife!" "Wife!" The men of the other six women also came upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the situation, their eyes widened in fury, and they desperately kicked and pulled at the door, trying to rescue their wives, but the door was locked.

"Bald monk, I'll fight you to the death!" A hot-tempered man swung his fist and lunged at Huipu, only to be struck on the head with a staff, his head split open, and he lay on the ground convulsing, blood and white fluids flowing all over the ground.

"Since that's the case, then I have no choice but to send you to the cycle of reincarnation!" Huipu brandished his blood-dripping staff:
"Kill! Leave no one behind!"

A desperate roar pierced the night sky.

In an instant, countless monks, wielding spears and short knives, surged into the courtyard like a tidal wave, surrounding Qian Ning and his companions. With ferocious expressions, they launched an attack, the sounds of clashing swords and spears and shouts of battle deafening!
Qian Ning's spear moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, its tip whistling through the wind and flashing with cold light! The two monks at the forefront were unable to dodge in time and were pierced through the chest by his spear, blood splattering everywhere, instantly turning them into blood gourds.

While fighting off the enemy, he roared, "Stop! We are the agents of the Western Depot, acting on the Emperor's orders! Do you intend to rebel or surrender?!"

"Hahaha! There are plenty of rebels, so what difference does it make if we join in!" Huipu laughed wildly, swinging his staff with a whooshing sound, unleashing the Chaotic Cloak Staff Technique, attacking Qian Ning from three directions. "Kill them all, and we'll live!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The monks, their ferocity ignited, brandished their weapons and charged fiercely at the Imperial Guards, howling. The sharp clash of blades and the splattering of spears piercing flesh created a blood-soaked, carnage-like scene…

Fortunately, the meditation room wasn't large, so the monks' numerical advantage couldn't be utilized. The Imperial Guards, with Qian Ning at their core, quickly formed a goose-shaped formation—shield bearers in front to block swords and spears, swordsmen flanking to finish off attackers, and spearmen thrusting from the center. Their movements were disciplined and precise, showcasing the elite nature of the Imperial Guards!
Qian Ning forced Hui Pu's iron staff back with a single spear thrust, the spear tip following closely, aiming straight for Hui Pu's bald head, forcing Hui Pu to retreat repeatedly: "Good! Very good! You've now firmly secured the charge of treason! In that case, I will summon the heavenly army to quell the rebellion!"

Before the words were finished, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted outside the courtyard! It turned out that another group of Imperial Guards who had infiltrated the temple had dealt with the monks guarding the mountain gate and then opened the gate wide.

A large contingent surged into Baolian Temple like a flood bursting its banks. Leading them was a burly general, as imposing as a mountain, wearing a gilded helmet and gleaming armor, the plates of which shimmered coldly in the night. In his hand, he wielded a long, imposing iron spear. This was none other than Su Tai, the Commander of the Imperial Guards and the Martial Arts Champion!

He took the lead, sweeping his spear across the ground. Three monks who were blocking his way were sent flying backward, spitting blood as they crashed to the ground, where they were immediately trampled into the mud by the large group of people.

The martial arts scholars followed closely behind, each one highly skilled and eager to be the first. Under their leadership, the Imperial Guards of the regiment moved like boiling water over snow, leaving the so-called guard monks utterly helpless.

Most of the monks were lazy and gluttonous, and usually only relied on the temple's power to bully others. How could they be a match for the Imperial Guards who had been trained for over a month? In no time at all, they were hacked down, crying for their parents and fleeing in terror...

Wherever Su Tai's spear tip went, none could stand in his way; not a single bald monk could withstand a single blow from him! In the blink of an eye, he rushed into the Jing Shi Courtyard, with the Imperial Guards following closely behind, attacking Hui Pu and the others from behind! Instantly, he relieved Qian Ning from his predicament.

"Commander Su!" Qian Ning wiped the blood from his face and said breathlessly, "Go to the back warehouse immediately, in case they're desperate and do something rash!"

Before he left, Su Lu had given him special instructions: while it is important to act on behalf of Heaven, it is of utmost importance to amass wealth on behalf of Heaven.

Moreover, the valuables in that storeroom are also evidence of the monks' crimes, so they must be preserved as a priority.

Su Lu's worries were entirely accurate. At that moment, outside the storeroom in the backyard, Abbot Wuxing was anxiously directing the monks to pile firewood into the storeroom, then pouring kerosene on the firewood: "Burn! Burn it all! Burn it all, leave them nothing!"

Before he could finish speaking, Su Tai's roar exploded like thunder: "The demonic monk is beheaded!"

He led Jiang Bin, An Guo, and a group of experts to rush over. The three of them each led a group of men into a warehouse and started hacking at anyone they saw, scaring the monks into dropping their torches and running away in panic.

However, some unruly individuals threw torches into the firewood pile, but because they had not yet been doused with oil, the imperial guards used their spears to knock the torches away and extinguish the scattered flames.

The abbot's plan to set fire to the place failed, and he could only grit his teeth and lead his remaining troops to flee to the back of the mountain.

The soldiers are in high spirits; how can we let them escape? Immediately give chase!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The martial monks guarding the back mountain unleashed their trump card.

A deafening burst of gunfire suddenly erupted, gun barrels spewing fire, lead bullets piercing the night sky...

The sudden gunshot made Su Lu, who was waiting for news outside the temple, feel his heart clench instantly.

Seeing cold weapons all day long makes people subconsciously forget that firearms already exist in this world!

However, there was a reason why the musket was overlooked: it was quite poorly made—short range, bad accuracy, and the lead bullets flew crookedly, unable to injure anyone or even touch the armor of the Imperial Guards.

The attack, on which they had placed their hopes, had no effect whatsoever, and instead exhausted the monks' last bit of courage. Facing the Imperial Guards' butcher's knife, their faces turned ashen, and they all dropped their muskets, which were no better than fire pokers, and knelt down, begging for mercy.

As dawn broke, the morning light pierced through the thick clouds, illuminating the blood-soaked Baolian Temple with a ray of golden light.

The sounds of fighting gradually subsided, leaving only broken weapons and scattered corpses of monks. The captured monks huddled in a corner, trembling, their former arrogance completely gone…

P.S. Posted first, edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)