Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 347 The Deeply Hidden Murong Clan
"ah?!!"

The wrinkles on Monk Xiangyun's face froze instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his expression was full of panic.

The Murong clan were descendants of the Xianbei people, a fact that was common knowledge in the martial arts world and known to anyone with a basic understanding of history.

During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Murong was the imperial surname of the Great Yan, and famous generals such as Murong Ke and Murong Chui have left their mark on history.

However, the Great Yan Dynasty had been destroyed for hundreds of years, and the Murong family had long been integrated into the territory of the Great Song Dynasty. The court also recognized the Murong family's status as a powerful clan, so there was no dispute about it.

Ke Xiangyun knew some of the inside information.

The Murong family has been operating in Suzhou for a century, and their influence has long been established. In addition to Canhe Manor, they have also built four other manors in the surrounding area.

These were the residences of the four powerful retainers: Qingyun Manor of Deng Baichuan, Chixia Manor of Gongye Qian, Jinfeng Manor of Bao Butong, and Xuanshuang Manor of Feng Bo'e.

Previously, the Murong family was just an ordinary Jianghu force, but in the past two years, the four major retainers have been recruiting soldiers and horses everywhere, including wanted criminals and bandits from Taihu Lake. Such actions have long exceeded the scope of ordinary Jianghu gangs.

Xiangyun knew all about this but dared not say anything.

Gu Yu's words were too much of a accusation of "treason," and he dared not respond regardless of the intentions of the two people in front of him.

"This...that's not true."

"This old monk dares not presume to comment on the rights and wrongs between the imperial court and the Murong family. Please forgive this old monk, benefactor."

Xiangyun waved his hands repeatedly, his tone pleading.

He pleaded, but his gaze was fixed on Chen Zhan, showing no sign of backing down, as if testing him or putting pressure on him.

Chen Zhan smiled faintly and did not press further: "In that case, Master, you should rest early, it might be a bit noisy at night."

Leaving behind this ambiguous statement, he turned and led Gu Yu towards the backyard.

Xiangyun scratched his bald head, gazing intently at the two figures as they walked away, then turned and strode quickly toward the Damo Hall Zen Temple.

After passing through several corridors, he pushed open the door of a meditation room, where an old monk was sitting cross-legged.

"Abbot, senior brother."

Xiangyun stepped forward and bowed, “Four people have come to ask for lodging, and their behavior is strange. Please make a decision, senior brother.”

He recounted his conversation with Chen Zhan and Gu Yu verbatim.

Abbot Xianghe slowly opened his eyes, his expression calm: "It seems they're here for the Murong family. No need to pay them any mind; they'll probably leave tomorrow."

"But he said at the end that it would be noisy at night. What did he mean?" Xiangyun still had doubts.

"I don't know. Just pass on the order to be extra vigilant tonight." Xianghe was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhan and his companion returned to their room in the backyard.

As soon as she entered, Gu Yu said in a deep voice, "Master, aren't you going to do anything? This temple is no longer a place of quiet cultivation. The monks' hands are practically stained with blood. It's clearly a den of demons."

"Do you think this temple is related to the Murong clan?" Chen Zhan asked in return.

"Hard to say."

“According to the Dragon God Guard’s records, the Murong family has no collusion with Buddhism. The martial arts of Xiangyun just now were also pure Buddhist techniques.” Gu Yu frowned.

Chen Zhan gently shook his head: "Have you forgotten Murong Bo?"

Gu Yu was startled and suddenly realized the truth.

When Gao Shilin was killed more than three months ago, the person who used "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi" was most likely Murong Bo, and Murong Bo was also proficient in the 72 Shaolin Arts.

The secrets that Shaolin Temple keeps secret have been learned by this outsider.

Murong Bo, the Murong clan, Fengqiao Temple, and the monks' reverence for the Murong clan... too many coincidences made it inevitable.

"Master, I'll handle it!"

"No rush," Chen Zhan raised his hand to stop him.
"Go to Suzhou City, find the Dragon God Guard's spies, and summon the county constables. Set off in half an hour; the timing will be perfect."

"Uh... okay." Gu Yu understood instantly.

Master wanted to train Hanlu and the other two, since with her martial arts skills, it would be too easy for her to deal with the monks of Fengqiao Temple, since there were no top masters here.

Half an hour later, Gu Yu, without further delay, pushed open the door and disappeared into the night.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and Fengqiao Temple was quiet, with even the chirping of insects becoming sparse.

But this tranquility was just a facade. Chen Zhan and Gu Yu sensed something was off as soon as they entered the temple, and the deeper they went, the stronger this sense of unease became.

The monks in the temple looked ordinary, but each of them had a deep and serious look in their eyes, which was not the appearance of someone who should be practicing asceticism.

More importantly, these monks all reeked of blood.

Monks are vegetarians, so where would the blood smell come from?

Moreover! It's not the stench of slaughtering livestock, but the malevolent aura of human blood.

Having been stained with blood for years, even repeated washing cannot hide the deep-seated residue.

Ordinary experts might not be able to detect it, but Chen Zhan's five senses were extremely sharp, and he saw through it as soon as he stepped into the mountain gate.

"You two, go ahead and do it."

"Leave no monks in the temple; be careful not to harm the pilgrims who are staying overnight."

Chen Zhan sat in the room and spoke to the two of them.

"Yes, Dao Master."

The Autumn Equinox and the Cold Dew both respond in unison.

Although the two were newcomers and had few opportunities to carry out missions alone, they had already experienced battles and seen bloodshed.

They had solid martial arts skills, and even the weakest among them, Qiu Fen, had reached the middle stage of the Innate Realm. They were more than capable of dealing with the monks in the temple.

The two figures darted out like ghosts, silently disappearing into the night.

Qiu Fen drew his longsword from its sheath, its light as sharp as autumn water, aiming straight for the meditation room on the west side, where the martial monks lived.

She kicked the door open, and several monks inside, who were already holding their knives on guard, immediately swung their knives at her when they saw her barge in.

Qiu Fen remained calm and composed, her sword moving with her, her moves swift and agile. Driven by her mid-stage Innate Realm internal energy, the sword wind swept past, knocking away the monks' daggers, leaving bloody marks on their necks, and they all fell to the ground.

Hanlu, holding a short knife, headed straight for the direction of the Dharma Hall.

Her movements became even more fierce. When she encountered fleeing monks, she killed them with a flash of her blade. Her movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Soon, shouts of battle erupted throughout the temple, a cacophony of monks' roars, the clashing of weapons, and the screams of frightened worshippers.

Some monks tried to escape by climbing over the wall, but as soon as they jumped onto the top, they were hit in the back by a short knife thrown by Hanlu and fell to the ground.

Just as Chen Zhan had said to Monk Xiangyun, it was unusually noisy.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the resistance inside the temple gradually weakened.

Qiu Fen sheathed his sword, a few bloodstains on his clothes. His gaze swept over the corpses in the meditation room on the west side, confirming that none of them had survived.

Hanlu stood at the entrance of the Dharma Hall, her short sword sheathed, with several monks lying lifeless at her feet, having tried to break through.

The pilgrims who had been staying overnight were already huddled in a corner in fear, and only dared to sob quietly when the fighting stopped.

Chen Zhan ignored the commotion outside, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table as his thoughts drifted to the Murong family.

In the original storyline, the Murong family had been entrenched in Jiangnan for a hundred years, seemingly accomplishing nothing, only earning the reputation of "Murong in the South, Qiao Feng in the North".

Moreover, "Southern Murong" refers to the Murong family, not Murong Fu, while "Northern Qiao Feng" refers to Qiao Feng alone.

The four retainers were careless and incompetent, and together with the maids Azhu and Abi, the total number did not exceed twenty.

Murong Fu traveled far and wide seeking alliances, but many sects refused to cooperate, and he repeatedly met with setbacks.

After faking his death, Murong Bo hid in Shaolin Temple and devoted himself to studying martial arts, seemingly forgetting his great cause of restoring his kingdom.

It seems like a joke that the century-old imperial family has been running its business.

But after seeing the state of Fengqiao Temple today, I realized that my previous assumptions were far from correct.

Murong Bo, who carries the blood of the Great Yan, how could he not understand the principle that "no matter how high one's martial arts skills are, one still needs a foundation of troops"?

Even a commander without troops, despite possessing unparalleled martial arts skills, cannot achieve the great cause of restoring a nation.

Over the course of a century, with the support of Mantuo Manor and subtle ties to the Xiaoyao Sect, the Murong family has undoubtedly amassed a considerable number of followers and allies. At the very least, Suzhou City has long been thoroughly infiltrated by them.

Just at this time,

The sound of horses' hooves and the clatter of armor came from outside the temple. Gu Yu arrived with more than ten Dragon God Guards and more than twenty county constables.

The Dragon God Guards were all elites, wielding standard longswords and quickly sealing off the mountain gate and all exits.

The head constable, holding a torch, dispersed the onlookers and shouted, "The government is handling a case. Unrelated persons must retreat outside the mountain gate and are not allowed to linger!"

Chen Zhan had already come out of the back room and was standing on the steps at the entrance of the temple. Gu Yu quickly stepped forward, bowed and reported: "Master, the Dragon God Guards and constables have arrived and are sealing off all the exits and counting the corpses of the monks."

"Ah."

"Take a few men to the Bodhidharma Hall. There is a secret room beneath the hall, where the evidence of the crime is located."

"Alright!" Gu Yu responded, immediately selected three Dragon God Guards, and turned to rush towards the direction of the Dharma Hall.

Chen Zhan slowly walked up to the head constable, who was dressed in the uniform of a county constable and had a tense expression.

"How should I address you, sir?" Chen Zhan asked.

Zeng Yunzhi sized up Chen Zhan, noticing his simple clothes yet extraordinary bearing. The tragic scene inside the temple was clearly related to him, and Zeng Yunzhi's heart tightened. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am Zeng Yunzhi, the county magistrate of Gusu County."

“County Commandant Zeng looked rather nervous.”

Chen Zhan's gaze swept over the fine beads of sweat on his forehead. The autumn night was cool, yet the man's back was soaked with sweat.
"Um... Fengqiao Temple is a sacred Buddhist site. Such an incident in the middle of the night naturally makes me nervous."

Zeng Yunzhi forced himself to remain calm. He had not yet stepped into the courtyard and was unaware of the bloody scene inside. He only knew that the mobilization of imperial secret agents must mean that it was a shocking case.

"What happened?" Chen Zhan asked in return.

"Isn't it...a major case?"

Zeng Yunzhi was about to speak when he abruptly changed his mind, only daring to say the words "major case".

"What County Magistrate Zeng was about to say was the major population case, wasn't it?" Chen Zhan suddenly smiled.

Zeng Yunzhi's expression changed drastically, and he forced a smile, saying, "Hehe, I don't know anything about any major population case, but seeing that so many imperial secret agents have been mobilized, I guess it must be a major case."

"makes sense."

Chen Zhan gently raised his hand, and a thin wisp of sword energy flew out from his fingertip, heading straight for a constable at the edge of the crowd.

The constable was quietly retreating, seemingly trying to slip away to report the news, when the sword energy pierced his back, and he fell to the ground without a sound.

"It seems some of the county magistrate's men are not following orders," Chen Zhan said calmly.

This move instantly stunned the entire audience.

Zeng Yunzhi's face turned deathly pale as he looked at the corpses on the ground, then glanced at the expressionless Dragon God Guards, a frantic warning flashing through his mind.

This means the imperial court is about to take action to rectify the Jiangnan region, starting with Fengqiao Temple, and it's unknown how many people will be implicated.

He wanted to send a message, but he was already being watched closely and had no chance at all.

Before long, the corpses of the monks in the temple were carried out one by one, and blood flowed down the steps, forming a winding bloodstain on the ground.

The pilgrims had already scattered and fled, with only a few daring ones watching from afar. Chen Zhan did not have anyone drive them away.

At this moment, a Dragon God Guard spy dressed in black and with his face covered quickly approached, bowed, and reported:
"My lord, the secret chamber beneath the Bodhidharma Hall has been found. It contains many people, both men and women, all..."

As he finished speaking, his voice trembled, filled with gritted teeth and rage.

"What do you mean?" Chen Zhan pressed.

“They are all disabled! They are all missing some… organs!” the spy said, emphasizing each word.

Chen Zhan fell silent.

He had assumed the dark room contained human trafficking or something similar to the Yangzhou "slim horses" (a euphemism for prostitutes), but he never expected it to be such a tragic scene.

In this era, organs aren't very useful, are they?

What exactly are the monks at Fengqiao Temple doing?
"The county government cannot be trusted."

Chen Zhan raised his eyes, his tone turning colder: "Send a message to Zhao Qingtan by carrier pigeon, asking her to send someone to take over. Also, you take your men and imprison all these people from the county government."

He deliberately didn't say these words behind Zeng Yunzhi's back.

"Zheng——"

A sharp sound of a sword being drawn rang out. Zeng Yunzhi suddenly drew his sword and, taking advantage of Chen Zhan's turn, slashed fiercely at his back!

Knowing he couldn't escape today, he decided to fight to the death.

Chen Zhan neither turned around nor dodged, but simply let the blade fall.

The blade flashed, but instead of splattering blood and flesh, it emitted a piercing "sizzle" sound, as if it had struck fine steel.

Before the sharp sound had faded, Chen Zhan slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Zeng Yunzhi.

"The county magistrate is too hasty. Didn't we tell you that the Murong family's wealth accumulated over a century should be acquired gradually?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pressed it against the blade that was slashing down.

"Snapped--"

With a crisp sound, the fine iron longsword shattered, turning into countless iron pieces that flew in all directions.

The iron piece struck the pressure points of the surrounding constables with precision, instantly freezing them in place, unable to move or even utter a sound.

The Dragon Guard reacted swiftly, immediately placing two standard-issue longswords against Zeng Yunzhi's neck. The blades were icy cold, forcing him to tighten his neck and hold his breath.

A Dragon Guard stepped forward and bowed, asking, "Sir, what should we do with those disabled people in the secret room?"

The county government is untrustworthy, and sending them back to their place of origin would waste manpower and resources.

Moreover, the people's hearts in Suzhou are hard to fathom now, and it is not yet clear who is loyal and who is treacherous. Rashly mobilizing manpower could easily lead to mistakes.

"Take them all back to the county government office for safekeeping."

"I'll leave two people behind to help you. You two immediately mobilize the surrounding spies to stand by. There's no need for you to actively investigate. Just guard all the key locations and wait for Zhao Qingtan to send people to take over," Chen Zhan instructed.

"Yes!"

The Dragon Guards responded in unison and immediately began escorting Zeng Yunzhi and the immobile constable. They also arranged for men to escort the disabled man in the secret room to the county government office.

Chen Zhan turned to Qiufen and Hanlu and said, "You two go with them. Be careful and take this opportunity to gain some experience."

"Yes, Dao Master."

The two responded and followed, their figures quickly disappearing into the night.

Not long after, Gu Yu walked out of the temple, her face pale, covering her mouth.

Even though Chen Zhan had warned her beforehand, witnessing the horrific scene in the dark room still shocked her, and a fierce killing intent surged in her eyes.

"Master, where to next?" Her voice was hoarse with suppressed anger; all she wanted to do at that moment was find someone to vent her frustration on.

"Canhe Village." Chen Zhan uttered three words and turned to walk towards the horses tied up outside the temple.

The two mounted their horses and galloped away.

We sped from outside Suzhou to Canhezhuang, arriving at the shore of Taihu Lake just as dawn was breaking.

The lake was calm and still, shrouded in a thin mist. The distant Canhezhuang was hidden in the mist and could not be seen clearly.

After waiting for about half a cup of tea's time, a ferry slowly arrived.

The commotion at Fengqiao Temple was immense, with worshippers scattering in all directions. The news would inevitably spread sooner or later, and it was impossible to keep it completely hidden.

But Chen Zhan had calculated that the speed at which the message was transmitted could not keep up with the pace of their journey.

It's the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot and see for ourselves what the Murong family is up to.

Chen Zhan thought to himself, and had to admit that he had indeed underestimated this century-old family.

He had thought that the Murong clan had only ambitions to restore their kingdom but acted rashly. Now it seems that the waters of Taihu Lake are far deeper than he had imagined.
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P.S.: Sorry, I repeated over a hundred words yesterday. I didn't check it properly. I won't do it again.

(End of this chapter)