Prince Li You of the Great Tang Dynasty begs the noble families to their deaths!

"To this day, I still do not know your full name."

My surname is Huang, and my given name is Jin.

"Huang Jin? This old monk is getting on in years, so from now on I will address you by your given name, how does that sound?"

"Please proceed, Elder."

"Huang Jin, would you like to arrange a meeting with your master?"

"My master is unable to receive guests. If there is anything you need, I can relay it to you."

Monk Yuanjue paused, then stared at Zhou Chuji with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Very well, someone who can slaughter hundreds of lives in a single night is indeed someone I cannot afford to offend. Buddhism believes in predestined relationships; if I do not wish to see them, then I will not."

"The elder is right."

"There are over two hundred shops of all sizes around my Yunju Temple, of which one hundred and thirty-seven can generate interest. The list is here. Don't touch the shops that aren't on the list; they belong to the wealthy families of the city."

"Besides these shops that accept the usual fees, there are also some people who have borrowed money and silk from my temple. You must also keep an eye on them for me."

Zhou Chuji feigned surprise: "I never expected that the elder would engage in such a lucrative business."

The term "chuju" was the Tang Dynasty term for the usury business.

"Amitabha. People have five desires: wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. I am merely using these five desires to help the monks in the temple earn some money for incense offerings."

The incense money that Yuanjue mentioned has already helped him build three large mansions and support a large number of people under him; that's a huge sum of money.

Zhou Chuji didn't say much and took the list from Monk Yuanjue.

"There's another matter. Could you please entrust the charcoal supply for your temple to my Huang's Carpentry Shop?"

Monk Yuanjue smiled and said, "Amitabha. You really know how to do business, never letting any opportunity slip by."

Zhou Chuji said, "The business was entrusted to me by my master, so I should work hard and not be lazy for a moment."

"It's not impossible, but my Yunju Temple has many monks and nuns, and we need to purchase charcoal in large quantities. Could you offer a discount?"

"Five coins a pound."

"Amitabha. Only a one-cent discount?"

"If the price drops to four copper coins per pound... Elder, the number four is such an unlucky number!"

"Amitabha. Since you think four coins is not good, how about three coins per pound?"

"Elder Yuanjue, what you're saying is getting more and more outrageous. My processing costs alone are more than three coins per pound."

The two sides began to pull and tug at each other.

The final price was set at 4.5 yuan per jin.

This was the first time Monk Yuanjue had ever heard anyone say that a single coin could be split in half.

Zhou Chuji was a very patient person, so he gave him a brief explanation of Arabic numerals and decimal points.

Yuanjue said, "I have learned something."

"Amitabha. These Arabic numerals, written in a single stroke, are indeed convenient; I have never seen anything like them before. Where does this art of counting rods come from?"

"These were all taught to me by my master; I don't know their origin."

"I have another business opportunity here. I wonder if you would be interested?"

"Elder, please speak freely."

"There are a few families who are always opposing my Yunju Zen Temple. Huang Jin, you are quite skilled at kidnapping and assassinating people. Can you find a way to eliminate them?"

Zhou Chuji laughed and said, "There are actually people in Xiangzhou City that even the elders can't handle."

Yuanjue pointed at him and said, "Aren't you one of them?"

"That makes sense... Who does the elder want dead?"

"He Jianlong, Shi Cao, Wei Qiqiu."

"Alright, I, Huang, will take care of these three people on behalf of the elder."

Yuanjue narrowed his eyes slightly: "Amitabha. Wei Qiqiu has a daughter who is beautiful and pleasing to the eye. You can keep her for now. I have a friend who wants to take her as a concubine."

Zhou Chuji glanced at Yuanjue: "My master said that one should accumulate good deeds in secret. Killing is acceptable, but I, Huang, will not and will not do things like murdering other people's wives and daughters."

Yuanjue rubbed his hands together: "Amitabha. If you had seen Wei Qiqiu's daughter, you wouldn't think that way."

Zhou Chuji stood up and said, "Farewell!"

"Hey, hey, don't go! Don't go!"

Yuanjue quickly got up and grabbed Zhou Chuji.

"You blockhead who only loves killing... Fine, remember this: leave no future trouble."

"Give me the addresses of these three people, so I don't have to go through the trouble of looking for them again."

"Amitabha. I will write it for you now."

……

That night, the He Jianlong, Shi Cao, and Wei Qiqiu families disappeared in Xiangzhou City.

Even the people sent by Monk Yuanjue to keep watch disappeared.

They were all packed up and sent to Laojun Mountain.

Li You happened to have arrived two days earlier and was also on the mountain when he met the three families.

Wei Qiqiu was still in shock, and his wife and daughter were even more terrified.

Of course, the girl was indeed beautiful, no wonder she was coveted by evil people.

Upon learning that those who had kidnapped him were not there to kill him, Wei Qiqiu finally calmed down.

"Mr. Wei, let me ask you, how did you offend Monk Yuanjue?"

"You...you also know that evil monk?"

"I don't know him, but I'm going to meet him."

"You really won't kill me?"

"Of course not, but Xiangzhou City is already a den of dragons and tigers for you. Do you want to come with us?"

"My lord...where did you come from?"

"We came from Suizhou, doing some small business here. We also offended Monk Yuanjue—no, no, that fellow Yuanjue offended us, and now we're here to settle things with him. Mr. Wei, how did you come to be at odds with Yuanjue?"

"Alas, my lord, you do not know this, but my family originally ran several cloth shops, and also sold some silk from Sichuan. There was a bully named Qiao Tai who took a liking to my business and tried to force me to buy from him. I refused, so he went to find that evil monk Yuanjue. The two of them conspired together and made my family suffer terribly."

"Later, I had no choice but to agree to Yuanjue's conditions and sell the business. I didn't expect that Yuanjue would be so untrustworthy. A few days later, he made up the accounts and came to bother me again. He even had the intention to plot against my daughter."

"I was furious, so I wrote a lawsuit and took the matter to the authorities. But the officials there couldn't distinguish right from wrong and accused me of making a false accusation. Naturally, I was dissatisfied and was preparing to rewrite the lawsuit and file another one, but then..."

As a result, he was tied up and taken to Laojun Mountain.

Li You comforted them with kind words and told He, Shi, and Wei about the treatment they received in Huang Chao's army.

Upon hearing that they would have to work and farm on the mountain, all three were extremely reluctant.

But fearing coercion from Li You, he hesitated and stammered.

"If you don't want to go, then forget it."

"There is a thatched hut on Laojun Mountain; let's stay there for now."

"After some time has passed and we have dealt with Monk Yuanjue, you will be able to return to Xiangzhou City and continue your previous lives."

"Thank you so much, sir, for saving my life!"

"It's no problem, it's just a small thing."

……

The following day, Li You descended the mountain and entered Xiangzhou City.

They gathered their key personnel together to discuss their next move.