Killing Monks

Strangely enough, ever since he "sent out" the "Mirror of Karma" as bait, a subtle, inexplicable connection seemed to have been established between him and the mirror.

Although one cannot clearly "see" the exact location of the mirror, one can vaguely perceive its general direction and distance, like an extremely blurry "mark".

"Could it be... that the divine weapon has a spirit and has recognized its master on its own?" Lu Fei guessed, his tone filled with envy and surprise.

For a Buddhist weapon to recognize its master is a rare and extraordinary opportunity, often only found in the legends of the martial arts world.

Guangyuan curled his lip, looking disgusted: "Recognize me as your master? I think it's that 'Mentally challenged Mirror' that's stuck to me and I can't shake it off."

As the two were talking in hushed tones, Lu Fei, with his sharp eyes, suddenly spotted a figure that looked quite different on the mountain path in the distance.

The man walked slowly but steadily, his footsteps barely making a sound on the rugged mountain path.

He was dressed in a worn gray monk's robe, his figure was thin but upright, and he had a long, strip-shaped object wrapped in gray cloth slung diagonally on his back. Judging from its shape, it looked like a monk's knife.

He was a monk.

In the territory of Northern Zhou, especially near a notorious bandit stronghold like Shuangyingbao, the appearance of a lone monk was quite unusual.

Moreover, the monk was heading straight for the heavily guarded gates of Twin Eagle Fortress!

As the distance closed, it became clear that the monk was about thirty or forty years old, with a thin face and a weathered look between his brows, as if he had traveled a long way.

He seemed oblivious to the prying eyes around him, and showed no fear of the already alert and ready-to-strike guards on the fortress walls. Step by step, he walked straight to the heavy, tightly closed gates of Twin Eagle Fortress.

Then, they stopped.

"This humble monk, Bajie, has come to pay respects to the two lords of Shuangying Fortress."

The gray-robed monk stopped about ten feet in front of the tightly closed, heavy ironwood gate of Twin Eagle Fortress, clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and spoke in a loud voice.

His voice wasn't loud; in fact, it could be described as calm. Yet, it seemed to resonate directly in everyone's eardrums.

The news spread throughout the open space in front of the fortress and reached the ears of those spying in the distant mountains and forests.

Even Guangyuan and Lufei, who were hiding in the tree canopy and quite far away, could hear it clearly.

"Holy crap!" Lu Fei muttered a curse under his breath, "This guy... he's a tough nut to crack!"

He has already learned the word "Holy crap" to express shock.

As for who he learned the word from, Guangyuan would never admit it.

He simply watched the monk in silence.

This is the "knife" they were waiting for after spreading the news and throwing out the "Mirror of Karma" as bait.

Only the appearance of the Buddha's weapon can bring out this kind of "sword" that is not afraid of the infamous reputation of Twin Eagle Fortress and dares to show its blade head-on.

"What kind of status does our lord have? How dare you, a wild monk, just visit him as you please? If you know what's good for you, get out of here, or else..." A man who looked like a minor leader poked his head out from the fortress wall, shouting and cursing arrogantly.

However, he had not yet uttered the last word.

A flash of light appeared without warning!

The flash of the blade appeared and disappeared just as suddenly, without anyone knowing where it came from.

The light was extremely faint, so fast it was like an illusion, vanishing in a flash.

The blade flashed, then went out.

At the same time, the voice of the man on the wall, and his life force, were extinguished.

"Gulp."

A human head rolled off the wall and hit the ground with a dull thud.

The headless corpse paused stiffly for a moment, and then blood gushed out like a fountain from the severed neck, splashing more than three feet high and staining a section of the wall bricks red.

"Amitabha."

Bajie still clasped his hands together and bowed his head slightly, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

His voice remained calm, even carrying a hint of compassion:

"This humble monk observes the Eight Precepts: abstain from greed, anger, ignorance, lust, the cycle of birth and death, false speech, wearing fragrant flowers, and sitting or lying on a high or wide bed."

He paused, then raised his eyes: "However, this humble monk...does not abstain from killing."

Lu Fei felt a chill run down his spine as he read this, and couldn't help but whisper to Guang Yuan:

"That bald monk...this guy seems even more monstrous than you, and...and he's so damn self-righteous!"

Guangyuan, however, was concerned with another layer of meaning: "He mentioned 'Eight Precepts,' which means strictly adhering to these eight precepts. But beyond these eight..."

"What else?" Lu Fei asked urgently.

"Apart from that, I abstain from everything else." Guangyuan held up three fingers. "For example... killing, drinking alcohol, and eating meat."

I never imagined that there were such monks in the Buddhist kingdom of Southern Tang.

This was far beyond his expectations.

But without a doubt, the monk in front of us who calls himself "Bajie" is unfathomably powerful!

"How dare you! What kind of wicked monk is this, daring to cause trouble in my Twin Eagle Fortress and commit murder in public?!"

Amidst the roar, two burly, mountain-like figures swiftly climbed onto the wall; they were none other than the Xu Jinying and Xu Yinying brothers, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

The two men turned ashen-faced and their eyes blazed with fury when they saw the human head rolling on the ground and the bloodstains on the wall.

This is not only murder, but also a blatant slap in the face to Twin Eagle Fortress, trampling the prestige they have built up over the years!

Despite the angry glares from the two fortress lords, Bajie remained unmoved, clasped his hands in prayer once more, and spoke in a calm tone:

"This humble monk has come today solely to beg for alms."

He looked directly at Xu Jinying:

“Buddhist objects have their own owners and are not meant for you, benefactor. Please do me the favor and return the ‘Mirror of Karma’ to this humble monk.”

Xu Jinying was already enraged by the public killing of his men, and when he heard this wicked monk dare to directly demand the Buddhist weapon that he considered his for the taking, he became even more furious and shouted angrily:

"That mirror of karma is already..."

He intended to use the situation to say something like "it's no longer in the fortress" or "it has been used for something else" to deflect the question or even threaten the other party.

However, as the words reached his lips, an indescribable force compelled him to blurt out his true intentions:

"...It's still inside the fort! But I've decided to give it to Kou Zhongping of the prefectural government!"

Upon hearing this, not only did Pigsy's expression shift slightly as he stood beneath the wall, but Xu Yinying beside him also turned around abruptly, looking at his elder brother in astonishment and exclaiming in a low voice, "Big Brother?!"

Xu Jinying himself reacted instantly, the color draining from his face and his eyes filled with disbelief and horror!

How could he reveal such an important and secret arrangement in public?!

This is tantamount to exposing one's own shortcomings, and may even offend Kou Zhongping!

He hurriedly covered his mouth, as if trying to swallow back the words that had escaped his lips, but it was too late.

The words had already drifted away on the wind, and not only did Bajie hear them clearly, but even those spying in the distance probably heard them too.

Amidst his surprise and uncertainty, Xu Jinying's gaze was fixed on the long, rectangular object wrapped in gray cloth behind Bajie.

He hesitated and said, "Buddha's weapon... 'Righteous Speech - Evil-Suppressing Blade'?"