Nakamura's heart skipped a beat.
It's over!
It seemed the Imperial Guard had set their sights on Mount Putuo Temple.
"Patron, this humble monk does not understand what you are talking about. This humble monk has matters to attend to and must return to the temple."
With that, Nakamura turned to slip away.
"Trying to leave?"
Huang Shaojie sneered and swung out a palm, sending Kimura flying several yards. Kimura spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily, grievously injured.
Huang Shaojie stepped forward and tapped his acupoints, then had two Imperial Guard Captains stand guard over him.
Before long, Niu Ren came galloping over on horseback with three or four hundred Imperial Guards.
Niu Ren rode up to Huang Shaojie and leaped down from his horse.
Huang Shaojie cupped his fists in salute. "Greetings, Commander Niu."
Commander Niu urgently asked, "Commander Huang, you said the remnants of the Japanese pirates are inside Mount Putuo Temple. Is that true?"
Huang Shaojie was taken aback. Commander Niu had just changed the way he addressed him, calling him Commander of a Hundred. Could the appointment documents from the Capital City have arrived?
But this was no time to think about that. He immediately replied, "That's right. The remnants of the Japanese pirates are hiding in Mount Putuo Temple. I've already killed two and wounded one."
As he spoke, Huang Shaojie pointed to the monk whose acupoints had been sealed nearby, as well as the two bald, black-clad corpses on the ground.
Commander Niu asked in surprise, "Aren't these monks of Mount Putuo Temple? How did they become Japanese pirates?"
Huang Shaojie briefly recounted how his parents had gone to burn incense, how two monks had disguised themselves as bandits and tried to kill them after they came down the mountain, and