Cleanup, Part 2

They got off the carriage.

Zhang Rongfang frowned as he looked at Sea Gazing Temple.

"Quickly enter the temple and see if there are any more thieves! How dare they launch a surprise attack on Sea Gazing Temple under my jurisdiction! If anything happens to the Grand Initiation Master, how can I explain this to the Zen masters of the Western Sect?!"

His expression was solemn as he spoke.

Shangguan Lian Yue followed from behind with her men.

"My Guardian Priest, all religious affairs in the entire Citong are under your jurisdiction and are your responsibility. They have nothing to do with me."

"I came here only to relieve the siege of the Aloeswood Palace. Now that the matter is resolved, I should return to the Snow Rainbow Pavilion."

"Shangguan is going back so soon?" Zhang Rongfang was surprised.

"Why not stay a little longer, so that I can also fulfill my duty as a host?"

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. However, I have grown accustomed to the arduous life of cultivation for months. If I stay here for too long, I fear it will affect my state of mind when I return. As the saying goes, gentle pleasures are a poison that corrodes the bones."

Shangguan Lian Yue chuckled twice, before finishing her sentence.

Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded from Sea Gazing Temple.

Red fireworks suddenly exploded.

Several figures rushed out quickly and knelt on one knee in front of Zhang Rongfang.

"Guardian Priest, something terrible has happened!! Sea Gazing Temple is littered with signs of a fight, and corpses are strewn everywhere! Abbot Kong Xiang is nowhere to be found, and is suspected of being missing!"

"What?!" Zhang Rongfang exclaimed in shock. "Take me to see this quickly!"

Shangguan Lian Yue's smile froze for a moment.

He had also heard of Kong Xiang of Sea Gazing Temple. Although he did not know the person, in True Buddha Temple, none of the monks of the Kong Generation were weak.

It is at least Super Grade Internal Method Spirit Vein.

The fact that Kong Xiang can sit in one place is probably due to the presence of many of the three Kong spiritual networks.

Such a master, someone on the same level as him, would suddenly disappear without a trace!? The more Shangguan Lian Yue thought about it, the more panicked she became.

The depth of the water in Ci Tong Port is simply unimaginable.

Something felt off about the last crackdown on the Secret Teaching.

This time, the dignified Sea Gazing Temple had so many monks, and even a senior monk of the Kong Generation was leading the way. He quickly followed Zhang Rongfang, and together with Sun Chaoyue Chen Han, and others, they entered the temple.

Sure enough, upon entering the temple gate, the inner walls were broken and the pillars were snapped.

The ground was covered with cracked stone slabs and deep footprints.

The corpses of monks lay scattered in Blood Pool, already lifeless.

Strangely, the Kong Xiang Abbot, who was the most powerful in the temple, was nowhere to be found.

Seeing this chaotic crime scene.

Shangguan Lian Yue felt a chill run down her spine.

Then look at Zhang Ying Daozi looks utterly shocked.

The other person's shocked expression was genuine, but for some reason, he felt that something was off.

"What kind of vicious criminal is this?! How dare they lay such a hand on the Grand Initiation Master of the Western Sect?! It's simply... simply!!" Zhang Rongfang's face was ashen, his body trembling, as if he were shouting in fear.

"I, Zhang, am Guardian, and now I have been caught in a major case. It is all because I failed to properly supervise my children!" he lamented loudly, his face filled with anguish.

"Li Shang!"

"Yes!" A strong Daoist priest from the Guardian Teaching Office behind him stepped forward and knelt down.

"From today onwards, I hereby order you to mobilize all forces within the Guardian Teaching Office to thoroughly investigate the murderer behind Sea Gazing Temple! Find every clue!! Restore justice to Ci Tong Port!!" Zhang Rongfang declared Heaven and Earth.

"Your humble servant obeys!" the Daoist priest named Li Shang responded loudly, feeling that he had been given an important position, and became excited for a moment.

"Li Shang, I know you are always quick to notice subtle signs and have an excellent ability to investigate. This time, perhaps the cases of the Grand Initiation Master will have to be entrusted to you."

Zhang Rongfang looked at the Earth Blood and sighed.

"Shang will certainly live up to your expectations!" Encouraged by his superior, Li Shang was instantly energized, his face flushed and his gaze resolute.

At this time, the Prefectural Office and the Prefect's soldiers finally arrived late.

First Squad people surrounded Sea Gazing Temple once again.

Prefect Zhao Yanting and Magistrate Niluofu arrived hastily with their personal guards.

Upon seeing the bloody mess Sea Gazing Temple, both men turned pale and looked at Zhang Rongfang.

"Zhang Shoujiao, what do you think we should do about this?!" Zhao Yanting was a little flustered.

Sea Gazing Temple is a brand-new temple built by a high-ranking monk of the Western Sect.

It's only been a year or two since it was built, and such a major incident has already occurred.

Once investigated, he, as the Prefect in charge of local security, would also be held jointly responsible.

"Lord Zhao, Lord Niluofu, I have already ordered a thorough investigation. We will mobilize all resources and spare no expense to bring the murderer to justice and comfort the spirits of the many Grand Initiation Masters of Sea Gazing Temple!"

Zhang Rongfang sighed deeply.

"Alas, if there is anything I can do to help with this case, Zhang Shoujiao, please don't hesitate to ask." Ninov Xiangjian Kong Xiang before and knew that the other party was incredibly powerful.

At this time, even the Kong Xiang had mysteriously disappeared, and the entire Sea Gazing Temple was in a mess. How could he dare to come in and wade into the muddy waters?

Of all those present, only Zhang Ying, Zhang Shoujiao Daozi the Great Dao Sect, has the foundation to withstand this wave of accountability.

"Thank you, Magistrate Excellency." Zhang Rongfang bowed to Niluofu in gratitude.

"Regardless, Guardian Priest, please provide results as soon as possible. This matter is of great importance. Snow Rainbow Pavilion and True Buddha Temple will likely send people to investigate."

Zhao Yanting offered a reminder.

"I understand!" Zhang Rongfang nodded solemnly.

***In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.

The case at Sea Gazing Temple was quickly closed.

The entire Sea Gazing Temple was wiped out by a surprise attack from the Thousand Sect Alliance of Secret Teaching.

Sea Gazing Temple, the Guardian Teaching Office also discovered the remains of the bodies of experts from the Thousand Sect Alliance, as well as signs of a fierce battle.

Kong Xiang's body was found on a beach several miles away from Sea Gazing Temple.

The body was reduced to a mere skin; the inside was completely empty.

As for why the Thousand Sect Alliance launched a surprise attack on the Western Sect?

I don't know.

What these Secret Teaching masters will do remains unknown.

They'll do anything that opposes the Ling Ting.

When problems arise, just pile them all on their shoulders.

After Zhang Rongfang reported the case, True Buddha Temple has not yet responded.

This shocking case has now come to an end.

Mid-July.

The internal strife within the Great Ling gradually subsided.

After the expeditionary force landed overseas, it conquered more than ten small countries. According to the rules, any man taller than a cartwheel would be killed.

They then plundered a large number of women, children, and valuables, which were transported back to various ports in Great Ling via a logistics fleet.

Ci Tong Port received the most visitors.

Late July.

The ships transporting slaves arrived at Ci Tong Port once again.

A sea breeze howled at the Dock, and the temperature gradually began to cool down.

First Squad women and children dressed in gray skirts walked down the gangway of the ship in an orderly fashion, their faces filled with sorrow.

Aside from the children, all of these people were female, and their skin color was noticeably different from that of most of the Great Ling People. They exhibited more characteristics similar to the Hu Xi People.

Their eyes, which they occasionally looked up from, revealed numbness, despair, unease, and fear.

Some of the women even had slightly protruding bellies and were covered in bruises, perhaps because they had been violated on the ship halfway through the journey and became pregnant with the soldiers' flesh and blood.

On a private residence pavilion near the Dock.

Niluofu, the Magistrate Citong, is holding a banquet at his private residence to welcome Xue Chengsi, the captain of the returning fleet.

Almost all of the high-ranking officials in Citong participated in the banquet.

In the afternoon, bright yellow lights shine from the pale blue, sloping roof, illuminating the glossy, dark blue tiles.

Music, laughter, and conversation drifted from the windows of the upper floors of the building.

Xue Chengsi is over fifty years old. Born into a noble Noble Spirit Person, he possesses Super Grade martial arts skills and has reached the Internal Method. He is a rare powerhouse among Spirit Person.

Even as Super Grade, he is already starting to decline at his current age.

Due to the depletion of his qi and blood, coupled with the lack of Civilian Skill cultivation for health preservation, his actual martial arts skills were reduced to at most the level of External Medicine.

At this moment, in the banquet hall of the attic.

He wore a light purple robe, a rhinoceros horn belt, and a wide-brimmed hat with a red base and black trim.

The top of the hat was also inlaid with a large red coral bead the size of a fingernail.

What is particularly striking is his large, pregnant belly, which makes him waddle as he walks, giving him a rather honest and simple air.

"I originally thought there was no place in the world that could compare with my Great Ling. Who would have thought that I would see so much on this trip?"

"Lord Xue, have you sensed something? Have you witnessed an even stronger force?" Magistrate Niluofu picked up his wine and took a sip.

"Yes, there are many small countries in the Xi Yi. Although they are small in area and sparsely populated, they are courageous. When we were destroying the twelfth country, we encountered a group of natives who resisted fiercely."

"Our army besieged them for more than three months, and they resisted until the last man in the city was dead, and no one surrendered," Xue Chengsi exclaimed in admiration.

"If my Great Ling could also have such a valiant army, it would greatly reduce the casualties of our troops."

"Perhaps it's because they share a common belief? Non-Self," Zhang Rongfang, dressed in a brocade robe, said with a slight smile.

As one of the three highest-ranking officers in Ci Tong Port, he naturally had to attend the banquet.

"That's true. Our Great Ling has too many sects and too many different beliefs, so they can't unify their faith and fight each other." Xue Chengsi nodded in agreement.

He looked at Zhang Rongfang, who was also a contemporary Daoist Daozi of the Great Dao Sect.

After all, he has made quite a stir since he arrived in Citong.

Although he always seemed to be on the defensive, he was always the ultimate beneficiary.

Nobody's a fool; everyone can see the implication.

In Citong, about 60% of the merchant ships now have to give 10% of their profits to the Guardian Teaching Office as missionary expenses.

Meanwhile, the Guardian Teaching Office used the policies of the Great Ling Religion to legally help these fleets evade some taxes.

This is lawful in Great Ling.

Officials, clerks, monks, Daoists, doctors, craftsmen, artisans, prostitutes, scholars, beggars.

This division was not arbitrary.

Monks and Daoists truly enjoy various Tax System reductions and exemptions.

By simply using some of the ships and cargo to go through Zhang Rongfang's Guardian Teaching Office), one can obtain at least an extra 20% profit.

Even if only 10% is given to Zhang Shoujiao, there will still be a large profit.

Sea Gazing Temple had considered this avenue before, but before they could get involved, it was abandoned.

Today, no one in the entire Citong can rival the Guardian Teaching Office in this regard.

Zhang Rongfang also distributed the large amount of profits he obtained to the Rebel Sect and the Thousand Stone Sect.

In this world, anyone who practices martial arts needs to spend a considerable amount of money.

Money makes you powerful.

This is not just empty talk in Great Ling.

After receiving substantial financial support from Zhang Rongfang, the support for him from the Rebel Sect increased once again, coupled with his previous attack that killed Kong Xiang.

This brought his reputation to its peak in a short period of time.

Zhang Rongfang is now the undisputed number one Rebel Sect.