Hundred Schools of Thought Contend

Dark clouds blotted out the sun, and the morning light was bleak.

When Mo Chuan stepped out of his room, the whispers in the courtyard abruptly ceased.

As if sensing something, Luo Feibai raised his face.

Mo Chuan was slightly startled at the sight.

The iron-blooded man from his memories seemed to have become a different person.

His lips were deathly pale, his face bloodless, his eyes webbed with red veins. He stood dull and vacant, like a walking corpse.

Only upon seeing Mo Chuan did he shudder and regain a measure of life.

"Daoist Master, misfortune has befallen my family. Last night, my eldest son was harmed by a monster. When I rushed into the room, I only managed to snatch back one severed foot! I, Luo, am willing to empty my family fortune. I only beg Daoist Master to uphold justice for me and slay demons and exterminate monsters!"

Luo Feibai cried out in desolate grief, kowtowing as he knelt.

The onlookers in the courtyard all turned pale with fear upon hearing this, sighing endlessly.

"Ah, so it really was a monster causing trouble?"

"This city can't be stayed in any longer. I say we should leave while we can!"

"It was the Luo family's eldest son? How pitiful!"

"I've seen that eldest son of the Luo family. At such a young age, he already wielded a fine blade. Given a few more years, he would surely have become an excellent escort guard. What a pity!"

Watching Luo Feibai continue kowtowing without rising, while listening to the surrounding spectators' clamorous discussion, Mo Chuan's heart turned solemn.

If it were a vicious ghost at work, then with the might of the Ghost Subduing Talisman and the Headless Ghost's ferocity, he might still have a chance to fight it!

But if it was a monster causing havoc, how was he supposed to kill it?

As for the earlier Huayin Fox Slaying, that had been purely an accident and could never be replicated!

As Mo Chuan pondered, just as he was about to speak, a burst of dense footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Looking up, he saw more than a dozen Daoists, monks, and even yamen runners pouring into the escort agency's courtyard!

The moment they entered, their gazes fell upon the severed foot before Luo Feibai.

Every one of them looked grave, and some even moved to inspect it.

"May I ask what business these officers, Daoist masters, and Dharma masters have with our Changlong Escort Agency?"

An escort leader stepped forward and asked with cupped hands.

"Zhao Biao Tou, I heard that Escort Leader Luo encountered a monster last night. Is that true?"

A yamen runner stepped forward, asking with cupped hands and an exceedingly courteous manner.

"It is true. Alas, it was a bolt from the blue. Escort Leader Luo's eldest son died in the monster's jaws, and only a severed foot was recovered."

Zhao Biao Tou nodded in reply.

By then, the Daoists and monks who had come with the yamen runner had drawn close to examine the severed foot. Their expressions shifted uncertainly before they reached a conclusion.

"The wound is blurred, as though it was chewed. If not made by a wild beast, then it was most likely a monster."

"Hmph, I said long ago that this was a monster causing trouble! If it had been a vicious ghost, the lights throughout the city would have frightened it into fleeing in disarray long ago!!!"

After a brief discussion among the Daoists and monks, one monk addressed Luo Feibai. "Amitabha. May I ask whether Benefactor Luo saw what that monster looked like?"

Luo Feibai said nothing. He merely looked at Mo Chuan.

Zhao Biao Tou, who had been cultivating ties with the yamen runner nearby, hurriedly patted his shoulder.

"Escort Leader Luo, the Dharma master is asking you a question. Explain the situation clearly. These Dharma masters and Daoist masters will surely be able to subdue demons and exterminate monsters for you!"

As Zhao Biao Tou spoke, several Daoists and monks nodded secretly.

Luo Feibai gave a miserable smile. "Monsters have been causing trouble in Changlan City for more than a month. They have not even seen the monster, yet they come to me for confirmation. And they can still subdue demons and exterminate monsters?"

The words had barely fallen when the entire courtyard erupted!

The escort guards' looks toward the group immediately changed.

Wasn't that exactly right?

If they truly had the ability, they would have slain the demons and exterminated the monsters long ago. Why wait until now?

A wandering Daoist flew into a rage. "You black-faced brute, who are you mocking? If that monster hadn't been hiding from this Daoist master, I would have long since cut it down beneath my Seven Star Sword! Today, seeing that you have lost your son, I cannot be bothered to argue with you. But if I ever see you speaking without restraint again, I will not spare you!"

Luo Feibai merely gave another miserable smile, then kowtowed to Mo Chuan again.

"Daoist Master, I know you possess heaven-reaching abilities. I, Luo, am willing to serve you like an ox or horse. I only beg you to subdue this monster and avenge my son."

At that moment, everyone in the courtyard turned their eyes toward Mo Chuan in unison.

The Daoists and monks who had come with the yamen runner instantly changed expression, their faces turning ashen!

Luo Feibai's actions were no different from trampling one group down to elevate another.

"Layman Luo, this poor Daoist is old and frail. I may still have some strength left to deal with a few demons and monsters, but against a true monster, I fear I have the will but lack the power!"

Mo Chuan sighed. Seeing the last trace of spirit vanish from Luo Feibai's eyes, he could not bear it and said,

"However, this poor Daoist has only this ruined body left. There is no harm in meeting that monster! I only hope you can pull yourself together. When the time comes, I will need to borrow your Zhanmadao."

Luo Feibai's eyes suddenly lit up. Blood flooded his gaze as he slammed his head heavily to the ground.

"Daoist Master is righteous! Luo Feibai shall be at your command!"

Seeing this, the group of Daoists and monks were so furious that they rolled their eyes. With a sweep of their sleeves, they stormed out the gate.

The yamen runner who had been speaking with Zhao Biao Tou, however, quietly inquired into Mo Chuan's background.

When he heard that Mo Chuan had secluded himself in Huayin to cultivate the Dao for sixty years, slain a fox spirit upon leaving the mountains, received the County Lieutenant's favor, and even stopped a ghost immortal from embarking on a killing spree at the County Lieutenant's residence, his eyes immediately brightened, and he hurried away.

Not long afterward, he came calling again.

This time, he brought a document from the Criminal Office to recruit him.

This suited Mo Chuan perfectly.

He wanted to help Luo Feibai, but he did not know the art of tracking and had no way to begin investigating.

Joining the authorities would allow him to share the government's intelligence.

Yet only after Mo Chuan accepted the document did he learn that the whole affair was a tangled mess.

It turned out that when children first began disappearing from Changlan City, the imperial court had paid no heed. Once the matter grew serious, they assumed it was the work of child kidnappers.

They had thought that chopping off a few heads would be enough to cow these demons and monsters.

Unexpectedly, the situation only worsened by the day.

Only then did the Prefect realize that things had gone terribly wrong.

He could only issue order after order, dispatching the Criminal Office to capture the true culprit and even transferring in soldiers for the matter.

Unfortunately, there was still no improvement.

In their desperation, they could only cast about for any remedy and widely invite skilled Jianghu fighters.

Not only were those padding out the ranks as numerous as carp crossing a river;

These Jianghu folk were also unruly, each insisting on their own reasoning. They obeyed summons but not commands.

Or rather, the Criminal Office had also lost its bearings.

They could not distinguish truth from falsehood.

They could only let every faction investigate on its own, calling it: Hundred Schools of Thought contend.

Whoever solved the case would be granted an audience with the Prefect, and then boundless wealth and honor would naturally follow!

In such circumstances, how could intelligence possibly be shared?

"From a single leaf, one knows autumn is coming. The grassroots' ability to coordinate is this poor—these are signs of chaotic times!"

After hearing the information Zhao Biao Tou had gathered, Mo Chuan felt deeply helpless.

Just as he was troubled, an errand runner came to report that the abbot of Tianbao Temple was requesting an audience!

Tianbao Temple was the Buddhist temple near Changlan City. Its incense offerings flourished, and it was a true orthodox branch of Buddhism.

Mo Chuan had no reason to refuse, so he naturally went out to receive the guest.

The abbot of Tianbao Temple was around seventy, roughly the same age as Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen. Yet he had the face of a child and hair like a crane, vigorous and full of spirit!

Compared with Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen, he looked more like an enlightened master.

He had clearly come prepared. Amid their pleasantries, every word of praise concerned Mo Chuan's recent "achievements."

After the pleasantries, the old monk directly asked with meaningful undertones, "Amitabha. May I ask what relationship you have with Yunji Temple of Xishan City, Daoist friend?"

Mo Chuan fell silent for a moment. "In my reckless youth, this poor Daoist cultivated at Yunji Temple for several years."

Abbot Tianbao suddenly understood. "So that is how it is!"

At last, Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen's origins had been filled in.

As the saying went: sweet dew does not nourish rootless grass, and wondrous teachings only save those with affinity.

The Daoist sect placed great importance on karmic affinity, and even more on lineage. Without a master to lead the way, one could never enter the Dao.

Thus, any Daoist with cultivation would inevitably have a lineage.

In Abbot Tianbao's view, Old Daoist Priest Yanzhen's journey was likely to seek a return to his roots, like fallen leaves returning to the earth.

"What does Daoist friend think of the monster currently causing trouble?"

"This poor Daoist has only just arrived. It is like looking at flowers through a fog—I know not what to make of it."

"This old monk has a method to slay the monster. Would Daoist friend be willing to assist me?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Abbot Tianbao glanced around and smiled without speaking.

Seeing this, Mo Chuan waved his hand. Luo Feibai, who had been waiting at the side, was rather unwilling, but he nevertheless led the errand runners out.

In the blink of an eye, only Abbot Tianbao and Mo Chuan remained in the room.

The two spoke in low voices for a long while before Abbot Tianbao finally took his leave.

"Daoist Master..." Luo Feibai entered the room, hesitating to speak.

"Get a good night's sleep. Tonight, we slay demons and exterminate monsters!" Mo Chuan said.

Luo Feibai's old face suddenly flushed red, and his fists clenched with cracking sounds.

"Success comes from secrecy; failure comes from a leaked word. Do not spread this matter around. It is enough that you know it. This monster has succeeded in causing trouble time and again—there may be an insider in Changlan!" Mo Chuan added.

"Daoist Master, I understand." Luo Feibai nodded and took his leave.

Mo Chuan sat in the grandmaster's chair, watching the daylight spill across the threshold as he sank into thought.