The Ruined Temple

Chapter 45

The group left the county town and sped off without pause, heading straight for the northern city.

On the official road, only a rolling line of yellow dust remained.

A few bands of mountain bandits hiding in the woods, ready to make some easy money, saw the billowing dust and thought a fat sheep had come their way, their eyes gleaming with greed.

But when they made out the black uniforms with red patterns, their faces turned pale.

"Blind dogs! Those are lords from the Demon Suppression Bureau!"

The whole lot scrambled away, not daring to let out a single fart, vanishing into the forest in an instant.

The mountain path of North Mountain had once been bustling with incense smoke.

Though the temple atop the hill had fallen into ruin, the villagers below still came to pay their respects whenever they had a headache, a fever, a prayer for a child, or a plea for wealth—seeking peace of mind.

But now, the path was thick with fallen leaves.

Scattered along the way were discarded incense sticks and trampled offerings, mixed into the mud, giving off a sour, rotten stench.

Occasionally, a few wild dogs darted through the woods. When they spotted people, they tucked their tails between their legs, let out a few distant whines, and slipped deep into the underbrush.

Soon, the outline of a dilapidated temple appeared at the end of the mountain path.

The group dismounted and tied their Crimson-Eyed Stallions to a crooked tree by the roadside.

Jiang Yuechu stepped into the courtyard first.

"Enter."

No one dared to lag behind; they all followed her through the pitch-black temple gate.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds. A headless stone Buddha lay toppled on the ground, half its face buried in the mud, revealing a eerie smile.

"Amitabha..."

The monk Bujie, clutching his gourd of wine, stopped and stared at the broken statue, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Who would've thought that in these desolate hills, they'd be worshipping this lord here."

Chen Tong sneered, "No matter what lord he is, today he'll have to make room for Master Bear."

Someone asked curiously, "What's so special about this Buddha?"

"This one handles the business of laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot."

Bujie took a swig of wine and explained with a grin, "Legend says that even the most heinous sinner, if they truly repent and kneel before this lord, can wash away all their sins and be reborn."

Chen Tong heard this and let out a derisive snort, as if it were the biggest joke.

"What kind of lousy deity is that? Lay down the knife and wash away all grudges? If that's the case, I'll go torch a few temples tomorrow, then convert to Buddhism—let's see if he takes me in or not."

Bujie shrugged. "If you could truly repent, His Compassion might just take you in out of mercy."

Jiang Yuechu rubbed her throbbing temples and shot both of them a cold glance.

Chen Tong and Bujie's bickering cut off instantly.

They exchanged a look, each seeing a hint of sheepishness in the other's eyes, and wisely shut their mouths.

"Search."

At the command, everyone spread out at once, scouring the ruined temple.

The main hall was draped in cobwebs, the Buddha statues thick with dust. Aside from layers of grime and bird droppings, there was nothing else.

A few men grumbled as they crossed the hall, heading toward the back courtyard.

Just then.

A faint, sobbing cry came intermittently from a tightly shut meditation room in the rear hall.

Everyone tensed, instinctively gripping the hilts of their blades, lightening their steps as they slowly surrounded the room.

Liu Ke pressed his ear to the door and listened for a moment. His expression shifted, and he nodded to the others.

Someone was indeed inside.

A murderous glint flashed in Chen Tong's eyes, and he immediately raised his foot to kick the door open.

But Bujie grabbed his arm, shaking his head, signaling him to hold off.

As they hesitated, the woman's crying from inside the meditation room seemed to grow a bit louder.

Then, a rough voice rang out.

"Who's out there? Didn't I say come back tomorrow? Don't disturb This Seat's devotions! Get lost!"

Clearly, he had mistaken those outside for the foolish villagers who came to listen to his sermons.

Everyone paused, turning their gazes in unison toward Jiang Yuechu at the front, waiting for her orders.

Jiang Yuechu stared coldly at the closed door.

"What are you looking at?"

"Do I need to teach you what to do?"

The crowd understood in an instant!

"Damn it!"

Chen Tong cursed, no longer hesitating.

He abruptly stepped back two paces, then lunged forward, his right foot carrying the force of a thousand jun, slamming viciously into the wooden door of the meditation room!

Boom—

The door, already worn from years of neglect, could hardly withstand such immense power.

With a thunderous crash, the entire door panel shattered into pieces, flying backward into the room!

The scene inside the meditation room was instantly exposed to everyone.

They stared intently. Even Chen Tong, a man who had roamed the jianghu for years, felt his stomach churn violently.

On the bed, a woman, barely clothed, was pinned down in a posture that completely defied human anatomy.

Her limbs had been forcibly broken, twisted backward.

Pale, splintered bone pierced through flesh and skin, exposed to the air, while blood soaked the bed beneath her into a dark, murky red.

"Who?!"

"Who the hell dares to ruin This Seat's good fun?!"

The sudden noise made the black bear pause. He instinctively grabbed a tattered kasaya nearby, wrapping it haphazardly around his waist to cover his ugly parts.

The black bear roared, turning around.

But when his gaze landed on the figures at the door—clad in black robes with crimson patterns—he froze for a moment.

Demon Suppression Bureau?!

What were Demon Suppression Bureau people doing here?

The black bear was stunned for a beat, then let out a low chuckle, slowly straightening up.

"And who do we have here? So it's the esteemed lords of the Demon Suppression Bureau. What? Didn't Huiming make things clear to you?"

"I'll fuck your ancestors!!!"

Chen Tong's eyes were bloodshot. Without even fully drawing his blade, he charged at the black bear like a cannonball, scabbard and all!

"Beast! Your life is mine!"

Liu Ke's longsword was already out, its light cold and sharp, streaking like a flowing beam straight for the black bear's face!

The other men in the courtyard roared as well, attacking from all sides at once!

Faced with this overwhelming onslaught, the black bear merely narrowed his eyes.

"Seems like he didn't make it clear."

Boom—

A visible black demonic aura exploded from within him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chen Tong, at the forefront, hadn't even touched the bear demon's fur before the demonic aura slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward.

Then came the other men.

In a single exchange, the once-ferocious group was all blasted away by that violent demonic aura.

"A bunch of trash."

The black bear snorted disdainfully. "Scram, scram. This Seat won't bother with you today. Don't be ungrateful."

It wasn't that he feared these people.

They were nothing but insignificant nobodies. Even if more came, they wouldn't be enough to fill his teeth.

But since he was nominally under the Jeweled Temple's protection now, he didn't want to kill Demon Suppression Bureau agents and stir up trouble for no reason.