The group left the county town and raced north, raising a cloud of dust behind them.
A long trail of rolling yellow dust was all they left on the official road.
A few gangs of bandits were lying in wait in the woods, hoping to make a profit without spending a copper. When they saw the billowing dust, they thought a fat sheep had come their way, and their eyes lit up.
But the moment they recognized the black uniforms with red patterns, their faces went pale.
"Damn it! We're blind as dogs! Those are officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau!"
The bandits scrambled away, not daring to utter a peep. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished into the woods.
The mountain road on North Mountain had once been bustling with worshippers.
The temples up the mountain had fallen into disrepair, but whenever the villagers below suffered a headache or fever, wished for children or prayed for wealth, they still made a habit of coming here to offer incense and seek peace of mind.
But now, the mountain road lay buried beneath fallen leaves.
Here and there along the path lay scattered incense sticks and crushed offerings, trampled into the mud and giving off a sour, rotten stench.
A few stray dogs occasionally darted through the woods. When they saw people, they tucked their tails between their legs, whimpered from a distance, then slunk into the undergrowth.
Before long, the outline of a dilapidated temple appeared at the end of the mountain road.
The group dismounted and tied their Crimson-Eyed Stallion to a crooked tree by the roadside.
Jiang Yuechu was the first to step into the courtyard.
"Inside."
The others didn't dare dawdle. One after another, they followed her through the temple's pitch-black entrance.
Weeds choked the courtyard. A headless stone Buddha lay toppled on the ground, half its face buried in the mud, wearing a strange smile.
"Amitabha..."
Holding his wine gourd, the monk Bujie stopped and clicked his tongue in amazement as he looked at the broken statue.
"I never expected that, in this desolate wilderness, they'd be worshipping this old fellow."
Chen Tong sneered. "Whoever he is, he'll have to make room for Master Bear today."
Someone asked curiously, "What's the story behind this Buddha?"
"He presides over laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot."
Bujie took a swig of wine and explained with a grin, "The legend says that even the most heinous sinner can wash away all their transgressions and be reborn, so long as they sincerely repent and kneel before him."
Chen Tong looked as if he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world and let out a scornful laugh.
"What kind of lousy god is that? You can just lay down your butcher's knife and wash away your grudges? By that logic, I could go destroy a few temples, then convert to Buddhism. Let's see if he'd accept me."
Bujie shrugged. "If you truly repented, the old fellow is merciful. Maybe he really would take you in."
Jiang Yuechu rubbed her aching temples and shot the two of them a cold glance.
Chen Tong and Bujie fell silent at once.
They exchanged a look, both wearing an awkward expression, then obediently shut their mouths.
"Search."
At her command, the group immediately split up and began searching the ruined temple.
The main hall was thick with cobwebs, and dust coated the Buddha statues. Apart from the heavy dust and bird droppings, there was nothing else.
A few men cursed as they crossed the main hall and headed toward the rear courtyard.
Just then,
a faint, broken sobbing came intermittently from a tightly shut meditation room in the rear hall.
Everyone tensed. Instinctively gripping the hilts at their waists, they quieted their footsteps and slowly closed in around the room.
Liu Ke pressed his ear to the door and listened for a moment. His expression changed, and he nodded to the others.
There was someone inside.
A vicious glint flashed in Chen Tong's eyes. He was about to kick the door down when Bujie grabbed him and shook his head, signaling him to hold back.
As the group hesitated, the woman's sobs inside the room grew louder.
Then a coarse voice rang out.
"Who's out there? Didn't I say to come back tomorrow? Stop disturbing my practice! Get lost!"
He had clearly mistaken the people outside for the foolish men and women who came to listen to his sermons.
The group came to a halt and turned as one toward Jiang Yuechu, who led them, waiting for her orders.
Jiang Yuechu stared indifferently at the closed door.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"Do I have to teach you what to do?"
Everyone understood at once!
"Fuck!"
Chen Tong swore, no longer hesitating.
He took two quick steps back, then charged forward and drove his right foot into the meditation room's wooden door with tremendous force!
Boom—
The door had already fallen into disrepair. How could it withstand such a powerful kick?
With a thunderous crash, the entire door shattered and flew inward!
The scene inside the meditation room was laid bare before them.
Everyone took a closer look. Even Chen Tong, who had spent years roaming the martial world, felt his stomach churn.
On the bed, a woman whose clothes had been torn off was pinned down in a position that defied the human body's natural form.
Her limbs had been snapped and twisted backward.
Pale bone jutted through her flesh, exposed to the air. Blood had soaked the bed beneath her, staining it a deep crimson.
"Who?!"
"Who the hell dares ruin my good time?!"
The sudden crash stopped the black bear in its tracks. It grabbed a tattered kasaya from beside him and hastily wrapped it around his waist, covering his ugly parts.
The black bear roared and turned around.
But when its gaze fell on the black-clad figures with red patterns at the doorway, it froze.
The Demon Suppression Bureau?!
What were people from the Demon Suppression Bureau doing here?
The black bear froze for a moment, then chuckled and slowly straightened up.
"So that's who it is. Officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau. What? Didn't Huiming explain things to you?"
"I'll fucking kill you!"
Chen Tong's eyes were bloodshot. He didn't even have time to draw his blade all the way before charging at the black bear like a cannonball, scabbard and all!
"You monster! Pay with your life!"
Liu Ke's long sword was already unsheathed. Its cold gleam flashed like a streak of light, thrusting straight for the black bear's face!
The other men in the courtyard roared and attacked from all sides at once!
Facing the storm of attacks, the black bear merely narrowed his eyes.
"Seems he didn't explain things clearly."
Boom—
A visible surge of black demonic energy erupted from its body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chen Tong, charging at the very front, never even touched the demon bear's fur before the force of the demonic energy slammed into his chest and sent him flying.
The others followed.
In a single exchange, the men who had been so aggressive moments earlier were all blasted away by the violent demonic energy.
"A bunch of useless trash."
The black bear snorted disdainfully. "Get lost, get lost. I won't hold this against you today. Don't push your luck."
It wasn't that he feared them.
They were nothing but low-level nobodies. Even if more came, they wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
It was just that, in name, he had now submitted to the Jeweled Temple. Unless necessary, he didn't want to kill anyone from the Demon Suppression Bureau and invite trouble.
Black Mountain Bear Demon
Before you continue