Rebirth Temple, Dogfighting at the Gambling Den

The Peng Household had a long legacy and was renowned throughout the martial world for its mechanisms. Even after the Jing Dynasty fell, the Peng Household endured, surviving all the way into the era of True Qi Martial Path.

The reason the Peng Household had lasted so long was Zhao Xingming.

Twenty years later, Madam Peng died at the hands of the Xue family. Zhao Xingming avenged his mother, and after mastering his martial arts, he used the Heart-Breaking Buddha Body to slaughter the entire Xue family, leaving neither chickens nor dogs alive.

After the Jing Dynasty, the new dynasty established the rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Zhao Xingming ranked among the Heavenly List. Before reaching thirty, he attained the Divine Intent Realm and became a dominant powerhouse renowned throughout the martial world.

"Madam Peng, Zhao Xingming... It looks like that ruined temple is Rebirth Temple."

Lu Li's heart settled. He knew the Heart-Breaking Buddha Body was in Rebirth Temple, but White Crow Town had quite a few temples. Finding his destination would inevitably take some effort.

He had not expected news of Rebirth Temple to come so easily.

If luck was on his side, he might get the Heart-Breaking Buddha Body tonight.

After hearing Tian Wang's account, Liu Yueling's little face fell in sorrow, tears gathering in her eyes. "She's so pitiful."

Seeing this, Lu Li hurriedly held Liu Yueling gently and comforted her.

Afterward, they smoothly entered White Crow Town. Tian Wang seemed very familiar with the area and easily found them an inn to stay in. It was not Lixi Inn, and the price was correspondingly much cheaper.

Only then did Lu Li realize that prices at Lixi Inn were more than twice as high as elsewhere.

The three of them temporarily settled into the inn. Liu Yueling was still a child, and her emotions came quickly and faded quickly. After comforting her, Lu Li promptly went out.

He intended to ask Tian Wang in detail about the location of that ruined temple.

He had not gone far when Lu Li stopped. Tian Wang was actually walking toward him of his own accord.

"Boss..."

Tian Wang rubbed his hands together, looking eager yet somewhat embarrassed. "I reckon you came to White Crow Town because you want to visit Rebirth Temple, right?"

Lu Li's gaze shifted. How did Tian Wang know he wanted to go to Rebirth Temple?

Before he could ask, Tian Wang leaned closer and smiled ingratiatingly.

"Boss, could you lend me a little? I want to place a bet at Rebirth Temple too."

Lu Li was puzzled when he heard this.

Seeing the strange look on his face, Tian Wang hurriedly said, "Boss, I won't gamble big. Just one or two qian. If I win, I'll give you half. If I lose, it'll all be on me."

Hearing that, Lu Li understood. The Rebirth Temple Tian Wang mentioned seemed to be a gambling den. Keeping his expression neutral, he asked:

"How many Rebirth Temples are there in White Crow Town?"

"Huh?"

Tian Wang froze, finding the question odd, but he still answered honestly. "There's only one Rebirth Temple."

"Only one?"

Lu Li looked into Tian Wang's eyes. "Then where is the ruined temple where that madwoman lived that you mentioned on the road?"

Tian Wang did not understand. After thinking for a moment, he answered uncertainly:

"That ruined temple used to be some kind of evil shrine, I think. Later, the authorities sent people to smash the Buddha statues inside and burn down the temple. But that was many years ago. No one knows what that ruined temple used to be called."

After hearing this, Lu Li rubbed his brow. His rough memories from the game differed slightly from reality.

There were two temples. One was called Rebirth Temple and had now become a gambling den. The other had once been an evil shrine, but the people involved all matched up.

Standing where he was, Lu Li pondered for a moment before deciding to inspect them one by one. He beckoned Tian Wang over.

"Come on. Let's go to Rebirth Temple."

As soon as he spoke, he flicked out a qian of silver. Tian Wang caught it, beaming with delight as he immediately led Lu Li toward Rebirth Temple.

Rebirth Temple lay in the southern part of town. It was already deep into the night, and every household along the streets and alleys had their doors shut tight. Only a fairly large temple remained brightly lit, with two lanterns hanging before its vermilion gates.

Two men in black stood at the entrance. They were tall, sabers hanging from their waists, and they stood silently like a pair of guardian gods.

Lu Li arrived behind Tian Wang and gave them a quick look. The hands holding their sabers were heavily callused, but they had no inner qi. They were merely nimble ordinary men.

The lanterns cast a faint red glow, illuminating the three prominent words carved on the plaque above the temple gates: Rebirth Temple.

"Gentlemen, we're here to have some fun."

Tian Wang appeared quite familiar with the place. Lowering his voice, he took out ten copper coins and handed them over.

One of the men in black accepted them, gave them a cursory glance, then nodded slightly. "Go in."

Lu Li followed Tian Wang inside. From the outside, it looked like a temple, but there was not a single monk within. Everywhere he looked, he saw only gamblers indulging in lust and vice.

Gambling tables of all sizes filled the temple, gamblers crowding around them with bloodshot eyes as spittle flew from their mouths.

Lu Li also saw scantily clad prostitutes approach gamblers who had won, batting their eyes at them seductively.

Then the two exchanged money, one hooked her arm around the other's, and they headed openly for a dim corner. There were no curtains to shield them as they began their tryst.

The lavishly decadent air carried a warm stench of blood, alcohol, and sweat. The clamor was deafening. Lu Li withdrew his gaze and frowned slightly.

Though the point in time he had transmigrated to was relatively early, he was now certain that this was not the Rebirth Temple he had imagined.

Moreover, Lu Li had no interest whatsoever in a gambling den like this. He understood the rules of this world well: wealth and power were inferior to martial skill and strength.

Tian Wang, meanwhile, was extremely excited. Seeing Lu Li looking around, he pulled him farther inside.

"Boss, the outer hall is nothing interesting. How about we go to the inner hall and watch dogfighting?"

Lu Li shook his head, about to refuse, when his expression suddenly stiffened. He looked toward the inner hall.

After entering the second level of Meridian Opening, bolstered by Demon Martial Path, his senses had become far sharper than those of ordinary people. At that moment, he could faintly hear children crying, vicious dogs growling, and the presence of martial artists.

There were martial artists in the inner hall, and more than one.

"Fine. Let's take a look."

Lu Li's expression remained calm as he followed Tian Wang into the inner hall.

The inner hall was entirely different from the outer hall. The instant they entered, a reclining Buddha statue came into view.

The statue leaned sideways, sunk against one side of a huge square pit over a zhang deep. The pit was spacious, and quite a few people stood around its edge, most of them dressed in bright, fine clothes.

"Mighty General, hurry! Bite that little brat to death!"

"Damn it, I bet four hundred copper coins on that little brat, and he turned out to be a useless coward!"

People cursed loudly, their faces twisted as they stared fixedly into the pit. They looked as though they wished they could leap down and fight the black dog themselves.

"Hm?"

Lu Li swept his gaze around, then his eyes narrowed.

Inside the pit, a black dog covered in hard muscle was frantically tearing apart a thin, small figure wrapped in dog skin, like a monkey crawling on the ground.

Crack!

A crisp sound of breaking bones rang out as scarlet blood splashed. The burly black dog clamped down tightly on the "monkey's" neck. It let out a low whimper, then its limbs went limp and fell to the ground.

Under the dim light, the Buddha statue's compassionate face was stained with glaring crimson, making it horrifying beyond measure.

"This is dogfighting?!"

In the pit, the burly black dog lowered its head and gnawed on the corpse. The gamblers beside it, their eyes red with betting fever, shouted their praise. Lu Li stared fixedly at the "monkey's" corpse, his pupils shrinking as his body trembled.

What monkey was that? It was clearly a child wrapped in dog skin!