Demon Suppression Office-What Can You Do to Baosha Temple?

County Magistrate Qian felt utterly miserable.

Damn it, he had finally managed to placate those fiends from the Demon Suppression Office and was just about to send them away. What were these monks stirring up trouble for?

Was the scene not chaotic enough already?!

He cursed inwardly, but he did not dare show the slightest disrespect on his face.

The lead monk ignored the county magistrate's embarrassment. He merely fixed his gaze on Jiang Yuechu, pressed his palms together, and gave a slight bow.

"This humble monk is Hui Ming of Baosha Temple. Greetings, my lady."

He pointed to the young monk behind him, who likewise had his palms together but wore an arrogant expression.

"This is my junior brother, Hui Yuan."

By rights, the other party was a Gao monk of Baosha Temple and had taken the initiative to salute her. By both reason and propriety, she ought to have risen and returned the gesture.

Yet she simply remained seated, as steady as Mount Tai.

Such bearing was no longer mere discourtesy. She simply did not regard him as worthy of notice.

Hui Yuan's expression immediately darkened. Anger flashed between his brows, and he was about to rebuke her.

"You..."

"Junior Brother."

The anger on Hui Yuan's face stalled. In the end, he forcibly suppressed it, merely snorting coldly and turning his head aside.

Hui Ming shook his head. That serene, untroubled smile remained on his face as he turned toward County Magistrate Qian.

"Magistrate Qian, this humble monk wishes to speak with this female benefactor alone for a few words. Might you make it convenient?"

"This..." County Magistrate Qian looked at Jiang Yuechu with difficulty.

On one side was the Demon Suppression Office; on the other was Baosha Temple. He could not afford to offend either.

Jiang Yuechu finally raised her eyes and looked calmly at Hui Ming for a long while.

After a long time.

She said, "Everyone, leave."

The moment those words fell, Liu Ke and the others were all stunned.

"Captain..."

"Go, go, go. The higher-ups are talking. What would we look like standing around here?"

Monk Bujie was quick-witted. He grabbed Liu Ke, who still wanted to say something, then gave Chen Tong and the others, who stood frozen in place, a shove. Half dragging and half pulling, he hauled them outside.

Though everyone had their doubts, Jiang Yuechu's expression remained unchanged. They could only follow Monk Bujie, leaving the hall alongside the county magistrate and Monk Hui Yuan.

With a creak.

The hall doors slowly closed.

In the courtyard, the atmosphere became rather awkward for a time.

Unlike the others' silence, Liu Ke's face was as dark as water as he stared unfriendly at the equally displeased Hui Yuan.

"Baosha Temple truly cuts an imposing figure."

"You raised demons in captivity and brought calamity upon the region. Now that the truth has come to light, you want to use the Buddhist Order's name to brush the matter away lightly?"

"What kind of Buddha are you cultivating?"

Hui Yuan had already been holding a bellyful of anger. He sized Liu Ke up and down, then seemed to recall something. A look of realization appeared on his face.

"So it was you—the illegitimate bastard from Falling Goose Manor who cannot bear the light of day."

"What? You took some abuse at the manor and had nowhere to vent it, so you came here to run wild before me?"

At those words, Liu Ke flew into a rage. He immediately drew his sword. "You're courting death!"

"Oh, my! Sirs! My lords!"

Seeing that the two were about to fight, County Magistrate Qian was scared out of his wits. He hurriedly spread his arms to block the middle.

"You mustn't, you mustn't! This is the county yamen! Harmony brings wealth; peace is precious!"

Compared to the sword-drawn clamor outside, the room was quiet to an excessive degree.

Hui Ming casually walked over and sat beside Jiang Yuechu.

Without the slightest distaste, he picked up the teacup before him—who knew who had drunk from it—and tipped back his head for a sip.

"Fine tea."

He set down the teacup and let out a satisfied sigh.

As though what he had tasted was not crude tea dust, but nectar from jade cups.

"Forgive us for making a spectacle of ourselves, my lady."

"This matter was indeed due to Baosha Temple's poor discipline. That beast descended the mountain without permission, disturbed the local area, and troubled the honored officials of the Demon Suppression Office. This humble monk truly feels deeply ashamed."

"This humble monk came today for two reasons. First, by order of my sect, to take that vile beast back and keep it under strict watch. Second, to offer my apologies to my lady."

From the broad sleeve of his monk's robe, he produced a banknote and gently pushed it before Jiang Yuechu.

"This is five hundred taels of silver."

"I know that my lady and your brothers traveled all the way from Liangzhou Prefecture and have endured much hardship. Consider this modest sum a small token from this humble monk, to welcome you all and wash away the dust of your journey."

"Furthermore..."

Hui Ming paused, and the smile on his face deepened a little.

"Baosha Temple owes my lady a favor."

A favor.

Those two words carried weight a thousand times greater than five hundred taels of silver.

Longyou Circuit was filled with jianghu sects and factions of every stripe, their roots and branches tangled together.

As one of the three foremost powers, Baosha Temple had stood firm for hundreds of years without falling.

The depth of its foundations and breadth of its connections had long surpassed the bounds of an ordinary jianghu sect.

This favor meant that, anywhere within Longyou Circuit, no matter how great a mess one caused—

So long as it was not rebellion or treason, Baosha Temple could settle it for you.

Hui Ming looked at the young woman's unruffled face, and the smile at his lips deepened further.

He believed that no one could refuse such terms.

She was only a minor captain. To gain a favor from Baosha Temple was already a heaven-sent opportunity.

However.

Jiang Yuechu did not look at the banknote. Instead, she calmly asked, "Did that beast of yours harm people here?"

The smile on Hui Ming's face stiffened slightly.

He clearly had not expected her to ask such an ill-timed question.

Then he shook his head and laughed.

"A beast is a beast. Its wild nature is difficult to tame. Once it descended the mountain and its belly grew hungry, it was inevitable that it would need a little meat."

"But rest assured, my lady. They were merely rustic peasants from the wilderness. A few deaths will not stir up the higher authorities, nor will they make things difficult for you."

Jiang Yuechu finally lifted her eyes and stared directly at him.

"How many died?"

"..."

The smile on Hui Ming's face faded somewhat.

After a long time.

"Every year, countless commoners die from natural disasters and calamities. Why must my lady cling to the matter of these few people?"

He sighed, then took out another banknote from his sleeve, stacked it atop the first, and pushed them over.

"Very well. This humble monk did not think things through."

"This humble monk will add another five hundred taels to make it a round number—one thousand taels of silver, along with one favor from Baosha Temple. Not only will my lady be able to report back to the Commissioner's Office, you will gain a windfall and forge a good connection. Why not?"

"..."

Jiang Yuechu let out a deep breath.

One thousand taels of silver.

Plus a favor from Baosha Temple.

The terms the other party offered were indeed tempting.

She had never considered herself a good person.

Before the Tiger Demon, she had personally killed the half-dead Pei Changqing, exchanging his life for that sliver of survival needed to activate her golden finger.

She did not regret it.

If she had to do it again, she would still make the same choice.

But then, she had no choice.

If she had not done so, she would have long been buried in the Tiger Demon's belly. By now, she would probably have become a lump of shit.

But now, the choice rested entirely on a single thought of hers.

Should she bend and yield, accepting the other party's terms?

Or...

Jiang Yuechu suddenly smiled.

A person could not spend an entire lifetime talking of righteousness, but there ought to be at least a little of it.

Otherwise, living that way would be damned boring.

She extended two fingers and slowly pushed the two banknotes on the table back.

The smile on Hui Ming's face froze slightly.

"What does my lady mean by this?"

"Nothing in particular."

Jiang Yuechu rose to her feet and looked down at him from Gao above. "I simply think your favor is not worth much."

Hui Ming's expression finally darkened.

"My lady had best think this through."

"For the sake of a few irrelevant mud-legged peasants, is it worth becoming enemies with Baosha Temple?"

Outside the main hall.

County Magistrate Qian stood caught between Liu Ke and Hui Yuan, his plump face full of misery. He only wished he could turn and run.

"My lords, my lords, speak calmly, speak calmly!"

How could Liu Ke heed any persuasion? Though the longsword in his hand remained sheathed, its sword intent was already chilling. He glared at Hui Yuan and said word by word, "Since when does the Demon Suppression Office's casework require an outsider like you to point fingers and interfere?!"

Hui Yuan gave a sinister laugh, his eyes filled with mockery.

"What? You think waving the Demon Suppression Office's name around will intimidate me?"

"Baosha Temple has stood in Longyou for hundreds of years. Even your former Commander of the Demon Suppression Office would have to show our Buddha some respect. What the hell are you?"

"Today, my senior brother is inside discussing matters courteously with your superior, which is already giving you tremendous face. If you know what is good for you, tuck your tails between your legs and obediently crawl back to Liangzhou Prefecture. Never mind merely allowing a demon to eat a few people—even if I had personally killed them, what could your Demon Suppression Office do to Baosha Temple?"

The moment those words came out, not only did Liu Ke tremble with rage, but Chen Tong and the others beside him also felt their anger surge as they glared furiously.

A mere jianghu sect actually dared speak such wildly arrogant words before the Demon Suppression Office!

This was no longer provocation. It was naked humiliation!

"You're fucking courting death!" Chen Tong roared, about to draw his saber.

"Do not act rashly!"

Monk Bujie's fat body swayed. Though he moved later, he arrived first, clamping tightly around Chen Tong's wrist and shaking his head at everyone.

"Do not cause trouble for Lady Jiang."

Chen Tong stiffened, fury churning in his eyes. Yet in the end, he slowly released the saber hilt in his hand, his spirit deflating at once.

What enraged them was not Hui Yuan's belittlement of the Demon Suppression Office.

It was that Hui Yuan was speaking the truth.

Baosha Temple was not something they could afford to offend.

This matter would most likely end exactly as he had said: with nothing coming of it.

Seeing the looks on their faces—daring to rage but not daring to speak—Hui Yuan's mocking smile grew ever more pronounced.

Liu Ke looked at Hui Yuan's arrogant face, then at the black uniform with crimson patterns of the Demon Suppression Office on his own body, and suddenly found it incomparably glaring.

"I drifted through the jianghu, then joined the Demon Suppression Office... in the end, what difference was there?"

Monk Bujie sighed and leaned close to his ear. "There is still a difference."

"One is a house cat; the other is a stray cat."

County Magistrate Qian listened from the side, his heart pounding in terror. His legs trembled so badly he could barely remain standing.

Damn it, Baosha Temple was actually domineering to such a degree!

It seemed that he needed to hurry back and burn a few extra sticks of Gao incense at the temple.

No, he needed to set up special spirit tablets for Baosha Temple's Buddhas in his backyard and make offerings to them every day!

Just as everyone in the courtyard was lost in different thoughts—

A sudden explosive sound resounded through the courtyard!

Crack!

The thick doors to the hall instantly shattered into pieces!

Amid the flying wood chips, a figure in white flew backward, spraying a scarlet line of blood through the air.

Carried by a tremendous force, the figure crashed down with a boom, smashing apart the bluestone paving in the courtyard. It rolled several times before finally bleeding off that terrifying force.

A white-robed monk lay sprawled on the ground in utter disarray. Half his cheek was swollen Gao high, blood hung at the corner of his mouth, and not a trace remained of his earlier solemn, treasure-like dignity.

Liu Ke stood dumbstruck. Chen Tong's hand loosened from his saber hilt.

Monk Bujie's wine gourd fell to the ground, while County Magistrate Qian rolled his eyes back and nearly fainted on the spot.

Everyone in the courtyard, including the formerly arrogant Hui Yuan—

All wore expressions of utter shock as they turned in unison toward the shattered doorway.

Behind the falling wood chips and drifting dust.

Jiang Yuechu adjusted her slightly rumpled sleeve, her expression indifferent as she slowly stepped out.