The Old Monk's Stance! (Please Bookmark)

Qin Zheng did not delay.

He quickly arrived at the ruined temple in the eastern part of the city, where the old monk Chongming lived.

At that moment, the scent of cooking smoke, accompanied by the faint fragrance of food, drifted out from within the ruined temple.

When Qin Zheng stepped into the temple, he saw a group of children sitting obediently and drinking porridge.

Beside the children sat a haggard-looking woman, somewhat restrained. The moment she saw Qin Zheng, her eyes immediately lit up.

It seemed she had taken his words to heart.

Qin Zheng thought to himself.

He then shifted his gaze to the old monk Chongming, who was still cooking porridge by the fire.

There were not much in the way of greens or rice, and even less meat. The entire pot of porridge was not quite as thin as water, but neither was it thick.

"Master Qin, you have come."

Seeing Qin Zheng arrive, the old monk Chongming raised his head and pressed his palms together in greeting.

Qin Zheng returned the salute, then walked to the old monk's side and said, "Master, have you heard the rumors spreading through the city?"

The old monk Chongming nodded and replied, "When this humble monk went out today, I vaguely heard a few rumors."

"I had also intended to leave the city and see whether this matter is true or false."

"Rest assured. If it is true, this humble monk certainly will not stand by and do nothing!"

The old monk's tone was filled with resolve, yet his expression remained exceedingly calm, as though this was no difficult matter to him.

Seeing this, the faintly raised tension in Qin Zheng's heart slowly eased.

Within Black Goose City, based on what Qin Zheng currently understood, this old monk's strength was the most unfathomable.

For whether it was Ji Changyin, Xu Weisai, or Shi Dian, they were merely Muscle-Refining Realm martial artists who had broken through three major barriers.

This gave Qin Zheng the impression that the upper limit of martial strength in Black Goose City was the Muscle-Refining Realm.

As for the old monk before him, although Qin Zheng had never seen him make a move, the bearing in his speech alone made it clear that he was no ordinary man.

Whether he had spoken of Shi Dian before or the bandits outside the city now, he had remained utterly unruffled.

Therefore, if the old monk before him decided to intervene in this matter, the outcome should not be as dire as the rumors claimed.

The old monk's attitude put Qin Zheng much more at ease.

His gaze then fell upon the porridge in the pot. After thinking for a moment, he took out a few taels of silver from his person and handed them to the old monk Chongming.

"These children are still young. They need some meat to nourish their bodies. Master, please accept this money first."

Although the old monk was powerful, he did not understand how to make a living. He himself wore ragged clothes and lived in a ruined temple.

Now he also had to provide food for all these children. It was probably rather difficult.

Qin Zheng could not do as the old monk did and take in homeless beggar children, but when he encountered someone like the old monk, he could at least do what he could and offer some help.

The old monk did not stand on ceremony. After taking Qin Zheng's silver, he pressed his palms together and gave him a deep bow.

"Amitabha. Master Qin has the heart of a bodhisattva. This humble monk thanks you greatly!"

Qin Zheng waved his hand indifferently, signaling that there was no need for such courtesy.

With the Golden Cicada Gang at his back, after killing Wei Feng and Shi Dian, he had obtained quite a bit of silver and was not short of money for the time being.

If he had not only been carrying a few taels of silver, he could have given more.

After all, Shi Dian alone had contributed two thousand taels' worth of silver notes.

However, recalling what he had seen upon arriving today, Qin Zheng still reminded him, "Master, rumors are everywhere in the city now, and many commoners are stockpiling food."

"If you do not buy some grain now, grain prices may rise later, or perhaps even money will not be enough to buy food."

The old monk Chongming nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, benefactor. This humble monk will go out shortly to purchase some grain."

"Master Qin has arrived at just the right time. Why not have a bowl of thin porridge?"

Qin Zheng nodded. Just as he was about to gladly accept,

he saw the old monk shift his gaze toward the entrance of the ruined temple.

Qin Zheng froze. His ears then twitched, as though he had sensed something, and he too looked toward the entrance.

After the Great Sun Golden Cicada Skill reached minor mastery, his five senses had improved, and his hearing had naturally grown much sharper.

This scene caused the old monk Chongming to glance sideways, a trace of surprise seeming to appear in his eyes.

Before long, Xu Weisai, dressed in black robes with a long saber at his waist, appeared in their field of vision.

"He came this quickly?"

Qin Zheng raised his brow, his heart becoming slightly more solemn.

When Xu Weisai saw Qin Zheng, he too raised his brow, seemingly somewhat surprised.

However, his gaze soon passed over Qin Zheng and landed on the old monk at the side.

"May I ask if you are Master Chongming?"

He stepped forward, clasped his fists, and saluted the old monk.

"I dare not accept such a title. This humble monk's Dharma name is indeed Chongming."

The old monk returned the salute, then shook his head and spoke calmly.

Xu Weisai paid that no mind. His gaze swept over Qin Zheng, as well as the group of children behind the two of them.

He said, "I am Xu Weisai of the yamen. I would like to speak with Master somewhere private. I hope Master will grant me this favor."

Not once did he mention Qin Zheng.

Upon hearing this, the old monk nodded. He glanced at Qin Zheng, then stepped outside and left the ruined temple with Xu Weisai.

Although Qin Zheng had been ignored, he did not mind at all. This was exactly what he wanted.

Although Xu Weisai had accepted the credit, he had not forgotten to investigate the truth of the matter.

Since he had come directly to the temple to find the old monk Chongming,

he must have learned that the old monk Chongming had appeared there that day and suspected that the old monk had acted.

The fact that he had not connected it to Qin Zheng was truly excellent.

Qin Zheng nodded, quite satisfied with this in his heart.

This way, the suspicion on him would be completely cleared away.

As long as the old monk Chongming did not betray him and reveal that he had killed Shi Dian, this matter would be over.

"Sir... was that man just now Bailiff Xu from the yamen?"

At this moment, the woman who had been sitting timidly behind him walked forward and looked at Qin Zheng anxiously as she asked.

Qin Zheng nodded and answered, "That was indeed Bailiff Xu."

He turned to look at the woman.

Outside the execution ground earlier, he had only noticed that she was somewhat pretty.

Now that he paid closer attention, he realized that her figure was rather outrageous.

He sighed faintly in his heart.

As the saying went, a beautiful woman could bring disaster.

Although this woman's looks could only be considered passable, her figure was truly rather striking.

It would have been fine if she came from a well-to-do family, but if she had been born into poverty and caught the eye of some pampered young dandy, it would inevitably become a tragedy.

"The three men this morning were your brothers, weren't they?"

Qin Zheng asked.

The moment those words fell, the woman began to cry once more. Between sobs, she told Qin Zheng what had happened.

And the matter was indeed as Qin Zheng had guessed.

The woman was named Qi Yan, and the three men beheaded today had been her three older brothers.

Her family had been poor, and her parents had died early. Her three brothers had raised her.

A few days ago, while she was out buying vegetables, she had inadvertently caught the eye of the youngest son of the Second Boss of the Canoe Gang. He had then sent people to abduct her and forcibly violated her.

When her three brothers learned of this, they flew into a towering rage. Taking advantage of the young dandy being alone, they seized him and gave him a brutal beating.

But though they had vented their anger, they had lost their lives along with it.

After hearing everything, Qin Zheng sighed and could only say, "For now, follow Master Chongming. In the future, see whether you can find an opportunity to leave Black Goose City."

Qi Yan nodded through her sobs. The children at the side also gathered around her to comfort her.

Though the children were young, homeless beggar children had always been forced to grow up early.

Qin Zheng watched this scene in silence.

A moment later, the old monk returned alone, his expression slightly heavy.

"Master, what happened?"

Qin Zheng asked curiously.

"Master Qin, rest assured. Benefactor Xu did not ask much. He merely asked this humble monk not to publicize that I killed Shi Dian, and to help him conceal it."

"Shi Dian was killed by Master Qin, not by me. Naturally, this humble monk will not publicize anything."

After those two sentences, Qin Zheng was completely at ease.

However, if it were only something so simple, why did the old monk Chongming look so grave?

This was the first time Qin Zheng had seen such an expression on the other man's face.

But the old monk said nothing more, and Qin Zheng did not press further.

Only the heart that had just slightly relaxed rose into his throat once again.