Setting the Mountain Ablaze

"Sir, a group of men wearing official boots are coming up the mountain."

The Honglai Inn, located in a small town on the western side of the Mount Qingyuan Range, has been booked out.

The money was provided by a well-known silk merchant from Zhejiang, named Zhou Quan.

The monks and lay disciples of the Southern Shaolin often walked around this town and inquired about any suspicious people with out-of-town accents in the inn. Since this merchant had visited the Southern Shaolin several times in previous years, they did not suspect anything.

Zhou Quan looked to be under fifty. He had a jade hairpin inserted diagonally in his hair bun, long and narrow eyes, a high nose and a wide mouth, and his hair and beard were jet black and glossy.

He set up a table by the window on the second floor and leisurely ate a steamed fish, the fish meat as tender as garlic cloves.

Two strong servants stood behind him.

The person who just came to report the news looked much older than him, with gray hair, pockmarks on his face, and his mannerisms and speech resembled those of a butler.

Everyone says the South Wind is beautiful, and I think the scenery in Eight Min is also quite nice, except that the mountains around the Southern Shaolin are too green and monotonous.

Zhou Quan sighed, "I only have eleven children, and I've heard that five of them have been assassinated recently."

"Three of them were successfully attacked, and one was seriously injured?"

The butler bowed and said, "Yes, Miss Seven is seriously injured and poisoned. The poison caused her wounds to heal rapidly, but her body has become extremely weak, and she is unconscious."

"Judging from her complexion, which is as radiant as peach blossoms and plums, she must have been Xishi's Inebriation of the Flowing Cloud Manor."

"The Fifth Young Master choked to death on a fishbone, and everyone who touched the body was also poisoned. Some suspect the Tang Sect was behind it. Although the Tang Sect has no conflict with us, some members of the Tang Sect work for the Six Gates."

"The third and fourth young masters were killed by a single sword to the throat; their bodies withered and turned ashes after death."

Zhou Quan asked, "Is Er Yatou alright?"

"Seven shadow warriors have already died under the Second Miss's command."

The butler spoke of this with considerable apprehension, "The most dangerous time was when even the messengers we sent thought the Second Miss was dead. We later learned that the people who received all our messengers were merely the Second Miss's doubles."

"But the swordsman who attempted the assassination has still not been caught."

Zhou Quan smiled and said, "Second Girl was originally a figure who carved out a territory in the Dongying world of Japan. She really brought out the full potential of her family's ninja-raising skills."

The butler said, "That swordsman has been spreading rumors lately, claiming that the master is already dead, but the young master and young lady are keeping it a secret and controlling affairs."

Zhou Quan's expression changed slightly. "Good lad, that was quite ruthless."

The butler cautiously asked, "Second Miss, should we send Master's shadow warrior in?"

The Dongying often have the custom of training shadow warriors.

It is a kind of stand-in selected from childhood and brainwashed and trained to appear in dangerous situations in place of its master.

However, given the strength of the Heavenly King Grand Marshal, it would be extremely difficult for him to cultivate a double capable of impersonating him at certain times.

His only substitute was not a ninja trained from childhood, but a Dongying martial arts master from Japan whom he found at sea.

He took the man back to Dongying, avenged his blood feud, destroyed his enemy's country and exterminated his clan, and only then did he gain his loyalty.

"Forget it, if my double gets stabbed to death too, then the rumors will be confirmed."

Zhou Quan pondered, "Although my influence is vast, it is ultimately only the result of half a generation's efforts, and my foundation is not solid enough."

"Once the banner of Southern Shaolin was raised and a few victories were won, all sorts of demons and monsters rushed out to show themselves."

"The assassins are a minor matter; destroying the Southern Shaolin is the most urgent task."

The butler sighed in admiration, "Master harbored reservations about the Southern Shaolin ten years ago, and instructed us to send people to properly manage Zhou Quan's identity."

"Back then, we thought he was just a useless player, little did we know he'd actually come in handy today!"

The "Zhou Quan" sitting here today is actually Chen Zuqi in disguise.

The steward, attendants, and caravan guards were mostly Gan Jiang that Chen Zuqi had brought from the sea.

"Those in the imperial court may not be willing to dedicate themselves to the Southeast, but the foundation of the Southern Shaolin lies here, and they are bound to clash sooner or later."

Chen Zuqi picked up a piece of fish cheek meat and chewed it slowly.

"Ten years ago, I wasn't confident. Later, I fought against government troops and visited the Western Regions, and now the Southern Shaolin has made the first move."

He reasoned that a single Fire God Secret Formula wouldn't be enough to cause such a change in the Southern Shaolin; there must be another reason behind it.

Therefore, after arriving in the town with his men, he waited for a while, gathering information while anticipating the convergence of various forces and the resulting greater chaos.

Unexpectedly, half a year ago, the Fire God Secret Formula, and the smell of blood could even be smelled overseas.

Surprisingly, not many powerful forces came to the Southern Shaolin to observe the matter.

After waiting and waiting, all they got were imperial envoys from the court.

Chen Zuqi thought to himself: That's it.

He, the big fish, was waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of troubled waters.

But the other smaller fish also have eyes. Seeing that he and the two big fish from the Southern Shaolin were there, they were not so willing to come and become cannon fodder.

"Then let's get started."

Chen Zuqi put down his chopsticks, stared at the half-eaten fish, and his eyes deepened for a moment.

At the same time, the surrounding environment seemed to alternate between light and dark.

In that brief moment of darkness, the stark white skeletons of everyone standing in the room were revealed.

When the light returned to normal, they were still standing there, completely unharmed.

But all that was left of the fish on the table was a skeleton and a few bits of dried powder.

All the essence seemed to have been plundered in that light and darkness.

The butler remained calm, as if he were already used to such eerie sights.

He simply said, "It's still daytime, are we going to make our move now?"

"It's perfect during the day, and the weather's been dry lately. But at night, when the dew is heavy, it's not as convenient to work."

Chen Zuqi smiled, stood up, and said, "By the way, what is the punishment for arson according to the Great Ming Code?"

The steward said with shame, "I have not read the Great Ming Code."

He thought for a moment, "We burned too many houses when we were young. Even if we don't burn down the mountain today, under the Great Ming Code, it should still be a capital offense."

"Hahaha, thank goodness we won't get arrested."

Chen Zuqi led the group downstairs. "Let's go. Today we'll give the people of Quanzhou a grand show, let them see the smoke and flames of Mount Qingyuan."

Dozens of caravan workers and guards stood up at the same time, all showing excited expressions.

They left in batches, dispersed from the town, and hardly attracted the attention of any townspeople.

When they were active in the mountains and forests, they only traveled in groups of two or three, and did not gather together.

Because their destinations are all different.

Hillsides, secluded valleys, cliff edges...

The oil refined from the Western Regions, combined with the martial arts masters' fire-making skills, quickly ignited these places with a strong, scorching red light.

When the flames grew larger, they burned the damp trees, causing the smoke to thicken dramatically.

Black smoke billowed upwards, shooting straight into the sky.

Can the Southern Shaolin avoid putting out fires?

Perhaps we can let only the young monks and lay disciples dig ditches and draw water; the older monks don't need to rush.

However, the weapon workshops most strictly controlled by the Southern Shaolin are hidden in this vast mountain forest.

Recently, there has been a significant amount of gunpowder in those workshops.

(End of this chapter)