Chapter 37

"Rogue monk, you still dare to use your cunning tongue to deceive the prince! This general is here by the order of the king to exterminate your band of rebels! Do you dare say you don't recognize this person?"

Zhou Mingguang held up the letter from the king given to him by Qin Sang, and with a wave of his hand, his attendant took out a preserved human head from a bundle and threw it over.

Abbot Enzen's face changed drastically as he hurriedly caught the head, his hands trembling violently.

The monks behind him fell to their knees with a loud thud, weeping bitterly, some calling out to their master, others to their grandmaster.

Zhou Mingguang paid no attention, spreading out a silk scroll.

"Susji Temple, the head of the Arhat Hall, Dharma name Yuanjue! Hmph! This man, despite his high position, willingly served as a lackey of the false emperor, nearly ruining the king's great plan. He was executed on the spot. With both human and material evidence present, the evidence is conclusive. What more do you have to say, rogue monk?"

"Nonsense!"

A large monk glared with bloodshot eyes, gritting his teeth, "Master is a master of innate skills. With your band of rebels, it's impossible for you to be a match for him! What treacherous scheme did you use to harm my master!"

Hearing the monk's words, Zhou Mingguang glanced at Qin Sang without changing his expression.

"Rebels?"

Zhou Mingguang almost laughed out loud, saying in a sinister tone, "It seems that the false emperor's lackeys in Susji Temple are not just limited to Abbot Yuanjue. Everyone, listen to my order, search the temple! Those who resist will be killed on the spot!"

In an instant, the sound of drums and armor clanged.

The monks of Susji Temple formed a battle formation, looking ready to resist to the end.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, filled with a deadly silence.

At this moment, Abbot Enzen suddenly closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and solemnly handed the head to a monk beside him.

"Amitabha."

Abbot Enzen took a step forward, "General Zhou, my junior brother Yuanjue left the Great Sui to travel the world and has not returned for ten years. He must have just returned to the Great Sui and, not knowing the truth, was temporarily confused and misled by the false emperor. The monks of Susji Temple absolutely cannot be the false emperor's lackeys. Please, General Zhou, understand this."

"Abbot!"

Seeing that Abbot Enzen seemed willing to admit guilt and accept punishment, the monks of Susji Temple were shocked.

Qin Sang, however, was relieved that Abbot Enzen was being reasonable. It would be best if they could avoid a major conflict.

Zhou Mingguang's tone softened slightly, "The abbot is a man of the cloth, respected and virtuous, and surely would not lie. However, with so many monks in Susji Temple, there are bound to be some bad apples. If a lackey of the false emperor is hiding among them and does something, it would be a shame if it implicated Susji Temple. Abbot, don't worry. This general will ensure that the soldiers only arrest the lackeys of the false emperor and will not harm the innocent."

...

In the Sutra Pavilion.

Qin Sang looked up at the seven-story pagoda before him. He had long admired this place. It was said that all the martial arts secrets of the Shaolin Temple were stored here, making it a holy site for anyone who had read martial arts novels.

However, Qin Sang knew that the Sutra Pavilion of Susji Temple was just a facade. There were no high-level martial arts techniques inside, only Buddhist scriptures.

The true treasure was not here.

Qin Sang turned his head and glanced at Abbot Enzen, who was sitting on the ground in the distance, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures.

All the monks of Susji Temple were gathered in the Great Hall, surrounded by crossbowmen.

Despite watching the soldiers empty the temple's treasury, carrying boxes of gold and silver down the mountain like a stream, Abbot Enzen remained calm, showing no sorrow or joy. His composure was truly remarkable.

Zhou Mingguang strode forward, scanned the area, and pointed to an inconspicuous path behind the Sutra Pavilion, shouting, "There's another path here! Men, take a squad and search it thoroughly. If you let one rebel escape, I'll cut off your heads!"

Abbot Enzen's face changed slightly, and he flashed in front, blocking the path, "General Zhou, you must not. Ahead is the place where our temple's patriarchs meditate. It must not be disturbed!"

Zhou Mingguang snorted, "Nonsense! Who knows what kind of people are in there? If the abbot is so nervous, could it be that there are people who cannot be seen in the light?"

"You!"

Abbot Enzen's hand, gripping the prayer beads, bulged with veins, and a stream of wood chips fell from between his fingers.

"Fine! Fine! Fine! Please, General Zhou, search thoroughly to clear our temple's name! However, I have one request. There are indeed our temple's patriarchs meditating in the grotto. Please, General, allow me to go and ask them to come out first to avoid disturbing their meditation and causing a great mistake."

Zhou Mingguang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost provoked Abbot Enzen to anger, and his back was drenched in cold sweat. He waved his hand, "Abbot, please go ahead."

Abbot Enzen led the way, and Zhou Mingguang followed with his soldiers. They soon turned through a stone forest and saw a cliff.

The cliff was covered with countless stone carvings, signed by once prominent figures, great monks, martial arts masters, and literary giants. At the foot of the mountain, a row of stone steps led up to a stone path that ran through the cliff, lined with exquisite Buddhist sculptures.

The cliff had two faces, the eastern one facing the sunrise, suitable for the meditation of the temple's patriarchs.

Zhou Mingguang and his soldiers waited at the foot of the stone steps while the old monk went up to invite the patriarchs down. Most were withered old monks, some top martial arts masters, and others virtuous monks who did not practice martial arts.

Abbot Enzen comforted each one, which was a difficult task. Zhou Mingguang had the soldiers pretend to check, but he was actually keeping track of the time.

According to the agreement, he had to help Qin Sang delay for at least a quarter of an hour.

By then, Qin Sang had already changed into plain clothes and quietly climbed to the top of the cliff, lying in wait. When he finally saw the innate master of Susji Temple being invited down, he immediately began to climb down the cliff silently.

He had originally prepared a rope, but the uneven stone carvings on the cliff allowed him to climb easily with his lightness skills, so he didn't need it.

At the end of the stone path, there was a stone staircase leading downward. Qin Sang landed silently on the path and walked down the stairs.

The stairs went deep underground, in complete silence.

On both sides were some caves where the patriarchs of Susji Temple had once meditated, but they were now empty.

If Zhou Mingguang hadn't forced them out, Qin Sang would have had no chance to sneak in without being discovered.

Finally, he reached the end of the stairs, where there was a narrow, inconspicuous stone crevice leading deeper.

The crevice was narrow on the outside but wider inside, with dangerous traps. However, Qin Sang knew about them and carefully stepped, avoiding all the traps. The crevice branched into several paths, which were where Susji Temple stored its precious treasures.

Qin Sang headed straight for the place where the bell was kept. The other paths also contained priceless treasures, but to him, they were no different from dust, and time did not allow.

The small cave had been artificially shaped into a square, with a large luminous pearl embedded in the ceiling, casting a bright light.

In the center of the cave was a stone platform, on which sat a purple bell, a jade slip, and a talisman, all covered by a glass dome.

There was one last trap on the platform. Qin Sang found the poison arrows, disabled the mechanism, and lifted the glass dome.

Time was short, and Qin Sang, suppressing his excitement, quickly collected the three items and quietly left the cave.