Chapter 52

Under the leadership of Wei Caosi, the main attacking force of the Five Tigers Fort quietly followed "Grass on the Fly" to the front gate of the Jade Void Temple. "Grass on the Fly" pressed his ear to the gate, listened carefully, and confirmed there were no abnormalities. He then signaled to the large group behind him. Two tall henchmen stepped forward, lifted "Grass on the Fly" onto the wall.

"Grass on the Fly" surveyed the courtyard from the wall, confirmed there was no one, and then lightly jumped down into the courtyard. He turned to the gate, quietly removed the bolt, and opened the door. The two hundred henchmen outside, led by Wei Caosi, rushed in. Except for four men left to guard the gate, the rest split into two groups and charged toward the moon gates on either side of the main hall.

Just as all the henchmen entered the courtyard and Wei Caosi was only five or six steps away from the moon gate, there was a soft "puff" sound. A bright "meteor" rose from the back of the Jade Void Temple, flew to a height of several dozen feet above the heads of the bandits, stopped, and slowly descended, its dazzling light illuminating the front courtyard as if it were daylight.

The sudden change stunned all the bandits, and Wei Caosi, who was leading the charge, also had to stop. Not only was he attracted by the "meteor," but the bright "starlight" revealed a shocking sight: in front of the moon gate, several layers of grain bags were neatly stacked, with a strange iron frame on top. On the frame was a relatively thick iron tube, and behind the tube stood a man in colorful clothing, wearing a similarly colorful and oddly styled hat, looking at him with disdain.

Despite this, Wei Caosi, a seasoned old bandit, quickly realized that the enemy was prepared. Knowing that the ambush had been detected, he understood that if he turned and ran, he would be pursued and suffer even greater losses. It was better to fight, relying on their numbers to have a chance of victory.

So he shouted, "Men, we have no choice but to fight! Kill these Taoist priests, and behind them is a mountain of silver. Everyone, charge together!" With that, he swung his knife and charged forward. The originally bewildered henchmen, encouraged by Wei Caosi, also came to their senses, brandished their weapons, and followed him.

As Wei Caosi led his men forward, a firm and powerful command came from behind the moon gate: "Fire!" With this command, the left and right moon gates, the main hall, and the two side halls simultaneously erupted with thunderous "bangs." Six streams of fire shot out from different directions and angles, lashing out at the bandits in the courtyard.

Wei Caosi, who was at the front of the charge, had taken only a few steps when he suddenly stopped as if he had hit a wall. Blood spurted from his back, and in an instant, his body was torn into several pieces, flying in all directions. The henchmen behind him were splattered with blood, and before they could wipe it off, they too were torn apart.

The continuous fall of their companions, the strange "meteor," the thunderous explosions, and the flying blood and flesh plunged the surviving henchmen into endless fear. They believed that their ambush of the temple had angered the gods, who were sending them to the hell of Asura for punishment. No matter how much treasure lay ahead, they no longer had the heart to take it. Their only thought was to leave this hell as quickly as possible. These terrified bandits ran around like headless flies, trying to find a place to hide in this slaughter-filled hell.

Perhaps the heavens had a change of heart, and the dazzling "meteor" soon went out. Just as the surviving henchmen were secretly rejoicing, a torch flew from the top of the main hall and landed precisely in the large bronze tripod in the courtyard. A towering flame immediately rose from the tripod, illuminating the entire courtyard, leaving no place to hide. As the tripod was set alight, black, short, and slightly glowing sticks occasionally flew from the top of the main hall, landing accurately where the bandits were most concentrated. They exploded instantly, emitting dazzling light and loud sounds, and rising in clouds of smoke. The henchmen around them fell to the ground, some dead on the spot, others unable to move, only able to moan helplessly.

The one-sided slaughter lasted only four or five minutes. After that, there was no one standing in the courtyard except for the dead and the injured who were moaning. Even the four henchmen assigned to guard the gate were not spared. They ran out a few dozen feet before collapsing, each with one or more bloody holes in their backs. Behind them, more henchmen died at the gate, their bodies blocking the entire entrance, making it impossible for anyone inside to escape.

Compared to the henchmen in the front hall who met a tragic end, those responsible for the rear attack were fortunate. When the "meteor" appeared and the explosions were heard, Liu Wanbao, the leader of the rear group, knew something was wrong. The subsequent cries of agony were clearly from his companions, and he understood what they meant. The Taoist priests of the Jade Void Temple must have been prepared, and his brother and the two hundred henchmen were likely in grave danger. Whether to rescue them or not became a decision Liu Wanbao had to make immediately.

After a brief consideration, Liu Wanbao decided to retreat immediately and not get involved in the front. This decision was not out of a lack of brotherhood or loyalty, but because the situation at the front was too bizarre. The unexplainable explosions and the bright "meteor" were beyond his comprehension. Now, the only explanation he could think of was magic. Facing a group of powerful Taoist priests, their mortal bodies had only one choice: to flee. He decisively left two trusted men behind and ordered a leader to take the other henchmen back to Xiyun Ridge. He himself, with the two trusted men, cautiously moved forward to see what had happened.

The leader who received the order was more concerned about his own safety than Liu Wanbao's. He said, "Second Boss, be careful," and then led the hundred henchmen away from the dangerous place. These henchmen were indeed fortunate. They had only been gone for a few minutes when another dazzling "meteor" slid over the place they had just stood, clearly revealing every detail below. Then, a few people carrying strange devices and wearing colorful clothing ran over. The leader looked at the trampled snow on the ground, glanced around, and, under the light of the "meteor," found no one. He shook his head regretfully, saying, "What a pity! What a pity!" and then called his companions back to the Jade Void Temple.

In the front courtyard of the Jade Void Temple, the fire from the torches and the burning wood soaked in oil in the bronze tripod illuminated the scene. Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin, wearing homemade masks, were leading the other time travelers, the real Taoist priests, and the Zhong family's cart drivers in the arduous task of moving the bodies and body parts. This was the first time any of them, including Yuxu Zi and Qingchen, had seen such a gruesome scene. Many of the bandits, hit by the 12.7mm heavy machine gun at close range, were torn to pieces, unrecognizable.

The time travelers, though nauseated by the strong smell of blood even through their thick masks, managed to keep their composure. They felt sick and occasionally vomited, but it was just that. The Taoist priests and cart drivers, however, had to endure both the physical and psychological shock. The fear was not from the bodies but from the powerful weapons used by the time travelers, which they saw as magical artifacts. They had witnessed how vulnerable the bandits were in front of these "artifacts," and the scene was more of a massacre than a battle. The sight of the powerful "artifacts" still set up on the roof and moon gates made the real Taoist priests and cart drivers shiver. Some, even near the burning tripod, felt a chill and their legs trembled uncontrollably.

Even Qingchen, who had seen the time travelers use modern weapons before, was shocked. He had only seen the power of handguns, which was nothing compared to the heavy machine gun. Yuxu Zi, though showing no obvious reaction, was internally reconsidering his master's words. From what he had just seen, these weapons were not powered by any supreme magic. The time travelers' explanation of magic was not just to protect themselves but because the weapons were too powerful. They used the term "magic" to avoid frightening others.

However, the immense power of these weapons also worried Yuxu Zi. He feared that if word got out, his disciples and their companions would not be left alone. He was not afraid of the bandits' allies seeking revenge, as their fate would be the same as the bandits in the courtyard. He was more concerned that if the wrong people learned about these weapons, they might come after his disciples and their companions. After the time travelers moved out of the Jade Void Temple and interacted more with the secular world, maintaining their independence would become increasingly difficult. If someone coveted their weapons, it would be a serious problem. Dealing with bandits was one thing, but dealing with other forces, especially the government, would require more caution. If not handled well, even with such powerful weapons, they might not be safe. He decided to talk to Wang Xiaojun and the others to warn them.

Zhong Shiwén, the young master, had similar thoughts. The gentle scholar was currently squatting in the toilet in the back courtyard, vomiting. Though not required to help with the cleanup, the usually comfortable Zhong Shiwén had been so disturbed by the scene in the front courtyard that he had been vomiting in the toilet. Despite having nothing left in his stomach, the thought of what he had seen made him want to vomit again. Being a man who valued his appearance, he did not want to look so disheveled in front of others, so he stayed in the toilet.

Even in this state, he still made his own judgment. Besides sharing Yuxu Zi's concern about his "overseas friends" facing the "innocent man with a precious jade" dilemma, he had more thoughts. He worried about his friends' safety and also considered how to bring this powerful force under his family's control or make it a tool for his family's revenge. He felt he should return home quickly to inform his father of the situation so that his father could make a decision.

Yuxu Zi was thinking about his disciples, Zhong Shiwén about his friends and family, and Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin were also considering the potential problems. They were listening to Xu Shaoran describe the failed pursuit.

After the henchmen in the front courtyard were all eliminated, Xu Shaoran led five or six people to the back of the Jade Void Temple. According to the night vision observations, the bandits had split into two groups, one attacking from the front and one from the back. The rear group was clearly meant to intercept any escapees. Unfortunately, when Xu Shaoran's team arrived, the intercepting group had already fled, leaving only a mess of footprints. Xu Shaoran returned to the temple with some regret and reported to Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin.

Hearing that Xu Shaoran's pursuit had been in vain, Wang and Zhang were also disappointed. They had put a lot of effort into thwarting the bandits' attack. The time travelers, all the Taoist priests, and the Zhong family's cart drivers had participated, hoping to defeat the bandits in one decisive battle. They had not expected the leader of the intercepting group to be so ruthless, abandoning his comrades and fleeing as soon as the battle began. This posed a new challenge for the time travelers, who now had to consider their next move.

The biggest concern was that the bandits would spread the news of the Jade Void Temple's super weapons. Although people of this era would not understand the technology, the saying "fame brings trouble, just as size brings danger to pigs" applied. If the news spread, it would be a big problem for both the time travelers and the Jade Void Temple.

Wang Xiaojun thought for a moment and said, "The bandits escaping is a real problem. After we finish cleaning up the battlefield, we need to hold a meeting to discuss how to handle the aftermath. If we don't resolve this properly, our future will be difficult."

Zhang and Xu agreed. Zhang suggested, "If possible, I suggest we invite Yuxu Zi, Qingchen, and Zhong Shiwén to the meeting. They understand the current society much better than we do and might provide some valuable advice."

Xu Shaoran agreed with Zhang's suggestion, and Wang Xiaojun, after some thought, also nodded, emphasizing that the time travelers should hold a full meeting first to get everyone's agreement before inviting Yuxu Zi and the others. Zhang and Xu had no objections. After reaching a consensus, they returned to the urgent task of cleaning up the battlefield.

The cleanup continued until around three or four in the morning. The dead or dismembered bandits were moved to a hill at the downwind side of the Jade Void Temple. They dug a large pit, threw the bodies in, poured oil over them, and set them on fire, then covered the pit with soil. Although the smell did not reach the temple, it was unbearable near the pit. Those responsible for moving the bodies held their breath as they approached the pit, threw the bodies in, and ran back as fast as they could, only breathing deeply once they were far away. Despite this, many of them could not eat for several days afterward, especially when they saw meat, which made them want to vomit.