Chapter 7

Tang Xiaojiu didn't know the rules of the temple, but he understood that any head of a department was referred to as "head." For example, the one in charge of the vegetable garden was called the "vegetable head," the one in charge of tea was called the "tea head," the one in charge of the temple gate was called the "gate head," and the one in charge of the kitchen was called the "kitchen head." Any "head" was considered a significant position.

After Mingkong left, Puguang slammed the door shut and there was no sound for a long time. Lu Zheng anxiously said, "Why hasn't anything happened yet? Is it that Mingkong's laxative doesn't work?"

Tang Xiaojiu pondered and said, "Don't be impatient, it's still early. This medicine is for animals with upset stomachs. I think it should work on this fat pig. We just need to be patient."

Earlier, when the three of them were discussing, Tang Xiaojiu suggested setting a fire. Mingkong thought it might not be effective and, more importantly, he was to be the abbot, and the Qinglong Temple would be his property. If the fire got out of control, it would be disastrous. He then mentioned that he often brought ginseng soup to Puguang at midnight to curry favor. He suggested using this opportunity to slip in some laxative, making Puguang stay in the toilet and unable to come out, allowing the two of them to act freely.

The Qinglong Temple had several horse-drawn carriages for the elderly elders. A while ago, two horses had eaten something bad, and the stable master gave two packets of powder, saying to mix it with the hay. After the horses defecated, they would be fine. It worked, but one packet was left over. Mingkong, being a thoughtful person, secretly kept it, and now it was useful.

When Mingkong proposed this idea, Tang Xiaojiu frowned and said, "This idea is good, but if something happens, you might be implicated, and you'll be in trouble!"

Lu Zheng agreed, "Exactly, why don't you come with us after we succeed?"

Mingkong waved his hands, "No, no, I've brought ginseng soup to this fat man many times, and nothing has ever gone wrong. He won't suspect me, and if the abbot finds out, he'll lose face. Besides, he might not suspect me. If I leave with you, it will be obvious that the three of us are involved. The fat man is very familiar with the authorities, which would be very bad." After some debate, the two saw his determination and stopped persuading him.

They waited for a while, but there was no sign of Puguang. They didn't know if the medicine wasn't working or if something else had happened. Just as they were puzzled, they heard a loud noise from the room, as if Puguang had kicked over a chair. Then Puguang rushed out like a gust of wind. Tang Xiaojiu's spirits lifted; the fat man had fallen for it!

Seeing the fat man run out, the two quickly followed, but when they reached Puguang's door, it was locked again. Tang Xiaojiu was taken aback, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and cursed, "This fat pig!"

Lu Zheng said, "No wonder Mingkong said this fat man could become the supervisor; he's not stupid!"

The two thought for a while. The lock was very strong, and breaking it would make a lot of noise. Tang Xiaojiu, feeling frustrated, stomped his foot and said, "Let's wait a bit longer. I don't believe we can't outsmart this pig!"

They hid again. After a while, Puguang dragged his feet back, muttering, "You little brat, you dared to put something in my ginseng soup to help those two brats. Next time I see those two, I'll break all three of your limbs, oh, oh!"

The two listened carefully and realized that the fat man was not stupid and immediately suspected the ginseng soup. However, from his words, he only thought Mingkong was helping the two of them and didn't suspect any other motives. Tang Xiaojiu was surprised; it seemed the fat man knew Mingkong had been playing tricks on him but had been pretending to be oblivious. This fat man was smarter than he thought.

Not long after Puguang entered the room, he groaned and rushed out again, this time even faster. Lu Zheng, seeing the fat man's speed, thought he wouldn't have time to lock the door and was about to rush out, but Tang Xiaojiu held him back and covered his mouth.

Lu Zheng always listened to Tang Xiaojiu and didn't struggle or make a sound. He followed Tang Xiaojiu's finger and saw a shadow moving in the darkness near a pile of rocks. This scared Lu Zheng. Looking back at Tang Xiaojiu, he saw a smug smile on his face, but he didn't say anything.

The shadow stayed in the darkness for a while before stepping into the light, revealing a mountain-like figure—none other than Puguang. In the dim light, Puguang's face looked pale, and he had a cold smile on his lips. He muttered to himself, "Hmph, good thing you're smart, Mingkong. I thought you'd really dare to steal the money!" Then he walked back into the room.

Lu Zheng, thinking about how close he had come to being caught, felt a chill. He whispered, "This fat man is very cunning. He was just trying to trick us. Did he discover us?"

Tang Xiaojiu shook his head, "No, he's just suspicious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to trick us. Hmph, trying to fool your Ninth Master, even ten fat brains wouldn't be enough!"

Tang Xiaojiu estimated that the laxative had some effect but wasn't very strong. They waited a bit longer, and sure enough, the fat man rushed out again, this time without locking the door. Lu Zheng waited for Tang Xiaojiu to make a move, but Tang Xiaojiu remained still. Sure enough, Puguang returned soon after, and if they had gone out, they would have been trapped at the door. Lu Zheng was surprised by Puguang's caution and felt uneasy.

Puguang played this game of cat and mouse several times but never ended up in the toilet as they had hoped. Instead, he eventually lay on the table, groaning, clearly very uncomfortable. It seemed the laxative wasn't very effective on this fat man. The two watched through the window, not daring to move, and leaned against the wall, waiting for the right moment.

After a long time, they were almost asleep. Suddenly, a loud creaking sound of the door opening in the quiet night woke them up. They quickly looked around and then peered through the window.

Through the window, they saw Puguang, the fat man, clasping his hands and bowing to someone. The person was facing away from the window, so they couldn't see his face, but he had a shaved head and wore a white monk's robe, clearly another monk.

Puguang said, "Oh, Master Wuxiang, what can I do for you?"

Tang Xiaojiu thought, "What can I do for you? Hmph, he's just here to have a meal with your ass! This Master Wuxiang must be the disciple of the National Master that Mingkong mentioned, quite a big shot." He strained to listen but heard no response from the other person.

Suddenly, Puguang's face changed, showing extreme fear. He cried out, "Ah, you are...," and then stopped, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying. His face was contorted with fear.

Tang Xiaojiu thought, "What's wrong with this fat pig? He's not usually this scared!" Just as he was puzzled, Lu Zheng tapped his shoulder, asking what he saw.

Tang Xiaojiu was about to answer when he noticed Puguang seemed to have shrunk. Was he seeing things? Ignoring Lu Zheng, he looked more closely and saw that Puguang had indeed shrunk. He rubbed his eyes and saw the monk's shoulders move, and Puguang shrank even more. This time, Tang Xiaojiu saw it clearly!

What was happening? Was Puguang practicing some kind of technique with the white-robed monk, continuously inhaling and shrinking? Monks were indeed strange. Before Tang Xiaojiu could figure it out, Lu Zheng was pulling his clothes, asking what was wrong. Tang Xiaojiu, still staring inside, asked, "What is it?"

His voice was low but still startled the people inside. The white-robed monk turned around, revealing Puguang's figure. Tang Xiaojiu was so scared that his eyes almost popped out. He screamed, "My dear mother!" and fell backward, landing on the ground.

Lu Zheng said, "What are you shouting for?" Tang Xiaojiu's hand trembled, pointing at the window, but he couldn't speak.

Lu Zheng looked back and saw the white-robed monk standing next to Puguang, holding his arms tightly. A red stick connected the monk's mouth to Puguang's throat. The red stick seemed to come from the monk's mouth. Lu Zheng was puzzled, thinking the monk was performing some magic, but he had never seen such a thick stick come out of someone's mouth. He couldn't tell what the red stick was.

Suddenly, the red stick retracted into the monk's mouth. Lu Zheng thought the monk was skilled, able to swallow such a long stick. The monk then released Puguang, who fell to the ground with a thud. Lu Zheng saw a blood hole the size of an egg on Puguang's throat, still gushing blood. He realized it wasn't a stick but the monk's tongue! Puguang, once fat, was now half his size, completely drained by the monk.

Puguang died, and the white-robed monk turned around, his eyes glowing red with an eerie light. His tongue, as long as an arm, hung down to his navel, forked like a snake's tongue, and moved upward, dripping blood. His white robe was stained with blood, looking like plum blossoms in the snow, eerie and sinister.

At that moment, Lu Zheng's eyes met the monk's through the window. The monk's tongue curled up, and he gave a strange smile. Lu Zheng felt a chill from his feet to his head, his hair standing on end, his soul leaving his body, his blood turning cold. He stood there, eyes wide, frozen in fear.

The white-robed monk raised his hand, and a strong wind blew through the room, shattering the windows. His body flickered, and he was suddenly at the window, his tongue back in his mouth. Seeing Lu Zheng still frozen, he spat a green mist onto his face. Lu Zheng inhaled the mist, his eyes rolled back, and he fell backward, unconscious.

Tang Xiaojiu, though braver than Lu Zheng, was also terrified, his heart pounding, his hair standing on end, cold sweat pouring down. Seeing Lu Zheng fall, he finally reacted, calling out, "Lu Zheng! Lu Zheng!" When there was no response, he tried to run but fell to the ground, his legs weak. He crawled forward, shouting, "There's... a monster! Help! Someone... help! There's really a monster!..."

Strangely, no matter how loud Tang Xiaojiu shouted, the sound seemed to disappear in the air, not reaching far. He didn't notice this, crawling forward, shouting for help, his voice hoarse.

Suddenly, a heavy weight landed on his back. The white-robed monk had stepped on him, breaking several of his ribs with a loud crack. Tang Xiaojiu was in excruciating pain, unable to scream, and managed to turn his head. He saw the monk's cold eyes glowing red, and a blood-red tongue, like a snake, darted out, heading for his neck, accompanied by a strong, foul smell.

Tang Xiaojiu's hands and feet turned cold, his eyes closed, his body stiff, and he thought, "I didn't expect to die like Puguang, damn, what a tragic end!"

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