SLAP!
Gu Zheng whipped his hand out and delivered a resounding slap.
Amidst the crisp sound of a well-controlled strike, the middle-aged man was sent flying sideways to the left. Blood and teeth spewed from his mouth as he sailed through the air in a graceful arc, traveling more than ten ters before crashing heavily to the ground with a THUD. He tumbled three tis upon landing.
When he ca to a stop, the side of his face that had been struck was swollen red like a giant stead bun, puffed up so high it squeezed his eye shut.
His head swam, his eyes were glazed over, and he lay sprawled on the ground as if his soul had left his body, all his previous arrogance and authority gone.
"Go in and arrest them!"
Gu Zheng retracted his hand and spoke nonchalantly.
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers responded forcefully, their voices filled with excitent.
CLANG~
THUD~ THUD~
Iron armor scraped and footsteps thundered chaotically.
Thousands of n charged into Jinshan Temple in an orderly fashion, following Gu Zheng’s command: arrest everyone on sight, whether monk or worshipper.
Faced with the wolf-like soldiers, the people inside the temple scread in terror and fled in a panic.
A martial monk leaped out to resist, but Gu Zheng simply raised a hand and swatted him away from a distance.
"Those who dare to resist will be killed without rcy!"
His voice, amplified by a Divine Wondrous power, echoed throughout Jinshan Temple and all over Golden Fate Mountain.
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers, who had been sowhat hesitant before, heard his command and roared their response once more.
Clad in iron armor, wielding long spears and powerful crossbows, they were far more than the monks of Jinshan Temple, a re martial world sect, could handle.
Terrified, no one dared to resist any longer. One by one, they knelt and surrendered, allowing themselves to be bound and taken into custody.
"Mr. Gu... about Zhang..."
Zhang Ning, who was always by Gu Zheng’s side, took in the surrounding scene and offered a quiet reminder.
’Mobilizing troops to lock down Golden Fate Mountain was the easy part.’
’But if we don’t find who we’re looking for, Gu Zheng will be held accountable and punished all the sa.’
"The person is in the back."
Gu Zheng replied calmly, striding toward several large halls to the right.
The hall of the Child-Giving Bodhisattva was over there.
"A misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding~"
Several old monks ca jogging toward them with hurried steps.
The leading old monk had a kind and benevolent face, his eyes gentle and pure.
After stopping in front of Gu Zheng, he pressed his palms together and spoke in a placid tone, "Sir, might there be so misunderstanding? My Jinshan Temple..."
"Seize them!"
Gu Zheng barked.
CLANG~
The group of soldiers behind him imdiately lunged forward, binding all the old monks and taking them into custody.
"Amitabha~"
The old monks didn’t resist, rely chanting as they allowed themselves to be bound.
"What do you think you’re doing? Huh? Who let you in? How dare you tie up the Abbot! You have so nerve! Don’t you know that Madam Wang will be arriving shortly!?"
A lavishly dressed woman, decked out in gold and silver, erged hurriedly from a side hall with a group of equally aristocratic ladies and blocked Gu Zheng’s path.
The leader of the group, a woman in her forties who was quite well-preserved, had eyes as sharp as daggers. She pointed at the soldiers, screeching at them for a mont before turning her finger on Gu Zheng and snapping, "You’re the one who gave the order, aren’t you? Do you have any idea what huge trouble you’ve caused! Did you think that just because you’re a Hundred Households, you can disrespect the Abbot? Even a Thousand Households from the Demon Slayer Bureau treats the Abbot with courtesy! Who do you think you are? Don’t you know that Jinshan Temple is under the Lord Governor’s..."
SLAP~!
The woman’s words ca to an abrupt halt as she, too, was sent flying more than ten ters. Teeth and blood sprayed through the air before she crashed violently to the ground and rolled into a heap.
One side of her face swelled up high, forcing her eye shut as she lapsed into unconsciousness.
"Ahh!"
"He’s killing people~"
The other won shrieked and scattered in all directions.
"Arrest them all."
Gu Zheng ordered nonchalantly and continued walking forward.
"Yes, sir!"
A group of soldiers nimbly gave chase and tied up each of the won.
Zhang Ning watched it all, smacking his lips nervously.
’We have to find them!’ he thought to himself.
’Otherwise, Mr. Gu is in deep trouble.’
’These won all have powerful backers. Although their patrons might be weak themselves—not even a single one at the Body Realm—their statuses are different. They represent the imperial court of Jing Country.’
’If they apply pressure from the top, even the Demon Slayer Bureau Command Headquarters will have to take it seriously.’
"Don’t worry."
Gu Zheng glanced at Zhang Ning and said softly, "You’ll see soon enough."
"That would be for the best."
Zhang Ning gave a sheepish laugh.
He followed behind Gu Zheng with a group of soldiers, arriving at the hall of the Child-Giving Bodhisattva.
But Gu Zheng didn’t enter through the main gate. Instead, he went around to the rear courtyard, pointed at a rockery, and ordered calmly, "Tear this rockery down."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers behind him responded and rushed over. With a dozen or so n working together, they quickly cleared away the rockery, revealing a hole in the ground covered by a wooden plank.
"This is..." Zhang Ning’s eyes lit up. "Quick, open the entrance!" he exclaid excitedly.
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but rush over himself, eager to see what was inside.
"Sirs, please wait a mont~"
A soft, delicate, and charmingly sweet female voice suddenly rang out, seeming to scratch right at the bottom of one’s heart.
All the soldiers, including Zhang Ning and even Gu Zheng, couldn’t help but slowly turn to face the source of the voice. They saw a young woman walking toward them step by step. She was tall and curvy, dressed in thin gauze, with an exquisitely beautiful face and sparkling eyes that radiated endless allure. She took tiny steps, her supple waist swaying as she approached.
"My dear big brothers, this humble servant has lost her handkerchief. Could you please help find it?"
"Of course~!"
"Hehe, don’t you worry, little sister. Your big brother will definitely find it for you."
"Little sister, slow down, slow down..."
With dazed expressions and drool trickling from the corners of their mouths, the soldiers gazed adoringly at the woman. Grinning foolishly, they turned around one by one, picked up the stones, and began piling them back where the rockery had been.
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